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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Nekorune
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Did my strong tone of voice do the trick?
Renka flinched and darted her eyes around, seemingly worried about what I might criticize next.
“D-Did I do something wrong…?”
Yes. Touching Tetsuya’s filthy body in front of me was wrong. Smiling at him was wrong. Talking to him was wrong. Being nice to him was wrong.
Everything was wrong.
“Plenty.”
“W-What do you mean, plenty? Is this about me calling you a liar?”
“Just fold the towels.”
I coaxed Renka with a smile, and when she finally reached for the top towel, biting her lip, I smirked.
“Are you forcing yourself to do this?”
“You’re forcing me…!”
“I’m not forcing you.”
“Shut up…! Just let me fold the towels in peace…!”
“Fine.”
I had originally planned to focus on Renka after the threesome, but it felt a little awkward to ask the shy Chinami about our next encounter… so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to arrange a special event just for Renka. It wouldn’t take long, so I would work on it whenever I had free time.
As I had thought before, the best way to pursue multiple heroines simultaneously was to be proactive. What kind of event could happen with Renka outside the academy during winter?
The first thing that came to mind was something related to the subculture she’s a part of. It was a bit stale, since I had already used it a few times, but it was the most likely scenario. And the biggest event would be Comiket.
However, Comiket had already been scheduled for the end of December, so there was nothing I could do to make it happen sooner. I wanted to train Renka, both physically and mentally, before then. What would be a good way to do that?
I also wanted to subtly hint that I was the one sending her messages on AniShare. I would have to consider her otaku tendencies and come up with a plan.
“Hey.”
Lost in thought, I turned to Renka at her call.
“What?”
“Fold the towels properly. They’re all crooked, like you’re not even trying. What are you thinking about so intently?”
“Yours are crooked too.”
“Is there something wrong with your eyes? How are they crooked?”
“This corner is sticking out.”
“Are you comparing them to yours? Don’t be absurd.”
“Aren’t you the one being absurd?”
Renka pouted, a disgruntled look on her face. I wanted to change her expression, so I looked around.
The other club members were all focused on their tasks. Tetsuya was… receiving instruction from one of the seniors participating in the tournament. No one was paying attention to Renka and me.
After confirming this, I called out to Renka.
“Captain.”
“Don’t call me.”
“Are you going to interrupt me and Teacher again today?”
“What are you talking about… When did I interrupt you? I was trying to help the manager.”
“Let’s just say you were. But… Captain.”
“I said don’t call me! Work! Work…!”
“Don’t be nice to other people.”
“…Huh?”
“It’s annoying.”
“…What?”
Renka blinked a few times, a dumbfounded look on her face. She seemed to have misunderstood my words.
Maybe I should have just said I was jealous. No, even an idiot would understand what I meant.
She might not realize it now, but she would probably figure it out later when she was eating dinner or lying in bed, replaying our conversation in her head.
I decided to add another line for impact, so she would dwell on our conversation.
I glanced at Renka, who was looking at me with innocent eyes, and casually remarked,
“Forget what I said. By the way, you look pretty today.”
“Wh-What…? What did you…?”
Renka’s jaw dropped at my blatant compliment. Her face flushed crimson.
I grinned, satisfied with her reaction, and silently started folding the towels.
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“I’ll get going, Chinami. That was fun.”
“I had fun too. Get home safe.”
Chinami bowed her head politely, her hands clasped demurely. Renka smiled warmly at her polite friend and waved goodbye.
After parting ways with Chinami, Renka took the train home and greeted her parents respectfully. She took a shower and carefully dried her long hair. Finally, she glanced at the display case filled with figurines in her room. It was her daily ritual, marking the end of the day.
After that, Renka lay down on her bed and pulled the thick blanket over herself.
“Sigh…”
As the cool blanket warmed up from her body heat, she felt the arrival of winter. During summer, she hated the warm blanket and would toss and turn, searching for a cool spot, but now, she didn’t want to move an inch. She already felt reluctant to go outside. She suddenly craved mandarin oranges.
“…”
Lying quietly in her room, she recalled what had happened in the clubroom today. Or rather, she had been thinking about it intermittently since she was with Chinami.
Matsuda’s words, telling her not to be nice to other people.
At first, she thought he was just nitpicking, but after he complimented her, saying she looked pretty, she realized his earlier comment had been loaded.
‘What was that about…?’
Why had he said that all of a sudden? Wasn’t he in a good relationship with Chinami? They seemed very close…
Yet he told her she looked pretty and not to be nice to other people?
‘Is he crazy…?’
