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Much unknown to many people—Sayaka does enjoy sports.
Hope’s Peak Academy’s Sports Festival is a big event in the area of Tokyo. Honestly, everything that involves the school is a big deal. From students’ accomplishments, to rumored scandals, to the annual events—anything and everything is an opportunity for news crews to flock and get a special scoop for their segments. It’s a natural part of being an Ultimate Student, although she’s no stranger to being recorded and interviewed.
The nice thing about this school, though, is they value their students’ privacies… to some extent. Headmaster Kirigiri does his best, at least. The Sports Festival is a big enough deal that there’s more security hanging around the entrances of the campus than usual, much to Sayaka’s relief. Just because she’s used to camera crews doesn’t mean she wants them all the time.
Using her time before the festival starts to herself, Sayaka completes various stretches under the shaded comfort of a large tree. In the distance, she can see some of her classmates already goofing off. Owada and Kuwata are shoving each other around like animals, with Ishimaru tailing after them and shouting reprimands. Naegi carefully inches away from the boys and starts his trek towards her.
“It’s like watching a car crash in action,” Sayaka comments, stifling a laugh. “They’re going to get all sore before the games even start.”
“Yeah,” Naegi replies, scratching the side of his cheek with his pointer finger. He shakes his head, opting to make proper conversation. “Say, Maizono-san… What events are you participating in?”
“Hmm. If I’m not mistaken, I’m pretty sure I signed up for all of them.” She taps her finger at her chin thoughtfully. “The obstacle course, the tug-of war… mock calvalry, ball toss… Oh! And the relay race, of course.”
As Sayaka rattles off her list of activities for the day, Naegi stares at her with subtle awe. “That’s so many! I didn’t think you were… um…”
“That I was what?” Sayaka tilts her head to the side, wearing a mildly serious expression. When Naegi awkwardly squirms and stammers, she breaks into another laugh. “Oh, Naegi-kun, I’m messing with you!”
A shaky breath leaves him. “You were?”
“Yes, silly!” She lightly pats his shoulder, unable to help herself from teasing him from time to time. Unfortunately, he makes it way too easy. “I suppose it’s not something many think about, but being an idol is a lot of work. I have to exercise very often! So, I like being athletic!”
“Exercising, yeah…” The gears in Naegi’s brain begin to turn. "I only signed up for the relay race. My partner, Harukawa-san, seems really athletic, but she’s pretty disinterested in this whole thing.”
Sayaka hums, somewhat familiar with the Ultimate Child Caregiver through Akamatsu’s ramblings. The two of them hang out every now and then, and with Akamatsu holding the title of Class Representative, she’s often subject to listening to the pianist musing over her classmates. It’s really admirable, but she talks about Harukawa a lot especially. Frustrations with getting her to stick around for activities, mostly.
How Naegi has wound up with her, Sayaka doesn’t even want to know. She hums, but then a sudden realization dawns upon her, and her eyes go wide.
Unlike Naegi, she has not chosen a partner for the Sports Festival.
“M-Maizono-san, is everything okay?”
Naegi has a knack for catching onto these things lately, but Sayaka brushes him off. “Everything’s fine!” she assures, waving her hand in the air in a dismissive manner. “Just, ah, do you happen to know when we’re supposed to have our partners decided?”
“Well, um…” He taps his foot on the ground, wracking his brain for an answer. “I think you’ll have to run to the entrance of the field for a partner. Everyone who wanted a specific partner had to register yesterday,” he explains. “Did you not do that…?”
Sayaka suppresses the frustrated groan that simmers in her chest, lest she lead Naegi to think she’s mad at him. It’s not his fault, really—it’s her own for not being more organized with the dates. She’d been working so hard to free up this day in her schedule so she wouldn’t have to miss it, that she completely forgot about finding an assigned partner for the activities.
“I… forgot,” she admits, shifting her weight to one leg. She rubs her forehead, already slick with a bit of sweat, and an exasperated sigh leaves her lips. “I’ll work it out, don’t worry. Thank you, Naegi-kun! Good luck to you and Harukawa-san.”
