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 20: The Third-String Captain, Enraged.

Chapter 20: The Third-String Captain, Enraged.

“Those worthless bastards…!”

Takeoka clicked his tongue loudly, not caring who heard.

Passersby flinched at the sound, their faces tightening as they hurried past him, giving him a wide berth.

He didn’t even notice them.

(Why the hell not!? Why won’t Kana fall for me!? Kisaragi is just some scrawny, soft-handed brat who can pull off a few cheap tricks! There’s no way I’m inferior to trash like him! I’m the captain—I’m way more of a man, and I’m obviously better at soccer too! I’m clearly more suited to what girls want!)

Inside his head, Takeoka kept hurling insults at Takumi. He desperately tried to list all the ways he was superior.

But the scenes that surfaced in his mind were the complete opposite.

Takumi’s back after slipping through his legs and calmly scoring.

Kana’s face twisted with open disgust when he had grabbed her wrist.

And that wasn’t all.

The joyful expression Kana had shown the moment Takumi arrived.

The look in her eyes—like she was staring at something filthy—when she rejected him with the words “physically impossible.”

And finally, the gaze full of pity and mockery she had given him when she declared that Takumi was better than he was.

Those memories he never wanted to recall kept spinning endlessly through Takeoka’s mind.

(Damn it, it’s just a temporary slump! I’m the kind of talent who should be playing for the second string—no, even the first string! I’ve already hooked up with plenty of girls! There’s no way I’m losing to some virgin who has neither soccer talent nor guts—)

Suddenly, Takeoka’s thoughts were cut off.

His phone was ringing shrilly.

Shut up—

He almost barked into the phone and hung up, but stopped himself at the last second.

The name displayed on the screen was Kawabata Shingo.

It was a call from the coach, after all. Even Takeoka knew he couldn’t just brush it off.

“…What is it, Coach?”

‘Takeoka. Got a minute?’

Kawabata usually spoke in a calm tone, but today his voice sounded even heavier than usual.

“Yeah, I do.”

‘I heard from Kisaragi, Shirayuki, and Miwa. Is it true you grabbed Shirayuki’s wrist and forced yourself on her?’

“It was just a little approach, that’s all. No big deal.”

It wasn’t bravado or an attempt to save face. Takeoka genuinely believed his actions toward Kana hadn’t been anything serious.

(He’s probably just going to lecture me about setting a good example as captain. Yeah, yeah, I’ll just nod along and ignore it.)

He had underestimated the situation.

‘You… Do you seriously think it’s not a problem to restrain a girl and pressure her?’

“Restrain? You’re making it sound like I raped someone. I just grabbed her wrist a little. If you make a big deal out of something like that, no one will be able to hit on girls anymore, right?”

(Tch, has even Coach fallen for this recent female-supremacy nonsense?)

Takeoka sneered inwardly at Kawabata.

‘Takeoka. You don’t seem to understand the real issue here.’

“Hah? The real issue? It’s just a little misunderstanding between a guy and a girl, isn’t it?”

‘No. The problem with this incident is that Shirayuki felt genuine fear. If both parties liked each other and she had accepted it, then grabbing her wrist wouldn’t have been an issue. But she clearly didn’t want it. That makes it assault and intimidation. I can’t overlook this.’

“Wha—!?”

Takeoka was speechless.

‘What you did was a clear criminal act. And you show no sign of remorse. Therefore, I am stripping you of your captain position and imposing a suspension. I’ll contact you later about the exact duration. During that time, you are prohibited from participating in practice or even showing your face at club activities.’

“Hah? Wait, hold on! That’s ridiculous!”

Takeoka had completely lost his composure. He continued protesting without even realizing he had dropped all polite speech.

“I already told you, I just grabbed her wrist! There’s no way that should be a problem!”

‘I already told you—the issue is how Shirayuki felt. She said she felt disgust and fear. You yourself admitted to grabbing her wrist. That’s all there is to it.’

“…I-I’m the captain! I’m the core of the team! You can’t just suspend me!”

‘I’m giving the captain role to Miwa. It’s true you’ve contributed a lot to the team until now, but that doesn’t mean I’ll give you special treatment. Cool your head for a while. Once you’ve sorted yourself out, come see me. Oh, and don’t lay a hand on Shirayuki or Kisaragi again. This punishment will seem light compared to what happens if you do.’

And watch how you speak to people—

With that final warning, the call ended abruptly.

“…You’ve gotta be kidding me!”

Takeoka hurled his phone at the wall.

***

Miwa, the third-string vice-captain, was pacing aimlessly around her room.

Earlier, she had reported Takeoka’s misconduct together with Takumi and Kana. The coach had said he would verify the facts and call back.

