163 - Can I Come Too

RAW

The day after Haruto and the others had talked about the mixed relay,

they gathered after school on the school grounds to practice.

"Feels great to go all out in a sprint again,"

Tomoya said, wiping the sweat lightly forming on his forehead with his arm after finishing his 100-meter dash.

Haruto, who had already run his own 100 meters, replied,

"With your athletic ability, isn't it a waste for you to be in the go-home club?"

"I could say the same about you,"

Tomoya shot back, giving Haruto a squinty stare.

"I'm in karate, so technically I'm not in the go-home club."

"Well, I play in a band. Besides, if I joined a club in the middle of second year, I'd have to quit right away anyway."

"True."

"I can't fully unleash my abilities in such a short time."

"Yeah, aside from practicing guitar, you pretty much hate doing anything else."

"You know me well,"

Tomoya replied proudly, puffing out his chest while Haruto looked slightly exasperated.

Just then, from the starting line 100 meters away, a small voice called out, "I'm running now!"

"Hey, Aizawa-san's up next,"

Tomoya said, ending their chat and turning toward Saki.

She burst forward from a crouched start.

As a former member of the track team, her running form was beautiful and fluid, her legs spinning smoothly.

"She's still got it, being ex-track and all."

"Yeah."

Haruto and Tomoya both looked on in admiration as she quickly sprinted past the finish line where they were waiting.

"Phew… I think I lost a bit of speed at the end,"

Saki said as she walked over, reflecting on her run.

"I thought your form was really nice."

"Thanks, Otsuki-kun. But I think my stamina's gone down a bit—I couldn't keep my pace up."

Saki smiled at Haruto's compliment but admitted to a drop in endurance.

Tomoya jumped in cheerfully,

"After seeing Aizawa-san run, I’m starting to think the mixed relay’s going to be easy."

"You're being way too optimistic. There are plenty of people faster than me,"

Saki replied, giving him a mock-stern look, maybe out of embarrassment.

"Still, since we were chosen for the relay, we’ve got to do our best for the class while having fun."

"Yessir! You got it, ma’am!"

Tomoya stood straight and saluted. Saki shook her head with a small laugh.

"You’re as goofy as ever, Akagi-kun," she said with a softened expression.

"But thanks. Honestly, I was surprised how fast you were."

"I am a genius, after all. Ahahaha!"

Tomoya laughed loudly, hands on his hips, while Saki and Haruto gave him matching looks of disbelief.

Just then, a quiet voice came from the start line—Ayaka, who had stayed behind.

"Can I go now? I'm gonna run, okay?"

Haruto raised a hand in acknowledgment.

Seeing that, Ayaka began from a standing start.

She wasn't particularly bad at sports—in fact, she had decent coordination. But right after Saki's impressive run, Ayaka’s pace felt a bit lacking.

Watching her gradually approach, Tomoya muttered under his breath,

"Man… I won’t say what, but Tojo-san’s run is seriously intense."

"Yeah… pretty devastating,"

Saki added beside him, narrowing her eyes as she watched Ayaka, perhaps feeling something only another girl would understand.

Haruto smiled wryly at their exchange while waiting at the finish line.

Ayaka finally reached them, panting.

"Haah… haah… How was that?"

she asked, a bit unsure, already aware she'd been slower than Saki.

"I thought it was fine. Maybe your posture leans too far forward when you run. Try keeping your back straighter,"

Haruto said gently, offering some advice.

Saki stepped in too.

"The trick to running fast isn’t pushing off the ground, but using the rebound from it. To do that, it helps to keep your back straight."

"Like this?"

Ayaka asked, adjusting her posture.

"Yeah, just like that. Think of your body like an axis and let that axis absorb the rebound."

"Ugh, that sounds hard…"

"You won’t get it all at once. Just practice as much as you can before the event. It might help to imagine you're jumping rope."

As expected of a former track team member, Saki was good at teaching and gave Ayaka spot-on advice.

Afterward, the four of them each ran several more 100-meter sprints before calling it a day.

Since Haruto didn’t have karate practice, he was going to stay over at the Tojo house again.

So he and Ayaka walked home together from school.

Sticking closely to Haruto’s side as they walked, Ayaka spoke up with a hint of worry.

