As everyone predicted, the gym was packed after school.
Being a prestigious academy, the gym was big enough, and with only four classes per grade, the whole student body was under six hundred. So everyone fit inside.
Some teachers even showed up, not because they were interested, but just to make sure nothing got out of hand.
Kaname leaned against the wall, watching the court, and chuckled. "Every semester something crazy happens. Well, at least it's just volleyball this time. Better than bombs, traps, or poison gas leaks."
"What kind of life do you usually live, Kaname?"
Beside him stood Misaki, holding a camcorder to record the match for disciplinary purposes.
"You wouldn't want to live my past life," Kaname sighed. "Always worrying that if I skipped school one day, I'd see on the news that the place got blown up. And then Rinji's idiot dad would pop up to say, 'IW takes responsibility for this incident.' Just the thought exhausts me."
"I've met Rinji's father with Mei a few times, and he seemed pretty meticulous." She glanced back at Mei standing not far away. "Right?"
Mei: "Yeah."
Kaname: "Meticulous my ass, that clown!"
Around four hundred students had gathered, all staring at the volleyball court.
Under their gaze, Hayasaka and Rinji, now in gym clothes, walked onto the court.
Hayasaka looked the same except for the outfit, while Rinji had tied back the hair that had grown down to his ears into a small ponytail.
"Eh, first time seeing Rinji with that hairstyle."
"Looks pretty cute."
"If he just stayed quiet and stopped causing trouble, he'd probably be super popular."
Hearing the noise from the stands, Rinji's eyebrows twitched.
"Can I spike the ball into the audience later? Just say my hand slipped."
"I'd advise against it," Hayasaka replied as she stretched.
Playing under so many watchful eyes still felt strange for Hayasaka, who usually hid herself, but at this point there was no choice.
Then suddenly, the arena erupted in cheers.
Following the students' gaze, Kaguya and Shirogane entered.
Both wore the school's gym uniform. For convenience, Kaguya had undone her ribbon and tied her hair back into a ponytail.
That simple change alone drew even more cheers from the crowd.
They weren't here just to watch volleyball, they were mainly here to see Kaguya. Especially when Kaguya and Shirogane, the two most popular people in the entire school, appeared together.
"The president is so handsome."
"Ah! Kaguya-sama looks amazing like this too!"
"Coming today was definitely the right choice."
In short, their simultaneous appearance could only be described as a fan celebration.
"Now that both sides have entered, let the match officially begin."
Fujiwara somehow got hold of a referee's chair and sat down on it like she was serious about the role, with a whistle hanging from her neck.
"Since both teams only have two players, the rules will follow beach volleyball. There are no rotations or front and back row issues."
The match officially began. After shaking hands, both sides started playing.
Kaguya and Hayasaka shook hands. At the moment she gripped Kaguya's hand, Hayasaka lowered her voice. "Why are you suddenly playing against Rinji?"
"We were just chatting, then had some disagreements and… wait, why are there so many spectators? I thought this was a private match."
"Because Rinji came to recruit me in front of the entire class. News spreads quickly in Shuchiin."
"Tch… guess I'll just have to go through with it." Kaguya sighed helplessly.
"I didn't expect you to drag the president down with you," Hayasaka said expressionlessly. "If he loses in front of the entire school, then Kaguya, you'll be fully responsible."
"Shouldn't the blame fall on Rinji, that guy who caused the whole school to know about this?"
On the other side, Rinji and Shirogane shook hands.
"President, you don't look too good."
"This is bad. If my opponent is you, then I'll lose completely."
"If it were a one-on-one, I could go easy. But today, I mainly want to give Shinomiya a lesson, so I can only apologize, President." Rinji lowered his voice. "But don't worry, I'll just spike toward Shinomiya. She'll be the one embarrassed."
"No."
"Hm?"
"As her boyfriend, I can't let my girlfriend be humiliated." Shirogane smiled. "Aim your spikes at me instead."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course."
As Kaguya's boyfriend, Shirogane had already decided to protect her.
Seeing his determined expression, Rinji smiled.
"President."
"Yeah?"
"I've already warned you."
"Eh?"
…
The match officially started.
Rinji and Hayasaka's side served first.
As referee Fujiwara blew the whistle, Rinji tossed the ball high into the air.
Shirogane took position, watching the ball suspended above as Rinji leaped with elegant form.
'Relax. I used to be bad at volleyball, but thanks to Rinji and me working together, I've become one of the best among high schoolers.'
He glanced at Kaguya beside him and smiled.
'Kaguya chose me as her teammate because she trusts me. No matter how strong the opponent, if I have the courage, then surely…'
Boom!!!
With a thunderous sound, Rinji's hand slammed the ball.
The ball visibly warped from the impact and then shot forward like a cannonball toward Shirogane.
Bang!
Shirogane didn't react in time. Still smiling, the ball grazed past his ear and slammed into the ground, bouncing to the edge of the gym wall with a heavy thud.
"…"
Feeling the heat on the side of his face where the ball barely touched him, Shirogane's smile froze.
'Surely… I'll die a miserable death, won't I?'
The part of him that wanted to show off in front of his girlfriend now regretted it deeply.