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 21: The Beautiful Girl Kouhai Manager’s Monologue.

“I’m home~”

Kana stepped into the entrance of her own house as she spoke.

No reply came.

Of course it didn’t. There was no one else in the house.

Even so, she always made sure to say “I’m off” when leaving and “I’m home” when returning.

“I want to take a bath,” she had told him before leaving Takumi’s place.

It wasn’t a complete lie, but it wasn’t her true reason either. She certainly wouldn’t have wanted to stay in front of him while smelling of sweat, so she would have taken a bath at some point anyway.

But the real reason she had left Takumi’s side at that exact moment was simple—she had reached her limit in more ways than one.

(What am I even doing!?)

She flung herself onto the living room sofa, hugged a cushion tightly, and kicked her legs wildly.

“Crying and clinging to him like that… I acted like a total child…!”

Recalling her own shameful behavior, Kana writhed in embarrassment.

(He definitely thought I was childish…!)

The moment she had stepped into his house, the tension must have finally snapped. Tears had welled up uncontrollably, and before she knew it, she had thrown herself into his arms.

(But… senpai’s hands were so gentle. It felt really, really good…)

She tried stroking her own head the same way he had—softly, following the flow of her hair.

It didn’t feel particularly nice.

It wasn’t the technique itself. It had felt good and reassuring simply because it was him doing it.

There was a saying that it wasn’t what was said, but who said it. Apparently, the same applied to actions as well.

“But still, there were some gains! From now on, I can ask him to walk to and from club activities together, and it looks like senpai doesn’t have a girlfriend—or even anyone he likes…!”

Takumi was the type who especially cherished his juniors, but if he already had someone he liked, he probably wouldn’t agree to walk home with another girl.

High school students were still kids, after all. Just walking to and from school together as a guy and a girl was enough for everyone to start treating them like a couple and teasing them mercilessly.

(I wouldn’t mind people misunderstanding if it’s with senpai… but I’d hate it if things got awkward between us because of it.)

Excessive teasing crossed the line into bullying. It wasn’t something that could be brushed off as “just joking around.” In reality, there were plenty of cases where relationships soured because of surrounding gossip and mockery.

“…Well, I don’t think that would happen with senpai.”

Neither she nor Takumi were the type to care too much about what others said. For some reason, she felt strangely confident that the two of them wouldn’t end up with such a tragic outcome.

(All that’s left is for me to work hard and reach that wonderful future. The gate is already open!)

Besides, if he already had someone he liked, he wouldn’t have invited her over to his house so many times.

(There’s no way senpai is the type to be careless with relationships… Doesn’t that mean I’m in a pretty good position right now?)

From the bottom of her heart, Kana felt a surge of excitement—like the thrilling tension right before a soccer match began.

“Alright!”

With renewed energy, she jumped up from the sofa and headed toward the bathroom.

“I’m going to do this! Just you wait—Takumi-senpai!”

She pointed dramatically into the empty space.

“……”

The moment she saw her own ridiculous reflection in the mirror, a fresh wave of embarrassment washed over her, making her want to scratch herself all over.

Still, since men supposedly cared a lot about the smoothness and beauty of a girl’s skin, she refrained from actually doing so. Instead, she carefully tended to her hair and skin, reapplied her perfume, and prepared to return to Takumi’s house. They were supposed to make dinner together afterward.

“Just wait a bit.”

“Sure~ Take your time and relax as much as you like!”

Takumi was watching highlights of a late-night soccer match.

Kana stood behind him rather than beside him, idly playing with his hair.

“You really do like my hair, huh?”

“I really do.”

Kana was in an unusually buoyant mood.

(Maybe I’ll try making a little move.)

“I like the texture, but I also love the scent of senpai’s hair.”

“Isn’t that just the smell of shampoo or conditioner?”

Takumi’s voice was completely flat. He didn’t sound flustered at all.

(How frustrating… But on the flip side, that means I can touch it as much as I want. I’ll take the win.)

Taking advantage of how focused he was on the screen, Kana also glanced at the video while boldly running her fingers through his hair more than usual and even leaning in to sniff audibly.

“Don’t you use hair oil?”

“Nope.”

“That’s so unfair… It’s so smooth and fluffy. Maybe the conditioner just suits your hair perfectly.”

“Maybe.”

“Kuwaa~”

“You’re weirdly good at that.”

“Right?”

Kana let out a light, cheerful laugh. Even silly, meaningless conversations felt fun simply because the other person was Takumi.

Before long, the video ended.

“Man… That overhead kick right at the end was insane.”

“My heart was pounding too.”

“Totally.”

As they were sharing their thoughts, Takumi’s phone rang.

“Ah, it’s from Coach Kawabata.”

“——”

Kawabata normally took a hands-off approach, leaving things up to the students’ own initiative. It was extremely rare for him to call a player directly.

The reason was easy to guess. There must have been some development regarding the Takeoka incident they had reported.

“Hello, good evening.”

When Takumi answered, he told the coach that Kana was with him and switched to speakerphone.

Kawabata sounded slightly surprised to learn they were together, but he didn’t press the matter.

He apologized, saying that Takeoka’s rampage was his own failure for not being able to control him.

Since they weren’t in the same lighthearted mood as when they had spoken with Miwa, Takumi gave safe, neutral replies.

Kawabata also informed them that the incident would not be made public. For both Kana and Takumi—whose positions within the club were somewhat delicate—this was welcome news.

They also learned that Takeoka had been stripped of his captain position and given a suspension.

‘I’ll be the one to inform the rest of the team about that. You two should act like you don’t know anything.’

The pair readily agreed to the request. There was nothing to gain from others knowing they were involved.

After one final apology, Kawabata ended the call.

“…That was kind of surprising. I thought Coach Kawabata was more detached than that.”

“Yeah. I thought so too. I knew he watched over everyone, but still…”

Takumi glanced briefly at the clock.

“Alright, shall we start cooking soon?”

“Roger that!”

“Good response.”

When Kana gave a loud reply and saluted, Takumi let out a soft chuckle.

(…It feels like he’s looking at something heartwarming.)