Chapter 94

"Most of Fuyo Trading's products guarantee a certain level of quality. They've been making Kendo equipment for over thirty years, so they're highly reliable. Because they're also affordable, a lot of people looking to buy their first Bogu seek them out."

Chinami's explanation was almost identical to Renka's.

I already knew this, but I listened to her in silence.

"I see."

"My first Bogu was from Fuyo Trading, too. It does have one flaw, though..."

"What flaw?"

"Just a moment... H-heh... heh-ehh...!"

Fiddling with the Bogu, Chinami suddenly swiped her hand across the tip of her nose. She squeezed her eyes shut and gasped for air.

Her small nostrils flared. A sneeze was coming.

Flapping her hands, she rummaged through her bag.

"Achoo...!"

She pulled out a tissue and covered her mouth just in time to muffle a cute sneeze.

"Sniff... I'm sorry."

She wiped her nose as she apologized.

I offered her a benevolent smile.

"It's fine. People sneeze. It happens. But..."

Watching the flustered Chinami, I couldn't hold back a chuckle.

The tip of her nose was blue.

She had touched it with hands covered in dye from the new Bogu.

"I think I've figured out the flaw with Fuyo Trading's products. The dye bleeds, doesn't it?"

"Ah... That's right! How did you know?"

"Your hands are blue, Master."

Sure enough, Chinami's hands were as pale as a zombie's.

Rolling her large eyes, she inspected her palms and clicked her tongue.

"Since it was a display model, I thought all the dye would have faded by now... My mistake."

"Looks like my face will turn blue if I put it on."

"Exactly! When I first wore this Bogu, the sides of my face turned completely blue."

"The dye definitely seems to rub off more than with other brands."

"Spot on. But it's fine as long as you clean it thoroughly. Ah...! I got some dye on my bag, too...!"

A sigh escaped Chinami's lips.

She seemed devastated to have stained her Momo-sama crossbody bag.

Chuckling, I retrieved a pack of wet wipes from her bag.

Then I gently began to wipe the tip of her nose.

"Eh...!?"

"Hold still."

"Y-yes..."

Flustered, Chinami blinked rapidly.

The way she looked up at me, her head tilted all the way back, was unbearably cute.

Barely suppressing the urge to scratch her soft-looking chin, I wiped away the dye and pulled out a fresh wipe.

I unfolded it, wrapping it around each of Chinami's fingers to carefully scrub them clean.

"Luckily, the dye doesn't set immediately. It should come right off."

"Yeeees..."

She squirmed, her wrist still caught in my grasp.

Her cheeks, her nose, and now her hands...

Chinami's body was completely soft all over.

It would feel amazing to cuddle her alongside Miyuki in the winter.

"Should I go with Fuyo Trading's products?"

"N-no... I'll carefully look at everything else and pick out the perfect Bogu for you, junior..."

"You don't need to go to all that trouble."

"Nonsense...! A Bogu is equipment you'll use for a long time once you buy it...! If you pick carelessly, you're bound to regret it down the line...!"

She placed her hands on her hips in an attempt to look authoritative, but I just wanted to snatch her up in a hug.

How would she react if I did? I couldn't help but wonder.

"Understood. I'll follow your lead."

"Yes...! Thank you...!"

"The stitched part on the back of this Men is called the hudong. If you fold it diagonally, the padding falls beautifully. Here, take a look."

Chinami held up the newly purchased Men.

Seeing the flaps of the Men folded quite handsomely, I offered a simple impression.

"It's pretty."

"Right? We might need to adjust the angle a bit depending on your shoulder line, junior, so why don't you try it on?"

"Sure."

When I sat in one of the shop's chairs, Chinami cleared her throat, stepped close, and slipped the Men over my head.

Then she pulled the cords at the back tight.

Isn't this what Renka did? Why is she doing this to me?

Just as I was thinking that, Chinami tapped the top of the Men.

"How does the tightness feel?"

'The tightness...' That sounded a bit dirty.

"My jaw and ears hurt. It feels about a size too small, just like when I tried it on earlier."

"Be patient. It will get more comfortable once you break it in properly. Just like the Men, it's best to tie the strings on the Kare tightly. Bring your Bogu to the Club Room tomorrow. Both the training set and the competition set."

"I wanted to leave the training set at home so I could practice separately."

"You don't even know how to put the Bogu on yet. I'll supervise you until you can wear it properly. Plus, it's more convenient to maintain your Bogu inside the Storage Room in the Club Room."

"I suppose that's true. Understood. Should we go pick out a shinai now?"

"Yes...! I'll pick out an excellent shinai for you...!"

I had noticed this before, but whenever Chinami talked about Kendo, her nervousness vanished completely.

The ladylike demeanor she had shown earlier was long gone.

She was a Kendo practitioner through and through. It was nice to see her burning with such enthusiasm.

But a blushing, bashful Chinami suited her better.

I would have to make her like that again.

"Give me your hands first."

"My hands?"

"You've still got a little dye on them. If you touch the shinai with those hands, the Leather Grip will turn blue. I'll wipe them for you."

"...I can do it myself..."

Despite her words, Chinami placed her hand in my outstretched palm.

Chuckling at her transparent behavior, I pulled out a wet wipe.

Then I tenderly cleaned each of Chinami's fingers.

"Your hands are so pretty, Master. It makes me want to touch them all the time."

"Is that so...? Y-your hands are nice too, junior... They're big and reliable... Like a bear's..."

Snorting softly at Chinami's typical commentary, I wiped smoothly over her peach-painted nails.

