Chapter 19: Formation! The Ordinary People Alliance!

After that, the duo of Takamiyagi-senpai and Kitatsuji-san went on a rampage through every athletic challenge event they could find. Takamiyagi-senpai bulldozed through everything with sheer physical ability, while Kitatsuji-san clung to her with pure stubborn determination.

There was a heartwarming little incident where, during a tile-breaking challenge, Takamiyagi-senpai accidentally shattered every single tile into dust with a palm strike—but overall, things wrapped up without causing too much of a commotion. In particular, their match in the school arm-wrestling semifinals lasted over five minutes, drawing huge cheers from the crowd and becoming a major highlight. That one might go down in legend. …Wait. Now that I think about it, isn’t Kitatsuji-san kind of superhuman too?

Anyway, we cleared the athletics division safely. Which meant next up was the cultural division… but honestly, I had no idea what kind of challenges awaited us. Still, at this point, there was no choice but to dive in!

And so, moving along smoothly, we arrived at the art room. From here on, it was all cultural-type challenges—mostly indoors. Inside the room, several paintings were displayed, and for some reason, they were protected by thick glass and what looked like alarm systems.

Let’s see… what’s the task? …Ah, we have to identify the one painting by a real professional artist mixed in among works created by club members. Apparently, the real piece was borrowed from a local museum. No wonder the security is so tight. Still, I’m surprised they agreed to lend it…

Well, I couldn’t tell which one was by a real artist at all, so I decided to consult our ace, Takamiyagi-senpai. She stared intently at the paintings with a serious expression.

"Senpai, what do you think?"

"They’re all paintings."

…Ah. Yeah… this might be hopeless. As expected, even if she knows things in theory, anything that relies on artistic sense is outside her wheelhouse… I mean, she struggled with that kind of thing in games too.

Feeling slightly deflated, I turned to Kitatsuji-san next.

"What about you, Kitatsuji-san?"

"I’ll pass too."

Yeah, I kind of knew she wouldn’t get this sort of thing.

Still, maybe she didn’t like how quickly I tried to move on, because even though she didn’t say anything, her expression clearly showed dissatisfaction. I mean, if we don’t know, there’s no point in lingering…

Or should I gamble on the possibility that Kitatsuji-san suddenly awakens an artistic sense? …Nah, that doesn’t just happen out of nowhere. Way too sudden. Though come to think of it, in baseball games I sometimes randomly boost my pitching speed by 20 km/h right before a match… I wonder what my teammates think when they see that…

As I pondered the difference between game logic and reality, I turned to Kaimori-chan. Though honestly, I didn’t expect much here either. I vaguely remembered she once got scolded for doodling during art class. Not promising.

"Kaimori-chan, can you tell?"

"Um… they all look good to me… haha, sorry."

Yeah, figured.

As I shifted my gaze further, skipping over Takahiro next to her and about to ask the last person, he hurriedly pointed at himself and spoke up.

"Hey, hey—Shione, what about me!?"

"Takahiro-kun, you were standing there half-asleep a second ago. There’s nothing to ask you."

Seriously, this guy had somehow managed to doze off standing up. In a way, maybe he was the most honest in how he experienced art—but that kind of honesty wasn’t helpful right now.

"I couldn’t sleep at all last night because I was so excited for the festival!"

"What are you, an elementary schooler?"

"Now, now, you two, don’t start a married couple fight."

"Say that again and I’ll get mad, Kaimori-chan! …Anyway, Yuno-chan, what do you think?"

"Let’s see…"

Yuno-chan quietly pointed to a plain-looking painting displayed near the edge. It depicted a single flower in a vase by a window. Compared to the vivid, colorful paintings around it, this one looked modest and restrained. Thinking she might be mistaken, I double-checked.

"…Are you sure? Not that rainbow-colored vase next to it?"

"Yes. The brushwork is clearly different."

Yuno-chan said it casually with a smile. Kaimori-chan, meanwhile, watched her with a somewhat complicated expression.

After that, we went around several art-related clubs, and thanks to Yuno-chan’s efforts, we cleared them all. However, our ace Yuno-chan was starting to show signs of fatigue, so after leaving the flower arrangement club, we decided to take a break in the courtyard. Honestly, my legs were about done too, so I was grateful.

Letting out a breath, I plopped down onto the grass and looked around at the others. Takahiro had stepped away to the restroom, so he wasn’t here.

Kitatsuji-san and Yuno-chan were chatting and laughing together.

Takamiyagi-senpai stood in the middle of the courtyard, gazing up at the sky as quietly as ever.

Kaimori-chan was sitting on some steps a little distance away, staring off blankly.

…Hmm. If this were a game, I feel like choices would pop up here.

(1) Talk to Takamiyagi-senpai
(2) Join Kitatsuji-san and Yuno-chan
(3) Talk to Kaimori-chan

Something like that. Since I’m a Kaimori-chan supporter, the last option was the obvious pick. In the game, a situation where everyone gathers like this happens much later, so I had no idea what the “correct” choice would be. In that case, I’ll just follow my heart.

Kaimori-chan had her back to me, so I approached from her blind spot. …Oh, right!

