Chapter 34: A Beautiful Girl Takes on the Sports Festival (Part 2)

It was only halfway through the morning events, but I was already exhausted.

In a corner of our team’s spectator area—the section reserved for the organizing committee—I quietly sipped tea from my thermos. The cold barley tea soothed my dry throat.

I really underestimated what it meant to be part of the cheer squad… I had no idea it’d be this intense.

When the athletes march in, the cheer squad gathers near the entrance gate to cheer them on. Once the procession starts, we rush back to our team’s area to continue cheering there.
In short, we’re constantly moving—always on our feet.

Of course, that kind of nonstop energy isn’t sustainable, so we take short breaks now and then. Since I’m not exactly athletic, I get to rest more often than the others.

"Hey, Hime-chan, taking a little break?"

"Y-yeah!"

The sudden voice startled me so much I nearly jumped.

People started calling me “Princess” behind my back a while ago, but lately it’s become “Hime-chan.” Either way, I really wish they’d stop. There’s not a single royal bone in my body—I’m as plain as they come!

"Aww, that flustered reaction is adorable. Want some snacks?"

"Ah, thank you very much."

Whoa, snacks!

For some reason, whenever I take a break, the upperclassmen keep coming over to chat with me.
I’m trying to rest because I’m tired, but they talk to me so often it’s hard to actually relax. Shouldn’t they be cheering for the team instead?

Still… they bring me snacks, so it’s not all bad.

Yay, snacks! …Not that I’m being bribed or anything, okay? I’m not even eating them right away!

"Huh? You’re not eating? Don’t you like them?"

The seniors looked visibly disappointed.

"I do like snacks. But if I eat them now, I won’t be able to finish my lunch later."

Ever since becoming a girl, my stomach seems to have shrunk—I can’t eat as much as before.
If I munch on too many sweets, I won’t have room for lunch, so I have to hold back.

But whenever I explain that, for some reason they just say “How cute” and start patting my head. Excuse me, I’m making a perfectly rational, adult decision about portion control here! Why am I being treated like a kid? We’re only a year or two apart!

"Good day, Ayumi-san. I’m so glad I finally get to see your lovely face again."

Oh no… it’s her. Student Council President Mitsui.

Even in gym clothes, her sleek black hair and flawless figure make her stand out—she somehow looks more elegant than anyone else here. Just by appearance alone, she’s stunning.

"H-hi there…"

She stared straight at me, and I instinctively shrank back.

"That outfit… are you trying to tempt me? You are, aren’t you? Come on, let’s go to the nurse’s office for a bit. Yes, let’s."

"Huh!? I-I’m fine! I’m not feeling sick or anything!"

"Oh, such pure innocence… haah, haah… I want to defile it… I want to stain that innocence with my color…"

Uh-oh.

I’m getting seriously dangerous vibes here. This is bad. If I stay here, something irreversible is going to happen!

"I-I’ve got cheer squad duties to take care of!"

I shot to my feet with a loud clatter and tried to slip past her—

—but no luck! She caught me from behind and pulled me into a tight embrace.

The softness of her chest pressed against me. …Huh. For some reason, I’m not as excited as I thought I’d be. Maybe I’m just too tired. Before, even a hug like this would’ve had my heart racing.

Maybe she noticed my lack of reaction, because President Mitsui slowly raised her left hand to my face… and gently traced my lips with her fingers.

"Mm…"

Her slender, pale fingers glided over my lips, lingering.

"Nngh…"

A strange warmth began building inside me. The hug hadn’t done anything, but now my heart was starting to pound.

"What a wonderful outfit. So cute, so bright—it suits you perfectly. And above all… it’s sexy. I don’t think I can hold back much longer."

Her right hand began to stroke around my stomach.

"Ah—! That tickles!" I squirmed, but she wouldn’t let me go.

In fact, she started slipping her hand toward my chest—wait, is she seriously doing this in public!? Oh right, she’s always like this!

She leaned close, exhaled softly by my ear, and slowly slid her finger—yes, the same one that had been tracing my lips—between them.

"Nnh…"

"Ah! Not again! You creepy beauty, let her go!"

Moeka-chan came running over and yanked the president away from me.

Perfect timing! I quickly darted behind Moeka-chan to hide.

President Mitsui looked at me longingly. Why are you making that sultry face!? And now she’s… licking the finger she just put in my mouth. Ew! That’s unsanitary!

"That was getting good, too."

"What are you even doing here, President!? It’s a sports festival!"

"Me? I came to enjoy the sight of see-through bras, armpits peeking from short sleeves, and glistening, sweaty bodies."

She said it completely straight-faced.

Moeka-chan and I just stood there, speechless.

