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2. A KNIGHT & SLEEPING BEAUTYIbara’s back, baby~~

Also, Kanno’s such a simp

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When he was about to board the train, he saw Kuroba jumping

over the ticket gate, so he left half of his body on the platform side and

waited. The doors, which were about to close, squeezed his enamel bag on his

back and then opened again. Noticing that, Kuroba bowed to him and then went to

the train car at the other end (there were only two cars, so they were both end

cars). After seeing that, Kanno slipped into his car as well. He sat down in

the seat by the doors on the other side.

Suemori-san, who was sitting in the seat by the door across

from him, was looking at him, and he unconsciously flinched.

“Good morning.”

When

Suemori-san said that to him with a neutral expression, Kanno mumbled, “G-Good

morning.”

It’s not that I got onto the same car on purpose, it’s just that

there’s a 50/50 chance we’ll end up in the same car, so it’s not creepy, he

explained in his mind.

“Wanna sit?”

Suemori-san and put her enamel bag next to her down on the

floor to make room for him. “Pardon me,” he said, abashed, and sat down next to

her, also putting his bag at his feet. Since it was a two-person seat, they

could only leave a space of one or two fists between them at most, and one side

of his body felt strangely ticklish from nervousness.

Kuroba showed his face at the window of the door connecting

the two cars. He looked like he was going to move over here, but as soon as he

saw Suemori-san, he made an “Ah” face and withdrew, never to appear again.

“You have morning practice today? The boys never had morning

practice before.”

“Ah, yes. Since we don’t have much time, we’re doing morning

practice every day until the Spring Tournament starting today.”

Unlike the girls’ team, the boys’ team never practiced in

the morning due to the policy of the old advisor. Everyone on the team thought

that it was because he hated waking up early, despite being elderly… But it

seemed that the strongest private schools didn’t have morning practice. An

interview in a volleyball magazine said that they taught their players to get a

good night’s sleep and to eat a proper breakfast.

Anyway, the situation was such that they couldn’t say that.

Captain Oda lobbied for permission to hold morning practice for the Spring

Tournament preliminaries.

“I

really wondered what was going to happen for a time. But anyways, I’m glad.”

Suemori-san let out a rough sigh. When she asked about the

club activities suspension punishment, she got indignant, as though she was one

of the people concerned. He managed to calm her down, as she seemed to be on

the verge of going to Kuroba’s house to yell at him. If she challenged the

Kuroba family, Suemori-san’s family might not be able to live in Monshiro anymore.

“I’m sorry for causing you to worry so much…”

“I feel kind of stupid, being the angriest even though I’m

an outsider. That’s what pisses me off the most. How can you be so calm?”

“It’s not that we weren’t angry…but, I guess it was because

of Aoki-senpai. He was so angry that there was no way he wasn’t going to do

something about it. We were convinced that for Oda-senpai, he was going to

manage something before the Spring Tournament, using whatever means necessary.”

It was agreed between the second-years that they would keep

their physical strength up and play with the ball everyday. They also took the

opportunity to level up Okuma, as not much time had passed since he switched to

volleyball. Aoki-senpai was definitely working behind the scenes. It wasn’t going

to end like this. That was why their year was trying to make sure they could go

full throttle as soon as the summons came.

Before he knew it, he realized that Suemori-san’s eyes were

staring at him fixedly for some reason.

“Did, did I say…something weird?”

When

he asked that, feeling her face tense and slightly pulled himself back,

Suemori-san’s mouth tapered to a point.

“Not really. I just thought that you really are a member of

the boys’ team. Only you guys could resolve yourselves so coolly, and even

though it’s not like I don’t have attachments to the boys’ team since I helped you

guys out at the ballgame tournament, they didn’t tell me anything about this.

That’s what I thought.”

“I-I’m sorry. The girls are always practicing, and you seem

to be busy with your own things…”

As soon as the June ballgame tournament was over, they had

almost nothing to talk about, and Kanno was dejected. Even now, Okuma was still

talking about how she should be the manager for the boys’ team if she wasn’t a

regular for the girls. He thought that if Suemori-san was their manager, then

that would be a dreamlike environment, of course, to have her shout

encouragement to everyone during practice, and to be able to wear matching team

jerseys on tournament days.

