Chapter 33: A Beautiful Girl Takes on the Sports Festival (Part 1)

I’d never wished for rain this desperately in my life.

But my prayers went unanswered—today was perfectly clear.

The fresh air of late May and the bright, dry sunshine poured down relentlessly. It was, without question, the ideal weather for a sports festival.

Ah, seriously… how did it come to this?

As a member of the festival committee, I’d been buried in preparations right up until yesterday. Checking the event equipment, setting up tents, helping with the entry gates—busy from morning till night. Oddly enough, whenever I started working, everyone else would rush in to help, and the tasks were done in no time.

And that’s how I ended up face-to-face with that—the cheer squad outfit for the day of the festival.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d have to wear something like that. Yesterday’s me was utterly horrified.

I left home feeling depressed. Committee members had to arrive early, so I was taking the bus to the station today.

I boarded, paid the fare, and found a seat. In Mikawa City—decently urban—bus fare was a flat 200 yen, paid in advance.

The sun is evil. The sun is evil. The sun is evil… I muttered curses under my breath while staring out the window.

I got off the train and started walking toward school. My steps were heavy.

With every step closer, my stomach twisted tighter.

And yet, cruelly enough, I arrived.

At the red team’s waiting area—Class A’s color—I checked the setup. Togo and the other second- and third-year committee members were already there, double-checking everything with me.

Everything was ready. All that was left was to change into that after the opening ceremony…

"Ayu-chan, are you okay? You look kinda sick."

"Yeah, I feel awful."

"For real? If it’s too much, tell me right away, okay? I’ll take you to the nurse’s tent."

…It’s hard when people are nice to you. It just makes me feel guiltier.

In the end, it’s not that I hate the sports festival itself. I just don’t want to wear that outfit. That’s all. Really, that’s all it is.

Sure, I’m bad at sports, and I know I’ll embarrass myself in every event. But that’s nothing new. Even back when I was a boy, I never did well in P.E. I’ve long since passed the stage of feeling embarrassed about that.

I’m guaranteed to finish near-last in the girls’ 100m dash. Same for the obstacle race. And during practice for the three-legged race, I kept tripping up my partner, Moeka-chan. Honestly, the only event I can perform decently in is the opening radio calisthenics.

Since I can’t contribute to the team’s score, the least I could do is cheer properly—but even that motivation was plummeting fast.

If someone asked, “Don’t you feel bad for the team?” I wouldn’t have a word to say.

I really wanted to run away, but I couldn’t bring myself to fake being sick just to hide in the nurse’s tent.

After enduring the principal’s speech and the endless, unnecessary remarks from the guests, the opening ceremony finally ended.

While everyone headed toward the field for radio calisthenics, I slipped away to the changing room.

In truth, I wasn’t even participating in that warm-up. Which means… there wasn’t a single event in this entire festival where I’d actually shine.

Inside the girls’ changing room, I held the “dark matter” in my hands.

The senior girls on the red team had already changed and left. Their outfits weren’t too bad, actually.

They probably noticed how mortified I looked and kindly gave me space. And yeah, I was embarrassed—not about changing clothes, but about what I was changing into.

I tightened my grip on the dark matter.

No choice now. I’ve come too far to back out. The calisthenics would be over soon—I couldn’t stay here forever.

With a deep breath, I took off my jacket.

"O-oh, sorry for the wait…"

I timidly joined the red team’s group of committee members.

"U-UOOOOHHHHHH!"

Togo let out a primal roar the moment he saw me.

W-what the…? Did Togo forget how to speak human language?

This is bad. Both the guys and the girls were staring at me. Their eyes fixed on me made me want to shrink into nothing.

"C-cute…"

"I think this is the first time I’ve ever fallen for a girl…"

"S-so sexy…"

"Isn’t this, like, illegal? Why does it feel so sinful?"

The seniors started blurting out their thoughts one after another. Being stared at like that made it impossible to relax.

My outfit was a sleeveless cheer top paired with a pleated skirt.

