Chapter 288: I Was Complacent and Arrogant
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 288: I Was Complacent and Arrogant
Early morning on the day of the tournament.
Carrying the lunchbox Miyuki had packed for me, I headed to the meeting spot and found Coach Goro.
He was staring at a document and muttering something, with Renka and Chinami standing beside him.
All three of them had serious expressions.
Are they looking at the tournament bracket? Or did someone drop out at the last minute?
Hoping to God it was Tetsuya, I approached them. Goro noticed my presence and looked my way, and I greeted him.
“Good morning, Coach.”
“It’s been a while. You been well?”
“Yes.”
“Have you been practicing your kendo?”
“I’ve been working hard.”
“Good to hear. You want to join the meeting? Or get on the bus?”
He was probably giving me the choice because I was a manager, just like Chinami.
“I’ll get on the bus.”
“Alright.”
I gave Goro a kendo-style bow as he nodded. Just as I was about to head for the bus, Renka grabbed me and pulled me away from the coach.
“Hey.”
“What is it?”
“You didn’t practice hard.”
“How would you know if I practiced hard or not?”
“What...? You... you...?”
Renka was visibly flustered by my sudden use of informal speech.
I secretly patted her butt and said with a smile.
“Just kidding. Did you pull me over here to lecture me about practice?”
“...No, that’s not it... It’s just... if you’re going to give me candy... I was going to ask you to give it to me later... after the tournament is over...”
I thought she was going to nag me, but it was about the candy.
She was being exceptionally cute this early in the morning. I’d have to dote on her a lot.
“Alright. When the meeting’s over and you get on the bus, come to the back seats with Master.”
“I don’t want to... Why should I...”
“Just come when I tell you to. Before I scold you.”
“Why are you acting like this here, of all places...”
“Answer.”
“F-Fine... I get it...!”
Renka snapped petulantly before stomping away from me.
As I watched her go, a thick arm suddenly appeared in front of me, and I turned to the side.
“You been well?”
A rather fierce-looking guy was asking how I was.
Who was this guy again?
I was sure he was the senpai who had been the team captain in the last tournament... but I just couldn't remember his name.
“Matsuda? What’s with him? You sick or something?”
He asked, puzzled, as I just stood there spacing out.
He’ll be disappointed if I act like I don’t know his name... How do I get out of this? Should I just mumble a greeting and play it off?
Just as I was racking my brain, a kendo club member shouted from a distance.
“Yamazaki-senpai! The coach wants to see you for a moment!”
Ah, that’s right.
Yamazaki... Yes, his last name was definitely Yamazaki.
Mori, Ikeda, Yamazaki, and that loser were on a team with me.
The substitutes were Yoshida and Fujii.
“Good morning, Yamazaki-senpai.”
After my incredibly delayed greeting, Yamazaki looked me up and down with a bewildered expression.
“What’s with you? Finally snap out of it? Anyway, let’s talk later. I gotta go.”
“Yes.”
After he left, I got on the bus and spotted Tetsuya sitting in one of the front seats.
He was tapping furiously at his phone, messaging someone, but his eyebrows twitched the moment he saw me.
“You’re here.”
“Yeah.”
His gaze swept over the lunchbox in my hands.
“Miyuki packed that for you, right?”
“That’s right.”
I unwrapped the cloth in front of him, took out the top two tiers of the lunchbox, which were wrapped in another cloth, and handed them to him.
I wasn’t giving it to him out of pity; it was because Miyuki had told me to give it to him if I saw him.
The reason Tetsuya had even mentioned the lunchbox was probably because Miyuki had told him to get his share from me.
“You can give it back to me when you’re done, or just keep it.”
“Ah, alright...”
Tetsuya wasn’t happy that Miyuki had thought of him; he was annoyed.
In the past, Miyuki would have given the lunchbox to him and told him to pass a few things to me. Now, our positions were completely reversed.
From his perspective, it must feel like he’s had his childhood friend stolen from him.
Though, since that childhood friend never had a single romantic feeling for Tetsuya, saying she was ‘stolen’ is a bit of a stretch.
“Enjoy your meal. I’m heading to the back.”
“Huh? Oh, okay.”
“Good luck today.”
Leaving Tetsuya, I exchanged greetings with the female club members participating in the tournament and then settled into an empty seat at the very back.
I drew the curtain over the window and reclined my seat slightly to get comfortable. Not long after, Chinami boarded the bus.
I waved to her and said, “Master, over here.”
“Ah, there you are.”
“Sit here.”
I patted the window seat next to me for Chinami, who was approaching with light steps. Her face turned a little red.
“Y-Yes...! But... you’ll have to move...”
“There’s space here.”
“I-I know, but the space is very narrow, isn’t it...?”
“You can fit through just fine, Master.”
“Aha...! I see... Well then...”
Chinami let out a small gasp as if she’d learned something new and slid her legs into the space between my knees.
She grabbed the headrest of the seat in front, struggling to get by without her body touching my legs.
After a bit of a struggle, Chinami finally sat down and let out a sigh of relief. “Phew!”
“Well done.”
“Hehe... Thank you.”
She wasn’t even sweating, but the way she wiped her forehead was just adorable.
Looking down at her, genuinely proud of herself, I asked, “But am I dirty or something?”
“Excuse me? Dirty?”
“You were trying so hard not to touch me as you passed by.”
“N-No...! That was just so I wouldn’t be a bother, not because I think you’re dirty or anything of the sort...!”
“Is that so?”
“Of course...! For you to say such a thing, I can’t help but be disappointed... Ah...!?”
Chinami, who had been frowning cutely, flinched mid-sentence.
