Chapter 38
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Miyuki, trotting along behind Matsuda, secretly examined every inch of his back.
Could she really catch glimpses of lean muscle beneath his white uniform shirt, or was it her imagination?
His back was broad enough to make her think he was dependable.
‘.....’
She had definitely been unable to stand the sight of Matsuda until just recently and, exaggerating a little, had even wished he would get expelled...
Who would have thought she would end up in this kind of relationship with him?
It felt strangely surreal.
Miyuki pressed her lips together again and again.
Her second kiss, in the classroom.
It had ended with them simply keeping their lips pressed together for a dozen or so seconds... but it had felt wonderful.
Honestly, she thought it had been sweeter than her first kiss.
Perhaps, unlike that time, she had been prepared and had kissed Matsuda's lips herself, which was why it had felt like a real kiss.
It felt as though she had discovered an entirely new world.
She wanted to do it again... Was that all for today?
When he took her home, would Matsuda perhaps suggest a goodbye kiss?
Miyuki, who had been stealing glances at Matsuda's back, suddenly stopped dead.
She couldn't believe she'd had such indecent thoughts.
She had always called Matsuda a pervert, but didn't this make her look like the pervert instead?
‘This is driving me crazy...’
After scolding herself inwardly, Miyuki lowered her head and continued walking.
Then,
Thud.
“Ow!”
She bumped her forehead into Matsuda's back and staggered, losing her balance.
She had hit him fairly hard, and Miyuki's balance gave way for an instant.
She was about to fall backward.
Matsuda caught her arm with incredible reflexes, his brow furrowing slightly.
“What are you doing? Lost your mind?”
She couldn't even properly meet Matsuda's eyes after he set her upright, and answered,
“M-Matsuda-kun, why did you stop...?”
She wanted to thank him, so why had a sulky complaint slipped out instead...?
She was hopeless at expressing her feelings.
What did Matsuda think of her when she acted like this?
“We've reached the changing rooms.”
“Ah... Already...?”
“It's close by, so of course we got here quickly. Are you stupid?”
“.... I didn't know...”
A short puff of air escaped Matsuda's nose.
He let out a light laugh and said,
“You should change too. I'm going in.”
As he said that, the corners of Matsuda's mouth stretched wide.
It was a refreshing smile bright enough to seem to illuminate his surroundings.
Lately, whenever she was with Matsuda, she often saw smiles like that.
Her heart went pit-a-pat.
It felt like a smile she would never grow tired of seeing.
Was it selfish to wish that he would show that smile only to her?
“Yeah... Don't be late...”
“Why are you talking as if you're going alone? I'll change first and wait for you, so take your time coming out.”
Come to think of it, Matsuda seemed able to see right through her feelings.
Even now, he was saying exactly what she had wanted to hear.
Their personalities were so different they could practically be called opposites...
Yet somehow, she felt that she and Matsuda would make a good match.
“Yeah...”
“You're so timid...”
Matsuda gently smoothed down Miyuki's bangs with his large hand, then went into the men's changing room.
Miyuki placed her hand over the spot he had touched and, with a flushed face, gave voice to her feelings.
‘I like you, Ken-kun.’
Her heart pounded even though she had only said it inside her mind.
Her field of vision narrowed, and her head spun.
Could she really say it out loud?
And what would it feel like if those words came from Matsuda's lips?
She had no idea what to expect, which paradoxically left her mind growing clearer.
Hoping Matsuda would read her feelings again, Miyuki steadied her pounding heart and headed for the women's changing room.
**
“I'm going to check the newly acquired equipment for a moment, so Matsuda-kun, hold your shinai and practice sliding footwork.”
“Should I come with you?”
“You're far behind on your training right now, Matsuda-kun. Starting today, I'm planning to increase the amount you practice, so don't worry about me and train. What did I tell you to focus on when practicing footwork?”
“Natural stance.”
