Chapter 248: No Longer Alone

"Next up is the Relay Race."

The announcer's voice echoed from the broadcast towers around the track field.

"This competition will be held separately between the Red Team Cheer Squad and the Liberal Arts Group, and the White Team and the Sports Group."

"I look forward to it every year, yo."

Listening to the announcer and the principal's voices, Yu looked down at the track uniform in front of him. He numbly took off the girls' uniform he was wearing, putting on the track uniform bit by bit like a marionette, and tied the red ribbon on his head.

"As competitors, everyone will race wearing their club's characteristic uniforms. It's very interesting, ne~~, please do your best, o~~"

Standing among the noisy competitors, Ishigami Yu, who was completely alone, looked even more gloomy and lonely from behind.

As if he had been abandoned by this world.

Just then.

"Ishigami."

A familiar voice was like a stone dropped into water, stirring up wave after wave in Yu's increasingly calm and lightless heart.

Slowly and with an indescribable stiffness, Yu slowly turned his head.

The figures that entered his lowered, gaze-avoiding eyes made him subconsciously raise his line of sight.

"Is Ishigami the representative of the cheer squad? Being the anchor is quite a heavy responsibility."

Is that Miyuki-senpai speaking? Ah, I can't see his eyes, but... it must be the President.

"Ishigami-kun is very good at running, so there shouldn't be a problem."

Is the other speaker Kaguya-senpai? Maybe, after all, I just borrowed the red hair ribbon from Kaguya-senpai.

"Hey! Ishigami, Miyahito just told me you're bad at running. Get first place later so I can slap his face."

Tooru? Yeah, that Toyogasaki uniform is only worn by him and.... well, him.

"Good luck, Ishigami-kun."

Kasumigaoka-san.....

"Ishigami?"

The President's voice sounds a bit worried. Worried about who?

"What's wrong? Your face looks so bad?"

Even Kaguya-senpai's voice sounds worried... Is it my imagination?

Reflected in his eyes were the figures of the President and Kaguya-senpai, who were gradually approaching and raising their hands as if to pat his shoulder... as well as the cheer squad teammates around him whom he once thought 'might accept me like this'. Yu heard a few familiar yet strange mocking whispers.

'The anchor is Ishigami?'

'That's terrible.'

'Where's the captain.'

"Impossible, right."

"Unbelievable, wasn't it Kazeno-san?" "Eh, why?"

Hearing the faint whispers of doubt and disdain, Yu seemed to see a figure in the crowd before him that he could never forget, nor wanted to.

It was the only pair of purple eyes he could see right now, hiding an indescribable resentment.

Ah, yeah... Every time I meddle, I always, always end up failing.

....

Shuchiin Junior High, one afternoon after school.

Yu, resting his head on his desk, felt a hand placed on his shoulder. At the same time, a gentle, cheerful voice broke into his ears.

"Ishigami-kun."

Normally, although his classmates didn't outright hate or ostracize him, very few would interact with him.

Perhaps it was because Yu had never been good at communicating with others since he was a child.

Suddenly having a girl approach him with a friendly attitude, the usually calm Yu couldn't help but show a look of bewildered surprise on his face.

"Your eraser, it fell."

Looking at the girl before him, who had purple eyes and a playful, cute ponytail, Yu suddenly thought:

Her smile is beautiful.

Since that day, Yu inadvertently realized that, without knowing when, his gaze could no longer leave the face of that girl.

Otomo Kyouko. That was the girl's name.

They were just ordinary classmates. Normally, they barely even knew each other.

However, from that day on, Otomo Kyouko gradually started greeting the unsociable Yu and making small talk.

But for the solitary Yu at the time, a simple "Good morning, Ishigami-kun" or a slightly worried "Wake up, wake up! You'll be late for the next class!" was enough to make him feel an indescribable warmth.

At that time, Yu simply took that warmth in his heart as "gratitude for the girl treating him kindly."

He didn't know when it started, but gradually, a desire to protect Otomo Kyouko welled up in Yu's heart.

This desire persisted even after Otomo Kyouko found a boyfriend.

Until one afternoon.

Hearing Otomo Kyouko's boyfriend... this scum of a senior, treat the kind and friendly Otomo Kyouko as his prey, and even plan when to "have his way" with her and invite his sketchy friends to share the beautiful body of the girl...

Yu discovered for the first time

that he could actually throw an angry punch at someone he didn't even know.

And for the first time, he knew

that his anger could reach such a level.

However.

Yu, who had beaten up that senior to protect Otomo Kyouko, was betrayed by the very girl he had come to like.

Because.

No one... would doubt the words of a senior who was friendly and perfect in front of everyone, and no one would believe the words of a solitary, unsociable, and somewhat difficult-to-deal-with classmate.

Even Otomo Kyouko was the same.

"You're the weird one, you know."

When Otomo Kyouko, with tears in her eyes, looked at Yu with anger, resentment, and rejection, and calmly spoke these words,

Yu's world seemed to collapse.

From then on.

He began to avoid the gazes of others looking at him.

And he began to avoid this world full of hostility.

....

And today.

Standing by the relay race track, Yu couldn't hear the noisy cheers around him, nor the encouragement from his Student Council peers and Toyogasaki friends beside him.

Right now, he just wanted to escape this world where he had no place.

To hide in his own corner and silently hug himself.

Huh. Raising his hand, he couldn't feel the headband on his head. Yu froze.

Am I...

On the Red Team?

Or the White Team?

Stumbling forward, like a piece of driftwood swept along by the current, Yu walked numbly and unsteadily toward the starting line not far away.

Where... where am I supposed to be?

Just then.

"Yu!"

Accompanied by a startled cry in his ear, Yu suddenly felt a familiar touch on his forehead, followed by a force that made his head tilt backward uncontrollably.

"What the hell is wrong with you, man."

Eh... Miyahito.

"You're about to go on stage, and you didn't even check if your headband was tied properly!?"

Why... are you here?

Following this.

"That's right, how can the anchor leg go without tying the headband tightly?"

President... Miyuki-senpai?

After tying the headband for his careless best friend, Miyahito, standing behind Yu, exchanged a glance with Miyuki, who was also standing behind him.

Then, the older and younger "brothers" simultaneously pushed Yu forward with force.

After pushing Yu onto the field, Miyuki and Miyahito, standing side by side at the edge of the field, said this.

Miyuki: "Go on, don't worry about the gazes around you."

Miyahito: "What does it matter how others see you? Be your own HERO!"

Turning around, looking blankly at his senior and his frenemy, Yu raised his hand and touched the red headband on his head.

Slowly, yet with a sense of relief, he nodded.

Yeah, I almost forgot.

He was no longer the solitary boy from middle school.

"Miyahito." The corners of his mouth unconsciously rising, Yu turned his head, and for the first time, a look of disdain appeared on his face, which used to be only gloomy and lifeless.

"Where did you find this headband? It's soaked in sweat, it's so uncomfortable, you know?"

Looking at Yu, Miyahito paused, then smiled, putting on his usual playful demeanor with Tooru, and nonchalantly jerked his chin toward Miyuki beside him.

"Here, that's the one this President was wearing."

"..... (Disgust)"

"Hey! Ishigami, what's with that look! And you, Miyahito, you took my headband without even telling me!?"