The next day, outside the school, in front of the volleyball court, students stood in their jerseys—boys and girls separated into two groups.
The air was stiff with tension as their new P.E. teacher paced in front of them, clearly frustrated.
Shinohara-sensei, eyes sharp and arms crossed, finally stopped and snapped at the girls in anger.
"What are you girls even doing in sports? Look at the boys — last year they had two tournaments and won both. Meanwhile, you girls came in last. Do you have any excuse?"
Her voice echoed across the court. The girls looked away in embarrassment, avoiding eye contact. Some of the boys smirked quietly, enjoying the moment.
Miharu, standing at the back, tried to shrink behind the others. Shinohara-sensei noticed—and called her out.
"Miharu! Don't try to hide."
Miharu straightened up awkwardly, stepping out from her hiding place and replying quickly.
"I wasn't hiding, ma'am…"
Rei murmured to himself, worried,
Please… not again.
Shinohara-sensei looked at her sharply and stepped in front of Miharu.
"Personally, I've never seen you actually play volleyball. You're always listed as a substitute, but it's not like you can't play. I'm watching you."
Miharu had no excuse. She looked down, cheeks burning in embarrassment. Shinohara-sensei paused, then took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
"Listen. I'm not saying you need to be exactly like the boys. But at the very least, try not to come in last again. Do I have your word?"
All the girls nodded and replied in low voices,
"Yes, ma'am."
Shinohara-sensei smiled and nodded in return. She paused for a moment before continuing,
"Good. Starting tomorrow, boys and girls will practice together. I'll assign the teams myself."
The students murmured in surprise, glancing at one another. Shinohara-sensei then turned toward the boys and continued.
"Boys, take it easy during the first few matches. Girls, try to keep up. That's all — dismissed."
The students stood up straight, fixing their posture as they faced the teacher, and replied together,
"Yes, ma'am!"
In the classroom, Yamada-sensei is writing on the blackboard while students chat in the back. He notices Miharu not paying attention and walks toward her.
"What now? I didn't do anything."
Yamada-sensei smiled dryly, looking at Miharu for a moment before speaking.
"Is that so… then will you help me?"
Miharu hesitated, but she knew she didn't have a choice.
"Y-Yes…"
"Good. Go and check the first row—"
He pointed toward it—the same row where Rei was sitting.
"—see if they've done their homework."
Miharu spots Rei and blushes, quickly looking away. Rei faces forward, pretending not to notice. Yamada-sensei turns to the student behind Miharu to check their homework.
Miharu slowly walks toward Rei's row and begins checking the notebooks, moving from student to student. With every step closer, both her heart and Rei's begin to race.
When it's finally Rei's turn, their eyes meet for a brief, awkward second. She blushes and, in a soft voice, says—
"D-Did you... do your homework?"
Rei blushes and hands her his notebook. Miharu glances over it in a hurry, trying to end the tension between them as quickly as possible.
As she turns to check the next student, her foot catches on the leg of a chair. With a small yelp and the loud scrape of wood against the floor, she stumbles forward—landing right on top of Rei.
Their lips collide.
Rei feels the warmth of her lips against his. Both of their eyes snap open in shock as they freeze in place, cheeks burning bright red. A wave of murmurs ripples through the classroom.
One student blurts out what everyone is thinking: "D-Did they just… kiss?!"
The class erupts in chatter. Yamada-sensei raises his voice, trying to calm everyone down.
Thinking quickly, Rei places his hand between their faces, blocking their lips as if nothing had happened. He forces a laugh and speaks loudly.
"C'mon, guys, nothing happened! She just fell!"
Slowly, they stand up amid the sea of whispers. Miharu keeps her head down, her face burning with embarrassment. Yamada-sensei clears his throat and takes charge.
"Alright, class, calm down... Miharu, are you hurt?"
Miharu seemed worried, but then she realized Rei's lie had worked and everything was fine. After class, Miharu finds a moment to talk to Rei privately.
"Thank you so much... for what you did back there in class."
Rei blushed and gave a small smile.
"It's nothing. I just saw your eyes close in fear when they started talking, so… I did what I thought was best."
Miharu found his words gently confident. Then she noticed a bit of blood on his lower lip. Concerned, she asked softly,
"Did you get hurt?"
Rei blushed harder, hesitating to answer. He met her eyes for a moment, then looked away.
"N-No… actually… it was your teeth."
When Miharu realized what he meant, she blushed even harder and looked away. Neither of them spoke for a moment.
Flustered, Miharu suddenly grabbed his hand and tugged him closer, looking straight at him. Rei felt the warmth of her hand, unable to speak—or even focus on anything else but her.
"You should get a bandage..."
Miharu gently pulled him toward the nurse's office. Inside the room, Rei sat on the bench while Miharu carefully placed a bandage on his wound.
Rei looked at her face—at her fingers pressing the bandage firmly, at her focused eyes. When she caught him staring, both of them quickly looked away in embarrassment.
Not smiling now, are you, Rei? To break the awkward wall between them, Rei smiled and said.
"Thank you but you didn't had to go this far."
Miharu sat down, smiled softly, and replied,
"It's the least I can do…"
She shifted slightly as a thought crossed her mind, then glanced around before asking,
"Hey… can I ask you something?"
Rei straightened his shoulders, his mind racing.
Wait… she's not about to ask why I stare at her all the time, is she?
He gave an awkward smile before saying,
"Yeah, go ahead."
Miharu, blushing, swallowed and replied slowly,
"I was thinking… can you teach me how to get better at volleyball? Privately."
Rei's eyes lit up at her suggestion. Miharu, still red-faced, continued.
"Please, the new P.E. teacher is keeping an eye on me. I heard you're the second-best player on the team."
Before Rei could respond, she quickly added a recompense so he wouldn't feel awkward—but it wasn't like she was unaware.
"I mean… I can help you with your studies too… if you want."
Rei charged up inside, almost letting his feelings slip, but he maintained himself, cheeks flushed.
"I think that's a great idea."
Miharu smiled, looking away shyly.
"Thank you."
Rei notices someone peeking through the window. It's Haruki—grinning playfully. Rei takes this as a threat to his privacy.
Was he standing there the entire time!?
Haruki starts teasing, mouthing the word "Thank you" with exaggerated drama. Rei feels embarrassed.
Really, dude?
Miharu slowly moves toward Rei, curious.
"What happened?"
Rei, flustered by her sudden question, awkwardly replies,
"Nothing… nothing, I was just—"
The rest of the day passed happily for them. At night, in Miharu's room, she lies on her bed, cuddling her pillow. Her cheeks are flushed, and a soft smile dances on her lips.
I was holding back on Yamada-sensei for a whole month because of Rei, but that day... I burst.
Noooo!... what will he think of me.
Miharu covers her face with her hands and rolls on the bed. Remembering the moments between them, she giggles softly.
And I bit him while...
He took my first kiss. It wasn't proper, but... wait, was it his first kiss too?
Miharu puffed up her cheeks in adorable frustration, eyebrows sharp.
But the rumors…
How many girls have you kissed before me?
She punched the pillow hard, tossing it around. Soon, she started laughing at her own state, hugging the pillow back.
At Rei's house, he lies on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He touches the small bandage just below his lower lip, blushing.
She's so damn cute...
Rei glances at his hand, smiling faintly. He remembers the moment Miharu grabbed his hand and pulled him to the nurse's office. His expression softens.
It wasn't the romantic kiss I imagined…
I wish I could've…
Rei is left with an unusual dreaminess. Miharu feels closer than before, yet still just out of reach.