Chapter 159: Combined Physical Education Class, Kikyo Kushida's Little Thoughts (Two-in-One 5k) (Patreon)

Friday.

Today was the joint PE class for Class A and Class D.

Before the afternoon lessons began, Hikaru Naruse, still sitting in the classroom, got a text from Honami Ichinose.

"Naruse-san, are you free to meet on Saturday? There's something I'd like to talk about."

Ichinose's message didn't say what it was about, but Hikaru Naruse could more or less guess. It had to be something to do with the Sports Festival.

After all, back in the gymnasium that day, apart from the short chat with Miyabi Nagumo, it seemed Class B and Class C on the White Team hadn't managed to come to terms. The meeting had broken up on a sour note.

That was easy enough to foresee.

Ryuen of Class C wasn't the designated leader yet, but with his scheming and his methods he always ended up holding the real say in the class, so plenty of people fell under his influence.

Class B, on the other hand, was a bunch of good kids, and they'd been framed by Class C before. There was no way they'd cooperate with Class C in good faith.

Forcing two groups that looked down on each other to stick together could only backfire.

So if Ichinose was reaching out on her own initiative now, it was most likely to discuss the Sports Festival. Hikaru Naruse didn't mind. He had no objection to talking with her.

Judging by Class B's style, they'd most likely go for a fair and square way of competing. And if she had any extra intel, so much the better.

"Sure. Let's tentatively say tomorrow afternoon."

He couldn't make casual promises about his Saturday schedule, so he only named an afternoon.

After sending the reply, the boy slipped his phone into his pocket and went with the other boys in class to the changing room to switch into their gym clothes.

Next, everyone would head to the field for PE.

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The afternoon's two PE periods ran from three to five o'clock.

Between the two classes there were seventy-nine students in all. Arisu Sakayanagi was excused for health reasons as usual and sat alone in the spectator seats beside the field.

The girl's silver hair gleamed, and she looked perfectly composed. She'd changed into gym clothes, but she wouldn't be exercising today. Her cane rested beside her, its presence as pronounced as ever.

Hikaru Naruse glanced at her once, then looked away.

The first term was over now. Even if Sakayanagi wanted to try something, she couldn't stir up any waves.

Class A held an overwhelming lead of over 1,800 points and had established an absolute advantage, and Kohei Katsuragi and Hikaru Naruse had settled into a tacit cooperation.

As a result, the "Sakayanagi faction" inside the class had long since been pushed to the margins. Only a handful of people still took her orders, and her one true diehard was probably Masumi Kamuro.

"No need to worry about her for now."

Hikaru Naruse made the call silently and turned his attention back to the PE class in front of him.

Once the PE teacher arrived, he had the boys and girls line up separately so everyone could train together.

"Today is our first joint training session. I want the students of both classes to work well together."

The PE teacher was a middle-aged man in his forties. He wore a gray tracksuit with a silver whistle hanging from his neck, and he stood with his hands on his hips in front of the two lines.

"There's less than a month until the Sports Festival. As teammates on the Red Team, you need to understand that this is a team competition. You can only win if everyone pulls together."

With the boys and girls split up, the Class A girls merged into a temporary group of their own.

At the front of the line, Kei Karuizawa naturally locked onto Ai Morishita, who stood not far off. Morishita looked calm, even a little languid.

Morishita had provoked Karuizawa head-on several times before, and Hikaru Naruse had always treated the two of them equally, never deliberately favoring either, which bothered Karuizawa a great deal.

Hikaru-kun must be really close with her.

After being sized up for a while, Morishita seemed to sense Karuizawa's gaze. She stayed calm, though, and simply glanced back at her with a blank face before turning around to keep warming up.

Karuizawa was no longer the "rival" Morishita cared about. Lately she'd set her sights on Asuka Shiraishi instead.

Elsewhere, Kikyo Kushida had gathered with the Class A girls and was already putting her "social butterfly" talents to work, gliding lightly through the crowd of Class A and Class D girls with a soft smile that left everyone with a good impression.

"Oh, there was something like that? Really?"

"Sawada-san, did you change your hairstyle? It's so cute!"

"Hmm, Tamiya-san, did you try that new shop over the summer break?"

Her social skills had reached the point where there was never an awkward silence, no matter who she was with. Even someone she'd only exchanged a few words with could be drawn close in no time.

In the middle of the line, Asuka Shiraishi and Ryoko Nishikawa, best friends as always, were standing together.

Ryoko Nishikawa seemed to have remembered something amusing and turned her head to speak first.

"Asuka, I heard that last time… Yoshida-san confessed to you?"

Ryoko Nishikawa was on the outgoing side, with a bit of a mischievous streak, so she wasn't about to pass up a chance to tease her friend.

"He did. But I turned him down clearly."

Asuka Shiraishi's tone was gentle. She stroked her long golden hair, a faint smile on her face.

"Mind telling me why you turned him down?" Ryoko Nishikawa asked with a grin.

