The day flew by in a rush.
But after receiving the final report card that placed us first overall, all the exhaustion seed to vanish.
“Good job, everyone!”
After the sports day was over, we gathered at an all-you-can-eat barbecue restaurant, raising our glasses filled with drinks high above our heads for a toast.
Ahem! “Everyone, you worked hard at the sports day today! Since we’re eating with the prize money you won, eat and drink as much as you want! I’ll cover any shortfall!”
“Thank you, Teacher!”
“Let’s eat well!”
We were at an age full of energy.
Since everyone, both boys and girls, had been working hard all day, they all happily ate the at.
“More at over here, please!”
“More drinks too, please!”
Orders kept coming from all over the tables, and the staff were running around frantically.
Sohow, I ended up sitting next to our horoom teacher, Yamada, so I asked him.
“Teacher, aren’t you overdoing it a bit?”
Even though we received the first-place prize money, everyone knows that a teacher’s salary isn’t much.
“This much is fine. And you can’t skimp when feeding the kids.”
But Yamada just smiled as if it were nothing and patted on the shoulder.
“You’re the star of today’s competition. So, eat the most today.”
“…I was planning on it anyway.”
I was touched but tried not to show it as I put the at Yamada grilled into my mouth.
Maybe it was because it was protein after a lot of exercise, but it literally tasted like honey.
At that mont, Satoru, who was sitting at the sa table, asked.
“Teacher, can we order from the à la carte nu?”
“What?”
Yamada visibly showed signs of agitation.
But Satoru, oblivious, pointed at the nu he wanted.
“This premium ribs look delicious.”
“…O-of course.”
The beer mug in Yamada’s hand shook as if there was an earthquake.
It was obvious he was ntally shaken, but Satoru, having received permission, raised his right hand without hesitation and said.
“Boss! One order of premium ribs over here!”
“Oh! That’s unfair! We’ll have the sa, please!”
“This table, too!”
And then, as if waiting for it, more orders started pouring in.
It’s rare to order à la carte at an all-you-can-eat place, but once one person orders, others tend to follow like dominoes.
The receipt lengthened in an instant, and Yamada’s face turned pale, but Satoru smiled broadly as he started placing the at on the empty grill.
This guy definitely knew what he was doing…
After the storm passed, everyone ca out rubbing their full bellies with happy faces, except for Yamada, who ca out looking gloomy.
Well, it’s self-inflicted, but I still felt a little sorry for him.
The bill alone ca out to nearly 100,000 yen.
Even after deducting the 50,000 yen prize money our class received, it was still a significant expense.
At that mont, Satoru, who was walking while picking his teeth, said.
“Ah! That was good! But it’s a sha to part ways like this.”
Hearing that, one of the mbers of our class’s mood-maker, the bald trio, said.
“Really? Then how about we all go to karaoke together?”
“Karaoke? Not a bad idea.”
It felt like we were following a typical after-party course.
First, the barbecue place, and then karaoke for the second round.
But it seed others felt the sa way, and one by one, they agreed with the idea.
As the mood shifted toward going for a second round, Yamada quickly took control of the situation.
“Then let’s do this. Those who want to go ho can go ho, and those who want to go to karaoke can go. But don’t stay out too late since we have school tomorrow.”
“Aww~ Teacher, co with us!”
“I have to go ho and prepare for tomorrow’s class!”
The girls clung to him, begging him to co along, but Yamada, perhaps afraid of getting stuck with the bill again, firmly refused and took a taxi ho.
With the chaperone gone and only the students left, the atmosphere beca even more chaotic than before.
Even though everyone had only drunk soft drinks, it felt like they were all drunk.
“Kim-kun! You’re coming too, right?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah.”
It’s honestly hard to get used to a girl who usually doesn’t even make eye contact suddenly speaking to so friendly.
So, having agreed to go for a second round, we all headed to a karaoke place in a bustling area.
