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Chapter 31 – The Sports Festival and the Odd-Jobber and the Staying Over (4)
I finished the odd jobs at the Student Council Room as per usual, and headed to the 2nd gymnasium.
Junya desperately tried to detain me while crying crocodile tears a number of times initially, but as Takayanagi readied Choke Sleeper or Lariat each time, recently he’s finally sending me off to the gymnasium obediently.
While the 2nd gymnasium is smaller than the 1st gymnasium, there’s more than enough space for volleyball practice.
Over there was Soutarou, whose club activities had already ended. Soutarou who smoothly wore a russet jersey was carrying out attack practices using the wall. Ear-splitting sounds were coming from the wall. It clearly conveys how tremendous the might of his attacks are.
“Soutarou, I’ve kept you waiting.”
“Wun, my club activities were just about over. Well done for your hard work.”
Carrying a ball, he approached with a broad smile.
‘Well done for your hard work’? Are you my spouse! It’s because he’s like that that Kaname calls him my wife and so forth. Well, it isn’t unpleasant to have one’s hard work recognized.
“Then, shall we begin practice now?”
“Yeah, sorry to make you tag along everyday.”
“It’s alright~. It’s because I want to tag along in Mako’s practice.”
Taking off my blazer and leaving it at the periphery of the gymnasium, I stretched my body. I also left my enamel bag by the blazer.
You may be thinking “Go change into gym clothes!”, but the amount of time the school arranged for Ballgame Tournament practices is a mere 60 minutes. Club activities ends at 7pm, and 8pm is already the school’s closing time.
Soutarou and I gather here like this to practise whenever we don’t have class practice.
“Well then, I’ll throw so Mako return it here okay.”
“Okay.”
It’s already the 5th time I practised with Soutarou.
I feel bad having Soutarou tag along each and every time, however it should be fine since he’s okay with it.
The ball Soutarou threw drew a beautiful arch as it came towards me. I took a stance to catch the ball and retreated bit by bit. The speed of the ball’s slow, so if it’s this much, even I who’s lousy at ballgames should be able to receive it――……
“Ugh!”
“Uwah, Mako! Are you okay?”
I splendidly caught the ball with my face and got my nose hit just like how it goes in anime and manga. With this, the failures of catching the ball with my face has crossed the 2-digits threshold. My flat nose will become even flatter.
I held my nose and crouched down. My nose stings.
I’m so pathetic I feel crying. Despite having him tag along so frequently, my volleyball skills are as you can see.
Soutarou rushed towards me, and before I who was crouching down, he similarly crouched down, peeping at my face.
“Mako, I’m sorry. Are you okay?”
“No…… Soutarou didn’t do anything wrong. I’m just fed up with my slow reflexes.”
Not being able to even catch a ball despite this much practice, I’m completely athletes-inept. Without a doubt, a ballgame incompetent. This ballgame incompetency is probably not at a level where something can be done about it just by practising.
What should I do? At this rate I’ll be dragging everyone down again.
“Mako doesn’t have slow reflexes. After all, apart from ballgames, you fare satisfactory right?”
“Ballgames have something against me……”
“Gee, don’t get negative, I say. Mako’s a capable person right?”
It’s as Soutarou says, apart from ballgames, I fare satisfactory. From swimming to track-and-field events, even my studies are satisfactory. I’m a man who can brag about faring satisfactory at anything and everything.
However, my lack of ability for ballgames, music and arts is catastrophic. Ballgames are as you can see; I’m inept at it, and my drawings are avant-garde. Just this, no matter how much I practice I accumulate, I can never overcome.
I spiritlessly drew the の character on the floor.
I’m already a hopeless case. Even though I don’t want anything more expected of me with regards to ballgames, I’ve no choice but to appear in the Ballgame Tournament.
There’s no more time already; I’ve to work hard. Even if I don’t contribute, somehow or other I’ve to reach a level where I don’t drag them down.
“Alright! I’ll work hard.”
I stood upright, clenching my fist.
“Then Mako, I’m throwing it again.”
“Alright! Bring it on!”
