Chapter 275: A Secret Rendezvous in a Different Place #2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 275: A Secret Rendezvous in a Different Place #2
“Isn’t that Matsuda? It’s been a while.”
The security guard at the academy’s main gate greeted me.
My eyes widened as I asked, “Mister? What are you doing here?”
“What do you mean? I’m working.”
“Everything been okay lately?”
“Yep. Thanks for asking. But what brings you here?”
“I’m heading to the Kendo Club Room.”
“Why?”
“Just for a little practice.”
“Is that so...? Make sure you’re out before nine.”
“Yes, sir.”
It wasn’t uncommon for students to use club rooms during vacation.
Besides, the guard I was talking to was someone I’d gotten close to during my school community service.
As one of the people who had watched me change from the sidelines, he let us in without much suspicion after only checking Renka’s student ID.
“...You two seem close.”
Renka’s question came as the car entered the empty parking lot.
I nodded nonchalantly and replied, “Yeah.”
“Why?”
“We got pretty close when I was doing my community service.”
“Really...? I didn’t know...”
“You didn’t know?”
“Yeah. I didn’t.”
“Why not?”
“What do you mean, ‘why not’...? How would I know that?”
Renka scowled, as if asking what I was trying to pick a fight about now.
Frowning in displeasure, I said, “We ran into each other at the main gate all the time. You saw me talking friendly with the security guard.”
“What are you talking about...? Am I supposed to remember something like that?”
“You should.”
“Talk about forcing it... This is ridiculous...”
Wasn’t this a familiar sight?
Isn’t it about time you got used to it, learned to adapt and obey?
With that thought, I parked the car and got out with Renka.
As we were crossing the deserted school grounds,
Plink.
The already dark sky grew even cloudier, and raindrops began to fall.
“Oh...? It’s raining...”
“Looks like it. Should we hurry? Give that to me.”
“W-wait...”
I half-forced the box Renka was holding on top of my own and quickened my pace toward the club room.
It felt like it had been a while since it last rained.
It was as if God himself was telling me to make it romantic when Renka and I did that sort of thing.
By the time we opened the club room door and stepped inside, the downpour had intensified.
Perfect timing. See? I’m the protagonist chosen by God.
Thinking the sight of the trees outside the club room window swaying in the wind and rain had a certain charm, I set the boxes down on the floor.
“What should we do now?”
“...Stretch...”
“Stretch for what?”
“For kendo, obviously... You’re thinking weird things...”
“What kind of weird things?”
“Ah, shut it...! Just stretch and put on your armor...”
“I don’t know how to put on a set of armor.”
“.....”
Her eyes were filled with disbelief.
I shrugged as if I’d been wrongly accused and continued.
“It’s true. My master always put it on for me.”
“You can’t even put on the chest and waist protectors by yourself?”
“No, I know how to do that.”
“Then you do know how! I just have to help you with the helmet, so stop lying...!”
“The helmet is part of the armor, so it’s not a lie.”
“Hah... I’d rather communicate with an animal than talk to you.”
“Why? Is it frustrating?”
“Yes. Now get ready.”
Starting right away? She’s so impatient.
Or could it be that she wants to finish practice quickly so she can have some intimate time with me?
I’ll choose to believe that. It makes me feel better.
“But are we going to spar right away?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“I need to see if your skills have gotten rusty.”
Hmm... is it just my imagination, or does it feel like she’s using this as an excuse to pay me back for all the humiliation she’s endured until now?
No, seeing her blazing eyes, it doesn’t seem to be my imagination.
Using a sacred kendo match for personal revenge... Renka has become quite corrupt.
And I like that even more.
* * *
“Ah, stay still...!”
Renka, her long hair flowing out from under her helmet, chided me. I, who had been sitting on the floor slowly swaying my body from side to side, looked up.
“What is it?”
“I need to wrap the head towel, how am I supposed to do that if you keep moving...!”
“Oh, really? I didn’t know.”
“...How can a guy who’s been in the kendo club for so long not know that? You’re just pretending not to know to mess with me, aren’t you?”
“‘Mess with you’? Please use nicer words.”
“Just stay still.”
After scolding me in an uncompromising tone, Renka wrapped the tenugui around my head and put on my helmet.
Then, she tapped the top of it with her fist.
“There. Get up now.”
“Why did you hit me?”
“I was checking if it was on properly.”
“Not because you think I’m a pain in the ass?”
“Why are you being so difficult today? Stop talking nonsense and put on your gloves.”
“You’ll go easy on me, right?”
“Yeah.”
From the sound of her voice, it didn’t seem like she planned on going easy at all.
I had a feeling I was going to get thrashed, just like at the training camp.
Grumbling, I got up, put on my gauntlets, and picked up my shinai.
In that time, Renka had already assumed the Kendo Kneeling Ritual on the line drawn on the floor.
“Sit.”
I crouched down opposite her, already in perfect form, and said, “Are you really going to go easy on me?”
