Preparation for Regret Ends in Failure

“You overdid it, you idiot. It’s gross.”

“Yeah… I know… I’m aware.”

I exhaled softly, watching the match between classes.

The gymnasium, where the ball game tournament had started, was buzzing with excitement, and our class had just secured its first victory.

The gym was divided into two courts with a net.

On the other side, the girls were having their match, and it was noisy over there too.

Many girls were watching the boys’ basketball along the sidelines and near the net, cheering or groaning every time the ball touched the hoop.

Amidst this, Saiga stood next to me, watching the match half-heartedly while asking about yesterday and today’s events. I had no reason to hide anything from Saiga, so I mentioned stopping by the bento shop.

Saiga’s mocking comments were spot on.

As I watched the match involving the girls from Class 5, I made eye contact with Kinoshita, who had just made a perfect three-pointer. She quickly looked away and ran back to her side.

“Well, yeah. That’s to be expected…”

It’s natural for Kinoshita to be put off. Saiga was right.

“Kinoshita-chan seemed to like you a bit, though.”

“Regardless of that… it’s always the same in the end.”

She did have feelings for me. Since I couldn’t view Kinoshita as just an ordinary girl, it was hard to tell if her feelings were romantic or simply friendly.

But, like always, my overdoing things made her feelings for me fleeting.

I knew that, blending self-loathing into my thoughts as I gazed at the court when Saiga suddenly muttered.

“You know, I don’t dislike you, Ryoma.”

“I know.”

“So, I’ll be blunt. Tracking down a girl’s mom’s part-time job and going there is seriously creepy.”

“I didn’t really track her down.”

Once, Kinoshita mentioned stopping by the bento shop on her way back from the bookstore.

It’s not unusual to buy a bento from anywhere, but why buy one before getting on the train home? That casual curiosity was followed by her saying she usually cooked for herself, so the bento shop detail stood out.

“That’s still tracking. The fact that you can say it so casually is even creepier. Normally, that’s stalker behavior with ulterior motives.”

“I see… I’ll keep that in mind for the future.”

“…You’re still as meddlesome as ever, huh?”

Saiga’s mocking gaze.

The sound of dribbling and cheers masked our conversation.

“Hey, Saiga.”

“Hmm?”

I asked something I’d been thinking about.

“You always call me meddlesome, so why did you push this onto me this time?”

“Because I want to see Godai Ryoma fail.”

His response was straightforward.

“Do you hate me that much?”

“I suppose.”

Saiga stared at the girls’ basketball game. Looking too, I saw Kinoshita scoring while Kisaragi competed energetically.

Even though they called each other teammates, they were glaring at each other.

“I fell for Airi at first sight and got rejected on the first day.”

“…I didn’t know that.”

“I never mentioned it, did I?”

Smiling mischievously, Saiga continued.

“The day after I got turned down so harshly, you started hanging out with her, right? …Then, Airi, who was cute from the start, kept getting cuter.”

“…”

Kisaragi made a shot and looked smugly our way. Kinoshita laughed at her through her nose. They were both noisy.

“The Airi I didn’t know was much cuter than the Airi I knew, and it was all because of you. Honestly, I was really jealous.”

“…I see.”

“Well, that’s about the reaction I expected. You made Airi happy, and then you just left her.”

“Don’t say things that sound bad. She was on track, so──”

“That’s why I hate you. You charm cute girls without any ulterior motives and leave without asking for anything. You’re a perfect man.”

Saiga provocatively laughed, saying “Do you get it?”

“It’s the same this time… I really didn’t know.”

“Didn’t know what?”

“──Kinoshita-chan is super cute.”

His sincere words were genuine. I agreed.

“Yeah, she is.”

“That casual agreement pisses me off.”

Laughing together, we watched the game. Kinoshita nodded slightly with each basket, looking cute. Her hair was styled in a bun, a different look, and her face looked healthy and cute with her recent good complexion.

Changing her hairstyle for the first time, perhaps?

“In hindsight, I should’ve tried to woo Kinoshita-chan.”

“You don’t sound like you meant it.”

“I really didn’t expect I could, idiot. This happened because of you. Seriously… Godai Ryoma is annoying.”

I should take it as a compliment, maybe. Listening to Saiga’s words like a radio, I rested my cheek on my knee, idly watching the game.

“Hey, Ryoma.”

“Hmm?”

“What are you going to do now? Will you ditch Kinoshita-chan too?”

“Stop saying things that sound bad.”

Honestly, I don’t know what will happen next. Of course, Kisaragi and Kinoshita are different, and their goals and destinations are probably different too.

Seeing how happy her parents were about her having a “friend” like me makes me think their family relationship improved… but I don’t really know.

If everything went well and I did overdo it as Saiga said, then I need to reflect and make sure not to screw up next time.

I suffered no harm. Unlike my father, I didn’t sacrifice my time or money to help. So, I guess it’s better that way. It should be.

“But yeah, I’m ready to regret it.”

“Don’t say that with a smug face. It’s annoying.”

Saiga waved his hand dismissively. Still, yeah. He calls me annoying and creepy, but thinking about it, I’ve always been close to Saiga.

“Hey, Saiga.”

“What?”

Ignoring Saiga’s obvious irritation, I said,

“I like you, Saiga Naomichi, the guy who always speaks his mind to me.”

Saiga smiled and flipped me off.

“Shut up… We’ll win the next match too. With you and me, we can’t lose.”

Simultaneously, the whistle blew, and our game started.

Standing up, I headed to the court.

Let’s have some fun.

“Class 5 vs. Class 6, begin!”

With the call, the game began.

A long pass to Saiga, scoring easily.

Quick steal, fast break, another score.

A pass from Saiga’s rebound to me, leading to a teammate’s score.

Saiga drew attention in the paint, passing to me for a three-pointer.

“Man, I’m a genius.”

“Don’t get cocky, Saiga. It’s thanks to everyone.”

“Hah, like you’re any different.”

Even with our banter, we kept the lead.

Our classmates, part of the team, smiled and enjoyed shooting.

Making and missing shots, but so were the opponents.

Basketball is about defense, grabbing the ball, and trying again after a miss.

Practice paid off; my wrist felt good.

“Ryoma! Smash them!”

I responded with a smirk to Kisaragi’s cheering from across the net.

If I smash them, I’d get fouled in this game.

Whether they’re friends or foes, I made eye contact with Kinoshita next to Kisaragi.

“…”

She looked surprised, then quickly looked away.

…Well, I expected that.

I enjoyed our time, studying… and practicing basketball.

“──Go for it, Saiga.”

“Like you need to tell me!!”

At 188 cm, Saiga grabbed the ball I tossed and slammed it into the hoop.