Chapter 290

"Ippon!"

Snap! The flag went up. Having closed out the final opening match of the championship with a 2:1 victory, I clenched my fist, knowing I had done my job.

‘I didn't shit the bed.’

The opponents who made it to the finals had impressive backgrounds and plenty of experience, so there were definitely close calls. But I focused so intensely I didn't even notice my pounding headache. It kept things manageable, and thanks to that, I won every opening match.

Aside from giving up the first point in my opening bout and allowing a tying point in this one, I had won every round. I'd done a stellar job as the vanguard. Now, I just had to leave our fate to my teammates.

Tetsuya was putting up a surprisingly good fight, so maybe I could get my hopes up. Entertaining that thought, I traded places with him and glanced at the stands on my way back to the team bench.

I spotted Chinami and Renka. Just like the last tournament, the women's division must have finished first. No doubt they won the championship.

Chinami was wildly waving both hands and swaying her entire upper body from side to side, absolutely thrilled for me. Renka, on the other hand, stood with her arms crossed, watching me with a deadpan expression. She had to be cheering on the inside, right?

With Goro's help, I pulled off my Men and head wrap, wiping away the thick layer of sweat dripping down my face with a towel. Right then, the sharp smack of a shinai echoed from the center of the Arena, and the referee raised his flag.

"Ippon!"

The opposing team had scored. Tetsuya had been dragging his opponents into a swamp and drawing out his matches until now, but this time, he gave up the first point in a flash—just like I did in my opening bout.

Things were looking bleak. I didn't want to cheer for the bastard, but I needed to do something cringy for the sake of the other three. Watching the opposing team's crowd go wild and shout their support, I timed it perfectly, cupped my hands around my mouth, and yelled.

"Miura! You better win!"

My booming voice echoed through the entire venue. For a split second, it completely snapped the opposing team's momentum. And taking my shout as a cue, Mori and the rest of the team started cheering Miura on.

Hmm... What a heartwarming picture. Encouraging a guy like Tetsuya left a bad taste in my mouth, but reaching out first was a solid tactic to take down a mutual enemy.

He had his own share of talent, so if he had any competitive drive, he'd find a way to reset the match. At least, that was what I thought...

Smack!

"Ippon!"

In the ensuing bout, Tetsuya gave up another point to his opponent. He'd managed to drag the match out this time, but the gap in experience was too wide. He fell for a feint and took a brutal strike straight to the head, losing 2:0. Just like that, the second vanguard match came to an end.

"...I'm sorry."

Tetsuya trudged back, entirely dejected. Aside from Mori, who was stepping up for the middle guard match, the rest of the team patted his back and told him it was fine.

"I'm sorry."

He must have still had some conscience left, seeing as he actually apologized to me this time. It was true that I absolutely despised the guy, but placing blame while we were competing as a team was a move for the petty.

Besides, it wasn't like Tetsuya hadn't given it his all. I answered him by giving his back a light, encouraging pat. After that, I focused entirely on cheering for Mori.

"Champion, Shimizudashi Academy."

I clapped with a sullen expression at the announcer's declaration from the podium. Just like the last tournament, we had stalled out at second place. It was the kind of day that reminded me of that classic manga line: 'In the end, this photo was never used for the cover...'

What really mattered was showing Renka and Chinami how hard I was working... I tried to justify it as a moral victory, but missing out on the championship when it was right in front of us stung.

"Next up, the tournament MVP. Matsuda Ken, please come up to the podium."

I snagged the MVP. The opposing team's middle guard in the finals had been an absolute monster, so I honestly hadn't expected to win the award.

I supposed a flawless sweep in the opening matches and only giving up two points total was enough to earn it... but what good was a personal trophy? It bothered me that we couldn't hand the championship cup to Yamazaki before he graduated.

We weren't exactly close, but he was still a teammate and a senior. If this had been an individual tournament, I wouldn't have cared, but since we were competing as a team, second place felt like a bitter pill to swallow.

I stepped down from the podium with my trophy to the applause of the participating teams, immediately seeking out Yamazaki to ask how he was holding up. But his response was something else entirely.

"Me? I'm fine."

He was unexpectedly cool about the whole thing.

"...Really? You aren't disappointed?"

"Of course I'm disappointed. But I got to show off my skills to my heart's content in the anchor match... and it's not like you guys did a bad job. I definitely wanted the trophy, but I took first place in an individual tournament a while back, so I'm fine. Plus, I've got three different universities offering me full scholarships."

"..."

Unbelievable. You really needed to know a person. Since I didn't know much about Yamazaki, I'd gone out of my way to misunderstand him and guilt-trip myself for no reason.

Honestly, now that I thought about it, this tournament wasn't even a massive deal. If it had been that critical, they would have benched me and Tetsuya and stacked the roster with Second and Third Years. Sure, it was an official tournament, but it wasn't a life-or-death situation.

In the end, the whole 'sweaty male friendship and burning competitive spirit' trope really only belonged in sports manga. Feeling my previous regrets completely vanish, I spoke up.

"Congratulations."

"Thanks. But you... were you actually worried about that?"

"Of course not."

"Judging by your face, I hit the nail on the head. You little punk..."

Yamazaki grinned and tried to sling an arm around my shoulders. I took a subtle step back, completely dodging his hand.

"Now you're just hurting my feelings."

Yamazaki muttered, staring awkwardly at his hand grasping empty air. I simply shrugged and gave him a cynical reply.

"I doubt it."

