After having our student IDs taken and our numbers recorded by the professor, the two of us endured his sharp glare until the lecture ended.
Once class was over, Sasaki and I let out a heavy sigh as we walked out of the room.
“Seriously! Because of you, my student number got recorded too!”
“…………”
“You kept poking at me like a little kid, so—”
“…………”
“Makishima? Isn’t that a bit too much sulking, even for you—”
“…I got into this university on a sports recommendation. And even with the scholarship, the tuition here is crazy expensive. So if my grade in that class drops because of what just happened… I won’t be able to face my parents.”
“S-sorry! My bad, okay? Don’t look so depressed…”
“Haa…”
When I slumped, Sasaki tried to cheer me up by patting my back.
Still, for an idiot like me, every single credit is literally life or death.
“Oh! Hey, Makishima? How about you skip self-training today, and instead come with me to the place I reserved—”
“I can’t do that…!!”
“Eh…?”
“I have to do my training. I can’t skip it.”
“…I-I see.”
I turned on my heel, grabbed my backpack and shoe bag, and headed toward the training field.
What the hell am I getting worked up about?
Taking it out on Sasaki won’t fix anything…!
Even Sasaki must be angry at me now.
But behind me, I kept hearing the steady *clack, clack* of footsteps.
Short boots… that’s Sasaki’s sound, isn’t it?
When I turned around, the footsteps stopped.
Sure enough, Sasaki had been following me the whole time.
“…………”
“…………”
We stayed silent for a while, until I finally gave in.
“S-Sasaki.”
“What?”
“…Sorry about earlier! I suddenly snapped at you. Must’ve freaked you out, huh?”
When I apologized, Sasaki suddenly burst into laughter in front of me.
“Pff—ahaha! What’s that!? Why are *you* the one apologizing?”
“Well… if I think about it, this all started because I forgot the handout. And if I’d told you beforehand that I was going to self-train after class, none of this would’ve happened.”
“No, no! I was the one who gave you the prints, and I was the one who reserved a place on my own. I’m the one who snapped at you, and I’m the one the professor yelled at. So you’re not at fault. If anything… I’m the one who should apologize for blaming everything on you.”
Sasaki smiled awkwardly, embarrassed.
For a former top idol with a ton of pride, it was surprising how honestly she apologized.
“Sasaki, you’re surprisingly honest.”
“The ‘surprisingly’ part is unnecessary! I’m just more mature because I’m your senpai.”
“Yesterday you said we’re both first-years so I should treat you casually. Now you’re suddenly playing the older card.”
“Did you say something?”
“…I said I’m not doing self-training today.”
“Eh… t-then that means!”
Sasaki widened her eyes and covered her mouth with her hand.
“I’ll go with you to wherever you wanted to go. You already made a reservation, right?”
“Yeah! But… are you sure about skipping training?”
“…Truth is, I’ve been overworking this week. Coach told me to cut back on self-training.”
“And you were still going to train anyway?”
“…Yeah.”
“You’re just like the old me.”
Sasaki murmured while staring off into the distance.
Sasaki…?
“When things don’t go well, anyone gets anxious. Before I became center, I was always panicking. But Makishima… practice doesn’t equal results. Go at your own pace.”
She said that, then suddenly snatched my shoe bag and started walking ahead.
“I’ll carry it! Come on, let’s go.”
She used to run ahead of everyone as a top idol… so why can she match someone like me, stuck on the second team?
I walked up beside her.
“Thanks, Makishima.”
“Sasaki… Anyway, where are we going?”
“My favorite café!”
“C-café?”
“Yeah! They have this super photogenic pancake you can only order as a couple!”
“…………”
I stared at Sasaki with narrowed eyes.
“W-what? Why are you looking at me like that, Makishima?”
“That was your plan from the start, wasn’t it?”
“T-that’s… not true~”
“So it *was*.”
I took my shoe bag back and glanced toward the field.
“Maybe I *should* go to training after all.”
“W-wait, Makishimaaa!”
✳︎✳︎
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