Chapter 29
Since becoming a manager alongside Chinami, I moved to the equipment room with her, happily clapping like a seal.
“Please take care of me, Matsuda-kouhai!”
How am I supposed to match Chinami's energy?
Her energy is so high that it's hard to keep up.
For now, I'll observe.
“Please take care of me too, Nanase-senpai... ma'am.”
“Yes! All right, today I'll start by teaching you how to clean the bogu. You've heard of bogu, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then what are the names of the different parts of the bogu used in kendo~?”
She's suddenly giving me a quiz?
How cute.
I'd already looked into bogu, so I knew about it.
But Chinami seemed eager to teach me something...
So let's leave one thing out.
“Men, kote, and do.”
“Oh...? Good job, but you missed one. I'll give you a hint. It's the part you put on first out of all the bogu...?”
“I'm not sure.”
“Hmm! If you don't know, I have to teach you!”
Perhaps she was pleased that I didn't know, because Chinami pulled out the tare from the farthest corner—the armor that protected the waist and groin.
Then she held it up and explained.
“This is called a tare. It's equipment that protects your waist and lower abdomen.”
It must have some weight to it, but she didn't even frown.
That means she's strong. In that case, she must be nice and tight, too.
“It's an important piece of equipment, isn't it?”
“Of course! It's important! It's especially important for beginners. If you accidentally stab someone in a vital spot while sparring clumsily... That would hurt, right?”
That sounds horrific.
After putting the tare back in its place, Chinami folded her fingers one by one and continued.
“Men, kote, do, and tare... Those are the four parts of kendo equipment.”
“Understood. I'll learn them.”
“Good attitude, Matsuda-kun. Cleaning this bogu thoroughly every day is one of our duties.”
“Every day?”
“Of course. If you put it off even a little while practicing kendo, the bogu will start to smell. If a musty odor wafted out when you put on the men... That would be incredibly annoying, right? Heehee.”
Chinami burst into a carefree giggle.
She doesn't have a smell fetish, does she?
“.... Yes.”
“The academy provides it free of charge, but you have to take good care of it as if it were yours. That way, the people who inherit it next will feel the same way.”
I got the gist. Your level... I mean, your personality.
I'll train you with a thorough, personalized curriculum.
“Understood.”
“Good. Now I'll teach you how to clean the bogu. First, apply some mild alcohol to a cotton pad...”
**
“Ah... So that's why Matsuda-kun joined as a manager?”
Miyuki said this in the car on the way home, after hearing my whole explanation.
“That's what I'm saying.”
“What are you going to do? I heard being a manager for an athletic club is really tough...”
“I had a blast cleaning nothing but bogu today.”
“That's why you should've behaved yourself in the first place...”
“Get out. Walk home.”
“No. My legs hurt.”
Miyuki answered primly, then asked Tetsuya,
“What about you, Tetsuya-kun? What did you learn today?”
“Etiquette and how to hold a shinai.”
“Etiquette? You mean the kendo greetings?”
“Yeah. We learned how to sit and various other things.”
“Martial artists are so precise when they show courtesy, aren't they?”
“It's less about precision and more about putting your spirit into it.”
“Show me later. It sounds kind of cool.”
The corners of Tetsuya's mouth slowly lifted.
He looked ready to float away with happiness at being told he was cool.
Could that bastard be... getting hard while imagining Miyuki's soft voice?
Judging by his slack-jawed grin, it kind of seemed that way...
“I will.”
“Matsuda-kun is the problem. He needs to become gentler soon... I'm worried he might even do something rude to that senior manager.”
“I was thinking something similar.”
So he's reached the point where he doesn't even know his place and is mouthing off.
Good for you, Tetsuya.
If you want to watch a video titled [Miyuki's Conception Record], keep it up.
I stopped by Tetsuya's house and made him get out first.
“Thanks, Matsuda.”
“Hurry up and disappear.”
“See you tomorrow. Miyuki, contact me later.”
He doesn't even flinch at this level of provocation anymore; he just says what he wants.
Ignoring him as he waved, I hit the accelerator and parked in front of Miyuki's house.
Then I stared at her as she prepared to get out of the car.
