198 - Let’s Call Each Other by Our Names!
After finishing relay practice, Tomoya shouted “Uwaaah—” and flopped down onto the grass.
“The baton pass is way too hard!”
“Should we just switch to an overhand pass?”
Saki crouched down beside the sprawled-out Tomoya and suggested it with a wry smile.
But Tomoya immediately shook his head.
“No! Underhand-Pass Taro only accepts underhand passes!”
“Akagi-kun, you’re pretty stubborn, aren’t you?”
“But Haru and Tojo-san are doing fine, so there’s no way I can’t do it!”
“Is this some kind of rivalry with Otsuki-kun?”
Resting her chin on her palm, Saki peered down at Tomoya with amusement.
Without responding, Tomoya suddenly sprang to his feet as if something had struck him.
“I told you before, right? That the reason my baton pass with Aizawa-san isn’t working is because of the distance between our hearts?”
“And I also said that probably had nothing to do with it.”
At that remark, Saki’s guard instantly went up.
Seeing this, Tomoya lightly tried to calm her down with a “Now, now,” and continued.
“But listen—Aizawa-san and I are already friends, right?”
“Well… yes.”
Still wary of where this was going, Saki subtly leaned back to keep some distance.
“Then don’t you think calling you ‘Aizawa-san’ is a bit too formal?”
“…So what do you want to call me, Akagi-kun?”
When Saki asked that, Tomoya brushed his bangs back dramatically and declared with a flash of white teeth in the sunset—
“Saki!”
The moment her name was called, Saki narrowed her eyes and shot him a cold stare.
“I don’t really mind, but that gesture just now was gross, so no.”
“Huh!? Which is it!?”
“Don’t try to act cool for no reason. Just call me normally.”
“But it’s kind of embarrassing, you know?”
“Is it? Tomoya. Sounds normal to me.”
With a composed expression, Saki called him by his name.
“Wait, you’re way too casual about it. Isn’t it unfair that I’m the only one embarrassed?”
“That’s not my problem.”
“Fine. I’ll call you normally too. Saki.”
“What is it, Tomoya?”
“…Heh.”
Tomoya tried to keep a straight face as if enduring something, but it quickly collapsed into a grin.
Just then, Haruto and Ayaka—who had been talking about baton passing a short distance away—joined them.
“Tomoya, you’ve got a pretty creepy look on your face,” Haruto said.
“Hey, that’s rude out of nowhere, Haru! This is my normal expression.”
“Oh right, you always have that creepy grin.”
“I’m a full-power handsome guy at all times!”
Tomoya vehemently denied Haruto’s teasing.
At their exchange, Ayaka covered her mouth and laughed softly.
“Full-power handsome… heehee.”
“So, Saki, what were you talking about with Akagi-kun?” Ayaka asked.
“Hm? Nothing important, really.”
“Oh? Saki, is your face a little red?”
“We just finished running. And the sunset’s shining right on me.”
Saki squinted up at the sky, now beginning to glow red with evening light.
“Practice is over for today, then.”
“Yeah.”
As Saki and Ayaka talked, Tomoya—who had been bickering with Haruto—started staring intently at Ayaka.
“…? What’s wrong, Akagi-kun?” Ayaka asked, tilting her head.
Tomoya slowly opened his mouth.
“Ayaka.”
“?? Uh… yes?”
Caught off guard by Tomoya suddenly calling her by name with a serious face, Ayaka looked even more confused.
Tomoya pressed on.
“Ayaka, from now on, don’t call me Akagi-kun. Call me Tomoya.”
Giving a thumbs-up as he said it, Tomoya made Ayaka nod reflexively.
“Huh? O-okay. Then… Tomoya-kun?”
“Hah! Now the baton pass will work perfectly!”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
Unable to follow his logic at all, Ayaka looked to Haruto for help, but he could only tilt his head in confusion as well.
“I don’t get it at all. What are you talking about, Tomoya?”
“The key to baton passing is emotional distance! To shorten that, we’ll start calling each other by our names! Right? …Saki!”
After an awkward pause, Tomoya exaggeratedly winked at Saki to get her agreement.
“Why do you only mess around when it’s me?”
Shrugging in exasperation, Saki turned to explain to Ayaka and Haruto.
“Well, it might help build teamwork, and calling each other so formally forever would be awkward anyway. So I’ll start calling you Haruto-kun too.”
“I see. Got it. Then I can call you Saki, right?”
“Yes.”
Haruto and Saki exchanged names casually.
After glancing between them, Tomoya asked Haruto,
“Hey, Haru. Don’t you get nervous when you call her Saki?”
“Hm? Not really.”
“Huh? Then why am I the only one? Could it be… Saki Syndrome?”
“Don’t make up weird disease names!”
Saki immediately snapped back.
Then Haruto added with an exasperated look,
“‘Syndrome’ already means a set of symptoms, so that’d be ‘Saki Syndrome Syndrome,’ you know?”
“So a double syndrome? Sounds kind of strong.”
“Stop making it stronger!”
Sighing, Saki glared lightly at Tomoya.
“Enough with the nonsense. Let’s go home already.”
Glancing at the clock set up at the edge of the field, she added, “I’ve got a train to catch.”
With the train time approaching, they began to leave the field.
Just then—
From another area where a different class was practicing for the sports festival, a male student came running over.
“E-excuse me! I need to talk to you for a moment!”
Breathing heavily, his face flushed, the boy looked straight at Ayaka.
“There’s something I want to tell Tojo-san!”
“Huh? Me?”
Surprised, Ayaka glanced at Haruto. Catching her look, he asked the boy,
“What do you want to talk to Ayaka about?”
“Uh… well… actually…”
The boy opened his mouth several times, hesitating, then looked back and forth between Ayaka and Haruto.
Sensing something unpleasant, Haruto watched as the boy finally steeled himself and fixed his gaze on Ayaka.
“Tojo-san! I—I’ve liked you for a long time!!”
“!?”
A sudden confession.
Ayaka’s eyes widened as his feelings were laid bare.
“Ever since I first saw you at the entrance ceremony!
It was love at first sight!”
“Ah, um… th-thank you. But I already—”
She tried to say “I have a boyfriend,” but the boy cut her off.
“I know! I know that!”
He bit his lip hard, glanced briefly at Haruto, then looked back at Ayaka.
“But… I just had to tell you. To finally put these feelings to rest…”
Taking a deep breath, he voiced his feelings one last time.
“I really did love you. Um… please be happy with your boyfriend! Goodbye!”
With that, he spun on his heel and ran off at full speed.
Ayaka stared blankly at his retreating back.
“Wow… getting confessed to even when you have a boyfriend. As expected of the school idol,” Tomoya said, impressed.
Beside him, Saki looked at Ayaka with concern.
“Ayaka, are you okay?”
“Huh? Ah—yeah, I’m fine. Just a little surprised.”
Snapped back to reality by Saki’s voice, Ayaka smiled to show she was okay.
After checking on her, Haruto glanced around and spoke up.
“Let’s head home. Saki’s got a train to catch.”
With that, they left the field.
Other students remaining on the grounds watched them go. Sensing those gazes faintly, Haruto stayed close to Ayaka, as if shielding her, as they made their way home together.