"Do you think I can get even a little faster before the sports festival?"

"You’ll be fine. You’re not bad at sports, and Aizawa-san’s coaching is great. I’m sure you’ll be much faster by then."

"Thanks, Haruto."

Ayaka smiled brightly and took Haruto’s hand in hers.

Still holding hands, the two of them walked back to the Tojo home.

Because of relay practice, they got home later than usual. Shuichi and Ikue had already returned from work, and Kiyoko had just finished preparing dinner.

After washing up and changing, Haruto and Ayaka headed to the dining room to join the family for dinner.

That night’s main dish was yodare-dori—mouthwatering chicken.

Kiyoko had made her own version of the popular izakaya dish so even Ryota could enjoy it easily.

As Haruto savored the delicious meal, Ikue glanced teasingly at the two and asked,

"By the way, you two got home late today. Were you out on a little date after school?"

Shuichi chimed in with a sparkle in his eye,

"Oh? Is that so?"

Haruto gave a sheepish smile and answered,

"Actually, we were practicing for the sports festival relay."

"Oh, I see. So Ayaka was cheering Haruto-kun on during practice?"

"Nope! I’m in the relay too, so we were both practicing together."

Hearing that, Ikue blinked in surprise.

"You’re in the relay? Really?"

"Yeah."

"That’s amazing!"

Ikue beamed, and Ayaka blushed, clearly embarrassed by the praise.

"T-thanks…"

While Ayaka was flustered, Ryota, who had been fully absorbed in his food, turned to her with a curious look.

"Can you run fast, big sis?"

"I’m practicing so I can run fast."

"Hmm… Do your best, big sis!!"

Ryota gave her a passionate cheer before returning to his chicken.

Then Shuichi, looking proud, spoke up.

"I’d love to see Ayaka running in the relay. Maybe I should take the day off from work."

"You don’t have to come! Besides, the sports festival isn’t open to the public anyway!"

Ayaka frantically shut that idea down.

At Haruto’s school, the sports festival wasn’t open to outsiders. As she tried to explain this in a panic, Haruto chuckled to himself—until Shuichi suddenly turned to him with a completely different topic.

"Speaking of which, Otsuki-kun. This is a bit out of the blue, but I’m planning to go fishing on a charter boat this Sunday. Want to come along?"

Haruto looked apologetic.

"I’m sorry. Actually, Ayaka and I were planning to go to an amusement park this Sunday. I really appreciate the invite, though…"

"Oh, I see! No problem at all! Just take good care of my daughter that day, okay?"

"I will."

Haruto nodded, feeling Ayaka's pressure as she silently willed her dad not to say anything more.

Just then, Ryota, who had polished off his chicken, turned to Haruto with wide eyes.

"Are you going to the amusement park on Sunday?"

"Yeah… You want to go too, right, Ryota-kun?"

Haruto picked up on his feelings and asked gently.

Ryota’s eyes lit up for a second, but then he quickly forced himself to stay composed.

"But it’s a date with big sis, right?"

"Yeah, it is."

"…Then I won’t go."

Ryota shook his head, clenching his fists, as if holding something back.

"I won’t get in the way while you and big sis grow your love."

His earnest words made Haruto feel a wave of affection.

He glanced at Ayaka, who gave him a small nod.

Seeing that, Haruto knelt down and spoke kindly.

"Why don’t you come with us too, Ryota-kun?"

"Huh? I can? I’m not a bother?"

"Of course not. You being there will make it even more fun for both me and Ayaka."

"Yeah! Let’s all go together!"

Hearing that from both Haruto and Ayaka, Ryota’s face lit up like a sunflower.

"Really!? Yay! I wanna go too!!"

His eyes sparkled with joy, and Haruto couldn’t help but smile along with him.

Ryota, brimming with excitement, suddenly turned to Kiyoko as if remembering something.

"Grandma! This chicken was super yummy! Thank you!"

"I’m so glad you liked it, Ryota-kun. I’ll make it again soon, okay?"

"Yup!"

Thrilled about the upcoming amusement park trip, Ryota’s excitement was contagious.

The Tojo family dinner table was wrapped in a warm, happy atmosphere.