Chapter 68: How to Increase Date Chances
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 68: How to Increase Date Chances
“Do you still keep a diary?”
At Tetsuya’s question from the back seat, Miyuki turned her head slightly and answered.
“Yeah, I do.”
“Every day?”
“I try to, but... if I’m busy on a certain day, I’ll put it off and write it the next. I’ve missed a few days recently.”
“Really...? Isn't that a shame? In school terms, it’s like losing your perfect attendance award.”
“I’ve put it off so many times, what perfect attendance award? But now that you mention it, it does feel like a bit of a shame. Maybe I should have been more diligent.”
Listening to their conversation, I suddenly became curious about Miyuki’s diary.
The time I saved her from the molester, the summer festival...
The first time I called her by her name, the time I saved her at the beach, and our first time...
I want to know what Miyuki was subjectively feeling at those moments.
Will I ever get a chance to see it?
I can only hope.
After arriving at the academy, I headed to the classroom with the two of them.
I exchanged greetings with Bread Girl and the other classmates and took my seat. When my pocket buzzed, I pulled out my phone.
[Your big bro is coming back soon.]
Seeing it was a message from Takashi, I scowled.
I got my hopes up thinking it was Chinami, but it was a text from this bastard.
What a way to ruin my morning.
Still, he did try to help me when I was getting beaten up by Shimoyama while quitting the club...
I should be nice.
[So what.]
* * *
“Hello, Junior Matsuda. It’s a lovely Monday, isn’t it?”
Chinami greeted me, her hands clasped sweetly behind her back.
With a listless expression, I replied.
“It’s a terrible Monday.”
“You look quite down, Junior. Cheer up. Friday will be here before you know it.”
Right, I should cheer up.
After all, this academy is the one place I can see Miyuki, Renka, and you all at once.
If you all went to a different academy, I would’ve dropped out long ago.
As Chinami patted my back with a bright smile, Tetsuya gave her a formal bow.
“Good morning, Nanase-senpai.”
“Hello to you too, Junior Miura. You look much more cheerful than Junior Matsuda. I can feel your determination.”
“I’m one of those people who likes Mondays. And I’m eager to learn kendo.”
“That positive attitude is wonderful to see. We might just be witnessing the birth of a new kendo master...!”
“Y-You’re giving me too much credit...”
“I’m not just saying that. For people with passion, Renka and the coach give them personal tutoring to help them improve quickly. Of course, it’s just for a short while after club activities are over, but since they’re both incredibly talented and know how to teach, you can get a lot of help.”
At those words, Tetsuya’s eyes lit up.
His ears must have perked up at the mention of getting private lessons from Renka, the most skilled member of the kendo club.
He’d been openly admiring Renka’s training ever since their match, and Chinami’s words seemed to set his motivation ablaze.
“Thank you for the advice! I’ll do my best!”
“Alright! Go for it!”
Chinami encouraged Tetsuya, clenching both her fists. After Tetsuya said goodbye to me and entered the club room, she beamed.
“I wonder when our junior will fix this limp attitude of his.”
Chinami swung her arms up and down, just like the last time we met.
She was flexible in her own way, but her stiffness was more noticeable, which was funny.
As her sleeves swayed, revealing her thin, white wrists, I stared at them and spoke.
“I think you’re a better teacher than the coach or the captain, Master.”
“What’s this all of a sudden?”
“Just saying. We check the protective gear first, right?”
“That’s right. Oh, did you get home safely on Saturday? I was worried because it was raining so hard. I wanted to thank you, too...”
“You could have at least sent a text.”
“Ah, well... I thought it would be more polite to thank you in person rather than just leaving a message. Thank you so much for what you did, junior.”
Since we were at the kendo club, she bowed her head as she spoke. The way her bright pink hair flowed softly downward looked strangely erotic.
Our Chinami is just too polite for her own good.
She seems like the type to raise her hand high when crossing the street.
“It was nothing. I had fun.”
