Chapter 419

"Haaah...!"

Miyuki drew in a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut.

Seeing she was about to sneeze, I quickly dodged to the side, just like when I avoided the seawater she spat out at the Beach.

"Ugh..."

But no saliva sprayed from her mouth.

The sneeze vanished just as it was about to come out. She sniffled, letting out a cute little groan.

I smacked my lips, feeling a bit awkward. Miyuki took a deep breath, exhaled, and spoke.

"Am I that gross? You swallow it every day anyway."

My Miyuki had become a total pervert.

To say something like that without batting an eye.

"My reflexes are just exceptional. It was pure instinct."

"Really? So you won't dodge if I sneeze again?"

"I'll take it. Bring it on."

"Whatever..."

Miyuki let out a weak laugh and lightly pushed my arm.

Her body must have felt heavier than yesterday; there was absolutely no strength in her hand.

I had Miyuki lie down on the bed and offered her my lap as a pillow, just like yesterday.

From there, I rested my hands on her slightly warm forehead and stomach.

"Do you have a slight fever?"

"I checked earlier, and it was normal. But why haven't you caught it when we spend so much time together?"

"Do you want me to catch it?"

"Yeah."

Yesterday she was worried that I shouldn't catch it because of the tournament, but now she was making quite a scary remark.

Of course, I knew she was joking, so I brushed off her whining with a smile.

"I wash properly, so I won't catch it."

"Do I not wash properly?"

"That's why you caught a cold."

"I guess so. Oh, right. Tetsuya called yesterday."

"A call? Doesn't he call often?"

"Yeah. He suggested we set a date to study once my cold clears up... What do you think?"

"Do it."

Miyuki's eyes widened, surprised by my immediate consent.

Looking up at me with eyes still slightly teary from her illness, she spoke as if it was totally unexpected.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I don't mind. He's your friend."

I answered like that, but I had absolutely no intention of studying with Tetsuya.

If that bastard tried to set a date, I'd make up any excuse to get out of it.

Letting that piece of shit into my house during last year's vacation was more than enough.

"He's Matsuda-kun's friend too, you know."

"Sure, whatever."

"Why are you reacting so coldly?"

"Be quiet."

I covered Miyuki's mouth to shut her up, but she darted her tongue out and licked near my palm.

The sensation of her tongue tip slowly swirling clockwise was incredibly stimulating. I stared down at her, feeling a subtle wave of pleasure rise within me, before gently pressing my forehead against hers.

With a soft bump, Miyuki's eyes fluttered closed, then opened again.

Looking into those adorable eyes, a fond, fatherly smile naturally spread across my lips.

I really didn't know what to do with this little seductress.

"You're driving me crazy."

As I unwittingly voiced my welling emotions, Miyuki heard my low mutter, and her eyes curved into crescents.

She had realized it was affection directed at her and was reveling in it.

When I pulled my hand away, the area around her lips was slightly red from the pressure.

Even that sight was incredibly pretty, so I leaned down and pressed my lips against hers.

After spending such a steamy yet tender time with Miyuki, I returned home and received a message.

[Heading out now.]

She said we'd work out in the evening, but here she was coming over at lunchtime.

Did she miss me that much? Even after suffering that humiliation yesterday?

No, maybe she had actually gotten addicted to it.

Figuring it would take her about thirty minutes, I planned to wait for Hiyori in the house at my leisure.

But when the Main Gate doorbell rang less than five minutes after her message arrived, I went out in disbelief.

"Hello."

I saw Hiyori raising one hand above her shoulder like a robot.

She must have sent the message right when she got off at the nearby station.

Wasn't this way too reckless? Even I wasn't this impulsive... It was absurd.

"Do you ever think before you act?"

"You told me to contact you, so I did. Why are you making a fuss?"

"That's not what I... Whatever. Just come in for now."

"No. I'm not going in."

"I won't ask you to sleep over, so just come in."

"Nope."

"Didn't you come to work out? How are you going to do that in that outfit?"

Just as I pointed out, Hiyori was wearing a skirt.

A tennis skirt with a fluttering hem that left half her thighs exposed.

It was a rather modest design for her, but it still sparked a flare of frustration in me.

"I'm wearing safety shorts."

"Don't say it so proudly. Isn't that standard when wearing a skirt?"

"That depends on the person."

"And you're not one of them?"

"Yep."

"But you wore them today."

"I figured I'd need them today."

Her remark showed she was highly conscious of what had happened yesterday, making one corner of my mouth twitch.

Hiyori pouted, evidently displeased by my reaction, and continued.

"Anyway, why are you saying perverted things the moment we meet?"

"Is mentioning your skirt perverted?"

"It feels that way because you're the one saying it. I guess I'll have to start wearing a chastity belt."

"Do you even know what that is?"

"Why wouldn't I? It's a sacred item meant to protect my precious parts. You weren't thinking about it in a weird way, were you? Are you into BDSM or something?"

"I don't hate it."

"Oh, really?"

Curiosity flickered in Hiyori's eyes.

Had that piqued her interest? It seemed Hiyori was trying to steal Renka's position now.

Renka would need to be on her guard.

"Let's get you changed first."

I pointed toward the house with an exasperated expression, and the tips of Hiyori's ears flushed bright red.

She must have remembered me touching her yesterday.

"I'll change outside."

"Stop being stubborn and come inside. I won't do anything."

"Really?"

"Don't you trust me?"

"No."

