Chapter 52
“Miyuki?”
“Yeah? Why?”
“What’s going on below your neck? Is that a bandage?”
Tetsuya asked with childlike innocence.
Startled, Miyuki brought a hand to the bandage.
“Ah... this... I got bitten by a mosquito...”
“Really? Won’t putting a bandage over it make it take longer to heal?”
“It... got redder than I expected...”
“You should be more careful. Want some medicine?”
“I already put some on. Thanks for worrying.”
Miyuki gave him a fresh smile and turned around.
She backed away demurely, then looked at me as I strolled along with one hand behind my head and said in an embarrassed voice,
“Matsuda-kun, hurry up.”
“We’ve got plenty of time, so we can walk slowly.”
“What do you mean, plenty of time? They said we have a math pop quiz today, so we should at least cram when we get there.”
“When did they say that?”
“Friday.”
“Why do you remember that?”
Miyuki stopped dead until I caught up with her.
Tetsuya stopped in place as well.
After giving the guy’s mug a quick glance, I naturally stepped in front of Miyuki.
Then I looked down at her nonchalantly.
“What.”
“You have dust on your clothes.”
Miyuki used her index finger to brush the dust off the front of my shirt.
After even dusting the area between my collarbone and shoulder with her palm, she adorably chided me.
“Don’t go around with stuff like this on you. Brush it off yourself.”
“I checked before putting it on... Maybe the air up there is dusty.”
When I subtly teased her short stature, she gave a dry chuckle and turned forward again.
“Tetsuya, let’s go.”
“Ah, right...”
His expression was colored with bewilderment.
He had realized that Miyuki was treating me even more warmly than usual.
No matter how oblivious he was, after Miyuki had gone that far, there was no way he hadn’t noticed.
When I played DokiAka, I took care of your events as the protagonist and somehow got that hopelessly naive guy to spend time with the heroines, but...
Not anymore.
I’m the protagonist here, not you.
All you have waiting for you is a bleak future.
But then something suddenly occurred to me.
As I’d thought earlier, when I played DokiAka, I personally arranged Tetsuya’s events.
I moved him to places where the heroines were, had him talk to them, and chose the options.
But what about now?
If Tetsuya happened to encounter an event with Renka or Hiyori, what choices would he make?
Given his indecisive and stupid personality, he’d probably make some useless choice...
Still, he was lucky with women, so I had no idea how things would turn out.
“Matsuda-kun, I told you to hurry up!”
Miyuki called out as she walked away with Tetsuya.
Whether when she got into the car today or when she brushed the dust off me just now...
I’d felt resolve in her eyes. She must have made up her mind, right?
It would be nice to sleep with her on a weekday, too, but since this would be our first time, it would be better if the next day were a holiday rather than having to worry about going to school.
Let’s set the mood on the last day of this week’s cultural festival.
**
“Matsuda, my junior! Did you have a good weekend?”
Chinami raised both hands to shoulder height and waved like a preschool teacher.
I wondered whether she could maintain that high energy even at night.
I walked up to her and replied as though it were nothing unusual.
“I had a good one. How about you, Master?”
“I did too. But why do you look so lifeless? Is it because it’s Monday?”
It’s not that I look lifeless. You’re just being far too energetic.
“You’re imagining it. What are we doing today?”
“Today, you just need to fold the towels, carry the water, wait until club activities end, and then clean the bogu.”
“You’re surprisingly free. I thought Mondays would be busy. Can I practice right away, then?”
“No! You have to stay in the clubroom today. You need to watch the first sparring matches of the second semester.”
The moment I heard the word “matches,” my ears perked up.
The first sparring matches of the second semester were one of DokiAka’s major events.
The scene involved people challenging Renka, the club captain, one after another, but after several challengers were thoroughly beaten, no one else stepped forward.
Just as the coach was about to click his tongue and scold the club members, Tetsuya boldly raised his hand.
He didn’t even know how to put on bogu, let alone how to conduct a match.
