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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Nekorune
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A street lined with clothing stores selling wholesale clothes.
I parked my car in the spot Chinami had told me about and turned on the hazard lights.
“Is this the place?”
“Y-yes…”
“Inoo-senpai isn’t here though.”
“There are 15 minutes left until the meeting time… she’ll be here in 5 minutes…”
“Then, shall we wait a bit until senpai comes? It’s boring to wait alone.”
“No… I can wait by myself no problem…”
Ah! I was thinking the same thing…!
I was expecting the same answer, are you going to keep making me feel this way?
“Let’s just wait together. I’m worried something will happen to you if I leave you alone.”
“Worried…?”
“In case you get scammed or something in the meantime.”
“B-but it’s not like I’m here to buy second-hand merchandise…”
“It’s also raining, so do as I say.”
“Y-yes…”
Chinami fidgeted, unable to keep her hands still.
Her plump cheeks were bulging out next to her deeply lowered face, and she looked exceptionally cute today.
“What kind of clothes does Master like? Cute ones?”
“Hmm… Usually, I like pink, but… since my hair is pink, I usually choose a variety of colors…”
Imagining Renka and Chinami choosing clothes together was kind of funny.
Their tastes were completely different… It was strange how well they got along.
“The clothes you wore at the department store last time looked good on you.”
“Really…?”
“Yes. It gave you a very cute yet mature look. …Am I being too nosy?”
“N-no! You’re not being nosy…”
Chinami’s lips twitched as she waved her hands.
When I complimented her for being cute last time, she didn’t know what to do with herself, but she seemed happy when I added that she looked mature.
I chuckled and looked out the car window.
The rain that had been pouring down relentlessly was weakening and turning into a drizzle.
It was atmospheric, and if there weren’t any puddles, it would be perfect for a walk.
I spotted someone among the few people.
A tall, slender woman.
Just by looking at her, I could tell immediately that it was Renka, her clothes were so sexy.
She arrived exactly 10 minutes before, just like Chinami said.
Holding an umbrella, she came close to the car where Chinami and I were and looked around.
While I was admiring her clothes for a moment, I quietly said,
“Inoo-senpai has arrived.”
“Where?”
“Over there.”
When I pointed in the direction of Renka, Chinami, who had spotted her, beamed.
She carefully folded Momo-chan’s blanket and bowed her head.
“So… Thank you so much for today.”
“It was fun. Let’s meet again next time.”
“Ah…! Yes…! Let’s have even more fun next time…!”
“Okay.”
*click*
Chinami opened the passenger door, unfolded her umbrella, and bowed again.
I waved at her, and as soon as the door closed, I slightly opened the window and looked at Renka, who was nearby.
“Chinami…?”
Her head was tilting as she saw Chinami getting out of the car.
For a moment, she didn’t seem to recognize my car.
But then, she widened her eyes and quickly moved her long legs.
“Matsuda…? You’re Matsuda, right?”
She probably didn’t expect Chinami to get out of my car, huh?
I rolled down the driver’s side window completely and greeted Renka with a smirk.
“Hello, manager.”
Then, I looked at Chinami, who was next to her, and continued.
“Buy lots of pretty clothes, Master.”
“Yes…! Shall I take pictures of what I bought and send them to you?”
That’s a fantastic assist.
Thank you, Chinami.
“That sounds like a plan.”
“Okay. Be careful going back…!”
I waved back at Chinami, who was waving her hand with a smile, and immediately stepped on the accelerator.
“Hey…! Hey!”
Renka’s loud voice was heard from behind and then faded away.
Chinami, who looked surprised, could be seen in the side mirror, and I was really curious about what kind of conversation the two would have.
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“…You two watched a movie together?”
“Yes.”
Chinami gave a naive answer with her eyes wide open.
Renka, who took a sip of her coffee, asked again.
“The two of you? You met up separately to watch it?”
“Yes. Why?”
“When did you two become so close?”
“We were always close. We’re master and disciple, and we naturally get close when we work as managers together. Isn’t that right?”
“Well… yeah, but… did you just watch the movie?”
“After the movie, we went to a nearby ice cream shop for dessert.”
“Really…? Did Matsuda act weird or anything towards you?”
Chinami tilted her head at a 15-degree angle.
She seemed to be pondering something.
After a moment, she asked back.
“What do you mean by ‘acting weird’?”
“Like he was trying to seduce you…”
“Seduce…? In what way?”
Renka was speechless.
How should I explain this?
Since she had no dating experience, it was a bit difficult to describe it in detail.
“Like a feeling… something like that…”
“A feeling…? Hmm… I didn’t really get the feeling that he was trying to seduce me… Matsuda-kouhai was the same as usual. No, he seemed even kinder today.”
“Right…! That’s it…! In what way was he kind?”
“N-nooo…? Should I really tell you that…?”
Chinami’s face turned red.