Her phone rang. It was Kawabata.

Miwa quickly answered.

She learned that Takeoka had shown absolutely no remorse, and as a result, he had been stripped of his captain title and given a suspension.

“I see… Um, how should we handle this with the rest of the team?”

‘…It’s probably best not to give the other members too many details. For Kisaragi and Shirayuki’s sake as well.’

“Yes, I agree.”

Miwa was in complete agreement.

‘Still, we won’t be able to keep it hidden forever. I’ll explain it properly to the team before tomorrow’s match. You should act like you don’t know anything. It won’t do any good if they realize you’re aware of the situation.’

“Understood.”

(He really is an excellent coach.)

Miwa was impressed by Kawabata’s swift and precise judgment.

‘Are the two of them okay?’

“I think so. Shirayuki seemed a little shaken, but Kisaragi was with her.”

‘Good. Then they should be fine.’

Kawabata let out a small chuckle, then continued in a serious tone.

‘Miwa.’

“Yes.”

‘From this moment on, you are the captain of the third string. It won’t be easy, but I’m counting on you.’

“Understood. I’m sorry for the trouble Takeoka caused.”

‘It’s not your fault. I was the one who mismanaged the situation. A player’s mistake is the coach’s mistake.’

“Coach…”

‘Let me know right away if anything develops.’

“Understood.”

‘Alright. See you tomorrow.’

“Yes.”

‘Tomorrow is a practice match. Get some sleep early.’

With those kind final words, the call ended.

“…Sigh…”

Miwa tossed her phone aside and flopped onto her bed.

After a moment, she picked it up again and tried calling someone. The ringtone echoed emptily.

She set the phone down and stared blankly at the ceiling.

“He really is an idiot…”

***

After the call with Kawabata, Takeoka wandered the streets with no destination in mind.

A raging, directionless anger swirled inside his chest.

(Me? Stripped of captaincy and suspended!? Are you fucking kidding me, you piece of shit!?)

In his frustration, Takeoka kicked a piece of playground equipment in a nearby park.

“Gah…!”

It was sturdier than it looked. The pain shot through his foot instead.

“Damn it…!”

His anger doubled. He was about to kick it again when he stopped.

It wasn’t out of any sense of ethics. He had heard high-pitched children’s voices coming from beyond the trees.

“Come on, do it!”

“Hey, stop!”

“Huh? No way I’m stopping!”

“Go on, wreck it!”

“““Gyahaha!”””

It seemed a group of kids was ganging up on one child.

Takeoka drifted toward the noise without really knowing why.

The scene was slightly different from what he had vaguely imagined.

Several boys were bullying a girl, while one boy was trying to protect her.

There were several shoe prints on the sand tunnel the girl had apparently built.

“I said stop! Hii-chan worked really hard on this!”

“Hah? This crappy thing should just get smashed already!”

“Hahaha, you’re right!”

“Break it! Break it!”

The chubby boy who seemed to be the leader spoke, and his followers burst into laughter.

The girl called Hii-chan bit her lip, looking like she was about to cry.

Seeing that, the bullies jeered even louder. “Look, she’s gonna cry!” “For real, how lame!”

The difference in power was obvious.

The bullies wore triumphant grins in their overwhelmingly advantageous position. Something inside Takeoka snapped.

He unleashed all his pent-up frustration on them without hesitation.

“What the hell are you brats doing? Huh!?”

He strode over and grabbed the fat boy by the collar, lifting him up.

“Hii…!”

The boy’s throat made a pathetic sound. Tears were already welling in his eyes.

Takeoka hurled him onto the sand.

“Hiiieee!”

With a miserable shriek, the boy scrambled after his fleeing friends. Their retreating backs, scattering like small birds fleeing a dinosaur, looked utterly pathetic and ugly.

“Hah. Pathetic trash who can only act tough in a group.”

Takeoka sneered.

“U-Um…”

“Huh?”

“……!”

The boy who had called out from behind flinched at Takeoka’s overbearing attitude.

Still, having stood up for the girl without getting swept along by the crowd, he didn’t run. Instead, he bowed his head.

“T-Thank you so much for helping us!”

“R-Really, thank you!”

Following the boy’s lead, the girl who had been the target—Hii-chan—also bowed deeply. Sand was tangled in her smooth black hair.

“…Get lost.”

“Eh?”

“I said get lost. Hurry up and disappear. You’re an eyesore.”

“Ah, y-yes!”

The boy nodded shakily and quickly led the girl out of the park.

At the exit, they bowed once more and said “Thank you very much!” before finally leaving.

“…Damn it all!”

Takeoka sat heavily on a nearby bench, bouncing his leg restlessly while raking his fingers through his hair.