Chapter 382: Joint School Trip
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 382: Joint School Trip
“Hey. Follow me.”
Renka said, arrogantly pointing to the laundry room.
I was just casually swinging a shinai around, and I could feel the other club members giving me pitiful looks.
Judging by her mood, they probably think she's about to chew me out for messing with the shinai, huh?
She'll probably mention it, sure, but I wonder what kind of faces they'll make when they find out her real reason is something else entirely.
“Understood.”
Nodding, I followed Renka into the laundry room.
She stood with her arms crossed, jerking her chin toward the door. I obediently closed it and asked, “What is it?”
“Are you supposed to be playing around with a shinai?”
“I wasn't playing. It's been a while, so I was just checking if it still felt right in my hands.”
“So what? Then you shouldn't have picked it up. This is what happens when you slack off on practice.”
Hmm. She's feeling particularly rebellious today.
Shrugging, I took out a piece of candy I had stashed here and started to unwrap it.
Renka's face immediately scrunched into a frown.
“I don't need it.”
“Isn't this why you called me here?”
“What are you talking about?! You think I'd call a guy like you over just for a piece of candy?”
“A guy like me?”
“Ah, whatever...! It's about... that thing you said, about getting together with Chinami.”
The same Renka who was so haughty in front of the other club members instantly became timid the moment a topic related to our physical relationship came up.
Our Renka is always so consistent. I love it.
“Yeah. Did you talk to Master about it?”
“No... Both Chinami and I need to be completely focused right now. How are we supposed to concentrate when you say something like that?”
In short, she was saying we need to focus on the tournament, so we should postpone any talk about that.
Why couldn't she just say that? Why beat around the bush? She probably thought I'd retaliate or something.
“Oh, really? Alright.”
Surprised by my casual reply, Renka's eyes went wide.
“Really?”
“Yep.”
“Why?”
“What do you mean, 'why'? It makes sense, so I agreed. Or were you hoping I'd insist on doing it before the tournament and just testing me?”
“Wh-what are you talking about?! It's not like that, you sex-crazed maniac...!”
“Is this really a situation where I deserve to be insulted?”
“It's because you added that weird comment...! A-anyway, you said you'd postpone it, right?”
“I will.”
“You won't go back on your word?”
“I said I got it.”
Renka gave me a suspicious glare and said, “Fine... Now get out.”
“Do you have business here?”
“No.”
“Well, I do. Shouldn't you be the one to leave then, Captain?”
“What business?”
“I was going to do some laundry while I'm here.”
“Go out, and when I leave, you can come back in and do your laundry.”
“Isn't that a bit unreasonable?”
“With you, it's fine.”
If she'd said something ambiguous enough to make me wonder if she was serious, I might have had to 'educate' her. But this was so openly absurd that I could only laugh.
Thinking her unique way of showing affection was incredibly cute, I pulled Renka into a sudden, tight hug.
Then, after patting her butt a few times,
“Wh-what are you doing?! You insane, crazy bastard...!”
I ignored her as she stomped her foot furiously, her face flushing with rage, and walked out.
* * *
Peaceful, yet slightly unsettling days thanks to Hiyori passed by... and soon, the exam day right before the school trip arrived.
“Everyone, separate your desks and sit down.”
At Miyuki's instruction from the teacher's desk, the students shuffled around, arranging their seats.
I glanced around at them, then lazily shifted only my own desk a little way from the window.
Miyuki, who had been watching me, said, “Matsuda-kun, move Honoka's desk too.”
“Who's that?”
“Are you serious?”
“No.”
Snickers erupted from around the classroom.
The fact that they were laughing at such a light, silly joke must have meant the pressure of the exam was really getting to them.
With a deadpan expression, I separated the vice president's desk, then sat down and leaned back heavily in my chair.
Once most of the desks in the classroom were arranged, Miyuki came over and tapped me on the shoulder.
“You studied hard, so let's aim for the top 10 again.”
“That's impossible. The second-year classes are hard.”
“Giving up before you even try?”
“I'll try my best, but don't get your hopes up.”
“Trying your best is enough. I'll help you self-score them when we get home later, so don't throw away your test papers.”
“Do we have to? The results will be the same anyway.”
“The official results won't be out until after the school trip. Isn't it better to have a rough idea beforehand?”
“I'm not that curious... Let's just finish building our house and go for a walk.”
I was talking about the game.
Miyuki, understanding the hidden meaning in my words, let out a soft laugh and nodded.
“Alright.”
“Let's watch a movie before we go, too. That one that just came out.”
“I'd love to. But what movie is it?”
“An action-comedy. They say it's the kind you can watch without thinking too much.”
“That sounds like a genre I'd love.”
“You think so?”
“Yeah. It's not gory, is it?”
