Chapter 186: The Approaching Time #2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 186: The Approaching Time #2
“Well then… Hanazawa-san, I’ll see you next week.”
Chinami gave a deep bow.
Miyuki, startled by the excessive politeness—it was only a slight exaggeration to say her head was about to touch the floor—quickly helped Chinami straighten up.
“I-I’ll see you next week. I had a lot of fun today.”
Chinami gave her a wide, silly smile as she replied to the flustered Miyuki.
“Me too. I’ll bring some of my favorite peaches on Monday, so I hope we can eat them together.”
“Of course, I’d love to.”
“Great, well then… Junior Matsuda, you have a safe trip home, too.”
Chinami, her lips half-hidden by her scarf, raised a hand.
She was pretty, waving with her small but perfectly proportioned fingers held neatly together.
Come to think of it, she wasn't wearing the mittens I gave her.
When I ask her later, she’s not going to say she’s keeping them safely stored away because they’re too precious, is she?
“Yeah. Have fun with the captain.”
“Okay…!”
“You did good today, Captain.”
My tone was completely different from how I spoke to Chinami.
Renka’s brow furrowed at that, and she gave a curt nod.
“Yeah.”
As if to get back at me for my attitude, she said her goodbyes to Miyuki in a sweet, gentle voice.
Getting pouty over something like that. She keeps making me want to tease her.
Still, I’ll let it slide since she got along well with Miyuki today without any unnecessary chatter.
After watching Renka and Chinami head toward the shopping area, I got on the elevator with Miyuki.
Later, as we were walking through the parking garage to my car, Miyuki, who seemed to be mulling something over, looked up at me and asked.
“Are there special peaches for winter? I think I might have seen it on the news…”
“Hmm. I’m not sure… Why do you ask about winter peaches?”
“Oh… it’s just that Nanase-senpai said she’d bring some.”
“Ah… that? From what I heard before, she buys them in early autumn and freezes them. There are a lot of varieties, and I guess there’s one that Nanase-senpai is particularly fond of.”
“Wow… that’s amazing…”
“I think so too. How was today for you?”
“It was fun.”
Not a bad answer, but a little plain.
Is that it?
“I think I’ll need to talk with Nanase-senpai a lot more, personally.”
Guess not. It seemed Miyuki had a lot on her mind as well.
Just as she’d said she would, she wasn’t bringing up the threesome directly with me.
I think this is better than constantly mentioning it.
As a way of thanking her for not saying anything unpleasant, I squeezed her hand tightly.
Then I gave it a gentle press.
Miyuki let out a small chuckle.
She’d noticed what I was feeling.
Just once. Maybe just this once.
That might be what she was thinking.
And perhaps that’s why she was reacting so calmly.
But what would she and Chinami talk about if they started messaging each other?
I haven’t even brought up the threesome to Chinami yet… Surely they wouldn’t start talking about that, right?
It was a little concerning, but I decided not to spoil the mood and just stay quiet.
Miyuki was far wiser than me; she would know how to handle it.
“Want to catch a movie at the theater next door?”
“Yeah. Sounds good.”
* * *
“Matsuda. What brings you here?”
On Monday morning, I ran into Coach Goro when I stopped by the club room to check on supplies.
The skin under his eyes was sunken, and he looked like he’d been completely drained of his life force.
Did he have a ‘defensive battle’ over the weekend? If he’s having a hard time, I could help him out a bit…
I’d sworn not to touch Goro’s wife, but it’s a different story if she’s willing, right?
I wanted to ask if he was into inviting other guys over.
“Good morning. The delivery came this morning, so I just wanted to check if everything arrived okay.”
“I already checked earlier. It’s all here.”
“I should check for myself, too. I am the manager, after all. Ah, it’s not that I don’t trust you, Coach. I’m just looking while I organize things.”
Goro let out a soft laugh at my smooth words.
He clapped one of his huge, hairy hands onto my shoulder and asked.
“Alright. How’s training been lately?”
“Good. Thanks to Nanase-senpai, I’m doing well.”
“You’re certainly humble with your words. I just wish you were a little less aggressive during the friendly matches.”
I could understand why he’d say that.
I did act a bit unsportsmanlike in front of him.
As I scratched the back of my head in embarrassment, Goro continued.
“As I’ve said time and again, kendo is a martial art based on etiquette. Only when you have respect for your opponent can you, in turn, be respected.”
“I’ll do my best to fix it.”
“That’s all I ask. When does your class start?”
“In about twenty minutes.”
“Really? Then how about I give you a little tip?”
“Well… if you’re offering, I have no reason to refuse.”
“Good attitude. Watch closely.”
Goro stood facing me and took a deep breath.
His already large chest swelled up dramatically.
In that state, Goro mimed gripping a shinai and raised his arms above his head into a high stance.
In Chinami’s case, the high stance is her main kamae, but because of her small frame, it doesn’t feel very intimidating.
Of course, once you exchange a blow with her, you break out in a cold sweat from her sharp technique, but until then, it’s true that she just looks cute.
But Goro was different.
His physique was so large that when he took the high stance, the atmosphere was overwhelming.
It felt like facing a huge, solid wall that wouldn’t break no matter how many times you hit it.
I thought I was pretty big myself, but compared to the naturally burly Goro, I was nothing.
“You’re huge.”
“Yeah, I am, right? Before you start, try taking a deep breath into your chest to make your upper body look bigger. But once you go on the offensive, you have to release it so your movements don’t get sluggish.”
“Is it for intimidation?”
“Exactly. As you know, when you’re in a situation where you don’t know if your opponent is better or worse than you, facing a powerful high stance has a huge psychological effect. You try it.”
I obediently followed Goro’s instructions, taking a deep breath and raising my arms. Goro, who was watching my posture, said.
