A Case in Which My House Is a Gathering Place for Girls - Chapter 19: Being Alone Together in an Empty Clubroom... Is So Thrilling

As soon as I asked, Asakura started running like a rabbit. She accelerated to top speed instantly, like a sudden gust of wind. Witnessing the sprint of a gem from Japan’s women’s track and field world made me want to sigh in admiration, but I couldn’t afford to let her leave me behind.

“Wait a minute, Asakura! Tell me the answer!”

“─Wha!? How can you catch up to me!?”

I asked again while sticking close behind her. Asakura was surprised that I managed to keep pace as she shot back with her own question and her voice mixed with astonishment.

“Asakura is indeed fast, but compared to when I chased a bear… you know?”

“Chase by a bear? What the hell are you talking about!?”

“It’s just the way it is…”

Back in the day, I got separated from my grandfather when we were up in the mountains. It was already nerve-wracking, but bad luck seemed to pile up that day, and I ended up face-to-face with a bear.

If it had been that honey-loving, yellow bear from cartoons, maybe we could’ve been friends. Unfortunately, real-life bears are the exact opposite. I had to play a life-or-death game of tag because of that.

“Hey, how long are you going to chase me? And what’s with your endless stamina!?”

“I trained in the mountains. But more importantly, just stop already!”

I shifted gears and reached out and grabbed Asakura’s shoulder to force her to a stop. Her body jolted in surprise. I silently apologized for touching her suddenly, but this time, I asked her again.

“Doesn’t your leg really feel uncomfortable?”

“…What makes you think so?”

“I saw you stretching your legs after endurance runs. And during lateral steps, it looked like you weren’t able to brace properly.”

Stretching or paying attention to your legs after running isn’t unusual. But back then, Asakura had an expression like she was struggling with something.

Even minor issues can turn into serious problems if left unattended. That’s why I wanted to check. Even if it meant being labeled as the weirdo who grabbed her shoulder based on some misunderstanding.

“I have a strange feeling of strangeness… Haa. My thighs have been feeling a bit tight recently.”

Asakura murmured hesitantly as if she had given in to my persistence. Should I feel glad I was right, or frustrated that she hadn’t told anyone and left it alone?

“As expected… you’re been taking good care of yourself after practice, right?”

“Of course. I’ll do as much as I can.”

Asakura looked down apologetically as she spoke. The one standing before me wasn’t the top athlete, a candidate for Olympic gold medalist, but an ordinary girl afraid of being scolded.

“If that’s the case, I’d like to ask you a favor─would you let me take care of Asakura-san’s body?”

“…Yes?”

Asakura froze and her face was blank with confusion. It was only natural. Though we were classmates, this was our first proper conversation since entering school. To suddenly get such an outlandish proposal from a guy with no sense of subtlety. She had every reason to be bewildered.

“I swear, I have no ulterior motives, and I won’t do anything weird. It’s just a straightforward massage.”

“…Can you even do that? You, who are not even in club activities and have no connection with athletes. How could you take care of me?”

“I am confident. I studied the human body on my own for my grandfather’s sake, and I’ve learned a lot from an acquaintance who’s a chiropractor. So I think I know a little bit more about it.”

My grandfather is well into his seventies and still goes into the mountains as an active hunter. He always says he’s able to stay active because he’s been meticulous about maintaining his body since he was young.

“I understand why you don’t want to be touched by a man you don’t really know. So you can say no. But if you do, please don’t just leave it untreated.”

As I spoke, I bowed.

Asakura’s body is still developing, yet she’s performing at a top level in Japan. It’s like putting a sports car engine into a compact car. At this rate, it wouldn’t be surprising if she broke down. And once broken, recovery would be nearly impossible.

“…I see. If you’re going that far, I’ll let you. So raise your head.”

Asakura sighed and shrugged her shoulders as if she had surrendered.

“Are you sure about this, Asakura?”

“If someone randomly says, ‘Let me take care of your legs!’ anyone would think it’s creepy. People would normally be completely freaked out.”

“Well… Yeah, that’s true.”

It was only now that I realized I’d done something impulsive, like how Kanna would jump into a fountain on a whim. I felt a pang of regret as I reflected on my actions.

“This is something I hadn’t told anyone and the fact that you noticed the discomfort in my legs is undeniable. Just know that if you try anything weird, I’ll punch you and hand you over to the police.”

“I swear I’ll never do such a thing.”

“Hehe… I’ll take your word for it. Then follow me.”

We entered the girls’ track-and-field clubroom with Asakura leading the way. The room was surprisingly spacious, equipped with stretching mats and other items, though there were no training machines. It looked like a good place to lie down and give a proper massage.

“You know, if you think about it calmly, bringing a guy into an empty clubroom during lunch is kind of indecent, isn’t it?”

Asakura spread out a mat on the floor with an oddly mischievous smile. After sternly warning me not to try anything strange, was she now entertaining inappropriate thoughts herself? Either way, I wasn’t the type to let the situation sway me.

“Setting right after physical education class makes it even better. The way the gym uniform almost turns see-through with sweat is just so tempting!”

“…”

An alarm blared in my head and was screaming, run away now! I’d thought she was a cool, stoic athlete, but it turned out her mind was a field of flowers, and painted entirely pink.

“Well. I somehow laid the mat. What should I do next?”

“W-well, then, can you lie face down on it? I’ll start by palpating to check your condition.”

“The palpation… Hehe, that sounds good. This is getting exciting. Be gentle with me, Itsuki.”

Asakura whispered in a charming voice that did not seem to be the same person who earlier warned me about turning me over to the police.

I took a deep breath before reaching out to touch Asakura’s vulnerable body to hide my nervousness.

“…Aah, angh!”

A sweet, electric sound escaped Asakura’s lips, like a current running down her spine. I locked away the rising turmoil in my heart and focused all my attention on caring for her body with pure intent.

In the end, I spent almost the entire lunch break giving her a massage. There were moments when Asakura’s sensual and provocative behavior nearly obliterated my self-control, but thankfully, the ringing of the bell saved me.

“Wow! My legs are lighter like magic!”

She was very happy as she bounced, jumped, and did high-knees right on the spot. Each motion caused her fruit to jiggle, so I quickly averted my gaze.

“But this is only a temporary measure. You should really take stretching more seriously after practice.”

“Yeah… I’ll think about it. Thank you, Itsuki.”

“I can’t let a national treasure like you get injured. Anyway, we’d better hurry and get changed, or we’ll be late for afternoon classes.”

The bell had rung that there were ten minutes left of lunch break. Skipping lunch seemed inevitable, but at least we needed to change clothes.

“Attending class in our tracksuits isn’t the worst, but if the two of us show up together, it might spark some weird rumors.”

“Yeah, I’d rather avoid that.”

I couldn’t help but imagine how Kanna would react if that happened. Even if she behaved calmly in the classroom, I didn’t even want to think about what she might do if she came over to my place.

“Hehe. Then let’s hurry back so that Itsuki won’t get in trouble. This must allow us to enter the classroom by the hour.”

“Alright. If we go in together, it could lead to misunderstanding.”

With such light talk, Asakura and I hurriedly left the club room and managed to return to the classroom before the class began after changing clothes.

I saw a lot of messages from Kanna when I checked my phone and each one was more intense than the last. She gave me a glare that could melt steel, but I had expected that. What I hadn’t expected was—

“Isn’t Asakura acting strange?”

“Her expression looks unusually refreshed. Did something good happen?”

“Her face looks almost… melted, or like she’s got more lustful than usual.”

Our classmates noticed the change in Asakura and wondered what had happened during lunch break.