The cheer top was the main problem. The other girls’ tops reached just over their skirts, but mine barely came down to my chest, leaving my midriff completely bare. To make matters worse, it had a deep V-neck that exposed a lot of my chest and back. Move the wrong way and—oh no, was that visible!?

Is this really okay to wear at school!? I don’t even want to wear it, and if I get scolded for it, it’ll just double the humiliation!

Then there was the skirt. It was even shorter than the rolled-up uniform skirts—probably fifteen centimeters above the knee. Meaning, if I moved too much, people could see.

You’d think, “Well, she’s wearing an under-skirt, right?” Yeah, sure, I am. Because walking around with my panties showing would get me banned instantly.

But the under-skirt was its own kind of nightmare! It wasn’t a normal one—it was a high-cut, bloomers-style short! Who thought this was okay!?

“Oh wow, it’s so easy to move in!” Yeah, I bet! But “it’s fine if people see it”? Absolutely not!

What’s the point of wearing something embarrassing under something equally embarrassing!? None. Zero.

I was born a boy, somehow ended up as a girl, learned to wear bras, bikinis, all that… and now, with bloomers added to the list, I think I’ve officially completed the full set of humiliating outfits.

Not that I’m happy about it!

"T-this is going to be incredible when she goes out in front of everyone."

"She might break a world record…"

What kind of monsters are these red team people!?

The radio calisthenics ended, and the students began returning in groups.

Most of them already looked tired and unmotivated. Could we really win like this?

"Doesn’t seem like they’ve got much energy, huh?"

"Some of them were never good at sports to begin with, so that’s just how it goes. But if we want to win, we need them to try! That’s why we’re here as the cheer squad—to fire them up! Especially you, Sakura-san. You’re the captain!"

The senior’s words snapped me back to reality. Right… I was the cheer captain. How on earth did a first-year like me end up being chosen over the upperclassmen for that role?

"After the radio calisthenics, the next event is the first-year boys’ 100-meter dash. Go cheer them on!"

"Eh? By myself?"

"Well, it’s a boys’ event, so it’s better if a girl goes. Besides, you’re a first-year too—it might be awkward for them if upperclassmen show up."

She had a point. It’s not like a guy would get pumped up by being cheered on by another guy before a race. Still… I kinda wanted one of the senior girls to come with me. Not because I wanted to be with a girl or anything, but because it’d at least spread out the attention. After all, I’m wearing… well, this.

"Go on, get moving," the senior urged.

Ugh, fine! I’ll go, I’ll go! Seeing me off, Togo and the others waved as I made my way toward the gate where the boys’ 100-meter racers were gathering.

"Man, this is such a drag."

"Yeah, no way we’re winning. Class B’s got all the fast guys."

It was late May, right in the middle of the big festival, yet the first-years already sounded unmotivated.

True, the odds favored Class B. They had plenty of track athletes and several of the soccer club’s best players.

Class A, on the other hand, wasn’t exactly known for athletic talent—and the same could be said for the second- and third-years too.

Incidentally, third-year Class A even had the infamous “beautiful yet unfortunate” student council president. She was said to be unbeatable in any solo event—top of her class academically and athletically. A true superwoman. If only she weren’t such a shameless flirt with the personality of a middle-aged man…

Anyway, no one had high hopes for the first-year boys’ 100-meter dash. Not even the participants themselves. If you asked why they picked this event, they’d probably say, “Because it’s over in under twenty seconds.”

I approached the unenthusiastic boys of Class A and forced myself to speak.

"Uh, um! Do your best, okay!?"

My outfit was already mortifying, and now I had to shout in front of this crowd. My voice shrank with every word until it was barely a whisper.

Still, the boys noticed me.

"Eh!? Sakura-san!?"

"No way! You actually came to cheer for us!?"

The first-year boys participating in the 100-meter dash started gathering around me.

"Whoa, Sakura-san, you’re seriously cute!"

"A-ah, thank you…"

Please, don’t stare at me so closely… I’m going to die of embarrassment.