The coach liked his spirit and ordered Renka to accept Tetsuya’s challenge, while Renka took it easy on Tetsuya as he charged at her with a completely broken stance.
After the match ended, she praised him for his enthusiasm and began frequently giving him kendo lessons.
That was when she discovered the tiny bit of talent Tetsuya possessed.
That was when Tetsuya and Renka truly began growing close.
Normally, this event occurred after the cultural festival, but the fact that it was happening now meant...
The timing had shifted because I, who had been a minor character, had become the lead.
Just like when I took care of the minor events with Miyuki.
It would be best to think of this as an event for me, not Tetsuya.
Or perhaps an event for both of us.
“A sparring match?”
“Yes! It’s a form of training, both to build camaraderie and to help the first-years develop an eye for the sport. I’ll fold the towels, so could you bring some bottled water from the supply room?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
**
A quiet atmosphere hung over the clubroom.
The first-years, including Tetsuya, sat in seiza beside the second- and third-years, who were wearing all their bogu except for their men and kote.
Renka... isn’t here.
Is she putting on her bogu?
“I’m going to put on my bogu. Please sit over there and watch, Junior.”
Chinami brought her lips to my ear as she spoke.
Her hot breath tickled my ear.
I raised one shoulder slightly to endure the tickling and asked,
“Are you fighting too, Master?”
“Yes. You’re learning the jodan stance, so I hope you can learn something by watching me.”
Ah... Our Chinami... How could she be so kindhearted?
Do you like getting fucked from behind while looking in a mirror?
I want to hear your voice as you hide your face in embarrassment and moan with pleasure.
“Understood.”
As Chinami walked away with quick little steps, I sat in seiza beside Tetsuya.
Then I nudged him with my elbow.
“What’s with you today?”
“Huh...? What do you mean?”
“You’ve been dragging since this morning. I thought maybe you ate something bad.”
“Ah... I’m fine. I just don’t have much energy.”
Just say it honestly. Say you’re feeling unsettled because Miyuki seems to have gotten incredibly close to me.
“What a bland answer.”
“Um... Matsuda.”
“What.”
“Maybe...”
Just as he was about to say something, the coach’s office door opened, and the coach, Goro Dojima, strode out.
Tetsuya clamped his mouth shut and looked straight ahead.
Were you about to ask what my relationship with Miyuki was?
Too bad. With your timid personality, if you don’t ask now, you’ll never be able to ask and will just stew over it.
You’re better off getting hard while watching Miyuki and me flirt.
It’s better for you that way, too.
“Are you all ready?”
As Goro stroked his beard, the kendo club members answered in unison.
““Yes, Coach!””
The clubroom rang with their voices.
As I clicked my tongue at having failed to time my response once again, Goro nodded with satisfaction and said,
“I hope the first-years gain an appreciation for sword fighting through these matches. Don’t think of this as merely a competition; learn proper etiquette as well. You all know the rules, right?”
““Yes, Coach!””
I only knew a little about them.
Was I supposed to figure it out by watching everyone else?
I should have asked Chinami first. I’d been far too complacent.
“We’ll begin with a match between Chinami and Renka, after which Renka will remain to accept challengers. Anyone who wishes to challenge her, raise your hand.”
““Understood!!””
Clack.
Soon after, the changing-room door opened, and Chinami and Renka emerged side by side in their bogu.
Renka came striding over on her long legs,
while Chinami toddled along.
There was quite a difference in their heights, making them look like a mother and daughter.
But could Chinami really support the weight of all that bogu?
She looked precarious, which worried me.
The two of them had each tied a long white or red ribbon behind their men, then stopped at the edge of a rectangular court that looked to have one side roughly ten meters long.
Goro and two third-year seniors without bogu held red-and-white flags and stood at regular intervals around the court.
Renka and Chinami crouched before the white tape marking the center of the court and bowed.
This was where some exposition guy was supposed to show up and explain their abilities, but everyone was so tense that the room was silent.
