Welcome to Heaven | ✓

32: Sakura Mochi vs. Strawberry Daifuku

"Hayate...!"

I threw my arms around that cinnamon roll underclassman of mine the moment I rejoined him in the waiting area.

His reaction was adorable, to say the least. The darkest blush I'd ever witnessed seeped to all areas of exposed skin. Unable to handle the bashfulness that came with it, he shut his eyes tight. "K-Kotorin...!"

"Only for a little bit," I mumbled into his shoulder. "I need your cuteness to recharge."

"But... but..." His mouth flapped wordlessly, but his blush never vanished. "Y-you're... close!"

Possibly because Hayate's adorable reaction melted my heart, or because my earlier mistakes flashed through my mind, but tears pricked the corners of my eyes. "S-sorry."

Hayate's trembling seized. I retreated and forced a laugh.

"I... cost us the segment. And here I acted so high-and-mighty. But—but I'm sure we'll be all right. I have you guys with me to cover for my mistakes, after all."

Part of me was scared to see their reactions. However, it was to the least of my expectations to have the top of my head caressed.

My eyelids ascended a fraction. Nevertheless, Chiaki's fingers continued to weave through my hair, his voice a lulling timbre. "You did your best, Teru."

Like always, the action was incredibly comforting. I bit my bottom lip to keep it from quivering. "But..."

"No buts," he insisted. "You were amazing. If you didn't get distracted, Shi and the others would've had trouble for sure."

Hayate vehemently nodded.

Koyuki, who was watching this all unfold nearby, veered elsewhere as if Chiaki had said it all.

"Trouble? You're idiots, aren't you?"

The declaration sucked all nonchalance from the air. Kohmi sauntered in our direction, her trademark sunglasses shielding her eyes alongside a nasty frown.

"You're no different from every no-name here," she continued haughtily. "Some petty optimism isn't going accomplish anything. Not when all you'll ever make is garbage."

"At this rate, let alone us, you'll lose to every other team here." Shiori took the spot adjacent to Kohmi, her chin jutted in disgust. "Wench," she called me out, "you must be feeling so much regret right now. But this is the world you so desperately want to enter—one where only the skilled will triumph while untalented scum like you can spend the rest of your life chasing our afterimages and still make nothing but dirt. I feel bad for these boys you're stringing along. If you, the leader, are already so pathetic, you should forfeit now and save yourself the heartbreak."

My mouth moved wordlessly. Before I could voice a proper response, Chiaki possessively tugged me into his chest. His cheek brushed my temple, hands situated on both my hair and shoulder.

"Shi, stop being jealous of Teru."

My heart jumped in my chest. Shiori's reaction was equally as exaggerated.

"J-jealous—" she sputtered, bug-eyed.

"You can insult us all you want, but Teru's a different story." Chiaki's poise didn't falter. In fact, his eyebrows dipped. "You have no right to decide what she can or can't do or label her pathetic when you don't know her at all."

"Oh," Kohmi deadpanned. "If you were jealous, you should've said so, Shiori."

"I—I was not!" Snarling like a wild animal, she extended her index finger. "I-I gave you a warning, all right? Don't come crying to us after you lose!"