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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Nekorune
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“What, cat’s got your tongue?”
“Be quiet, Chinami went to the faculty office, so you can look for her later. And be sure to check and bring the equipment we’ll use for the kendo competition by tomorrow.”
“Are we collecting the participants’ equipment to send for inspection?”
“That’s right. First, Chinami, the director, and I will check the specifications.”
“Okay. I have one request, though.”
“What is it?”
“Please put my equipment between Master’s and yours, Captain.”
“…What? Why?”
“Because it feels better that way.”
“What are you talking about?”
Renka, who had been tilting her head, instantly blushed. She had realized what my intention was in saying that.
“Y-you perverted bastard…!”
Her trembling appearance, clenching her fists tightly, was cute. With a mischievous smile, I said,
“Since you keep acting like this, Captain, it makes me want to joke around more.”
“Can’t you make any other kind of strange jokes?”
“That’s just the kind of person I am. But how did you figure out my intentions so well? It seems we have similar minds, Captain.”
“Sh-shut up…! Don’t say such ridiculous things…!”
Renka was about to burst out in anger, but quickly looked around and lowered her voice. I chuckled and waved one hand.
“Anyway, I understand. I’ll bring them tomorrow.”
What I said was a joke, of course, but about half of it was sincere. There would be nothing more unpleasant than having my equipment next to that waste product, Tetsuya.
“…Alright. Have you been practicing?”
“Yes.”
“Then that’s a relief. Now, get outta here.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Then I’ll leave.”
“I don’t want that either.”
“What are you talking about…”
“Want to go to the snack bar with me? I’ll buy you candy.”
“Don’t treat me like a child. It’s starting to get annoying.”
“Weren’t you already annoyed from a while ago?”
“Oh, shut up.”
Honestly, you find talking to me fun, don’t you? That’s why you’re still answering my remarks, even though I told you to get lost.
I used to find vacations boring, but not anymore. I felt like I was going crazy wanting to work with Renka soon.
Perhaps because the Kendo tournament was just around the corner, a sense of tension hung in the air in the club room today. However, places where I worked as a manager, like the storage room, the garden, and the drying room, were exceptions.
“Eeek!”
I couldn’t feel any tension because Chinami, upon seeing me, let out an exclamation as if she had seen a ghost and ran away. I strode towards Chinami, who was hiding herself among the scattered kendo uniforms, and asked,
“Why are you running away? We even ate peaches together at lunch.”
“…Th-that was because Hanazawa-kouhai was also with us at the time…”
“So, being alone with me is uncomfortable?”
“Oh, oh no…! That’s not what I meant…!”
“It’s not?”
“Yes… it’s not.”
“You seem uncomfortable though?”
“I said it’s not…!”
Chinami put her hands on her hips and lifted her long eyelashes. If I pushed her any further, she would probably grumble under the guise of scolding me. With a warm smile, I patted her back and changed the subject.
“Alright. You’ll watch me for a bit today, won’t you?”
“Wa-watch me? What…?”
“Kendo.”
“Ah ha… Of course, I should watch you…”
What was she thinking? Did she imagine Miyuki and me having sex, by any chance? Knowing Chinami, she would probably do that.
“Are your legs okay?”
“Huh? My legs?”
“They were trembling a lot at lunch earlier. Didn’t you overdo it last time?”
When I subtly brought up the events that transpired that night, Chinami flinched with a “Huuuh!” sound and twitched her shoulders. I quickly embraced her, placed my hand on her abdomen, and stroked it clockwise, then continued,
“It’s good if they are.”
“…”
I gently rested my chin on the crown of her head, as usual, as she began to squirm shyly.
“Let’s play with Miyuki again sometime.”
“Uh-huuuuh…?”
“You don’t want to?”
“Ah, no… rather than not wanting to… I would need to prepare myself mentally…”
I only said “let’s play,” but she talked about mental preparation. Of course, I had intentionally phrased it to imply a threesome, but Chinami accurately catching onto it was scary.
