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 13: I Studied with the Beautiful Junior Manager.

Chapter 13: I Studied with the Beautiful Junior Manager.

“What do you want to do after this?”

“Aren’t you going to do your homework, Senpai?”

“Yeah.”

Kana tilted her head with a slightly troubled expression before turning a pleading gaze toward him.

“Can I do my homework here at your house too, Senpai?”

“Sure, but… why?”

“I can never concentrate when I’m alone. I won’t get in your way.”

“I see. Alright then.”

“Yay!”

Kana did a little happy hop.

Her expressions changed so quickly and dramatically that watching her never got boring.

“Still… you really are tough to beat, Senpai…”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Nothing at all~”

After pouting with clear dissatisfaction for a moment, Kana suddenly softened her lips into a smile, then said, “I’ll go get my homework,” and left the room.

(I don’t really get it, but it’s probably about the game.)

The only remaining question was why she had been so vague about it. Most likely, she just didn’t want to openly admit her frustration.

She was quite the sore loser.

Takumi also retreated to his room once, grabbed his study materials, and returned to the living room.

He usually preferred studying in his own room, but he couldn’t exactly invite Kana into his bedroom, and leaving her alone in the living room didn’t feel right either.

“Sorry to keep you waiti—wah!?”

“Shirayuki!?”

A loud clatter came from the entrance, and Takumi rushed over.

Just as he expected, textbooks and notebooks were scattered all over the floor.

Kana, who had been trying to pick them up, looked up at him with an apologetic smile.

“Sorry. I made a big noise…”

“That’s fine, but are you okay, Shirayuki?”

“Yes. I just dropped them.”

“Good…”

Takumi placed a hand over his chest in relief.

“Be careful, alright? You can be pretty clumsy sometimes, Shirayuki.”

“Senpai, that’s when you’re supposed to say, ‘Your airheaded side is also one of your charming points.’ That’s what wrapping things gently means.”

“I see. You’re pretty airheaded and clumsy, huh, Shirayuki.”

“Straight ball and even sharper than before!? Two strikes, batter out!”

“Too early. You still have one more pitch.”

“Eh, really?”

“Ah, you actually thought that was wrong?”

“Yes.”

Kana nodded with an embarrassed little smile.

“You really are airheaded.”

“Muu… Just watch. From now on, I’m going to be reborn as the ultimate perfect beautiful girl!”

“Yeah, good luck with that.”

Takumi casually brushed off Kana’s dramatic declaration, complete with her pointing finger.

He carried the books he had picked up under his arm and returned to the living room.

“That was such a cold response! But I like it!”

“Anywhere specific you want to study?”

“Nope, anywhere is fine.”

“Then how about the dining table together? The sofa might make us too lazy.”

“Okay!”

Kana answered with the energetic cheer of an elementary schooler.

They placed the textbooks and notebooks they had just gathered onto the table.

Kana gave a small polite bow. “Thank you very much.”

About fifty minutes into studying, Takumi stopped writing.

When working efficiently, breaks were the most important part.

Whether by coincidence or on purpose, Kana also put down her pen at almost the exact same moment.

“Ugh… I’m tired~ Senpai, want to take a break and play one match?”

“No.”

She definitely planned that.

“Ehh, why not?”

“Because it won’t actually be a break. Things like smartphones and games are the worst things to do during a break.”

“Really?”

“Don’t you feel even more exhausted and unmotivated after doing them?”

“I do.”

Kana answered instantly.

“That’s what I mean.”

“Ehh, then what should I do?”

“Probably best to do nothing at all. Meditation is supposed to be good. Just take deep breaths and focus only on your breathing. In through the nose, out through the mouth.”

Takumi shared the knowledge he had picked up from YouTube.

“Hmm, that sounds kind of difficult.”

“It’s not that bad. At first, random thoughts will keep popping up, but you just gently bring your focus back to your breathing. Want to try it once?”

“Yes.”

Takumi led Kana to the sofa and sat down beside her.

“Get into a comfortable position and close your eyes or focus on a single point. Let’s try for about three minutes first.”

“Got it.”

Takumi had been practicing meditation for over half a year, so it felt natural to him.

The timer beeped, signaling that three minutes had passed.

“How was it?”

“I do feel a bit clearer, but it’s pretty hard. Random thoughts kept coming up right away. Were you able to stay focused the whole time, Senpai?”

“Nah, I end up thinking about completely unrelated stuff too.”

“Eh? What were you thinking about just now?”

Kana leaned forward eagerly.

“Some scene from the game earlier. Like, ‘I could’ve done that differently.’”

“Mmm… You really are a soccer idiot, as always.”

Kana wore a clearly displeased expression.

“I don’t want to hear that from you. And why do you look so unhappy?”

“No reason~”

What is it now? Takumi tilted his head, but if Kana didn’t want to say, he figured it was better not to press.

“What about you, Shirayuki?”

“Only one thing kept floating through my head the whole time. I just couldn’t stop thinking about it.”

“What?”

“I was wondering what color Senpai’s panties are today.”

“You sound like a middle school boy.”

Takumi couldn’t help but retort.

“Eh? You used to think about stuff like that in middle school? Like, ‘I wonder what color that girl’s panties are~’?”

“You seem plenty relaxed now, so let’s get back to studying.”

“Yeees.”

Kana obediently returned to the dining table.

She sometimes clung to him or acted spoiled, but only because she judged it was okay to do so.

She was good at reading the room, so Takumi had never once felt uncomfortable being around her.

After studying together for a total of about two hours, Kana began preparing to leave.

Though “preparing” mostly just meant stuffing her study materials back into her bag.

“Thank you so much for today. It feels like I actually studied properly for the first time in a while.”

“Feels good, right?”

“It’s frustrating, though.”

“Why?”

Takumi laughed.

“If you don’t mind, can I come over to study again sometime?”

“Sure.”

When studying with friends, it was easy to end up just chatting.

Kana couldn’t maintain focus as long as he could, but she never actually disturbed him, so there was zero downside to studying together.

In fact, the subtle pressure of not wanting to show her lazy side made him feel like he could concentrate even better than usual.

“Alright, thank you! See you later~”

“Yeah, see you.”

“Yes! …Oh, right, Senpai!”

Kana poked just her face back through the gap in the door.

She was grinning mischievously.

“Something good is going to happen in a few days, so look forward to it, okay~!”

Before he could ask what she meant, Kana had already vanished.

“…What was that about?”

Takumi stood in front of the closed metal door, tilting his head in confusion.

He thought about it for a moment but couldn’t figure it out, so he decided it would make sense in a few days and let the thought go.

A few minutes later, a message from Kana arrived: ‘Please feel free to think about it as much as you like.’

He replied, ‘I was worrying about whether to eat the last snack when everyone’s having a meal together, but I still couldn’t figure it out.’

‘I’d eat it without hesitation~’

Along with the reply came a stamp of her grinning slyly while wearing black sunglasses.

Takumi’s lips softened into a smile. How very like her—bright, innocent, and full of life.