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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Nekorune
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“Miura? Did something happen today? Why do you seem so down?”
Tetsuya, who was swinging his shinai mechanically, flinched at the sound of Renka’s extremely kind voice.
He’d been distracted all day, thinking about what happened this morning. If he kept it up, he’d end up getting himself mentally exhausted.
Not that it was any of my business.
“Nothing really happened…”
“Then that’s good. Your posture is collapsing after striking. Focus and fix it.”
“Yes, Captain.”
“Always do your best. I’m rooting for you.”
“Thank you…!”
Tetsuya’s complexion improved a little as he resumed practice.
He seemed to have been encouraged by Renka’s words… It was truly an unsightly scene.
Scoffing softly, I silently folded the dry towels, when,
“Matsuda.”
I heard Renka call my name amidst the thwacking sounds of the shinai hitting each other, and turned my head.
“Come here.”
Renka beckoned me from the corner of the dojo.
I finished folding the towels and approached her.
“What is it?”
“Are you free on Saturday? I’m planning to use one of my wishes.”
Saturday, of all days.
I was supposed to relax after spending a passionate night with Miyuki the day before…
But if I said I was busy, it would seem like I was backing down, so I had no choice.
“I’m free.”
“Aren’t you going to ask what the wish is going to be?”
“I’m sure you’ll tell me when the time comes.”
“…Fine. I’ll send you the time and location on Friday, so come there the next day. I’ll give you gas money, of course, so don’t worry.”
Judging from her mentioning gas money, it seemed like a distant location.
Or maybe she just didn’t want to owe me anything, even something trivial, so she was offering it even if it was a short distance.
“Understood.”
“Wear workout clothes, or anything comfortable to move around in.”
Was she planning to make me do farm work?
Making me do hard labor to drain my energy… She wasn’t thinking something old-fashioned like that, was she?
I doubted she’d use a precious wish token on something like that… but with our current distant relationship, she didn’t have many other options, and with the one-month expiration date, she had to use it quickly, so it wasn’t entirely impossible.
“Okay. Is that all?”
“…That’s all.”
“Then shall I get back to work?”
“Yes.”
As I continued with the remaining tasks, I saw a man who looked to be in his 60s or 70s enter the dojo.
He lingered awkwardly, watching the members training and sweating, then approached Renka, who looked puzzled, and after a brief conversation, they went into the coach’s office together.
Shortly after,
*click*
“Matsuda!”
The door to the coach’s office swung open energetically, and Goro popped out, calling my name.
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A man looking at me with warm eyes, Goro looking flustered in front of him, and Renka standing at attention.
Looking at the three people in the coach’s office, I had a rough idea of what was going on.
‘It’s because of yesterday.’
The woman who caused the accident recognized my uniform and looked closely at my name tag. It was definitely related to that.
“This is the vice principal. Greet him.”
Goro introduced the man in a gentle tone, unlike when he called me.
So it wasn’t the principal’s daughter, but the vice principal’s.
Whose daughter it was didn’t matter. As long as she looked young and pretty for her age.
“Hello. I’m Matsuda Ken. Have I caused some kind of trouble?”
I bowed my head and pretended to be clueless, and the vice principal, with his full white beard, let out a hearty laugh.
“No, it’s not that. Did you happen to be in a fender bender yesterday in the alley leading to Nerima Ward?”
“Yes. How did you know?”
“The person who caused that accident is my daughter. I came here to thank you.”
That was a shame.
Why did she have to thank me at the kendo club, instead of coming to the classroom during class or break time?
Well… it was good to accumulate these kinds of heartwarming stories, no matter who was present, so I’d let it slide.
“Ah… Was the person I saw yesterday your daughter?”
“Yes. She came home happy, saying that a student named Matsuda Ken from our academy was very generous. I heard the name and wondered if it was the Matsuda Ken I knew, and I was surprised to find out it was true.”
As someone involved in school affairs, he must have heard rumors about me.
Scratching my head awkwardly, I said, “I do have a reputation for being a bit of a bad person.”
“You were in the past. Not anymore.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
“It’s good to see you turning over a new leaf. But… could you tell me why you accepted money from my daughter yesterday?”
He didn’t seem to be criticizing me for taking money I didn’t need to. He seemed to want to know what I was thinking at the time.
“If I just let it slide, she might think it’s no big deal and cause another accident. That’s what I thought at the time.”
“Impressive.”
“You are too kind.”
“Is your car alright? If the repairs are expensive, I’ll pay for them.”
“No, that won’t be necessary at all.”
After a few more words, the vice principal expressed his sincere gratitude and left the coach’s office.
Goro, who had been grinning until then, slapped my shoulder hard.
“Good job, Matsuda. You did a good thing.”
