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I saw a nostalgic dream.

The moment I cut through the goal tape after receiving the baton and running faster than anyone, for the first time in my life, I received congratulatory cheers.

""You did it, Asakura!""

When I turned around from the goal, a cla.s.smate had run up to me.
The person that had rushed at me first, was another member of the relay, Samejima.

""You really did it! Look, it’s a turnabout! It"s our overall victory! Our cla.s.s won!"" (Samejima)

Samejima is from the karate club, and everytime I come to school, they cla.s.s requests him to hold me down if I act violently. The person himself has an honest personality, and often looked at my delinquent self with sharp eyes.
However, today, in this moment, I was confused by seeing Samejima"s smiling face for the first time, and by the time I realized it, I had naturally taken out my hand, high fiving him.

""Oi oi, that"s seriously so cool, Asakura-kun!""
""That was splendid.""

Seeing my exchange with Samejima, the remaining two members of the relay were unable to hold in their excitement, and ran up to me.

""Well, I wondered what would happen at the start, and the girls in my fanclub might"ve cried if we lost. But you won, you"re amazing, Asakura-kun.""

Short, brown dyed hair and earrings. I"m pretty sure he"s Kagami from the basketball, that I recognized as a playboy.

""Yes, you splendidly did it, yes, it was splendid. It really was splendid.""

I"m pretty sure this guy was Miya something, who I could never tell what he was talking about, is a poor talker, and is always hesitant.
I was surprised that someone like him was chosen for the relay, but probably because he"s excited right now, his eyes are shining.

""Ah~, shut up. So annoying. You guys are being too noisy.""

To be honest, I couldn"t help but be embarra.s.sed.
It"s because it was my first time for someone to be happy over what I did, like this.
That"s why my face naturally became hot.
Like, why am I doing something like this here.
Everything is that woman"s fault.
That woman that suddenly made me a subst.i.tute member, since one of the regular relay members were injured.

""Uhohoooi! You did it, baby! Ah-Sah-Kuh-Ra-kun, that was great!""

Even though she"s a woman, does she have no self-control? That stupid woman, in her male school uniform for cheerleading, danced weirdly on the stage while shouting her joy.

She is Kamino Mina.

Then, that stupid woman immediately jumped off the stage and ran up to me.
In front of her, there was one schoolgirl with flashy eyes, blond hair in rolls, flashy fake fingernails and false eyelashes.
A gyaru-like gyaru no matter how you look at her.

""Bii-chan, I"m glad!"" (Kamino)
""Uuu, uuuu, ueeeeeeeeen.""

With a full smile, Kamino embraced that gyaru, and that gyaru cried without caring about public gaze.
You"re makeup"s going to fall you know? Is what I thought, but that woman cried as if she was a young child.

""Uu, I"m glad, I really am glad. Even though everyone worked so hard, if we didn"t get overall victory because, higu, I, I fell over in the centipede race, really.""

In the cla.s.s girl centipede compet.i.tion, she tripped and fell, making the cla.s.s get the lowest rank.
Even though she"s a flashy gyaru and kept looking down, blaming herself, her tears didn"t stop from the relief of being released from sadness.
If I remember correctly, she was Biyama, right? Or was she b.i.t.c.hyama? Well, I"m not interested though.

""Asakura!"" (Biyama)
""Uo."" (Asakura)
""Um, really, seriously, I"m seriously thankful! Really, if you didn"t do that, I, I."" (Biyama)

Before I realized it, Biyama had come right in front of me.
Calm down. Why are you swinging from joy and sorrow over something like an athletics festival.
Rather, if you"re a gyaru, you don"t have to get so serious about an event like this.

""Is that some kind of tribal makeup from somewhere?"" (Asakura)
""Eh?"" (Biyama)
""Your face is becoming something crazy."" (Asakura)

Because of your makeup, your tears became black and your face is getting awful.

""Ah, no, no way, wai, ahhh geez, stop looking at me!"" (Biyama)

Good grief, so stupid. Every single one of them are being so noisy.
In the first place, what"s so good about winning an event like this.

""Hah haa, well~, Asakura-kun, you really are a shy, shy boy!"" (Kamino)

Kamino comes and jumps onto my back from behind me.
You"re way too close! Stop getting so friendly to me!

