Chapter 360: Building Stamina for the Future
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 360: Building Stamina for the Future
“My legs hurt.”
Hiyori muttered as she walked down the building's stairs.
She was pouting, genuinely not wanting to go to class. I decided to take her whining seriously.
“That's because you don't exercise.”
“What does that have to do with exercising...? I'm perfectly healthy, you know?”
“I'm not kidding. You need to build up your thigh muscles. Do you have a gym membership?”
“Nope.”
“I thought you said you were going to work out?”
“I got busy and forgot about it.”
“That's the excuse lazy people make every day.”
“I'm not lazy! Come to think of it, you're good at exercising, right, Senpai?”
“No, I'm not.”
“Don't lie. You can't get a body like that without working out. Teach me how to exercise.”
Hmm... she's being quite bold.
This is why I decided to take her seriously.
To seize the opportunity to strengthen our bond.
“If you really want to, come to my place on a weekend morning.”
“Whyyy? That's a hassle.”
“How can you say you want to exercise when you don't even have that much grit? You'd probably run for three minutes, get tired, and say you want to quit.”
“No... I mean, if it were nearby, maybe, but it's too far...!!”
“Do you even know my address?”
“You said before that you live somewhere in the southern part of Nerima Ward.”
“Did I?”
“You don't even remember that? I'm disappointed.”
When did I say that? I wracked my brain, but I couldn't remember at all...
It must have come up when we were on a date, and I was half-listening to Hiyori chattering away in the car.
“Quiet, just come down. What are you doing standing there?”
Hiyori was standing still on the landing.
Hearing my scolding, she put on a shameless expression.
“You always tell me to be quiet when you have nothing to say. I'm not going.”
“Class is about to start.”
“I was planning on skipping in the first place, but you dragged me here. So I'm going to take a break.”
“So you're going back there?”
“Yep.”
“What an attitude. You'd better get down here, or you'll be in trouble.”
“Are you my teacher, Senpai?”
“Stop talking nonsense and come down. Now.”
I scowled and gestured for her to come, and Hiyori, pouting, deliberately descended the stairs at a leisurely pace.
Her behavior just now reminded me of Renka, who never listens until you tell her twice. I was about to continue.
“Senpai is...”
“Telling me to listen because it's you who's talking?”
Hiyori had predicted my exact words.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, I scratched my cheek with my index finger and stopped myself from messing with Hiyori's poor ahoge.
It's better to do it occasionally rather than every day. That way, it's more effective at recharging my energy.
“...You know me well.”
“That's because you always say the same thing.”
“Not always.”
“Yes, you do.”
“Whatever. Just walk faster.”
Thump.
As Hiyori reached the bottom of the stairs, I gave her back a very, very light push, and she staggered forward dramatically.
It was an obvious overreaction.
I let out a disbelieving laugh and said.
“Stop being weird.”
“But this feels like I'm a prisoner being escorted. I feel like I'm going to jail.”
“A fitting end for you.”
“Are there no handcuffs?”
Is that the kind of play you're into?
Come to think of it, that could be fun.
I'll have to ask Renka for some lessons.
“Just get going, you brat.”
“Okay. But if I really go to your neighborhood, will you teach me how to exercise?”
“Are you going to come?”
“Nope.”
Even though she said that, I could see she was getting interested.
Looks like we'll be able to go for a run together soon.
“Then don't come.”
“Can I go on a weekday evening? I want to sleep in on the weekends.”
“You don't have the...”
“Don't say I don't have any grit. Anyone would want to rest on the weekend.”
She had a point.
I wanted to laze around and sleep in on weekends too, so forcing her to wake up early would be too harsh.
“Fine, do that then.”
“Okay. But can't we stop by the school store for a minute?”
“No.”
“But I wanna gooo.”
“Go during break time.”
“Okay...”
Pretending to be dejected won't work on me.
It might have in the past, but it definitely won't now.
After practically forcing the disobedient Hiyori into her classroom, I headed for the second-year hallway, thinking that I'd have to properly punish her someday for draining all my energy this early in the morning.
* * *
“Do you like it here?”
I was hugging Chinami from behind, my hands fiddling with her lower stomach. When I asked in a soft voice, she shook her head once.
“No...?”
“Then here?”
I moved my hands slowly up from her lower stomach to the area just above her navel.
As I gently stroked her there, I could feel Chinami's body, her back pressed against my chest, tremble.
“Ah, no...?”
“How about here?”
This time, near her solar plexus, where I could feel the undersides of her breasts.
