Chapter 39: Ch 39. Hiratsuka Shizuka is Observing...
"I'll sign Hoshimi up. He's very good at badminton and perfectly suited for this event."
Hearing his name, Hoshimi groggily woke up. He looked at Yukinoshita's bright smile from the adjacent seat and instantly sobered up.
Although he wasn't sure what was happening, Yukinoshita's bright smile itself was a signal—a signal that she was about to launch a revenge attack.
Hoshimi looked at Yukinoshita's profile with a toothache. This little girl was becoming increasingly unscrupulous lately. Couldn't she wait until he woke up for a fair duel? Sneak attacks were hardly honorable.
"Hoshimi-kun, are you okay?" The class rep, a soft-spoken girl, asked gently when she saw him wake up.
"Uh..." Hoshimi shifted his gaze from Yukinoshita.
He glanced around the classroom and noticed that most of his classmates' eyes were on him. Even Hiratsuka-sensei, standing by the window at the front of the classroom, was watching him.
Hoshimi's left eyelid twitched as he awkwardly but politely smiled and asked, "Class rep, can you tell me what this is about? I was a bit distracted just now."
"Sure, no problem." The class rep smiled softly and explained the sports festival and Yukinoshita signing him up.
Then, the class rep asked in a gentle tone, "So, Hoshimi-kun, do you want to sign up for boys' badminton?"
"I see..." Hoshimi glanced at Yukinoshita, whose smile had faded, and then smiled at the class rep, saying, "Since Yukino wants it, I'll naturally sign up."
"Um..." The class rep looked between Hoshimi and Yukinoshita before softly saying, "Hoshimi-kun, don't force yourself."
"Class rep, it's no problem. Please don't worry." Hoshimi's smile grew warmer.
Badminton wasn't much of a problem for him. In his past life, his boss's daughter liked badminton and often dragged him to play.
Over time, his skills improved.
Now, participating in a high school sports festival, he might not win an award, but at least he wouldn't embarrass himself.
"Alright, I'll write your name down, Hoshimi-kun." The class rep didn't say more and wrote Hoshimi's name in the boys' badminton column.
After writing it, she asked, "Any other boys for badminton?"
"""..."""
Silence.
The class rep puffed her cheeks slightly before continuing, "Next event, boys' tennis singles. Who's signing up?"
Yukinoshita looked eager to sign Hoshimi up again.
But...
At that moment, Hoshimi was smiling at her profile.
Yukinoshita paused, calming herself down to think carefully.
It wouldn't be easy to trap Hoshimi in the boys' tennis singles event.
Everyone knew Hoshimi didn't play tennis. Even if she signed him up, the class rep would repeatedly confirm with him.
If Hoshimi used the excuse "since Yukino wants it" again, things would backfire, not only failing to get back at him but also reinforcing his "devoted" persona.
"Tsk~"
Yukinoshita clicked her tongue almost inaudibly.
It was troublesome dealing with someone like Hoshimi, who was always acting.
Additionally, how had Hoshimi, who transferred ten days ago, become so well-liked by the girls in class?
The class rep's overly kind attitude towards Hoshimi was notably different from how she treated the other three boys.
For example, now, her behavior showed this attitude difference clearly.
"No one for boys' tennis singles?"
After a long silence, the class rep smiled kindly, squinting her eyes as she scanned the remaining three boys besides Hoshimi.
Moments later, she softly said, "In that case, Nagase-kun, you'll participate."
"Huh? Class rep..." Nagase, the more robust boy who usually joined sports clubs, scratched his head, looking uneasy and trying to say something.
But the class rep cut him off with a smile, "Objection overruled. Just participate peacefully."
"But..." Nagase tried to resist.
"No buts." The class rep squinted her eyes, her smile kind yet her black pupils seemed to exude something deep and heavy.
Seeing this, Nagase gave in, raising his hand helplessly, "Alright, I'll participate..."
He wanted to say he was in the track club and not good at ball games. If it were soccer, he could manage, but he was really not good at anything else.
"Okay, next is boys' three-on-three basketball." The class rep clapped her hands, cheerfully saying, "This one is simple. Kusuya, Nagase, and Oreki, you three participate."
"""..."""
Kusuya, the tall, skinny boy with glasses, looked gentle.
Oreki, a laid-back and somewhat indifferent boy, seemed like the type who didn't care about anything.
The three of them exchanged glances and didn't speak, tacitly accepting the class rep's arrangement.
Only Kusuya seemed slightly dissatisfied, glancing at Hoshimi from the corner of his eye, seemingly unhappy with the special treatment Hoshimi received.
"Okay, let's continue. Boys' table tennis singles. Any volunteers?" The class rep asked softly.
"Class rep, I'll do it." Hoshimi raised his hand confidently.
"Huh?" The class rep seemed surprised. She looked at Hoshimi and asked, "Hoshimi-kun, are you confident in table tennis?"
"Yes, leave it to me." Hoshimi smiled confidently.
Not to brag, but he was quite good at table tennis.
In his past life, his boss was very interested in table tennis and quite skilled. Under the boss's daughter's pressure, Hoshimi had taken private lessons for a long time.
Eventually, he could win or lose a few games at will without the boss noticing.
It was this skill that gradually eased the boss's hostility towards him.
Why was the boss hostile? Isn't it obvious?
The well-off daughter falling for a poor boy would anger anyone.
"Alright, Hoshimi-kun, I'll leave boys' table tennis to you." The class rep sweetly smiled and wrote Hoshimi's name on the list.
"Let's move on to the next event, boys'..."
The class meeting proceeded smoothly. Under the class rep's direction, the boys' events were filled one by one, except for soccer.
Meanwhile, at the front of the classroom by the window, Hiratsuka-sensei was silently observing Hoshimi and Yukinoshita.
She was contemplating whether the rumors about Hoshimi and Yukinoshita she'd heard these days were true...
If they were, it would be problematic in many ways.
Both for Yukinoshita and Hoshimi...
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