Chapter 14: Physical Education Class

The dreaded hour had arrived.

P.E. class.

“Ugh… P.E. I don’t want to move~”

“I wish I could skip, but I guess we have to go…”

“Yay~ P.E.!”

“Let’s go, let’s go~ Kurosawa, come on~”

As the bell rang, the girls stood up and headed somewhere. I followed, feeling like a prisoner being marched to their cell.

And there it was…

The forbidden zone.

I stood frozen before the locker room, gym clothes clutched in my hand.

The ‘girls’ locker room.’

Forbidden—no, more accurately, off-limits to males.

‘H-How… what do I do…?’

I felt a cold sweat break out, my grip tightening on the straps of my gym bag. The other girls, chattering amongst themselves, casually entered the locker room.

‘How can they just… walk in there so casually?!’

Well, there was nothing to be surprised about. It was perfectly normal.

They were girls.

To them, this was just an ordinary space.

‘But… I… I…!’

I remembered yesterday’s near-disaster at the men’s restroom. And now, I had to enter a far more dangerous territory.

‘This… is this really okay?’

I ran through countless scenarios in my head. Even if my body had adjusted, changing clothes in a locker room full of girls was a completely different matter! Just as my palms were starting to sweat, a familiar voice spoke from behind me.

“Rina? Aren’t you coming in?”

Aya, who had been walking behind me, tilted her head curiously.

“…Oh? Y-Yeah!”

“Rina~ let’s go, let’s go~ Okay?” Mizuki grinned, giving me a playful push. I chuckled nervously and entered, my internal screams echoing in my ears.

‘Noooo!! This is bad!!’

As soon as I stepped inside, I instinctively squeezed my eyes shut and stared at the floor. The sounds of rustling clothes and hushed conversations filled the air, a scene of ordinary daily life for them, but…

‘This is forbidden territory! Not even the protagonist of a romantic comedy is allowed in here!!’

…Well, except for those lucky few who stumbled into accidental “ecchi” situations. I shuffled forward, my legs stiff with anxiety. Mizuki, watching me, winked playfully.

“Rina~ you look suspicious standing there all stiff~”

“…R-Really?”

I tried to act natural, cautiously opening my eyes. Mizuki, with her usual bright smile, led me towards a row of lockers.

“Here’s our spot. This is where our class changes.” She took my arm and guided me towards the lockers.

I blushed, clutching my gym bag.

‘Right, act natural… I’m a girl now…’

I thought my body had adjusted, but the locker room was a whole new challenge. ‘Just change quietly… no one will pay attention…’

With that thought, I closed my eyes, unbuttoned my blazer, and began unbuttoning my blouse. As my undergarments were revealed and the cool air brushed against my skin…

“Rina.”

“Eek?!” I quickly covered myself.

Mizuki chuckled. “I noticed it even with your uniform on, but you have a surprisingly nice figure.”

“M-M-Me?” I stammered, my face burning. Hearing such a comment while practically in my underwear made my heart race.

“Yeah~ You know, you could probably be one of Takamari’s Four Beauties.”

“Eek?!” I nearly shrieked, mortified, shrinking into myself.

The Four Beauties?! No way…! That title belonged to “The White Goddess” Aya, “The Cherry Blossom Incarnate” Mizuki, the third-year “Angel of the Masses,” and the middle school “Sapphire Diva”!

‘There’s no way I can join that group! There would be three of us in the same year!’

Takamari Academy’s Four Beauties. Legendary figures who possessed not only beauty but also intelligence, grace, and athleticism. Just like them. The middle school idol was even a talented performer active in the entertainment industry, while also maintaining top grades.

That idol, by the way, had become a runner-up in the love game because the protagonist only had eyes for Aya.

‘Anyway…’

“…Don’t joke, Mizuki! Absolutely not!” I said firmly, shaking my head.

But Mizuki just smiled knowingly and whispered, “Hmm~ but you’re quite popular these days, aren’t you?”

“Th-That’s not true!!”

Flustered, I tried to put on my gym clothes, but ended up putting my shirt on inside out.

“Pfft, Rina, what are you doing? Were you that embarrassed?”

Mizuki’s teasing made me blush even deeper as I quickly corrected my mistake.