Her startled reaction when I asked her to watch me a bit earlier, and now too… If Chinami, who constantly has lewd fantasies, truly opened her eyes, her libido would likely be several times stronger than Miyuki’s.
I looked down at her from above, as she fidgeted with her fingers, looking extremely embarrassed, and said,
“Let’s stop talking about this. Will you watch my Kendo?”
“Ah, yes… I should watch you. Of course… It’s cold outside, so should we do it inside…?”
“Here?”
“W-what…!? This place is dangerous, so let’s do it outside…!”
“What’s dangerous?”
“There are, uh… a lot of things…! Let’s go get our bamboo swords quickly…!”
I kept having strange fantasies, and I felt like trying them out here. I suppressed that impulse, gently let go of Chinami, and opened the door. Just then, a third-year senior participating in the tournament called out to me.
“Matsuda, the director wants to see you.”
“Now?”
“Yeah. He asked me to call the people participating in the men’s team match.”
It was time to practice Kendo harmoniously with Chinami, but he had to call me at this very moment. My resolve not to touch his wife was about to break.
I clicked my tongue regretfully, then entered the director’s office and bowed to Goro. Before long, club members began to arrive one after another. Of course, Tetsuya was among them.
He had been somewhat clingy during our sparring today… I thought it was because his disturbed feelings from Christmas hadn’t resolved yet, but Tetsuya’s sparring style itself was like a swamp, so it was hard to gauge.
“What’s going on?”
Tetsuya’s quiet question as he wiped his face with a sweat towel. I shrugged indifferently and replied,
“I don’t know. How’s your practice going?”
“I’m working hard. How about you?”
“Same here.”
“Let’s do our best then.”
He wasn’t saying irritating things today. Lately, he seemed to have understood his place and was calmer than before. Was it because the tournament was approaching, and he didn’t want to cause any unnecessary conflict? I didn’t know if that was a good thing or not.
While Tetsuya and I exchanged a few more trivial conversations, Goro, holding a printed paper, stood before us and said,
“Alright, everybody quiet now.”
At the same time, the director’s office became so quiet that not even a mouse could pass through. Goro definitely had a strong presence. But it would be absurd if he didn’t, with that face.
“I called you because it’s the day to submit the final roster. Matsuda, Miura, Mori, Ikeda, Yamazaki in order, with Yoshida and Fujii as subs… Is that right?”
At Goro’s question, the tournament participants gathered in the director’s office replied in unison.
“”Yes.””
“There should be no further changes. If anyone has anything to say about the order, speak now.”
“”No.””
“Then I will submit it as is. You may leave, but if you have any personal questions, ask them now.”
At those words, everyone except Tetsuya and one second-year senior turned around and left. Their eyes held passion. If the team won, I wouldn’t care whether Tetsuya lost or not, but seeing them try so hard, it seemed they would achieve good results.
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Since the tournament was just after Christmas, that day arrived quickly. The tournament was held on a weekday, meaning us contestants were allowed to skip school on that day, but it only meant missing about one class in the afternoon, so it was neither good nor bad.
Hearing Goro say he would handle the manager duties today, Chinami and I immediately boarded the bus, then sat separately. Originally, we had intended to sit together, but the female participants said they wanted to discuss tactics among themselves. The same applied to the male participants.
“Matsuda, hurry up.”
Seeing the male club members waving from the back seats, I let out a deep sigh inwardly. Having to sit with smelly men… was a damn shame.
I deliberately sat in an empty seat where no one else was, and listened carefully to the tips given by the third-year senior in the captain’s position. Then, when Renka boarded and checked the number of people, I winked one eye at the moment she made eye contact with me.
“One, two, three, four, five… Ugh…!”
Renka, seeing that, furrowed her brow. She looked at me as if she had seen something she shouldn’t have, cleared her throat once, and then started counting the people again. As expected, her reaction was amusing. I looked forward to the day I would work as a part-timer with her at the bald uncles’ shop.
