After the Flying Board Award Ceremony, the top five teams—including ours—were honored and presented with our prize money.
I initially thought about letting Aoi and Hina have the prize money for themselves, but neither of them would hear of it, so we ended up splitting it equally three ways.
By the way, second place went to Scarlet Blue. Black Muscat had been holding the lead for a while, but it seemed Scarlet Blue managed to surge ahead right at the finish line, clinching the runner-up spot in a dramatic upset.
While the tournament officially ended with the ceremony, an after-party was scheduled to follow, thanks to the generosity of the local residents. Participation wasn't mandatory, but many of the athletes were voluntarily helping out with the setup. Following their lead, the three of us decided to pitch in as well.
"Shall we help out over there?"
"Sure! This is actually kind of fun, isn't it? Working on the preparations together reminds me of the Cultural Festival After-party back home."
"The cultural festival, huh... I don't think I ever really participated in those properly."
I’d meant to agree with Hina’s sentiment, but as I thought back, I realized I’d spent most of my high school festivals doing absolutely nothing. My school was fairly relaxed about it, and since helping with class exhibits wasn't compulsory, I’d often just skip the events entirely.
I did show up once during my second year, but I ended up heading home early without really seeing anything. I certainly had no experience with the post-festival bonfire or the after-parties.
"You were kind of a delinquent in high school, weren't you, Kaito-san?"
"N-No, I wasn't that bad. I was just... a little lethargic about everything back then. Anyway, let's change the subject."
"Ahaha! Kaito-senpai, you always get so cagey whenever your high school days come up."
"It's basically my Black History, after all..."
In all honesty, my time in high school—and middle school, for that matter—was a cringe-inducing Black History that made me want to bury my face in my hands just thinking about it. I hadn't been a troublemaker or anything like that, but I’d been utterly listless.
If Akira were to tell me I’d been a burden to him, I wouldn’t have a leg to stand on, but for the most part, I’d just been unmotivated.
Well, it wasn't like I’d ever ditched class, and I never failed any tests. Once entrance exam season arrived, I’d even quit my MMOs to study properly. A large part of that was the sense of debt I felt toward my uncle and aunt for paying my tuition, but still... remembering those days made me want to writhe in embarrassment.
"Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever asked, but what were you two like back at school?"
"Aoi-senpai was a legend! She was the unattainable beauty of the school. I mean, just look at her—she’s gorgeous and cool, so she was incredibly popular."
"I... I don't think that's true."
"But I heard you were constantly being confessed to?"
"I turned a few people down, but it wasn't constant. That was just a rumor the people around me spread for fun."
Hina was right; Aoi was undoubtedly popular. However, since she really did have the aura of an unattainable beauty, she might have been a bit intimidating to approach.
Hina, on the other hand, was exactly the type to have a massive circle of friends.
"What about the story that you rejected everyone by saying there was already someone you liked?"
"That part is true. It’s just a standard excuse for rejections, isn't it?"
"Is it? Because the way I heard it, you said you couldn't forget your First Love— Ow!?"
"Hina, I think making comments that infringe on someone's privacy is very rude."
"You... you just used magic, didn't you? Which means I hit the bullse—"
"Hina?"
"—It's nothing! I’m sorry!"
Judging by Aoi's reaction, she definitely had a First Love, and she was clearly still hung up on them. She always did strike me as the devoted type.
Still, she was obviously uncomfortable with the topic, so I decided to let it go.
"What about you, Hina? My image of you is that you’d have friends everywhere."
"Oh, I have plenty! I usually hang out with the girls from the track and field club, but I get along with all my classmates too."
"Hina is just as energetic at school as she is here. Everyone likes her."
As Aoi added that bit of info, I nodded. Hina was bright and friendly—a total social butterfly. I could easily see her sitting at the top of the classroom hierarchy.
Aoi was probably at the top too, though in her case, it was more like a solitary queen.
"I bet Hina was popular with the boys too..."
"Hmm, I wonder? I've only been in high school for less than six months, and I was so focused on training for my first tournament that I never really dealt with confessions."
"Right... I guess we were summoned here right before summer break, so there wasn't much time to get involved with anyone."
"Exactly. Plus, my type is older men, so high school boys don't really do it for me. I’d want someone at least twenty or older."
So Hina liked older men. Given that she had a bit of a pampered, younger-sibling streak, that made sense.
She seemed to have a good relationship with her brothers, so maybe she was looking for someone dependable like them. Well, that was just my own theory, though...
Serious-senpai: "That's odd... For some reason, it sounds like both of them are describing Kaito..."
???: "Hina is one thing, but as far as Aoi is concerned, she’s definitely talking about Kaito-san."