Chapter 326: Renka's Ordeal
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 326: Renka's Ordeal
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“Aaaahhhh!!!”
Thump! Thump!
Renka screamed, pounding on her bed.
Her face was beet red with embarrassment. As she was in the middle of her outburst, her mother walked into the room.
“Wh-what are you doing?”
But Renka, as if she hadn't heard her mother's presence, continued her frantic fit.
She thrashed on the bed as if having a seizure.
“Ugh! Eek!”
She would flinch at the empty air as if she'd seen a ghost, letting out bizarre yelps.
“.....”
Renka's mother stared at her daughter, momentarily speechless. Realizing she wasn't sick, she simply shook her head and left the room.
Unaware that she had just put her shame on full display, Renka continued her bizarre antics for a while longer before finally coming to a stop.
“Haa... haa...”
Staring at the ceiling, she panted, her mind filled with nothing but pure, unadulterated shame.
All she could do was sigh. Every word she'd exchanged with Matsuda in those messages now felt mortifying.
She shouldn't have used the emoticons. She'd only done it to make sure he didn't equate her with Ino-chan... If she'd known it would turn out like this, she never would have.
She should have been more careful. She'd been too complacent.
Bzzzz-!
Renka, who had been lying still as a corpse while holding her breath, sat up when she felt a vibration from below her bed.
It must have fallen between the bed and the wall when she was pounding on it earlier.
Grunting with effort, Renka retrieved the phone, unlocked it, and checked the notification.
A short curse escaped her lips.
“Ah, shit...!”
It was a notification that read: [You have a new message from User MK.]
She didn't want to check it. She had a strong urge to just delete the app.
But she was also curious. No, it wasn't curiosity so much as the feeling that she might as well get the beating over with, since she couldn't avoid it.
Her hand trembling as she held the phone, Renka finally tapped the notification and opened AniShare.
Then, she saw it.
[Hey, Captain.]
The moment she read Matsuda's message, she let out a scream.
“Aaaargh!”
She knew it.
She never should have admitted it.
She should have shamelessly insisted she had no idea what he was talking about.
Wait, she'd only told him to die in the car, she never actually admitted anything... If she just played dumb, maybe it would all blow over?
Renka clung to that sliver of hope, genuinely agonizing over what to do for a long time before finally, reluctantly, moving her fingers.
[What's with 'Captain'?]
[Right. You don't have to know.]
Ah... she should have just replied with 'hey' herself.
Trying to be clever had only brought on a fresh wave of embarrassment.
Scrolling up through her message history with Matsuda made her face burn.
Worse, the thought that Matsuda had probably found and read every single one of her cringey, weeb-filled reviews was enough to make her lose her mind.
So much so that she wanted to die.
She had no idea how she was going to face him tomorrow.
She was confident she could avoid him during morning and afternoon classes, but at the Kendo club...
“Ah...”
Just imagining Matsuda's amused face made her wish a hole would open up and swallow her whole.
[Not going to answer?]
Another message from Matsuda came through.
If she didn't reply, he'd probably use it as an excuse to punish her.
But what could she do? She had nothing to say.
Limp as if struck by lethargy, Renka stared blankly at her phone screen until it went dark from inactivity. She decided to just go to sleep.
Thud.
She tossed the phone aside weakly and pulled the covers over her head. Sleepiness slowly crept in... or not.
“Eek! Ugh!”
Thump!
Strange groans escaped her lips, and her legs shot up against her will, kicking furiously at the blankets.
True mortification. Renka was feeling it in its purest form.
Smack! Smack!
Even after some time had passed, her cheeks were still burning, so she slapped them hard a few times, then shot up and turned off the lights.
She returned to her bed and forced her eyes shut in the dark, quiet sanctuary of her room.
Calm down. If I show Matsuda any weakness, he'll eat me alive.
I have to act shameless and not lose this battle of wills.
* * *
I could tell even from a distance. Renka's face was completely haggard.
She must have been up all night. I can't say I'm surprised.
Making sure she wouldn't spot me, I took the long way around the school grounds, snuck up behind her without a sound, and poked her shoulder.
Then, in a playful voice, I greeted her.
“Hey, Captain.”
The same line from my message yesterday.
Renka's reaction was immediate.
“Hieeek...!?”
Her arms snapped to her sides, her entire body freezing solid.
Is that what it looks like when all the hair on your body stands on end?
Today, I learned something new.
I took my place beside her and asked.
