NOVEL NEXT Chapter 16
“Ugh…”
I silently watched as Kaneda broke down into tears like a child. His sobs began to leak out. This was Kaneda, without any pretense or bluster.
He didn’t react at all to the mocking voices around him.
Well, that’s not his concern right now.
I also heard voices praising me. Hearing such voices, one might misunderstand that they’ve become popular.
But reality isn’t that simple.
“Yes!”
“Huh!?”
Suddenly, Shirasaki hugged me.
“I’m so happy for you, Sato-kun!”
“Uh, ah, ah, ah, ah.”
Shirasaki shook me vigorously. I felt like a pendulum.
Ah, this isn’t good… I’m starting to feel nauseous.
“Hana-chan, Sato-kun looks uncomfortable.”
“Ah, sorry.”
With Kuromiya’s intervention, I was freed from my pendulum state.
Whoa… My vision is spinning…
“Hana-chan was really worried about Sato-kun, you know? She thought it was her fault.”
“…Huh?”
Hearing Kuromiya’s words, I looked at Shirasaki. She smiled, seeming a bit apologetic.
“It’s because the karaoke incident led to this match, right? So it’s my fault.”
Shirasaki said so, but honestly, she did nothing wrong. This was between me and Kaneda.
But she probably felt responsible for creating the situation.
“No, Hana-chan. This is my fault. Because Sato-kun helped me, this happened.”
“No, if I hadn’t helped you the way I did, this wouldn’t have happened. It’s my fault.”
“No, it started with me suggesting—”
“No, it’s because I got helped—”
“I messed up, so it’s my fault—”
What’s with this argument?
Seems like Kuromiya and Shirasaki were thinking the same thing, so they both stopped talking.
“Let’s split it and say it’s all our fault.”
We divided the responsibility and the cause into three parts, bringing the conversation to a temporary close.
“But what’s with this impromptu match? I was really worried, you know?”
Yikes! Kuromiya’s smile is scary!
Though her voice and expression should be that of the popular, public-facing Kuromiya, her words felt incredibly forceful.
(If you’re this good at basketball, you should have told me from the start.)
She’s definitely thinking that!
“Ah, I’m sorry…”
Suddenly, Kaneda caught my eye.
He still couldn’t stand up. It probably wasn’t physical exhaustion but a lack of will.
“Is Kaneda-kun okay? I’ll go check on him.”
“No, I’ll go.”
I stopped Shirasaki and headed toward Kaneda.
I made him cry, broke his spirit. I was the victor, and he was the loser. I had no words to offer him as the winner.
But as a classmate, I hoped he’d let me lend him a hand in his time of need.
I extended my hand to Kaneda.
Huh?
Looking at Kaneda’s haggard face, memories of my middle school days flashed back.
…? Wait, when I looked down… something…
“Kaneda, I…”
I can’t hold it in. Ugh… ugh!
“Urp!? Blahblahblah!”
I threw up. Despite knowing it’s wrong, I couldn’t stop. It just wouldn’t stop.
And it landed on Kaneda, who was already emotionally broken.
“Whoa! Sato threw up!”
“It’s all over Kaneda!”
“Let’s go! This is bad!”
Kuromiya and Shirasaki rushed over, followed by the panicked audience.
“Are you okay? Sorry! Was it because I shook you too hard? Want some water?”
Shirasaki offered me water, looking concerned.
“Sato-kun, if there’s more, you should get it all out.”
Kuromiya gently rubbed my back.
“Okay, let’s divide into teams: one to clean the floor, one to look after Sato, and one to clean up Kaneda!”
“What about Kaneda?”
“Let’s borrow the staff shower room!”
“Got it! I’ll get a change of clothes!”
“I brought cleaning supplies!”
The students who were mocking and cheering earlier were now united in their concern for me, fetching cleaning supplies and even taking Kaneda, who was covered in vomit and in a state of shock, to the shower room.
Everyone was coming together…
…to clean up my mess.
I’m really sorry!
I want to disappear… This is so embarrassing that I wish I could vanish from here!
This incident would later be long remembered as the “Puke Panic.”