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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Nekorune
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“I’m dying…”
“This is freaking exhausting…”
Groans emanated from all corners of the lodging. They came from the club members who had finished training and showering in the communal shower room.
Due to the rapid sunset in the mountains, it had quickly become dark and eerie by the time we finished dinner and came outside. The weather was not just chilly, it was freezing.
However, Goro seemed to relish the sudden change in the mountain lodge’s atmosphere. He had us train in an open space with no lighting except for the large lamps installed on the lodge side.
After some light stretching and digestion time, the training started relatively easy, but the intensity gradually increased, and the last 40 minutes were truly grueling.
To make matters worse, Goro was exceptionally skilled at adjusting the training intensity to each member’s condition. Thanks to this, although it was tough, no one collapsed, and everyone finished the training safely.
“My legs hurt… my legs…”
Next to me, Tetsuya was groaning, sprawled on the floor. I didn’t understand why he had laid out his bedding next to mine. Was he planning to nitpick and complain to Miyuki? Whatever the reason, it was annoying.
As I was drying my hair with a towel,
*Buzz-!*
My phone, which I had placed on the shelf, vibrated. I checked the screen. There was a picture of Miyuki in her pajamas, with her hand on her cheek, smiling brightly as she gestured that she was going to bed.
Staring at it, I replied,
[You look pretty. Don’t you have anything else?]
[Like what?]
[Anything.]
[Tell me specifically what you want.]
She was still bothered by our conversation on the rooftop. It was amusing how she was trying to play tug-of-war with me, speaking in riddles.
[Really, anything is fine.]
[Is that so? Hold on…]
Shortly after Miyuki sent that meaningful reply, a new picture arrived. I frowned slightly as I looked at it. Blood rushed to my lower body.
She had sent a picture of herself with the hem of her pajama top slightly lifted, subtly revealing her navel. She was sitting cross-legged, her back straight, accentuating the line on either side of her navel… She had even pulled the hem up with her thumb. It was a very well-taken picture.
Although she hadn’t explicitly shown her chest or anything below, it was much more stimulating than that.
[I’m going to bed now.]
Miyuki’s next message followed. I could almost feel the coyness in her text.
[What about a call?]
[I promised to go hiking with my family early tomorrow morning.]
[What does that have to do with a call?]
[If I talk to you, we’ll end up talking for a long time.]
[We can keep it short.]
*Bzzzz-! Bzzzz-!*
Suddenly, my phone vibrated with a long ring. The caller was none other than Miyuki.
I pressed the call button and put the phone to my ear.
“Hey.”
And then,
-Good night…
With that single, shy phrase, Miyuki hung up. She must have been incredibly embarrassed about sending me that picture.
“What? Why did you hang up mid-call?”
Tetsuya’s question, directed at me as I chuckled, shattered the sweet mood and irritated me.
“None of your business.”
I replied curtly, stood up, and grabbed my jacket. Tetsuya looked puzzled.
“Where are you going?”
“For a walk.”
“A walk…? Aren’t you tired? It’s cold too…”
“Well, it’s what I want to do, you dumbass. Want to tag along?”
“No. I can barely move. The senpais said they’re playing cards, so I was going to join them.”
“Is that so? Alright. Stretch your legs. You don’t want to be sore during free training tomorrow.”
“Right… Oh, speaking of free training… Do you have any idea what it’ll be like?”
Since he brought up training himself, I should tease him a bit. I shrugged and replied,
“I don’t know.”
“The captain said she’d give you the practice match you wanted. Are we going to spar?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Why?”
“Are you kidding? There’s a difference in skill between us, what kind of match would that be? The captain will probably just step in herself.”
“Difference in skill? You don’t think you’re better than me, do you?”
Tetsuya took the bait. His reaction was a bit more intense than I expected, he must have been bottling up a lot.
I scoffed at Tetsuya, who was furrowing his brows, and subtly belittled his skills.