"I told him… that I already have someone I like." Asuka Shiraishi didn't hide it. It was the same answer she'd given Hikaru Naruse.

"Right, you do."

Hearing that, Ryoko Nishikawa squeezed Asuka Shiraishi's small hand and said with a giggle.

"Asuka really does have someone she likes. And you've got quite a few rivals, too. That can't be easy."

"The rivals don't matter. What matters is what he thinks."

Asuka Shiraishi spoke unhurriedly, her voice very soft.

"I'm not the type who forbids her boyfriend from talking to any other girl once she has one. People would hate that."

"Really?" Ryoko Nishikawa asked suddenly.

"Really."

"Lately I've started learning to cook," Asuka Shiraishi added with a gentle smile. "Cooking turns out to be a surprisingly complicated subject."

"Learning to cook?"

Ryoko Nishikawa hesitated for a moment, but a little later she grasped the deeper meaning behind those words.

"Learning to cook really is important. It's a big plus for a girl."

And in Japanese society, if a girl suddenly starts cooking, it usually means she has someone.

The media even digs into idols' private lives this way. When one mentions learning to cook or often posts about cooking on her blog, chances are she has a boyfriend.

Ryoko Nishikawa understood what Asuka Shiraishi meant. Elementary and middle schools generally have basic home economics classes, so most students have at least a rough sense of cooking.

But the "learning to cook" Asuka Shiraishi was talking about was no child's play. It was training in the kitchen so she could put the skill to proper use.

"I'll learn together with you," Ryoko Nishikawa said with a smile.

"Mm."

While they were chatting, Ryoko Nishikawa spoke up again.

"I hear Naruse-san gets along well with a lot of the girls in Class D. Maybe today I can satisfy my curiosity."

"Curiosity?"

Asuka Shiraishi knew exactly what her friend meant. The victims of the rumors about Hikaru Naruse being a womanizer fell mainly into two groups: his own Class A, and Class D.

"Don't you want to see how Karuizawa reacts?"

Kei Karuizawa was Hikaru Naruse's officially announced girlfriend. The whole school knew it by now.

"More than Karuizawa, I'm curious about everyone else's reactions."

Ryoko Nishikawa seemed genuinely excited. Chances to observe the Class D girls up close didn't come often.

"Why don't we play a game?"

"What kind of game?"

Ryoko Nishikawa's voice turned a little more playful, and she lowered it.

"Let's find out… how many girls in Class D are sneaking looks at Naruse-san."

"…"

Asuka Shiraishi seemed a bit hesitant, but after a moment she agreed.

She kept a regular watch on Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, so she knew quite a bit about Class D. She just hadn't connected any of it directly to Hikaru Naruse.

Taking a look now might turn up some intel.

A moment later, the two began stealing glances.

With the girls' lines mixed together, the thirty-nine girls had been split into five rows. Asuka Shiraishi stood with Ryoko Nishikawa, and their eyes began to drift slowly along the lines.

Asuka Shiraishi's gaze passed slowly over row after row of faces, looking utterly focused.

After a while, Ryoko Nishikawa's eyes suddenly lit up, as if she'd found something very important.

"Found one."

"Who?"

"Horikita-san…"

The black-haired girl stood in the middle of the line with a cold expression, radiating an aloof aura that kept everyone at a thousand miles' distance.

So not only the Class A girls didn't dare approach her. Even her fellow Class D girls left her alone.

"Doesn't really look like it…"

"But I definitely just saw it."

Ryoko Nishikawa had proof. With the boys and girls separated, the boys' line stood to the girls' left.

And Suzune Horikita would glance to the left every now and then. It was brief, but Ryoko Nishikawa had caught it.

As for how she could be sure it was Hikaru Naruse she was looking at, he was standing at the very front of the boys' line right now, and Suzune Horikita's gaze was plainly aimed in his direction.

Hikaru Naruse wasn't the sports committee member, but the PE teacher knew he was in excellent shape and had singled him out to lead the lineup.

The Class A boys cooperated fully, of course. Hikaru Naruse's authority spoke for itself. The Class D boys went along fairly well too, probably thanks to Yosuke Hirata's efforts, so the boys' lineup went smoothly.

"Everyone, line up. Leave an arm's length between each person."

"You don't need big movements. Just shift slowly into place."

Hikaru Naruse's lineup arrangement was done in no time. As for the girls, the teacher's pick to organize them was Masumi Kamuro.

Arisu Sakayanagi wasn't taking part in PE, but Masumi Kamuro had to.

Besides, Masumi Kamuro's physical ability was a B+, and the PE teacher had seen her potential.

"Looks like you're right."

Asuka Shiraishi had seen Suzune Horikita's glance too, and she nodded.

"I'll give myself one point."

Ryoko Nishikawa smiled in satisfaction, and Asuka Shiraishi went back to searching.

Training was about to start, yet the two were acting as if they were playing some detective game, their eyes sweeping over the girls in the ranks.

