Chapter 269: Is It Fear, or a Misgiving?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 269: Is It Fear, or a Misgiving?
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“Haaah…”
Lying spread-eagled on her back, Renka stared at the ceiling and let out a long sigh.
Why did she keep getting into these situations with Matsuda?
She should have put a stop to it long ago.
She’d always thought of herself as a decisive person, but her conversations with Matsuda proved otherwise.
She was far too indecisive. And she let him sway her far too much.
What had possessed her in the hotel to please his ears with words so unlike her…
Recalling the smirk on his face as he lay on top of her, Renka shook her head.
‘I must have been crazy…’
Worse, she had even felt happy following his lead.
She had always harbored such feelings subconsciously, but today, they were stronger than ever.
It was as if her feelings for Matsuda were growing deeper.
“Haaaah…”
Sighing again and again, Renka picked up the shinai she treasured so dearly and went outside.
She felt that if she didn't clear her head by swinging her sword in the fresh air, her mind would be a mess until tomorrow.
“Going to practice?”
It was her mother, who was sitting on the living room sofa with her father.
Her father had an arm around her mother’s shoulder, and her mother’s arm was wrapped around his waist. Seeing their loving display, Renka smiled brightly and answered.
“Yes.”
“Can’t you just do it inside? Why go out?”
“I just want to get some fresh air.”
“Really? It’s cold and late today, so don’t overdo it.”
“I won’t.”
What would her parents think if they met Matsuda?
Seeing how he acted around the coach and older customers, he could be quite personable… They might actually like him.
With that thought, Renka went outside, bundled up her clothes, and began to swing her shinai.
The air was cold and the wind was blowing fiercely, which meant she’d have to oil the shinai well after practice. But maintaining her shinai was part of her life, so she didn't find it bothersome.
Renka was practicing her repetitive motions for quite some time when her phone, lying on the flat bench, began to vibrate. A strange sense of anticipation made her snatch it up.
But she couldn’t hide her disappointment when she saw the name on the screen.
[Tetsuya Miura (Junior)]
It wasn’t the call from Matsuda she had been hoping for.
Her face scrunched into a deep frown before she quickly came to her senses and tapped her cheek.
This made it seem like she had something against Tetsuya Miura.
That wasn’t it at all, so she needed to get her expression under control.
Even though she was alone, if she let herself act however she wanted, she might slip up in front of others.
Maintain a proper mindset.
Composing herself, Renka answered the call.
“Hello?”
-It’s been a while, Captain! Sorry to call so late, is it a good time to talk?
He’s as energetic as ever. I wonder if he’s been keeping up with his kendo practice?
Come to think of it, Matsuda hadn’t mentioned kendo lately… Had he quit?
Someone with his talent shouldn’t give up kendo.
I should subtly bring it up tomorrow.
“It’s fine. Have you been well?”
-Yes! I’ve been great. How about you, Captain?
“Well, I…”
Renka trailed off, her lips sealing shut.
She’d been so stressed because of Matsuda lately that she couldn’t bring herself to say she’d been doing well.
No, was it really stress? Or was she actually enjoying this dangerous relationship with him?
As Renka asked herself that question,
-Is something wrong?
Tetsuya’s innocent question made her flinch, and she quickly changed the subject.
“It’s nothing. So, what’s up?”
-I wanted to see how you were doing, and also ask about the next kendo tournament. Do you know when it might be?
“There’s one right before the end of the break. The date should be set soon, and the coach will let us know.”
-I see. Will I be included in the men’s division tournament?
“Of course. Everyone who participated in the last tournament will go. I can promise you there won’t be any changes unless something special comes up.”
-That’s a relief.
“Were you worried about that?”
-N-No, not worried… I just wanted to show that I’ve been practicing hard…
Renka chuckled at Tetsuya’s honest and simple reply.
A sudden thought occurred to her. What if Matsuda were as good-natured as Miura?
No matter how she imagined it, it seemed terribly wrong. Everyone has an image that suits them.
Being reckless and forceful, just as he was now, suited Matsuda much better.
Switching the phone to her other hand, Renka leaned her shinai against the leg of the bench and said.
“I know you are, so don’t worry. By the way, I’m working a part-time job these days. I’ll send you the location, so come visit.”
-A part-time job?
“Yeah. I’m working at a cafe. With Matsuda.”
-…Huh? What did you say?
“I said I’m working.”
-No… not that… with who?
“With Matsuda.”
-…The Matsuda I know? Ken Matsuda?
Hearing the doubt in Tetsuya’s voice, it seemed he had no idea Matsuda was working at a cafe.
Weren’t they friends?
Even if they weren’t close, it was something he could have mentioned… Had they not been in contact at all during the break?
“That’s right.”
The other end of the line went silent.
Wondering if he hadn’t heard her, Renka asked.
“Hello? Can you hear me?”
