134. The Curse Named "Genius"

The gymnasium was a roaring sea of noise, with cheers echoing without a pause. The girls on the court were drenched in sweat, and their heated breaths seemed to raise the ambient temperature of the gymnasium by several degrees.

Among them was a girl whose stature was shorter than anyone else's. Yet, she alone showed no signs of fatigue, looking as relaxed as an indifferent passerby.

Tossing the ball high into the air, her petite figure broke into a gentle run, culminating in a sudden leap. Gathering all her strength into her arm, she brought it down heavily.

Like a flash of lightning, it pierced straight through the entire court, piercing through the opponents as well. The volleyball mercilessly dropped into the opposing backcourt, landing to score a point.

Such a swift jump-serve scoring point brought a sudden hush over the entire gymnasium.

Breaking this silence was the piercing blast of the referee's whistle.

"25:7, match over."

……

……

Although she was a member of the volleyball club, she rarely made an appearance at the club. While she would engage in independent physical training in the mornings, she also served as the student council president, leaving her with very few opportunities to attend club activities after school.

Even so, people still bestowed upon her—upon the girl named Yomiya You—the title of the ace.

"You-tan, I went to watch last week's match. You were seriously amazing."

"Match? Oh... volleyball, right?"

"Why does it sound like there could be other matches?"

"Because I'm also serving as a ringer for the basketball and football clubs. Geez... last week's football match was such a thrilling win, even I broke out into a bit of a cold sweat."

"Ehh~~~ Is it really okay for you to join so many clubs?"

"There's no need to actually join them, as long as I can take the field when it's time for a match. What I love most is just playing together with everyone."

"Playing?"

"Mhm! We're bound to win in the end anyway, so I just treat it like a fun game!"

"Hahaha~~ You-tan, what amazing confidence!"

"Well, seeing as I've grown up this big and never lost once."

"Oh my, oh my! Is it really okay to say things like that? In manga, that's practically a flag, you know~"

"You mustn't confuse manga with reality."

"An unexpected realist?!"

"The protagonists in manga nowadays just keep on losing endlessly, and right from the beginning to the end. But not me; whether it's academic subjects or sports, I have never lost to a single person."

"So... so overbearing."

"Hmph hmph! Praise me more!"

Not only was she the ace of the athletic departments, but Yomiya You also held the position of the student council president. Whenever school let out, she would hurry to the student council room, putting the other members to work on their daily tasks.

The student council members held her in high respect, though they often treated her like a mascot. Despite being their upperclassman, she would still find her head being patted by her underclassmen.

Yet these were all harmless trifles, because she was living happily.

Although her family was ordinary, her parents were gentle, and her siblings cherished her. She had grown up surrounded by love, never experiencing profound grief or agonizing pain. She considered her personality to be anything but twisted—just an ordinary junior high school girl.

No, she should be called a junior high school girl loved by everyone.

In this regard, Yomiya You might have been just a tiny bit proud, but it was merely pride, light-years away from arrogance.

Her exam scores were forever first in her grade, any match she played in was a guaranteed victory, and she was cute in appearance, enthusiastic, and interesting.

Naturally, she had a vast number of friends.

Logically speaking, there shouldn't be anyone who disliked a girl like her.

However...

"The other side was just way too weak. How could they lose to someone like that?"

"A genius. Seriously infuriating."

"I really want to make that kind of person taste the flavor of failure."

"Right? Right?"

"Should we just intentionally throw the next match?"

"The coach would yell at us, though."

"That's true. But seeing that optimistic, stupid look on her face just pisses me off. It's like she's mocking idiots like us who keep working hard."

"So people like that really do exist. Geniuses are just the worst."

"Ah~ ah, playing sports is so pointless. With someone like that around, we never get to stand out at all. Let's go to karaoke; I recently met a few handsome senior guys from the high school next door."

"For real? I'm totally in, let's go!"

Why did she possess talent, and why did she put in zero effort?

Why was it that what we sweat and strive to obtain, she could reach out and touch without the slightest bit of effort?

This world wasn't fair at all.

When she inadvertently overheard such a conversation, she experienced her first impulse to objectively examine herself.

Unexpectedly, upon sensing such emotions from individuals other than herself, she felt no sadness or anger, not even a trace of disappointment.

Lurking in her heart was merely puzzlement and incomprehension.

Things like talent and gifts—it wasn't as if she had chosen them herself.

These were things bestowed upon her by her parents, things she was born with.

Even when her coach told her things like, "Since you have so much talent, don't waste it. Work hard, and one day you're bound to become an athlete who changes Japan," she simply could not understand.

She had no desire to be a sports star, nor did she wish to change Japan.

Because this was her own talent; how she chose to use it should be her own freedom.

Volleyball might be fun, and football might be fun, capable of bringing her joy.

Yet this joy didn't stem from the sport itself, but simply from the fact that playing with her peers kept her from feeling lonely, making her feel like the center of the world.

But if she were expected to pour in effort equal to theirs just to snatch a victory, to shed more sweat than they did—

That was something Yomiya You respectfully declined.

Perhaps because of this, her inner world differed slightly from ordinary people; she could not comprehend the heavy burden known as "dreams."

During this period of her life, Yomiya You felt a sense of curiosity toward everything in the world, holding expectations for many things she had yet to experience.

Things others couldn't do, she could accomplish with ease. Things others dreamed of, she could obtain at will.

To her, her world held no concept of "unreachable." As long as she wanted to do something, she was certain she could achieve it.

Yet this kind of talent seemed like a form of cruelty to mortal beings.

Thus, starting from god knows when, she stopped participating in sports altogether.

She simply wanted to be praised by the people around her, to be surrounded by their adulation, to happily enjoy the present moment, and to remain a cheerful optimist.

As long as she could enjoy happiness, that was more than enough to satisfy her.

However, this seemed to be something not permitted.

Those who possessed talent apparently had no choice but to shoulder the wills of the weak, or else they would not be tolerated by the world.

Because you lost, I have to keep on winning, carrying your share as well.

Shonen manga was filled with precisely these tropes.

She didn't understand.

Clearly, she was just ordinarily being herself, ordinarily enjoying life, yet before she knew it, she was expected to live while bearing the expectations of others.

If this was the price exacted by talent—

Then Yomiya You would rather be an ordinary person.