Acting on a sudden impulse, I bought a canned drink from a vending machine with a clunk, then pressed the cold can gently against the back of her neck.

"Eek!"

She let out a small yelp and turned around. I expected to get scolded, but instead she silently turned away again.

…Wait, what? Ignored? No, no way…

…Is there something that interesting in front of her? Like buried Tokugawa treasure or something?

I followed her gaze, but there was nothing special—just the gray wall of the school building. I didn’t remember Kaimori-chan having such a dark inner world that she’d be captivated by that…

Thinking I might understand if I got closer, I sat down beside her and looked ahead the same way. Maybe the angle mattered? …Nope, still nothing. Alright, I’ll just ask directly.

"Kaimori-chan, why do you seem down?"

"Well… looking at it this way, I feel like I’m the only one who has nothing…"

Resting her cheek on her hand, she let out a long sigh. Well, it’s true—Takamiyagi-senpai goes without saying, and Yuno-chan can handle flower arranging, art, music, calligraphy—pretty much everything.

"…I had no idea Yuno had that kind of talent… she never told me before."

"Yuno-chan’s not the type to bring it up herself."

"Why not?"

"Because she doesn’t actually like art, music, or calligraphy."

At my words, Kaimori-chan finally lifted her face and looked at me, confusion written all over it. Then she glanced back at Yuno-chan.

"Then why is she so good at them?"

"Her family’s pretty well-off, and all the kids are made to learn a wide range of arts as part of their upbringing. So she can never really relax at home. That’s why she found her own little ‘secret base’ here at school."

"…Is that really true? I mean…"

"You think she’d tell you?"

"…No, she wouldn’t. …I see…"

She turned forward again, her expression growing distant, then slowly buried her face in her knees.

"You look even more down now."

"No, it’s just… I feel like I’m kind of awful. And totally useless."

"…What do you mean?"

After a moment, as if giving in, she slowly raised her head again—though she still didn’t look at me directly.

"…Earlier… I thought how nice it must be. For Takamiyagi-san… and Yuno. I guess I’ve always admired the idea of being someone ‘special.’"

She scratched her cheek with an embarrassed laugh, half-hiding her face again. Her cheeks and ears were clearly red.

…Honestly, I didn’t quite get it.

"So you think that makes you awful?"

"That’s not it. Yuno probably never felt proud of it at all. …So what was I, envying her from the outside like that…?"

"That’s fine. You just didn’t know."

I lightly patted her head and tried to reassure her.

Nothing bad had actually happened. If this were a game, there’d definitely be another dialogue option here—but this one’s the obvious choice.

"Besides, I know Yuno-chan actually likes being relied on. She kind of admires people who help others out of pure goodwill."

"…Wow, that’s kind of scary. You’re seriously scary."

For some reason, Kaimori-chan scooted away from me while still sitting in that knees-hugged position, dragging herself back a bit. The eyes peeking out from between her arms looked slightly more wary of me than before. …Yeah, looks like I picked the wrong dialogue option.

"Hey, that’s mean. That’s blatant bullying, you know! I might cry."

"That reaction is practically that of a toddler… But if Shione-senpai actually cried, there’s one very scary person who’d get involved."

Kaimori-chan shook her head with a wry smile, but her expression seemed just a little brighter than before. Looks like it helped distract her a bit.

"Maybe the time Yuno-chan feels most like herself is when she’s teasing you, Kaimori-chan."

"…Ugh, I really didn’t want to hear that…"

"But if you’re feeling down about Yuno-chan, it means you do care about her somewhere deep down. And Kaimori-chan, you’re on good terms with Takamiyagi-senpai too, right? I think that kind of thing is a strength in itself."

I mean, being able to build a relationship with senpai is actually pretty rare. Takahiro, for example, hasn’t managed it at all.

However, upon hearing my words, Kaimori-chan clutched her head again and ruffled her hair in frustration.

"No, that’s exactly the point—I’m the only one who’s completely normal…!"

And just like that, thanks to my careless comment, Kaimori-chan had reverted back to how she was five minutes ago. What is this, some kind of time loop? Wait—being normal is a bad thing?

As far as I’m concerned, that trait of hers is actually an advantage. A huge one. She’s probably the only main character here who could realistically grow up into a proper, functioning adult.

Well… Yuno-chan might barely manage… but even then, she’d probably snap eventually. I doubt many workplaces would tolerate someone crawling under desks in the middle of work. And even if they did, that kind of company would be a problem anyway.

…But I see. “I’m the only one,” huh…?

Oh—this might actually be a great idea. This could solve everything. After all, I’m not some game character—I’m a completely ordinary person at my core.

I quietly extended my hand toward Kaimori-chan. She looked at me with confusion, clearly not understanding what I meant. So I gave her a quick wink.

…But she just stared at my hand, still looking puzzled.

"Um… what’s with the hand?"

"Heh heh, you don’t get it? Hey, Kaimori-chan! Want to form the ‘Ordinary People Alliance’ with me? …Huh? Wait… what’s with that face…? What kind of emotion is that?"

