Unexpected Encounter (Part 2)

(After school, Ryota and Tetsuya)

"Why did you drag me away in such a hurry?"

"I still had more to say."

Tetsuya couldn't help complaining, his face full of grievance.

"I figured you had some social awareness, but why are you so oblivious to the atmosphere?"

Ryota sighed.

"Didn't you notice that most of the class had already left?"

"Sure, but we didn't have to rush off. School just let out. Even if we went to the Soccer Club now, they might still be warming up and changing into their training gear."

Tetsuya still looked puzzled.

Ryota rolled his eyes, as if he couldn't be bothered to explain.

"You can't just look at me like I'm an idiot. At least tell me what's going on first."

"Girls don't usually stay this late, do they?"

"You mean... Ichinose and the other girls?"

Tetsuya Hamaguchi recalled what had happened and asked uncertainly.

Ryota added, "Think about it. What could those girls possibly need to stay in the classroom and keep doing? Even if they were discussing where to go, they could talk while walking, or go to a café or somewhere."

"That may be true, but it seems a bit wrong to jump to conclusions."

"Seisuke himself seemed completely unaware of it, like he had other plans."

"Maybe. But either way, staying in the classroom any longer wouldn't be a wise move."

Near the park by the school building, the two found a bench and sat down.

Tetsuya turned and looked Ryota straight in the eye.

"Why don't we go do a little snooping..."

Ryota turned to him, startled.

"Snooping... about what?"

Seeing Tetsuya's mischievous grin, Ryota covered his forehead.

"Hey, don't grin like such a villain..."

"Why are you suddenly so eager when it comes to this sort of thing?"

"Then I won't take you with me."

"...I just remembered I haven't finished the book Seisuke and I borrowed from the library last time. I'm going back to the dorm to read."

"You can go to the Soccer Club on your own, 'Leo Tetsuya.'"

Ryota casually added, "Please don't do that!"

He pleaded for forgiveness while pretending to wipe away tears and a runny nose.

Ryota pursed his lips and pushed Tetsuya away as he tried to lean on him.

"Gross... All right, stop. I'll go, okay?"

"All right!"

Ryota bit down on his teeth, suddenly feeling he'd agreed far too hastily.

Sensing his mood, Tetsuya hurriedly changed the subject.

As he spoke, he carefully watched Ryota's expression.

＃Check Ryota's status

"By the way, is Seisuke the type who can actually sit down and read? In class, you could say that aside from being in the classroom, he does absolutely nothing related to studying."

"Do you think he's the kind of guy who doesn't take his studies seriously and just slacks off?"

"Honestly, I don't get that impression."

Ryota nodded and added, "When he's reading, he has a lot of charm. And he's really handsome to begin with."

"To be honest, there's something special about him that I can't quite put into words."

"It feels like he puts his whole heart into whatever he does. That focused charm—just sitting quietly and reading is enough to draw your eyes."

Tetsuya propped up his head and gazed at the sky, clicking his tongue.

"He seems focused on everything he does."

"Sometimes I see him spacing out and think, why does even that look so focused?"

"'Focused daydreaming' sounds contradictory, but that's exactly what it feels like."

"He slips into his own world easily, but doesn't get so caught up in it that he stops caring about how others feel."

"He's a little hard to figure out, yet there's something tangible about him. He does whatever he wants, but when he gets down to it, he's completely focused."

They looked at each other and found themselves agreeing to varying degrees.

"Come on, let's go to the gym."

"Weren't you going to snoop?"

"Hey, have you ever heard of a chance encounter? Some things can't be planned."

"Whatever."

"This gym is huge! By the way, Hirata, you really like soccer, right? So you'll probably join the Soccer Club, won't you?"

"Soccer is the sport I love most. It'd be great if I could join."

"A guy as outstanding as you, Hirata, can definitely do it!"

I leaned against the railing, looking down over the entire gym.

"I'm a little curious... Do you like sports, Hajima?"

"I don't mind them. I enjoy taking part now and then."

"I see..."

"What about you, Kushida?"

"If it's not a competition where everyone's vying for rankings, I'm happy to join in."

"I also love the simple pleasure of playing sports."

The gym was enormous. A soccer field sat at its center, surrounded by a running track and plenty of areas for field events.

Stands lined all four sides.

Besides the main stadium at the center, there were many other facilities attached to the complex.

There was an outdoor pool on the west side of the gym,

and facilities for ball sports on the north side. The south side had an indoor basketball court, and there seemed to be tennis courts on the top floor.

Something seemed to be under construction or repair on the east side, so it was closed for now.

With a place this large, any sports festival or major event would be spectacular.

I had been admiring how much the school valued sports when I suddenly spotted a familiar figure on the soccer field.

By chance, Tetsuya and Ryota, who had left right after school, were there. Tetsuya, who was good at socializing, was talking with some of the Soccer Club's upperclassmen.

Ryota didn't seem particularly interested and was looking around.

Then his expression turned a little strange. Looking more closely, I realized he was looking in my direction.

What was wrong?

I turned my gaze to Kushida Kikyo, who was beside me, resting her face on her hand as she watched me.

Then I glanced back toward Ryota.

His expression seemed calm again. Had I imagined it?

"What's wrong, Hajima?"

"I feel a little uncomfortable when someone stares at me."

"Oh, I see..."

"Did you have someone you liked in middle school, or were you already dating anyone?"

"Huh? I don't think so..."

"Really? I feel like someone like you, Hajima, must have had quite a few admirers in middle school."

The sudden compliment caught me off guard.

"Why do you say that?"

"Just a hunch."

A girl's intuition, huh? I'd heard it was something that couldn't be measured scientifically.

People said girls were all experts at reading minds. Was that because they were naturally so perceptive?

The girl's clear eyes seemed to shimmer like rippling water.

But even I didn't have an answer to that question: whether I might have been someone many people admired and followed.

I'd probably need a long time to figure out whether a girl's intuition was really accurate.