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 16: The Irritated Third-String Captain.

Chapter 16: The Irritated Third-String Captain.

The club members and managers bustled about, hurriedly cleaning up after practice.

Yet there was one person who refused to join in—the third-string captain, Takeoka.

(Shit… Goddamn it!)

He sat on the bench, furiously bouncing his leg in restless agitation. His face was flushed crimson with rage.

In the end, the Team A that Takeoka had led failed to secure even a single victory in today’s red-and-white scrimmage.

But that loss was trivial to him now. His fury was directed solely at the goal Takumi had scored against him in the first match against Team B.

(I let a nobody like Kisaragi score on me?! No fucking way!)

If they had simply lost the match, he could have told himself he hadn’t lost to Takumi personally. But the fact that Takumi had scored against him made it impossible to stay calm. At least in that scoring sequence, it had been an undeniable, utter defeat with no room for excuses.

Even in the subsequent matches against Team B, Takumi had created numerous chances from the midfield. There had been more than one or two scenes where Takeoka was completely toyed with, directly leading to goals.

(That kind of thing shouldn’t be possible! It’s Kisaragi, for fuck’s sake! There’s no way I should lose to a talentless, physically average scrub like him! Yeah… it must be because the rest of the team is so pathetic that they were dragging me down without me even realizing it!)

Takeoka began searching for the cause of his failure in everyone around him.

“Eek?!”

A startled cry escaped Kana. Takeoka looked up, his face twisting into an obvious scowl.

In his line of sight, Takumi had wrapped an arm around Kana’s waist from behind, supporting her as she leaned forward.

“Whoa… Shirayuki. You okay?”

“Y-Yes…!”

Kana’s cheeks, still held by Takumi, had turned so red that even her signature auburn hair seemed to pale in comparison.

“I really appreciate how quickly you move, but you don’t have to rush so much. You’re already clumsy enough as it is, Shirayuki.”

“Muu… There you go teasing me again.”

Kana puffed her cheeks in a pout. Even Takeoka had to admit it was the kind of spoiled, affectionate attitude that came from letting her guard down around someone.

—And his pride was far too small to tolerate it.

“Recently, your sadistic side has been getting stronger, Senp—”

“Kana!”

Takeoka cut her off with a loud shout of her name.

“Y-Yes!”

Kana came running over at once.

Normally, that alone would have satisfied him. But today his anger was already at its boiling point. Simply pulling Kana away from Takumi was nowhere near enough.

(I’ll make sure everyone knows exactly who Kana belongs to.)

“Kana. Actually, my calf’s been feeling tight since before the match. Give me a massage.”

His plan was to flaunt physical contact with Kana and bask in superiority. At the same time, he intended to use the excuse of a pre-existing leg issue to justify his poor performance.

“I can’t.”

“…Huh?”

Takeoka couldn’t process what he had just heard.

“…Oi, Kana. What did you just say?”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t give you a massage.”

“Hah? Give me a reason.”

Takeoka glared at her. Kana desperately held back a sigh.

“…Muscles are delicate, especially the calves—they’re often called the second heart. If an amateur messes with them recklessly, it could make things worse. If it really hurts, please have a professional take a look.”

“—!”

Takeoka was at a loss for words. There was no room for argument.

But backing down here would leave his pride unsatisfied.

“Then at least my shoulders—”

“Shirayuki—!”

This time, Takumi interrupted Takeoka’s voice.

“Come here for a sec.”

“Ah, okay! Excuse me, Takeoka-senpai.”

“Hey—!”

Before Takeoka could stop her, Kana had already dashed away. Takumi whispered something into her ear, and she laughed happily.

(Hah. Whispering to show how close you are? You’re really desperate, Kisaragi.)

Takeoka sneered.

In reality, the conversation had been, “You looked like you were in trouble, so I called you over. Was that unnecessary?” followed by “No, you really helped me.” But since he couldn’t hear it, Takeoka interpreted it however he liked.

“Oi, Takeoka. Stop slacking off and help clean up.”

The third-string vice-captain, Miwa, walked over and gave him a stern word.

