At this point, there's no use hiding it.
Lightly patting Tooru's hand to signal him to let go, Miyahito honestly nodded and admitted it.
"Yeah. Lately, during lunch break, I've always been with Utaha."
"I knew it!" Tooru nodded in sudden realization. "Looks like Yamada was right last Friday."
"You two really are dating, huh."
"When did it start? We had no idea!" Yuki's eyes sparkled as she pressed on.
"Not bad, Miyahito." Kyoko chimed in, looking pleased. "Quietly bagging a candidate for next year's 'Miss Toyogasaki'... I guess that's just Miyahito for you."
"Yeah, I'm curious how you pulled it off. Kasumigaoka-san has held the top academic spot in the grade since day one."
"Traitor, Miyahito. We promised to stay single together, and you ran off ahead."
Listening to their increasingly exaggerated teasing, Miyahito's face darkened. He waved his hand dismissively.
"What do you mean 'bagging'? You're getting the wrong idea."
"Utaha and I aren't dating."
"!"
Instantly, Kyoko, Yuki, and Tooru froze. The next second, they burst into laughter, completely unfazed, and chimed in:
Tooru: "That kind of atmosphere and you say you're not dating? Miyahito, we're guys. No need to be shy."
Yuki: "Didn't know you liked playing the secret romance. Respect."
Kyoko: "Lying isn't good for kids, you know."
Facing these two girls and one guy who were clearly enjoying the show, Miyahito stared at them expressionlessly.
Gradually feeling the shift in his attitude, the three stopped, exchanged a unified look, and said:
Tooru: "Sigh. So dense."
Kyoko: "Sorry. I failed to educate my child."
Yuki: "Pathetic, Miyahito-kun."
Their merciless, sharp roasts and disdainful expressions actually made Miyahito laugh out of frustration.
"Stop treating me like a scumbag. I just said currently, we're friends."
The moment he said it, he saw their expressions shift to "Ah, so you do have ulterior motives, Miyahito-kun."
Realizing it instantly, he panicked internally.
Good lord, these three were fishing for info! Damn it, I fell for it!
"Unexpectedly pure. Are all handsome guys like this now?"
"Sigh... where did the education system go wrong? Why is my child so clumsy? So difficult."
"Miyahito, you... whatever. Looking smart is enough."
Now, Miyahito was completely lost.
Looking down at Tooru, who was muttering, "It's fine, Tooru, Miyahito just looks smart," he tilted his head, his tone confused and slightly bewildered.
"Wait... doesn't a confession require mutual feelings first?"
The three of them froze.
No way. Seriously?
You two have that kind of vibe, and you still think Kasumigaoka doesn't like you?
Even a blind man could see it. Forget confessing, if you dragged her to the city hall to register your marriage right now... she probably wouldn't even refuse.
"You're hopeless, Miyahito." Tooru coldly dropped the line, then grabbed his gym bag without looking back and headed for the gymnasium.
Watching his retreating back, Miyahito's expression remained blank.
Following their parting shots, Yuki and Kyoko fell into step behind Tooru, leaving the classroom in perfect unison as they headed to the gymnasium for the upcoming match.
Left completely alone in the empty room, Miyahito looked around with a blank expression and muttered to himself:
"Where exactly am I dense?"
He didn't get first place in the midterms (that title belonged to Utaha), but he was still solidly in the top eight of the entire grade.
How could they possibly call him dense?
...
Toyogasaki Academy Gymnasium.
"Hey, which class do you think will win?"
"Definitely Class B. Lord Miyahito is playing."
"I think Class D will win. They beat Miyahito's team in a friendly match before."
"Shut up, Motoyama-kun. I won't allow you to talk about Lord Miyahito like that."
"..."
Standing alone on the second-floor viewing platform, Utaha listened to the chatter around her, especially from the girl who was blatantly obvious about her crush on Miyahito.
It made her recall how she used to be, and she couldn't help but laugh softly.
Not too long ago, hearing another girl openly express "I like Aragaki-kun" in front of her would have instantly put her in a foul mood.
She couldn't quite pinpoint why it annoyed her.
But she'd inevitably feel angry, upset, and irritated.
However, the current Utaha found she could face such things with complete calm.
After all, Miyahito's reaction today had already given her a clear answer.
Why isn't he here yet?
Holding a blue towel in one hand and a gradient-red Tritan water bottle filled with sports drink in the other, her wrists resting lightly on the railing, Utaha stood on her tiptoes slightly, her gaze fixed on the Class B bench area on the court below.
If only I were in Class B too.
In the Class B area, her eyes immediately landed on Kyoko and Yuki.
Although she'd heard directly from Miyahito's own mouth: "Kyoko and Yuki? No way, they're my bros,"
honestly, it was impossible for her not to feel a twinge of envy.
After all, those two girls, aside from her, had become Miyahito's friends first.
And because they shared the same homeroom, compared to Utaha who only had their brief lunch breaks together, those two girls spent significantly more time with him every day.
"Ah, there he is."
Snapping out of her thoughts, her gaze still fixed on the Class B bench, Utaha instantly spotted Miyahito emerging from the tunnel with an aura of fierce determination.
"Hehe, taking it this seriously, Miyahito-kun?"
Watching him earnestly discuss tactics with his teammates, looking like he was heading to war rather than a school match, Utaha's hands, still holding the towel and bottle, instinctively rose to her chest.
Her skin lightly pressed against her uniform shirt. Her wine-red eyes, reflecting only his silhouette, softened with an involuntary, tender smile.
Parting her lips slightly, Utaha whispered softly to the boy hyping up his team:
"Good luck, Miyahito-kun."
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