""Y, you, stop following me around! So annoying!"" (Asakura)
""Hah haa, that"s right! I am annoying! Annoying, and very lame!"" (Kamino)
""Oi, I"ll send you flying!"" (Asakura)
""Geez, I"ll forgive you just for today! Asakura-kun, you shouldn"t be so super super furious, but *pureezu smile, since it"s such a special occasion!"" (Kamino) (Tl Note: *Trying to say please in Engish.)

What"s up with her?
Why does she keep playing around with me!
Like, I"m being laughed at! The people in my cla.s.s are laughing at a delinquent like me!
Don"t f.u.c.k with me!

""Hey, Mina. He looks troubled. Besides, it"s not good to congratulate him all by yourself."" (Ayase)
""Ooh, Ayase-chan who always has a business smile, is making an amazing smile!"" (Kamino)
""Tha, that"s none of your business!"" (Ayase)

See, look. Because you were so friendly to me, the other people from cla.s.s are coming too.

""You were great, Asakura-kun. Thanks to you, we got an overall victory."" (Ayase)
""Shut up, I"m not interested, octopus. I"m going home!"" (Asakura)
""Wait a moment. We need to all hold the trophy together and take a photo."" (Ayase)
""Are you an idiot, that"s so stupid."" (Asakura)

The honours student, cla.s.s committee member who always looked at me like an enemy, suddenly changed her att.i.tude.
If I remember correctly, her name was Ayase. She seemed like she would be really popular with guys, but I hate women who have to manage every single event like this, and act as the representative of the cla.s.s.

Yeah, today is just a whim.
I ended up doing something like this because of that stupid woman, but from tomorrow, I"ll just return to my usual daily life.

""Come on, they said we"re taking a photo. We muscat take it together together."" (Kamino) (TL Note: Muscat = must. Kamino just randomly made that pun.)

That"s right, everything is this woman"s fault.

""Kamino. Just stop it already."" (Asakura)
""Oro?"" (Kamino)
""It"s not that fun to keep hanging out with me. Just, leave me alone."" (Asakura)

Yeah, I want her to leave me alone. I"m not good with these kinds of things.

""Eh~, I don"t want to~."" (Kamino)

And yet, she said that without hesitating at all.

""I mean, Asakura-kun, you"re cute~, so I just end up keeping you company in the end~."" (Kamino)

""""""""""Haaah?""""""""""

What part of this brutal-eyed, boorish guy are you looking at.
The people from cla.s.s unintentionally let out a surprised voice too.

""You"re a pouting baby tsundere-san after all, Asakura-kun. No matter what you say right now, you did run your hardest today."" (Kamino)
""Idi, haa? It"s not like I ran for your guys" sake or anything, okay!"" (Asakura)

I was really embarra.s.sed.
I said that without thinking about it, but in the next moment, my surprised cla.s.smates all broke out into laughter simultaneously.

""Ahahaha, good one Tsunkura-kun!""
""Yeah yeah, although you"re trying your best to act like a delinquent, pukukukuku.""
""Your face is completely red.""
""He"s unexpectedly pure.""
""Hehe, I like you. Hey, Asakura-kun, let"s go eat ramen together!""
""Time to party!""

Why did it turn out like this? Why did everyone become so friendly to me?
Why is everyone approaching me with those kinds of smiles?

""Hey, Mina. You"re making fun of him too much. Derekura-kun is getting angry. Pukkukuku, tsu, tsundere."" (Ayase)
""What are you laughing about, Ayase!"" (Asakura)

I had never showed my emotions on my face that much before.
I had never had that many smiling faces pointed towards me from that many people before.
I had never felt that my personality that couldn"t be honest with itself was that bothersome before.

""Ehehe, you look happy, Asakura-kun. I"m having a lot of fun."" (Kamino)

I"m not having fun though.
You keep laughing so frivolously, and it"s irritating.
You"re over-familiar, stupid, noisy, and yet, you"re always in the centre of people.

What"s up with this woman.

Why is this person coming near me so unreasonably.

Why have I been coming to school ever since then.

All of it is this woman"s fault.
That"s right, everything is because of that woman.

Then, I woke up.
When I saw my face in the mirror after waking up, it wasn"t Asakura Ryuuma"s face that was on it.
The face that was on it, was Velt Jeeha.

It had already been a long time since then, but I still remember each and every memory of my past life vividly.

""Kamino, are you doing fine right now?"" (Velt)

 
Several years have pa.s.sed since I regained my memories of Asakura Ryuuma.
By the time I realized it, I, Velt Jeeha, had become 15 years old.