Chapter 57
“Strike three, you're out!”
“Great!”
Before I knew it, I clenched my fist and threw a victorious uppercut.
With my heart feeling much lighter, I came down from the mound, and Lia came scampering over, latched onto my back, and giggled.
“Great work, Ace! You were perfect today, too.”
“Perfect, my foot. You worked hard too, Lia.”
A 2–1 score was precariously close, hardly something one could call perfect.
I let out a short sigh as I recalled my final at-bat, when the opposing team's ace had struck me out in spectacular fashion.
“Phew, if I'd only gotten one hit then, we could've taken it easy.”
As the starting pitcher, I'd allowed just one run over eight innings. Objectively speaking, it was by no means a bad performance, but I was a two-way player, both pitching and batting.
When I hung my head over my frankly somewhat embarrassing 0-for-3 record, Lia patted me on the back reassuringly.
“But we still have one more chance at bat. We just need to score one more run next inning and head comfortably into the top of the ninth.”
“Yeah, I hope so.”
I nodded, sighing once again.
By then, we'd reached the dugout. Ms. Justina was already welcoming me with a deeply satisfied smile.
“Great work! That's our team's ace.”
“You're too kind.”
I took off my baseball cap and plopped down in an empty chair.
“So how's Kairos feeling?”
“He says he's feeling great. His pitches looked pretty good, too.”
If our team failed to add any more runs in the bottom of the eighth, it would be entirely up to our next pitcher, Kairos, to preserve this precarious 2–1 lead through the end.
I turned my head slightly and saw Kairos's back in the bullpen way off in the distance as he worked through his final warm-up pitches.
Ms. Justina approached me and asked teasingly.
“What, are you worried Kairos won't be able to do it?”
“Not particularly. He pitched well in Game Two, too.”
Whether thanks to my all-day special coaching or not, Kairos had secured our team's victory two days earlier in Game Two with nearly perfect pitching.
Of course, a pitcher's performance could fluctuate wildly depending on the day's condition, but I still wasn't all that worried.
“Looks like that special coaching you gave him that day really worked, huh?”
“Yeah, I guess….”
“Hehe, I knew my eye for talent never failed me.”
Ms. Justina nodded with an extremely satisfied smile.
I nodded vaguely too and brought my water bottle to my lips.
“So, did you finish preparing that stir-fried spicy pork for Kairos as his reward?”
“Cough… cough!”
I almost spit out the water I was drinking.
While wiping my mouth and staring blankly at Ms. Justina, I watched her clutch her stomach, cackle with laughter, and shrug.
“He seemed so focused, so I asked him what his secret was. And he gave me a very honest answer.”
She then cast a sidelong glance toward Kairos in the bullpen and leaned toward me.
“Speaking of which, where did this sudden stir-fried spicy pork come from?”
“Wh-why? Is there something strange about it?”
“No, it’s just~ I thought it was kind of cute that you were cooking him something as a reward.”
“Ugh….”
This wasn't cute at all. It was a serious problem!
I set down my water bottle, took a deep breath, and answered in as calm a voice as possible.
“It doesn’t mean anything special. Kairos just happened to find out that I like cooking, and I just happened to find out that Kairos likes stir-fried spicy pork.”
“Rene, you liked cooking too?”
“Yeah, I guess… It’s just a hobby, though.”
“Ohh, I see.”
Ms. Justina nodded with a slightly surprised expression.
She soon gave another smirk and continued.
“Could it be that you two have finally started dating, or something….”
“Absolutely not—not ever, ever!”
I frowned in earnest and even waved my hands in denial.
Ms. Justina shrugged and giggled as though she'd been joking from the beginning.
“Well, promising a suitable reward can be a great way to dramatically improve efficiency. Very good thinking, Rene.”
Then Ms. Justina once again gazed fondly toward the bullpen where Kairos was.
After a while, she turned back to me and smiled sweetly.
“Speaking of which, I read a really interesting romance novel the other day.”
“Yes.”
“The male lead confessed like this at the end: ‘From now on, I want to start every morning with the doenjang soup you make.’”
“……?”
I mulled over her words for a moment, then tilted my head slightly.
“That’s a really old-fashioned line.”
Since I had no idea what had happened before or after, I couldn't understand what Ms. Justina was trying to say.
“Really? I thought it was incredibly romantic when I read it.”
“You have a surprisingly girlish sensibility.”
“I’m still in my twenties, you know!”
Ms. Justina cleared her throat with an “ahem,” then suddenly clapped her hands.
“Anyway, from now on, you need to cheer hard too, Rene. Even though you’re the starting pitcher, I won’t go easy on your cheering-attitude score.”
“Yes, yes.”
In any case, everything would be over after just three outs.
I finished the water in my bottle and got to my feet, then moved to the very front of the dugout and quietly watched Kairos practice his pitches on the mound.
‘I’ll make you stir-fried spicy pork as many times as you want, so please, just pitch well.’
All I could do now was pray earnestly.
※※
After the interclass baseball tournament that had seemed so interminable finally ended, a peaceful weekend returned to the hectic Academy.
“……Hmm.”
In the quiet hallway of the private rooms, with no sign of anyone around, an old wooden door marked Room 307 stood firmly closed before me.
The spicy aroma of freshly made stir-fried spicy pork wafted from the lunch bag in my hand.
After hesitating for a long while in front of the door, I eventually let out a small sigh and stepped back.
‘I did come here as promised, but… I’m feeling a little reluctant.’
As expected, the championship game of the baseball tournament a few days ago had ended with a thrilling victory for our Petrus dormitory.