“Aren't you going to say hello, Captain?”
“Ah, uh... he-y.”
“What about Master?”
“I, I-I-I don't, know. She... went to the school store.”
“Why are you stuttering so much? What was that? She went to the school store?”
Renka just nodded without a word, looking like a newly manufactured robot.
“Then why did you say you don't know?”
“.....”
She's really frozen in place, only her eyes are moving.
I'm trying to be friendly, but it seems Renka isn't taking it that way.
I get it, though. After pressuring her like that yesterday, it would be strange if she didn't think I was some kind of psycho for suddenly acting so nice.
“Were you sleeping when I sent that message yesterday?”
“....Huh?”
“I'm asking if you were about to fall asleep when I messaged you.”
“Uh... yeah... that's right. So I couldn't, reply.”
She has the face of someone who clearly didn't sleep a wink... 'Sleeping,' my ass.
I like how easy it is to read our Renka.
“Aren't you going?”
“Going? Ah, right. Yes.”
“Speak clearly.”
“Yes, yes. I don't, know.”
She's not even hearing me anymore.
Wondering how I should handle Renka, who was now just answering on autopilot, I brought my lips close to her ear.
And whispered in the softest voice.
“I let you go yesterday so I couldn't say anything, but how about we talk about your punishment in the club room today?”
She'd been listening blankly, as if her soul had left her body, but at the word 'punishment,' her whole body jolted.
“Heh!? Ngh!?”
Her strange but cute little gasps are adorable.
And yet, she can't bring herself to resist.
It was a reaction that proved not only was she immensely embarrassed by what she'd done, but she also had no energy left to fight back.
This is why I can't stop teasing her.
The gap between her usual self and her true self is just too big.
“See you later, then?”
“Ah, uh, okay.”
“Alright. I'll send a message to Ino-chan.”
“Eek!? Hyak?”
“Just kidding. See you later.”
To ease the burden on the now pitiful-looking Renka, I patted her on the back a couple of times and quickly walked away.
Before entering the school building, I glanced back.
Just then, Chinami, returning from the school store with some snacks, was standing on her tiptoes, peering at Renka's face from all angles.
Despite that, Renka was still standing frozen in the same spot where we had talked.
It was too far to see clearly, but she was probably breaking out in a cold sweat.
This is fun. So much fun.
For the next few days, I think I'll be smiling from ear to ear just thinking about Renka.
* * *
“Matsuda.”
Renka called out to me after I'd changed into my uniform.
I walked over to her and answered brightly.
“Yes.”
“This shinai, what is this? Are you, kidding?”
I thought she'd recovered, but she's still talking like a robot.
This will probably last for about a week.
Renka held out a shinai that she seemed to have brought from the storage room. I asked,
“What's wrong with it?”
“It's not, cleaned, properly.”
Her face was gradually turning red as she spoke.
Seeing me must have reminded her. Of everything she did as Ino-chan.
Still, I have to praise her courage for trying to find fault with me, refusing to lose.
“It looks clean enough to me.”
“No, it's not.”
“Are you sick?”
“.....”
Did she feel a sense of self-loathing for the words that came out, so different from what she intended?
Renka's face fell.
But it was only for a moment. Realizing I was standing in front of her, she quickly widened her eyes and glared at me.
I've already seen everything, so what's the point of doing that now...?
Is she slowly losing her mind? I'm worried.
“Clean... it... ahem...! Clean it again.”
“That sounded natural, but I think you put too much force into your throat that time.”
“Shut up. Just clean it again.”
My critique seemed to make her speech a little more natural.
I don't know whether to be relieved or disappointed.
As I took the shinai from her, wrapping my hand around the hilt, I subtly brushed the back of her hand.
At the same time, her shoulders flinched.
Watching her have a mini-seizure, I grinned and said,
“I have something to discuss with you. Could you come to the storage room with me?”
“N-No.”
Sensing that this was about the punishment I'd mentioned this morning, Renka shook her head very quickly.
The new club members are joining today. If you act all cute like that, you'll tarnish your reputation as the rising star of the Kendo world.
You don't look dignified at all.
“Don't be like that, just give me five minutes. It's self-directed training time anyway.”
Renka shook her head again.
Giving her a stern look as she sulked like a child, I repeated myself.
“Come.”
“.....”
Our Renka always makes me use a commanding tone.
Shoulders slumped and feet dragging like a felon on their way to the gallows, she trudged after me, and together, we entered the storage room.