Chapter 195

"Guess you don't have anything to say to that, do you?"

"Shut up. Chinami went to the Faculty Office, so look for her later. Also, check the gear you'll use for the Kendo tournament and bring it in by tomorrow."

"Are you gathering the participants' gear to send it in for inspection?"

"Right. Chinami, the director, and I will check the specifications first."

"Understood. I have one favor to ask, though."

"What is it?"

"Put my gear right between Master's and yours, President."

"...What? Why?"

"Because it feels better that way."

"What are you talking about?"

Renka tilted her head in confusion, then her face suddenly flushed bright red.

She had caught onto exactly what I meant.

"Y-You perverted bastard...!"

She looked cute trembling with clenched fists.

I flashed her a mischievous smile.

"When you react like this, President, it just makes me want to tease you more."

"Are weird jokes all you can make?"

"I've always been this kind of guy. But you caught on pretty quickly, didn't you? You must have a similar mind, President."

"S-Shut up...! Don't say something so disgusting...!"

Renka was about to shout at me, but she checked her surroundings and lowered her voice.

I chuckled and waved a hand.

"Anyway, understood. I'll bring it tomorrow."

I was joking, of course, but I was also half-serious.

Having my gear sit next to that piece of trash Tetsuya's would put me in a terrible mood.

"...Right. Are your practices going well?"

"Yeah."

"That's a relief. Now get out of here."

"I don't want to."

"Then I'll leave."

"I don't want that either."

"What are you even saying...?"

"Want to go to the School Store with me? I'll buy you some candy."

"Don't treat me like a child. I'm starting to get annoyed."

"Weren't you already annoyed?"

"Shut up."

You actually enjoy talking to me, don't you?

That was why she still answered my every remark even after telling me to get lost.

I used to think school breaks were boring, but not anymore.

I wanted to start working with Renka so badly it was driving me crazy.

With the Kendo tournament right around the corner, a heavy tension filled the Club Room today.

However, the places where I handled my manager duties—like the Storage Room, the back hill, and the Drying Room—were exceptions.

"Eek!"

I couldn't feel tense at all, mostly because Chinami yelped like she had seen a ghost and ran away the moment she spotted me.

I strode over to Chinami, who was trying to hide among the hanging Training Uniforms, and asked her a question.

"Why are you running away? We even had peaches together at lunch."

"...T-That was because Hanazawa was there with us..."

"So it's uncomfortable being alone with me?"

"U-Uh...! That's not what I meant...!"

"It's not?"

"Right... it's not."

"You look pretty uncomfortable to me."

"I said I'm not...!"

Chinami put her hands on her hips and glared at me through her long eyelashes.

If I pushed her any further, she would probably start grumbling under the guise of lecturing me.

I gave her a warm smile, patted her back, and changed the subject.

"Got it. You're still going to supervise me for a bit today, right?"

"S-Supervise? Supervise what...?"

"My Kendo practice."

"Ah... O-Of course, I have to supervise that..."

What was she thinking about?

Was she imagining Miyuki and me sleeping together?

Knowing Chinami, it was highly likely.

"Are your legs okay?"

"Huh? My legs?"

"They were shaking a lot at lunch earlier. Did we go too hard last time?"

When I subtly brought up that incident, Chinami let out a sharp gasp and her shoulders jumped.

I quickly pulled her into a hug, placed a hand on her stomach, and rubbed it in clockwise circles as I continued.

"It's a relief if you're fine, though."

"..."

She shyly began to squirm, and I gently rested my chin on the top of her head like I always did.

"Let's hang out with Miyuki again sometime."

"Whaaat...?"

"You don't want to?"

"N-No... it's not that I don't want to... It's just that I need some time to mentally prepare..."

I had only suggested hanging out, yet she needed time to mentally prepare.

Of course, I had intentionally phrased it to make her picture a threesome, but it was kind of scary how quickly Chinami caught on.

It was the same when she freaked out earlier about supervising me, and it was the same now...

If Chinami—who was constantly having dirty thoughts—ever fully embraced them, her sex drive would probably be several times stronger than Miyuki's.

I looked down at her as she awkwardly twiddled her fingers, overwhelmed with shyness.

"Let's drop this for now. Are you going to supervise my Kendo practice?"

"Ah, right... I have to supervise you. Of course... It's cold outside, so should we do it in here...?"

"In here?"

"Eek...!? It's too dangerous in here, so let's just do it outside...!"

"Why is it dangerous?"

"It just is...! Let's hurry up and go grab a Shinai...!"

She kept having such weird fantasies that it made me want to actually do it with her right here.

I suppressed the urge, gently released Chinami, and opened the door.

The moment I did, a Third Year senior participating in the tournament called out to me.

"Matsuda, the director wants you."

"Right now?"

"Yeah. He told me to gather everyone participating in the men's team match."

It was time for a cozy Kendo practice with Chinami. Of all the times he could have called me, he had to do it now.

My vow not to touch his wife was beginning to crumble.

Smacking my lips in disappointment, I entered the director's office and bowed to Goro.

Soon after, the other club members started trickling in.

Tetsuya was naturally among them.

He had been a bit clingy during our sparring matches today... I figured it was because he was still troubled by his messy feelings from Christmas, but Tetsuya's sparring style had always been like dragging someone into a swamp, so it was hard to tell.

"What's this about?"

Tetsuya asked quietly while wiping his face with a towel.

I shrugged nonchalantly.

"No idea. How's practice going?"

"I'm trying my best. What about you?"

"About the same."

"Let's do our best out there."

He wasn't saying anything to get on my nerves today.

