[Warning 15+]
Part Five
―Even If, I Can't Treat You with That Same Energy Anymore
Chapter 170
Club Activity, Future, and...
―Even If, I Can't Treat You with That Same Energy Anymore
Chapter 170
Club Activity, Future, and...
Walkin' through the school gate, the shouts from the Sports Clubs' mornin' practice drifted over from the grounds.
Being a college-prep high school, they weren't exactly puttin' a huge emphasis on Club Activities.
Still, the sight of everyone pullin' together and pourin' themselves into somethin' they loved was dazzlin'.
"Mornin', Nikaidō-san! Got a sec?"
"Eh! Mornin', Senpai. What is it?"
Just then, a female student came rushin' up from behind and called out cheerfully.
Reflexively, the air around Haruki sharpened, shifting into the "Honor student" mode she used to camouflage herself at school.
Turnin' around, Haruki saw a second-year senpai who had approached her with errands a few times before.
She must have needed somethin'.
Hayato quietly took a step back.
"You might think I'm jumpin' the gun, but there are some small things I want you to help with for the Cultural Festival next month."
"Sure, that's fine. But I—"
"Wow, thanks! I'll be waitin' in the Student Council Office!"
"—Oh."
"I was actually planning on saying I joined a Club Activity..."
"Well, can't be helped. Let's head toward the flowerbed too."
"You're right."
They aimed for the Gardenin' Club flowerbed located behind the school buildin'.
There was no one around, and the sunlight was great.
There, hair with curly locks tied into a half-up style was bobbin' back and forth busily.
Minamo, noticin' both Hayato and Haruki comin' their way, stopped workin' and looked up.
"Hayato-san, Haruki-san!"
"Mornin', Minamo-chan. Rockin' that hairstyle again today?"
"Yeah, I'm still a bit embarrassed, if that makes sense... ...even though I get teased in class sometimes... ...does it look weird?"
"No way, not at all! It suits you better than before, doesn't it, Hayato?"
"Yeah, like I said before, it looks clean, pretty, and elegant."
"Auuu~"
Minamo, havin' been praised by the two, let off steam from her head as she looked down, then twirled a lock of her hair with her index finger and smiled shyly.
Since the new semester began, Minamo had changed her hairstyle to match the one Hayato’s Mom, Mayumi, often used to fiddle with.
Minamo looked adorable, seemingly a bit embarrassed—perhaps not being used to it yet—and Hayato, who felt his heart skip a beat, hurriedly looked away. His eyes met Haruki's, who was givin' him a look as if she found it interestin', so he scratched his head aggressively to brush it off and changed the subject.
"Oh, are you prunin' the potato sprouts you planted the other day? I'll help, Minamo-san."
"Oh, me too!"
"Thank you so much!"
From the furrows, sprouts were poppin' up in clusters at equal intervals.
Hayato chose one or two of the thickest and biggest ones, then pulled the rest out.
The trick is to hold down the soil at the base of the plant with one hand and thin them out, roots and all.
While Hayato was teachin' that and they were splittin' up the work of prunin' the sprouts, Haruki suddenly called out, "Oh, right!" as if she'd just realized somethin'.
"Minamo-chan, want to go to the Fall Festival with everyone?"
"The Fall Festival… …you mean the one at the big shrine in the next town?"
"Yeah, that one! We'll all wear yukatas, hit the stalls, and watch the fireworks!"
"Wow, that sounds wonderful! But it might be difficult… …things are goin' to get a bit hectic because Grandpa is bein' discharged from the hospital… …I'm sorry."
"Don't say that! That's great news about your Grandpa, Minamo-chan!"
"Yeah!"
While they were talkin' about that, the prunin' work they'd split up was finished.
When Hayato wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, he noticed Haruki lookin' serious.
"What's wrong?"
"It's just, it feels like a waste to pull these sprouts out; It's a bit sad."
"Ahaha, true. I know it's unavoidable for the sake of distributin' nutrients, but…"
"Then, want to try plantin' them somewhere else? They won't grow as well as the main ones, but they'll grow enough."
""Eh!?""
Haruki and Minamo both let out shouts of surprise.
They immediately headed toward an empty spot, each holdin' a hand trowel.
Hayato gave a wry smile and went off to grab the fertilizer needed for plantin'.
◇
Diggin' a hole with a hand trowel, layin' fertilizer in it, coverin' it with soil, and plantin' the selected sprouts.
Once the three of them split up the work, the task was finished in no time.