But after the ballgame tournament, Suemori-san seemed to be

really busy for the girls’ team.

“You’re even taking on a lot of chores, right? There are a

lot of first-year girls, so you don’t have to do them…”

He was

impressed by the fact that she never stood still during club activities, but

ran around shouting. Not only did she take the initiative to take care of the

chores that the first-years and the managers had to do, but she also

unfailingly cooperated with the practices that had the goal of strengthening

the regular members.

“You’ve been watching me closely, huh…”

Suemori-san smiled wryly and turned her gaze to the window

facing her. While squinting her eyes that were dazzled by the light, she began

to speak in a slightly stiff voice, suppressing her emotions.

“I’m glad I was able to help the boys for the ballgame

tournament. I realized how important it was to support a team behind the

scenes, and how much work it is. I think there was a part of me that thought

that only the people who were standing on the court were needed in the club…

Oh, don’t get me wrong, I’m not giving up on becoming a regular. I’m in the

middle of gaining experience from scratch.”

Suemori-san clenched her white fist on top of her lap. Her

legs, which were long for a girl and slender, were stepping firmly on the

floor, straddling the enamel bag she had used for years since middle school.

“Once you let go of something, it might be much harder to

get it back than at first. I might not make it in time before I graduate. But I

learned…that no matter how many times I’m betrayed by it, it’s something I can

never get rid of… In order to get the volleyball where everyone thinks of me as

the coolest, I’m struggling uselessly, even though I’m not cool right now.”

“Y-You’re not uncool, not at all. That’s really cool.”

He

unconsciously leaned towards her and said that. Suemori-san was so surprised

that she pulled back a little and hit the back of her head on the railing with

an “Ouch!” Kanno also returned to his senses with an “Ah…” and drew his head

back, hitting the back of his head the moment he did that.

Suemori-san’s cheeks reddened slightly in embarrassment.

“…Thanks.”

She said, smiling broadly. He had never seen such a relaxed

expression on Suemori-san’s face before. The soft smile that drifted gently on

her face, which had a tense impression without any sweetness, was more

“beautiful” than “cool.” He thought at that moment, Ah, she’s a very

beautiful person.

He didn’t feel like calling her “Ibara-chan” anymore. At

this moment, “Suemori-san” became “Suemori-san” quite naturally in Kanno. It

wasn’t the same as saying he distanced himself from her. It’s not that, I

want to protect this beautiful and gallant person—When she was “Ibara-chan,”

she was the knight who protected me, but now I’m going to be her faithful

knight—that was what he thought.

“There was one more thing I let go of, though. If I started

building that up from scratch as well, maybe I’ll get it in my hands one day.

If I can be forgiven, can I try to get it back…?”

“Mmm.

You’ll definitely get it, Suemori-san,” he nodded vigorously, and then blinked.

“…Huh? Get what?” “Hmm, I wonder?” My supreme princess only tilted her head

and giggled, but didn’t tell me. He had never seen such a playful

expression on her face either until now, and he got flustered.

When the train arrived at Nanafu Station, they got up and

shouldered their own bags.

“Well then.”

“Yeah…do your best, in everything.”

“You’re the one who has to do your best like crazy.”

“…Yes. I’ll do my best.”

Mmm, Suemori-san nodded and got off the train. After

a moment of gazing admiringly at her figure from behind as she bravely cut into

the platform filled with bright light, Kanno also pulled down the hood of his

hoodie, tucked his hands into the long sleeves, and nimbly jumped down into the

harsh world where the sunlight was beginning to shine strongly.

His body’s resistance to one condition was extremely weak.

It seemed that the immunity of something in his blood didn’t work as well as it

did in other people. There were many times he was stared at because of his

appearance, but he didn’t feel self-conscious about it now.

He

knew that he had something to contribute to his team. He took pride in the fact

that he had a role he must fulfill. He was starting his engine in order to

match the start of the two first-years anytime. He could feel the thin blood

inside of him pumping up and flowing with vitality.

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