“From here, spread your elbows out wider to the sides.”
“Like this?”
“Yes. Widen your frame to make your already large physique look even bigger. To someone looking at you while wearing a men, which restricts their vision, it’ll feel like they’re facing a huge mountain. It’d be even better if you added a fierce glare.”
“I think I get it.”
“Good. You’re the vanguard, right?”
“Yes.”
“That’s a position with a lot of pressure. Have you thought about moving back in the lineup?”
“No. I’m satisfied with it.”
“Good thinking. The vanguard is the perfect position for you. Make sure you learn a lot from Nanase.”
“I will.”
“Go on and check the supplies.”
After giving Goro a simple bow, I headed to the storage room.
I was there checking and organizing the delivered supplies when…
“Hah…”
I heard a sigh from behind me.
Wondering what it was, I turned around to see Renka staring at me with a sullen expression, her arms crossed.
I feel like we’ve been running into each other alone a lot lately. Is she stalking me?
“We meet again.”
“……”
“Are you not even going to answer me now?”
“……”
“Captain.”
“……”
Seeing her stand there silently, I considered calling her by her first name, but that felt like crossing a line in her current state.
“Did you just sigh?”
“……”
“Why? Because you’re happy to see me?”
Renka twitched when I tried to lead her to an answer that favored me.
A grin spread across my face as I took a step toward her.
“Ugh…!”
I saw the muscles in her neck tense as she let out a short, small gasp.
“Why aren’t you answering me?”
“B-Because I have nothing to say…”
What do you mean, nothing to say? There’s plenty.
“Did you get home okay yesterday?”
“I got home fine.”
“What did you do with your master?”
“Shopping.”
“Did you buy clothes?”
“No.”
“Momo-nim merch, then?”
“No.”
“Keep giving me one-word answers.”
“…W-We just took some sticker photos… window-shopped for a bit, and then went to get dessert.”
She only listens after she’s been disciplined.
No, that’s not right. The correct way to think about it is that Renka is being well-trained.
I’ll let you off the hook today. Be grateful for your master’s generous heart.
“Sticker photos? Can I see one?”
“Of course not…! No.”
“Even if you don’t show me, I’m just going to ask my master to show me anyway.”
“Then just ask Chinami to show you.”
“I want to see it now, so you show me. I’ll even postpone my wish…”
The moment the word ‘wish’ came out, Renka’s eyes lit up with fury.
“L-Look at this…! I told you not to hold it over my head, and now you’re…”
“I’m not holding it over your head. I was going to ask if you could show me since I did you a favor.”
“That is holding it over my head…!”
“Is it? Anyway, show me. Then I won’t bother you.”
“……”
Muttering something under her breath, Renka rummaged inside her coat, pulled out her phone, and showed me the back of it.
“Here.”
A single sticker photo was tucked neatly inside the clear case.
The first thing that caught my eye was Chinami, her hands raised above her shoulders as if she were doing a children’s song dance.
The pose was fatally cute. You could feel her untainted innocence.
And Renka… was standing behind Chinami with a truly radiant smile.
Next to her brightened face were cute little chick characters, which surprisingly suited her.
She looked pretty adorable.
“You saw it?”
Feeling burdened by my stare, Renka put her phone away.
I want to take a picture with my slave, too.
Once we get closer while working part-time together during the break, I’ll have to push her to take one after our shift.
“I saw it. It came out nice and pretty.”
“…Now stop bothering me.”
“Alright.”
With a ready nod, I brushed past Renka.
Then, Renka called out to me in a puzzled tone.
“Hey, where are you going?”
“I’m leaving.”
“Weren’t you in the middle of something?”
“I promised I wouldn’t bother you.”
“No… you can just be quiet… Just get back to work. I’ll be leaving soon.”
Did she feel bad that I was stopping my work and leaving because of her?
Or was she pretending to dislike it, but felt a little empty now that I was actually going?
Considering my current relationship with Renka, the former was slightly more likely, but it could also be both.
“Okay. But Captain.”
“What.”
“Did you know the next volume of Asagao-san’s Household Finances is coming out?”
“…I had no idea. Why would I care about that?”
Judging by her face, she definitely knew.
She must have liked the book enough to look it up, right? Understandable.
“I just thought you might have looked it up since you said it was interesting.”
“It’s not my hobby in the first place, so there’s no reason to look it up. Anyway, didn’t you say you wouldn’t bother me? Just do your work.”
“Let’s do that.”
I replied nonchalantly and went back inside the storage room to continue organizing.
Renka also went over to where the armor was placed and began checking the equipment, likely to prepare for today’s practice.
How much time passed as we each did our own work in the storage room, filled only with the sound of rustling?
Just as I had mostly finished and was thinking I should head back to the classroom, Renka suddenly turned to me and asked.
“You said you got a tip from the coach?”
“Yeah.”
“Make sure you remember it well. The coach’s advice will definitely be helpful to you.”
“That’s the plan.”
She told me not to bother her… but it seems the silence got awkward while we were alone together in a quiet place.
Judging by the way she’s stating the obvious.
I let out a small laugh, quiet enough for the subtly fidgeting Renka not to notice, and opened the storage room door.
“I’m all done. I’m heading out now.”
“See you.”
“Aren’t you going, Captain? Class is about to start.”
“I still have things to do.”
“Alright, then. See you at club activities.”
“Yeah.”
Hearing Renka’s subdued reply, I left the storage room and trudged toward the classroom, thinking.
It felt like I had way too much on my plate these days.
There was the upcoming threesome, of course, but I also had to worry about the tournament, and the school trip was still ahead.
Not to mention I had to seriously start my conquest of Renka during the break… Is this the time when things get crazy busy?
Let’s give it my all.