After the award ceremonies wrapped up, I walked out of the venue and ran into Chinami.

"Junior! Such a shame about the results. But you looked absolutely amazing out there!"

It was a letdown, but also a relief. Bittersweet. That was probably the best way to put it. Wait, hadn't I felt the exact same way after the last tournament?

Regardless, I'd seen it through to a decent end. Even so, it felt like it had completely drained my mental stamina. I really ought to be saving this kind of focus for women... I needed to do everything in my power to avoid Kendo tournaments from now on.

"Thank you. Where did the President go?"

"Renka went to drop off the championship trophy and the MVP trophy."

She took it, of course. Classic Renka. Judging by the bright look on Chinami's face, she must have put on a hell of a show as well. Talk about living up to its reputation. Yeboni Academy's women's Kendo team truly was a juggernaut among powerhouses.

"By the way, as punishment for failing to win the championship, you'll have to undergo hellish training."

Chinami suddenly put on a dead-serious expression and dropped that bombshell on me. Was she actually planning to train me? My sweet Chinami... treating her prized pupil so harshly was enough to break my heart.

I shook my head in blatant refusal.

"I don't want to."

"What...? You promised."

"I still refuse."

"Ehh...? How can you say that...?"

She looked completely devastated. She clearly hadn't expected me to shoot her down so firmly.

I led Chinami—her shoulders slumped in defeat—to the back of the venue. She trailed after me limply before I scooped her right up into my arms. Supporting her beneath her rear with one arm, I held her against me, almost like a grandfather showing his granddaughter the sights.

"Hyaa!?"

Letting out her trademark squeak, Chinami frantically threw her arms around my shoulders. When I gently stroked her back, she gave a tiny shudder and spoke in a fading whisper.

"Junior... I... I'm covered in sweat, so..."

"That's fine. So am I."

"But still..."

"Besides, you smell good."

"S-Smell...! Such a scandalous thing to say..."

"What do you think, Master? Do I smell bad?"

"...No... it's nice... Ah...! Not there..."

The way she trembled and squirmed the moment my fingers brushed her waist was undeniably adorable. Why did touching this soft flesh only seem to energize me? Renka and Miyuki were soft too, but the feeling of Chinami's skin was uniquely addictive.

"Haa... Haa..."

Chinami buried her face deep into my shoulder. Her hot breath slipped past her plump lips, tickling the skin of my neck.

Unconscious eroticism. When it naturally spilled out, the arousal it provoked was more captivating than anything else, and Chinami—currently breathing heavily against my neck without realizing what she was doing—was the perfect example.

"Haah..."

As I blatantly and slowly caressed Chinami's waist and rear, a muffled, breathless moan slipped from her lips. Listening to her heavy, suggestive breathing right by my ear, I was just about to escalate things a little further when—

"W-What are you two doing...!"

I froze at the sound of Renka's voice, laced with both utter bewilderment and sheer embarrassment. She had followed us around to the back of the venue. Chinami, looking as though she might literally die of shock, whipped her head around while still dangling in my arms.

"Hyaa... I-I'm so sorry...! To explain how this happened... Ahem...! J-Junior. How about you put me down first...?"

Chinami naturally spoke at a rather languid pace. It was already a bit slow on a normal day, but now that she was thoroughly flustered and her tongue was tied in knots, she dragged out every syllable. Compared to her frantic squirming, her mouth moved at a turtle's pace. It was slow enough that Renka was physically squirming in place just waiting for her to finish.

"Junior...! Put me down...!"

Her tone was dead serious. I really needed to put her down. Swallowing my disappointment, I lowered Chinami to the ground, and she immediately stumbled her way over to Renka.

"Y-You're back...? When is the bus supposed to leave...?"

"Well... a lot of people headed for the restrooms... But are you okay...?"

"Ehh...? Y-Yes...! I'm perfectly fine... But are you alright, my close friend...?"

"M-Me? Uh... I don't exactly... feel fine right now..."

Seeing Chinami flushed beet-red, Renka couldn't seem to figure out where to look, a strange flutter of emotions clearly washing over her as well. Watching Renka squirm only made Chinami infinitely more embarrassed, and she threw both hands up to cover her tiny face.

"I-I'm sorry...!"

"No... I don't think... you're the one who needs to apologize... Anyway, uh... should I give you two some space?"

"No...! You can stay here...! Please stay here...!"

"..."

Renka awkwardly scratched the side of her head, glancing back and forth between Chinami and me. Stumbling headfirst into such a steamy moment had obviously left her feeling entirely conflicted. And that conflict wasn't stemming from jealousy—it was a much more suggestive, arousing kind of confusion. That was good enough for me.

"Congratulations on the championship and the MVP."

At my completely nonchalant words, Renka snapped back to her senses and replied.

"Huh...? T-Thanks..."

"When are we heading back?"

"...In about five minutes..."

"Is that so? We'd better get moving, then. Do you want a piece of candy before we head out?"

"W-What are you even saying...?! What candy...?! Did I leave some with you or something...?!"

She was overplaying her ignorance far too hard. Reacting like that made it glaringly obvious we were hiding some scandalous secret. Well, maybe to everyone except the pure and innocent Chinami.

"Let's go, Chinami...! Don't hang out with a weirdo like him."

"Eh...?"

Chuckling as Renka angrily grabbed Chinami's hand and dragged her away, I trailed along right behind them. Had the tournament wrapped up on a good note? Either way, I was definitely skipping the after-party.