Chapter 295: I'm Anxious, but I Can't Stop Provoking
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 295: I'm Anxious, but I Can't Stop Provoking
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“Bye, Chinami.”
“You too, my friend. See you tomorrow.”
After eating with Chinami and parting ways, Renka got on the train.
She'd felt it this morning too, but after riding in Matsuda's car all break, taking public transportation felt like a refreshing change.
‘Matsuda... that bastard...’
Thinking of Matsuda brought back what happened in the club room.
His sudden spanking had made her let out a bitch-like moan without even realizing it...
It was so humiliating to think about, she could die.
The coach was one thing, but even the other club members seemed surprised... Surely no one got the wrong idea, right?
In any case, to pay him back for the immense humiliation she'd suffered today, she was going to curse out MK.
This kind of petty revenge was the only thing she could do right now. She was too afraid of Matsuda's retaliation to do it to his face, so this would have to do.
Scoffing at her own timidity, Renka arrived home and announced her return loudly as soon as she stepped inside.
She was about to head straight to her room when,
“Renka! A package came from your uncles! It's on the dining table, go look!”
Hearing her mother's voice from upstairs, she turned her gaze to the dining table.
Her 'uncles' referred to the twins who ran a business on the outskirts of town.
A package, all of a sudden? It wasn't even a holiday.
Knowing how mischievous they were, it might be some kind of prank.
On the table was a small, thick package.
Renka picked it up, glanced at the shipping label, and tore it open.
Inside, a rectangular paper envelope was wrapped in bubble wrap.
A small note was taped to the bubble wrap.
[It came out well, so we're sending it. We miss you, so stop by when you're bored.] A single line was written on it.
Renka let out a small laugh at her uncles' simple message, then unwrapped the bubble wrap to see what was inside.
‘This is...’
This was definitely... the photo they took together when Matsuda first visited her uncles' store after work.
It was the same photo that had been posted in front of the store.
It looked like they'd taken it down to send to her... But hadn't her uncles said they needed to keep it up so customers would come after seeing Matsuda's face?
And yet they sent it to her. What were they trying to say?
Were they telling her to visit with Matsuda?
If so, maybe she should ask Matsuda if he could go this weekend.
The light reflected off the laminated photo, obscuring Matsuda's face.
Turning her back to the light to get a better look, Renka entered her room, an unconscious smile spreading across her face.
A handsome young man standing between two middle-aged men with rugged faces.
It was a strange combination, but they also looked surprisingly good together.
Should she say he looked a bit like Big Uncle's son?
“Ugh...!!”
Renka shook her head violently at the thought.
Matsuda as Big Uncle's son... That would make her and him cousins who'd had a relationship.
Of course, it was just a thought, but it went against the natural order of things, and a wave of instinctive revulsion washed over her.
She carefully placed the photo on her bed and wondered where to keep it.
Putting it up somewhere visible would make it seem like she had strong feelings for Matsuda, which hurt her pride for some reason.
Besides, her mother or father would probably tease her if they saw it.
But just tossing it in a desk drawer didn't feel right either...
Lost in thought, she decided to place the photo in a corner of her desk for now.
Right under the desk's storage shelf. She only sat at her desk occasionally, so if she put it there, she could see it from time to time, but not too often.
The underside of the shelf would also protect it from dust. It seemed like a very good choice.
Very satisfied with her decision, Renka gave the photo one last glance before picking up her phone and opening the AniShare app.
She immediately sent a message to MK.
[MK-nim.]
If he didn't reply within two minutes, she was going to say something.
With that thought, Renka left her room, went down to the kitchen, and opened the refrigerator.
Just as she poured a glass of water and was about to drink it, her phone buzzed.
[What is it.]
It seemed to have taken exactly two minutes, but she wasn't going to let it slide.
Why? Because the whole reason she messaged Matsuda in the first place was to pick a fight and mess with him.
She knew it was childish, but so what? As long as she was satisfied and had fun, that's all that mattered.
Thinking carefree thoughts, Renka slowly drank her water and tapped on her phone.
[Why did you take so long to reply?]
[Isn't this pretty fast?]
[It's too slow.]
[I can't check the app every second. You'll have to understand.]
[I don't think I can?]
[Why are you picking a fight? If you really want a fast reply, give me your Lime ID.]
That was absolutely, under no circumstances, not even on her deathbed, going to happen.
Not even if she made a second account.
She had to block any possibility of Ino-chan's true identity being revealed.
[That's a pretty old-fashioned pickup line. So cheesy.]
[It's not a pickup line, it's a fact. If you're unhappy with slow replies, you should use a dedicated messaging app.]
[No way.]
[Then you'll just have to deal with the slow replies.]
[You're so rude.]
Was he dumbfounded by her completely baseless and unjust criticism?
Matsuda's replies stopped.
Imagining him scoffing in disbelief, Renka sent another message.
[So you admit it?]
[No. I just don't understand what gives you the right to be so cocky.]
[Because I'm anonymous.]
[I see.]
Before, he wouldn't have cursed, but he wouldn't have agreed so meekly either... What's with him?
Feeling a strange sense of anxiety creeping up on her, Renka changed the subject.
[What were you doing?]
[I was just thinking about this and that.]
[About what?]
[I was seriously contemplating how I might be able to 'educate' Ino-chan.]
At the word 'educate,' Renka's whole body flinched.