Kairos had taken the mound as the closer to finish the series and ended the game by cleanly retiring all three opposing batters in order, exactly in the form I'd taught him during special training.
So, as I'd promised him several days ago, I had prepared and brought over the best stir-fried spicy pork I'd ever made, but….
‘This is where my body first changed, isn’t it?’
Once I actually arrived here, it felt strange all over again.
I looked around the empty hallway, then let out another deep sigh and leaned my back against the cold window.
‘And I’m supposed to be alone in a room with Kairos….’
The more I thought about it, the more regret began to well up.
Why had I promised to come to his room in the first place? Couldn’t I have just met him in the cafeteria and given it to him there?
I set the neatly wrapped lunchbox of stir-fried spicy pork down on the floor beside me, then plopped down right there in the hallway. Rubbing my face with both hands, I tried to rein in my restless, complicated feelings with positive thoughts.
Creak-
At that very moment, I heard the door open directly in front of me, as if it had read my mind.
“Huh?”
What I heard at the same time was… the all-too-familiar voice I had so desperately wanted to avoid.
Ah, right. The promised time had already passed by a long while. It was about time he started wondering why I hadn’t come.
I lowered my limp hands and raised my head. As expected, Kairos was standing in the doorway, looking down at me with a vacant expression.
“Rene, what are you doing there?”
“……Stretching.”
“Uh… all of a sudden?”
I nodded and stood up as though nothing was wrong.
Yeah, what could possibly go wrong? I forced myself to pull it together, then held out the lunchbox of stir-fried spicy pork toward him.
“Here. I brought it as promised.”
“Ah, yeah. Thanks.”
Kairos nodded and opened the door a little wider.
“Come in. I’ve already set out the utensils.”
Kairos stepped aside slightly as if telling me to come in.
“…….”
I silently nodded and stepped into his room.
“Hmm….”
Kairos seemed somewhat concerned about me after all. He stared down at me for a moment, then tilted his head and closed the door.
“It’s been a while since you came to my room.”
“That’s right. It’s already been two months since you secretly trapped me under your bed.”
“…….”
Kairos froze for a moment.
“Ah… ahaha… R-right. Time really flies.”
He nodded with a genuinely awkward smile.
Kairos's bed looked barely any different from how it had looked the day Rene was trapped there. I felt goosebumps prickling all over me and headed toward the small table, where the utensils had already been neatly set out.
“So what did you do this morning?”
To distract myself from the awkwardness, I tossed out a casual question for no particular reason.
Kairos answered without hesitation, as if relieved.
“I was just reading a book. Waiting for you to come, Rene.”
Kairos quickly sat in the chair. I sat across from him as well.
Then I set the carefully wrapped lunchbox of stir-fried spicy pork on the table and said,
“Any interesting novels?”
“No, I was reading a textbook.”
Kairos nodded lightly, and his gaze soon shifted to the lunchbox on the table.
“Then is it okay if I open it right away?”
“Go ahead. It’s yours now.”
He nodded as if it were only natural.
Kairos unwrapped the lunchbox as though he'd been waiting for this, and an even stronger scent of spicy yet sweet sauce filled the space between us.
“I made it a little spicier this time than the one I taught Christina to make last time. You like spicy food, Kairos.”
“Huh? Did I ever tell you that?”
“No.”
“Then how did you know? That I like spicy food?”
“Just because. I’ve been watching you closely all along.”
I had already figured out that he liked spicy food through that close observation at the very beginning.
But since Christina had said she couldn't eat spicy food at all, I'd had no choice before but to give her a milder recipe suited to her taste.
“I made a few other overall adjustments too, so it’ll definitely taste much better than Christina’s version. Try it.”
Though I spoke in a deliberately indifferent tone, I couldn't help worrying about his objective evaluation of the food.
Pretending not to notice, I glanced at his face—only to meet his eyes as he stared at me with a somewhat foolish expression.
“What’s with that look?”
“Huh? Oh, it’s nothing.”
Kairos hurriedly picked up the chopsticks from the table.
Without the slightest hesitation, he reached toward the stir-fried spicy pork and picked up a large, heaping piece.
“……Gulp.”
For some reason, I found myself nervously watching his mouth.
The red-sauced meat soon went into his mouth, and his jaw began moving slowly and contentedly.
And exactly seven seconds later.
“Wow…! It’s really delicious!!”
An overexcited exclamation burst from his mouth.
At the same time, my own slightly tense heart relaxed all at once.
“Really? Then that’s a relief.”
Feeling a small smile form at the corner of my lips, I turned my head away.
After that, Kairos kept moving his chopsticks frantically, repeating things like “Wow, this is really good!” and “Did you really make this yourself?” like a child, and the generously filled lunchbox of stir-fried spicy pork quickly dwindled before my eyes.
‘He really eats well.’
I suppose anyone who cooks feels the same, but seeing his happy, smiling face as he ate with such relish made me feel pleased too.
As I propped my head on my hand and watched him happily chew his food, Kairos suddenly stopped moving his chopsticks and asked,
“Is there something on my face?”
“No, I just thought you were cute.”
“……Huh?”
“……Huh?”
An odd silence passed between us.
“Uh… thanks?”
Kairos said it with the most awkward expression in the world.
At that exact moment, I suddenly realized what I had just said.
“W-wait!! That was a mistake! I take it back!”
What the hell, what kind of insane thing had I just said? I couldn't believe myself.
But Kairos, as if already satisfied, continued with an unusually bright, radiant smile.
“You’re really cute too, Rene.”
“That’s not what I meant to sayyy!”
What on earth was I thinking just now…?!
It was enough to drive me completely insane.