“Hah? My leg’s been killing me all day. Leave me alone.”

Takeoka spat the words out, but Miwa didn’t flinch.

“You can still walk, can’t you? At least pick up the cones and markers.”

“…Tch.”

Takeoka clicked his tongue but offered no further protest. Dragging his foot slightly for show, he slowly gathered the cones and markers and tossed them aside carelessly.

He looked exactly like a child begrudgingly cleaning his room after being scolded by his parents. No one said it out loud, though.

Once cleanup was finished, a small group had formed at the edge of the pitch. At its center were Kana and Takumi. Kana had asked Takumi about the intention behind one of his plays, and other club members had gradually gathered to listen.

“Um, at that moment… Momose-senpai was here, right?”

“Nope, Masaru was over here. He was aiming for the space behind, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Masaru nodded, his expression shifting to one of surprise at how accurately Takumi remembered.

“How do you even know that? Senpai, weren’t you facing the other way at the time? Wait—don’t tell me!”

Kana began playfully ruffling Takumi’s hair.

“…What are you doing?”

“Well, I was thinking maybe you actually have two or three extra eyes hidden somewhere.”

“Gahaha! That wouldn’t surprise me if it was Takumi!”

“No, that would be weird.”

Takumi shot back at Daisuke’s comment, and laughter erupted.

“I’m just turning my head to read the situation.”

“Suspicious~”

“Can you stop messing with my hairstyle whenever you feel like it?”

“But your current hair is so easy to style for movement! You don’t really care about your hairstyle anyway, right, Senpai?”

“Well, that’s true, but still…”

“Then let’s try an all-back!”

Kana suddenly swept Takumi’s hair upward and pulled it back.

“Oh! It actually looks good on you, Takumi!”

“Indeed. Quite cute, gahaha!”

“Right? Senpai’s adorable!”

What was supposed to be a serious discussion about soccer had somehow turned into a Takumi-teasing session centered around Masaru, Daisuke, and Kana.

(Why is Kana acting like that with that guy…? No, wait—that’s not it.)

Takeoka, observing from a distance with narrowed eyes, felt irritation at Kana’s excessive skinship with Takumi, but quickly corrected himself.

(Kana only does things like that because she doesn’t see Kisaragi as a man. It’s precisely because he has zero masculine appeal that a popular girl like Kana can let her guard down around him. That scrub is the ultimate loser—there’s zero chance he’s in her romantic radar. He hasn’t even reached the starting line, yet he thinks he’s the closest to her. How pathetic. It’s almost embarrassing just watching.)

Takeoka rubbed his arm as if to shake off the feeling.

(Still… unpleasant things are unpleasant. Wait. In that case, shouldn’t I just make Kana mine right now?)

It dawned on Takeoka that he had been unusually passive toward Kana.

(That’s right. Women are simple creatures who love being pursued aggressively. I don’t need to take it slow with Kana—I can just push forward and win her over. Since that shitty coach hates me, I probably won’t be moving up to the second string anyway. Now, while Kana is still in the third string, is the perfect chance. Heh heh… I can’t wait to see the look on Kisaragi’s face once Kana becomes mine.)

Takeoka began pondering the best timing to make his move.

And almost immediately, the perfect opportunity arrived.

“By the way, Shirayuki. Is that the key to the equipment shed?”

“Eh…? Ah, crap! I forgot to return it!”

The rule was that the key to the shed containing practice gear had to be returned to the staff room immediately after practice. If someone was doing extra training, they would return it, but it was generally the managers’ responsibility.

“Seems like a good time—should we wrap it up for today?”

“Yeah.”

“Indeed, it was a meaningful discussion!”

The others voiced their agreement with Takumi’s suggestion. The sun had already begun to sink low in the sky.

“Thank you everyone! Please let me hear more next time. Excuse me!”

Kana walked briskly toward the staff room.

(Heh heh heh… I never thought the chance would come this quickly!)

Takeoka began following her, careful to keep his footsteps silent.

The others were already busy preparing to head home, and the distance between them was significant. There was no way they would notice what he was doing.