In that case, I could just make one myself.
I leaned over and nudged Tetsuya before asking quietly,
“I heard Inoo-senpai is really good. How good is she?”
“They say she’s at the very top even among all the academies in the country. I heard she’s always considered a favorite to win whenever she enters a tournament.”
“Really? What about Nanase-senpai?”
“I heard Nanase-senpai is good too. Her individual results are solid, but she’s especially amazing in team matches...”
“Thanks for the explanation.”
“No problem.”
While Tetsuya gave an awkward smile and looked forward again,
“Begin!”
Goro’s booming voice rang out.
At the same time, Renka and Chinami shouted their kiai and took their stances.
“Haaap!”
“Yaaah!”
Renka was dignified, while Chinami was cute.
Their kiai suited them perfectly.
I barely managed to suppress the urge to laugh and watched their match while pretending to be nonchalant.
The two of them shuffled their feet and waved their arms as they probed each other.
The first to attempt an attack was
“Meeeeen!”
Chinami, who had taken the jodan stance with her arms raised high above her head.
As she stomped and brought her shinai down, she released the right hand gripping its center and stretched out her left hand.
This increased the shinai’s range, allowing it to target the left side of Renka’s helmet.
Whoosh-!
The shinai came swinging down with such force that it looked as though it would strike Renka’s head.
But then,
“Hup!”
Renka raised her wrist in an instant and held her shinai diagonally, deflecting Chinami’s attack.
Crack-!
The crisp sound of the two shinai colliding marked the beginning of a fierce exchange between them.
“Yah! Men! Men! Meeen!”
Chinami persistently targeted Renka’s head.
She was probably planning to aim elsewhere whenever Renka raised her hands to defend her head, but Renka was so rock-solid that no proper opening appeared.
Renka also couldn’t mount a proper attack because she was busy defending against Chinami’s swift strikes.
Could Chinami possibly possess as much talent as Renka?
Just as I was thinking that,
“Throat!”
Renka’s hands shot forward.
The tip of her shinai extended in the blink of an eye.
It struck the exact center of the men Chinami was wearing, just below it.
Thwack-!
“Ugh!”
When Chinami’s head jerked back from the precise hit to her throat, Goro raised a white flag and shouted,
“Ippon!”
At the same time, the two third-year seniors serving as judges raised white flags.
In kendo, a point is awarded when at least two of the three judges raise flags of the same color.
The unanimously raised white flags were also the color of the ribbon tied behind Renka’s bogu.
“Phew...”
Renka, who had scored the point, steadied her breathing.
She’d been completely focused. That was proof of how impressive Chinami’s offensive was.
Clap, clap, clap-!
The applause of the club members, who had been holding their breath, rang through the clubroom...
Chinami straightened her posture, stood opposite Renka in the center, and bowed.
Goro then shouted,
“Resume!”
The two immediately resumed their exchange.
Unlike the first match, the second ended only after quite a long time had passed.
Smack!
“Ippon!”
The point went to Renka again.
In kendo, which is fought as a best-of-three, losing two points meant the match was decided.
After being struck cleanly by a beautiful counter to the waist, Chinami adorably stomped her feet, faced Renka, crouched into a bow, and withdrew her sword.
“Good work.”
“Good work.”
Although she hadn’t scored a single point, Chinami’s skill was truly impressive.
It became obvious when I watched Renka’s match against the third-year senior who came up next.
“Hiiiyaaaap!!”
The senior charged forward with a bizarre kiai like some wandering samurai,
“Men!”
Smack-!
and Renka exploited the opening to score an ippon with ease...
After five male and female seniors had fallen, no one else stepped forward to challenge Renka.
“Next challenger, raise your hand.”
The clubroom remained silent at Goro’s call.
The members’ refusal to risk embarrassing themselves caused a vein to stand out on Goro’s forehead.
“You lot have no spirit...”
At that moment,
“I’ll give it a try!”
Tetsuya raised his hand.
“Me.”
And me.