While it’s a straightforward practice of, me simply repeatedly catching the balls Soutarou throw, somehow it’s a considerably difficult exercise for the ballgame incompetent me. It’s a degree of incompetency whereby I can only catch about half of 10 balls thrown even though they were thrown lightly.
I think I was slightly better when I was female, though.
“Hey, Sakurai-kun, Tsubaki-kun, it’s time to go home.”
“Ah, Yurino-sensei. I apologise, we’ll go back soon.”
It seems like it’s already passed 8pm. The outside of the window was already pitch-black before I knew it.
Yurino-sensei entered the gymnasium, picking up the volleyballs that were scattered around.
“My, I see you’ve been practising hard. That’s admirable.”
“….. That’s ‘cos I’m, ridiculously inept at ballgames.”
“My, Sakurai-kun looks skillful so that’s unexpected. If you’re fine with it, I can teach you~”
I fixed my neck tie and put on my blazer in preparation to go home.
“Can sensei do sports?”
This might not be the best thing to put into words, but Yurino-sensei has an incredibly sluggish image.
Be it his way of speaking or how he moves, they’re all leisurely.
“Snap…… I’m angry right now you know ~. I may look like this, but I was part of Track-and-Field Club in my student days, and appeared in prefecture-level competitions for 100-meter dash and high jump, alright ~?”
“Ohh, that’s amazing, sensei.”
The obedient Soutarou grinned, answering as though he was impressed.
“I, too, would love to see it if it’s that amazing.”
“That’s not possible ~. The current me is already at this age, so I’ve been careful not to overdo it. My back will be done in.”
Certainly, according to the official profile, Yurino-sensei should be about 10 years older than Subaru and us, so I understand he’s still at the second half of his 20s. I thought the second half of one’s 20s still counts as a man’s prime, but I wonder if I’m wrong?
“Leave me aside aside, c’mon c’mon go home go home ~. I’ll do the locking up ~. Leave the tidying to me, hurry up and go hom~e.”
Yurino-sensei spoke to us kindly like a kindergarten caretaker while picking up the balls.
“Yes, sensei. Then, Soutarou, get changed and let’s go back.”
“Un, mind if we drop by the Basketball Clubroom then?”
“Ok. Well then, sensei, goodbye~”
Lifting up the enamel bag, I slung it on my shoulder.
“Hai hai~, see you tomorrow. It’s already dark so take care on your way home okay~”
Bidding Yurino-sensei farewell, along with Soutarou I headed for the old school building where clubrooms and so on are located. Undeviatingly walking to the old school building from the gymnasium, I stopped in front of the Basketball Club that was within.
“I’ll be waiting here, so hurry up and get changed inside alright.”
“Why? Come in too, Mako. It’s warm there right. There’s fans inside so it’s cooler too.”
“No, but……”
Soutarou pulled my hand.
Anyhow, being alone with a guy and furthermore the other party will be changing directly before my eyes. That’s a situation where I can’t complain even if this or that are done to me.
I’ll laugh thinking she holds too little sense of danger if a girl leaves herself in such a situation.
That’s precisely my current situation though!
Losing to Soutarou’s gentle but pushy arm-pulling, I was stuffed into the clubroom before I could even let out a sound of surprise.
As the clubroom is about half the size of a classroom, things like lockers and fans were crammed up in there. Should I say a little, no, there’s a fair amount of male odor. While it seems they were at least mindful of it since there’s a whiff of air-freshener, it still stinks of men.
Soutarou took off the Izumino Gakuen Basketball Club’s T-shirt through his head by tugging the collar. As expected of Soutarou. One can tell he has a muscular built even from the side. His dorsal muscles are beautiful, and his chest is also thick huh. His body holds a different kind of beauty from the Prince’s.
Anyhow, Mitsuki’s thin waist, needy chest and full thighs are considerably cute. The white skin that peeks out in the area between her pleated skirt and navy blue socks is again, sexy. My heart throbbed even though I’m female.
Having put on his dress shirt, this time it’s his slacks. As expected I doubt I should stare at someone else’s underpants, so I took a seat on the chair and looked in the direction the sun rises.
