Episode 11 – School’s Madonna Shows Her Face Behind the Vending Machine

The morning games were over and it was time for a break.

Fortunately, the boys in my class were able to win thanks to Aizawa’s teamwork, and the girls were able to win thanks to their teamwork.

Therefore, unlike the other classes that were eliminated, the games were held in the afternoon as well.

Since it is a ball game tournament, the classrooms are having meals with members of each team, unlike usual.

Now that we have come this far, I want to win. Such a desire was born, and we were discussing what we should do in order to go higher.

After finishing my meal quickly, Aizawa asked me to refill the drink and went out of the classroom to buy one.

Walking down the corridor, I felt the damp air of the rainy season.

Hydrangeas were blooming and puddles were forming on the ground. The reason there were so many people in the gymnasium was partly because they could not play ball games outside.

I came to a vending machine at the back of the school building, where not many people hang out, to cool off, and there I ran into an unexpected person.

“Ah.”

It was Watanabe san, who appeared from the side of the vending machine.

She looks around and beckons to me with a serious face.

I obeyed, tilting my head, and found a spot just behind the vending machine.

Behind me was a wide open space due to the emergency exit door, and since it was at the end of the hall, no one would come to this place unless they had something to do.

I wondered why the school’s Madonna was hiding out in a place like this…….

“Good evening. Aikawa kun.”

Watanabe san smiled at me and spoke to me happily.

“Good evening, Watanabe san.”

Speaking of which, isn’t this the first time we’ve talked at the school?

In the past, I had seen her in various places, such as when we moved from one classroom to another or during lunch, but she had never spoken to me, probably because she was faithful to my promise not to tell anyone about the fishing trip.

Lately, I had been thinking that if it wasn’t fishing-related, we probably wouldn’t have anything in particular to talk about, but the way things are going now makes me wonder if that’s not the case.

“It was a terrific turnout, by the way.”

As I was thinking about this, Watanabe san continued the conversation. Perhaps because today was a ball game tournament, the content was the respective games in the morning.

“Aikawa kun, you are very athletic, aren’t you? Were you on the basketball club, by any chance?”

“No, it’s just that I’m an angler, so my core is well-trained.”

In some cases, I fish on tetrapods or rocky shores. My sense of balance is trained in those areas, and since I often swing a rod all day long, my arm muscles are also trained unexpectedly.

So all of my activities in the morning were nothing but by-products of fishing.

More than that, I was surprised to learn that Watanabe san went out of her way to watch our class play. Since the class is far away, it wasn’t something like going out of her way to see me. Perhaps she was cheering for a boy from a group she is close to?

That would explain it, I thought, and looked at her. She looked away and fidgeted.

“Speaking of which, is your leg okay?”

I was curious about the way she looked, so I asked her. She had fallen during the first game. Perhaps she had hurt her leg?

“T-thank you. I just got a little tangled up.”

She looks embarrassed as she says so. Should I not have touched her?

Maybe she didn’t want to be touched by the sight of her own screw-up.

“Did you worry about me?”

However, she looked up at me with a surprised look on her face. She folded her hands in front of her gym clothes and looked at me curiously.

“Why would I not?”

How could I not feel anything in a situation where someone I know might have been injured?

When I responded, she put her hand over her mouth and turned her face away from me so I couldn’t see her face.

Her face is red and sweating.

“Could it be heatstroke? Do you want to go to the infirmary?”

“N-no. It’s not like that, I’m fine.”

The symptoms suggest the possibility of heatstroke, but for some reason she stubbornly refuses to go to the infirmary.

Even though she said she was fine, I couldn’t just do nothing.

I bought two bottles of sports drink from the vending machine and gave her one of them.

“You should drink it. It may not be heatstroke, but if you’re sweating, you need to stay hydrated.”

It is not uncommon for anglers to become so engrossed in fishing that they find themselves dehydrated and unable to move.

For a while, we both sipped from our plastic bottles in silence.

The only sound we hear is the rain, and a pleasant silence fills the air around us.

Although Watanabe san and I are both silent, I do not feel uncomfortable, although there is a slight sense of tension from the presence of the school’s Madonna next to me.

In fact, I feel a sense of security that makes me want to stay like this forever.

A few minutes pass, and I decide it’s time to go back to the classroom, so I tighten the lid of the plastic bottle.

“Aikawa kun.”

Watanabe san, clutching the plastic bottle tightly, turns to me.

“Do you have any plans for the weekend?”

“No, I don’t have any plans for the weekend because of the rain.”

Perhaps because it is the rainy season, the weather is unstable, and I have a lot of free time during this time.

I thought Watanabe san wanted to go fishing again and asked me about my weekend plans, but……

“If so, would you like to go to the aquarium with me?”

She said and waited for my reply with a serious face.