“I said I would. And be quiet from now on. We’re about to spar, so focus on your breathing. We’ll start as soon as we rise from the kneel.”
“Do we really have to be this serious?”
“Quiet.”
I couldn’t tell if she was being serious because we were starting a match, or if she was just messing with me.
I wanted to read her thoughts by looking into her eyes through the grill of her helmet, but it was hard to make them out since only some of the club room lights were on and the rain made it incredibly dark inside.
“Rising.”
Renka’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. I straightened my folded knees and slowly rose, simultaneously raising my shinai above my head.
And then,
“Hahp!”
Seeing Renka let out a kiai and charge at me, I quickly swung my sword.
Clack-!
A crisp sound bloomed as the bamboo sticks collided.
After deflecting Renka’s sword, which she had extended for a throat thrust, I stomped my foot hard for a counterattack and went in to strike her lowered wrist.
Thwack-!
But I couldn’t reach it.
I had aimed for the striking area on her gauntlet but hit the handguard instead.
It wasn’t even the proper striking area, so even if I had hit the gauntlet, it wouldn’t have been recognized as a valid strike.
This was the result of Renka intentionally extending her hand the moment my sword came down, moving the point of impact forward.
It was a bold play. If her reflexes had been even a little slower, the sword would have hit the head of the gauntlet and her fingers would have hurt... I was impressed.
The situation naturally turned into a clash of handguards.
As we stood close, our swords locked, the blueberry scent coming from Renka grew stronger.
Mmm... fragrant. Is there any research on why beautiful people always smell so good?
I suddenly felt the urge to look up a thesis on it.
Just as I was thinking that and about to create some distance, Renka beat me to it.
She instantly pulled back, flicking her wrist.
Startled, I tried to raise my arm straight up, but her sword had already connected with my gauntlet.
Crack!
A rather heavy sensation spread from my wrist.
Having scored a point, Renka retreated to the white line on the floor and said, “One point.”
“...So it is.”
“You give up points so easily because you’re thinking about useless things. You were just thinking something weird, weren’t you?”
“I was thinking that the captain smells nice.”
“Aish...! Won’t you focus...!?”
She’s flustered. So typically Renka.
Anyway, sparring with Renka now that our relationship has developed so much feels incredibly new.
Perhaps Renka was thinking the same thing, as she was huffing and puffing more than usual.
From now on, I should try some psychological attacks.
“Back to your position.”
I nodded at Renka’s words, returned to the line, and bent my knees to face her.
Then I asked, “How long are we going to do this?”
“Until one of us gets 5 points.”
“Can’t we just do 3 points?”
“No. And be quiet.”
“Let’s just do 3. I want to go to the lounge quickly.”
“.....”
I could see Renka’s body tremble slightly.
It was proof that she was bewildered by my suggestive words.
Renka, with her extensive match experience, was probably resistant to this kind of trash talk, but it seemed difficult for her to compose herself when her sparring partner was someone she’d had a relationship with, and who was now making sexual jokes.
Chuckling to myself, I straightened my knees first. As a startled Renka rose to meet me, I stomped my foot.
* * *
Taking off my helmet, I savored the sense of liberation as my restricted vision widened, and I looked at Renka.
She was untying the hair tie she had fastened very close to her head.
Her eyes met mine, and she scowled deeply before speaking.
“You cheap bastard...”
“What’s so cheap about it?”
“Why would you say something like that...! No kendo practitioner would say such vulgar things in a real match...!”
It seemed her pride was deeply wounded. After the first exchange, she had been swept up in my continuous trash talk until the end, and although she won, she had given up 2 points.
In that sense, from Renka’s perspective, she won but lost, and from my perspective, I lost but won.
“Was it vulgar?”
“You even have to ask...?”
“Was it bad?”
“It was awful. It was like trash.”
I hear that insult all the time, so it has no effect on me.
Shrugging it off, I walked past Renka, who was taking off the rest of her armor, and opened the door to the lounge.
Then, without even closing the door, I started laying out a mattress.
“W-what are you doing...”
As if she had anticipated what was about to happen, Renka’s voice trembled.
Without even looking back at her, I answered, “I’m making a place for us to lie down.”
“...So why are you doing that...”
“Are you going to shower now?”
“The lesson isn’t even over, what do you mean shower... Hurry up and come over here...”
“Do you have a towel?”
“I do, but... I said it’s not over yet...?”
“I got it.”
Faced with my consistently playful attitude, Renka fell silent.
As if she sensed she couldn’t escape, she stopped arguing and started kicking the innocent floor, glancing over at me from time to time.
She was like a warrior queen during the match, but now she’s like a noble’s daughter on her wedding night.
Finding that gap incredibly hot, I approached Renka, who was pointlessly swinging her shinai in the air to kill time, and wrapped my arm around her waist.
“Hyat!?”
Then, as she jumped in surprise and her body recoiled, I began to slowly undo the outer tie of her uniform.