"Uh, um! Could you say ‘Do your best’ to me too?"

"Huh!? O-okay… Do your best!"

"Yessss! I’m so fired up now!!"

R-right. Good for you.

"Can you say, ‘Do your best, Akira-kun!’ next!?"

"A-Akira-kun, do your best!"

"Perfect… that was amazing!"

I’d barely talked to him before. Calling someone by their first name when we weren’t that close felt a bit too familiar—it made me hesitate. But since he looked so happy about it, I guess it’s fine.

“Hey, Akira, you lucky bastard! Getting your name called out like that? Too much, man!”

“Usually you’re just a background character! Get to the rooftop—yeah, the rooftop after school! No, wait, I’m beating you up right now!”

Wait, what!? Why are they suddenly fighting!? At this rate, he’s not even going to make it to the race in one piece! Hold on, time out!

Akira-kun ended up completely wrecked. But somehow, he looked satisfied.

"You okay?"

"Totally fine! Thanks to this, Sakurai-san’s worried about me! Hey, you guys, thanks for beating me up!"

"D-damn it! Akira… even when he falls, he finds a way to win…"

Well, since he’s fine, I guess it’s okay. They all seem to get along really well.

"Ayumu, say to me, ‘Ryoji, I love you! I’ll give you a kiss!’ too."

"Oh, Ryoji, you’re in this event too. Do your best, okay?"

"...Ah. Ignored, huh… Well, whatever! At least I got cheered for!"

He’s surprisingly positive. He was clearly trying to get me caught up in the moment and make me say something embarrassing—but I’m not falling for that!

Our Class A group was getting unusually hyped up near the entrance gate, enough that students from other classes started turning to look, murmuring things like, “What’s going on over there?”

Apparently, it was a bit of a tradition for each class’s cheer squad to gather near the entrance gate. The other classes had their own cheer squads too, all made up of festival committee members. Class B’s group was… wearing maid outfits. Yikes. Must be rough. Class C’s group had normal school uniforms. Man, I wish I’d gotten that one. I couldn’t see D or E from where I was.

"Wait, seriously? Class A’s cheer squad is the princess?"
"Lucky bastards, I swear…"
"If hatred and jealousy could kill, I’d have wiped them all out already…"

The other classes started murmuring restlessly.

"Sakura-san’s so cute…"

"As expected of the Princess—she’s on another level. No way we can beat Class A’s cheer squad."

"Honestly, I’d rather be the one she’s cheering for."

And for some reason, the other classes’ cheer squads started slumping over in defeat, even though I hadn’t done anything. What happened? Maybe it’s just hard having to wear something embarrassing in front of everyone… I get it, really.

I mean, just thinking about my family seeing me dressed like this makes me want to crawl into a hole. Buying the swimsuit the other day was bad enough.

As for Mom—she refused to listen and kept insisting, “I’m taking a photo right now, so hurry up and change!” When I kept refusing, she threatened, “If you don’t let me take a picture, I’ll give your panties and bra to Kaname.” In the end, I had no choice but to let her take the photo. It was pure emotional blackmail.

And Kaname—ugh, he started saying nonsense like, “You should just change right here.” Back when my brother was still my brother, Kaname was such a cute kid. Now he’s a fifth grader with way too much perverted energy. I could cry.

Dad didn’t say anything, just quietly tried to hand me five 10,000-yen bills. I don’t even know what that was supposed to mean. Please stop doing suspiciously adult things like that! It gives off all the wrong vibes!

Anyway, that chaotic family is coming to see the festival today too. If they see me like this, I’m done for. During lunch break, I’ll change into my gym uniform and just blend in while we eat.

Somehow, I managed to lift everyone’s spirits, and Class 1-A’s participants marched onto the track. They put up an incredible fight, and by the end of the 100-meter dash, we ranked second—just behind Class B.

Considering we could’ve easily been dead last, that was a great start.

It actually made me kind of happy—knowing that maybe my cheering helped, even a little. At least as part of the support crew, I could make a difference.