Chapter 383: A Battle That Cannot Be Lost
Sakurai Saki was never good at dealing with ballroom parties like this.
After thinking for a while, he chose to hide in a corner and eat.
He didn't want to dance, didn't want to socialize — being alone was fine too.
Enjoying solitude is the privilege of the strong! — by Ishigami Yuu.
Halfway through his meal.
"Uhm, yes, it's…"
Sakurai faintly heard Shirogane Miyuki's voice — it sounded like the guy was about to freeze up.
"Pop pop..."
Footsteps sounded nearby; Saki turned and saw Nakano Ichika.
Tonight's prom was open to all interested students, unrestricted. In theory, as long as you were a student of Shuchiin, you could attend. Unfortunately, since few people spoke French, Saki hadn't run into many familiar faces.
"What's wrong? Seeing me here, are you surprised?"
"It's like going to the zoo and seeing a shark dancing."
"That's an interesting comparison." Nakano Ichika held a plate of food — with very little on it.
The two of them ate quietly, as if there were a whole world separating them from the lively atmosphere around.
Several girls who had planned to come over and talk stopped in their tracks when they saw Saki sitting with her, hesitating.
"You've made me miss quite a few good opportunities, you know. At least ten girls were eyeing me just now." Saki smiled at her.
"Plenty of guys were looking at me too — at least eleven."
"What did you want to talk to me about?" Saki steered the topic away from the boring prom.
"The heroine role has been decided."
"It's you?"
"Umu, so I came closer to you to find some acting inspiration."
People with natural talent are truly scary. Without any formal training, and within just one year, she'd managed to land the lead role.
"Yesterday I told Dad about it…" Nakano Ichika said gloomily, "and got scolded."
Just as Saki was about to comfort her, she added, "But in the end, he still agreed to let me take a leave from school."
"Did he set any conditions?"
"If I fail, I have to go back and continue studying. That's what he said."
Nakano Maruo was a bit more lenient than Saki had expected. Or perhaps he was capable enough to support his daughters — even if Ichika didn't become famous, he could still let her live a better life than most.
"That's good."
"About what you said before… I already told everyone." As the eldest sister, Ichika couldn't keep quiet after hearing something like that.
As it turned out, after asking around, only Yotsuba and Miku didn't know yet.
"So? What did everyone say?" Saki speared a piece of meat, dipped it in sauce, and put it in his mouth.
This time, the dishes had been specially prepared by a professional chef.
"Miku didn't say anything — she just went straight back to her room. Yotsuba looked a bit disappointed; in the end, she just nodded and said nothing."
And Itsuki? She was eating meat buns.
Nino, her face full of a "none of my business" look.
This time, even Ichika could guess — perhaps Nino had already had some kind of relationship with Sakurai Saki before. Otherwise, how could she be so relaxed about it?
When the market collapses, only those who pulled out early can act that calm.
Why? Because they've already made their profits!
"In the end, the five of us sisters have all basically been ruined by you." Nakano Ichika said, looking at him helplessly.
Herself, Miku, Nino… Perhaps even Itsuki had feelings for him.
As for Yotsuba, it was unclear.
"Ichika, I have a girlfriend. I won't take the initiative to approach other girls."
"Scumbag." Nakano Ichika didn't believe him for a second.
Ever since he'd stopped being a tutor, it seemed Sakurai Saki couldn't even be bothered to maintain the dignified demeanor of a teacher.
Back then, he never used to say pretty words to her at all.
"Got found out by you for who I really am, and now you want to stay away from me, huh? But you're about to take a leave from school anyway, keeping your distance from me now seems a bit pointless, doesn't it?"
Sakurai Saki wiped his mouth with a napkin.
He was full.
"You've said it all already, what else can I say?"
Ichika Nakano replied with clear dissatisfaction.
"Wanna change the topic?"
...
The two talked quite a bit afterward.
No longer as tutor and student — as friends, Ichika felt much more at ease.
Before long, the exchange segment ended.
The prom music began to play softly, with a slow rhythm. Pairs of boys and girls started dancing together.
"Dance with me?"
Ichika Nakano invited.
"My girlfriend might get mad…"
"She's not here anyway, and a scumbag like you still worries about that sort of thing?"
"A gentleman never refuses a lady's invitation."
Sakurai Saki said nothing more.
He simply took her hand.
"Ichika, do you know how to waltz?"
"Not really. If I step on your shoes later, don't be mad, okay?" Ichika Nakano said playfully.
Sakurai Saki sensed danger for his toes.
But before long, he realized his concern was unnecessary.
...
No one familiar noticed the two of them slowly dancing in the corner.
When the first dance ended, they finally separated.
Returning to where the Student Council group was, Sakurai Saki continued dancing for a bit with Chika, then Kaguya, and midway through, even Miko joined in for fun.
The exchange students watched Saki dance with various girls — a few tried to ask him for a dance as well, but unfortunately, he turned them down.
Sakurai Saki didn't take the initiative to approach girls — he hadn't lied to Ichika about that.
The prom ended.
Cleanup duties, as always, fell to the Student Council — yare yare.
Fortunately, cleaning up was much easier than decorating; it didn't take long.
...
The marathon race took place on a sunny day.
First came a brief opening ceremony in the gymnasium, with the speech delivered by the soccer club captain, Watanabe Shindo. In the previous national tournament, Shuchiin's soccer team had been completely wiped out by Shijo Maki's younger brother, Shijo Mikado — the result wasn't exactly glorious.
The speech topic was about athlete discipline.
Sakurai Saki listened until he nearly dozed off — thankfully, it didn't last long.
...
At the starting line of the marathon on the track field.
"Shirogane, you running together with me later?" Sakurai Saki looked at Shirogane Miyuki stretching nearby.
Was this guy that fired up?
"No, I'll be finishing early."
Seeing Saki's skeptical look, Shirogane Miyuki explained, "This will probably be my last event at Shuchiin. After summer, I'll be flying to America…"
"I see."
So, since it was his last event, he wanted to give it his all, huh?
"Chika and Kaguya seem to be competing with each other?"
Sakurai Saki suddenly glanced over at the two girls chatting not far away.
What were they even competing about?
'This time, I absolutely can't lose!'
Kaguya Shinomiya silently swore to herself!
Everyone knows that when running, certain parts of the body have to bear a lot of pressure.
Under those conditions, thanks to her… unfortunately modest chest, Kaguya could run without much strain.
If she lost again this time, then…
...