“I had a lot of fun, too. Now, for the most important part—settling the bill. I’ll give you 2,600 yen for your share and mine. Please wait here for a moment. I need to get the money from the changing room...”
Passing by the surprisingly meticulous girl, I said nonchalantly.
“Don’t worry about it. Just buy the ice cream.”
“Wha...? I can’t do that... H-Hey, where are you going...?”
“The storage room.”
“Let’s go together...! But first, the payment...!”
Click.
“Junior...! Juuuunior...! Come here...! Quickly...!”
The moment I opened the club room door, Chinami’s voice became quieter than a mosquito’s buzz.
I glanced back at her with a smirk, greeted the club members, and then shot a look at Renka.
She was in a serious conversation with a third-year male member. Probably about kendo.
She always looks so tall and striking. I bet she’d look good in a bunny girl outfit.
The thought of her in front of me, hands on her head, scowling as she’s forced to do a little dance, gets me hard.
Should I start working on Renka’s event soon?
I’d like to get just enough done before the kendo club’s training camp so it doesn’t interfere with starting the instruction...
If so, I’d have to choose different options from the original events.
Or maybe I could just focus on training my high stance until the camp, then completely dominate her then.
Picking a day and sparring with her all day long to take the first step toward her submission doesn’t sound like a bad choice either.
As I mulled over various plans, Renka’s gaze shifted toward me. I gave her a sly grin.
“...Wh-What is it...?”
She shivered as if she’d felt a chill. She has good instincts.
I gave her a thumbs-up and walked into the storage room.
A moment later, Chinami came in, looking pissed off, and closed the door very, very gently.
Then she started to scold me.
“Junior...! You can’t just leave like that...!”
Pretending to inspect the protective gear, I answered.
“We have work to do.”
“I told you, let’s settle the bill first...?”
“And I told you, you don’t need to.”
“Why? Why?”
She tilted her head up as if to challenge me, and I felt an urge to poke her soft, squishy cheeks.
Barely regaining the self-control I’d almost lost, I shrugged.
“Just because.”
“That’s not a reason.”
“Want some jelly? I brought peach flavor.”
“Ooh...? Really...?”
“Yep. Want some now?”
“Well then, if you insist... W-Wait, that’s not it! I almost fell for that completely...! Is it fun to tease people like this?”
It’s fun because of how you react.
I took a step toward Chinami with a wicked smile.
She flinched and took a step back, matching my stride.
“Wh-What are you doing...?”
“.....”
“I’m not getting a massage...! Don’t forget the promise we made...!”
“.....”
Without a word, I cornered Chinami. As she clutched the back of her neck, I raised a hand toward her.
“Eek...!”
With a troubled look, she jerked her head back, the opposite of how she’d tilted it up to challenge me.
It gave her a double chin, but even that unflattering look was pretty.
Her feisty attitude from moments ago had vanished. I grinned, showing my teeth, and then...
Swoosh.
I plucked a loose thread from the side of her hair.
Then, I tossed it out the window and said.
“There was some lint on you, so I was just trying to get it off. Do you hate me?”
The light returned to Chinami’s dazed eyes as she watched me.
“Oh...! H-Hate you...? Why would I hate you, Junior Matsuda?”
“Then why did you freak out when I came closer?”
“That’s because...”
“You’re being so cold... It feels like you’re drawing a line, and that’s a bit hurtful.”
“It’s not that I’m being cold... I just wanted to settle the bill properly... You even told me to go ahead when I said I’d pay for my share...!”
“I don’t remember that.”
“Whaaat...? No way...!”
Her jaw dropped.
Seeing Chinami’s innocent reaction, I had to hold back a laugh.
If this were a manga, I bet a big "[Ding-!]" would have appeared over her head.
“Can’t you just accept it as a disciple’s heartfelt gesture for their master? Besides, you’re buying me ice cream, aren’t you? This way, it’s a give-and-take.”
“...B-But... you drove your car all the way to the department store for me...”
