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 23: I Ended Up Patting the Beautiful Underclassman Manager’s Head Again.

Chapter 23: I Ended Up Patting the Beautiful Underclassman Manager’s Head Again.

Kana had returned from the bathroom only to become even more hyper than before.

Even now, as they sat across from each other sharing a meal, she was in high spirits, cheerfully recounting Takumi’s plays from practice earlier that day.

There was no sign that the “warning” she had given him before heading to the toilet had left her with any lingering disgust.

(Looks like I didn’t make her feel bad after all.)

Takumi felt a wave of relief wash over him.

“That through-the-legs move earlier? I seriously thought I was about to ascend to heaven! That was pure ‘Takumi’ energy right there! Actually, the way you stayed so calm and composed reminded me exactly of Minamino. Maybe you should just rename yourself Takumi Minamino instead?”

“You’re amazing. From head to tail, you’re saying exactly the same things as Daisuke.”

Takumi was genuinely impressed.

Kana’s mouth twisted into a slight frown.

“…What is this weird feeling? Gahaha!”

“You’re really identical.”

“That’s honestly kind of insulting. No, it’s not that I dislike Kongou-senpai or anything like that!”

Kana hurriedly added the clarification.

“I know. Some people just can’t get along with him, but it’s pretty hard to actually hate the guy.”

“I totally get it. In a movie, he’d definitely be cast as the good guy. Kongou-senpai has that vibe.”

“No doubt about it.”

Takumi nodded firmly.

“Fuuu…”

Kana had kept her high energy going strong throughout the meal, but the moment she finished helping with the cleanup, she suddenly turned into a complete slouch. Specifically, she leaned her entire body against the back of the sofa and closed her eyes. She was probably being hit by the drowsiness that comes after a full stomach.

(She’s totally sprawled out…)

While the drastic change made Takumi smile wryly, he felt relieved once again—just like before the meal—that she seemed to be relaxing so completely in his presence.

“My tummy is all ponpokorin~… Thank you for the feast. It was really delicious.”

After sitting up properly on the sofa and politely bringing her hands together in thanks, Kana immediately flopped back down again.

“You’re welcome. You ate quite a lot, huh?”

“Yeah… Senpai’s seasoning is actually a perfect hit for me. It’s just a little on the gentle side.”

“What’s Shirayuki’s cooking taste like?”

Since he had done the seasoning himself both last time and today, Takumi had no idea what Kana’s own cooking tasted like.

“I tend to get lazy and just throw things together roughly, so sometimes it ends up way too strong.”

“Ahaha,” Kana laughed while scratching the back of her head.

“I see.”

Takumi let out a small chuckle. He could easily picture Kana saying “this much should be fine” as she casually tossed in seasonings however she felt like.

“Then next time, maybe I’ll have Shirayuki do the seasoning. You know, in your usual casual way.”

As he spoke, Takumi sat down on the sofa right beside Kana.

“Ehh, no way.”

“No way?”

“I want to eat Senpai’s cooking forever and ever~ Please keep seasoning for me until the end of time!”

“The conversation got pretty grand all of a sudden… but alright. If you’re going to say it like that, I’ll keep doing it from now on too.”

“Yesss—…”

Kana struck a guts pose. It lacked her usual vigor, and her movements were strangely limp and floppy.

(I’m surprisingly easy, aren’t I?)

Takumi smiled bitterly to himself at how quickly he had been won over by simple flattery.

“They say if you want to keep a man, you should grab him by the stomach, but in this case, I’m the one who’s been completely seized, aren’t I…?”

Kana laughed with a bright “Nihaha~.”

“That’s quite the honorable position, isn’t it?”

“Can I brag about it to everyone at school?”

“I’d rather not get stabbed from the front in the middle of the classroom in broad daylight, so please don’t.”

“So petty!”

Kana cackled loudly. Talking seemed to have chased away some of her sleepiness. She slowly looked around the room.

“By the way, Senpai… hasn’t your room gotten a bit cleaner?”

“Yeah. Well, girls have been coming over from time to time.”

“Ooh, impressive, impressive.”

Kana clapped her hands enthusiastically.

“…Wait. You haven’t been bringing any girls other than me here, right⁉︎”

“I haven’t brought anyone else… but even if I did, would that really be a problem?”