While I was having various thoughts, Renka, who had finished counting everyone, stood by the seat where Miura was sitting. And then she encouraged him.
“Miura, do your best today.”
“Thank you, Captain!”
“As it’s a regional tournament, you know well that many matches are held in one day, right? You need to manage your energy wisely.”
“I won’t disappoint you!”
“Alright, I trust you.”
It was so noisy my ears were going to fall off. Was listening to a woman’s gentle voice really that good? I was about to curse Tetsuya in my mind when,
“Matsuda, you do your best too.”
At Renka’s words, looking at me, my disgust melted away like snow. It was good, it was good. I would let it slide this time.
“Yes.”
“Aren’t you grateful?”
“Thanks.”
“…I shouldn’t have said anything.”
As Renka grumbled softly and moved forward, Goro, who had just finished loading all the consumables, entered the bus and said,
“I won’t wish you luck. You will win with skill.”
Win with skill? It was a bit cheesy, but it was a phrase that stirred the fiery emotions of youth. If Doki Doki Academy had been a passionate sports anime, Goro’s role would have been very significant, wouldn’t it?
I turned my body towards the seats where the female participants were sitting, and with wide-open eyes, I raised one hand and made a fist to Chinami, who was in a meeting, to show my support. Upon seeing me, Chinami smiled bashfully and pulled both of her hands together in a fighting pose.
Soon after, the bus departed. I ended the brief meeting, occupied two seats by myself, and leaned against the window, looking at the sky.
It was quite warm. It was an exaggeration to call it spring, but it was nice weather. At a time like this, I should have gone on a picnic with Miyuki or Chinami… What a shame.
Since the bread girl and the vice class president said they would come to cheer, should the four of us hang out after the tournament? Thinking such thoughts, I opened the window and scanned the bustling downtown area.
“See you later, Hiyori!”
As the bus stopped at an intersection, and the pedestrian signal turned green, I widened my eyes at the loud voices of a mixed group of high school students that came from the crosswalk.
‘What?’
Hiyori? Did I hear that correctly just now?
I, who couldn’t believe it, turned my eyes in the direction the group of students was looking. And there I saw her.
“Bye bye!”
Hiyori, who turned around in the middle of the crosswalk and waved to her friends with a refreshing pose… Hiyori, who smiled so brightly that the surroundings seemed to lighten up.
‘I-it’s really her…?’
Bright blonde hair, an impression that naturally made people feel good just by looking at her, and lively actions. It was definitely the Asahina Hiyori I knew.
*thump-thump!*
My heart was pounding. Rather than being embarrassed by seeing her unexpectedly, the excitement of seeing Hiyori, whom I had only known in 2D until now, in person, was greater.
Having parted ways with her friends, Hiyori quickly disappeared somewhere. In fact, it would be more accurate to say that she didn’t disappear, but that our bus quickly passed through the street as the signal turned green.
I almost shouted to be let off, but I managed to calm myself. Even if I got off now and met Hiyori, what could I do? It would be better if she didn’t look at me strangely.
But wasn’t she cold? Her cheeks seemed red… No matter how warm the weather was, her clothing was too light.
She would catch a cold like that… I would have to take good care of her next year.
Anyway, it ended up not being our fateful encounter at all, so I felt a bit deflated. If you asked if it was typical of a romantic comedy, well… These kinds of scenes appear when a heroine first shows up, so I had nothing to say.
Still, let’s think positively. I would consider that I had confirmed Hiyori was no different from the one I knew, and for now, it was right to focus on Renka.
Although I thought this, the pleasantly throbbing heartbeat didn’t subside easily. The situation was just that bizarre.
True to her free-spirited nature, even her appearance had quite an impact. I had never, not even in the slightest, expected her to appear at such a timing. I felt a strong conviction that the academy would become very noisy next year.
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Thanks neko!!
Very big, very nice 👍