134 - Her Close Friends

RAW

When Haruto returned to the field, he drew numerous gazes from both the boys and the girls.

Gathering all those mixed emotions directed at him, Haruto headed toward the P.E. teacher.

"Otsuki, how is Tojo doing?"

"It's a mild sprain. She was told to rest for the day, so she's staying in the infirmary."

After Ayaka's condition was reported, the P.E. teacher nodded in understanding.

"Thanks, Otsuki."

"Yes. I'll get back to class now."

After bowing to the teacher, Haruto walked over to Tomoya, who was practicing high jumping.

"Haru, is Tojo okay?"

"Yeah, just a mild sprain. She got her ankle taped, so as long as she rests, she’ll be fine soon."

"I see. Good thing it’s nothing serious."

"Yeah."

As he exchanged words with Tomoya, Haruto quickly scanned the surroundings.

He had expected to be swarmed with questions the moment he returned to the field. However, since class was still in session, that situation had yet to arise.

"Still, she can’t put weight on her right foot, so I’ll have to pick her up from the infirmary after class."

"I see… Are you okay with this? About your relationship, I mean."

Tomoya lowered his voice slightly as he asked.

Since they were in the middle of class, no one directly questioned Haruto, but many were eavesdropping, eager for any piece of information. As a result, a strange silence surrounded them despite it being P.E.

Haruto took a deep breath and, instead of whispering back, he responded in a clear voice.

"Yeah, I’ve decided to stop hiding my relationship with Ayaka."

The moment he said that, the entire class erupted in whispers.

A few students, unable to hold back, approached him immediately.

"O-Otsuki, is that true? You're really dating Tojo?"

"Yeah, it's true."

"S-Since when?! Since when have you been with Tojo?!"

"Since the latter half of summer break."

"Who confessed first?! And how did you even manage to date her?!"

"Did you go on dates with Tojo?"

"I thought Tojo wasn’t interested in romance!"

"Have you kissed yet?!"

The barrage of questions overwhelmed Haruto, making him feel utterly exhausted.

Just then, the P.E. teacher, having noticed the commotion, rushed over.

"Hey, you lot! This is still class!"

With that sharp warning, the crowd questioning Haruto quieted down. However, as soon as the teacher walked away, whispers resumed at a lower volume.

While no one outright surrounded him again, many were glancing in his direction, murmuring fervently among themselves.

Observing the scene, Tomoya gave Haruto a sympathetic look.

"I do agree with making your relationship public, but… this is gonna be rough."

"Yeah, I was prepared for this."

Haruto let out a wry smile, doing his best to ignore the chatter and focus on P.E.

Until class ended, no one questioned him directly again. However, the moment the bell rang, signaling the start of lunch break, Haruto found himself immediately surrounded by both male and female classmates.

"Otsuki! Tell us more about Tojo!"

"Otsuki-kun, is it true you’re dating Tojo-san?!"

"Who confessed first?! Was it you, Otsuki?!"

"Damn you, Otsuki!"

"Otsuki-kun, what do you like about Ayaka-chan?"

"Is it really true, Otsuki?! Tell me it's a lie!! Please say it’s a lie!!"

"Tojo-san… Our beloved Tojo-san…"

Haruto’s classmates bombarded him with voices filled with curiosity, jealousy, sorrow, and desperation.

In response, Haruto answered concisely and clearly.

"Ayaka and I are dating. Sorry, but I need to go pick her up from the infirmary, so could you let me through?"

Pushing through the crowd, Haruto started making his way toward the infirmary.

More questions continued flying at him.

Is this what celebrities feel like when they get swarmed by the media after a romance scandal breaks?

That thought crossed Haruto’s mind as he hurried to break free from the encirclement.

After returning to the school building, switching his outdoor shoes for indoor slippers, he walked briskly. However, his classmates continued to follow him, peppering him with questions.

At this rate, they would cause a disturbance at the infirmary.

Haruto abruptly stopped and turned around.

"Sorry, everyone. I’ll answer your questions later when I’m back in class."

His words carried the implied message: "Don’t follow me any further."

One of the boys, still fired up, ignored the warning and asked another question.

"Hey, Otsuki! About Tojo—"

"I said, later."

Haruto cut him off mid-sentence.

His firm stance silenced the crowd at once.

Just then, from within the group, Saki popped out.

"Otsuki-kun, I’ll go with you to pick up Ayaka."

"Sure."

After confirming his agreement, Saki turned around and smirked at the frozen group of classmates.

"If you keep bothering Otsuki-kun, Ayaka will hate you for troubling her beloved boyfriend~"

Her words sent visible shockwaves through the boys.