He was either a crazy womanizer, or he was teasing her, knowing how she would react. Judging by his past behavior – ordering her to stand still, locking her in a cage, making her cosplay as a maid – it was probably the latter…
But the strange look in his eyes when she used her wishes bothered her. He had even said, after her last wish, that he was starting to like her too much.
‘He was teasing me then too, right…?’
As far as she knew, he had been in a good relationship with Chinami at that time. If his compliment had been sincere, then Matsuda was crazy. A good-looking trash who flirted with multiple girls.
Of course, he had other good qualities besides his looks. His voice, for example. His deep, resonant voice. Especially when he spoke softly, it sent shivers down her spine…
“No…!”
Renka shook her head vigorously, stopping her thoughts from straying. In any case, if she saw even a hint of Matsuda taking advantage of the innocent Chinami, she would immediately rescue her from his clutches.
With that resolve, Renka pulled the blanket over her head. Then,
*buzz!*
Her phone, lying beside her pillow, vibrated. She picked it up.
[Captain, I have a question about blocking a strike to the head and receiving a strike to the waist. Do you have some time? Sorry to bother you.]
It was a message from Miura. He had been asking a lot of questions lately as the tournament approached. She was glad to have such a talented and passionate junior.
[Not at all. What’s your question?]
[Thank you. My arm isn’t moving the way I want it to, so my movements are stiff. I want to ask how I can counterattack smoothly.]
[It’s a little difficult to explain in writing… Are you practicing right now?]
[I was just looking at the theory.]
[Then, can I meet you tomorrow morning and show you?]
[Yes, that would be great.]
[Do you have any other questions?]
[I’ll ask you everything tomorrow.]
[That’s fine.]
[Thank you, Captain. Get some rest.]
Renka chuckled after her conversation with Miura. He was so polite, unlike a certain someone…
Just then, her phone vibrated again.
*buzz!*
[What are you up to?]
This time, it was a message from Matsuda. Unlike Miura’s message, his lacked any semblance of politeness.
Renka scoffed and was about to ignore it, but a feeling that Matsuda would find fault with her if she didn’t reply made her tap the screen.
[Why are you bothering me?]
[I’m bored. Teacher isn’t replying.]
So she was his boredom reliever when Chinami wasn’t available? She didn’t want to think that way, but combined with his earlier comment in the clubroom, his message made her suspicious.
Renka was about to reply angrily when she stopped herself. Why was she getting worked up over a single message from Matsuda? She would look like a lovesick girl pining after him.
She didn’t have any feelings for Matsuda… This was so annoying.
[She’s probably taking a shower. I’m going to sleep, so stop bothering me.]
[It’s only eight o’clock.]
[So? I’m sleepy, so I’m going to sleep. If you’re bored, practice kendo. I helped you choose your equipment, don’t let it go to waste.]
[I practiced for 30 minutes.]
[Do more.]
Renka stared at the screen, waiting for a reply, but when none came, she tilted her head. Had he given up on the conversation? He wasn’t the type to be deterred by her coldness…
But it was a relief. She could finally relax.
Renka opened the AniShare app on her phone. She was about to look for information about merchandise for a new anime she was interested in when she noticed a new message in her inbox. She tapped on it.
[Did you see what I recommended? The Girlfriend Training Diary. You didn’t skip it, did you?]
It was from MK, a user with absolutely no manners. She had initially tried to guide him after he left a nasty comment on her review, but he was still rude.
She had read “Girlfriend Training Diary.” It was a manga aimed at people with specific tastes, even more explicit than “Master’s Secret.”
Honestly, she had enjoyed it and even felt a little excited while reading it. It wasn’t a masterpiece, but it was a good read.
Renka hesitated for a moment, then tapped on MK’s profile and blocked him. He seemed to be the average toxic forum user. She had even read and reviewed the manga he recommended, yet he complained about her low rating. He was no use to her, so it was better to block him and ignore him than to get stressed out.
She did have a few questions for someone who read a lot of BDSM manga, but she could find the answers herself.
‘But that username…’
MK… The same initials as Matsuda Ken.
But the possibility of this person being Matsuda was practically zero. While he had been showing interest in anime lately, he wouldn’t be using online communities. It was just that their rude tone and selfish attitude were similar, and their initials were the same, so it made her think of him.
But they had similar tastes, didn’t they? Maybe it was worth considering…
‘No… That’s impossible.’
Dismissing the thought, Renka grabbed a bag of gummy bears from her desk and settled back into bed, browsing for information on new releases
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Thx for the chapter ❤️
Thanks Neko!