‘I can’t take this anymore…’

Just then, Aya walked over to me. She looked at me with a warm gaze. “Rina, you don’t need to be so nervous. Mizuki, stop teasing her.”

“Aw~ fine, if Aya-ring says so~”

“Thank you…” I muttered, finally managing to put my shirt on correctly and letting out a sigh of relief. Thankfully, the uniform skirt had a built-in petticoat, not just shorts, so I could simply tuck my gym shorts underneath and pull the skirt back down, avoiding the embarrassment of accidentally flashing my underwear.

I had some sense of decency!

****

After break time, we lined up and headed to the gymnasium. As the doors opened, I gasped.

‘This… is a gym?’

The sight before me was beyond anything I’d imagined. The ceiling soared high above, and a massive LED screen dominated one wall. The polished floor gleamed, and the powerful overhead lights illuminated every corner.

‘This is better than some university gyms.’

While I gaped at the impressive structure, Mizuki, looking completely at ease, strode towards the center of the gym. Aya walked calmly beside me, a quiet smile on her face.

“Rina, is this your first time seeing the gym?” Mizuki asked, grinning mischievously.

I quickly closed my mouth and nodded, trying to appear nonchalant. “Y-Yeah… I guess so?”

“Well, this is Takamari Academy~ Don’t be too surprised!” Mizuki chuckled.

But my mind was racing. ‘Was there such a detailed description of the gym in the novel?’

‘This is like… an Olympic stadium… And that’s… a digital scoreboard?!’

But the other students seemed completely unfazed, their expressions nonchalant as they entered the gym.

Well, almost everyone.

Nishimura, my fellow transfer student and classroom duty partner, was openly gawking at the impressive space, his jaw dropped.

Just then, a booming voice echoed through the gym.

“Alright! Is everyone here?”

The P.E. teacher appeared, holding a volleyball. Tall and muscular, he addressed the class in his booming voice.

“Our first class is volleyball. Today, we’ll be forming teams and practicing. Those with poor form will get one-on-one coaching from me. We’ll be dividing each class into A and B teams, for a total of ten teams from five classes. We’ll be having a tournament. Understood?”

‘A tournament?’ I stared at him, surprised.

In the novel, P.E. class was often used as a scene for the protagonist to show off his athletic abilities, but there was no mention of a volleyball tournament.

‘This wasn’t in the original story… Maybe the protagonist just wasn’t interested in P.E…?’

The teacher wrote the rules on the whiteboard.

• Five members per team. Each class will have a boys’ A team, a boys’ B team, a girls’ A team, and a girls’ B team.

• Winning teams will advance to play against higher-ranked classes.

• Bonus points will be awarded to the winning class.

He tapped the whiteboard. “Those are the rules. Now, let’s decide the teams. A free-for-all would be chaotic, so… we’ll draw lots!”

He produced a bundle of wooden sticks, and a strange tension filled the air. Some students, however, were buzzing with anticipation, their whispers clearly expressing their desire to be on Aya or Mizuki’s team.

“One by one, come draw a lot. Red marks A team, unmarked is B team.”

I joined the line and carefully drew a stick. The tip was painted red.

‘Oh… I’m on A team?’

I glanced at Mizuki and Aya. They were both holding red-tipped sticks.

“Yay! Asakura-sama is on our team!”

“Huh? Yukikawa-sama too?!”

The two girls, beaming, hugged each other excitedly. The girls who ended up on the B team looked dejected.

“Alright, it’s all luck! A teams and B teams, start practicing amongst yourselves. You all know how to play volleyball, right? Two in the front, three in the back. Got it?”

““Yes””

As the teacher explained the rules, I snuck a glance at Aya. She was quietly looking at her stick, then our eyes met, and she smiled softly. Her smile was as gentle as ever, but there was a hint of relief in it.

‘Huh? Aya… seems happy?’

Seeing Aya, usually so composed and perfect, express even a flicker of happiness over something so trivial made my heart flutter. Was it because we were on the same team?

‘No, no! I’m reading too much into this, aren’t I?’

She was just smiling normally! I shook my head and tugged at my gym clothes. But Aya, standing beside me, continued to smile faintly, her eyes relaxed.

“Rina, let’s do our best.”

“Y-Yeah!” Her warm smile made me blush again. I was so weak against her.