No no no! That’s exactly the kind of thing a middle-aged perv would say! Couldn’t you at least pretend you came to participate in some events!?

"Oh, I enjoy physical activity too, you know. …Speaking of which, the last event before lunch is the girls’ team relay, isn’t it? I’m participating. You’ll cheer for me, won’t you, Ayumi-san?"

"Y-yes! Of course! Good luck out there!"

Peeking slightly from behind Moeka-chan, I turned toward President Mitsui and recited the standard cheer line we always used.

When cheering, it’s important to smile—and to genuinely put your feelings of encouragement into it, no matter who you’re cheering for.

"Hehe, having someone as cute as you cheer for me like that… it makes me feel all tingly inside."

President Mitsui smiled gracefully as she said that.

Ahh, when she’s acting normal, she really does look like someone straight out of a painting. So why is her personality so messed up? They say heaven doesn’t give with both hands, but in her case, it feels like she got too much—beauty, talent, athletic ability—and the universe compensated by tanking her character.

President Mitsui slowly stepped closer. Moeka-chan and I both stiffened in caution. She stopped once she was right beside me.

"I’ll definitely come in first place. So please, watch me."

Then, before I could react, she leaned in and—her lips brushed lightly against my cheek. Just a soft touch, then she pulled away.

I stared at her in shock. Th-that was… a kiss!?

The warmth of her lips still lingered faintly on my skin, and my face grew hot in an instant. I probably looked like a boiled octopus right now.

Whaaat!? Th-that was my first kiss! What do I do!? Oh wait, I can’t do anything! I wanted my first to be with someone I actually liked! Wait, does it not count if it’s same-sex!? But I’m technically a guy! So it is the opposite sex!? …But it was just on the cheek, so maybe it doesn’t count! Yeah, let’s go with that—it doesn’t count!

"H-hold on! What are you doing!?"

Moeka-chan shouted in outrage.

"What, you mean the kiss?"

"Obviously I can see that!"

"Then what’s the problem?"

"There is a problem!"

President Mitsui and Moeka-chan started bickering.

While watching them argue, I tried to calmly sort through what had just happened.

Was I shocked by the kiss? Definitely.
Did I hate it? …That’s a tougher question. I was surprised, sure, but it wasn’t that bad. I mean—it was only on the cheek.

If it had been on the lips, I’d probably be bawling my eyes out, screaming about how I wanted my first kiss to be with someone I liked—but this wasn’t that, so…

Yeah. A cheek kiss doesn’t count. Let’s stick with that.

"Well then, farewell for now. I’ll be back later."

With a graceful wave, President Mitsui turned and walked away.

She really does live life completely on her own terms, doesn’t she?

"Ayumi-chan! Come on, let’s wash your face! We need to disinfect it with ethanol!"

"Eh? Why?"

"Because she kissed you! W-wait, don’t tell me—you liked it!?"

"That’s not it, but… I don’t think it’s that big a deal."

"Mmmrgh…! Then I’ll kiss you too! Can I?"

Please don’t look at me with those expectant eyes…

When someone looks you in the face and seriously asks if they can kiss you, how are you even supposed to respond to that?

I-I mean, Moeka-chan is cute, and it’s not like I’d hate it if she did, but… doing something that embarrassing in front of everyone? No way.

Besides, if I say yes now, she’ll probably start doing it all the time—and that would be… complicated.

"If possible, I’d rather you didn’t…"

"Ugh! You let her do it but not me!?"

It’s not like I let her do it, though…

Calming down Moeka-chan after that took a lot of effort.

The first-year girls’ 100-meter dash had just ended.

Naturally, I came in dead last. Heh… well, that’s about what I expected.

It’s such a short event—over in a flash once everyone’s run—and yet we still have to change into gym clothes just for it. And once it’s done, I have to change right back into that embarrassing cheer outfit again.

Ugh, what a pain. Can’t I just stay in the gym uniform at this point?

When I suggested that to the senior committee members, they practically cried while begging me, “Absolutely not!” So… here I am again, back in that mortifying costume.

The morning events were nearly over now.

The final highlight before lunch was the Girls’ Representative Relay.

Each team selected two runners from each grade—first, second, and third year—for a total of six people.

After seeing off the participating runners at the gate, I returned to our team’s cheering section.

Among the third-year representatives was, of course, President Mitsui. Incidentally, Sakurako-chan was one of the first-year runners. She would be the lead-off, with President Mitsui running anchor.

Our Class A Red Team was sitting in third place overall so far. Honestly, most people expected us to be fighting for last, so we were doing surprisingly well.

First place belonged to Class B’s Blue Team, who had a pretty solid lead. But the gap with the second-place Class E Team wasn’t that big. If we could take first in this relay, a comeback was totally possible—a perfect way to roll into the afternoon events.