At the end of my line of sight stretched a gravure poster of the recently popular idol group. If I’m not wrong, it’s an idol group called Bakumatsu Shishi Girls, and this girl is the center[1], Sakamoto Ryou, was it?
Sakamoto Ryou wore a frilly pink swimsuit that emphasized her chest as she looked here provocatively. I see. Not bad. It’s not bad but I’m part of the flat-chested faction, and if it’s the Bakumatsu Shishi Girl group, I’m in the Katsura Koharu faction. She’s cute; her face and eyes are huge and like a small animal’s, and she’s also an imouto character.
“Could it be Mako likes Sakamoto Ryou?”
“Nope, I’m the Katsura Koharu faction. What about Soutarou?”
“Me? I’m, let’s see. Takasugi Sakura I guessー”
Takasugi sports a short haircut and is boyish, a character who addresses herself as ‘boku’[2].
Does Soutarou like boyish, lively girls? Let’s use this as reference if Mitsuki comes to capture Soutarou. Mitsuki using ‘boku’ as her first-person pronoun would be so rousing[3]……!
Being convinced on my own, I turned towards Soutarou. While he had his trousers on, it wasn’t zipped, and the buttons of his dress shirt were in an unfastened state. Start a conversation after wearing your clothes properly. I can see your orange boxers you know.
“More importantly, hurry up and get changed. You’re too bared.”
“Aren’t you the same, Mako?”
After putting his own clothes in order, Soutarou placed his hands on my shirt and fastened the first button without my consent. He also properly tightened my necktie in passing. Despite me being the type who doesn’t properly tightens his tie, my tie was tightened properly as though in harassment.
“Soutarou, it’s uncomfortable.”
“Oy, you can’t~. That’ll be unbecoming right.”
Soutarou tightened my necktie when I tried to loosen it.
Certainly, be it high school boys or high school girls, it’s more fashionable to wear the uniform properly, and I think it’s lame to needlessly dress untidily.
However isn’t it fine to close one eye for this level of untidiness if it’s just loosening the necktie? I’m not wearing my pants at my hips[4] and I’m wearing both my dress shirts and slacks properly. Even my hair’s black and properly trimmed. I don’t put on perfume, nor use so much hair gel that it gets all sticky.
My outer appearance is satisfactorily a honour student’s, I believe.
“Let’s go back now since you’re changed.”
Opening the clubroom door, outside was a pitch darkness.
The current time was passed 8.20pm. It was long passed the time the lights were turned off, so it’s natural that it’s pitch-black.
I was going to exit the clubroom without much thought, but Soutarou pulled my school uniform.
Yank, I inclined backwards, almost falling down. “What are you doing!” I thought, but turning back, I saw a frightened Soutarou grasping the hem of my clothes.
His expression was unchanged; the same as usual, but with a smile he stiffened. Furthermore he was, tremble tremble, quivering as he grabbed my arm and hid behind me.
Ah come to think of it, this doggy’s scared of the school when it’s dark, was it. He was also pretty frightened during a certain kimodameshi huh.
“…… . Sorry for being so pathetic every time, Mako.”
“It’s ok, besides, I know Soutarou’s scared of the school when it’s dark. I’ll bring you out properly, so close your eyes.”
I took Soutarou’s hand and quietly gripped it, continuously pulling that hand as I guided him on the way to the main gate. The pitch-black corridor was, even to me, a path hard to navigate. Moreover, I’m bringing a huge dog behind me.
However, as thanks for teaching me volleyball, let’s properly bring him out of the school.
[1] Center: A prominent position in the group. Bakumatsu Shishi Girls is also mentioned in the author’s other work, Takamura-kun is Cursed.
[2] 僕っ娘 Boku musume: slang for females who address themselves with ‘boku’. ‘Boku’ is typically only used by males, so it can be considered tomboyish for a girl to address herself as such.
[3] 萌え Moe
[4] Koshipan: lit. hip pan(ts). Slang for Sagging, or the fashion of wearing one’s pants low.
Aaah, these updates always heal me~. Thanks for the chapter!