After a while, Asuka Shiraishi's gaze fixed on one person.

Kikyo Kushida.

"Kushida-san… seems to be sneaking looks at Naruse-san."

Hearing that, Ryoko Nishikawa narrowed her golden eyes slightly and blurted out.

"Kushida-san?"

Asuka Shiraishi gave a small nod.

"Seriously?"

Kikyo Kushida was standing at the front of the girls' line. She had strong social skills and was good with people, and with her pretty face and figure, a girl like that was usually popular with boys but shunned by girls.

Kikyo Kushida was exactly the opposite. She had plenty of girl friends too.

"Did you really see it just now?"

"Yes."

Asuka Shiraishi felt nothing in particular about Kikyo Kushida, but what she'd seen was no fabrication.

"Kushida-san and Naruse-san… shouldn't have any connection, right?" Ryoko Nishikawa began to work it through.

"She isn't a Student Council member either."

"Then why would she…"

The two girls thought it over, but neither reached an answer. Then Asuka Shiraishi spoke again.

"Does Horikita-san… have a connection with Naruse-san?"

"She does."

Ryoko Nishikawa smiled sweetly, as if showing off a piece of intel she'd gathered.

"A few days ago I saw Naruse-san eating alone with that Horikita-san."

"Is that so?"

"Mm."

The two had only meant to kill some time, but now both of them had become invested.

How exactly had those two girls come to be connected to Naruse-san?

After a while the lineup was finished. The PE teacher blew his whistle and began announcing the day's training plan.

"All right, everyone, focus. Training starts now."

"In today's joint PE class, everyone will be training for the [Mass Events]."

"The boys will practice cavalry battle, and the girls will practice the ball-throwing contest."

The ball-throwing contest was the girls-only [Mass Event] in the Sports Festival.

The rules were simple. A crossbar was set upright with a large net on top, its mouth facing up.

The girls had to pick up balls below and throw them into the net, and when time ran out, whichever team had landed more balls won. The event tested arm strength and teamwork.

The PE teacher divided the girls into four groups of about ten each. They all looked eager, as if itching to test their abilities.

On the other side, the boys had also been split into four groups and were heading to the far side of the field to start practicing cavalry battle.

Cavalry battle needed no equipment. It tested nothing but raw stats.

Just then, Kikyo Kushida, standing at the front of the girls' line, suddenly moved.

The sweetest of smiles was still on her face as she walked straight toward the boys.

That one move instantly drew a lot of attention.

Kei Karuizawa, who'd been warming up in the ranks, drew a look, and so did the expressionless Suzune Horikita. So did Asuka Shiraishi and Ryoko Nishikawa, who'd been watching her just moments ago, and Ai Morishita.

The best-friend duo exchanged a glance, curious what she was up to.

Once Kikyo Kushida reached the boys, she said a few words to the PE teacher, who was in the middle of giving instructions. The teacher promptly called over Hikaru Naruse, who'd been warming up.

"Naruse-san, I need your help with something right now."

"Hm?"

When Hikaru Naruse walked over, he naturally noticed something odd about Kikyo Kushida.

"Sensei, what is it?"

The PE teacher clapped him on the shoulder.

"Kushida-san here is going to the equipment room to get the balls and poles the girls will need for training. She needs a helper."

"Go with her and share the load with her."

"Huh?"

Kikyo Kushida didn't even bother pretending anymore. She leaned in close to Hikaru Naruse.

"Naruse-san, will you come get the equipment with me? I can't carry it all by myself. If you help, I'll buy you a drink."

Kikyo Kushida wore a brilliant smile and looked like she was truly a very helpful person.

But Hikaru Naruse was no fool. For her to suddenly bring this up at a time like this, she had to have something else in mind.

"It shouldn't take too long, right? We've got training today." Hikaru Naruse said with a deliberate smile.

"It won't take long… Exactly how long depends on your stamina, Naruse-san."

In front of everyone, Kikyo Kushida's words sounded perfectly innocent, but Hikaru Naruse caught the hint buried in them.

What a lecherous woman…

"All right. I'll haul the equipment back as fast as I can so you can start training sooner."

"There's no need to be that fast. Sensei, we should be steady about it, right? It'd be bad if we damaged the equipment."

Kikyo Kushida looked at the PE teacher beside them with a sweet smile.

Of course the PE teacher couldn't make sense of Kikyo Kushida's "code," and just nodded, turning to Hikaru Naruse.

"Naruse-san, there's no need to hurry with the equipment. Match Kushida-san's pace and make sure it arrives safely. That way the training will go more reliably."

"…"

Hikaru Naruse nodded and said helplessly.

"Understood, sensei."

"Naruse-san, then let's work together nicely. We have to bring the equipment back safely."

Kikyo Kushida licked the corner of her mouth, her smile radiant.

"Mm."

Hikaru Naruse and Kikyo Kushida walked side by side toward the edge of the field. The other girls, watching the scene, were all a bit stunned.

What was going on???