Chapter 104

"Does today finish up your volunteer hours?"

The elderly security guard asked.

I signed the confirmation slip and nodded brightly.

"Yes."

"That's a shame. It was nice having the company."

"I'll miss it, too. I'll drop by sometimes."

"I'd appreciate that. I'll hand this over to a Student Council member when they arrive."

"Thank you."

"Yeah, good work."

After exchanging goodbyes with the guard, I headed for the school gates with a light heart.

I no longer had to carve out time during my morning commute or lunch break.

In other words, I could do a lot more of those things with Miyuki inside the Academy.

Should I start doing the things I'd only ever imagined, little by little?

Wrapped up in those happy thoughts, I was about to step through the gates when—

"Matsuda, wait...!"

Hearing Renka's voice call out from behind, I turned around.

She was approaching at a brisk pace.

Was Chinami not with her? She'd texted me to say she was on her way to school with Renka and that the train was too crowded. She must have gone inside first.

"Good morning, President."

"...Yeah. Good morning."

Her expression was disapproving, but she still returned the greeting.

Feisty thing.

"What's the matter?"

"Did you... happen to give Chinami a massage on Friday...?"

I figured Chinami would have told her.

The two of them kept no secrets from each other, so it was inevitable.

I gave a light nod.

"I did."

"At a hotel?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

I expected her to fly into a rage, but she was surprisingly calm.

Still, she was obviously angry.

In Renka's eyes, I probably looked like a villain who'd seduced the innocent Chinami and dragged her off to a hotel.

"What do you mean, why? I gave her one because I was thankful."

"Thankful for what?"

"She accepted me for who I was before I even joined the club, and she's a very kind Master who humored my stubborn insistence on learning the Upper Stance right out of the gate. I think showing some gratitude as her student is perfectly reasonable."

"...It sounds like you're subtly taking a dig at me..."

If she felt that way, it meant she had a guilty conscience herself.

"I didn't mean it like that. Anyway, is giving her a massage a problem?"

"The massage itself isn't the problem. Like you said, showing that level of gratitude as a student is fine. But the location is the problem. A hotel... Are you out of your mind?"

"Why?"

"Chinami might think it was just a regular hotel, but... I've never heard of a hotel having a massage room right in the guest room. The place you went to was definitely a..."

'Does our dear Renka... know what a love hotel is?'

No, Chinami was just too innocent. This was a normal reaction.

"A love hotel."

"Right... a love hotel."

"But what's wrong with that?"

"What's wrong with that...? Your intentions were impure...!"

True enough. I'll admit that.

"But what does it matter? We went there because it happened to be a good spot. It's not like I did that sort of thing with Senior Nanase; I literally just gave her a massage and left... Is that really enough to ask if I'm out of my mind?"

As I rattled off my flawless excuses, Renka glanced around.

She looked worried that other students might overhear.

Once she confirmed no one was nearby, she let a sense of relief color her voice.

"I apologize for speaking out of turn. But..."

I knew exactly what Renka was worried about.

'You're going to slowly open your heart while being trained by me anyway, so couldn't you just take it easy?'

Swallowing those words, I said, "You can rest easy. Though I doubt you'll believe me anyway, President."

"...When you first joined, you bowed properly and kept quiet... but you're changing more and more as time goes by, aren't you?"

"I haven't caused any trouble, and I even gave you a ride home out of goodwill... Yet someone here treats me colder and colder as time goes by."

"Of course I'm grateful for that. I also recognize that my attitude just now was out of line. But I can't agree that you haven't caused any trouble."

"Like what?"

"Demoralizing your opponent with unnecessary attacks during the friendly match, joking around about some breathing technique when you should have been quietly observing the sparring session, and your overall cocky attitude—don't you think my reaction is completely justified?"

"I really got on your bad side, huh."

"Do you remember what the coach said right before you joined? Kendo is a martial art. The most important mindset when practicing a martial art is etiquette, and that naturally includes respect for your opponent. But your actions so far have shown none of that etiquette. Even if you have talent..."

"Is that so? Thanks for the compliment."

"Listen to the end. What good is talent if your words and actions are so inappropriate? I don't know what you think of Kendo... but if you keep acting like this, the coach is going to get angry, too."

"Aren't you expecting too much from a member who joined barely a month ago? I'm putting in the effort, too."

As if waiting for me to say those exact words, Renka's eyes lit up.

"Are you really putting in the effort?"

"Yes. I told you I am."

"Then I'll help you. The week after midterms."

What a random thing to say.

When I tilted my head in confusion, she crossed her arms and continued.

"We're going to a training camp at a mountain lodge near the valley. Two nights and three days, starting the Friday evening of the week midterms end. Keep that in mind."

She must have brought this up to properly discipline me during the training camp.

Anyway, had the date finally been set?

A mountain lodge in a valley... That wasn't the location I originally knew of.

The date had been moved up, too.

But it didn't matter. In fact, this was even better.

Why? Because it felt like the events were shifting to revolve around me.

"We do training camps, too?"

"It's an annual event."

