Chapter 39 – A Man Like That Is Not Worthy of You, Senpai!!

Shinta headed to the Kendo club’s dojo after leaving the library.

He visited this place for a single reason. He had something he wanted to discuss with Kaoru-senpai. She belonged to this club. He had previously heard the Kendo club’s ending time from her. He figured there was a high chance he could make contact with her after practice around this time.

(Oh, the timing is perfect, isn’t it.)

He approached the dojo. Right then, he encountered the scene of club members filing out. They had presumably finished practice.

Shinta observed the club members leaving one after another from a distance. The figure of his target was not mixed in among the members who had finished exiting the dojo. Kaoru-senpai was nowhere to be seen.

(Is Senpai still left behind in the dojo?)

If that were the case, it was convenient. Shinta had also been hoping to talk in a situation where they were alone without standing out. Having no other club members around was ideal.

He confirmed that the majority of the club members had left. Then, he stepped inside the dojo.

“Excuse m—’Why is that!?’ …Huh?”

An angry shout was loud enough to drown out his greeting. Moreover, it was a voice he recognized.

He secretly peeked at the situation inside from near the entrance. There were two club members remaining. One was his target, Kaoru-senpai. The other was Shinjo Sayaka, the girl who had been treating him with hostility.

(Of all people, she’s here too…? Shit, what a pain in the ass.)

Shinta twisted his expression in annoyance upon confirming Sayaka’s presence.

Actually, the reason he had come all the way to the dojo to see Kaoru-senpai was exactly this. He wanted to talk about Shinjo Sayaka. After all, she had one-sidedly threatened him to stop associating with Kaoru-senpai. He wanted to know exactly what kind of relationship Sayaka had with Senpai. He had been planning to ask her about the situation.

Initially, he had guessed she was just one of Senpai’s passionate fans. The fact that she was wearing a gi and was inside the dojo changed things. It meant she was apparently a member of the Kendo club as well.

“Why do you care so much about a man like that, Senpai!?”

“I’ve told you time and time again, haven’t I? It’s because I genuinely like him.”

“I’m saying that’s what’s crazy! A man like that is not worthy of you, Kaoru-senpai!!”

He had only started listening partway through. At this stage, he grasped the general content of their conversation. Without a doubt, Shinjo already knew that Kaoru-senpai liked him. She found it deplorable and was trying to persuade Senpai to somehow reconsider.

Even he felt hesitant about boldly interrupting right here. He decided to observe their exchange for a little while.

“In the first place, who I fall in love with is my own freedom. To me, you are a cute junior. Don’t you think it’s inappropriate to intrude this far into someone else’s romantic affairs?”

“I’m saying this for your own sake, Kaoru-senpai!”

Sayaka fired back with enough volume to echo throughout the dojo.

Normally, she would never talk back after receiving such a reprimanding remark from the Kaoru-senpai she respected so much. This time alone, she couldn’t stay silent.

“You know the rumors about that man too, right, Senpai!? He’s an absolute scumbag who committed countless evil deeds back in middle school!!”

“…It seems you are viewing him through a somewhat distorted lens.”

Kaoru-senpai’s expression grew slightly stern. She was having her savior and the person she held feelings for insulted.

People who didn’t properly know Shinta all judged him solely based on his past bad reputation. To be honest, that infuriated Kaoru-senpai to no end. From the perspective of someone who had experienced his kindness firsthand, the surrounding evaluations were full of mistakes. Sayaka’s behavior of degrading him right in front of her was intolerable to listen to. Claiming it was “for her sake” only made it worse.

Sayaka paid absolutely no mind to the discomfort of the person in question. Her statements steadily gained heat and eventually worsened into extreme expressions.

“Just associating with trash like that lowers your value, Kaoru-senpai! You’ll be tainted! Please, I’m begging you, open your eyes!!”

Secretly listening to the conversation, Shinta let out a sigh in his heart.

She was saying whatever the hell she wanted just because she thought the guy in question wasn’t around. No, come to think of it, she was exactly like that from their first meeting. At this rate, she wouldn’t be satisfied with just Kaoru-senpai. She was probably spreading words to despise him among her friends and classmates, too.

Well, he was already used to people speaking ill of him. Wondering if his very existence was causing trouble for Kaoru-senpai made him overthink things.

(Maybe liking a guy like me really does bring nothing but disadvantages for Senpai, huh.)

Of course, he had no intention of disregarding the affection directed at him just because someone said a few things. In a certain sense, he was chuckling dryly at the thought that there might be a point to that woman Shinjo’s argument. Suddenly, he felt a chill. It was as if the room temperature inside the dojo had plummeted.

“How about you knock it off.”

“Eh… S-Sen…pai…?”

The blood drained from Sayaka’s face. She had been shouting up until just a moment ago. She lost her words at Kaoru-senpai’s cold expression. It was one she had never seen before.

“Anything more than this is unpleasant. You should stop right about here, you know?”

“I-I was just…”

“To me, Shinta-kun is an emotional pillar. If you intend to rob me of that sanctuary, I will show no mercy.”

Saying that, she thrust the bamboo sword she held in her hand toward Sayaka.

(Those eyes, that’s bad news!?)

Shinta had been hiding up until now. Seeing her eyes, he leapt out.

Those pupils were deeply muddied and murky. They were the exact same eyes she had when she went on a rampage during their sparring session.