Chapter 421

Led by Renka and Chinami's stellar performances, the women's division claimed the championship at the National Athletic Meet just as expected.

Standing on the podium with a bright smile, clutching the championship cup and the MVP award—symbols of authority and honor—Renka looked especially beautiful today.

The same went for Chinami, who stood on the podium in her capacity as vice-president.

Seeing one gorgeous girl standing next to another felt like a blessing to the eyes.

I didn't like the other guys staring at them, but it couldn't be helped.

I'd have to gouge all their eyes out later.

Standing between the two girls, Goro wore an incredibly bright expression.

It was because the men's division had also achieved a pretty decent result.

The men's division had placed fifth.

It wasn't a terrible showing, but it wasn't exactly great, either.

However, compared to last year's National Athletic Meet, it was a massive improvement, so a blooming smile never left Goro's face for quite a while.

"Great job out there. Congratulations on the championship."

I called out from among the club members who had gathered to welcome the two as they proudly stepped down from the podium. Basking in everyone's congratulations, Chinami offered a broad smile.

"Mufufu... I feel the strength returning to my exhausted body. Thank you."

Hearing Chinami's thanks, delivered in her characteristically old-fashioned tone, I turned my gaze to Renka.

"Congratulations to you too, President."

"Yeah. Thanks."

Her face was expressionless, but her eyes clearly showed her joy.

Both Chinami and Renka had gone through a lot of trouble this year.

They'd had their hands full with the influx of new Kendo Club underclassmen, too.

Yet they'd still claimed the championship with an undefeated record. Those two truly had outstanding talent.

Once the tournament officially ended, Goro, riding high on a fantastic mood, took us to a restaurant he'd booked in advance for our celebratory team dinner.

And there, at the shop next to the restaurant, I ran into an unexpected person.

"It's Matsuda-kun, isn't it?"

I had coincidentally run into the Vice Representative.

"What the... Vice Representative? What are you doing here?"

"Vice Representative...? Do you even know my name?"

"Do I need to?"

"..."

Her jaw dropped.

She seemed dumbfounded by how matter-of-fact I sounded.

Chuckling, I waved a hand.

"I'm joking. It's Natsume Honoka, right?"

"Oh... you actually know it...?"

"Why do you sound so surprised?"

"Because it is a surprise...?"

Miyuki called her by name several times a day, so how could I not know?

No matter how crappy my memory might be, I obviously knew that much.

"Did you come here to participate in the tournament, too?"

"No. I came to cheer them on. I'm in the Archery Club."

"Were you?"

"Look at this. Your memory is terrible. It's a miracle you even remember my name."

"No... the club I remember you being in wasn't a sports one, though?"

"But it is a sports club?"

"Really...? Did I remember that wrong?"

"Seems like it."

Should I start paying a little more attention to the people around me?

Since I was relatively indifferent to anyone other than the heroines, I couldn't tell if the Vice Representative had changed clubs and was just messing with me by pretending she hadn't, or if she was telling the truth.

"Did the Kendo Club win?"

Nodding at her follow-up question, I answered.

"Only the women's division. The men's division took fifth."

"Oh, really? The women's division does great every year."

"How about the Archery Club?"

Instead of answering, the Vice Representative pointed at the transparent window of the shop next door.

Looking over, I saw several Archery Club members sitting there with miserable looks on their faces.

"You got crushed."

"Yeah. The mood is brutal, isn't it?"

If we had been at the same restaurant, their gloominess would have probably rubbed off on our Kendo Club.

"Well, they'll probably feel better once they start eating."

"Maybe so. Anyway, congratulations. Enjoy your meal."

"Yeah."

Thinking about how much I wanted to shove something into her gaping mouth, I parted ways with her and walked into the restaurant.

Once inside, I started stuffing my face with the food that began arriving in earnest.

*

"What're you up to?"

In front of the restaurant, where a cool breeze blew—a rarity for summer.

Rubbing my stuffed belly, I asked the question, and Miyuki's answer came through the Cell Phone.

"I was watching a movie on my Cell Phone."

"Did I interrupt?"

"Yeah. How did the tournament go?"

"The women's division won, and the men's took fifth."

"I figured the women would win since they're famous and really skilled, but the men did well too, huh?"

Since she was on the Student Council, she probably knew the average results of each club.

"Yeah. The director was absolutely thrilled."

"I bet he was. Congratulations on the win."

"I wasn't the one who won."

"But your club still won, so you're allowed to be happy about it, you idiot."

"Don't insult me."

"Idiot."

Our Miyuki was just so cute, considering the harshest insult she could muster was "idiot."

It seemed I'd reached the point where I'd actually feel a bit empty if she didn't call me an idiot.

"Should I drop by for a bit tonight?"

"Huh? You can, but why?"

"To feel up your boobs to celebrate the win."

"What are you even...! Cough! I caught a cold, so stop making me laugh..."

"You think this is funny?"

"Yeah. It was funny."

"You laugh at the weirdest things. Are you a pervert?"

"I guess I am. Don't you need to be at the team dinner?"

"I ate a ton and just stepped out for a bit to digest. Have you eaten?"

"Not yet. I'm about to eat with my sister."

"Eat up. I'll call you later."

"Got it."

After ending the call with an amused Miyuki, I was about to head back inside when I nearly jumped out of my skin.

"Gah...! Ah, damn... You scared the hell out of me."

It was because Tetsuya, who hadn't been there a moment ago, was suddenly standing right next to me.

When the hell did this bastard get here? He hadn't made a single sound, so even though he wasn't standing ridiculously close, I nearly fell over in shock.

As expected of a gloomy bastard, his stealth was no joke. He'd make a fine talent if he ever went down a career path like a secret agent.