"Then why did you come here?"

"To work out."

"Didn't you come here to work out because you trust me?"

"I'm just using you. Because you have value."

"You're driving me crazy... Hurry up and come in before I drag you inside."

"Yessir."

It was funny watching her step inside the Main Gate with a triumphant expression, thinking she had won our argument.

As I watched Hiyori strut around the living room like it was her own home, drink some water, and grab her clothes to head into the bathroom on her own, I seriously considered pouncing on her right then and there.

Then, when she emerged wearing loose sweatpants, I opened the sliding door.

"Let's go."

"You won't be too rough, right?"

Why did she keep saying such suggestive lines?

Of course, it was a perfectly fitting phrase for the current situation, meaning I shouldn't push her too hard with the workout, but...

Because it was Hiyori saying it, the words felt laced with impurity.

Even when I tried to take it easy on her, her acting like that only stoked my competitive spirit.

Deciding I would have to spank her if she acted up one more time, I replied.

"I won't make it hurt."

Had she not expected such a sudden counterattack?

Hiyori pursed her lips.

Seeing the flush spreading under her eyes, she was definitely thinking dirty thoughts.

Why did she keep acting up when she always ended up losing in the end...

Still, from my perspective, I liked it when Hiyori acted like that, so I decided to let it go.

Besides, it would be fun to reuse this exact conversation for Hiyori's first time.

Resolving to pay back all of Hiyori's steadily accumulating karma when that day came, I went for a light run with her.

I figured I should enjoy this kind of peaceful life for a few days.

"Matsuda, how have you been?"

A senior from the Kendo Club approached with a friendly demeanor and threw his arm around my shoulder.

I openly frowned and answered.

"No."

"This punk is at it again. We even went to a tournament together; have you got no affection at all?"

Come to think of it, memories of participating in the national tournament on the same team last year came flooding back.

What was his name again? Yamazaki?

No, that guy graduated... I had absolutely no memory of this person.

"Who are you?"

I meant it sincerely, but the senior seemed to think I was joking.

He suddenly slapped my back repeatedly and burst into hearty laughter.

Stuck in the grip of the guffawing senior, I missed Renka as she glided past. I seriously debated whether I should steal this guy's girlfriend before heading over to help Chinami.

She was dedicating herself entirely to her manager duties, even on the day of the tournament.

For today at least, she could have left everything to the coach and me, but she was a truly responsible person.

As she trotted along hugging a pile of bags, I snatched the entire load from her arms and asked.

"Isn't the President helping you?"

"Ah, you're here. Renka was the first to come help, but I told her to go back. We can't afford any hiccups with her condition."

"Isn't that the same for you, Master?"

"This is my usual routine. I actually manage my condition better when I keep busy."

"Is that so? I'll help too."

"In that case, please hand back about half the bags."

"Why?"

"What do you mean, why? If you take all my bags, you'll be the only one working."

"True. Just carry this one, then."

I gently placed the small women's bag from the very top onto Chinami's outstretched hand.

Her mouth gaped open in utter bewilderment as she spoke.

"You're only giving me this?"

"Yes."

"Why is that? I clearly asked you to hand over half."

"From my perspective, that is half the load."

"That makes no sense. You're just being stubborn."

"Just humor me."

"Hmm. I'll let it go this once."

Talking to Chinami always felt like stepping into another dimension.

I found myself unwittingly swept up in her way of speaking, making me feel just as eccentric.

After loading all the bags onto the bus we'd be taking, I watched Chinami do a wave with her arms, claiming the food she ate today was all wiggly.

She had acted exactly like this during our date in the past. It was great that our Chinami hadn't changed one bit.

When I lightly poked the tip of Chinami's nose with my index finger, her eyes widened. She dropped her arms to her sides and looked up at me.

"What did you just do?"

"I infused you with good luck."

"Oho. That's a scene straight out of a romance manga."

Sometimes Chinami showed a surprisingly worldly side like this.

Just as I was about to scratch the back of my head in embarrassment, Chinami smiled brightly and expressed her thanks.

"That gave me a lot of strength. Thank you, junior."

Mmm. A radiant smile that seemed to brighten the entire area.

As expected, just looking at Chinami was healing.

"Don't mention it. I'll cheer for you, Master, more than the President."

"Now, now. It is only right to cheer for all the participants equally."

"Then I'll cheer for everyone equally, but I'll cheer for you a little bit more, Master."

"That won't do. Give everyone equal strength."

"You're very firm about this. Understood."

Having finished all the work, I boarded the bus and immediately spotted Renka sitting in the front seat with her arms crossed.

"Ah..."

An annoyed groan escaped her lips when she spotted me.

She had clearly looked happy to see me just a second ago... It was laughable how quickly she reined in her expression.

"Hello, President."

I flashed a toothy grin in greeting, and Renka simply gave a half-hearted nod.

I gave her shoulder a discreet nudge so no one else would see, and spoke.

"Come to the back before we leave."

"W-why...? For what...?"

"I brought some gummies for you. I'm only giving them to the President and Master."

"Ah... Is that all?"

"Why? Were you worried I was going to do something weird?"

"Whatever... Why would I... I'll come over when I have a moment, so go away."

It was cute how she changed the subject with a face that clearly showed I'd hit the mark.

'Just wait until the tournament is over. I'll make you beg for my love.'

Swallowing those words, I quietly walked past Renka and sat side-by-side with Chinami in the back seat.