He had been acting much more docile lately, as if he finally knew his place. Or maybe he just didn't want any useless conflict right before the tournament?

I couldn't tell if that was a good thing or not.

After I exchanged a few more trivial remarks with Tetsuya, Goro stood in front of us holding a freshly printed piece of paper.

"Quiet."

Instantly, the director's office fell so dead silent that you could have heard a pin drop.

Goro definitely had an intimidating presence.

Then again, it wouldn't make sense if a guy with a face like his wasn't intimidating.

"I called you here because today is the day I submit the final roster. Matsuda, Miura, Mori, Ikeda, and Yamazaki in that order, with Yoshida and Fujii as substitutes... Right?"

The participants gathered in the office answered Goro's question in unison.

"Yes, sir."

"There will be no further changes. If any of you have an issue with the order, speak up now."

"No issues, sir."

"Then I'll submit it as is. Everyone is dismissed. If anyone has a personal question, ask it now."

With that, everyone turned to leave, except for Tetsuya and one second-year senior.

Their eyes were burning with passion.

As long as the team won, I didn't care if Tetsuya lost his match, but seeing how hard they were trying made me think we would actually get a good result.

The tournament was scheduled shortly after Christmas, so the day arrived quickly.

Since the tournament was held on a weekday, we were legally allowed to skip class. But it was really only skipping the first period of our afternoon classes, so it wasn't particularly good or bad.

After Goro announced that he would handle the manager duties today, I boarded the bus with Chinami, but we ended up sitting separately.

We had originally meant to sit together, but the girls' team participants said they needed to discuss their tactics.

The same went for the men's team.

"Matsuda, hurry up."

I let out a deep, internal sigh when I saw the guys waving at me from the back seats.

Having to sit with a bunch of smelly guys... How humiliating.

I purposefully sat in an empty seat and listened carefully to the advice our Third Year anchor was giving us.

When Renka boarded the bus and started taking attendance, I waited for the exact moment she met my eyes and gave her a wink.

"One, two, three, four, five... Ugh...!"

Renka saw it and immediately scrunched up her forehead.

She stared at me like she had just seen something repulsive, let out a dry cough, and went back to counting heads.

Her reactions were always fun to watch. I couldn't wait for the day she finally did her one-day part-time shift with me at the bald uncles' shop.

While I was lost in thought, Renka finished the headcount and stopped at Miura's seat.

Then she started encouraging him.

"Do your best today, Miura."

"Thank you, President!"

"You know there are going to be a lot of matches today since it's the regionals, right? Make sure you pace yourself."

"I won't let you down!"

"Right, I'm counting on you."

He was so loud my ears were going to ring. Was hearing a sweet voice from a girl really that exciting?

Just as I was about to mentally curse Tetsuya, I heard, "Matsuda, do your best out there too."

Renka looked at me as she spoke, and my disgust vanished like snow melting in the sun.

It actually did feel pretty good. I decided to let it slide this once.

"Yeah."

"Aren't you going to thank me?"

"Thanks."

"...Why do I even bother?"

Renka grumbled under her breath and walked to the front just as Goro finished loading the supplies and boarded the bus.

"I won't wish you luck. You will win this with your own skill."

Win with our own skill?

It was a little cringy, but it was exactly the kind of line to fire up the hot-blooded passion of youth.

If Doki-Aka had been a hot-blooded sports game, Goro would have probably been a major character, right?

I turned around to face the girls' seats and gave Chinami—who was listening intently to their meeting with wide eyes—a raised fist to cheer her on.

Chinami spotted me, broke into a bright smile, and pulled both of her hands close to her chest in a fighting pose.

The bus departed shortly after.

We wrapped up our brief meeting, and I took up two seats by myself, leaning against the window and staring up at the sky.

It was pretty mild out. It was a stretch to call it spring, but the weather was still incredibly nice.

This was the kind of weather where I should be taking Miyuki or Chinami on a picnic... What a shame.

Miyuki had said she was coming to cheer us on with Bread Girl and the Vice Representative, so maybe the four of us could hang out after the tournament.

I rolled down the window and absentmindedly scanned the bustling downtown streets as I thought about it. But then—

"Bye, Hiyori!"

The bus came to a halt at an intersection just as the pedestrian light turned green. A loud shout rang out from a mixed group of high schoolers crossing the street, making my eyes snap wide open.

‘What?’

Hiyori?

Did I hear that correctly?

Doubting my own ears, I quickly turned my head in the direction the group of students was looking.

And I saw her.

"Bye-bye!"

Standing in the middle of the crosswalk and looking back over her shoulder, Hiyori gave her friends a refreshing wave. She was smiling so brightly that it seemed to light up the whole street.

‘S-She's really here...?’

Her bright blonde hair, her warm presence that naturally made anyone looking at her feel good, and her bubbly demeanor.

It was undeniably the Asahina Hiyori I knew.

Thump!

My heart started pounding against my ribs.

I was caught off guard by her sudden appearance, but the sheer excitement of finally seeing Hiyori—someone I had only known in 2D until now—in the flesh completely overshadowed my shock.

After parting ways with her friends, Hiyori quickly disappeared into the crowd.

Actually, it wasn't that she disappeared; the traffic light had turned green, and the bus was quickly driving past the intersection.

I managed to calm myself down just as I was about to yell at the driver to let me off.

Even if I got off right now and met her, what could I even do?

I would be lucky if she didn't just look at me like I was a total creep.

Was she not cold, though? Her cheeks looked a little red...

No matter how mild the weather was, she was dressed way too lightly.