Cheerleading Club

Only one day left until departure. After finishing morning practice, Hinata drank his protein shake, and as usual, Hayato let him leave first.

It was unlikely to see significant improvement in skills or physical fitness in just a few days, so Hayato wasn't in a hurry. After all, he still had a week, and he had a lot of confidence in Hinata. Hayato was sure that Hinata, after his evolution during the summer training camp, would definitely surprise everyone.

On the way to school, Kiyoko asked Hayato with some concern if he had prepared everything, clearly worried about him. Hayato patted his chest and assured her that he was ready, so Kiyoko didn't ask further.

Of course, he reported the misunderstanding from yesterday's confession to Kiyoko immediately that evening. As a man, how could he hide such a thing? After hearing the whole story, Kiyoko actually laughed. The main reason was that Hayato, with his intelligence, could have such a huge misunderstanding. It was a perfect example of a smart person acting foolishly.

Hayato felt wronged about this too. It wasn't written that unclearly, and it was in the form of a love letter, only to find out in the end that it was just an invitation to join the basketball club.

Kiyoko had known for a while that someone wanted to confess to Hayato, but she hadn't mentioned it to him. When it came to matters of the heart, the girls here were different from those in China. If someone liked the person they admired, it only showed that they were attractive, which was something to be proud of. People here valued face the most.

Many heads of households would be kicked out of their homes by their wives right after getting home from work. It was as if they thought that going home on time after work meant you weren't doing well. The neighbors would also talk about such things during casual conversations. It had to be said, it was a strange way of thinking.

After finishing morning practice, Hayato, yawning, listened to the teacher lecturing about history at the podium. He had to wake up early for the past two days to train Hinata, so he was sleep-deprived. Fortunately, the drowsiness wasn't too severe, and he could still hold on. Tanaka next to him wasn't so lucky. Since the exams were over, he had been a bit too relaxed lately and was now drowsily nodding his head, as if he would fall asleep any second.

Finally, it was noon. He took out his bento, and Hayato and Tanaka started eating lunch together. Kiyoko's bentos were always very generous, and the main dish changed every day, showing how much thought she put into them.

"Damn, it's potato stew today."

Tanaka, biting his chopsticks, looked enviously at Hayato's bento box. That was potato stew made by Kiyoko-senpai. Although Hayato didn't know why everyone was so fond of potato stew, he still shared some with Tanaka. Tanaka's reaction was, as always, like a devotee receiving a blessing.

Hayato planned to catch up on sleep during the lunch break, while Tanaka had already fallen fast asleep. Hayato, who had just put his head on the desk and hadn't fallen asleep yet, was called by the teacher to help move a whole stack of notebooks to the office. He had no choice; he couldn't refuse the teacher's request. Holding the stack of books, Hayato ran into an acquaintance in the hallway.

Hatoya Kohane, with her friend, the pink-haired girl, spotted Hayato at a glance and, being very friendly, came over to say hello.

"Yo, good afternoon, Kuroba-kun. It looks heavy, do you need help?"

"Good afternoon, Hatoya-san. This isn't heavy."

Looking in the direction the two girls came from, Hayato guessed they had just been to the restroom. Girls always acted in groups. After hearing Hatoya offer help, Hayato smiled and refused her kind offer, as her small body wouldn't have much strength no matter how you looked at it.

The girl with the blonde ponytail, Hatoya Kohane's friend, had a hint of guilt on her face upon hearing Hayato's name. It seemed she knew about yesterday's incident and felt sorry for her friend.

After a brief greeting, Hayato said goodbye to them. He wanted to finish this task quickly and go back to sleep.

After Hayato walked away, the blonde ponytail girl, looking at her innocent and naive friend, couldn't help but flick her forehead.

"Ouch~ That hurt, Yuki-chan. Did Kohane do something wrong?"

Pathetically covering her forehead with her hands, Hatoya Kohane said with teary eyes, feeling wronged.

"Yesterday's letter, you idiot. Why did you use that method? Kuroba-kun might have misunderstood."

"Huh? Misunderstood what?"

"A love letter, of course. Look at what you wrote; it doesn't look like an invitation to join the club at all. Kuroba-kun must have mistaken it for a love letter. And you even talked to him just now, it was so embarrassing for me."

As Hatoya Kohane's friend, Sarutobi Yuki knew about this yesterday, but it was already over. When she heard that she had put the letter in the shoe locker, she knew something had gone wrong. After asking about the content of the letter, she was speechless. How could this naturally airheaded idiot write an invitation to join the club like a love letter, and even put it in the shoe locker specifically?

"Waaah, then, then I'll explain it to Kuroba-kun again?"

"Forget it. I remember our school's volleyball team is participating in the Spring High qualifiers. Our cheerleading club will go to cheer for them then, to apologize."

Yes, Hatoya Kohane, this girl who looked like a loli, was not only the manager of the basketball team but also the president of Karasuno High's cheerleading club. Since they couldn't officially form a club with fewer than five members, and Karasuno didn't have many outstanding sports clubs, the cheerleading club had always been in a club-activity state.

After educating her friend, Sarutobi Yuki also rubbed her reddened forehead, and the two walked back to their classroom.

Hayato, after completing the teacher's task, successfully caught up on his nap. Refreshed, he studied diligently in the afternoon. After school, he went to find his homeroom teacher and informed him that he would be taking leave tomorrow.

It was after the final exams, and Hayato's grades were even in the top three of his year, so his request for leave was easily approved. After bowing to thank the teacher, Hayato left the office and shared the good news with Kiyoko.

"Kiyoko-senpai, I've finished requesting my leave."

A moment later, Kiyoko's message came through.

"I've just finished requesting mine too."

The little cat made a V sign.

Since it was after school, no one cared about students using their phones on campus. Happily tucking his phone into his pocket, Hayato hummed a song and walked towards the volleyball club's changing room.

"Kiyoko-senpai, you seem particularly happy today. You've been smiling the whole time."

In the women's changing room, Hitoka, another manager of Karasuno, looked at Kiyoko, who couldn't suppress a smile, with curiosity.

"Oh, have I?"

Subconsciously touching her face, Kiyoko seemed surprised. Although she was looking forward to it, she didn't expect to be this happy.

"Yes, you have. Look."

Taking out a small mirror she carried and aiming it at Kiyoko's face, Kiyoko noticed her own smiling lips in the mirror, looking very happy.

"Well, Hitoka-chan, I need you to keep what's about to happen a secret, okay?"

After some thought, Kiyoko decided to tell Hitoka. Upon hearing this, Hitoka quickly nodded, promising she would never tell anyone.

"So, Kiyoko-senpai, you're going to Hawaii with Kuroba-senpai? That's so nice~"

After hearing the whole story, Hitoka clasped her hands together in front of her chest, looking very envious.

"But if Kuroba-senpai invited you, then you two..."

Hitoka-chan raised her eyebrows and didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning was very clear. Two childhood friends going on a trip abroad together, for three days and two nights – it was impossible for them not to get together.

"For now, we need to focus on the competition. We'll talk about the rest later."

Kiyoko skillfully changed the subject. Hitoka was also inspired by these words and became passionate on her own. After spending time in the volleyball club, she had high hopes for everyone to reach the national tournament.