Chapter 242: Perhaps... It's Not That Bad

As the sports festival approached, Ishigami Yu, who had joined the cheer squad, could clearly feel that he was getting more and more tired.

From the inside out, from his mind to his body, he was physically and mentally exhausted, as if he had been drained dry by something.

Ever since joining the cheer squad, Yu had asked himself more than once why he had decided to join in the first place.

His daily schoolwork, his duties as the Student Council treasurer, weekly quests in Monster Hunter, etc. These daily necessities already filled his life with a sense of fulfillment.

Why did he have to be so stubborn and join the cheer squad on top of that?

However, if it were just the daily after-school cheer squad practice, the mere physical exhaustion wasn’t something Yu found unbearable.

Despite looking gloomy all day long and spending his free time either gaming or watching anime, the truth was, he was a man with a six-pack. Two high-intensity practice sessions a day were hardly a source of stress for him.

It’s just that…..

“Yu-kun, raise your hands a bit higher. What do you look like doing it like that?”

“Exactly! Emotion! Where is your emotion?”

The two familiar voices rang out once again, reaching the ears of Yu, who was standing in the cheer squad formation and practicing movements according to the seniors’ instructions, causing his movements to freeze.

Aaaaaah! Why is it you two bastards again!

What ‘good’ deed did I do in my past life to end up knowing you two absolute weirdos!?

Noticing Yu in the formation and the increasingly gloomy aura radiating from his lowered face, the captain standing at the very front facing everyone, and a certain vice-captain senior with her pink hair tied up, silently exchanged a glance and simultaneously wore helpless smiles.

Meanwhile, their classmate Onodera Rei, who had also keenly noticed Yu’s strange behavior, looked at him with a questioning gaze that seemed to ask, ‘Is the world crazy, or am I?’ Then, she turned her head to look at the two… boys sitting cross-legged on the track not far from their practice area, who were probably wearing the uniforms of the neighboring Toyogasaki Academy.

‘Sigh, what on earth is wrong with this world? Even a man as gloomy as Ishigami has such high-quality male friends?’

One was a simple, sunny sports-type handsome guy with short, refreshing hair, who looked carefree and unconventional (giving people an inexplicable urge to bully him).

The other one… well, never mind, she had seen him a lot recently. She heard he was President Shirogane’s junior.

Just these two boys, whose style was completely different from Yu’s, or could even be considered the polar opposite… actually came to the sports field every day with their arms around each other’s shoulders to watch Yu practice? Furthermore, these two would occasionally roast Yu. The way the three of them interacted gave her, and everyone in the cheer squad, the feeling of watching a hot-blooded shonen manga.

Yes, exactly, that kind of frenemy relationship in manga where they mutually roast each other, exchange toxic remarks, and frequently mock one another.

That was the magical part.

Not to mention these three friends with completely opposite styles.

Even among ordinary boys, Onodera Rei had basically never seen a guy with such roasting friends.

‘Come to think of it…’

Feeling a bit amazed at how magical the world was, Onodera Rei silently looked at Yu, who was completely enveloped in a low-pressure aura, and then turned her face slightly.

“Please, Ishigami-kun, as a human being, why can’t you make some movements that resemble a person’s? You’re so stiff; even the grandma from the neighboring shopping street dances more smoothly than you, okay?”

“…..Why are you looking at me? Hurry up and practice. Besides, it was Miyahito who roasted you, not me.”

‘These two really have sharp, toxic mouths….’

The corners of her mouth twitched uncontrollably, and Onodera Rei gave up on thinking about it.

Anyway, she wasn’t the one getting roasted.

It would just be better if she didn’t have to continue practicing right now and could get a glass of juice. She also wanted to learn how to be so passive-aggressive without changing her expression, or even keeping her tone perfectly normal.

A while later.

“Hey, hey! Everyone take a break, we’ll continue practicing later!”

“Yesss~”

The second the vice-captain senior announced the halftime break, Yu, with a darkened face, slowly turned around.

Seeing this, those two unscrupulous, instigating frenemies didn’t say a word and tacitly scrambled to their feet.

The moment Yu saw the two stand up, disregarding his own exhausted, panting state, he chased after them without saying a word.

Watching the highly youthful scene played out by these three boys, the captain said with a tone full of emotion and nostalgia.

“Seeing them like that, it’s like I’m seeing my former self.”

The vice-captain senior standing beside him looked at her classmate, the captain, speechlessly, and retorted with black lines all over her head.

“Are you an old man? We are in the same grade.”

“Ahahaha, sorry, sorry, Yasuko-san.”

“Good grief.”

Yasuko-senpai glared exasperatedly at the captain, who was scratching the back of his head with an awkward smile. Then, she also cast her gaze toward Yu, who had caught up to his frenemies and was now wrestling with them on the grass, and couldn’t help but sigh with emotion.

“Their bond is really nice, isn’t it.”

At the same time.

After messing around for a while.

“I say, Miyahito.” Sitting on the grass, Yu glanced at the practice area, confirming it wasn’t time to resume practice yet, then turned his head and said to Miyahito beside him, his face written all over with speechlessness.

“Don’t you have to supervise the President’s practice today?”

Catching the underlying meaning of his best friend’s ‘If you have something to do, hurry up and do it! Don’t stay here watching me be embarrassed’, Miyahito shrugged nonchalantly, his tone carrying a hint of smugness.

“No need. Miyuki-nii has already learned it. Now all that’s left is for him and Kaguya-senpai to build some chemistry for their duet.”

“…..” I meant for you to get the hell out of here.

Looking expressionlessly at Miyahito, who looked completely unbothered, Yu let out a deep sigh, then turned his head and looked with disdain at a certain uninvited good friend.

“And what about you, Ishikawa-kun? If you have nothing to do, hurry up and go home, okay? Hanging out with certain people who don’t do their proper jobs every day, your parents will worry.”

“But.” Tooru paused, a simple, honest smile appearing on his face. He gave a thumbs-up to Yu, whose expression was gradually freezing, and replied cheerfully, “I still think visiting Yu-kun is a bit more important.”

I’m begging you two, just go home already!!

“Well, well.” Raising his hand and gently patting the shoulder of the tearful Yu, Miyahito said with a smile, “Anyway, Tooru and I won’t disturb your practice. Want to go to McDonald’s later? Utaha just messaged me saying she wants to eat a McDonald’s pie.”

Glaring gloomily at the cheerfully smiling Miyahito, Yu fell silent for a few seconds before giving up the struggle and saying.

“The fact that you’re staying here is already a huge disturbance. Just stay here quietly later.”

After giving Miyahito and Tooru a few more worried instructions, telling these two frenemies who specifically came to watch him make a fool of himself not to disturb the others in the cheer squad, Yu stood up.

And just as he was about to return to the formation.

“Do your best! Ishigami Yu!”

“Go for it!”

Hearing the cheering voices of his two friends behind him, Yu’s footsteps paused slightly, and then, without turning his head, he raised his hand and waved.

And in a place where Miyahito and Tooru couldn’t see.

The corners of Yu’s mouth raised in a barely perceptible arc.

Perhaps.

The cheer squad.

Wasn’t as bad as he had imagined, was it?

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