“Things like this happen sometimes.”
“Indeed. This is a joyous occasion for our kendo club. We might get a slight budget increase next year.”
Judging from the vice principal’s image, he seemed like someone who separated public and private matters, but would he really do that?
I would have preferred a personal reward… like his daughter’s body…
“So, will next year’s training camp be at a hot spring?”
“I’ll consider it if you’re still here next year.”
After exchanging a few jokes with me, Goro went outside, saying he would oversee the members’ training.
Renka, who had been quietly watching me with surprised eyes, said, “Amazing.”
“What is?”
“Nothing. Good job.”
“Hearing praise from you, Captain… I don’t feel particularly good or bad.”
“…Even when I praise you…”
“I’m kidding.”
“Sigh… I must be crazy… Let’s go.”
Saying so self-deprecatingly, Renka opened the door to the coach’s office.
Did Renka’s evaluation of me improve even slightly?
She’d probably forget about it when I started training her… But it wasn’t a bad thing to offset negative evaluations with positive ones.
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“Finally, tomorrow’s the day.”
Chinami was filled with fighting spirit, like a soldier going to war.
I nodded, casually smoothing out the wrinkles on my freshly changed uniform shirt.
“Yes, it’s tomorrow. But why are you so nervous?”
“Hey…! It’s not nervousness, it’s anticipation. Hanazawa-kouhai must be looking forward to tomorrow as well, right?”
“Of course she is.”
“Hee hee… Good. I’ll buy the ice cream tomorrow.”
“I don’t think you need to go that far…”
“It’s a momentous day, meeting a kouhai who will become a new connection. As a senpai, I can’t let you pay. Just so you know.”
Did she know that the more she tried to act mature, the cuter she looked?
Smiling gently, I said, “Understood.”
“Chinami! Hurry up!”
Renka’s voice interrupted our cozy conversation.
Chinami turned her head and replied loudly, “Yes! I’m coming! Then… Matsuda-kouhai, see you tomorrow.”
“Yes. Get home safely.”
She waved her hand cheerfully and started walking away from me.
Seeing her humming as she approached Renka, I felt a strong urge to bite her.
As I was watching Chinami’s retreating figure with a warm, almost fatherly smile,
“Matsuda. Let’s go.”
Hearing the annoying voice of the nuisance, I turned around.
“Did you leave anything behind?”
“No. Are you picking up your car today?”
“Yeah.”
“Didn’t the damaged rear bumper cost a lot?”
“Not really.”
“That’s good. I was worried.”
Worried, my ass… Seeing him feign concern made me feel disgusted.
As we walked towards the main gate, making small talk,
“I think Nanase-senpai mentioned Miyuki earlier… Is that right?”
Tetsuya, who had been walking while looking at the ground, finally brought up the main topic.
Yawning as I clasped my hands behind my head, I replied, “Ah… that? Yeah.”
“What did you talk about?”
“Ice cream. We’re having it tomorrow.”
“Ice cream? You two are having ice cream?”
“The three of us, including me.”
At that, Tetsuya’s mouth snapped shut.
I couldn’t tell if he was annoyed or jealous…
Probably both, which was why he was making that ugly face.
“…Did Miyuki agree to it?”
“Of course she did.”
“You didn’t force her or anything?”
What kind of delusion was that?
“Force? What force? Is Miyuki the type to obediently go along with me just because I asked?”
“Well… that’s true. Unless you blackmailed her with some kind of weakness… Oh, I’m just kidding, don’t take it personally.”
Hearing that, I stopped walking and looked down at Tetsuya.
Then, I lightly slapped his cheek, just enough to make it sting.
*slap*
“Ouch!?”
Tetsuya yelped and brought a hand to his cheek.
He seemed quite surprised, his eyes widening twice their normal size, as if he hadn’t expected to be hit.
“Hey, are you crazy?”
“W-What…?”
“You think I’ll just let it slide if you accuse me of stuff and then say you’re kidding? There’s a limit to joking. What you’re doing is just provocation.”
“I didn’t mean it like that…”
Not meaning it like that, my ass… It was clearly a sincere remark.
You truly were the epitome of despicableness. Impressive.
Should I praise him for his courage to challenge me?
“I used to think you were a thoughtful guy, but why do you keep crossing the line lately?”
*slap, slap*
I slapped Tetsuya’s cheek, which was still covered by his hand, a couple more times, and he stumbled back in surprise.
As I followed him and shoved his shoulder, about to continue my tirade,
“Matsuda-kun! What are you doing!?”
Miyuki’s loud voice came from afar.
I turned towards the direction of the voice and saw a horrified Miyuki running towards us.
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oh shit fuck him up. Thanks Neko!