Chinami nodded in satisfaction, then scampered away on her little legs.
She's cute, like a soft rice cake toddling around.
I let out a silly laugh, gripped the shinai, and pointed it into empty space.
From that position, I practiced sliding footwork by moving the foot in my intended direction first, then drawing the other foot after it.
Doing this alone made me feel a little like a lunatic.
I was secretly practicing hard like that when—
“Your shinai is wobbling. Keep your center steady.”
Renka's dry voice came from behind me.
I pretended to flinch and moved to retrieve the shinai, but Renka said reassuringly,
“Chinami told me everything. She said you've been getting extra instruction. Just be careful not to get caught by the coach.”
“Ah, yes...”
“I thought you'd quit after a few days, but you're surprising.”
I'll keep going even if you tell me to quit, at least until you fall for me.
“Well, you know...”
Trailing off, I took up my stance to practice.
Renka came around to face me and folded her arms.
“Get into position. I'll take a quick look.”
“Yes.”
“Try positioning the shinai's tip at your solar plexus and the end of the hilt at your lower abdomen.”
“Like this?”
“That's right. Think of your thumb and index finger as doing nothing more than supporting the center. Apply force only with these other three fingers.”
Renka curled her thumb and index finger into a circle, then flexed and extended the other three fingers.
I nodded roughly and did as she said.
“Good. Hold that position... and start sliding.”
With Renka watching, I tried the sliding footwork in all four directions again.
I didn't do it enthusiastically.
I showed only enough zeal—just enough not to get on Renka's nerves.
‘Matsuda Ken is highly skilled, but has no enthusiasm for participating in competitions and regards club activities as nothing more than a way to kill time.’
That was what I wanted Renka to conclude about me.
Of course, I'd practice seriously behind the scenes and grow until I became good enough that she would have no choice but to enter me in competitions.
I'd keep stacking things up like this, then unleash it all at once one day.
So that Renka's assessment of me would be completely overturned.
A dramatic change in image is something people don't forget for a long time.
Having drawn up a blueprint for the future, I put on a show in front of Renka until Chinami returned.
**
Tetsuya and I headed for the parking lot after club activities ended.
We chatted about trivial things while waiting for Miyuki, and then she approached us from a distance at a brisk pace, wearing a student council badge on her chest.
“You're here?”
Tetsuya greeted Miyuki brightly.
Miyuki glanced at me sitting on the hood of the car, then looked at Tetsuya and answered,
“Yeah. But Tetsuya-kun, why do you keep rubbing your arm? Does it hurt?”
“Ah... We learned head strikes during club activities today. I kept swinging the shinai, so my muscles are a little...”
“Ke... Um... It wasn't because Matsuda-kun hit you, was it?”
She had seemed about to say Ken-kun.
If only she'd worked up just a little more courage... What a shame.
I vented my disappointment by scowling fiercely.
“I'll...”
When I raised one hand and pretended to threaten him, Miyuki grinned sheepishly and said to Tetsuya,
“You should've gone easy on him. You'll be sore tomorrow.”
“Yeah... I guess I should've exercised more. Could you massage my arm?”
At Tetsuya's request, Miyuki glanced at me.
A moment later, she shook her head apologetically, her face troubled.
“I'm tired too from carrying heavy things today. Sorry.”
“Then should I massage your arm?”
“No. I appreciate the thought. Let's go quickly. Matsuda-kun will get angry.”
Miyuki simply laughed off Tetsuya's words and got into the car.
She's been doing so many cute things today; I should put a dildo in her panties as a reward.
Let's have you sit through class like that. Sound good?
She naturally took the passenger seat and fastened her seat belt.
Watching her, Tetsuya tilted his head.
But he didn't specifically ask why she was taking the passenger seat again.
He probably knew that if he said something like that, he'd look incredibly pathetic.
Looks like he's finally learned to read the room this time... but it's already too late.