Naegi seems slightly soothed by Sayaka’s usual cheeriness shining through, but a nervous laugh leaves him as she starts to walk away from him. “I’ll definitely need it. See you!”
Hope’s Peak Academy’s field is ridiculously huge. By the time Sayaka has finished weaving through students and approached the makeshift desk set up by the field entrance, a lot of the teachers seem to be busy making last minute preparations.
She casually (albeit not expertly) kicks a runaway ball back to one of the administrators carrying sports equipment, then walks up to the desk. Like clockwork, she gently clears her throat—
“Let me guess. You need a partner?” says the old woman sitting at the center of the foldable table. She motions towards the glass fishbowl with a tilt of her head. “Grab a name out of there, then I’ll tell you where to find them.”
Until the Sports Festival officially kicks off, every student is expected to remain with their class in a designated area. Of course, there were already a few stragglers, because there’s no way to make every single student listen to directions—but Sayaka hopes that whoever she’s paired with isn’t too much trouble. Preferrably, she’d like somebody in her own class, but given her unfortunate timing, there’s a good chance that they’ve all chosen their own partners already.
Well, it’s not good to ask for too much, anyway.
Sayaka dips her hand into the shallow bowl of names. She wonders what’s the likelihood of pulling her own name—it’d be a little funny. Then again, the teacher sitting here doesn’t seem like much of a laugher. Maybe more awkward, then.
Still, with a charming smile, she whips out the first paper slip her finger tips touch. She opens it, tilts her head to the eyes and reads the name out loud to the woman. “Momota Kaito,” she says slowly, trying to put a face to the name. “Oh, I know that guy!”
Mostly not paying attention, the woman pulls over a laptop that was sitting off to the side, typing something into the system. Likely keeping track of the partners. “And your name?”
“Maizono Sayaka,” she replies; she’s never been one to let the fame get to her head, and not everyone is very familiar with the idol scene, but it’s still a little surprising when people ask who she is. It’s refreshing, if nothing else.
“Alright. You’re lucky—both of you are participating in the same events.” The woman glances up at her, adjusting her glasses. “You’ll find Class 78-B a few lots over from your own class. Familiarize yourself, then get back to where you’re supposed to be.”
Sayaka nods, folding up the paper neatly and tucking it into her pocket. “Understood, thank you!” she says, beginning to walk across the field yet again.
“Maizono-san!”
Akamatsu waves at her, then glances at who Sayaka assumes her own partner is—a boy with a dark blue hair (Saihara, she thinks?)—before jogging over and meeting her halfway. She pulls her into a quick half-hug, and holds her arms as she pulls away, smile on her face. “Are you excited for the Festival?” she asks enthusiastically.
Sayaka nods with just about the same energy that Akamatsu exudes. “For sure! Are you going to be able to keep up, though?” she asks, teasingly—the pianist has lamented on before about having “piano muscles,” and she’s seen the poor girl try to complete athletic endeavors before. Some days she manages, some days she… isn’t all that great. “Don’t get caught in the dust, okay?”
Akamatsu releases her hold on Sayaka, playfully rolling her eyes. “Yeah, whatever. Saihara-kun and I are gonna absolutely kill it!” She looks behind her at the boy, who somehow seems to be shrinking into himself. "Isn’t that right?”
“Y-Yeah…”
Sayaka smiles a little pitifully. Not the most promising.
And Akamatsu seems aware of that, because when she looks back at Sayaka, she looks a little less certain. She lowers her voice when she says, “Well, today isn’t really about winning, anyway. As a class representative, I have to make sure no one’s falling behind. I’m gonna make sure he comes out of his shell today.”
“You’re so admirable, Akamatsu-san,” Sayaka replies, completely endeared by her passion. She couldn’t do what she does. Not that she doesn’t love her own classmates, she does, but they push her patience more than she’d like to admit. Ishimaru is most suited for the role for a reason. “Good luck to you two.”
“Thanks!” Akamatsu’s smile brightens, and then she quickly shoots back the question—“Hey, speaking of… Who’s your partner? Are they in this class? I figured that’s why you’re here.”