After turning her hand this way and that to check if the dye was completely gone... press.

I began a light massage, gently pressing my thumbs from the inside of her wrist up to her forearm.

"..."

I watched Chinami's eyes slide sideways to glance at the register.

The spot where the elderly Boss had been sitting just a moment ago was now empty.

In fact, we were the only ones left in the store.

"Coincidentally, it's just the two of us here."

"...I-I suppose so... We should get back to the shinai... Hya...!"

Chinami flinched mid-sentence.

It was because I had rolled her sleeves up to her elbows.

Her pale, slender wrists. The moment I pressed down firmly on them just as I had before—"Huu..."

A hot breath slipped from Chinami's lips.

She squirmed like an earthworm poked with a needle. Her reactions were getting better and better.

She wasn't even trying to pull away like she used to... This was fantastic.

Smiling wickedly, I waited for Chinami's body to settle before asking in a serious tone, "I find it truly joyful and rewarding to massage you, Master. But do you perhaps dislike it when I do this for you?"

Chinami huffed out a breath through her nose and shook her head.

"Y-you said you were learning massage just for me, junior..."

"I did."

"So... I don't dislike it..."

"Didn't you get mad and tell me to stop last time?"

"W-when did I ever get mad...! I was just ticklish, that's all...! I definitely don't hate it, so please don't misunderstand...!"

"Is that how it was?"

"Yes...! That's how it was..."

'Then I can do this often from now on, can't I?'

"This disciple is awed by your boundless understanding, Master. I would love to show you the techniques I've been polishing soon. You'd like that too, right, Master?"

"O-of course...!"

Hearing her answer, I stopped the massage and stood up.

Then, with a satisfied expression, I gave her shoulder a gentle stroke.

"Hyiik...!"

Chinami's shoulders shot up in a flinch.

She had gotten a little used to my touch, but her reaction was still as clumsy as ever.

'My dear Chinami... Should I set a date?'

'I'll make you feel really, really good.'

It felt like a long time since I had last ridden the subway.

This was the exact car where the groper incident with Miyuki had happened... It brought back memories.

I was yawning amidst the crowd—it wasn't fully packed, but it was still quite crowded—when, buzz!

Feeling a vibration in my pocket, I pulled out my Cell Phone.

[Matsuda-kun, have you arrived yet? Your car isn't in the Parking Lot.]

Miyuki's messages, initially filled with concern, grew increasingly agitated the closer I got to the Academy.

[Matsuda-kun, you aren't going to be late, are you?]

[Why aren't you in the classroom?]

[Why are you reading these but not replying?]

[Five minutes left. You better not be late. I won't let it slide.]

[Are you kidding me...? Don't tell me you're skipping class?]

[You better be prepared.]

With every new message that arrived, I could feel Miyuki's anger gauge steadily filling up in real-time.

Having finally arrived at the front gates of the Academy, I spotted Miyuki standing in the distance, her arms crossed.

Her glare was vicious. She seemed furious.

I sauntered over and raised a hand in greeting.

"Keep up the hard work. I'm going in."

Then I tried to waltz right through the main gate.

Miyuki's eyebrow twitched at my brazen attitude, and she naturally grabbed hold of me.

"You're late. That's a penalty point."

"I'm only two minutes late, be a little flexible and let it go. I left exactly on time, but the train arrived late. What was I supposed to do?"

"That's no excuse. If you had just left three minutes earlier, Matsuda-kun, you wouldn't have been late."

"I had a reason for being late."

"Tell me, then. Let's hear it."

"My car broke down. The engine wouldn't start."

"...Really?"

"Yeah. That's why I took the train."

Miyuki scanned me from head to toe with a suspicious glare.

She looked like she didn't believe me at all.

"Are you telling the truth?"

"I told you it's the truth. Can I go now?"

"Go where? Write your name down before you go."

"My name?"

"You need to take your penalty point. Or should I write it down for you?"

"Do you really want to torment me that badly?"

"I'm not tormenting you. It's the school rules. You have to follow them."

"But I'll get expelled."

Miyuki let out a dumbfounded laugh.

"Expelled, my foot... You won't get expelled just for racking up a few penalty points. I checked your penalty record, Matsuda-kun, and you still have a little leeway left."

"You can just freely check things like that? That's not a Student Council, it's a dictatorship."

As I raised my voice slightly to argue, Miyuki cautiously glanced at a Student Council sunbae-nim standing a short distance away.

The bespectacled sunbae-nim was yawning out of boredom, oblivious to my words.

Shooting her a sideways glance, Miyuki let out a sigh of relief before glaring back at me.

"Why are you acting so childish...! Are you an elementary schooler?"

"I like you, Miyuki."

Miyuki shuddered at my sudden, sweetly voiced confession.

Biting her lower lip, she replied.

"Don't think you can sweet-talk your way out of this..."

"Seeing your face just made me want to say it."

"That won't work on me..."

"Should I shout it out loud?"

"What...! Are you kidding me...?"

"Does it look like I'm kidding?"

Did she think she needed to discipline me for acting so cocky today and trying to use our connection to dodge penalty points?

"Wait right here... If you leave, you're really going to be in trouble. I'm not kidding either."

Raising her index finger with a serious expression, Miyuki made me stay put, then walked over to the Student Council sunbae-nim and said something.

Then she came back, grabbed me by the wrist, and started marching across the quiet schoolyard straight toward the Gymnasium.

Ah... I love these R-18 romcom clichés...