The last movie we saw was a bit gory, and it seems she hasn't forgotten.
Chuckling, I reassured her by twirling a few strands of her long hair that were touching my shoulder between my fingers.
“It's not.”
“Then I'm in.”
I remembered how she'd sit with her shoulders tensed, her head slightly turned and eyes half-closed as she watched the screen, then start kicking her feet whenever a jump scare happened.
The way she'd clamp her mouth shut, wanting to scream but not wanting to bother anyone, was incredibly cute...
It would be great to watch some horror or thriller movies at home sometime.
“Do well on your test, Ken-kun.”
The name came out of nowhere.
I flinched and looked at Miyuki, who gave me a bright smile before returning to her seat.
It's been a really long time since she called me by my first name.
I think the last time was back when we first started dating. What brought this on all of a sudden?
It really makes my heart pound.
If Miyuki's intention was to encourage me, she failed.
How am I supposed to focus after she says something like that right before a test?
This exam is doomed. If Miyuki scolds me for doing poorly, I'll have to use this as my excuse.
* * *
Why do exams even exist?
A simpleton like me isn't going to find the answer just by thinking about it.
After finishing the day's exams, steam practically pouring from my ears, I gave a silent smile as students crowded around Miyuki.
She's always popular, but it's especially true during exams.
At this rate, it'll be another hour before we can go home.
“Matsuda-kun, where are you going?”
Miyuki called out as I was about to leave the classroom.
Peeking her head out from the crowd of students around her desk, she raised her voice. I told her I was heading to the school store for a bit and left the building.
Some looked relieved, others looked dead. As I walked toward the store, observing the students who all wore similar expressions during exam season, I spotted a familiar head of hair on the field bleachers and paused.
A small ahoge sticking up like a weed from the middle of her little head.
Resisting the urge to poke it, I approached the ahoge's owner and spoke.
“What are you doing here?”
Hiyori turned to me, practically radiating with delight.
“Matsumatsu! Sit here.”
Hiyori patted the spot next to her.
Doesn't it hurt her hand, smacking the hard bleachers like that?
With that thought, I sat down on the bleachers, not right next to her, but close enough that it still felt quite near.
“Where's Mitsushima? You're alone again.”
“Everyone crowded around Miho, so I snuck away~”
Figured. Miho really is in the Miyuki position.
Anyway, Hiyori's expression seems surprisingly good. Did she get an unexpectedly high score on the exam?
“Did you do well on the test?”
“Do you think I did?”
“No.”
“You're right. I did terribly. I guessed on everything.”
“Why do you say that so proudly?”
“What's wrong with admitting I'm bad at studying? Just please don't ask if it's not that I can't, but that I didn't.”
“I didn't say anything.”
“This is all because you're always nagging me. Did you do well on your test, senpai? Were there a lot of questions you knew?”
“A decent amount.”
“That's a relief. Have you packed your bags yet?”
“Not yet.”
“The trip is right around the corner. Aren't you being a little too unprepared?”
“You've already packed?”
“Of course.”
I knew she was really looking forward to the school trip, but to think she's already packed her things...
Impressive. I thought she'd be a last-minute packer, so this is better than I expected.
“Take a look.”
Hiyori showed me a picture she'd taken.
On her phone screen were all sorts of items, laid out in neat rows and columns next to her bag.
After looking over the items—she seemed to have everything she needed—I asked, “Are you going to wear that swimsuit you showed me before?”
“Yep.”
“Isn't that a little too embarrassing?”
“Could you stop talking like a grandpa?”
“I'm just saying it because I'm worried.”
“What are you worried about?”
What do you think? It's because guys are obviously going to be staring at you.
A student wearing a swimsuit like that is a violation of public morals.
That's three demerit points. I'll have to give her a spanking soon.
However, if she only shows it to me, there's plenty of room for leniency.
“Whatever, just pack a cardigan.”
“Why?”
“Just pack one.”
“Okay~”
Did she secretly like me being so conservative?
The corners of her mouth lifted slightly as she gave my leg a light punch.
Is this her own way of showing affection? Not bad.
She blinked for a moment, perhaps surprised by the feel of my firm thigh, but quickly returned to her usual mischievous expression.
“You have to get your packing inspected by me when you're done, too, senpai.”
“Alright. But is there anything to inspect?”
“I have to check if you have any impure items.”
Impure items... Does she mean something like condoms?
With my dirty mind, that's the only thing that comes to mind.
“Not for things I might have forgotten?”
“That's part of it, too. Let's go to the store.”
She grabbed my wrist and pulled.
Thinking how pretty the red polish on her nails was, I pretended to give in to Hiyori's cute pestering as she whined at me for not moving, and stood up.
After that, we strolled through the quiet school grounds, making idle chit-chat as if we were close childhood friends.