“Oh, yes!” It’s not like Sayaka forgot, but she glances over Akamatsu’s shoulder, scanning the class. “I’m looking for… Momota-kun?”
“Ooh, fun,” remarks Akamatsu, tapping her chin and looking around behind her. “Saihara-kun! Have you seen Momota-kun around?”
“Um.” Saihara also glances around. “I think… Ouma-kun got him going again.”
Akamatsu’s shoulders drop a little. “Great, thanks,” she says, a pinch more annoyed than before.
Almost as if on cue, the sound of yelling and laughing draws closer—not the playful kind, like Kuwata and Owada’s laughter, but still something akin to that car crash Sayaka had joked about witnessing earlier. To her right, a short boy with dyed purple tips runs at full speed, blowing raspberry behind him at a taller boy with a goatee and gelled hair that somehow hasn’t been ruined by the blazing sun.
“Momota-kun and Ouma-kun,” calls one of Akamatsu’s classmates, a girl with her short hair that partially covers her face, “It’s far too hot for you two to be tiring yourselves out already. Please give it a rest.”
“Aww, but Tojo-chan! Momota-chan and I were just having fun!” Ouma reasons, placing his arms behind his head as he pulls to a stop in front of Tojo. Comically, Momota doesn’t stop running fast enough, and Ouma manages to trip him with a swift lift of his leg. “Wouldn’t you agree?”
“Asshole!” grunts Momota, who has not landed gracefully on the ground. He slams the grass with a fist, while Ouma breaks into another mischevious laugh.
Sayaka tries to hide the grimace that wants to cross her features. “So… that’s who I’m partnered up with?”
Akamatsu sighs, wearing a nervous smile. “I promise he’s not a terrible teammate,” she assures, “Ouma-kun just… has a knack for getting him riled up.”
Sayaka pauses to compose herself, trying to find her optimism. With a practiced smile, she hops from one foot to the other, quickly building up her own energy. “All good! Just the kind of partner I’m looking for.”
Separating from Akamatsu, Sayaka approaches Momota, who has just begrdugingly accepted Tojo’s hand to help him stand. He’s grumbling something to himself, and Tojo’s the first to notice her, even though she doesn’t say anything.
“Hi,” Sayaka starts, tapping her partner on the shoulder. “You’re Momota-kun, right? I’m gonna be your teammate for the Sports Festival today!”
Immediately, Momota seems to straighten up. “Oh, shit, forreal?” He looks over at Tojo, who’s still looking at him expectantly. “Uh, thanks, Tojo. I’m good.”
Tojo nods. “Please try not to get into too much trouble today,” is her only warning, before she walks away from the two of them, approaching a boy with green hair who’s fanning himself with his own hand.
“I saw you running,” she comments, wearing a practiced smile. “You’re really fast.”
Recovering from the antics he was wrapped up in, Momota breaks into a grin himself. “Oh, you know it! With you and I teamed up, we’ll be winning every competition today’s got to offer.”
She remembers Akamatsu talking about how self-driven he is. That’s a good thing. Unlike Akamatsu and Naegi, she can’t imagine having to drag around someone unmotivated all day.
“That’s the spirit!” she exclaims. “I’m Maizono Sayaka. Let’s do our best!”
Sayaka wounds up not returning to her class lot, for Momota has led her to an empty part of the field where the grass has been mostly run down. He picks up a stick that seems rather sturdy, and decides to use it to illustrate their game plan.
And the two got to talking for what felt like hours, but only seemed to be thirty minutes. They bounce ideas off each other about what strategies to employ, working out who else will be participating in what competitions in their grade. Sayaka, thankfully, has a bit of knowledge under her belt that she can put to good use. It looks like pairing up with someone from another class wasn’t too bad of an idea after all.
“So, we know Ouma-kun and Gokuhara-kun are going to be in the relay,” notes Sayaka, crouching down to the ground to observe the crude stick figures that are his classmates. Momota is not really much of an artist, but with enough back-and-forths of questions and clarifications, she’s started to be able to tell them apart. “Who do you think is running first between them?”