“I admit your basics are better than mine… but you’re weak in actual matches. You were rolling on the floor during our first spar…”
“That was when I was a beginner who didn’t even know footwork. I did pretty well in the second spar.”
“So, you’re saying you’re different now?”
“I am. I think I can hold my own against you.”
Tetsuya was probably picturing a typical youth story cliché, where he would defeat the arrogant me and put me in my place.
But that wouldn’t happen. Not because I was the true protagonist of this world and received some strange divine protection or something, but because… it was just the facts.
There was indeed a significant gap in skill between him and me. It was something that anyone could see. The wall was too high to overcome with passion alone.
If I were being arrogant, he might be able to land a hit or two. But I would crush him with all my might. I would do my best to ensure that his inferiority complex exploded from that day forward.
“Oh… is that so?”
“It might sound absurd to you, but I honestly don’t think it’s unreasonable. I’m sorry if I offended you.”
“No, not at all. Actually, I’m sorry for misunderstanding. I didn’t know you’d improved this much.”
“Want to spar tomorrow? We can find out.”
Thank you so much for playing along. You truly are a typical underdog protagonist.
“Sure.”
Looking down at Tetsuya, who was clenching his fists with fighting spirit, I nodded nonchalantly and left the room.
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“Look at this, Matsuda-kouhai.”
Chinami, who was walking along the path, tilted her head slightly and,
“Haaa…”
exhaled a long breath into the air. Her faint, white breath quickly dissipated in the wind. Watching it disappear, she said in an excited voice,
“It’s too early for our breath to be visible, isn’t it amazing?”
Both of her cheeks, which were turned up towards me, were flushed red from the cold. She looked incredibly cute, and I suddenly wished winter would come quickly. I wanted to see Chinami bundled up in a coat, wearing mittens, blowing on her hands to warm them.
“It’s proof that your heart is warm, Master.”
“Is that really true?”
“It’s a joke, but it’s true that you’re warm, so I guess it could be true.”
“My…! Is that so?”
Chinami twirled a strand of her still-damp hair around her finger. It was obvious she was pleased, and seeing her like that made me want to laugh. I chuckled and pointed at the streetlight casting an orange glow.
“Doesn’t the light look similar to the lighting in that massage room we went to last time?”
“Huh…? No, it doesn’t… It’s much brighter than back then…”
Chinami immediately reverted to her shy demeanor and mumbled. Her ever-changing expressions were truly captivating. Your body must be stiff from the cold wind, right? I’ll warm you up soon.
“Was training tough today?”
“Well… since kendo is mostly practiced indoors… it was tough. But I do basic physical training every day, so it was bearable.”
“Are your legs sore?”
“They’re not sore, but they feel a bit weak. They might turn into wobbly squid legs.”
“Then should I give you a quick massage?”
At my words, Chinami flinched.
“A, a massage…?”
“Yes. We have training again tomorrow morning. And we’re doing free training with the captain at lunchtime. It wouldn’t be good if you got sore, so I should loosen them up for you.”
“I… I was planning to focus on you and Miura during tomorrow’s free training session…”
“I also found a good spot for a massage. Don’t you want one?”
“No… it’s not that I don’t want one… Hmm… Where is this good spot…? Is it indoors? Or outdoors…?”
She perked up. She must be tempted by the chance to get a massage after two weeks.
I smiled and replied,
“Indoors. It’s a place where we can be alone. I didn’t bring any oil massage supplies, so it’ll be a regular massage.”
“Hmm… I understand. But will you also give me a face massage…?”
“Of course.”
“…Hmm… Then I guess I’ll try it…”
She was trying to hide her feelings, but her face betrayed her. Our Chinami… was really looking forward to it.
“Shall we go then?”
“Yes…”
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The place I took Chinami to was the parking lot. More precisely, the empty bus with its doors open.
After getting on with Chinami, I pressed the switch to close the doors. *Whoosh-! *
Chinami, who had been looking puzzled until then, asked,
“Why are you closing the doors? Weren’t we here to get the massage supplies?”
“I told you I didn’t bring any.”
“Then why did you bring me here?”
