Chapter 97: Chinami, Defeated by Sleepiness
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 97: Chinami, Defeated by Sleepiness
Slide.
I carefully slid the door open. The professor, who had been in the middle of his lecture, stopped talking and turned to look at me. I offered an awkward smile.
“Sorry. Something came up… I already submitted my absence report to the faculty office.”
“…I was wondering why you were skipping for once, but you actually showed up. Go on, take your seat.”
Normally, he’d ask why I bothered coming to class at all.
Hearing such a different assessment from the professor himself was a novel experience.
I gave him a slight nod of apology and entered the classroom, where I saw Miyuki sitting by the window.
As I crossed the back of the room, I tapped Tetsuya on the back before sitting down. Miyuki showed me a message she’d written in her notebook.
[Good job.]
She seemed to be praising me for obediently following her instruction to come in after her.
I scoffed quietly, exchanged a nod with Bread Girl who was sitting in front of me, and opened my book.
I glanced at the seat next to me, one desk over, where Tetsuya was sneaking glances my way, his eyes pretending to be fixed on his textbook.
Is that plum scent stronger today?
It’s because I used the body wash Miyuki likes.
Tap. Tap.
As I was contemplating how to humiliate Tetsuya, Miyuki tapped my arm, and I turned my head.
She was writing in the corner of her notebook.
In her usual, beautiful handwriting, she wrote: [Focus on the class].
I responded by pulling my chair as close to my desk as possible and placing a hand on her thigh.
Miyuki then wrote a new sentence right below the one she’d just written.
[Stop it for today. If you try anything else, I’ll get angry. For real.]
I could almost feel the chill coming off the letters.
I clicked my tongue and obediently placed both hands on my desk.
After the boring class finally ended and break time began, Miyuki chatted with the vice class president for a moment before getting up from her seat.
As she left, she subtly stroked the back of my neck, making sure no one saw.
She’s starting to show affection even when others are around. I like it.
“Matsuda.”
I was about to talk to Bread Girl when Tetsuya approached and called my name.
I looked at him, gestured with my chin, and answered.
“What.”
“Do you… happen to know what body wash you use?”
He’s actually asking about this? He was beating around the bush, but still, this was unexpected.
Usually, he would’ve pretended not to notice, but it seemed he couldn’t let it go today.
I pushed my chair back, propped my feet up on the desk, and laced my fingers behind my head with an indifferent expression.
“The one Miyuki told me to buy.”
“The one from the Hikarinoshio Company?”
“I don’t know the company name.”
“That must be it. I use the one Miyuki recommended to me, too.”
Tetsuya puffed up, his expression brightening a little.
He seemed to be under the delusion that Miyuki had also recommended the body wash to me.
I mocked him inwardly before speaking.
“How’s kendo going these days?”
“I’m just starting to understand what it’s all about.”
“Cool. Keep it up.”
“You too. By the way, I’m worried about Miyuki. She was fine when we met and came to school today… Did she suddenly come down with something?”
You two came to school together?
Miyuki must have been bored to death by your shitty conversation skills.
“I don’t know. She seemed fine during second period.”
“Really…? Still, I should probably go buy her some herbal cold medicine, just in case.”
He grabbed his wallet and left the classroom.
That clueless bastard.
Maybe he’ll back off if I show him how close Miyuki and I are.
When was that school trip again?
* * *
“Yaaawn…”
Chinami let out a deep yawn with her back to me.
She was cute, stretching her arms straight up toward the sky.
I was sweeping the storage room floor, but I walked up behind her and poked her shoulder.
“Mya!?”
Chinami flinched, her arms still in the air, and turned around.
“What is it? Are you done sweeping the floor?”
“Nope. You just yawned pretty hard.”
I set the broom in a corner and gently took Chinami’s arms, lowering them for her.
Then I continued.
“Did you stay up late last night?”
“I was looking for merch related to Momo-nim and ended up falling asleep at dawn.”
“That limited-edition doll?”
“No. Something else.”
“Were you searching the used goods websites again?”
“Yes. If I end up making a deal, could you help me?”
My good Chinami… you remembered what I said.
“Of course, I can help.”
“Thank you, Junior. You’re so reliable.”
“It’s the least I can do for my Master.”
She smiled shyly, clearly pleased by the sweet talk.
I moved closer to Chinami, bent my knees to meet her gaze, and examined every inch of her face.
“Wh-What are you doing…?”
She ducked her head and shifted around, making me want to pull her into a tight hug.
Swallowing the impulse, I said, “Now that I look, the bags under your eyes are pretty dark. What time did you go to sleep last night?”
“Four o’clock…”
“Four? Isn’t that way too late?”
“…But that’s the bare minimum if you want to get Momo-nim’s merch…”
“You look like a discolored peach.”
“Huuuh…?”
Chinami’s eyes widened.
She looked utterly shocked by the peach comparison.
She touched the skin around her eyes and stammered, “I-Is it that bad…?”
“I mean it’ll get that bad if you leave it.”
“I should go to the changing room for a second…”
She’s probably thinking of covering it with makeup.
Tsk, tsk. You can’t go spraying the pesticide of makeup on a perfectly ripe, organic peach.