“…Hell if I know.” Momota looks stumped. “I know the main reason Ouma’s teamed up with him is because he’s a freaking beheamoth in anything physical. They’re pretty balanced out. Ouma’s fast as hell, and the big guy’s got all the strength in the world.”
Sayaka hums. “I feel like a similar case can be said about Asahina-san and Ogami-san, them being balanced… though I have to admit, Asahina-san might have an edge over Ouma-kun.”
“Well, duh.” Momota scoffs. “That dumbass is all bark and no bite. He’s just here to start shit!”
That sentiment makes Sayaka look up at him quizzically. “Then why are you so obsessed over what he does? It sounds like he’s only trying to upset you.”
“It wouldn’t only be me,” he grumbles, sitting on the ground beside Sayaka. He clears his throat, moving on. “Think he’s probably gonna go first in the relay. He’d want Gokuhara to finish off strong for the both of them. He’s a little slower, but he’s also probably counting on the intimidation factor.”
Sayaka looks at the crude diagram again, mulling over options in her head. “I think it’s best if I go start us off,” she suggests. If Momota goes first, then there’s a good chance that Ouma does something to set him off, and he’ll get distracted. She doesn’t make that observation aloud. “Follow the same ideology, you know? Finish strong! And you’ll definitely be able to catch up if Gokuhara-kun runs slower.”
Momota nods understandingly. “That’s smart,” he comments, a grin once again replacing his pensive features. “Say, I didn’t think someone like you would be so…”
“Strategic?” Sayaka chimes in, tilting her head to the side.
“How’d you know?”
She can’t help herself when she says, “I’m psychic.”
—which admittedly makes his eyes go wide. “What the hell? Seriously!?” he responds, a touch more panicked than Sayaka is expecting. “That shit’s not real, quit messing around!”
“Umm… Sorry?” She looks back at the ground. “I was just kidding. I only have a really good intuition.”
That seems to ease her teammate, thankfully. As easy as it is to get him going, it seems to be just as easy to get him to relax. It’s a little entertaining, but Sayaka feels somewhat uncertain about what she should and shouldn’t say. She wouldn’t like to make a bad impression.
“Oh,” is what he settles on, a relieved sigh escaping him. Sayaka makes a mental note to not joke about that kind of thing around Momota. “Well, yeah, I was gonna say that. Because you’re like, an idol and shit, right? Usually, you’d expect an idol to be more…”
He pauses, trying to find a word for it. Sayaka has an idea of what he’s going for, and she doesn’t like whatever assumption he’s about to share, but she stays quiet out of morbid curiosity. Before he lands on the word, he glances upwards, and she follows his gaze to a girl with dark green braids currently scolding a taller boy with long hair and a mask. He straightens up.
“…like, afraid of gettin’ dirty.” Momota clears his throat, as if he’s become self-aware. “You’re putting a lot of thought into all this. I wasn’t expectin’ you to take this so serious.”
Sayaka shifts in her spot, sitting on the ground next to him. “What were you expecting?” she asks, holding the same cheery tone as ever—but there’s a part of her that’s judging a little bit. She’s never liked to be underestimated.
“Well— I don’t know!” Momota raises a hand defensively. “It’s not a bad thing. I mean, don’t get me wrong, you’ve got a lot to learn regardless.”
She’s taken back by this comment. “A lot to learn?” she repeats, and it takes a great deal of patience to not take a response like that at face value.
“Yeah! Like, for example”—he looks back at the diagram—“you said Naegi and Harumaki are a duo for this, right?”
“Haru…” Sayaka pauses, then catches on. “Right, yeah. Naegi-kun said they’re only participating in the relay race. If I had to guess, he’s going to run first, and then Harukawa-san second.”
Momota clicks his tongue, shaking his head. “That’s where you’re wrong.”
“And how would you know that?”
“Because,” he starts, leaning back and using one hand to keep himself up. “You’re thinking about this too narrowly, only thinking about what the ‘best strategy’ here is. And, yeah, duh, Harumaki finishing strong would be the smartest move—but!”
