Chapter 46
“.... Matsuda-kun...”
A voice still foggy with sleep tickled my ear.
Something warm was wriggling in my arms.
“Mmm...”
With a sleepy groan, I raised my heavy eyelids and asked when I saw Miyuki trying to escape from my embrace.
“What are you doing...?”
Maybe she liked my voice, which had sunk completely into sleep and become slightly hoarse.
Miyuki’s body shuddered.
“It’s five o’clock... We have to get up now...”
“Is it that late already...?”
“Yeah... I set an alarm, but you didn’t hear it...?”
“I didn’t hear it.”
I tightly embraced Miyuki so she couldn’t get away.
Miyuki’s body was incredibly soft just after waking up.
It felt like I was touching mochi. It was terribly addictive.
“I-I told you we have to get up...”
“But aren’t you cold?”
“Don’t change the subject... Hurry up and get up... Why are you so strong...?”
Miyuki struggled, but couldn’t move an inch.
At the sight, I let out a weary laugh, released her, and sat up.
I lowered my heavy head and blinked. Hearing the crickets from outside in the darkness gradually cleared my mind.
The sound of rain had stopped, but only the sound had ceased. It seemed a light drizzle was still falling.
I turned toward the open window,
Tap.
When Miyuki rested her head on my shoulder, I turned my head slightly.
Her tousled hair brushed my cheek and tickled.
That was an unusually forward display of affection for Miyuki.
I chuckled and said,
“Let’s stay like this for five minutes, then go wash up.”
“Yeah...”
So we enjoyed the early-dawn atmosphere for a little while before heading to the bathroom sink.
After exchanging silly smiles while looking into each other’s eyes like a couple who had just started living together, we finished washing our faces and brushing our teeth, gathered Miyuki’s things, went outside, and got into the car.
Maybe because it had absorbed water all night, the inside of the car was chilly.
Miyuki seemed to have the same thought, because after fastening her seat belt, she rubbed her shoulders briskly.
Then, perhaps feeling self-conscious under my gaze, she began tidying the stray hairs sticking out in every direction.
“Hey.”
When I called out to Miyuki in a rough tone, her neck creaked as she turned toward me.
“Why...?”
“Let’s eat before you go.”
“Eat...? Why all of a sudden...?”
“We have time, don’t we?”
“Is there anywhere open at this hour...?”
“There’s a place if we drive a little farther.”
“Then...”
Miyuki nodded, trailing off.
I flashed her a grin as she tucked both hands between her thighs, then drove to a ramen shop open twenty-four hours a day.
**
It was a quiet restaurant with only a few customers who had come to work early.
After sitting at the counter-style table in the corner and looking around, Miyuki’s lips curved up in satisfaction.
“The atmosphere is nice... I didn’t know there was a place like this nearby. But...”
Miyuki pointed at the sticky notes pasted all over the restaurant’s walls.
“The sticky notes make the classic interior look...”
“Messy?”
“Nooo... Colorful... I wasn’t saying it was bad. I was actually going to say it looked youthful and that I liked it... Don’t jump to conclusions on your own...”
It was obvious from the context that she had meant messy; so much for her pretense.
I snickered as I watched Miyuki answer in a voice quieter than a mosquito’s buzz while keeping an eye on the owner.
Embarrassed, she waved her hand and continued.
“I’ll wash the clothes and return them to you. And...”
Seeing her hesitate again, I figured she was wondering what to do about the underwear I had bought for her.
I decided to help her out of her indecision.
“You can keep the underwear.”
“.... Do you really have to say it so bluntly...?”
“Isn’t that better than hemming and hawing?”
“That’s true, but... Anyway, got it... Thanks.”
“But was it comfortable?”
“What...?”
“The underwear. The package said it was extremely comfortable.”
“Oh, seriously...! Matsuda-kun...!”
A disgruntled whine escaped Miyuki’s lips.
She seemed embarrassed by my sly teasing.
Even so, she showed no sign of being offended.
Instead, her expression soon relaxed, and she even smiled as though she found me hopeless.
I let the moment pass by smiling back, ordered two bowls of miso ramen from the owner, and rested my elbows on the table.
Miyuki was carefully examining the sticky notes pasted all over the restaurant.
Her eyes were sparkling.
“Why? Do you want to write something too?”
“I’m just... kind of curious...? Do we have to bring our own sticky notes?”
“No. They’re behind you.”
When I pointed over her shoulder, Miyuki whipped around, then took a sticky note and a pen.
Then she began drawing something with fluid strokes.
The picture gradually took shape.
In less than three minutes, Miyuki had drawn two characters. She picked up a thumbtack provided by the restaurant and pinned the sticky note in the most secluded corner of our spot.
It was a cute little picture of the two characters sitting side by side and admiring something together.
It felt similar to the doodle I had seen at school last time, but...
Unlike then, this time capital letters were emblazoned above the characters’ heads.
H.M. and M.K.
They were the initials of Hanazawa Miyuki and Matsuda Ken.
It seemed to reveal Miyuki’s feelings at the moment, and I liked seeing it.
The characters were cute too... I liked it.
After silently studying the picture, I asked,
“Why is there nothing on the table?”
