Kageyama Sora shrugged. "Tohka said that if I came with her, the reporters would all start wondering who that man was and ruin her dazzling entrance as the star."
"She's such a... strange person." After hearing Kageyama Sora's explanation, Haramura Nodoka couldn't help commenting.
Honestly, she couldn't understand why some things had to be made such a big deal of.
Kageyama Sora's expression turned rather complicated for a moment.
He thought, I wonder what expression Nodoka would make if she knew Ryumonbuchi Toka treated her like a sworn rival.
Well... if Ryumonbuchi Toka found out Nodoka thought she was strange, she'd probably be devastated too.
But... looking at the group, Kageyama Sora murmured, "Koromo isn't here."
Hisa Takei looked at Kageyama Sora. "Amae Koromo? What... is she really like?"
Haramura Nodoka was curious too. After all, Amae Koromo was supposedly a high schooler capable of beating professional players.
Kageyama Sora thought for a moment, then smiled faintly. "Koromo's a cute girl."
Prefectural Preliminaries in the Spotlight
The circular LED screen beneath the gymnasium's domed ceiling glowed with a cold blue light, casting the Kiyosumi High School team's faces in shifting shadows.
Everyone from Kiyosumi High School wore a slightly peculiar expression at Kageyama Sora's description of Amae Koromo as a cute girl.
None of them had ever met Amae Koromo. In their minds, the Amae Koromo who dominated the national tournament rankings and had been dubbed the "Great Demon King" ought to be a fearsome, lofty peak, far removed from anything "cute."
The word "cute" was like tying cotton candy to an iron cannon. It just didn't fit.
While everyone was still caught up in that contradiction, the reporters spotted Haramura Nodoka and immediately swarmed her.
Seeing this, Kageyama Sora's eyes curved with amusement, the ends of his hair gilded by the backlight. "I'll go look for Saki Miyanaga, so you don't end up unable to compete because you're short on players."
"Player Haramura Nodoka! With your joining the team, Kiyosumi High School has gone from an obscure school to the center of attention!" A reporter pushed to the front, microphone in hand. Its metal casing lightly bumped the girl's collarbone. "How far do you intend to go in this year's preliminaries?"
The spotlights gathered beneath the domed ceiling like a galaxy. As Haramura Nodoka blinked, the flecks of light on her lashes seemed to fall.
She raised a hand to brush aside a strand of pink hair. Her exposed eyes shone brilliantly, like fire-tempered glass. "How far...? Of course... all the way to the national championship."
Her words crashed into the hall like a boulder thrown into a deep pool, stirring an uproar.
Amid the overlapping camera shutters, some people scoffed, some whispered, and many more gasped in disbelief.
No one had expected this delicate first-year girl to declare, before the preliminaries had even begun, that she would win the national championship.
But when they remembered her record of sweeping aside all opponents in middle school, the doubts receded like the tide, quietly vanishing into the sand.
Haramura Nodoka's ears flushed an enticing red, but she stubbornly lifted her chin. The ends of her hair swayed gently with her breathing, like cherry blossoms stirring in the breeze. "Besides... I'm not alone..."
By "not alone," Haramura Nodoka naturally meant her teammates at Kiyosumi High School... and... Saki Miyanaga, with her extraordinary abilities.
At that moment, Saki Miyanaga was like a lost fawn, the toes of her white socks rubbing back and forth against the smooth tiled floor.
The hallway signs flickered overhead, but she was too busy turning in circles with her entry pass clutched in her hand. "Ugh, I'm lost. Where is everyone...?"
She was so focused on finding her teammates that she didn't notice the four people coming from the opposite direction were also complaining that one of their own had disappeared.
And this wasn't just any team. They were among the favorites to win the tournament.
They were Kageyama Sora's cousin's team, Ryumonbuchi High School.
In the hallway on the east side of the venue, Ryumonbuchi Toka's patent leather ankle boots struck the tiles with heavy, irritated steps, drumming out her frustration in the empty corridor. "Where in the world did Koromo go? I told her today was important!"
She sounded exasperated, but there was no real complaint in her voice—only the petulant sweetness unique to a young lady.
Inoue Jun, who looked very much like a boy, tugged her tie loose with one hand. The metal tie clip flashed coldly under the lights. "I set five alarms for her last night..."
The central air-conditioning stirred behind them, sending the scattered entry guides rustling as if they, too, were echoing the group's impatience.
At the same time, light footsteps sounded from around the corner.
Saki Miyanaga stumbled into the hallway like a startled rabbit.
A draft lifted and dropped her school uniform skirt. Her short brown hair fluttered messily across her forehead, and her entry pass was already crumpled in her grip.
As she brushed past the four girls from Ryumonbuchi High School, the air suddenly quivered faintly, like a pebble had been tossed into a still lake.
Kunihiro Hajime was the first to stop. The chain around her neck gave a soft jingle as she moved, and her amber eyes narrowed.
The other three turned around right after her, their gazes fixed on Saki Miyanaga's retreating figure.