“This is where I’ll give you your massage.”
“Huh…?”
Taken aback by the unexpected answer, Chinami took a half-step back.
“H, how can you give me a massage in such darkness…? And on a bus…”
“It’s not completely dark, thanks to the light leaking from the main building. And there’s space to lie down.”
I pointed at the back row, which had no armrests. Chinami gulped nervously.
“That’s true… but what if someone comes…?”
“I don’t think that’s likely. It’s late. And training was tough. Everyone must be exhausted and asleep. And so what if someone comes? It’s just a student giving their teacher a massage.”
“I… I just don’t want to be interrupted during the massage… I want to enjoy it leisurely.”
She was assertive. I liked that.
Nodding, I turned on my phone’s flashlight and closed all the curtains on both sides of the bus. Then, I placed my hand on Chinami’s back and gently pushed her forward.
“I failed to understand your feelings again, Master. I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you by giving you a really good massage.”
“Hmm hmm… I suppose I’ll let you off the hook this time…”
Chinami, feigning reluctance, went to the back seat and obediently took off her shoes and lay down on her stomach. Her fluffy, peach and pink Momo-chan socks caught my eye.
“Then, I’ll start right away.”
Speaking in a gentle voice, I crouched down near Chinami’s legs, slightly pulled down her socks, and wrapped my hands around her ankles. Then,
“Eek…?”
She let out a surprised yelp, feeling the cold. I stroked her calves gently and said,
“My hands are a bit cold, aren’t they?”
“I-it’s okay… I was just surprised…”
“Let me know if you feel uncomfortable.”
“Okay…”
It was a shame I couldn’t touch her bare legs because she was wearing long pants… but it couldn’t be helped, considering the location.
So, I diligently massaged Chinami’s legs. I wasn’t being inappropriate. I focused solely on loosening up her calf muscles, which were tired from the strenuous training.
Then, as Chinami let out a languid sigh, I…
*slide*
…moved my hands up to her thighs and lightly touched the area between her legs with my fingertips. As if my hand had accidentally brushed against it during the massage.
“Oh…?”
Chinami’s hips slowly rose and fell. A strange, questioning moan escaped her lips.
Seizing the opportunity, I pressed firmly on the back of her thighs, which connected to her buttocks.
“Oh…”
This time, she tensed her legs. I placed my hand under her buttocks and asked,
“What’s wrong? Is it uncomfortable somewhere?”
“N, no… Mmm… It’s good… A good massage…”
“That’s good to hear.”
“But, kouhai… my legs feel sufficiently relaxed now, so how about… moving on to my face…?”
“You want your face massaged?”
“Yes… My face feels very tight from the cold wind…”
I wanted to tease her a bit more since I had finally touched her, but it couldn’t be helped. I had only intended to give her a small taste today anyway, and since I had achieved my goal, I should back off for now.
I could slowly get her addicted. That’s what I had been doing so far, and Chinami’s reactions were good. So there was no need to rush.
“Alright. Then lie down facing me.”
I sat down on the far end of the seat, and Chinami, groaning, sat up and laid her head on my lap. Naturally, as if it were the most obvious thing to do.
Smiling affectionately at Chinami, who placed her hands demurely on her stomach, I poked her nose with my finger. Then, using the tips of my fingers, I gently stroked the top of her head.
“Hee…”
Chinami let out a pleasant sigh and parted her lips slightly. Her eyes were slowly closing, she must have been very comfortable.
“Let’s go in soon. It’s getting late.”
At my words, Chinami, who was about to fall asleep with soft breaths, opened her eyes.
“Mmm… I want to sleep here…”
“The captain will be worried.”
“I see… Please continue…”
Was that a yes or a no? Did she like face massages that much? At this rate, she might ask me to only massage her face even when we met outside… I’d have to stop at the right time.
It was important to make Chinami feel a little unsatisfied. So that next time, she would be the one asking me for a massage. I knew she was showing signs of it from our conversation just now… I just had to control myself.
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Thanks Neko!