“Isn’t it enough that we had fun together? Or was I the only one who thought that?”
“N-No...! I told you I had a lot of fun, too...! Still...”
She was still hesitating. This was a good chance to create more opportunities to meet and to ease her guilt a little.
“If you’re really that uncomfortable, I have a good idea. Want to hear it?”
“A good idea? What is it?”
“You can buy me ice cream one more time. The cost should be about right then... How about it?”
“Mmmmmm...”
Chinami made a strange noise and fell into thought.
She looked as if she was facing the biggest dilemma of her life, so I thought she’d take a while, but she made her decision surprisingly quickly.
“Okay... Just this once, for the sake of our amicable relationship, I’ll give in to your stubbornness. I’ll do that.”
An amicable relationship, huh...
Why did that sound like a phrase with a deep, subtle meaning?
“Good thinking. So, you’ll buy me ice cream twice. Right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Why don’t you say it again yourself, with your own mouth, Master?”
Chinami tilted her head.
It seemed the nuance of my words sounded a bit strange to her.
My tone was admittedly similar to the Blond Tanned Delinquents, Ugly-Pig Hypnotists, and Orcs from NTL stories.
Like, ‘Why don’t you say it yourself, whose cock is better?’
“Umm... I will buy Junior Matsuda Ken... a Yogurt Peach Triple Pop twice.”
“What’s a Triple Pop?”
“It’s a large-sized cup where you can choose three flavors.”
“So, Master, you only put peach flavor in there...”
“Yogurt peach.”
“...Right. Do you only fill it with yogurt peach flavor?”
“Of course. Is there any reason not to?”
Wow... when it comes to peaches, her devotion is on the level of being born into a religion.
I thought so at the department store, but... this is amazing.
By the way, do you like soft peaches or hard peaches?
I bet there’s a high chance you like them both.
“So we have an agreement? No take-backs?”
“I’ll make a pinky promise.”
She confidently held out her pinky finger.
I linked my pinky with her small, cute one and asked.
“Can I be the one to set the date?”
“Yes, of course.”
* * *
After dropping off the annoying piece of luggage known as Miura Tetsuya, I chatted with Miyuki on the way to her house.
“What did your sister say?”
“About what?”
“The incident on Saturday.”
“Ah... that...”
Miyuki’s face turned bright red, and she hung her head low.
“I-I was deliberately avoiding her... She didn’t say a single word on Sunday...”
“What are you so scared of?”
“It’s not that I’m scared...”
“Are you too embarrassed to talk about it?”
“...Yeah.”
I’ve thought this for a while, but Miyuki worries way too much.
It would be better to just talk it out instead of constantly avoiding it and suffering in anxiety...
But meddling in her family’s private affairs would be going too far, so I’ll drop the subject.
Miyuki will figure it out and handle it well on her own.
“How’s the student council work?”
“Yeah. It’s fun. Everyone from the president to the other members are all really nice people...”
“Are you still just making copies and organizing documents? Should I go and give them a piece of my mind, tell them to give you an important task?”
“If you did that, I’d get kicked out of the student council for sure.”
“They’re so heartless. Maybe I should start a union.”
“You’re a marked man, Matsuda-kun. If you tried anything, you’d be expelled on the spot.”
We giggled, trading silly jokes, and before we knew it, we had arrived at Miyuki’s house.
I was about to drop her off when she unbuckled her seatbelt and looked straight at me.
“Matsuda-kun. Can you wait in the alley for a minute?”
“Why? Are we going somewhere? Should we grab dinner before you go in?”
“No... you said it early yesterday morning. To pack some clothes and bring them over... I’m going to move a few things today.”
“You can do it slowly, what’s the rush?”
“I just don’t want to procrastinate...”
If she was just bringing clothes over, she could just hand them to me...
The fact that she’s asking me to wait must mean she’s planning to sleep over at my place again tonight.
Is she still worked up from the massage I gave her yesterday?
“Alright. I’ll park in the alley, then.”
“Okay. I’ll be right back.”