After practice ended.

This time I treated the girls’ team members to a proper dinner that would really satisfy their hunger and after everyone finished bathing.

I was making rounds of the training lodge with a flashlight in one hand.

I ended up staying overnight at the lodge with the girls’ basketball team members that day and since that alone didn’t feel right, I offered to handle security. I’d caused a bit of trouble during the day too.

“Walking around like this kind of feels scary like being at school at night.”

I muttered.

Even making pointless noise like this was because walking through the darkness felt unsettling.

‘Whoa, an L-shaped hallway. Feels like something could be around that corner…’

There’s no way a thief would break into a place like this and ghosts shouldn’t exist, so if anyone were there, it’d just be one of the club members, meaning there should be nothing to fear...

‘I wonder if everyone actually went to sleep? It felt like a school trip mood, so I doubt they crashed that easily.’

The room where the members sleep is a large shared room where futons are spread out and everyone sleeps together. Even though it’s a training lodge it’s not spacious enough to have individual rooms for each person.

Of course, my sleeping spot is in a different room from everyone else.

There’s a management room and while it’s small, there’s enough space for one person to sleep.

‘I wonder if Mitsuki and Umi are doing alright staying home alone.’

I find myself worrying about my younger sisters I left behind.

‘Well, Mom’s there, so it should be fine. Huh? How much housework could Mom actually handle again?’

Lately, I’ve been doing the housework far longer than she has, so it’s possible her skills have dulled.

It’s not like they’d deteriorate catastrophically though...

‘No, I should trust in a parent’s ability... She’s the one who gave birth to us, so it’ll be fine. Anyway, I’ll patrol over there too.’

I was about to walk straight down the corridor.

Suddenly, a large shadow rushed in from my right.

“Wah!”

An embarrassingly pathetic sound slipped out.

“Ah Hayama-kun. I was looking for you.”

“W-what oh it’s Iwabuchi-san...”

“Sorry, sorry popping out like that startled you didn’t it.”

The shadow turned out to be Iwabuchi-san and she looked apologetic for surprising me.

“You said you’d handle patrol, so I thought, alright and let you go, but thinking about it more, it felt bad making a helper like you do all that. So I figured I’d come along too.”

Warmth spread gently through my chest.

I didn’t mind patrolling alone at all, but that kind of thoughtfulness from Iwabuchi-san made me really happy.

“Alright, let’s go then. Where do we still need to check?”

“Umm...”

Actually, I’d already finished most of it.

This lodge isn’t that big after all.

But being alone together with Iwabuchi-san isn’t a situation that comes up often.

“...I got overly thorough checking, so I haven’t really covered that much yet.”

“Good. If you’d said it was almost done, then coming to help would’ve been pointless.”

And so we ended up walking side by side through the lodge.

Iwabuchi-san wore a white T-shirt and black dolphin shorts^[1], giving off a strong loungewear vibe and I felt oddly sentimental seeing it. I never thought I’d have a chance to see her in such a private setting.

“Oh right. Hayama-kun, you haven’t bathed yet, have you?”

“Yeah. I thought going in right after the girls would be rude, so I’ll go once this is done.”

“Wow, you worry too much, Hayama-kun.”

She laughed.

“But that kind of consideration suits you, Hayama-kun. Oh and the bath’s got a nice public bathhouse feel, so I think you can relax.”

“Really. I’m looking forward to it.”

I was savoring the feeling.

I’d secretly dreamed of having these kinds of trivial conversations together.

But if I let my guard down, I might freeze up from nerves and fail to say anything.

Because Iwabuchi-san was walking with her hands at her waist, chest forward, making the thin T-shirt emphasize her figure and every step made my gaze want to drift sideways, wondering if it might sway.

Stop it. If she noticed me sneaking glances with a lecherous gaze she’d definitely hate me.

Then suddenly, Iwabuchi-san started giggling.

“W-what’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Just this kind of feels like we’re doing a courage test.”

“Oh, a courage test. Are you good with horror stuff like that, Iwabuchi-san?”

“I don’t hate it, but I can’t enjoy it well.”

“Huh, what do you mean?”

“I’m not someone who gets scared easily. When I went to a haunted house with friends, I went along yelling with everyone and had fun, but I guess my face showed I wasn’t that scared, so when we came out, I alone apparently had this blank look. They were a bit put off. Maybe they thought I was cold.”

“No way Iwabuchi-san is being cold. Just from today’s practice, it’s obvious you’re passionate.”

“Exactly. I just messed up at the haunted house. I’m actually hot-blooded.”

She smiled proudly.

I’ve known for a long time how passionately Iwabuchi-san throws herself into things.

That was during last summer’s prefectural tournament.

Our girls’ basketball team is apparently pretty strong within the prefecture, making it to the top four every year, though they struggled to advance beyond that.

But in the year Iwabuchi-san secured a regular starting position as a first-year, the team reached the finals.

The match venue was our school gymnasium.

It was a day off, but I was at school helping the baseball club and happened to pass near the gym.

That’s when I saw Iwabuchi-san coming out alone.

It seemed our girls’ team had lost.

Behind the deserted gym, she shed tears by herself.

Losing in the summer prefectural tournament meant it became the final tournament for the third-year students.

Maybe she felt frustration from the loss and maybe she also felt attachment to seniors leaving the club.

To me, Iwabuchi-san had always been a cheerful classmate who never stopped smiling.

I’d never imagined her crying except from laughing too hard...

And perhaps because of that, the sight of her shedding tears of frustration stirred me deeply.

I wanted to do something that could support her.

But we weren’t especially close nor teammates, so there was no way I could share the pain of losing such an important match and I didn’t know what to say.

Yet without my worrying, she wiped her tear-lit eyes, tightened her expression and returned to the gym.

Iwabuchi-san had the strength to overcome even emotions that brought her to tears.

That strength captivated me intensely.

From a classmate, I was simply curious about how she became someone I loved enough to fall for and that was the trigger.

She probably never noticed I was nearby then.

“Hm? What’s wrong, you’re staring.”

“N-n,o it’s nothing.”

“What is it, do you like me or something?”

It felt like she saw right through my true feelings, making my heart jolt wildly.

“Just kidding. The one you like is Takatsuka-san right?”

Apparently, I’m being misunderstood in a way that shouldn’t happen.

“The other day, during lunch break she dragged you off, didn’t she? You usually eat somewhere else, but was that because you wanted to eat with her?”

“N-no, that’s not it!”

My voice came out louder than expected and I covered my mouth with the hand not holding the flashlight.

“...U-umm well, we’ve been talking more lately, I guess. You know Takatsuka-san’s always surrounded by girls, so she doesn’t seem to get much rest so when I showed her a calm place to eat lunch, she said she couldn’t take my spot and that’s how I ended up there too.”

I explained that I wasn’t romantically interested in Takatsuka-san but was acting out of kindness.

“Ohh, I see.”

Iwabuchi-san’s bright expression seemed visible even in the dark.

“Sorry, I totally thought you two were dating.”

“Please don’t say that.”

“Whoa, that’s the most serious face I’ve ever seen...”

Seeing me not just with a blank expression but even my voice lowered, she probably realized I didn’t hold any affection for Takatsuka-san, even if unintentionally.

Well, compared to when we first met, I know she has some gentle sides, so I don’t intend to treat her harshly, but still.

...Maybe the reason I’m softening my attitude like this is that I’ve fallen right into the plan Takatsuka-san set up.

[1] ‘Dolphin shorts’ are short athletic running shorts with curved side cuts, popular in Japan as casual indoor wear.