CH 21

Chapter 21 – What Matters is Your Assessment

“Yuji-senpai, I heard that you and my sister had a match during pool time today?”

“…Yes.”

It was lunch break after the swimming lesson.

I was eating lunch with Kotone-chan, which is becoming a routine. It was supposed to be a heartwarming time, but the opening line from her came in a questioning tone of voice.

I mean, how did she know? Not only are we in different classes, we’re in different grades.

“Why did you do that again?”

“J-Just because…”

“Perhaps this is where I should get angry?”

“Don’t be angry. I’d rather you spoil me.”

“Spoil…”

Kotone-chan patted me on the head after making a thinking gesture. Hmm, is this being spoiled?

Oh no, I’m so embarrassed.

“Um, that’s enough…”

“Really? Did I spoil Yuji-senpai well?”

“Yes.”

I have to nod my head at this. I was really spoiled, and I should say that it was really sweet.

“So, why did you have a match with my sister?”

The story has looped, hasn’t it? It’s definitely an option where I can only answer.

It’s no use. I gave up and exhaled.

“I thought if I won against the school idol, the girls would have a crush on me.”

“How did that turn out?”

Ah, she won’t even make a crude comment?

“…It was a stunning defeat.”

So, in the end, the swimming competition with Fujisaki-san ended in my defeat.

I’m not that good at sports now that I think about it. My 25 meter time was terrible. Fujisaki-san, on the other hand, had a time that would have got her scouted by the swim team.

“…You shouldn’t have gone out of your way to compete in front of your class. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I got the message.”

“Is the message from Fujisaki-san?”

“No, it’s from someone else.”

Apparently Kotone-chan’s circle is quite large. I don’t want to know the content of those messages, though.

“It’s not so much that I’m well-connected, but rather, it’s mostly because of my sister.”

俺が何か言う前に、琴音ちゃんが笑った.

Before I could say anything, Kotone-chan laughed.

Before she can say anything else after her laugh, this time I took the lead.

“I lost not because Fujisaki-san was great. It was because I wasn’t good enough! Actually, I’m not very good at swimming!”

“Eh?”

I said it proudly. It’s the spirit of “Be proud when you lose.”

“Next time, I’ll win in my area of expertise. If that doesn’t work, I’ll win in Fujisaki-san’s area of weakness.”

“Do you think that’s cool?”

“I don’t think it’s cool or bad. No matter what I do, whether I win or lose, my evaluation won’t change.”

The opponent is the school idol. If you lose, you’ll be laughed at, and even if you win, you won’t feel great. I can easily imagine what others would say.

The only person’s assessment I should care about is from the girl in front of me.

Kotone-chan’s sister is not a superhuman. Even if she is, I want Kotone-chan to think of her sister as an ordinary person, even if I have to drag her down, and I want Kotone-chan to think that she’s not defeated either. I don’t want her to think she’s losing at everything.

Because Kotone-chan is a good girl.

There’s no way that such a good girl would do something as selfish as fighting just for her own sake. If I, as a representative of ordinary people, can defeat Fujisaki-san, then Kotone-chan will surely laugh and say, “My sister isn’t all that great,”…though that’s impossible considering her personality.

“I don’t know what Yuji-senpai is thinking, but please don’t make a bad impression, okay?”

“Yeah.”

“I wonder if you really understand.”

I understand. I’m a shadowy figure, so I’ll be forgotten soon enough. Which means I’ll be able to continue soon.

But what should I do? I don’t think I can win at sports. I thought I could manage because of the gender difference, but I guess I underestimated my own lack of ability.

Even a person like me can beat Fujisaki Ayane, the perfect superhuman. As long as I can prove that, any win is fine.

I can’t win at studies. Fujisaki-san is one of the top students in our grade and I can’t even compete with her if I’m at the level where I’m told to take a follow-up exam. I don’t think I can win even if she has a handicap.

Then what should I do? Hmm…

“Well, it’s fine. Let’s eat lunch. If we don’t hurry, lunch break will be over.”

“Right.”

She made me omurice the other day, so I opened the lunch box with hopes of getting off the diet menu!

“I decided to add more vegetables today for the body.”

It was more vegetables, or should I say, full of vegetables only. It’s amazing how vibrant the colors are.

“Kotone-chan… Where’s the rice?”

“Ah… I forgot…”

Don’t “Ah…” me! I don’t need someone this clumsy! …Tee-hee, but you’re so cute, damn it!”

I finished my lunch box full of fiber. I feel like I’m getting slimmer day by day. I miss greasy food.

※※※

I was wondering how my challenge to Fujisaki-san to a match would work, when…

“Aida-kun, after school…I’d like you to hang out with me for a while…is that okay?”

I was approached by Fujisaki-san. The distortion of fate is scary…