"Alright, that's that. Done."
"Do they really grow?"
"Hmm, I think they'll look all withered by after school today. But they usually take root surprisin'ly well. They're tough. Well, they'll be smaller than the ones with the seed potato, though."
"I see. You know a lot, Hayato."
"Back then, I thought it was a waste, so I gave it a try."
"Oh... ...Hayato-san, are you plannin' to go into an agriculture-related career in the future?"
Suddenly, Minamo asked that.
For a moment, Hayato felt his cheek twitch. He recalled Haruki asking him the other day if he was goin' to return to Tsukinose.
"Eh, I've never thought about it. My family isn't exactly farmers, it's just that I've had a lot of chances to be around that kind of stuff..."
"Is that so? Oh, I'll clean up the fertilizer and the rest."
Minamo glanced at both Hayato and Haruki's bags, then started gatherin' the tools.
It was probably just casual small talk. As if to end the convo there, Minamo quickly walked away.
"Well then, let's head off, too."
"Yeah."
Grabbin' their bags, they walked together from behind the school buildin' toward the main gate.
Along the way, they could see figures in tracksuits who had finished their mornin' practice, bein' sucked into the school buildin' and the Club Buildin'.
Baseball, Soccer, Track and Field, Tennis.
From the gymnasium came basketball, table tennis, and badminton.
Everyone was dedicatin' their youth to various Clubs.
Among them, Kazuki suddenly came into view.
Kazuki was headin' toward the Club room while chattin' with fellow Soccer Club members.
Kazuki's expression was colored with joy that included a sense of exhilaration.
Kazuki must love soccer itself that much.
—Does Kazuki intend to become a soccer player in the future?
Hayato suddenly thought of that, and immediately shook his head as if to deny it.
This high school was a college-prep school, not an athletic powerhouse.
Hayato heard that even the Soccer Club was doin' well just by fightin' hard in the second round of the Inter-High district preliminaries.
Even if Kazuki was good, it was only a level above the average high school student at most.
It wasn't a level that would work professionally. Kazuki surely knew that himself.
Yeah, just like Hayato's knowledge of agriculture.
Surely, in the future, Hayato will go on to higher education like many other students, and get a job somewhere.
For the most part, Hayato probably hasn't thought deeply about anythin' that far ahead yet.
In the first place, Hayato can't even imagine what he'll be like in the future.
Especially since Hayato's learned that people change.
Hayato glances at Haruki walkin' beside him.
Where their shoulders used to be aligned, now there's Haruki's head with a visible cowlick, from which her long, silky black hair grows.
From the schoolgirl uniform wrappin' Haruki's body, her slim limbs are visible. Her smooth skin is also allurin'.
It's not just Haruki's appearance that has changed.
Hayato recalls the time Haruki sang in Tsukinose.
Everyone was speechless, swallowed up and captivated by the world Haruki created.
Hayato knew Haruki was good at singin' and choreography from karaoke.
But that is no longer at the level of just havin' fun among buddies.
It must be Haruki's special talent.
One that would even pass in the professional world.
—Takura Mao.
One of the great actresses representin' the present day.
That woman's... ...illegitimate daughter.
Oh, Hayato finds himself noddin' in understandin'.
What on Earth will Haruki become in the future?
Thinkin' about that, suddenly Hayato shudders, as if an icicle was plunged into his spine.
Hayato's feet stop.
Haruki, who should be right beside Hayato, feels incredibly far away.
Tryin' to confirm somethin', Hayato's hand j*rks—
"Hayato, what's wrong?"
Haruki, who was walkin' a little ahead, turned back with a puzzled face.
Surprised for a moment, Hayato scratched his head with the hand he had started to reach out, as if to cover somethin' up.
"Oh! Oh no, it's just, I see Kazuki."
"...Kaidō?"
Haruki's voice shifts into one that clearly screams "I'm unhappy." She pouts.
Hayato, heart skippin' a beat, frantically spins his words.
"Like, I was just thinkin' that if we were in sports clubs, there's no way we could've been in the same one."
"Oh, for sure."
"Right?"
Lookin' at the ground, they see the track-suit crowd movin' in gender-segregated groups.
Once you're in high school, the physical differences between boys and girls are obvious, so it's only natural they split up.
Haruki looks between herself and Hayato with an unreadable expression, then gives a vague smile. "Yeah, I guess."
Author's Notes:
∧,,∧
(,,・∀・) Meow.
～(_ｕ,ｕノ