The moment my hand reached that spot, Chinami's entire body tensed up.
“Hngh... Ah, no...?”
“Should I go higher?”
“Ah, you can't... This is the laundry drying room...”
“Does that mean it's okay somewhere other than the drying room?”
“That's not what I meant...”
Resting my chin on the top of the extremely embarrassed Chinami's head, I openly caressed her stomach and waist.
Her teeth started chattering, and she fidgeted restlessly, leaving her body to my hands.
How can someone's skin be this soft?
I want to go to the lounge right now, hold her tight, and take a nap.
“How is your mother doing?”
“Ye-yes...”
“Please send her my regards.”
“I will... Huu...”
Not long after we started talking, a long sigh escaped Chinami's nose.
She looked like she was starting to feel good.
Just as I was about to seriously move my hand toward her chest,
Click.
“Chinami. About the participant list for the upcoming tournament...”
The drying room door opened, and Renka walked in, a piece of paper in her hand.
Since all the laundry had been taken down, she naturally saw me and Chinami.
“About the list...”
Renka repeated the end of her sentence, blinking her eyes.
Her dumbfounded expression, as if wondering if she was dreaming, was both hilarious and cute.
It seemed a bit much for her to react like that, considering we've been to a hotel together, but I could understand since this was the first time she'd seen me in such an intimate scene with Chinami in the club room.
“Wha—!?”
Seeing the gaping Renka, Chinami jumped in surprise and pulled away from my embrace.
She then hesitantly approached Renka, snatched the paper from her hand, said she'd check it and that she was sorry, and then bolted out of the drying room.
I could hear her running footsteps; she probably fled to the lounge.
“Why did you interrupt?”
I chided Renka shamelessly, and her expression, as she snapped back to her senses, crumpled into a scowl.
“I-Interrupted...? Did you just say I interrupted...?”
“Didn't you?”
“Th-this is the club room...! And club activities aren't even over...!!”
“I do this with you all the time, so what's the big deal?”
“.....”
Renka, left speechless, pressed her lips together.
It seemed she'd realized that the way I treated her in the club room was even more intense than how I treated Chinami.
I shrugged at her and said.
“Are you perhaps jealous?”
“What are you talking about...!?”
“If you say so. Anyway, what's this about a tournament?”
“Ah... the General Athletics Tournament.”
The General Athletics Tournament was a large-scale competition held every summer, similar to the Inter-High.
It looked like she was planning to select the members and start special training soon.
“I don't have to participate, do I?”
“Not at all. I'm definitely taking out anyone who isn't motivated.”
That was a relief, but Renka's response was quite disappointing.
I was the first runner-up in the men's division and even won MVP. No matter how unmotivated I was, why would she exclude such a talent?
She should be trying to persuade me to join.
In any case, with Hiyori now in the picture, my real life was busy, so it was true that I had no intention of participating in the tournament. I just accepted it and nodded.
“Understood. I'll just cheer you on.”
“Don't cheer, either.”
There's no need to be this prickly...
Is she sulking because it doesn't look like I'm going to touch her?
I guess I'll find out.
“Really? I shouldn't?”
“Yeah.”
“For real?”
“...Yeah. Get your face away...!”
Seeing that expression that screamed, "I don't want to waste my breath on the likes of you," I figured I was right.
Accepting that, I looked around.
The sliding window of the drying room was wide open.
I went over and closed it, which made Renka flinch and ask in a trembling voice.
“Wh-what are you trying to do...?”
She knows full well what's happening.
She should at least try to hide the subtle anticipation in her fearful eyes before saying something like that...
Our Renka is just a terrible actress.
I walked back to Renka without a word, and just as I was about to say something, a shyly uttered phrase popped out of her mouth.
“Shouldn't you... give me candy first...”
I suppressed a laugh and replied.
“I didn't bring any today.”
“Then... get lost. I only came here for that, so if you don't have it, forget it.”
“Get lost where?”
“...I'll just go.”
Renka snorted, spun around sharply, and left the drying room.
She must be acting like that because she feels guilty about me seeing through her.
So in the end, Renka's interruption just canceled my skinship with Chinami?
In that case, I'll have to punish her by increasing the size of her plug a little.
I looked forward to the memorable time I'd soon have with Renka as I did my manager duties. When club activities were about to end, I went into the changing room and checked my phone.
[Is tonight okay too?]
A message from Hiyori had arrived an hour ago.
It's about the exercise thing from this morning.
I can't let down the incredibly proactive Hiyori.
It was a welcome development for me as well, so I replied without much thought.
[Yeah.]