Chapter 360

"My legs hurt."

Hiyori muttered as she walked down the building stairs.

I decided to take her complaints seriously, as she wore a sullen expression, genuinely not wanting to attend class.

"That's because you don't work out."

"What does this have to do with working out...! I'm perfectly healthy, you know?"

"I'm not joking, I'm serious. You need to build up your thigh muscles. Did you sign up for a gym?"

"Nope."

"I thought you said you were going to work out."

"I was so busy that I forgot."

"That's the excuse lazy people use every day."

"I'm not lazy! Come to think of it, sunbae, you're good at working out, right?"

"I'm not."

"Don't lie. You couldn't get a body like yours without working out. Teach me."

Hmm... She was coming onto me quite boldly.

This was why I had taken her seriously.

To seize the opportunity to strengthen the bond between us even more.

"If you really want to do it, come to my house on weekend mornings."

"Why? That's annoying."

"How are you going to work out when you don't even have that much perseverance? You'll probably get tired after running for three minutes and say you want to quit."

"No... It'd be one thing if it were close, but it's too far...!!"

"Do you even know my address?"

"You said you lived in the lower part of Nerimagu last time."

"Did I?"

"You don't even remember that? I'm disappointed."

When did I say that? I rummaged through my memories, but I couldn't recall it at all.

It must have come up during our date, back when I was absentmindedly humoring Hiyori's chatter in the car.

"Quiet down and just come down. What are you even doing up there?"

Hiyori stood completely still on the landing leading to the corridor.

Hearing my scolding, she put on a shameless face.

"You always tell me to be quiet whenever you have nothing to say. I'm not going."

"Class is starting soon, you know."

"I was planning to skip class in the first place, but you dragged me here by force, sunbae. So I need to rest."

"So you're saying you're going back there?"

"Yes."

"That's quite the mindset. You'll be in trouble if you don't come down."

"Are you a teacher or something, sunbae?"

"Stop talking nonsense and come down. Hurry."

I scowled and gestured for her to come over. Pouting her lips, Hiyori walked down the stairs deliberately slowly.

Thinking that Hiyori's behavior right then was exactly like Renka's, who only listened after being told twice, I tried to continue speaking.

"Since your sunbae..."

"Were you going to say I should listen because it's my sunbae talking?"

Hiyori predicted my intentions with perfect accuracy.

Feeling embarrassed, I scratched my cheek with my index finger and reached out to flick Hiyori's innocent cowlick before stopping myself.

It was better to charge up my energy by doing it occasionally rather than every day.

"...You know me well."

"That's because you always say the same thing."

"Not always."

"You do, though?"

"Let's say I do. Just walk faster."

Tap.

As I pushed Hiyori's back very lightly after she completely descended the stairs, she staggered forward dramatically.

An action that was obviously exaggerated to anyone watching.

Dumbfounded, I let out a hollow laugh and spoke.

"Stop acting weird."

"But this feels like I'm a criminal being escorted. I feel like I'm going to prison right now."

"That's an ending that suits you perfectly."

"Do you have handcuffs?"

'Do you want that kind of play?'

'Now that I think about it, that might be fun.'

'I should ask Renka to teach me well.'

"Hurry up and walk, kid."

"Okay. But will you really teach me how to work out if I go near your house, sunbae?"

"Are you coming?"

"No."

Even though she said that, it was obvious she had developed a subtle interest.

I figured we would be able to go running together sooner or later.

"Then don't come."

"Can I go on weekday evenings? I want to sleep in on the weekends."

"You lack per—"

"Don't say I lack perseverance. Everyone wants to rest on the weekend."

Well, she was right.

I also wanted to sprawl out and sleep on the weekends, so forcing her to wake up early was indeed too harsh.

"Then do that."

"Got it. But can't we stop by the School Store for just a moment right now?"

"No."

"I wanna go."

"Go during break time."

"Okay..."

'Pretending to be dejected won't work.'

It might have worked in the past, but it absolutely wouldn't work now.

Having half-forced the terribly disobedient Hiyori into her classroom, I headed toward the second-year hallway, thinking I would have to scold her thoroughly someday for draining my energy from the very morning.

"Do you like it here?"

As I asked her that in a soft voice while hugging Chinami from behind and caressing her lower belly, she shook her head once.

"No...?"

"Then here?"

I slowly moved my hand up from her lower belly to the abdomen right above her navel.

As I gently stroked that spot, I felt Chinami's body, whose back was pressed against my chest, tremble.

"N-no...?"

"Then how about here?"

This time, near her solar plexus, right where the soft touch of her underbust could be felt.

As soon as my hand reached there, Chinami's whole body tensed up completely.

"Huuu... N-no...?"

"Should I go higher?"

