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 14: The Third-String Captain Gave Me a Smug Grin.

“I’m Shirayuki Kana, a first-year. I’ll be with you for the next three days—please take care of me!”

Seeing Kana bow with that bright smile, Takumi finally understood what she had meant by “something good.”

At Sakura High School’s soccer club, they occasionally swapped players and managers between categories for a few days.

It was meant to bring fresh stimulation to the team.

The members chosen for the exchange were selected regardless of skill level.

This time, Kana had come over in exchange with a second-year manager.

There were also player swaps happening, with some second-string players joining them.

For the third-string members, it was a perfect opportunity to see a higher level of play and measure their own abilities against it.

However, with the exception of a few, the attention of most club members wasn’t on the second-string players at all.

It was fixed squarely on Kana.

Not because she was an outstanding manager who loved soccer enough to neglect her studies.

No—they were captivated by her idol-level beauty and her model-like, voluptuous figure.

Every one of them had the same slack-jawed, lovestruck expression.

A flower that normally bloomed far beyond their reach was suddenly right in front of them. It was only natural that they couldn’t help but be conscious of her.

Even though he understood it in his head, Takumi still felt a faint displeasure.

(She’s probably not getting the proper respect she deserves as a manager… but that’s just my selfish ego talking. I need to keep it in check.)

With that thought, Takumi forced himself to switch focus, but the ever-observant Kana seemed to have noticed the slight change in his mood.

“Senpai… is something wrong?”

During a break in practice while they were rehydrating, Kana asked with a worried look.

“What do you mean?”

“Well… you just seemed a little prickly…”

It looked less like simple worry and more like unease.

“I’m totally fine. More importantly, are you okay, Shirayuki?”

“Eh? Yes… Ah, wait—Senpai, were you worried about me?”

“Well… yeah.”

Aware that he was being meddlesome, Takumi gave a vague affirmation.

Kana’s dark expression instantly flipped into a mischievous grin.

“I see, I see~ Thank you! But I’m completely fine. If Senpai is worried about me, that alone gives me the strength of a million people!”

“I’m honored.”

“Yes! So please don’t worry about me and just focus on your practice.”

“Got it.”

Kana had returned to her usual bright smile.

She didn’t seem to be forcing it at all.

“Hey, Kisaragi! Quit slacking off!”

A sharp yell came from Captain Takeoka.

He was even more fired up than usual, and the glare he directed at Takumi carried even stronger hostility.

There was no doubt it was because of Kana.

Takeoka was one of the many club members who had been drooling over her.

A few days ago, he had even aggressively hit on her at school.

He probably wanted to look cool in front of the girl he liked, and seeing her laughing with Takumi must have rubbed him the wrong way.

Still, it was true that they couldn’t keep talking forever.

“Thanks for worrying about me, Shirayuki.”

“Not at all~ The feeling is mutual!”

“Oh, and one more thing.”

“Yes?”

“I know full well that you’re on the second string because of your actual ability, not just your looks.”

“…!”

The moment Takumi returned to practice, several sharp gazes pierced into him from the other members besides Takeoka.

They didn’t carry the same level of malice as Takeoka’s, but it was clear that every one of them was burning with jealousy.

(We were just talking normally… Is it really that enviable?)

Takumi felt exasperated. Men’s hearts really are fickle like the autumn sky.

He was already focused on practice, so he didn’t notice.

He didn’t see how Kana’s lips had softened into a wide, satisfied smile after his last words.

Or how the quality of her smile changed only when she spoke with him.

“Senpai. That pass earlier—you were trying to calm the team down, right?”

During a break in the mini-game, Kana asked Takumi.

It wasn’t a question meant only for him; she was the type who actively communicated with the players.

Sometimes it felt like she was pushing herself, but because Kana was skilled at giving genuine praise, the morale of the club members was clearly rising.

Since unnecessarily dampening their motivation would be counterproductive, Takumi chose not to say anything about it.

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Why? In that situation, wouldn’t a quick counterattack have been better?”

“You’re right, that was definitely an option. But at that moment—”

Takumi explained his reasoning.

Kana listened with a serious expression, her eyes sparkling as she nodded eagerly.

“So that’s why—”

“Hey, Kana! Come here for a sec!”

“Ah, yeees… Thank you, Senpai.”

“Sure.”

After bowing politely to Takumi, Kana briefly showed an expression that was both reluctant and irritated.

But it lasted only a split second.

She immediately switched back to her usual smile and walked over to Takeoka, who had called her.

“What is it, Takeoka-senpai?”

“What did you think of my goal just now, Kana?”

(Huh? That’s it?)

Kana desperately held back the urge to click her tongue.

“…It was incredibly powerful. If you hit it low at that speed, the keeper wouldn’t have been able to do anything about it.”

“Exactly. Of course power is important for a shot like that, but the technique of the kick is what really matters. If you can’t do that, it means your fundamentals are lacking.”

“I see! So basics really are the most important thing.”

“Yeah. Fancy techniques don’t mean anything. They might work by chance, but if you want to perform in real matches, it all comes down to fundamental ability—both technical and physical.”

Takeoka’s face was overflowing with smug pride. He shot Takumi a triumphant grin.

He was either simply bragging about getting to talk to Kana, or he was trying to say that someone without solid basics and physical ability had no chance of playing in matches. Probably both.

The look wasn’t pleasant for Takumi, but for Takeoka, it was fortunate that Takumi was the one he was staring at.

Because he never noticed the glare Kana was giving him—one filled with anger, or perhaps even hatred.

By the time Takeoka looked back at her, Kana had already returned to her usual cheerful smile.

The change had been truly instantaneous. From the angle, probably no one except Takumi had noticed.

“…That’s the first time I’ve seen it. Kana-chan making a face like that.”

“Aizawa-senpai.”

Correction. The third-year manager standing near Takumi, Reiko, had apparently noticed.

“To make a girl who never stops smiling during club activities show an expression like that… Takeoka’s really something.”

“It’s not something I can admire, though.”

“Yeah, true.”

After softening her lips in a faint smile, Reiko turned to Takumi with a serious expression.

“Don’t worry. The current you will definitely be able to hold your own in matches.”