That’s false advertising. I’ll take care of this for you.
“I’ll help you relax.”
Chinami’s eyes darted around.
The doorknob of the storage room, the display of kendo armor, the shinai rack…
After looking at each in turn, her gaze finally landed on my face.
“How…?”
“Just stay still.”
With that, I cupped her small face in both hands and massaged under her eyes with my thumbs, as if caressing her.
Startled by my sudden action, Chinami’s eyes went wide.
“J-Junior…! What are you doing right now…!?” she protested in a voice no louder than a mosquito’s buzz.
As I silently massaged under her eyes, I spoke softly.
“I wanted to help you relax. It would be great if you could think of it as a preview. Would that be okay?”
“A preview…?”
“You agreed to get a massage from me, remember? Just think of it as a simple face massage.”
“…Is a face massage included in that…?”
“Of course. How’s the pressure?”
“Umm… I-It’s a little strong…”
“Is this much okay?”
“Ah…! Yes… Mmm… That’s perfect…”
Chinami, who had been instantly swayed by me, had an expression that grew more relaxed the more I massaged under her eyes.
Seeing her wide eyes slowly soften, I could tell she was starting to feel good.
“Your skin is so clear.”
My compliment, delivered with our foreheads almost touching, brought a blush to Chinami’s cheeks.
“Y-Your skin is nice too, Junyor…” Chinami’s words were slurred, her tongue twisted from me pressing on her cheeks.
Her lips, puckered like a goldfish’s and twitching, were both funny and pretty.
How can a person be this cute?
I had similar thoughts when I played DokiAka, but seeing her in person only strengthens that feeling.
Blink, blink.
Chinami’s eyelids fluttered, repeatedly closing and opening.
Her body trembled slightly, swaying from side to side. It seemed that receiving a massage in the quiet storage room without a word had finally summoned the sandman.
I’ve never seen someone do that while standing up, no matter how sleep-deprived they were.
Is this just how Chinami is? She’s so quirky and fascinating.
“Feel good?”
“Your hands… are warm…”
“I’m glad. Are you very sleepy right now?”
“Yeees…”
Her half-lidded eyes trembled faintly.
My original plan was to start with a face massage and then move to her body, but seeing her looking so dazed, as if she’d close her eyes any second, I figured it would be pointless.
She’d probably just fall fast asleep no matter where I touched her.
I nodded, and without taking my hands off her face, I took a step back, gently pulling her with me.
Following me with dazed eyes, shuffling her feet, she looked like someone under hypnosis.
I carefully led Chinami to a corner of the storage room, then stopped the massage and stood beside her.
When she looked up at me with questioning eyes, I gave her a gentle smile and said, “Have a seat.”
“Mmmh…”
Letting out a groan thick with sleep, Chinami obediently followed my words.
She sat on the floor with her back against the wall, a relatively comfortable position.
I sat down next to her, reached out, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer.
“O-Oh…?”
As she let out a weak sound of surprise, looking bewildered, I patted her arm with a steady rhythm.
I wanted to make her feel comfortable and cozy.
My intention must have worked, because all the tension left Chinami’s body.
I gave her a soft smile as she practically melted against my side.
“Get some sleep.”
“I can’t… I have a lot to do…”
“You’ve finished all the important stuff. You can just take a quick nap and finish up later.”
“…I guess that’s true…”
“You’re a good Master, aren’t you? Listen to me. Just get some rest.”
“Okaay… just for a little bit…”
“Right. Just a little. Rest your head on my shoulder.”
“Okaaay…”
Chinami answered with a nasal tone and rested her head on my shoulder.
Normally, she would have been extremely embarrassed and refused, so her desire for sleep must have completely overwhelmed her reason.
Soon, soft, steady breaths began to escape her nose.
I glanced at Chinami, who had cast aside all her wariness and fallen asleep. I considered poking her nose but quickly shook my head.
How much time passed like that?
A cold breeze blew in from the storage room window. Feeling the chill, Chinami pressed herself even closer to my side. Just then…
Knock, knock.
A knock came from outside the door, and then—
Clack-!
The storage room door was thrown open with considerable force.
“Chinami, you looked sleepy today, so I brought you some coffee…”
It was Renka.
She had opened the door with two cans of coffee in one hand. When she spotted the sleeping Chinami, her jaw dropped.
Her pupils trembled as if an earthquake had struck.
She seemed completely flustered to see me and Chinami together.
It was only natural.
The way Chinami and I were positioned, anyone would think we were a couple overflowing with affection.
“What the hell are you…”
Before Renka could even finish her question, I put on a serious face and raised a finger to my lips, gesturing for her to be quiet.
Renka pressed her lips together.
“…..”
Momentarily intimidated by my presence, her brow furrowed.
She looked as if her pride had been wounded.
I gave her a smirk and spoke in a very quiet voice.
“If you need something, come back later.”
Renka’s lips twitched.
She clearly wanted to demand why we were sleeping so close together, but she seemed to be holding back for the sake of the soundly sleeping Chinami.
“You’re letting noise in. Could you close the door?”
Renka flinched at my follow-up question.
She looked back and forth between me and Chinami with a conflicted expression, then seemed to decide to retreat for now and closed the door.