She couldn’t even look Renka in the eye and was avoiding her gaze, embarrassed, which meant something was up.
Renka, suppressing the bubbling anger inside her, gently coaxed Chinami.
“We can tell each other this much, right? Right?”
“Y-yes… we can easily talk about this much… Actually… He gave me a lot of shoulder massages today.”
“Massages…?”
“Yes. I was tense while watching the movie… Matsuda-kouhai’s massages helped me relax a lot.”
“You were tense while watching a movie…? Was it a horror movie?”
“No. It was an action movie, but you know me, I tend to focus a lot on action movies. I wanted to capture every frame of the action scenes with my eyes, so I tensed my whole body…”
Looking at Chinami, who was scratching the back of her head awkwardly, Renka seriously wondered if she was being too sensitive right now.
At first, she thought the sly Matsuda was trying to take advantage of the innocent Chinami, but shoulder massages?
If it was just massages, maybe it was something she could overlook… wasn’t it?
Chinami, blushing like that, was suspicious, but she was originally shy, so she brushed it aside…
When she scolded Matsuda after the sparring match last time, he didn’t listen to her at all, but he listened to Chinami well.
Thinking back on that, it seemed that Matsuda had a lot of respect for Chinami, as if he saw her as a teacher.
And Chinami also wanted to become closer to him, so that’s why they watched a movie together.
It was not strange that he drove her here today.
He had even been kind enough to take Renka home when they had run into each other by chance.
How flustered she had been when they had met by chance back then…
Thinking back on it again, her heart was starting to race.
But seeing Chinami, who had never spent time alone with a guy, acting relatively calm now, it seemed like she was comfortable with Matsuda.
He had also helped her during the used goods scam last time… they must have gotten much closer then.
‘Still…’
She didn’t want to think suspiciously, but she still had a bad feeling.
It’s not that she didn’t want them to get along, but she was worried because it was Matsuda, and not someone else, who was being friendly towards Chinami.
“Renka-chan? What are you thinking so hard about?”
Renka, who was burdened with all sorts of worries, lifted her head at Chinami’s worried voice.
“No… it’s nothing. But… Chinami.”
“Yes?”
“Are you bothered by me interfering like this?”
“No…? You’re just saying this because you’re worried about me, why would I be bothered? I don’t even think of it as interfering.”
“That’s a relief then…”
“You have a lot of worries today, Renka-chan. Come on, let’s have a refreshing cup of coffee and go buy clothes.”
“Okay… let’s do that.”
Let’s leave it for now.
Matsuda’s reputation has been good lately, and Chinami has always been honest with her, so if something big happens, she’ll be the first to tell her.
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*bzzzt-! bzzzt-!*
I had a brief call with Miyuki and was about to go to bed early, but when my phone kept vibrating on my bedside table, I picked it up.
It seemed like Chinami had finished shopping and returned, and she was sending me pictures nonstop.
Clothes, shoes… she must have bought a lot.
I gave a weak smile and tapped the screen.
[You bought a lot, huh?]
[It turned out that way as I was buying. What do you think?]
[They all seem like they would suit you, but the sandals seem like they would suit you especially well. Master’s foot size itself is small, but your toes are long and slender, so showing your bare feet looks pretty.]
[Ah, is that so?]
[Yes. But didn’t Inoo-senpai tell you not to send pictures of clothes?]
[No. She didn’t say anything about that.]
That’s strange? She would have freaked out and tried to stop her.
[Really?]
[Yes. But, are you and Renka not on good terms?]
[Why? Did Inoo-senpai say something?]
[No. When I got out of your car earlier, it looked like Renka got angry… I was wondering if you two had a fight.]
[We didn’t fight, but we’re like water and oil. As far as I’m concerned, there’s no reason for me to like a senpai who’s always criticizing me.]
[Oh no…! You shouldn’t think that way. Renka is just scolding you to lead you down the right path.]
[I wish Master would lead me instead of the manager.]
[Of course I will, but I also want my precious disciple to listen to Renka’s words too.]
She couldn’t even speak properly in the car, but now she’s so brave.
By the way, our Chinami… is she even using the adjective ‘precious’ to describe me now?
Your disciple is touched. I should give you a reward soon.
But I can’t agree with that.
It’s not that I should listen to Renka’s words, but Renka who should be listening to mine.
[I’ll try my best.]
[As expected, my disciple is a very kind person. I am very tired, so I am going to wash up and go to bed.]
[Before you sleep, can you send me a picture? I want to see Master in her Momo-chan pajamas.]
[How did you know that I have Momo-chan pajamas?]
[You like Momo-chan so much, how could I not know?]
[You’re sharp. Huhu. Okay.]
I finished the conversation and was about to wait for Chinami’s pajama shot in a good mood, but I suddenly got up.
Instead of this, I should practice, practice.
I need to improve my skills to push down Renka’s pride and make her my training partner.
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Thank you!