“Wha— Senpai…! Are you saying I’m not enough to satisfy you by myself…?”

“Huh? What exactly is our relationship again?”

“More than friends, less than lovers.”

“No solution, huh.”

“No, this is imaginary ‘love’!”

“Ooh, nice one.”

Takumi clapped his hands. He was honestly impressed.

“Hehe. Anyway, thanks to me, you’re starting to develop a cleaning habit, so you should be grateful!”

“I was thinking that earlier, but now I suddenly don’t feel like being grateful at all.”

“Geez, you’re so not honest.”

“What about you, Shirayuki? Are you any better?”

“You’d think my room is dirty, right?”

“Yeah.”

Takumi answered instantly.

Kana burst out laughing.

“You’re supposed to deny that… Surprisingly, it’s actually pretty clean, okay?”

“It’s not April Fools’ Day today.”

“It’s true! My parents nagged me about it so much that I at least learned how to tidy up properly~”

Kana’s previously pouting lips curved into a smug little smile.

“If you want, you can come see for yourself next time?”

“I’ll drop by if I get the chance.”

“Aaah, that’s the classic ‘never gonna happen’ line—!”

“Well, there’s no real reason for me to visit Shirayuki’s room. Your parents are there too… Oh, right. I’ve been meaning to ask—even if it feels a bit late now—have you told your parents that you’ve been coming over to my place?”

“Yes.”

Kana nodded without hesitation.

“They gave you permission?”

“Yes. I convinced them that Senpai isn’t that kind of person. We argued all night about it, though.”

“Eh——”

“Just kidding.”

Seeing Takumi’s mouth hanging half-open, Kana clutched her stomach and laughed.

“So it was a lie…”

“Senpai, you’re so cute~! The moment I told them you’re a sincere person, they immediately said it was okay.”

“There’s a lot of pressure on my shoulders now… but it sounds like they trust me.”

“I wonder? My parents are pretty laid-back about giving me freedom.”

Kana’s cheeks softened into a gentle smile. Even if the time they could spend together wasn’t that long, it seemed her relationship with her parents was quite good.

“Are your parents the same kind of people, Senpai? Since they let you live alone and all.”

“Yeah, pretty much. They even approved of me going to Sakura High… But it wasn’t like I planned to live alone from the start.”

“Really?”

“The timing of my enrollment overlapped with my dad’s transfer. The distance became impossible to commute. This place is way too luxurious for a high school student living alone, but my dad felt responsible. Since it’s close to school and he didn’t want me to feel cramped, he went ahead and signed the contract.”

“I see. He sounds like a good father.”

Kana smiled warmly.

“Yeah. He’s a bit airheaded and off sometimes, though.”

“Does your mom live with your dad too?”

“No. My mom passed away from an illness when I was in third grade. So right now it’s just a father-son household.”

“……I see… I’m sorry. I asked without thinking…”

The smile that had been on Kana’s face instantly turned into an expression that looked like she was about to cry.

Takumi hurriedly waved his hands.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. I’ve already come to terms with it, so don’t worry about it. I still talk about both my dad and mom all the time!”

“But still…!”

Kana sniffled loudly.

Without realizing it, Takumi had reached out toward her glossy red hair—so shiny it almost made him wonder if it was made of rubies—and gently stroked it.

“It’s really okay. Thank you for worrying about me. You’re a kind girl, Shirayuki.”

“Yes… W-wait, um, Senpai…⁉︎”

Kana’s face gradually turned a deep shade of crimson, like a gradient spreading across her cheeks.

“Eh? …Ah, s-sorry!”

(I did it again!)

Takumi quickly bowed his head in apology.

Unless it was a special situation like the one where Kana had asked him to do it before, or the emotional moment earlier this evening when she had cried, stroking a girl’s head—especially not hers—was probably not appropriate.

Kana remained silent for a long moment.

Feeling increasingly awkward, Takumi found himself too scared to look at her expression and couldn’t raise his head.

Suddenly, something soft landed on top of his own head.

He immediately knew it was Kana’s hand.

“Sh-Shirayuki—”

“Please stay just like that.”

“Y-yes.”

Overwhelmed by an immense pressure, Takumi gave up on resisting.

For a while after that, he found himself silently having his head patted by Kana for some reason.