"Is attendance mandatory?"

"No, it's not mandatory. If you have personal reasons, you don't have to participate. But no member has ever sat out before. It's highly beneficial for both training and team bonding. If you plan on skipping, could you tell me now?"

She was speaking in a provocative tone, but I decided to let it slide.

"You said you'd help me. I guess I'll participate. Do we spar there, too?"

"It's the most important part of the training camp, so of course we do."

"My body's been itching for some action lately, so that works out. I've been wanting to test out my newly bought Bogu in an actual match, too."

When I deliberately swaggered as if it were no big deal, an exasperated smile spread across Renka's lips.

"You do seem to have some interest in Kendo, don't you?"

"It's fun. Landing a hit feels good. Would I have joined if I wasn't interested?"

"...Fair point. If that's what you want, I'll give you all the sparring you can handle. Make sure you break in your Bogu."

'Please, spar with me.'

'Ignore things like ranks and grades; just step up yourself with the intention of completely crushing my pride.'

Judging by Renka's expression, it looked like it was going to turn out exactly like that...

I dropped my indoor shoes from my locker onto the floor and asked.

"Can I go now? I'm going to be late for class."

"Go on."

After parting ways with Renka, I headed up to the First-Year Hallway and clenched my fists.

No matter how much talent the protagonist had, Renka was exceptionally good at Kendo.

To avoid embarrassing myself, and to achieve my goal, I'd need to crank up my training intensity starting today.

"Matsuda-kun. Is your studying for midterms going well?"

It was a question from the Vice Representative, sitting in the seat in front of me.

Resting my arms on my desk with a bored expression, I answered.

"More or less."

"You don't look tense at all. Aren't you going to place dead last like last semester?"

"What are you going to do if I score higher than you after provoking me like that?"

"As if that would ever happen."

"Want to bet?"

"What kind of bet?"

'If I beat you, put out for me.'

Honestly, I wasn't confident I could win.

The Vice Representative was smart enough to rival Miyuki in academics.

"I'm joking. How could I beat you?"

"You sounded so confident, too..."

She must have gotten a lot more comfortable around me lately.

Considering she was striking up conversations without hesitation.

I glanced at Masako, who was munching on some bread next to the Vice Representative.

Come to think of it, Masako was also good at studying.

If she just had dark circles under her eyes, she'd perfectly match the gloomy beauty side-character trope from romcoms...

It was a shame the skin under her eyes was surprisingly clear.

I tapped her on the shoulder and said, "Hey, Bread Girl."

"Cough! U-Um...?"

"What kind of bread is it today?"

"T-This is... a cream cheese soboro bread... D-Do you want one...?"

"No. Aren't you choking, though?"

"I-I have milk..."

As I was teasing Masako, I froze when Miyuki secretly stroked my thigh.

"Matsuda-kun. Stop bothering other people and review the sections I taught you."

"I'm just trying to rest my brain, yet you can't hold back your nagging for one second..."

I turned to Miyuki and was grumbling at her as if I was fed up, when—

Slip...

I shut my mouth tightly as Miyuki's hand slid deeper between my legs.

I could feel her slender touch and warmth right through my thin uniform trousers.

I shouldn't be getting turned on so easily all the time... This was a problem.

But was there anyone alive who wouldn't get turned on in this situation?

Subtly brushing Miyuki's hand away, I looked at Tetsuya, whose eyes were glued to his desk as he studied, and spoke.

"Miura."

"Yeah?"

"I heard there's a training camp. Did you know?"

"Yeah. The President texted me about it today. How did you find out?"

"I heard it from the President today, too."

"Really? Are you going to participate?"

'Of course I am.'

'I have to do the sparring sessions, which are a mandatory step in conquering Renka, and I might even get a chance to legally beat the crap out of you.'

"That's the plan."

"It's my first training camp... I'm getting nervous for no reason."

"It's in the middle of the semester, so I doubt they'll push us too hard."

"I actually hope it's intense enough to make me collapse from exhaustion. That's the only way the training feels worth it."

'Is this bastard a masochist?'

'That's suddenly terrifying.'

Ending my conversation with Tetsuya, I turned my eyes back to my notebook. Miyuki nudged my waist and quietly asked.

"A training camp? What's that about?"

"The Kendo Club's training camp. They said it's for two nights and three days, starting the Friday after midterms end."

"Two nights and three days...? Why is it so long?"

"Isn't that actually short? Usually, training camps last three nights and four days at minimum, don't they? Longer ones can even go for a week."

"Is that so...?"

Miyuki's expression had stiffened slightly.

She hated the fact that she wouldn't be able to see me all weekend.

Reading her mind, I pulled out my notebook, scribbled something in the corner, and showed it to her.

[It's not like I'm leaving right now anyway. I'll message you often while I'm there.]

Miyuki mumbled, seemingly still displeased, and wrote a reply underneath.

[Message me whenever you have free time. And your handwriting is illegible. Matsuda-kun, you should have joined the calligraphy club instead.]

'She clearly read it just fine, yet she still complains.'