Under a clear blue sky, red and white flags fluttered across the school grounds.
The Machida General High School Sports Festival had begun.
In the relay race, Takuma quickly left the competition behind with his smooth, effortless stride.
In the tug-of-war, he planted his feet into the ground like stakes and refused to budge.
And in the cavalry battle, he casually reached down and pulled his opponents off their formations one after another.
Cheers erupted from the girls in the stands.
"Kyaa! Kunimi-kun is amazing!"
"He looks so cool when he runs! ♡"
"I knew he was athletic!"
Takuma, however, merely wiped the sweat from his face without changing his expression.
(...Phew. Nothing special, I guess.)
(I've still got plenty left in the tank.)
Then came the climax of the afternoon—
Pole Toppling.
The boys split into the red and white teams and charged into battle around four-meter-tall poles.
And then—
"TAKE KUNIMI DOWN!!"
"THAT POPULAR BASTARD MUST PAY!!"
As if they'd planned it in advance, a group of boys who had been quietly building up their resentment all year suddenly swarmed Takuma at once.
But—
Takuma remained perfectly calm.
He redirected the first attacker— threw the next one aside— then sent another tumbling to the ground.
One after another, the boys went flying.
And finally—
Takuma sprang lightly into the air.
A flying kick.
THUD!!
The opposing team's pole crashed to the ground in an instant.
Victory for the Red Team!
"WHOOOOOOOOAAAAAA!!!"
The entire field erupted.
"Takuma! Are you okay?! You're not hurt, are you?!"
"That was amazing! ♡ I knew you could do it, Kunimi-kun! ♡"
"...Damn. I think I just fell for you all over again..."
"That's my guy! But seriously, don't push yourself too hard!"
While the defeated boys lay sprawled across the dirt, the girls rushed over and crowded around Takuma.
Everyone was talking at once.
Everyone was worried about him.
Everyone's attention was completely focused on him.
However—
"...Ugh. My shirt's sticking to me because of all the sweat."
He sighed.
"I wanna change already."
Mikiko froze.
"...What?"
"Whaaat?! Come on! At least enjoy the moment a little!"
"Seriously?! Every girl here is worried about you, and you're just ignoring all of us?!"
Karen sighed.
"You really are hopelessly oblivious, aren't you...?"
Hina watched from nearby.
"...A bunch of guys attack Kunimi because they're jealous of how popular he is, while all the girls rush in to protect him."
Momiji nodded.
"He's literally become the protagonist of a school rom-com."
She looked over at Takuma.
"...And the protagonist himself is just thinking about changing his shirt."
"The King of Obliviousness among Kings of Obliviousness. He can even turn the Sports Festival into background noise."
"...At this point, it's actually kind of reassuring."
Mr. Oblivious himself.
Even after becoming the undisputed star of the Sports Festival—
Takuma Kunimi was still Takuma Kunimi.
Hopelessly, spectacularly oblivious.