Chapter Two: “The Princess Wants to Appeal to the Prince” — Part Eleven

“I did it…! I managed average marks across every subject…!”

I couldn’t help letting out a little squeal when the results sheets were handed out. I’d gone in just hoping to avoid failing grades — and in some subjects I’d actually come in above average.

Maybe I have hidden academic talent after all.

“How’d you do?”

I turned around to find Yuuri peering over at my sheet.

“Amazing.”

I flashed a peace sign, and Yuuri smugly held up her own results in return.

“Isn’t that supposed to be my line?”

When the person saying it is ranked first in the year, all you can do is nod.
Actually, I’d never once seen Yuuri’s results be anything other than first place.

She’d tutored me through exam season on top of everything else, and she wasn’t a grind-it-out type either — her study hours weren’t all that different from mine.
She’d always just been naturally efficient like that.

“I’m going to work harder and do even better next time.”
“For Iori-senpai?”
“Obviously. Right now Iori-senpai is one hundred percent of my motivation for everything.”

Come to think of it — how had Senpai’s exams gone? She’d been worried about remedial classes, so I hoped she’d managed to stay out of the red.

“Himena.”
“What?”
“Iori-senpai’s here.”
“What?!”

I spun to look where Yuuri was pointing, and there was Iori-senpai, standing out in the corridor. Our eyes met and she smiled, beckoning me over.

“Iori-senpai!”
“Same energy as always, Himena-chan.”
“You called for me, my beloved senpai!”

Ah, Iori-senpai is so breathtakingly beautiful today too…!!
Himena is so completely in love with Iori-senpai today too…!!

“Look at this, Himena-chan.”

What Senpai held out was her results sheet. The ranking wasn’t anything to write home about — but that wasn’t the point.

“That’s amazing! Senpai, you passed every single subject!”
“I know.”

She pressed her right hand to her chest and looked thoroughly pleased with herself. Adorable.

“I thought — I have to go and tell Himena-chan right away.”
“You came all the way here just for that?!”
“I did.”

She launched happily into the story of how she’d scraped above forty in Japanese — look at this — but I couldn’t take in a single word.

Because — because — Senpai just said something extraordinary, didn’t she?! I have to tell Himena-chan right away — that’s love, isn’t it?! That has to be love?!

While I was floating somewhere above the clouds, the bell rang and Senpai was gone, just like that. Knowing she’d come during a break when she barely had time made the happiness feel twice as big.

“This is too much, far too much…”
“Keeping that grin off your face while she was here — that was well done, actually.”

Yuuri patted me on the back and nodded with what appeared to be genuine approval.

“And going out of her way to come during class time — that’s a pretty good sign, I’d say.”
“Yes. I think so too, I want to think so. But…”

The distance between Senpai and me was definitely closing. She invited me to lunch sometimes now, and our LINE conversations had stopped trailing off into stickers.

“I just don’t have any confidence she sees me as a romantic prospect!!”
“Fair enough.”
“At this rate I’m going to end up giving the best-friend speech at Iori-senpai’s wedding someday!”
“Bold of you to assume you’d be invited.”

That was absolutely out of the question. Unbearable. Celebrating Senpai belonging to someone else — never, not in a million years!
Getting closer to her wasn’t enough. From here on, I needed to push things in a more clearly romantic direction.

“Yuuri.”
“What?”
“I’ll let you give the speech at my wedding with Senpai.”
“Oh, be quiet.”

She sighed, and glanced back at the timetable posted on the rear wall. Next period was homeroom.

“Himena. Have you decided which event you want for the ball games tournament?”
“Soccer and basketball, right?”
“Yep.”

Next week the whole school was holding a joint ball games tournament. Everyone had to participate in either soccer or basketball.

Senpai would definitely go for basketball. She could probably hold her own at soccer too, but basketball would be her pick — she loved it too much to choose anything else.
Picking basketball would give me more chances to watch her, but…

“Soccer, I think. Basketball’s rough on the nails, and with fewer players I’d be too conspicuous.”

My athletic ability was genuinely terrible. Small-team sports were something to avoid wherever possible.
Senpai and I would be in different events, but I could watch when I wasn’t playing.
And Senpai would probably be completely dominant out there. Her personality being what it was, she wasn’t the type to go easy just because it was a fun school tournament.
Actually — Senpai in her PE kit is pretty rare, isn’t it?! Oh no, I’m getting excited already…!

“Yuuri. The ball games tournament is going to be so good!”
“You’re only thinking about Iori-senpai, aren’t you.”
“Yes. Obviously.”
“What a refreshingly honest answer.”

The teacher came in and Yuuri returned to her seat. Sure enough, the first order of business was picking tournament events.
I needed to get hold of the match schedule as soon as possible and work out the optimal plan for cheering Senpai on at maximum capacity!