“Food is hard to draw... Besides, doesn’t it look better because it’s kind of... abstract?”
“Is that so?”
Miyuki smiled bashfully at me as I tilted my head, then covered the sticky note with one hand.
She meant that I shouldn’t look anymore.
She kept picking the cutest things to do. Should I just blurt out that she should stay over again tonight?
Come to think of it, leaving a trace of us behind like this wasn’t bad either. It made me happy.
In the past, seeing things like that had meant nothing to me, but from now on, sticky notes would probably make me think of Miyuki.
As I stared at Miyuki while thinking about all sorts of things, ramen arrived just as her cheeks began to flush, and I smacked my lips.
“Let’s eat.”
“Yeah.”
We should come here again.
It would be perfect to come the day after I slept with Miyuki.
**
“Goddamn it...”
I frowned deeply when I saw the state of the main gate.
There were fallen leaves, of course, along with snack wrappers, cigarette butts, gum... There was even a shoe and a shattered liquor bottle.
All sorts of things had been swept in overnight, leaving the main gate a complete wreck.
Even if it had rained heavily, how could this happen when there hadn’t even been a flood?
I’ll just fill the time with some other volunteer work.
That was what I was thinking when—
“Matsuda?”
The moment I heard Renka’s voice from behind me, I relaxed my expression.
I bowed to Renka, and after she returned the greeting, I asked,
“You’re here early. Where’s Nanase-senpai?”
“She overslept, so she told me to go ahead. Apparently, she stayed up until dawn watching a drama. Are you going to clean all this by yourself?”
“No. I’ll clean it with the security guards. Why? Are you going to help?”
“No.”
“That refusal was so blunt it hurts. You could at least say you’d help, even if you didn’t mean it.”
Renka gave a little chuckle at my lighthearted grumbling.
“It’s raining. Aren’t you going to use an umbrella?”
The drizzle that had fallen at dawn had turned into misty rain.
It was light enough that I could take it, so I smiled as if to say I was fine.
“Yes.”
“All right, good work.”
After coolly encouraging me, she headed toward the school gate without even looking back.
I still had a long way to go, but I was gradually earning recognition.
Miyuki today... and Renka too...
Their reactions were extremely positive.
I watched Renka’s retreating figure as she strode along, stretching her long legs, and cleaned while making pointless small talk with the guards when they came over with brooms.
Afterward, I entered the classroom in time for class, perfunctorily returned the greetings from my classmates, who still greeted me awkwardly, and put my head down on my desk.
“Matsuda, class is about to start.”
Whenever I’m having a good day, Tetsuya has to butt in and annoy me.
Without lifting my head, I stretched out one hand, raised my middle finger at him, and enjoyed what little break time remained.
**
“Matsuda-kouhai, thank you very much for yesterday.”
It was Chinami’s polite greeting.
Feeling mischievous, I picked up a shinai as soon as she finished her formal bow.
“Then teach me jōdan-gamae.”
“I can’t do that. I’m going to teach you chūdan-gamae, starting with the basics and taking it step by step.”
“Understood.”
“Hmm...?”
Chinami’s eyes widened.
She seemed surprised that I had given up so quickly after repeating “jōdan-gamae, jōdan-gamae” all day yesterday.
After staring like that for a moment, Chinami’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.
“You’re not planning to teach yourself, are you?”
“Would that be a problem?”
“Matsuda-kouhai...! You mustn’t be impatient. Everything has its proper steps.”
She was strict when it came to teaching her pupil.
I just had to prove that I had a talent for jōdan-gamae.
When would we spar? I wanted to challenge her boldly.
A match against Tetsuya seemed like it could be a good fight, but I wished the coach would recognize me and accept me as an official member soon.
If that happened, would I have to quit being the manager?
We were growing close so quickly that I couldn’t pour cold water on things. Even if I became an official member, I would have to remain the manager.
I already had plenty of time alone with Chinami. Giving up this opportunity with my own hands would be foolish.
I met the eyes of Chinami, who had her arms crossed, and shrugged.
“I heard from the club president that you overslept while watching a drama?”
“That’s right.”
“What drama was it? Could you tell me about it too?”
“Hmm...! If you promise not to learn jōdan-gamae until your fundamentals are solid, I’ll tell you. You’ll have to swear on your pinky too.”
A pinky swear?
Those were the exact words I had said to Miyuki yesterday... How ironic.
“Is it really that upsetting to you that I want to learn jōdan-gamae?”
“It’s not that I’m upset. I’m worried about you. Now, promise me.”
Chinami held her small pinky out toward me.
Her kendo uniform sleeve slid down, revealing her thin, pale wrist.
I barely resisted the temptation to leave a hickey there, moved the shinai to my waist, and changed the subject.
“I’ll start by cleaning the bogu. I did turn on the dehumidifier yesterday, but the storage room must have gotten damp from the rain overnight.”
“Matsuda-kouhai...! Your intentions are admirable, but promise me first... Ah! Where are you going!? I haven’t finished speaking yet! W-wait a minute...! Slow down a little...! You’re too fast...!”
I strode toward the bogu storage room, with Chinami trotting after me.
She looked like a puppy panicking as it chased after an owner who was about to leave it behind and go home...
Cute.