It seemed that earning the disfavor of the school's idol was an absolute disaster for them.

Watching their reactions, Saki smiled in satisfaction before looking at Haruto.

"Alright, Otsuki-kun, let’s go."

Following Saki’s lead, Haruto walked alongside her.

"Thanks, Aizawa-san. That really helped."

"Otsuki-kun, you’re my best friend’s precious boyfriend, after all."

She gave him a teasing smile as they walked.

"So, you’ve finally decided to go public as Ayaka’s boyfriend. I’m impressed."

"Well, I just want to enjoy my short high school life with her."

"Yeah, that makes sense. This is the only time for uniform dates, after all."

Saki nodded several times before suddenly giving Haruto a serious look.

"Otsuki-kun, make sure you protect Ayaka properly."

Her eyes reflected pure concern for her best friend.

"Of course. That’s my job as her boyfriend."

As he firmly responded, they arrived at the infirmary door.

He knocked on the door, and Ms. Suzaki’s voice answered from inside.

"Come in."

Taking that as his cue, Haruto stepped inside. Ms. Suzaki sat in a chair with her legs crossed, greeting him with a smirk.

"Oh, it’s you."

After confirming Haruto’s presence, she glanced behind him at Saki.

"Hey, pretty boy. It’s great to enjoy your youth, but don’t bring your messy love drama into the infirmary, alright?"

"Huh? That’s..."

Haruto, not quite grasping what Ms. Suzaki meant, turned his gaze to the side. There, sitting together on the infirmary beds, were Ayaka and Shizuku.

"Huh? What’s Shizuku doing here?"

Seeing someone unexpected, Haruto’s face showed surprise.

Shizuku pouted slightly and spoke in a complaining tone.

"Haruto-senpai’s girlfriend is so stubborn, it’s a real problem."

Meanwhile, Ayaka looked rather pleased with herself as she addressed Haruto.

"Haruto, I protected it. Our precious memory together."

Haruto had no idea what they were talking about. He was completely lost.

For some reason, a small part of Ayaka’s forehead seemed slightly red.

Just then, Ms. Suzaki patted Haruto’s shoulder.

"I have some business to take care of, so I’ll be stepping out for a bit. If you get stabbed, there’s some hemostatic agent in that cabinet. Feel free to use it."

"Stabbed? Huh?"

Haruto’s mind filled with question marks.

Ms. Suzaki, still looking completely serious, patted his shoulder once more before walking out of the infirmary.

Haruto tilted his head, trying to make sense of what she had just said.

Meanwhile, Saki walked past him and approached Ayaka.

"Ayaka, how’s your leg?"

"It’s fine. They secured it properly, and if I take it easy, it should heal quickly."

"I see. So, Shizuku-chan, were you here visiting Ayaka?"

Saki turned to Shizuku, who, as usual, remained expressionless, though her lips pouted slightly as she answered.

"I saw Ayaka-senpai being princess-carried by Haruto-senpai and thought they were planning to lock themselves in the infirmary for something indecent, so I barged in."

"Haha, I see."

Saki laughed out loud at Shizuku’s explanation, while Haruto looked exasperated.

"Like hell that was happening..."

"If it’s Ayaka-senpai, I wouldn’t say the chances are zero."

"I keep telling you! I’m not like that!!"

Ayaka immediately snapped back at Shizuku’s words.

"Honestly, Shizuku-chan, you always love teasing me like this."

"I can’t help it. It’s entertaining."

"Ugh!"

Ayaka scrunched up her face in protest, but Shizuku ignored it with her usual deadpan expression.

Watching their exchange, Saki commented,

"You two seem to be getting along well."

Ayaka and Shizuku briefly exchanged glances before responding.

"Well, Shizuku-chan helped me with things concerning Haruto, so I want to treasure my relationship with her."

"Ayaka-senpai is fun to mess with and adorable, so she’s my precious bestie-for-life."

Despite their words, Ayaka still had a grumpy expression, and Shizuku still had her usual pout.

Yet, their unfiltered way of speaking only highlighted their growing bond.

Then, Shizuku turned to Haruto with an expressionless face. After a brief moment of biting her lip, she spoke.

"Haruto-senpai. Ayaka-senpai is my precious bestie-for-life, so make sure you never make her cry. If you ever do, I’ll personally beat you up."

Despite her blank face, there was undeniable strength in her words.

Haruto looked her straight in the eye and gave a firm nod.

"Yeah. I promise, I won’t ever do anything to make Shizuku’s best friend cry."

Hearing that, Shizuku finally smiled in satisfaction.