“Kim-kun, over here!”
Since there were so many of us, we split into two teams and entered separate rooms.
With 14 people in each room, both were completely full.
Everyone naturally crowded onto the sofas, and so of the more energetic kids grabbed the microphones first and started singing upbeat dance songs.
Sohow, I ended up sitting next to Rika, and noticing the bandage on her forehead, I cautiously asked.
“Rika, are you okay from the fall this morning?”
Rika, who had been fiddling with her phone, was startled and answered.
“Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m fine. It’s not a big injury.”
She said that with a bright smile, but it seed like she was exaggerating the smile to keep from worrying.
“…….”
I stared at Rika in silence for a mont before speaking.
“I’m sorry.”
“Huh? What for? If it’s about the injury, I really am fine.”
“Not that, but for not treating you the sa as I used to.”
Rika scratched her cheek, seeming troubled, as if she finally understood what I ant.
It must be a difficult topic for her to talk about as well.
Especially in a situation where so many people were listening.
Fortunately, the loud music seed to drown out our conversation, so the others probably just thought we were chatting, but it was obvious that if our conversation dragged on too long while everyone else was having fun, they’d find it strange.
Not to ntion, there was already a strange rumor going around the academy that Rika was my girlfriend.
Rika, who had been mouthing sothing as if she wanted to say sothing, suddenly leaned in and whispered in my ear.
“Ryu-chan, can we go outside and talk for a bit?”
I looked at Rika with a surprised expression.
But I quickly realized it was the best way, so I quietly followed her out.
Rika led out of the room to a deserted ergency exit.
Once we were alone, Rika placed her hands on her hips.
“Ryu-chan, I think there’s been so misunderstanding for a while, so I’ll make this short.”
She then looked at with a serious expression and said.
“It’s true that you rejected my confession at the amusent park, but I don’t intend to play the tragic heroine over sothing like that.”
“…….”
“From the beginning, I didn’t necessarily think I had to beco your girlfriend. I just enjoy being around you, so maybe I confessed because I wanted to have you all to myself before soone else did.”
I opened my mouth to say sothing but then closed it again.
Because I couldn’t think of anything to say.
Rika then looked at directly with her characteristic green eyes and said.
“I know what you’re worried about, but I wasn’t hurt by your rejection. So you don’t have to be overly careful around because of it.”
She’s bold.
I could describe the current Rika with just that one word.
Her original character was definitely a mischievous one, like a little devil.
But the way she acted in front of was so gentle that I thought her personality had changed.
But that was just my misunderstanding.
The Rika standing in front of right now clearly said that she has soone she likes, but she still hasn’t let go of her feelings for .
If anything, she seed to be clinging to even more.
Rika is a girl who can be as cunning as she needs to be to get what she wants.
“Treat the way you did before.”
At her earnest request, I found myself nodding without realizing it.
Where did things go wrong?
I asked myself, but I couldn’t find the answer.
After our brief conversation, we returned to the room and joined our classmates.
I glanced at Rika, who was singing as if nothing had happened.
Looking at her now, her jawline seed a bit more defined than before.
She said it was nothing when I rejected her at the amusent park, but that was probably a lie.
Heartbreak brings imnse pain that even the person experiencing it can’t control.
I knew that well because I had experienced it before.
But instead of giving up, Rika chose to try again after facing rejection.
She probably plans to keep liking .
Even though I had clearly told her I liked soone else, she still showed a sowhat provocative attitude.
Thinking about the future made my head spin.
Reality is not like a manga.
A harem is an impossible concept in the real world.
Literally, unless you rewrite the laws, in the end, you have to choose just one person.
If it cos to that, I’ll probably choose the President.
That’s why I’m even more worried about Rika.
Because I couldn’t even imagine how she would react if she got rejected again after already being turned down once.
As everyone else laughed and enjoyed the lively atmosphere unique to karaoke, I was the only one clutching my aching stomach and worrying about the future.
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