Kunihiro Hajime absently rubbed her cuff link and murmured, "What a strange feeling. I felt... Koromo's presence."
"How could that be? How could there be anyone in this world like Koromo..." Inoue Jun frowned in protest. Before she could finish, Saki Miyanaga's foot slipped without warning, and she landed flat on her face.
The dull thud of her knee hitting the stone floor made the expressions on the Ryumonbuchi girls' faces freeze. Their looks turned awkward; just moments ago, they'd thought she was someone extraordinary.
"That's Kiyosumi High School's uniform. Is she Haramura Nodoka!?" someone whispered, staring intently at Saki Miyanaga's uniform.
At the mention of Haramura Nodoka, Ryumonbuchi Toka became instantly agitated. She held both hands up at chest level. "N-no, Haramura Nodoka should be someone with a lot of useless fat around here..."
Just then, Kageyama Sora spotted the girls from Ryumonbuchi High School and hurried over. "Did you just see a girl with short brown hair wearing a Kiyosumi High School uniform?"
Kageyama Sora stood backlit, the tips of his hair edged in gold, a meaningful smile at the corner of his mouth.
Kunihiro Hajime tilted her head and chuckled. The star stickers on her face glittered under the lights. "You mean the one who just fell flat on her face right here...? Come to think of it, why are you so concerned about her? Who is she?"
"Saki Miyanaga." Kageyama Sora looked in the direction where Saki Miyanaga had disappeared, his lips curling into a meaningful smile. "She's the interesting person I once told Koromo she might encounter in a match."
The next moment, Ryumonbuchi Toka, who had just been making an exaggerated fuss about Haramura Nodoka's bust, grew serious. "Then it seems... that feeling just now wasn't a mistake."
Once again, Kageyama Sora was convinced that the strong could sense one another somehow. Just brushing past someone was enough to feel the aura of a powerful opponent.
Kageyama Sora didn't say more. They would have to meet on the playing field for him to know what that feeling really meant. "Anyway, if Koromo still hasn't arrived, I'll go back and get her."
Ryumonbuchi Toka's ahoge swayed as she stared at him. "Weren't you just going to look for the girl from Kiyosumi High School? Now you have time to go get Koromo?"
Kageyama Sora calmly replied to Ryumonbuchi Toka's obvious sarcasm. "Those two things don't get in each other's way, do they?"
With that, he left without waiting to see how Ryumonbuchi Toka would react.
But when he reached the corner, he saw that Saki Miyanaga had already regrouped with everyone from Kiyosumi High School, and Club President Hisa Takei was giving them a pep talk before the match.
Kageyama Sora naturally didn't interrupt. Instead, he headed back to pick up Amae Koromo. "I hope that girl's already on her way and isn't still sleeping in."
Waking Amae Koromo
Kageyama Sora hurried out of the gymnasium. The metal hinges of the door shrieked, breaking the quiet outside.
His eyes swept urgently across the parking lot, soon settling on the matte-black heavy motorcycle.
Its sharply angled body looked like a beast poised to pounce. It was the vehicle he'd prepared for emergencies.
He'd originally planned to come by car, but the crowds had caused a traffic jam, so he'd ridden his motorcycle instead. He hadn't expected that to work out so well.
After all, motorcycles were far more convenient than cars in a traffic jam.
The moment he swung onto the motorcycle, Kageyama Sora expertly turned the key with his long fingers. The engine rumbled deeply, like the growl of a waking beast.
He twisted the throttle hard. The tires screeched against the ground, scattering small stones as the motorcycle shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.
The scenery on either side of the road raced backward, and the streetlights blurred into flowing ribbons of light, smearing the edges of his vision.
Kageyama Sora gripped the handlebars tightly. The wind cut across his cheeks like a blade, whipping his hair back.
But he had no time to care. His mind was filled with the image of Amae Koromo still fast asleep, and his anxiety grew more intense by the second.
He accelerated again and again, the needle on the speedometer climbing wildly as he weaved along the winding road, darting nimbly through traffic.
He took every turn with precision. The tires scorched against the road, giving off a pungent smell of burnt rubber, but also showing off his superb riding skills.
At last, the familiar outline of the villa appeared in sight. Kageyama Sora squeezed the brakes hard, and the motorcycle came to a sudden stop in front of the door.
He tossed off his helmet and hurried toward the entrance. The villa's front door wasn't quite shut, leaving a narrow gap. Warm yellow light spilled through it, casting mottled shadows across the steps.
He gently pushed the door open. Amae Koromo's shoes were still in the entryway, confirming that she'd overslept. Inoue Jun's five alarms hadn't helped at all.
He crossed the hallway, which was covered in wool carpeting, and stopped outside Amae Koromo's room. He raised a hand to knock, but heard her faint breathing inside.
Since he'd come to wake her up anyway, Kageyama Sora simply pushed open the door to Amae Koromo's room. Morning light streamed gently through the half-drawn curtains, casting golden patterns across the floor.
