PE Class (1)
They left the dormitory early that morning. Noah had a muffler wrapped around her neck and Chise's hand in hers.
"...I'm glad you're feeling better today."
When Chise said it so carefully, Noah shot her a glare.
Just you wait.
Her body had recovered. It felt like a lie that her lower abdomen had ached and her head had spun the whole time, even when she'd been conscious. Aside from the foreign sensation of the pad, she was perfectly back to normal.
Which meant she wasn't going to take any more of this.
"Give me a candy."
"O-okay."
Chise rummaged around and produced one. Noah snatched it, tore the wrapper, and popped it in her mouth.
"Are you mad...?"
Chise asked it cautiously. Given what she'd done, she felt guilty. For all her boldness before, once Noah was back on her feet, Chise couldn't do a thing against her.
"Breakfast."
Noah said it like a delinquent, the candy still tucked in her cheek.
"The rice wasn't chewy."
"I-I'm sorry. I'm still not used to it..."
"Ha. You can't even get that right? I knew it. Chise isn't worth more than a candy dispenser."
"...That's mean."
Watching Chise droop her head, Noah finally felt a little better.
Yeah. This was the proper dynamic, she thought.
She always kept a firm grip on the initiative between herself and Chise. A candy dispenser who couldn't move a muscle at a single word, pulling a stunt like that...
Even Noah, who was usually generous with Chise, intended to hold this one against her for a long time.
"Chise, you should work on your feminine charms. If you want to impress me, that won't cut it. Honestly, Icchi would be better..."
A chill slid down her spine. She flinched and looked at Chise.
Chise's black eyes were sinking into deep, still water, as if to say, Want to keep talking?
Noah swallowed hard and hurriedly backpedaled.
"...There's no way she'd be better. Well, I'll give you credit for making breakfast at all."
Chise immediately beamed as if nothing had happened and clung to her. Noah blinked.
Wait. Did I already... lose?
No. No way.
She denied it as hard as she could, shut her mouth, and kept walking. She'd recharge her self-esteem at the clubroom. Starting with how the hot chocolate mix was off today, there were plenty of things to scold Chise about.
"Isagi! Pass!"
"I'm open over here!"
On the way to the main building, soccer was in full swing on the field.
"Soccer club?"
"Probably. It's PE week this week, and I heard they have a tournament coming up."
Chise, thorough as ever in her research, answered instantly. She was always prepared so she could reply the moment Noah got curious.
She also knew the Saints Academy soccer club's award record for the past thirty years, and who the ace was, but she didn't mention any of that. She'd read somewhere that a girl who acted like a know-it-all lost points.
"PE week... we had that?"
"Yeah. This week there's no theory—just practicals and measurements. We're on the physical track, so we always have it the last week."
"Huh."
Schools in this world weren't split into humanities and sciences, but into a physical track and a mental track. Both of them were physical track.
Chise looked like she belonged on the mental track no matter how you sliced it. Then again, she wasn't high-school level to begin with. She had applied for the physical track just to stay with Noah. Noah wasn't high-school level either, but she hated studying with a passion. There was no way she would have applied for the mental track.
After watching the soccer for a bit, Noah delivered a brief verdict.
"They suck."
"No bad language."
Chise poked Noah in the cheek.
"The baseball club was at least watchable."
Noah was more of a soccer person than a baseball person, actually. The baseball club she'd seen last time had been good enough that even a complete amateur would have said they were decent.
The soccer, by comparison, was pathetic. One in every three passes failed. Both teams were the same.
"With talent like that, they'd be better off working at a factory that makes soccer balls."
"Ahem."
Chise launched into a lecture.
"You don't say things like that to people who are trying their best."
"Trying their best?"
Noah snorted.
"If they were trying, they wouldn't play like that."
Noah's standards were high to begin with. But this time it wasn't that. Not even being able to pass properly was proof they hadn't put in the minimum effort.
...Is she taking an interest?
Chise watched Noah offering unsolicited commentary and thought. Normally this would have been the moment to change the subject. Suddenly curious, she asked,
"So is Noah better at soccer than those people?"
"Haaah?"
Noah's face scrunched up.
"Don't compare me to those idiots."
"But I've never once seen you play soccer."
"That's because if I played, I'd destroy the ecosystem."
Even as a goalkeeper, she was confident she could casually win a World Cup. The average physical ability of people in this world was high, sure, but even accounting for that, same difference. Even in a weird world like this, it wasn't as if a lot of people could dodge bullets.
"Really? What about baseball too?"
"I'm not confident about baseball."
