On the day of Natsumi-senpai's practice match, I was meeting Sara-senpai in front of the station.
Since the venue was our own school, meeting at the usual convenience store would have been fine, but...
I had a small, selfish reason: since we were meeting on a Sunday, I wanted it to feel special.
Even though I was the one who suggested it, Senpai had agreed immediately without a single question.
On the day of, I naturally arrived early.
There might have been several reasons for that—being a guy, not wanting to keep her waiting—but the most important one was to thwart any flags that might lead to Sara-senpai being hit on.
If a woman as beautiful as her were standing there alone, there was no way the Flashy Guys in the area would stay quiet.
"Good morning, Takanashi-san. Have I kept you waiting?"
"Good morning, Sara-senpai. No, it’s fine. I only just got here myself."
Even a clichéd exchange like that made me happy.
"I feel terrible for always making you wait. Next time, I shall strive to arrive earlier..."
"Sara-senpai, it’s my job to arrive first and wait for you. Therefore, I’m banning you from trying to beat me here."
"Y-Yes. If that is what you wish, Takanashi-san, then I shall aim to arrive exactly on time?"
Having successfully met up, we began walking toward the school.
"The other day was the first time I’d ever seen tennis in person, and it was more fun than I expected. Well, part of that was because it was Natsumi-senpai’s match."
"Indeed. I do not have a particular interest in tennis myself, but it feels quite different when it is a friend who is competing."
By the way, Senpai’s outfit today was different from our previous date(?). She was dressed relatively casually, but...
Even so, she was radiating such a clean, refreshing, and pure aura that she was clearly out to get me!
However, it seemed she wasn't wearing the hat I had given her as a present.
Perhaps noticing that I was looking at her head, Senpai spoke up.
"I am very sorry. That hat is a treasure to me. I have decided to save it for significant outings so that it will last as long as possible..."
Hearing her say that made me feel that giving her the gift had been truly worthwhile.
We arrived at the school and headed toward the tennis court.
There were more students around than I expected. While many were likely there for their own club activities, those in casual clothes seemed to be there to cheer for the tennis matches.
Come to think of it, Senpai has come to support Natsumi-senpai many times, hasn't she?
When we reached the tennis court, the crowd was even larger than I'd imagined.
A banner dedicated to Natsumi-senpai stood out prominently.
That was likely the work of her Fan Club.
...The two people waving over here were those two girls from my class, I think.
I gave them a small wave back just to acknowledge them.
"Shall we settle around here?"
Senpai chose a spot that was relatively uncrowded.
It seemed there was still some time before the match started.
However, we were already drawing quite a bit of attention.
After all, the destructive power of Sara-senpai in casual clothes was immense...
Even the guys who were clearly there to support the opposing team were staring our way.
"...Who's that guy with Satsukawa-san?"
"...Whoa, she's actually with a guy?"
"...Crap, she's totally my type. Hey, go talk to her."
"...Can't you see the guy standing right next to her?"
If I was serving as bug repellent, then all the better.
"I have prepared a bento for lunch, so please let me know when you are hungry."
Senpai, appearing entirely unfazed by the stares, spoke to me as she always did.
We hadn't discussed lunch plans, but it seemed she had made a bento for us.
I was thrilled at the prospect of eating Senpai's cooking even on a holiday.
Natsumi-senpai won her match in an overwhelming victory. During the break, she came over to us still wearing her tracksuit.
"Good work, Natsumi."
"Natsumi-senpai, that was amazing."
When I spoke, Natsumi-senpai made a slightly bashful expression.
"I figured Sara would show up, but I didn't hear anything about Takanashi-kun coming too."
"I was invited in secret."
As we chatted, a chorus of high-pitched squeals and cheers erupted nearby.
"That guy is as popular as ever, I see."
A banner nearby read "Hayato Yokogawa."
Looking at the tennis court... there he was.
He must be incredibly popular. Judging by the crowd, there were probably even girls from other schools here to see him.
"I'm going to go say hi to the kids in the cheering squad."
With that, Natsumi-senpai headed toward her Fan Club.
"Well then, shall we have our lunch while we have the chance? Natsumi has another match later."
"Ah, right. Where should we eat?"
Senpai brought up lunch as if nothing had happened.
To be honest... I was relieved that Sara-senpai didn't show the slightest bit of interest in that guy.
"It is a bit too restless here. Shall we go to the flowerbeds? I believe we will be alone there, so the two of us can enjoy our meal in peace."
When she said "the two of us," I nearly had another overreaction.
Calm down. Senpai didn't mean anything deep by it...
I didn't quite understand the rules, but since it was a team match, I gathered that the school with the most wins took the day.
It looked like our school had come out on top.
That popular guy had also won his match, but he looked frustrated.
Based on his expression, I could at least tell that he took tennis very seriously.
"Congratulations, Natsumi."
"Thanks. So, Takanashi-kun, how was it? Did you enjoy yourself a little?"
"Yes. I've never watched tennis before, but it was actually really interesting. You were cool, Natsumi-senpai."
When I gave her my honest impression, Natsumi-senpai turned a bit red and slapped me on the back.
"Stop saying things like that, it's embarrassing!"
Perhaps because she was being praised for the sport she loved, she seemed a bit different than usual—it was a fresh side of her.
"Well then, I am sure Natsumi is busy, so we shall take our leave. Takanashi-san, shall we?"
"Yes. Natsumi-senpai, we'll talk more tomorrow."
"No, I'm done with my part! Anyway, thanks for coming today!"
Natsumi-senpai waved as she saw us off.
...Of course, I had noticed.
That guy had been watching us the entire time.
At first, I was irritated by the staring, but it didn't feel like he was glaring or directing the same kind of hostility as the Flashy Guys in my class.
Then, when our eyes met at the very end, he offered a faint smile.
He raised a hand in a casual greeting... What a confusing guy.