The room was filled with a faint cherry blossom fragrance, Amae Koromo's favorite scent, lending the whole space a particularly cozy atmosphere.
Amae Koromo was curled up on the bed, her waterfall of golden hair spread carelessly across the pillow like a cluster of blooming golden flowers.
She wore a pale pink nightgown with thin straps. Its neckline was slightly open, revealing her fair skin as it rose and fell with her even breaths.
Her eyelashes cast faint shadows beneath her eyes, and the slightest smile played on her lips, as if she were lost in a pleasant dream.
Kageyama Sora stood beside the bed, watching her quietly, his gaze full of affection and helplessness.
He remembered the strange expressions on the Kiyosumi High School team's faces when they heard him call Amae Koromo cute, and he couldn't help smiling to himself.
In other people's eyes, Amae Koromo was the lofty, arrogant "Great Demon King." But around him, she always showed her softest, cutest side.
"Koromo, it's time to get up," Kageyama Sora called softly, his voice gentle enough to melt anyone's heart. He lightly shook her shoulder once, then twice...
Amae Koromo furrowed her brow, mumbled a few things, then rolled over and went back to sleep.
Kageyama Sora sighed helplessly and shook her harder. "Koromo, the match is about to start. If you don't get up, we'll be late."
This time, Amae Koromo finally opened her eyes, slowly.
She gazed at Kageyama Sora groggily, her eyes still heavy with sleep.
Suddenly, the corners of her mouth lifted in a mischievous smile. She threw both arms around Kageyama Sora's neck and pulled him toward her.
Caught off guard, Kageyama Sora pitched forward, their faces suddenly very close.
He could clearly feel Amae Koromo's warm breath against his face, carrying a hint of sweetness.
Before he could react, Amae Koromo's lips were already on his. She lightly bit his lower lip and began a passionate, lingering kiss.
Amae Koromo's kiss was both shy and passionate, full of a young girl's sweetness. She clung tightly to Kageyama Sora's neck, afraid he would get away.
Kageyama Sora's mind went completely blank, his heart pounding like a drum.
He wanted to push Amae Koromo away and remind her about the match, but his body wouldn't obey. Instead, he found himself kissing her back.
After a long while, Amae Koromo finally let him go. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes glittered mischievously. "Sora, good morning. Did you like my sweet good-morning kiss?"
As she spoke, she buried her face in Kageyama Sora's arms again, like a child seeking affection.
Kageyama Sora took a deep breath and tried to steady his racing heart. "Koromo, stop fooling around. We really are going to be late."
"No, I'm still sleepy." Amae Koromo clung tightly to Kageyama Sora and refused to let go. "Sora, stay and sleep with me a little longer."
"No. Everyone's waiting for us. And aren't you excited about this match too?" Kageyama Sora tried to persuade her.
"But I'd rather be with you." Amae Koromo looked up at Kageyama Sora pitifully, her eyes full of reluctance.
Kageyama Sora sighed helplessly. He knew that once Amae Koromo started acting spoiled, it was hard for him to refuse her.
He gently stroked Amae Koromo's hair and said warmly, "After the match, I'll spend plenty of time with you, okay? For now, we have to get to the venue."
"Then you have to promise you'll stay with me the whole time after the match." Amae Koromo held out her pinkie, her eyes filled with anticipation.
Kageyama Sora smiled and hooked his pinkie around hers. "I promise."
Satisfied with his answer, Amae Koromo finally let go reluctantly and sat up in bed.
She stretched her arms high overhead, and her nightgown slipped, revealing a large expanse of fair skin. Though they'd done even more intimate things before, Kageyama Sora's face still turned red.
Seeing him blush, Amae Koromo grinned impishly. "Cousin Kong, are you embarrassed?"
"Who's embarrassed? Hurry up and get dressed," Kageyama Sora said, pretending to be annoyed.
"Okay, okay, I'm changing." Amae Koromo stuck out her tongue and took her standard battle outfit from the wardrobe.
As she changed, she kept stealing glances at Kageyama Sora. He hadn't expected her to change so casually right in front of him, but he didn't peek after all.
It wasn't because he had such strong principles. He was afraid that if he kept watching, he wouldn't be able to leave.
Once Amae Koromo had changed, the two of them walked out of the room hand in hand.
Then Kageyama Sora lifted Amae Koromo onto his heavy motorcycle, and off they went in a flash of sparks and lightning.
He'd thought Amae Koromo would be afraid, but she was incredibly excited.
Watching her happy expression warmed Kageyama Sora's heart too.
He knew that no matter what kind of "Great Demon King" Amae Koromo seemed to be to everyone else, she would always be the cute girl who needed to be cherished in his eyes.
It Was Just That She Had a Bigger Chest
Kageyama Sora swung onto the matte-black heavy motorcycle, its metal body glinting coldly in the sunlight.
He turned to Amae Koromo, about to remind her to hold on tight, but the girl had already hopped deftly onto the back seat. Her arms wrapped around his waist like vines, and she pressed her cheek affectionately against his back.
Before you continue