After laughing at Tetsuya to my heart's content inwardly, I started the car as soon as the bastard got into the back seat.
The mood was warm and cheerful.
Yet in the car, which gave off a strange atmosphere, the three of us chatted about various things and arrived at Tetsuya's house.
He got out, went around to the passenger side, and said to Miyuki,
“You're going for a walk tonight, right?”
“A walk? Yeah, let's.”
“Okay. I'll call you. Thanks again today, Matsuda.”
I nodded at Tetsuya with an indifferent expression as he said goodbye to me, then hit the accelerator the moment he started walking toward his house.
Miyuki fiddled with her phone, then asked,
“The day before yesterday, before we watched the movie, there was an ad in the theater for a comedy starring Hayato, remember?”
“Yeah.”
“Didn't it look fun?”
Tsk, tsk... Miyuki.
Let me teach you a little about how to live your life.
If a movie trailer contains the phrase [So-and-so's Cheerful Rebellion], you know?
Then, even if it isn't a nine-out-of-ten certainty, there's about a fifty-percent chance the movie is crap.
And in the trailer for the movie you mentioned, that phrase popped up right from the opening.
It looked obviously boring.
But if you really want to see it... I could sit through it for your sake.
Because I really love you.
“You want to see it, huh?”
“It's not that I want to... I'm just saying, why don't we go see it when we have time...”
“Then try picking a date.”
“Okay... Then we'll go...? Thanks for driving me...”
When they arrived at her house, Miyuki slowly, very slowly, unfastened her seat belt.
Watching her intently, I said,
“Hey.”
“Yeah?”
“You said you carried heavy things today. Want me to massage your arm?”
I saw Miyuki's shoulders bob noticeably.
You noticed, didn't you? You realized I was just repeating Tetsuya's words.
She rolled her eyes around for a moment, then—
Swish.
She shyly held out her arm toward me and turned her head to look out the window.
I grinned meaningfully, took her slender wrist, and worked my way up from her palm to her forearm, applying just the right pressure.
Miyuki's body was warm, as always.
I wanted to hold her tightly and fall asleep with her.
After silently massaging her arm, I asked,
“Feel better?”
“.... Yeah... It feels good...”
Her voice trembled faintly.
She seemed excited.
Once our relationship grew deeper, we could go to a drive-in theater.
We could park the car with its back to the screen, lie side by side in the trunk, and watch the movie.
Then, when the mood heated up... we could do this and that, too.
Once I was done with the massage, I gently relaxed my grip on Miyuki's wrist to signal that I was finished.
“That's enough. Go inside.”
“Ah... Um... Do you want to stay for dinner...? You could say hello to my mom and dad, too...”
“Next time.”
“.... Why? Is it because you'd feel uncomfortable...?”
“No, it's just rude to suddenly show up without telling them in advance. Ask them when you get home whether I may come visit sometime soon.”
“Ah, okay... You promise?”
“Yeah.”
Miyuki's face lit up, and she opened the passenger door.
Gripping her bag strap with both hands, she said,
“Goodbye... Ken-kun.”
She looked back at me and finally said what she hadn't managed to say earlier, then got out, carefully closed the door, hugged her perpetually heavy bag tightly, and ran toward her house as if fleeing.
Hearing my name at such an unexpected moment, I sat still for a while.
Glancing back several times, I could see Miyuki hurriedly trying to open the front door.
She dropped her keys, startled, and crouched down to pick them up.
That sight, which made her look utterly embarrassed, snapped me back to my senses, and laughter burst from me.
So I'm not Matsuda-kun anymore—I'm Ken-kun now?
Given Miyuki's personality, she probably wouldn't call me by my given name every day, but I felt I might hear it from time to time.
Thanks for working up the courage today.
Next time, I hope you'll drop the honorific and just call me Ken.
I kept chuckling as I watched Miyuki look so terribly flustered. When she finally managed to open the front door and dart inside, I took my foot off the brake.