"………………"

I thought it was a pretty great idea, but for some reason, Kaimori-chan didn’t take my hand, and an awkward silence stretched on. After a while, I quietly pulled my hand back. As I stared at it, Kaimori-chan looked at it too, seeming a bit uncomfortable.

"It’s not that I don’t like it… it’s just… um…"

She mumbled under her breath, and I couldn’t quite catch what she said.

Well, it couldn’t be helped. An alliance only works if both sides agree. Besides, compared to me, Kaimori-chan is still plenty special. Maybe she meant, “Don’t lump me in with some ordinary nobody like you.” That’s fine, that kind of self-awareness is important too.

"Anyway, Kaimori-chan, we need to be careful from here on. Even I don’t know what’s going to happen next."

"Even you don’t know!?"

Whoa—her exaggerated reaction, leaning back and shouting like that, honestly caught me off guard a bit. Still, I nodded.

I mean, I’ve never managed to fully clear this stamp rally in the game. If you go with Takamiyagi-senpai, you fail at the art section. If you go with Yuno-chan, you fail in the athletics section—or if you run into Kaimori-chan midway, that’s also a fail. Yuno-chan ends up chasing after Kaimori-chan and ditching the “date,” after all.

"So yeah, since we’ve mostly cleared everything, I was thinking we should head back to the main event tent."

"Why the tent?"

"Well, look—it says right here: ‘Once you’ve completed all other tasks, please come here.’"

At the very center of the stamp rally sheet I pointed to was a strange blank space, with only those words written there. Definitely suspicious. No wonder I felt the need to warn her.

As we grouped up and started heading toward the main event headquarters on the school grounds, people along the way began snapping photos of us like crazy.

"What is that, so cute!"
"If my eyes aren’t deceiving me, a miracle is walking right there…!"
"I never knew angels had legs*1!"

"Shione-senpai, your outfit is way too eye-catching. You were getting photographed during the arm-wrestling tournament, in the art club, and at the flower arrangement club earlier too. You didn’t notice?"

…Apparently, I’d gotten used to being photographed without even realizing it. Probably some kind of mental self-defense, but wow, what a useless ability. Also, seriously—don’t take pictures of students without permission.

Then, at the event headquarters, the girl at reception took one look at the stamp sheet I handed over—almost completely filled—and her expression changed instantly. She rushed over to what looked like an important upperclassman sitting further inside.

"President! W-we have a completion! It’s the first in fifteen years!"

"Oh? I had a feeling something like this might happen today. …So it’s you."

The upperclassman grinned and stood up, throwing on his gakuran jacket with a flourish. He looked straight out of a manga—definitely the type to wield power in the student council.

"If we defeat you, do we clear it?"

"Haha, no way I’d be your opponent. I watched that tile-breaking earlier."

"So… we’ve cleared it, right? Otherwise, our Takamiyagi-senpai here might say she wants to ‘try breaking the president next.’ She has a very short temper."

"Unfortunately, there’s one final challenge you’ll need to overcome."

Despite my fairly aggressive push, the so-called president just shrugged casually, not looking the least bit troubled. This guy’s got guts…

Takamiyagi-senpai, meanwhile, didn’t react at all to what I said either. Honestly, they might be evenly matched. But still… the final challenge?

"It’s simple. For two hours, ‘oni’ will chase you. If you escape, you win. In other words—tag."

"That… does sound simple…?"

I mean, no matter who’s “it,” we’ve got Takamiyagi-senpai. This is someone who can jump from the third floor and just go “Ouch.” As big as our school is, there’s no way there are multiple people like her. Though even one is already pushing it.

"Who’s your leader? Your representative—I’d like to explain the rules."

"Couldn’t you just tell all of us?"

"Now, now. …You’ll do, right?"

He was speaking to me while looking past me. When I turned around, everyone was pointing at me at once.

Well… fine, I guess. I did gather everyone together.

"Alright, I’ll be the representative."

"Then if you escape, you win. Two rules. First, no hiding. Second, you’re not allowed to leave the school grounds. That’s all."

"…Huh?"

Without another word, the president turned his back and started walking back to his seat. At the same time, an announcement blared from speakers all over campus.

"In thirty minutes, the event ‘Tag’ will begin! If you capture the target running around campus, you’ll receive luxurious prizes from event headquarters! Everyone is encouraged to participate! The target’s appearance will be posted around the school—report any sightings immediately!"

"Oh, and one more thing," the president added with a smirk from his seat. "Everyone except your group is ‘it.’ Good luck."

…Ah, yeah, got it. Definitely the type who won’t listen to negotiations. I’ll remember this.

"Takamiyagi-senpai! Please carry me and run! Full speed! Everyone, ask Takahiro-kun! We’re heading to ‘senpai’s usual spot’—we’ll plan there!"

Without missing a beat, Takamiyagi-senpai hoisted me onto her back and took off running. I didn’t even need to explain the location—of course she understood. As expected of the master of that place.

As I felt someone’s gaze and looked back, the president was stroking his chin with a confident grin.

…This guy.

Maybe instead of that black stone prize, we should make it an unlimited boxing match between him and Takamiyagi-senpai.