Chise was a little surprised. She figured baseball must be an incredibly difficult sport.
"I'm not confident I could throw a ball without killing someone."
Looking at Noah's troubled expression, Chise couldn't hide her bewilderment.
"Huh?"
Just then, a ball came bouncing and rolling toward them. Judging by the speed, it was going to reach them.
"Kick it back!"
One of the soccer club members waved and shouted.
Noah lightly popped the ball up with the instep of her foot. She bounced it once off her knee, cushioned it on her chest, and dropped it back onto her instep. It looked incredibly practiced. She juggled it a few more times, playing with it, then lofted it high into the air.
Hup.
She stamped her feet in place for a moment, then smashed a volley with her left foot.
THWACK!
The sound was loud enough to startle Chise. And the ball buried itself perfectly in the upper-right corner of the nearer goal—so fast the keeper couldn't even react.
Noah swept back her rumpled hair once.
"Wooow..."
Chise was in awe.
So cool...!
Her eyes sparkled. Her heart was pounding.
But the ones most stunned were the soccer club. It was a good fifty meters. From that distance, the ball had traced a perfect arc into the net. And it had been a volley.
"See?"
Noah glanced at the goal with a satisfied look. The goalkeeper was still staring this way with a vacant expression.
"Amazing, Noah-chan!"
Chise hugged her and nuzzled her cheek.
"That was so cool."
"...Yeah?"
"Mhm! You looked just like a pro soccer player."
"Ahem. That was nothing."
Noah pretended to be indifferent, but she was actually in a great mood. She'd just done it without thinking because the ball had come her way.
...Well, even I have to admit that was pretty incredible.
She was quietly enjoying Chise's praise as they walked when she suddenly realized.
Chise is being well-behaved?
She'd been denying it, but deep down she'd been worried she'd already lost to Chise. And yet after casually kicking a ball once, Chise had suddenly become a girl who actually listened. As proof, she was clinging to Noah's arm, her face clearly bashful.
Of course, Noah had planned to put Chise in her place with some proper re-education at the clubroom—but this method didn't seem half bad either.
"PE week, you said?"
"Yep!"
"I want to do that."
"...Huh?"
"I want to take the class."
Noah changed into her gym uniform. Chise had her back turned.
Ordinarily she would have just changed right in front of her, but lately Noah had judged Chise to be dangerous in various ways, so she'd told her to face the other way.
"I'm done."
Chise, who personally had a thing for Noah's pale thighs, swallowed her disappointment and turned around.
If only it were summer...
Then she froze.
"A little big, huh."
Noah had pulled the jersey all the way up to her neck and was twisting her arms this way and that, unused to the gym clothes. They were so big her hands disappeared into the sleeves.
"Well, good enough. Ugh."
Noah saw Chise's expression and jumped. Chise was panting roughly, shambling toward her like a zombie. Noah's facial muscles twitched. She backed away.
"W-what are you doing."
"J-just let me touch them once."
"N-no."
Thud.
She was so flustered her feet tangled and she actually fell over. Chise climbed on top of her with a thoroughly perverted look on her face.
"Hnnngh. Be still..."
Rattle!
"Seniors. Today of all days, a proper Public Morals Committee..."
...let's actually do some work.
Yuria never got the rest of the sentence out. Chise was on top of Noah with a look of sheer mania on her face.
Yuria rubbed her eyes. Then her face went tomato-red.
"Seniors! Public morals officers committing public indecency is absolutely forbidden!"
"I'm sorry."
Having recovered her sanity, Chise bowed at the waist and apologized. Noah was hiding behind Yuria.
"She's a current offender, Icchi. Arrest her already."
Yuria put her hands on her hips and addressed Chise.
"Senpai. Please explain. Why you jumped Minamoto-senpai."
"But... Noah-chan seduced me first."
"Please stop talking like a forty-year-old man!"
Chise tilted her head. She didn't even seem aware of it. Yuria sighed.
Yuria unpacked her things. She was about to say something, but something else was bothering her first.
"Why are you wearing gym clothes, anyway?"
"Noah said she wanted to take PE class."
Chise flipped her side bangs as she spoke. Yuria glanced at Noah.
"...Minamoto-senpai? That's unexpected. So there are things she actually gets motivated about."
Yuria looked genuinely surprised.
"Hmm. But Ichinose already showed up. How about we just have dessert today? The Chief put in some extra effort today, apparently."
"Really? That sounds really excit—exciting..."
Yuria felt a sense of déjà vu and shouted.
"The Public Morals Committee's job is not eating dessert!"
