Kicked Out of the Bottom Soccer Team, I Found My Strength Thanks to My Beautiful Junior Manager. What Began as a Simple Act of Kindness Turned into Her Coming Over Every Day.

Chapter 11: I Ended Up Embracing My Beautiful Junior Manager.

Takumi opened the refrigerator and took out a plastic bottle of water. It was the two-liter bottle of natural spring water he had bought at the supermarket earlier.

“Shirayuki, would you like something to drink too?”

“I’m fine. I still have some of the one I bought this morning.”

“Got it.”

He poured a glass for himself, took a sip, and returned to the living room.

“You know, Senpai, you’re surprisingly good at being a senpai.”

“Really? Earlier Aizawa-senpai told me I was surprisingly good at being a kouhai.”

“You met her at the supermarket?”

“Yeah.”

“And you went shopping together?”

“Yeah.”

“…I see…”

Kana let out a long, pointed sniff.

“Shirayuki?”

“This is terrible, Senpai! Even though you have me, you went on a shopping date with Reiko-senpai…!”

Faced with her dramatically exaggerated complaint, Takumi gave a wry smile and began stretching.

“…Senpai, isn’t this honestly pretty awful?”

“Not at all.”

“It is!”

Pouting, Kana circled behind him and gently placed her hands on his back while he stretched.

“I’ll help you.”

“Really? Then I’ll take you up on that.”

“Leave it to me… Is this about right?”

Kana leaned her weight against him.

“Feels good. Can you press a little harder?”

“Understood… You’re still so flexible, as always.”

“Well, I never skip my post-bath stretches.”

“As expected of you. I’m sure all that steady effort is what led to today’s success.”

“…Thanks.”

Takumi let the quiet word slip out.

The gentle warmth spreading through his chest wasn’t just because he had recently gotten out of the bath.

“Hey, Senpai. Can I ask you more about the practice session?”

“Sure. I was actually hoping to talk to you about it too, Shirayuki.”

He began recounting the flow of the plays and the sensations he had felt, one by one. Kana listened with sincere nods, her attention completely focused on his words.

“…And in the end, I used my teammate as a decoy and managed to score.”

“Wow, that’s perfect! —Senpai!”

Kana stepped in front of him and raised her palm.

He realized she was asking for a high-five.

The moment Takumi extended his hand—

“Wah!”

Kana’s overly enthusiastic swing caused her body to lurch forward.

“Shirayuki!”

(Whoa…)

Because he caught her in an embrace to steady her, the warmth and softness of her body pressed directly against him.

Not only that, a refreshing yet faintly sweet scent tickled his nose.

(This is bad…!)

After helping her regain her balance, Takumi quickly pulled his body away.

“S-Sorry! I got a little carried away with the momentum…”

“No, my reaction was too slow. You’re not hurt, are you?”

“N-No, I’m fine. Thank you…”

Kana’s cheeks flushed bright red as she nodded, her voice barely above a whisper.

(…Even if it was an accident, this is awkward.)

To dispel the uncomfortable atmosphere, Takumi held out his hand again.

“…For now, how about a normal high-five?”

“Y-Yes, let’s do that!”

Kana agreed with exaggerated enthusiasm. This time, both of them brought their palms together at a perfectly ordinary speed.

“I’m glad you’re okay, but… why did you put so much force into it earlier?”

“Um… this is embarrassing, but I got a little too excited…”

“Fufu.”

“D-Don’t laugh!”

Even as she protested, Kana quickly looked away and pouted.

“Geez… you’ve thrown me completely off balance.”

“Ahaha, sorry. I made you ‘bisho-hara’ again, huh?”

“Eh…? Y-Yes! It’s totally bisho-hara!”

“You forgot what it meant, didn’t you?”

“……N-No way.”

There was a noticeable pause before her reply. It seemed he had hit the nail on the head.

“Bisho-hara” was a term Kana had coined that very morning—an abbreviation for “beautiful girl harassment.” She had proudly explained it as the act of embarrassing a beautiful girl for one’s own pleasure, but it appeared the definition had already slipped from her mind.

“You had the face of someone desperately trying to remember just now.”

“It’s your imagination. How could I forget something that counts as harassment even worse than mata-hara? No way~”

Kana slapped his back repeatedly. Takumi could only smile wryly.

“Fine, I’ll let you have that one.”

“Muu… You’re as sadistic as ever… By the way, Senpai, what does ‘mata-hara’ actually mean? Is it when someone touches your crotch?”

“That’s already straight-up sexual harassment. No, mata-hara means maternity harassment—unfair treatment or harassment in the workplace related to pregnancy, childbirth, or childcare.”

“I see. So if I were pregnant and you forced me to carry a heavy load, that would be mata-hara?”

“Well, logically speaking, yes… but that example is pretty bad for a student. Make sure you use proper contraception, okay?”

“Senpai, doesn’t that count as sexual harassment?”

“…You’re right. Sorry. That was inappropriate.”

Takumi hurriedly lowered his head. No matter who had started the conversation, letting his guard down like that had been careless.

Kana shrugged her shoulders and laughed.

“Honestly, Senpai, you’re such a handful. As a special favor, I, Kana-sama, shall graciously forgive you… But as punishment, you have to play games with me.”

With a playful tone, she glanced up at him shyly, as if gauging his reaction.

(…Well, why not.)

He had originally planned to do homework, but this was his own fault for slipping up.

(Compared to her, my own skills as a senpai still have a long way to go.)

Takumi smiled bitterly to himself and nodded.

“Alright. I’ll accept my punishment obediently.”

“Yes!”

Kana bounced with joy, practically jumping up and down.

(…She really did want to play games that badly.)

A warm, almost endearing feeling washed over him—the same kind one gets when watching a kindergarten child playing tag with all their might.

“Want to play on the smartphone?”

“No, since we have the chance, let’s use that!”