In real life, she was already suffering all sorts of humiliation under the guise of Matsuda's 'education.' Was he planning to extend his evil clutches to Ino-chan as well?
She knew he had a thing for breaking strong-willed people, but still... he was a psycho.
But wait, is he interested in Ino-chan now?
Is that why he said that?
That philanderer is already seeing Miyuki, Chinami, and even her, and now he's trying to make a move on Ino-chan too? Doesn't he have any shame?
Of course, Renka knew she was just as shameless for not rejecting his advances while knowing he was seeing the other two... but it still pissed her off a little.
Anyway, seeing Matsuda show interest in Ino-chan, her alter ego, felt incredibly strange.
It felt bad, but also good... annoying, but also not. It was an ambiguous feeling.
[Educate? You mean 'train,' right? You're a training-genre maniac, MK-nim.]
[It's better to use more refined words. By the way, have you finished the manga I recommended?]
Hilarious. He says whatever he wants to me without any filter, and now he's pretending to be polite.
Renka grumbled internally and sent a reply.
[No. It's boring.]
[I told you to read it.]
[Why should I listen to you, MK-nim?]
[You're annoying.]
[(๑ᵔ⩊ᵔ๑) Hearing you say that makes me feel better. I have something to do, so I'm leaving now.]
[Fine. We'll see about this soon.]
‘Huh...?’
The moment she saw Matsuda's message, Renka's heart sank.
His words, 'We'll see about this soon,' felt incredibly ominous.
He was clearly talking to Ino-chan, but it felt like he was saying it to her real self.
As the anxiety she'd felt earlier started to return, Renka calmed herself.
It's just a feeling. I'm just on edge because I'm hiding Ino-chan's identity.
I just have to be careful.
With that resolve, Renka nodded firmly and sent one last message.
[Fuck you.]
* * *
The second day of the academy still held the freshness of the first.
But unlike the relaxed first day, as classes began in earnest, it didn't take long for looks of despair to cloud the students' faces.
“Tsk, tsk... They're all wiped out.”
The math teacher clicking his tongue at the students, who were slumped over like zombies, was just the cherry on top.
Come to think of it, I didn't go see the school nurse yesterday. I should stop by today if I have time.
I was staring at the blackboard with my arm propped on the desk, lost in thought, when a slight prickling sensation on the back of my hand brought me back to my senses.
“Pay attention, dummy.”
Miyuki, sitting next to me, was gently pressing the tip of her mechanical pencil against my hand.
She poked it several times, the pressure indenting my skin into the shape of a heart. It was both funny and cute, and I couldn't help but smile.
“Looks to me like you're the one not paying attention, drawing on my hand.”
At my words, Miyuki giggled silently and continued moving her pencil without a word.
Just then, the bell signaling the end of class rang and the teacher left. Miyuki then pulled my hand onto the middle of her desk, picked up a marker, and started her work.
“Is that a water-based pen?”
“Be quiet.”
Was she suddenly bored and looking for something to do?
I needed to go to the bathroom, but I figured I should hold it for now.
As I sat there quietly, watching Miyuki draw on the back of my hand, I perked up my ears at a conversation between some classmates.
“I heard the boxing club was super popular yesterday. They don't even have a promotional poster up yet, but prospective freshmen who like sports were apparently stopping by.”
“Really? Why? Does our academy's boxing club have anything special to offer?”
“A student who's a second-year now won the national tournament last year. He said in an interview it was all thanks to the coach, and I guess that got famous.”
“So they're trying to join because of the coach?”
“Probably.”
“Isn't it common to thank your teacher? What kind of interview was it?”
“I don't know either.”
A student takes his coach's guidance to heart, practices hard, and gets results...
Isn't that a classic shonen manga cliché?
For something like that to happen to an extra instead of me, the main character... It's truly deplorable.
But why didn't any prospective freshmen come to our kendo club?
The girls' kendo team's record is a given, and the men's team also took second place twice in the last tournament. Shouldn't we be considered a powerhouse?
We even have a player right here who won one rookie award and two MVPs at that tournament, not to mention Renka, who sweeps up awards every time she competes...
Are there just no incoming freshmen interested in kendo this year?
Or did they not see the kendo club room because it's on the outskirts of campus?
Whatever the reason, I feel a severe sense of deprivation.
Later, if Renka or Chinami are stressing about recruiting new members, maybe I'll storm the boxing club and drag a few guys over by force.
“All done.”
While I was lost in thought, Miyuki lifted my hand with a satisfied expression.
Drawn on the back of my hand was a red heart, and inside it, a boy and a girl.
They were the same characters Miyuki had drawn in her notebook before, and at that 24-hour ramen shop.
It reminded me of the time when Miyuki and I were in that 'some' phase, making my heart feel young and fresh.
“You're a good artist. But is that a water-based pen?”
“It's permanent.”
“Then it'll be hard to wash off.”
“You want to wash it off? Even though I drew it for you?”
“That's not it, but...”
“I'm kidding. It's water-based.”
“Can I go to the bathroom now?”
“To wash it off?”
“No... It's a natural urge.”
“Then you can go. But if you wash your hands, only get your palm wet.”
She must be worried the drawing will wash off.
If she was going to be like that, she should have just used a permanent marker. Miyuki's picked up some of my stubbornness... it's terrifying.
“Got it.”