He gestures to where the aforementioned girl with twintails is sitting on the field: off to the side, keeping to herself. She doesn’t look too happy about being here. Akamatsu approaches her, trying to strike conversation with as much of a happy smile she can manage, but Harukawa seems pretty dismissive.
“Harumaki’s not too good at workin’ with people,” Momota explains. “The only reason she and Naegi are workin’ together is probably because of Akamatsu trying to get her out of her shell. With someone other than me. Which, y’know, I guess makes sense.”
“I see,” replies Sayaka, turning her attention back to him. “A shame. I think Naegi-kun’s scared of her.”
That draws a laugh out of Momota. “Yeah, she does that. Promise she’s harmless, though. Anyway, point being, she’s gonna wanna get her part out of the way immediately, and she doesn’t care if her team really wins. Based on what you’ve said about Naegi, he doesn’t seem like someone who’s gonna protest against her wishes much.”
“You make him sound like a pushover,” Sayaka lightheartedly comments.
Momota shrugs. “You said it, not me.”
“Touché.” Sayaka sighs. “I suppose that’s a good point. I hadn’t really thought of it like that,” she muses, drawing circles in the dirt with a finger. “When it comes to being an idol, it’s always about being the best, you know? I don’t get to where I am without putting my all into what I do.”
Momota nods, seemingly following her logic. “It’s like, competitive as shit, isn’t it?”
“Extremely,” she admits. “Being an idol isn’t just standing and looking pretty. I train every single day.”
The words make Momota think for a few moments, and Sayaka can feel his eyes staring at her. It’s different from the way other boys seem to stare at her. She’s had a heart-to-heart like this with Kuwata once, but she figured he was too busy gawking at her to actually come up with something helpful to say.
At least, she wasn’t looking for advice. Sayaka’s not the type of person to say things and expect a solution. She speaks with the need to be listened to—of course, she’s used to people only half-listening, but that’s fine. She tells herself that she isn’t speaking into an unresponding void, and that’s what matters.
Usually, people try to respond with something semi-related to what she says. Poor attempts at pretending they processed everything she’s said. So, it’s a surprise when Momota instead bounces back with, “You’d make a great sidekick.”
She looks at him again, confused. “I’m sorry?”
“Like I said, you’ve got a lot to learn. But I get you completely.” Momota gives her a grin that feels far too sincere for her to think he’s completely glossed over her words. “Say, what if I took you under my wing? You said you do training, right? I gotta train everyday too. I’m not called the Luminary of the Stars for nothing!”
Sayaka has never once heard Akamatsu call him by that title. Bemused, however, she tilts her head with some interest. “I’m listening.” (And unlike whenever others say this, she makes sure she means it when it comes from her.)
“For such a happy-looking girl, you really live in such a narrow world.” Momota suddenly lifts himself off the ground, standing to his feet. “You’ve gotta broaden your horizons! In space, there’s a shit ton of stuff to see, and not everything works the way you’d expect it to. Same goes for people.”
Momota extends his hand out for Sayaka to take.
“You really know how to speak your mind,” she comments, and she’s not sure how in particular she means it. She accepts his hand, pulling herself up with a combined effort. “Which… I really appreciate. A lot of people think they have to hold their tongue around me, but I want to improve, too.”
Momota looks at her for a good, long while. “That’s what I’m here for. I don’t hold any punches!”
Sayaka finds herself smiling, despite the harsh critique on her character. She didn’t think she’d find her spirits lifted after being called narrow-minded, but Momota seems like the type of person she can’t really remain upset with.
“I don’t know how often I can train with you… I have a really tight schedule,” Sayaka says. “But I do have today! So let’s give it our very best, okay?”
Momota places a hand on her shoulder. “You said it!”
Asahina cheers loudly as she nearly jumps onto Ogami. There’s a small crowd forming around them, the winners of the relay race.
Unfortunately, Momota had made an incorrect assumption after all—to both of their surprise, Gokuhara had lined up at the beginning of the race. Ouma met him in the middle of the course with a “shit-eating grin,” as per Momota’s account, and completely distracted him during the race. During the whole ordeal, Ogami had sped past them and all the other runners, baton in hand, and no one could catch up.