It was because I had placed my hand on her neatly pressed-together thighs.
Startled by the sudden skinship, her rosy lips moved this way and that.
“Your hair’s gotten a little long, hasn’t it?”
As if she liked my gentle voice, Chinami let out her characteristic soft hum.
She pulled a strand of her hair forward and twirled it around her finger, nodding.
“Yess... I-I need to get it cut, but I’ve been too lazy...”
“Why were you lazy?”
“Because I spend so much of the day lying down... When you’re lying down, you naturally become lazy about everything...”
“I deeply sympathize with that feeling. But it’s pretty even if you don’t cut it.”
“Wha-!? R-Really...?”
I could see the blush on her cheeks spreading all the way to her ears.
Chinami was so incredibly shy... I wanted to hug her.
“But, umm... Junior...”
“Yes.”
“In a place like this... it’s a little... embarrassing...”
“What is?”
“Your hand...”
“Is there anything to be embarrassed about when I’m just giving you a massage?”
“Aha... so it was a massage... But even so...”
“Should I stop?”
“Yes...”
Contrary to her image, Chinami has a surprisingly assertive side to her.
It felt like her and the subtly timid Renka had switched roles.
But it suited her very well. The same went for Renka.
“Alright.”
As I removed my hand from the thigh of a squirming Chinami, she let out a relieved sigh and took a plastic container out of a bag she’d brought.
“Would you like some peaches...?”
So she brought them from home. I was wondering when they’d make an appearance.
They probably wouldn’t be as good as when they’re in season, but where else could you get peaches in the winter?
I should look on the bright side.
“I’d be very grateful for just one piece.”
“I can give you two pieces...”
“Can’t I have three?”
“Ah, you can. You can have four, or even five.”
Our Chinami is so kind-hearted.
Could there be anyone this nice in the world? I wanted to just eat her up.
I gently brushed her bangs with my fingertips and smiled brightly.
“Then let’s eat the peaches as a palate cleanser after we have our lunch together.”
“Lunch?”
“Miyuki packed it.”
“Wha...? I have serious doubts about whether it’s okay for me to eat something that Hanazawa-senpai packed for you, Junior...”
“She said to eat it with you, Master.”
“Oh, in that case, I’ll gladly eat with you.”
Her face immediately broke into a wide grin.
She marveled at the contents of the lunchbox, even clapping like a seal. We were about to happily pick up our chopsticks when—
“Um... what should I do? I have something to talk to Chinami about...”
Renka’s voice came from the front.
From the sound of it, Tetsuya must have been trying to get her to sit next to him.
It was obvious.
“Sorry. Later... can you tell me when we get to the venue?”
Renka politely but firmly rejected Tetsuya and strode over to me and Chinami.
Seizing the opportunity, I whispered to Chinami, who was about to pick up a piece of inari sushi with her chopsticks.
“Master, do you know something?”
“No?”
“How can you say no before you’ve even heard it?”
“Because it’s probably something I don’t know...?”
I couldn’t argue with that logic.
I mean, if you considered the context of the question itself, Chinami was right.
“You know the club captain?”
“Yes.”
“She’s a huge pervert.”
“Whaaat...?”
Chinami’s already large eyes grew even wider.
“She’s thinking lewd thoughts all the time.”
“H-How could she...?”
Now her mouth was hanging open, and she was even covering it with her hand.
I was about to say something more to her—she was giving such great reactions to my out-of-the-blue comments—when Renka, who had reached us, scowled.
“What are you doing? Stop talking shit about me.”
“I wasn’t.”
Seemingly displeased with my nonchalant attitude, Renka let out a small noise of irritation and sat down in the aisle seat.
Then she jutted her chin at me and said, “Switch seats.”
“Why?”
“I’m going to talk strategy with Chinami.”
Strategy, my ass...
It was obvious she wanted to switch because Chinami was in the window seat, hidden by my body, so she couldn’t keep a proper eye on us.
“No. We can talk just fine like this. It’s not like it’ll cause any problems if I overhear your strategy discussion.”
“...You’re so annoying.”
“Thanks for the compliment. Want some inari sushi?”
“Get lo—... Hmph... No.”
Seeing her hold back from swearing in front of the innocent Chinami... it was a good look.
I smirked at Renka, who crossed her arms and whipped her head away. Then, I stroked Chinami’s hair and brought my lips to her ear.
“What I said just now was a joke.”
“Oh...! I see...!”
Chinami placed a hand on her chest and sighed in relief, then puffed out one cheek.
“Junior...! You shouldn’t make such mischievous jokes so carelessly.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It would be best if you tell your friend the truth later and apologize. I trust that my student would do so.”
“I will.”
“Still, I’m happy that you two seem to have gotten close enough to make jokes like that.”
Curious about our hushed conversation right next to her, Renka leaned her body slightly toward the aisle.
Then she said, as if accusing me, “I told you not to talk shit about me.”
“And I said I wasn’t.”
“...Give me a piece of inari sushi, too.”
“I thought you said no.”
“I changed my mind. Hand it over.”
“Shouldn’t the one asking for food be a little more polite?”
“Why should I have to ask a guy like you for anything?”
“Why? Because you’re a sl—”
“Ahhh...! Shut up and give it to me...!”
Renka cut me off, anticipating the word ‘slave’ was about to come out of my mouth.
Glaring at me while sneaking glances at Chinami, she reached out to snatch my chopsticks. But I had predicted her move and quickly raised my arm, making her lick her lips in disappointment.
The atmosphere is already great.
Is it because Chinami’s here? The air around us seems to soften.
The scent of peaches and blueberries is fragrant, too... I have a feeling this is already going to be a satisfying day.