I’m Back in the First Grade of Elementary School, so I’m Going to Live Well

The third hour of physical education was held on the same day as yesterday.

The third period was a track and field event on the same ground as yesterday.

I’ve been doing voluntary training daily. I should have been able to handle elementary school P.E., but… 

“So today we’re going to work in pairs to do some preparatory exercises.”

I had to struggle with something that had nothing to do with my athletic ability…… 

Pairs of two.

This is a death sentence from the teacher for a loner.

If you can team up with an extra person, it’s still good.

The worst-case scenario is that you have to undergo the public execution of being an extra person alone and working with a teacher…!

Today, as I recall, one of the boys in the class is out with a cold, and the number of boys in the class is an odd number which could lead to the worst-case scenario.

If that happens, I’ll be the laughing stock of the class.

I had to avoid that at all costs!

If this happens, there is only one person I can turn to.

The only person I can rely on is my only friend, Sunagawa Rinta…!

“Let’s do it together.”

“Yeah, sure.”

And so on, pairs were steadily being formed.

Those who had already paired up began their preparatory exercises on their own, while those who hadn’t yet paired up called out to their friends, and everyone was working in groups of girls only.

There was no rule that girls had to pair up with other girls.

It’s just that it’s the natural flow of things for girls to form groups with girls and boys with boys, so that’s what everyone does.

However, there was one person who was trying to go against the natural flow.

“Hime-chan. Let’s do it together.”

Mizui-san’s friend, Yumetsuki-san (Mika, the girl who fought with Ryuji-kun the other day), calls out to her, concerned about her being alone.

Mizui-san, who is usually at the center of the class, will be called by the people around her even without her calling out.

If it were a normal girl, she would gladly agree to it.

“I’m sorry, I’ll pair with someone else.”

“I-I see.”

She was a little surprised and upset because she didn’t expect to be rejected.

And she was different from usual.

Since a while ago, she has been staring at the group of boys instead of trying to join the circle of girls.

After rejecting Yumetsuki-san’s invitation, she quickly charged into the group of boys alone, without resistance or hesitation.

And.

“Sho-kun♡”

I was just about to call out to Rinta when she lightly tapped me on the shoulder.

“What, Mizui-san? … Why are you in the boys’ group?”

It was unnatural for her to be in a group of boys.

It’s not just me, but the boys and girls in my class sensed it as well.

As proof, she rushed into the group of boys by herself, attracting attention from everyone around her.

But Mizui-san didn’t seem to mind, as if she didn’t see it.

“Let’s do the preparatory exercises together.”

She suggested in her usual tone of voice.

“No, but…”

To be honest, it’s not a suggestion I’m keen on.

If we make an irregular combination of male and female pairs in this atmosphere of boys with boys and girls with girls, it will make us stand out.

I don’t want to be made a laughing stock, but I also don’t want to be looked at strangely.

I want to team up with Rinta and get through this quietly.

“One of the girls is also absent, so someone has to be paired with a boy and a girl. If that’s the case, then we’re the suitable choice, aren’t we?”

I don’t know if she was being sincere or if it was just an excuse, but she gave a rational reason for us to pair up.

The word “suitable” is a bit of a stretch.

I’m sure there are other children out there who are good friends with both boys and girls.

“And… it seems that Sunagawa-kun is already working with someone else.”

“Ah… ――It’s true.”

When I looked at Rinta, he had already paired up with a boy from a different class and started doing his preparatory exercises.

………… So it can’t be helped.

I’m sure that Mizui-san took the initiative to call on me instead of teaming up with the girls so that others would not be troubled.

It’s not a good idea to trample on that kindness because of my selfishness.

“Let’s do it together.”

“Yes.”

Mizui-san nodded with an even happier smile and started to do her preparatory exercises.

The stares of my classmates stung my back as if they were looking at something strange, but I did my preparatory exercises with Mizui-san.

I-It’s hard to do.

I’ve learned that doing preparatory exercises while having your classmates stare at your every move can cause a lot of heartaches.

In addition to this, there are many other things to consider, such as the nice smell of shampoo when you are in close contact with them, or the softness of a girl’s back when you are doing flexibility exercises…… 

――What am I thinking about when I’m dealing with school kids?

I’ve never been exposed to the opposite sex in my life, so I’m not immune to these situations.

But that doesn’t mean I can just dismiss it as inevitable.

As expected, elementary school students are really bad.

My reasoning won’t allow it before the law or anything else.

I made up my mind to be more careful.