-Ah, yes… I can hear you. That’s… really surprising…?
Surprising… Considering how she and Matsuda usually treated each other like mortal enemies, it was the perfect word.
“I didn’t expect this either. I’ll buy you a drink, so come by when you have time. And if you have any questions about kendo, feel free to ask anytime.”
-Okay… Thank you.
“Yeah. I’m hanging up now.”
After ending the call, Renka considered sending Matsuda a message on AniShare but decided against it.
She’d been talking with MK frequently lately, and Matsuda had been suspicious last time. It was best to stop doing anything risky.
She couldn’t lose this one joy—the ability to badmouth Matsuda without a care in the world—over a single mistake.
She had to milk this for all it was worth, for as long as possible.
Fiddling with her silent phone, Renka decided it was about time she changed Matsuda’s contact name.
[Still a Piece of Trash] seemed just right.
This was special, too. Normally, she never put this much thought into saving anyone’s name, except for Chinami.
So, Matsuda should be grateful to her.
Of course, if he ever found out, he’d go wild as if he’d caught her red-handed.
Anyway, what kind of play will we do next time?
What happened today had been quite shocking.
A choker with a cat bell on a person’s neck… She wasn’t sure if she should be relieved that he didn’t put a leash on her.
‘So, is it a leash next…?’
MK had mentioned a leash, so she was sure he’d try that play eventually, though she didn’t know when.
When that happened, how should she react?
She didn’t know. She’d probably have to decide when the time came.
Honestly, she could say that today’s play was deeply humiliating, but it wasn’t actually bad.
She could see how much Matsuda liked her body, and he’d finished faster than their first time, which gave her a subtle sense of pride.
That’s why she was, in a way, looking forward to it. To their next time together.
‘No…!’
Forcibly suppressing the overwhelming feeling that was welling up inside her, Renka glanced up at the starry night sky before heading back inside.
Tomorrow, I’ll have to bundle up completely to piss Matsuda off, she thought.
* * *
“I knew it. Why didn’t I say anything? Was it something that needed to be said?”
Miyuki, wrapped up tightly in a blanket on the bed, was talking to someone on the phone.
“Yeah, yeah… right. No, it’s fine. Our next study session? Let’s do Wednesday. That’s Matsuda-kun’s day off.”
From the conversation, I could tell Miyuki was talking to Tetsuya.
It seemed he’d found out somehow that I was working with Renka.
Of course, that ‘somehow’ had to be Renka. He must have called the captain he admired and heard the surprising news.
I was curious about the look on his face when he found out, but I didn’t have time to worry about a worm like Tetsuya.
More pressing than that loser’s face was how I was going to explain my relationship with Renka to Miyuki.
I kept thinking about it, but I couldn’t get a grip on it, and the words wouldn’t come out.
Recalling Miyuki’s reaction before the threesome with Chinami… I was afraid of how she’d react this time.
She did have a history of allowing a threesome, so maybe it wouldn’t be as bad as I feared, but the chances of that were low.
Was there a good way to do this? Should I propose to her and just register our marriage first?
It felt like I was going too far, but I was planning on doing it in the future anyway. I could tie her down with that and… no, that’s a bit much, isn’t it?
But now I was curious.
If I brought up marriage to Miyuki right now, how would she take it?
She was definitely crazy about me, but she might also be scared of getting married at such a young age and say she needed to think about it.
Then again, Miyuki was very sentimental. If I set the mood and confessed properly, there was a chance she’d accept on the spot.
“Okay, see you then.”
Miyuki ended the call with a cheerful voice and held her phone out to me.
Realizing she wanted me to charge it, I let out a dry laugh.
“Am I your servant?”
“I can’t move, you can at least do this for me.”
“What do you mean you can’t move…”
“Aww, hurry up…!”
A smile threatened to spread across my face at the sight of her bouncing her blanket-wrapped body and whining.
She seems to be in a good mood… Should I bring it up now?
No, doing it without any warning would only bring shock.
Taking Miyuki’s phone and plugging in the charging cable, I poked her as she curled up and lay down.
“Hey.”
“What?”
“Just calling your name.”
“What’s with you… so childish…”
Miyuki looked at me as if I were being ridiculous, her expression playfully contorted.
Seeing her so cheerful made me even more hesitant to bring it up.
Was I always this indecisive?
What if I asked for another threesome with Chinami?
It would probably be met with less resistance than talking about Renka, so starting from there again didn’t seem like a bad idea.
For now, I should focus on raising Miyuki’s affection level.
I felt like whatever I did would only work when her feelings for me were much stronger than they were now.
Tucking away my fear of the future into a corner of my heart, I climbed on top of Miyuki and forcefully ripped open the blanket she was refusing to give up.
Then, I started tickling her.
“Ah, stop it…!”
Miyuki giggled, clearly enjoying it.
I spent a long time with her like that, sharing playful affection.