President Mitsui had confidently declared she’d win it, but a relay is a team effort. Could she really pull it off?

I spotted Sakurako-chan walking onto the track. Her face looked tense, understandably. Ah—she just noticed me and waved! I waved back before I could stop myself.

Bang!

The starting gun’s crack echoed through the grounds.

All the lead runners launched forward at once. Sakurako-chan was in the third lane.

Each of the first five runners would cover 200 meters, with the anchor running 400. Only the first leg was lane-restricted—after that, it was free running.

Sakurako-chan was—second! Wow, she’s fast! She’d been worrying earlier, saying, “I’m not in a sports club anymore, will I be okay?” But clearly, she’s more than fine!

She handed off the baton still in second place.

After finishing, she turned toward me and pressed her hands together apologetically. Was she mouthing “Sorry”? Not at all! Second place is plenty amazing!

Our second runner—also a first-year—was up next. She managed to hang onto second, though the third-place team was catching up. The gap with first widened slightly, but she passed the baton without losing position.

Even though I wasn’t running, my chest burned with excitement. Watching everyone give it their all—it made me wish I could run like that too. I’m jealous.

Back when I was a guy, I spent all three years of middle school in the go-home club. Maybe if I’d tried harder, I wouldn’t be so bad at sports now… but, well, no use dwelling on that.

At the very least, I could cheer with everything I had. That’s what I was here for as part of the cheer squad.

The third runner managed to hold onto second as well—but during the handoff to the fourth, our Red Team fumbled the baton and lost precious time. Just like that, we dropped to fourth place.

A gloomy air spread through the Red Team’s section. The fourth runner gave it her all, but we stayed in fourth. Still, the top three were bunched close together—there was hope yet.

The baton passed to the fifth runner.

Moeka-chan, sitting beside me, was glued to the track. Technically, this wasn’t her seat—this was the committee section—but no one was complaining.

Positions shuffled among the fifth runners. Blue Team (Class B) held the lead, Yellow Team (Class C) was second, and White Team (Class E) was third. But then our Red Team surged forward on the outer lane, overtaking White for third!

The comeback sent a wave of energy through our section. Cheers erupted, hope reignited. The fifth runner was nearing the end of her leg now, closing the distance with the top two.

Then—President Mitsui stepped onto the track.

"Y-you can do it!"

That was probably the loudest I’d shouted all day. The energy of the festival and the excitement of the moment pushed away my embarrassment.

I don’t know if she heard me, but President Mitsui glanced my way for an instant—her expression more serious than I’d ever seen.

The blue and yellow teams made their handoffs, and moments later, our baton reached Mitsui. The exchange was flawless—neither runner slowed, their timing perfect.

"She’s fast…"

Moeka-chan murmured beside me, eyes wide.

Mitsui’s speed was unreal. She devoured the distance between herself and second place like a storm. It was on another level—she overtook the second-place runner in seconds. Only two hundred meters left, and first was just ahead!

The Blue Team’s anchor fought desperately to hold her lead, their cheering section roaring beside ours. Even their committee “maids” were waving frantically to hype up the crowd.

But Mitsui was already neck and neck with the leader. Then, with a burst of power, she surged ahead on the outside lane!

The Blue anchor tried to fight back, but Mitsui just glanced over her shoulder once—and accelerated, widening the gap.

And then—Red crossed the finish line first. Blue followed in second.

President Mitsui broke through the tape and, facing our cheering section, raised a triumphant fist.

Our section erupted in the loudest cheers of the day.

She really was amazing… As the crowd around me went wild, I could only stand there, buzzing with awe.

"How was that?"

Back in the stands, Mitsui walked straight up to me, smiling proudly.

"You were so cool!"

I said it without thinking. To go from third to first in the anchor leg—how could that not be cool?

Hearing that, she grinned and patted me on the head.

"Then as a reward, will you go on a date with me?"

"That’s a no!"

"Oh, what a pity."

She looked genuinely disappointed.

No, no, no, that’s not how this works!

I didn’t even know what other events she’d entered, but if she expected a “reward” for every victory, I’d be in serious trouble by the end of the day.

"You said you’d definitely win, and you really did. That’s incredible."

"My teammates are all girls I can absolutely trust," she replied, completely composed. "And I simply make sure to keep my word. Nothing special about it."

So cool… She said that so naturally too! I wish I could be that kind of woman one day. Well—minus the “only girls” part…

Wait, no, what am I saying!? Why am I even imagining myself as a woman!?

I frantically shook my head to chase the thought away.

Still… she really was incredible.

Thanks to the relay team’s performance, our Red Team climbed to second place by the end of the morning session—the perfect momentum heading into the afternoon.