"Y-you can't... This is the laundry Drying Room..."

"Does that mean it's okay somewhere else besides the Drying Room?"

"That's not what I meant..."

Resting my chin on the crown of the extremely embarrassed Chinami's head, I blatantly fondled her abdomen and waist.

Chinami's teeth even started to chatter as she surrendered her body to my hands, fidgeting restlessly.

How could human skin be this soft?

I wanted to go straight to the Lounge right now, hug Chinami tightly, and sleep.

"Is your mother doing well?"

"Y-yes..."

"Please send her my regards."

"I will... Huu..."

Not long after we started our quiet conversation, a long breath leaked from Chinami's nose.

She looked like she was feeling good.

Just as I was about to move my hand properly up toward Chinami's breasts, clack.

"Chinami. On the participant list for this tournament..."

The Drying Room door opened, and Renka walked inside holding a piece of paper.

Since all the laundry had already been put away, she naturally caught sight of Chinami and me.

"On the list..."

Renka repeated the end of her sentence, blinking her eyes.

Her dumbfounded expression, as if she were wondering if this was a dream, was both incredibly funny and cute.

It seemed a bit of an overreaction considering we had gone to a Hotel together, but I understood, since this was the first time she was blatantly seeing such an intimate scene with Chinami inside the Club Room.

"Hk...!?"

Seeing Renka's jaw drop, Chinami got startled and scrambled out of my embrace.

Then, awkwardly approaching Renka, she snatched the paper from her hand, babbled that she would check it and that she was sorry, and dashed straight out of the Drying Room.

I heard the sound of her running; she had probably fled to the Lounge.

"Why did you interrupt?"

When I rebuked Renka in a shameless tone, she snapped back to her senses and scowled heavily.

"I-interrupt...? Did you just say I interrupted...?"

"Didn't you?"

"T-this is the Club Room...! And club activities aren't even over yet...!!"

"I do this to the President all the time too, so what does it matter?"

"....."

At a loss for words, Renka firmly clamped her mouth shut.

It seemed she realized that my attitude toward her in the Club Room was much more intense than how I treated Chinami.

Looking at her, I shrugged and spoke.

"Are you jealous by any chance?"

"What are you talking about...!"

"If not, never mind. But what was that about a tournament?"

"Ah... The Comprehensive Sports Festival."

The Comprehensive Sports Festival was a large-scale tournament held every summer, something akin to the Inter-High.

It seemed she was planning to select members soon and dive into special training.

"I don't have to participate, do I?"

"Not at all. I'm leaving out anyone who has no motivation, unconditionally."

That was a relief, but Renka's reaction felt incredibly disappointing.

I had secured the men's division's first runner-up spot and even won MVP, so no matter how unmotivated I was, why would she leave out such a talent?

She should have tried to persuade me to join.

Regardless, with Hiyori now involved on top of everything, my real life was too busy, so I truly had no intention of participating in the tournament. Accepting that, I nodded.

"Understood. I'll just cheer you on."

"Don't even do that."

I didn't think there was a need for her to be this snippy...

Was she sulking because I showed no sign of touching her?

I could find out by checking.

"Should I really not?"

"Yeah."

"Really?"

"...M-move your face away...!"

Looking at that expression of hers that screamed she absolutely didn't want to exchange words with someone like me, I figured I was right.

Accepting it, I looked around.

The Drying Room's sliding window was wide open.

As I went over and closed the window, Renka flinched and asked in a trembling voice.

"W-what are you trying to do...?"

She was acting like that despite knowing everything.

She should at least erase the subtle anticipation hidden within her fear-filled gaze before saying things like that...

The problem with our Renka was that her acting skills were far too lacking.

Just as I returned to Renka in silence and was about to say something, words filled with shyness tumbled from her lips.

"Shouldn't you... give me the candy first..."

Holding back the laughter threatening to burst out, I answered.

"I didn't bring any today."

"Then... get lost. I came to get that, but since you don't have it, forget it."

"Where should I get lost to?"

"...I'll just leave."

Letting out a sharp snort, Renka briskly spun around and marched out of the Drying Room.

She must be acting like that out of a guilty conscience because I saw right through her feelings.

Did this mean my physical contact with Chinami had simply been canceled due to Renka's interruption in the end?

If that was the case, I had no choice but to increase the plug's size slightly as a punishment.

While doing my manager duties in anticipation of the upcoming memorable time with Renka, I entered the Changing Room around the end of club activities and checked my Cell Phone.

[Is this evening okay too?]

A message from Hiyori had arrived an hour ago.

It was about the workout we discussed this morning.

I couldn't betray the expectations of the highly driven Hiyori, could I?

Since it was a welcome development for me as well, I sent a reply without much hesitation.

[Yeah.]