Sayaka, of course, plans to extend her congratulations to her friends later—for now…
“You and Momota-kun ended up working together really well,” says Naegi, jogging up to her. He still seems a little out of breath. At least, Momota’s assumptions regarding him and Harukawa in the relay were correct. “You killed it in tug-of-war especially.”
To that, Sayaka laughs, “We lost that one, too, Naegi-kun.” Strange that he didn’t point that out, considering it was he and Harukawa who won that. “Speaking of, how did you convince Harukawa-san to do another activity?”
“Oh! Well…” Naegi glances over at Harukawa, who is currently walking over to break up the banter between Momota and Ouma—she stands firmly beside Momota and she doesn’t quite yell, but something about the way she speaks sends chills down Sayaka’s spine nonetheless. “I-I’m pretty good at bargaining. I said if she helped win at least one game, I’d let her go first in the relay race. So she wouldn’t have to run with Ouma-kun.”
“Does anyone even like that guy?” replies Sayaka, both exasperated and humored. “But I didn’t realize you also wanted to win something, Naegi-kun.”
Naegi chuckles, scratching the side of his cheek. “Komaru would never let me live it down if I didn’t win one thing. I want her to be proud of me, y’know?”
…Aw. That’s really sweet, actually.
Sayaka smiles, intending to respond, but the sound of Ouma and Momota’s conversation ending catches both of their attention.
“Just leave me the hell alone!” Momota shouts, turning to walk away. He seems to be walking in no particular direction, but once he locks eyes with Sayaka, he moves with a little more purpose. Behind him, Harukawa glares at Ouma and walks in the opposite direction—and Ouma tails after her.
Paying them no mind, however, Momota calls out—“Hey, sidekick!”
Naegi’s eyebrows furrow. “Sidekick?” he mutters.
“Hi, Momota-kun,” greets Sayaka with her signature smile, unfazed by the nickname at this point. “You did amazing in the race! Granted, maybe our plan could have gone a bit better…”
Momota waves her off dismissively. “Hey, don’t worry about it!” he assures, his irritation quickly dispersing. “We did our best in all the games today. That’s what counts, doesn’t it?”
Sayaka hears a distant voice in her head telling her she didn’t try hard enough, that she didn’t fight as much as she should have. She ignores it. “We did.”
“And— Hey, you’re Naegi, yeah?” Momota shoots a look at the other boy, who nervously pulls at the collar of his shirt with a nod. “Good job trying with Harumaki today. She had a lot of fun today, I’m sure of it!”
Naegi glances at Sayaka with a subtle shake of his head, but answers, “You really think so…?”
“I’m sure of it.” Momota grins at him, then looks back at Sayaka. “Look, I know you said you’re pretty busy with your idol stuff, but like, I wanted to extend an invite. Me and my other sidekicks— Harumaki and Shuichi— we get together to train most nights, on the field here. You should come when you have time.”
Sayaka considers the offer. It’s very kind, though she does mentally note that the three of them seem like their own closed trio. She wouldn’t want to intrude on something like that.
“You can come, too,” he quickly adds, looking at Naegi again.
“Oh, uh,” Naegi stammers, “I don’t think… I mean, I’m not really…”
She figures they’re both on the same page when it comes to this—but Momota’s offer is very earnest. Her intuition tells her that nothing particularly bad can come out of this. Plus, it’d be nice to push Naegi a little out of his comfort zone too. Maybe something funny would come out of it, if nothing else.
So, quickly, she says, “We’ll make time for it!”
Naegi stares at her. “We?”
Sayaka hums. “Mhm! Momota-kun, Naegi-kun here also wants to be your sidekick.”
“I do?”
Momota sets his hands on his waist, looking positively satisfied. “That settles it, then! Come any night, got it?”
And without waiting for an answer, he starts walking away. Sayaka can’t help the smile that remains on her face, having made a new friend throughout this experience. Naegi probably needs a bit of context later, but she’ll fill him in once everything’s over.
…Sayaka enjoyed her time at the Sports Festival.