“Miyuki.”
“Hmm...?”
“You got into the student council, right?”
“Ah... Yeah. I got in. For now, I'm starting out as an administrative assistant.”
“Congratulations.”
At my suddenly serious attitude, Miyuki stiffened.
“Th-thanks...”
Miyuki always gets embarrassed when I soften the mood.
Then, when we actually go on a date, she returns to her usual self, only to twist her body like that again toward the end.
I grinned at her bashful expression, opened the console box, and took out a box I'd prepared in advance.
A mini cake box with a handle on top and a rounded, arch-shaped upper half.
When I held it out to Miyuki, she blinked twice.
“What's this...?”
“A congratulatory gift for your student council debut. Open it.”
At that, Miyuki instinctively reached out and opened the box.
She unwrapped it very carefully, then let out a gasp as soon as she saw what was inside.
“Wow...”
The gift I'd given Miyuki was a cake.
A mini cake with strawberries between every layer, whipped cream flowers, and a large strawberry decorating the top.
Miyuki never would have expected me to buy something like this.
It was a modest gift, but to her right now, it would feel like a big one.
It's a shame I couldn't make it myself... but I can make one for her later.
I addressed Miyuki, who couldn't take her eyes off the cake.
“But administrative assistant, huh... That's a position where you handle all the odd jobs, like me?”
“.... Huh? Yeah? What did you say?”
Miyuki was so absorbed in admiring it that she hadn't even heard me.
Having failed to tease her, I shook my head with a smile.
“Nothing. Enjoy it.”
“I-I didn't prepare anything for you...”
“I wasn't expecting anything. Go inside already.”
“You're leaving now...?”
I gave her the gift, but didn't bother with any mood afterward, huh?
That's just how I am. You know me well.
“Go inside and eat it in secret, okay? Don't let your sister take it.”
“S-She won't take it...?”
“Go inside.”
“Okay... Then... I'll be going, Matsuda-kun.”
I answered with a nod instead, and watched Miyuki slowly get out of the car.
She kept glancing back as she headed toward her house.
She held the cake box in both hands as though it were precious.
Vroooom...
After starting the car, I watched Miyuki recede in the side mirror.
She rummaged through her pockets in front of the entrance, then crouched down; it seemed she'd dropped her key.
What a klutz.
They'd be starting preparations for the cultural festival around September, so I should set up one event before then.
@@
Miyuki's lips stretched into a broad grin as she propped her arm on the corner of her desk and rested her chin on it.
She had placed the cake Matsuda had given her on her desk and was gazing at it endlessly.
It was a beautiful cake that conveyed the pastry chef's care.
She liked it even more because it was filled with plenty of her favorite strawberries.
Whether it was how he'd handled the accident at the movie theater or the thoughtfulness he'd shown before and after quitting the circle...
She knew he had a thoughtful side, but she never dreamed he'd prepare a gift like this, too.
‘I should give him a present too...’
A packed lunch would be too cliché... Should I bake him some cookies?
After staring at the cake for a while and thinking about how to repay Matsuda, Miyuki picked up her phone.
He should be home by now.
With that thought, she opened the camera app.
‘Hmm...’
She tried to take a picture of the cake, but something didn't feel right.
Miyuki sprang up from her chair, tidied the notebooks and textbooks around the cake, then hurried down to the kitchen and called out somewhat loudly,
“Mom! Do we have a pretty plate?”
Midori, who was washing dishes in the kitchen, cocked her head.
“A pretty plate? Why? Ah... To put the cake on?”
“Yeah. Do we?”
“That's hard to answer specifically. All the dishes I see look pretty to me.”
A wise answer to a foolish question.
Miyuki twisted her hair self-consciously and was about to look for a plate when—
“Was it two or three years ago, when you went on your high school field trip? The plate you bought then was pretty. Why don't you use that one?”
When Wataru, who was watching TV in the living room, said this, she let out an exclamation of realization.
It was the little plate with cherry blossoms embroidered around the edge that she'd bought with Tetsuya.
Why hadn't she thought of it? She used it all the time.
She opened the corner cabinet, took out the plate she hadn't used in a long time, and hesitated in front of Midori.
