Chinami Was Soft

Everyone I'd sparred with accepted my apology with a smile.

My unusually calm yet earnest tone, and the way I admitted my mistake without bruising their pride, had done the trick.

The skill gap had been enormous to begin with, and my recent reputation for turning over a new leaf had helped a lot, so I got through the sparring incident without further trouble.

After heading to the storage room with Chinami, whose usual mild expression had returned, I flashed her a grin.

“Are we good now?”

“Yes. You did very well.”

“Then can I touch your cheeks?”

“.... Excuse me?”

Chinami's mouth fell open.

She looked completely dumbfounded...