"Ugh... I hate this..."
"Me too..."
Fuuma and I were complaining together. The season for the Sports Day had arrived. Under the bright blue sky and sun, I was filled with dread. The principal's overly long speech was finally over, and we were temporarily dismissed. It was time to prepare for the first event. Fuuma and I headed back to our assigned spot, grumbling all the way.
"This is fun and all, but... I'm definitely going to fall, aren't I...?"
"I hate it so much. I'm so slow... sigh..."
It's okay if he falls. I had already prepared myself to run to the nurse's office, and carrying around bandages was a habit for him. But his real worry wasn't the fall itself, it was the embarrassment of it. And I couldn't do anything about that.
Most of all, I hated this event because I felt like I'd be even more embarrassed than usual this year.
"A scavenger hunt race… Why did it have to be this kind of event…?"
I hung my head. The preparations were over, and the program had started. In stark contrast to our gloom, a group of girls in the distance were happily dancing.
And then, the time for my race mercilessly arrived. I gave Fuuma a dead look, and he made a small fist, silently mouthing, "Good luck." The tension was palpable. Everyone's attention was on us. Then, the sound of the starting pistol rang out—and I started running. I was already several paces behind everyone else, so I ran desperately to catch up.
What's the theme? Let it be an object. Please don't let it be a person. At least give me an easy one. I prayed as I grabbed the paper and opened it.
'A reliable person.'
This was the worst. Not only was it a person, but it was a person I had to have a relationship with. A small sense of despair bloomed in my chest. I didn't have many acquaintances or friends at school, so I ran toward the lower grade's tent. He was in class 2, I think. We, the three brothers, were all coincidentally on the same team. I ran to the front of their tent and shouted. I was so embarrassed, but I ignored it and called out again.
"Haruma-kun… Yaotome Haruma-kun! Are you there!?"
"Eh, Shigebe-san!?"
Our eyes met. Pushed by his amused classmates, he was shoved forward. I felt bad, but I couldn't help it. Out of breath, I spoke.
"Sorry, could you come with me? For the scavenger hunt race, I wanted you to come."
"M-me…? Yes, I understand."
He agreed more easily than I expected. I had been prepared for him to refuse, but it seemed that wouldn't be necessary. I took his hand and started running again. From behind, I could hear the boys teasing and the girls cheering. All eyes were on us… This was so embarrassing. But he must have been embarrassed, too. If I were in his shoes, my face would be on fire. I was so grateful he agreed to come with me. I had to thank him later.
I managed to move my stumbling legs toward the finish line. Several people had already finished, so we were pretty far behind. Haruma-kun seemed relaxed and was slowing his pace to match my slow one.
"Sorry, haah, I'm so slow…"
"It's fine. Just don't fall."
I made a vow not to fall. I was a little nervous, but I desperately moved my legs, and we reached the goal. The student in charge came to check our theme card.
"The theme is—'A reliable person!' Haha, I see!"
"Eh…"
They didn't elaborate further. It would probably take forever if they checked every single person. After letting out a surprised sound, Haruma-kun looked up at me somewhat hesitantly.
"Was I really the right person? Isn't Yuuma-niisan more reliable…?"
He looked surprisingly sheepish.
"Hmm. When I saw the theme, you were the first person I thought of."
"I was the first…?"
"Yeah. You teach me math, and you know so much more than me. You're younger, but I think you're really reliable."
When I explained my reasoning, his eyebrows shot up, and his cheeks were faintly red. Was it because he'd just run?
"I-I see! …I was just worried about what you thought of me after I showed you that pathetic side of me the other day."
He spoke bluntly. "The other day" must have been the night of the sleepover. His unusual screaming and trembling. It must have been humiliating to show such weakness to someone he saw as a rival.
"It's nothing. I was scared, too, so you actually helped me. And you were cute—"
"Wait, what did I just say?"
Even if I covered my mouth, it was too late. He was trembling.
"I!! Am!! Not!! Cute!!"
He roared in anger from the middle of the schoolyard. I immediately lowered my head. I wanted to beat myself up for my slip of the tongue.
After apologizing profusely, it was Fuuma's turn to run. At the starting signal, he ran with a visible earnestness. I don't think he's particularly slow. As his childhood friend, I just get a little worried about him stumbling. What was his theme? He ran to a tent and called out. Then, with a look of realization, Yuuma-san took his hand amidst cheers. It seemed he also drew a "person" card. With the two popular, close brothers running together, many students were taking pictures.
Suddenly, Fuuma stumbled. Oh no, he's going to fall— I instinctively stood up, but Yuuma-san caught him just in time. He smiled, and then proceeded to carry his brother princess-style.
A much louder, high-pitched cheer erupted. …That's amazing. He's like a prince. I would have only been able to catch him. Holding his brother effortlessly, he ran and crossed the finish line.
"…Hehe, were you watching?"
Our eyes met near the finish line, where the finished students were waiting. Yuuma-san's lips curled into a slight smile as he spoke without losing his breath. Was this a taunt?
"…I was watching. That was amazing."
It really was.
"I saw you running, too, Shigebe-kun. …Hehe, I'm glad you and Haruma seem to get along."
Wait, does that mean he's saying I made a move on his other brother, too? His smile was impossible to read. What was the true meaning behind those words? [T/N: This is called being a king of overthinking]
"You have to tell me what your theme was later."
I nodded back with a stiff, unnatural smile. With that theme, he'd be okay, I thought. If it had been "someone you love," I would have been killed on the spot.
"Well, I'm going back now. Be careful not to fall."
"I know… I told you, you didn't have to carry me like that…"
"Haha. That's just like Yuuma-san."
Fuuma puffed out his cheeks, watching his brother wave and walk away. Their affection was a bit much, even from a distance.
"Fuuma, you didn't fall, but are your feet okay? Any blisters?"
"…You're too kind, too, Shigebe-kun. I'm fine, thank you."
But I could understand why they were so overprotective. After all, I can't seem to get rid of my old habits, either. Fuuma smiled shyly, scratching his cheek.
Haruma-kun took first place in the 100-meter dash, and Yuuma-san secured the victory as the anchor in the relay. I even thought I saw him give Fuuma, who was standing next to me, a bit of fan service. With every success, the cheers grew louder. How many people were in love with these two who were good at both academics and sports? Thinking about it would just make me feel dead inside, so I decided to stop.
The final result was an overwhelming win for our team. Well, that was to be expected with those brothers on our side. But still, I was a little happy.
After the closing ceremony, my sleeve was tugged.
"…Hey, Shigebe-kun. If you're free, why don't we ditch our class parties and go to a get-together, just the two of us?"
It was an unusual invitation. But I was grateful. Large crowds are tiring, and I don't really have many people to talk to.
"Yeah. That sounds great, where should we go?"
"Yes! Um—"
Then, I heard a slightly resentful voice.
"…We want to go too."
"We already canceled our class parties."
They're here. I'd expected it. I'd even been prepared for it.
"…Ugh! Fine! But you guys worked hard, too!"
He said that, commending them, but still puffing out his cheeks at their overprotectiveness. What kind of conversation would we have this time? Maybe we'd talk about Sports Day. I really wanted to have a normal conversation with them. Perhaps because of the post-event high, I was, strangely enough, looking forward to it.
***
"I was trying to get a head start on you guys."
"I can see right through what my adorable little brother is thinking."
"Hmph, well, I was told I'm reliable!"
"I heard you shouting that you're 'not cute,' Haru."
"...I'll definitely make him take that back."
[T/N: For clarification, this was a convo between Yuuma and Haruma]