The truth was, Yuria had come today with her mind firmly made up. Since joining the Public Morals Committee, she hadn't solved a single case.
This is dangerous.
At this rate, the slacker gene was going to infect her! That was something Yuria could not allow. Today was the day she had to talk these two fluffball seniors into actually doing some work.
"Icchi's right."
Yuria had been about to launch into a passionate pitch when Noah—of all people, the last person she'd expected to agree—spoke up. For a second Yuria thought, Did she eat something weird this morning?
But Noah's desperation was every bit a match for Yuria's.
I almost... lost to Chise again.
She had to restore the authority that had fallen to the ground. To do that, she needed to do what she was best at. Show Chise. She was not a sex doll!
"In the first place, you said the Public Morals Committee was established because Fujiwara-senpai pushed for it, right? Please take a little more responsibility."
"Chise needs to wake up."
"Exactly. Fujiwara-senpai, I'm grateful you always treat us to expensive tea and desserts, but that's also why the Public Morals Committee has gotten lazy. Please restrain yourself."
"It is all Chise's fault."
Chise flailed, waving both hands. The Yuria-Noah alliance had her completely off-balance.
"I-I didn't mean it like that."
"Well, I'll forgive you. Just this once."
Seeing Chise flustered by her words, Yuria was enormously satisfied and raised an index finger.
"However. Starting now, please work hard."
Noah said, sulking,
"Why forgive her? Why? Chise deserves to get scolded more."
Yuria grabbed the back of Noah's neck—Noah had been chattering away from behind her this whole time—and said,
"The biggest problem is the chair, Minamoto-senpai! Senpai. Please work hard. And stop sleeping."
"I'm sleepy. What am I supposed to do."
"Endure it."
"You're the one saying that, Icchi. Why don't you go find us some work? That's what juniors are for."
"...Excuse me?"
Yuria was speechless.
"Whenever I propose something, you say it's too much trouble and refuse."
"So what."
A vein popped on Yuria's forehead. If they weren't her seniors, she would have given her a noogie.
"Fine. If you want me to take the lead, I will. Since it's PE week, today's assignment is campus patrol."
"We're allowed to do that?"
Noah didn't know this, but at Saints Academy, the Public Morals Committee's authority was fairly broad. On campus, as long as you were wearing the armband, you could get away with just about anything.
That applied even if you weren't a Saints student. Which was why some middle schoolers donated large sums to join the Public Morals Committee and get a head start on Saints' high-quality classes.
"Seniors, please enjoy PE class like the young ladies you are. Patrol will be handled by me, Ichinose Yuria, the strongest fighter at Asano Middle School..."
Chise and Noah whispered to each other.
"Eighth-grader syndrome?"
"Yeah. She's at that age."
Yuria puffed out her cheeks and shouted.
"I'm in ninth grade and I'm basically grown up already! Please stop treating me like a kid!"
Yuria was furious! It happened a lot, but hearing it from these two was just too much. She was sure of it—she was way more mature than they were.
"You are a kid, Icchi. Have a little self-awareness."
When Noah said it with a smirk, wrinkles formed between Yuria's brows. She was trembling quite a bit.
Something plausible entered Yuria's field of vision. Staring blatantly at Noah's chest, she said,
"H-who's a kid, exactly?"
Yuria said it while subtly showing off her own ample chest.
"I don't want to hear that from seniors who haven't finished growing yet."
For the record, the damage to Noah was zero.
But someone else took an arrow straight through the heart.
Chise!
"H-haven't finished growing...?"
Looks, wealth, brains. Fujiwara Chise excelled at everything. There was just one complex.
She was flat as a board!
Unlike Noah, who at least had some modest curves, Chise was the kind of cliff where you only thought, oh, she is a girl, once she took her clothes off!
"M-Minamoto-senpai. With that tiny chest of yours... calling me a child."
Yuria stammered, trying to salvage the situation.
You don't call a real idiot an idiot. She couldn't bring herself to say "flat" to Chise, who was genuinely a cliff. That, that... as a fellow girl, it was just too painful.
Noah noticed too. Well, Chise was clutching her chest with a dark expression. Still, they were friends of ten years. Noah, intending to comfort her, said,
"Want me to tear some of mine off and give it to you? I don't need it."
"...I don't want to hear that from you of all people, Noah."
"Hm? Mine actually feel pretty nice to touch. You don't have any at all."
"Senpai!"
Yuria clapped a hand over Noah's mouth, but it was already too late.
Chise was crumbling into dust and scattering on the wind.