Kasumi Mogi's basic attire during P.E. is her regular uniform rather than a gym outfit.
Today, she is once again watching the boys play soccer. She's wearing her uniform like normal while remaining as expressionless as an ornament.
The white legs that peek out from Mogi-san's skirt are so thin, they seem as if they could snap at any moment.
And I, for some reason, am sleeping with my head on her lap.
Ah, yeah. I don't have a clue anymore about what's going on, either. While I'm certainly feeling a sensation of bliss, I can't really enjoy it since I'm desperately trying to stop my nosebleed with a tissue. Things wouldn't go well if I failed.
By the way, I can remember how I ended up this way. Because Otonashi-san's actions had left me all confused, I let a soccer ball hit me right in the face during gym class and got a nosebleed. Mogi-san was worried about me and for some reason, let me rest my head on her lap.
Mogi-san's legs aren't soft at all; to be honest, lying on them actually hurts my head a bit.
I wonder why she cares for me that way. I look up at Mogi-san, but her expressionless face tells me nothing.
But I am happy.
Very, very happy.
Otonashi-san's comment about 'panties'.
Of course it surprised me, and not just due to its abruptness and lack of context. What I mean is, Otonashi-san said 'I'll tell you something good.' Basically, she declared that information about 'Kasumi Mogi' was 'something good' for me.
I haven't even told Kokone or Daiya about my crush on Kasumi Mogi. So there is no way Otonashi-san, who I met for the first time today, could know about it. Nevertheless, she still said what she said.
"…Say, Mogi-san."
"What is it?"
Mogi-san answers quietly. Her voice is like that of a little bird's, which dovetails nicely with her small body and delicate appearance.
"Today, um, did Otonashi-san talk to you?"
"…The transfer student?…No."
"You two aren't otherwise acquainted, right?"
Mogi-san nods.
"Did she do something suspicious to you?"
She thinks for a moment and then shakes her head. Her slightly wavy hair sways.
"Why are you asking about this…?" she asks and inclines her head.
"Ah, no…if nothing happened, that's fine."
I shift my sight to the field. Otonashi-san stands alone in the center of the schoolyard with a daunting pose, showing no interest in the ball or the girls swarming after it. When the ball rolls casually toward her, she weakly kicks it back.…Err, did she just kick it to a girl on the other team?
"Mmhh."
I might have been reading too much into what she said, thinking that Otonashi-san noticed my feelings for Mogi-san.
Otonashi-san had quite an impact on me because of her appearance and attitude. Yeah, I merely read too much into her comment because it was made so abruptly by a person with remarkable presence. That's logic anyone could agree with.
And yet—why can't I believe that?
Otonashi-san fixes her gaze on me, not looking away for a moment.
Staring straight into my eyes, she boldly lifts the corner of her mouth. Although class has not yet ended, she starts walking toward me.
Before I know it, I stand up. I've abandoned the privilege of sleeping on Mogi-san's lap, which is supposed to be the source of my utmost happiness. My entire body shudders. It's not hyperbole—I really am shuddering from head to toe.
Mogi-san, who seems to have noticed Otonashi-san as well, tenses up anxiously and stands up next to me.
With a daring smile, Otonashi-san points at me…no, at Mogi-san.
Just then.
There's a sudden gust of wind—a completely random gust. A gust no one could possibly have foreseen.
This sudden gust lifts Mogi-san's skirt.
"~~~!!"
Mogi-san immediately pushes her skirt down, but only in front. I am standing behind her. Right after the gust passes, Mogi-san turns around and looks at me. She is indeed expressionless as always, but her cheeks seem a little red.
She silently forms the words "did you see them?" with her mouth. Actually, she might actually have spoken out loud, but I can't hear her low voice. I shake my head frantically. I guess that my frantic reaction clearly indicates that I've indeed seen her panties. But Mogi-san doesn't respond and instead casts her eyes downward.
By this point, Otonashi-san is standing right next to me.
I get a glimpse of her expression.
"Aah—"
I realize why I am trembling so hard—I understood Otonashi-san's expression. It reflects a feeling that has never in my life been aimed at me until now.
—Hostility.
Why? Why is there hostility directed at someone like me?
Otonashi-san raises the corner of her mouth and scowls at me. While I am still shaking but otherwise paralyzed, she places her hand on my shoulder and puts her lips to my ear.
"They were light blue, weren't they?"
Otonashi-san knows everything. My affection towards Mogi-san, that a sudden gust would expose her panties, she knew it all.
Otonashi-san's statement this morning wasn't some kind of joke. It was a—threat to insinuate that she knows me perfectly, that she has grasped my way of thinking, that she's in control of me.
"Hoshino, you should have recalled it by now, right?"
Otonashi-san observes me while I stand petrified. We stay like this for a few moments, but when I stay silent, she lets out a sigh and drops her gaze to the ground.
She murmurs her complaint: "So it's useless, even though I went this far…I see, you're even one level duller today."
"If you've forgotten, remember it now. My name's 'Maria.'"
…'Maria'? No, err…you're 'Aya Otonashi', aren't you?
"…I-Is that your pen name or something?"
"Shut up."
She scowls at me, not even trying to hide her irritation.
"Well then. You aren't challenging at all like this, but in that case I'll act at my own convenience," Otonashi-san says and turns her back to me.
"Ah, wait…"
I instinctively stop her. She turns around, appearing stressed out. I can't help but wince at the sight of her frown.
I'm not sure. But judging from Otonashi-san's attitude, maybe—
"Could it be that we've met in the past?"
Hearing these words, Otonashi-san raises the corner of her mouth.
"Yeah, we were lovers in our previous life. Oh mine beloved Hathaway, how miserable thy current state! Thou wert not so lily-livered when thou cameth to save me, princess of thine enemy's land."
"...…Umm, what?"
I am at a loss for words. Otonashi-san seems satisfied after seeing my confused state. For the first time today, she displays what seems like a genuine smile.
"I'm joking."