She wanted to wash it, but Midori was doing the dishes.
Realizing how her daughter felt, Midori let out a quiet chuckle and extended her rubber-gloved hand.
“Give it here. I'll wash it for you.”
Miyuki gave her the plate with an awkward smile.
Then she picked up a dry dishcloth and kept bobbing up and down on her toes, expressing her impatience.
After washing the plate and handing it back to Miyuki, Midori asked,
“Did Tetsuya give you the cake? Or Haruka?”
“No. I'm busy, so I'll go upstairs now. Thanks, Mom.”
“All right. But when is Matsuda-kun coming over? You said you were going to set the date.”
Miyuki, who had been about to leave the kitchen, stopped short.
“We haven't set a date yet...”
“Set one soon. If you drag your feet, it will fizzle out.”
“Okay... I'm going upstairs, then?”
“Sure.”
After ending the conversation, Miyuki returned to her room carrying a fork with a rabbit character drawn on the end.
Then she carefully took out the cake so it wouldn't be damaged and placed it on the plate.
With the fork laid along the edge as well, it looked quite presentable.
Miyuki took a picture in that state, opened her chat with Matsuda, attached the photo, and began to type a message.
[It's too pretty to eat.]
Something's missing...
Should I add a symbol at the end?
[It's too pretty to eat♥]
Is the heart a bit much...? It might look frivolous.
A tilde or exclamation mark would look bland...
After agonizing over something she normally never thought about and being unable to decide, Miyuki sent the existing sentence and then sent a character emoji as well.
“.....”
Quite some time passed, but no reply came.
Is he taking a shower? He couldn't have gotten into an accident on the way home, could he?
After worrying about Matsuda and imagining even the most extreme possibilities, Miyuki hurriedly unlocked her phone the instant it vibrated.
[Miyuki, did you get home safely?]
It wasn't Matsuda's message, but Tetsuya's.
The moment she saw the message asking after her, a fleeting sense of disappointment passed through Miyuki's heart... for only a moment.
It happened so quickly that even she didn't notice it.
[Yeah. I got home fine.]
[That's a relief. I was worried because you didn't contact me.]
Come to think of it, Tetsuya had told her to contact him later in the car.
She'd completely forgotten.
Feeling sorry, Miyuki took a picture of the plate she'd brought out.
She left out the cake and fork so that only the edge was visible.
[Do you know what this is?]
[It's the one we bought when we went on our school trip to Okinawa two years ago, right?]
[That's right. You got it. I didn't think you'd remember.]
[It's something filled with our memories, so of course I remember. You were still using it?]
[I use it all the time. What about you, Tetsuya-kun?]
[I use it sometimes when I serve side dishes, too. Seeing that reminded me of something—the necklace I bought you when I was in elementary school... Do you still have it?]
Miyuki looked toward her bedroom door after reading the reply.
A cute cat with its right paw raised was dangling from the top of it.
It was a maneki-neko, said to bring good fortune, made into a necklace.
[Of course. It's working hard to summon good fortune from my bedroom ceiling.]
[I remember how you treasured it, saying it was cute. And congratulations on getting into the student council today.]
[Now you say that?]
[Sorry. Forgive me.]
She tried teasing him a little, but his reaction was dull.
If she'd sent Matsuda a message like that, he probably would have replied curtly with something like, ‘You should be grateful I even congratulated you.’
[I'll forgive you just this once. Thanks, Tetsuya-kun.]
While imagining how Matsuda would respond and placating Tetsuya,
Brrr-!
When Matsuda's message appeared on the screen with another vibration, she immediately tapped it.
[Eat it now, or you'll gain weight if you eat it late. And brush your teeth. They'll rot. If you don't like it, then don't.]
A reply with a completely different tone from Tetsuya's.
Even though it was just text, Matsuda's personality came through.
She would have thought him rude in the past, but not now.
It was so like Matsuda. It suited him perfectly.
[Are you tsundere, Matsuda-kun?]
[Wanna keep fooling around?]
Even this silly reply was already fun.
With a radiant smile blooming across her face, Miyuki became absorbed in her conversation with Matsuda.