Mentally calming my racing heart, I looked the bastard up and down.

"When did you get here?"

"Just now."

"What for?"

"To get some fresh air. Were you on the phone with Miyuki?"

"Yeah. How did you know?"

"I heard her voice."

"You heard it? Do I have the call volume set too high?"

"Don't worry, I couldn't hear what you were talking about."

"Is that so? Anyway, enjoy the fresh air."

I nodded and tried to walk past Tetsuya, but the bastard called out to me in a low, sunken voice.

"Matsuda."

His eyes were incredibly hostile.

It was understandable. Today was the day that all of Tetsuya's pent-up inferiority complex had reached its absolute peak.

The bastard had been indirectly gathering hints that Miyuki and I were in a pretty heated relationship.

Like how the two of us were often seen sticking closely together at the Academy lately, or how I frequently visited her house, and the incident where we walked out of the same room together during the school trip...

Taking it a step further, he'd picked a fight with me at the tournament venue today, only to end up scurrying away with his tail between his legs without gaining a thing.

And just now, he'd probably stepped outside to call or text Miyuki, only to find that I had already beaten him to the punch and was on the phone with her...

He'd even heard Miyuki's voice bleeding through my Cell Phone.

Furthermore, even if he didn't catch the exact details of the call, he definitely noticed the incredibly warm and affectionate tone we used with each other, so his misery must have been immense.

Of course, I hadn't intended for the phone call to go that way.

This was a situation he'd brought upon himself by creeping out here and eavesdropping, so there was absolutely no need to feel pity for him.

The same went for everything else that had happened before.

If he kept shooting himself in the foot, what was I supposed to do about it?

There wasn't a single thing I needed to be considerate about.

"What."

"Treat Miyuki well. She's a really good girl."

The ugly, pathetic lecture of a beaten dog in the dating market. It wasn't even worth listening to.

Come to think of it, among those who had their unrequited crushes stolen away, the ones who couldn't quietly swallow their bitter defeat always said things just like Tetsuya did.

'Treat her well, don't make her cry, she's a good girl...'

Their repertoires were all exactly the same.

The victor would naturally take good care of her without being told, so it just felt like their last lingering regrets had mutated into meddling.

"I will, but what's with the sudden lecture? I know Miyuki is a good girl much better than you do, so butt out."

"...I've known Miyuki for over fifteen years."

I gave him a little prod, and he reacted intensely.

It made me sick to my stomach seeing how he wasn't even considering the fact that he was the one who had tried to provoke me first. At this point, I loathed even having the bastard near me.

"I know. So what?"

"It means I know Miyuki much better than you do. So watch your mouth."

Why was he stepping on the gas so hard today?

It seemed even worse than it had been at the tournament venue.

Did he perhaps overhear me saying I was going to feel up Miyuki's boobs?

If he had pictured his childhood friend engaging in heavy petting with me, then his reaction made a tiny bit of sense.

"Did you eat something weird today? Why have you been so aggressive since the match earlier?"

"I don't think I'm being aggressive."

"Try talking to a random passerby with that exact same attitude. See what they tell you."

"Really? If it sounded that way, I'm sorry."

"Also, how about being a little more honest?"

"What?"

"I'm telling you to stop trying to provoke and test people while pretending to give advice. If you had just come right out and said you liked Miyuki and wanted me to treat her well, I would've been considerate enough to give you a decent answer."

Tetsuya's face instantly turned bright red.

He felt humiliated because the guy he hated had hit the nail perfectly on the head.

Scoffing at the still-pathetic bastard, I continued.

"When you pull this petty shit, it makes me say mean things, too. Let's not do this."

"...Petty?"

"Are you not? You didn't seem quite this bad before... Get a grip."

People with Tetsuya's disposition absolutely detest being spoken down to.

Acting like a superior giving advice to a subordinate produced a clear and immediate effect.

Clench...!

His fists curled up tightly and began to tremble.

If Tetsuya had had a clear conscience about himself, he might not have reacted to this extent.

But reacting like that could only be explained by a massive inferiority complex.

It seemed the bastard himself also knew just how pathetic he was.

Still, was it a good thing that he at least had the capacity for self-reflection?

It was his last remaining lifeline; would Tetsuya be able to grasp it?

No. It wasn't any of my business, so I shouldn't care.

Glancing down at Tetsuya's tightly clenched fists, I snorted.

It was a provocation, daring him to throw a punch if he could.

If Tetsuya actually threw a punch, I was willing to let him hit me exactly once.

Not somewhere solid like my head, but somewhere that would swell up or scar if struck.

I walked past Tetsuya with that resolve, but he lacked the courage to swing, standing perfectly still until I went back inside the restaurant.

So we weren't going to throw down after all? I felt strangely disappointed.

Just as I sat back down next to Chinami and was about to start eating again, Bzzzt—!

My Cell Phone vibrated with a message from Miyuki.

[Matsuda-kun, did you happen to fight with Tetsuya-kun?]

How did Miyuki know what had just happened?

I briefly wondered if Tetsuya had somehow spun the story in his favor and messaged Miyuki in that short window of time, but that was physically impossible.

Then what happened? The answer came to me immediately.

'It must be because of the Vice Representative.'

It seemed the Vice Representative, whom I'd bumped into earlier, had either seen Tetsuya and me through the shop's transparent window or had briefly stepped outside and overheard our conversation.

No, it didn't just seem like it; it was a certainty. Otherwise, there was no way Miyuki would have sent a message like this.

They say there are no coincidences in the world; so this was why I had run into the Vice Representative today.

She was acting as a secret witness for me. In that case, I should stop provoking Tetsuya from now on and just ignore him.