Chapter 28: The Beautiful Junior Manager Clung to My Arm.

In the end, Sakura High School swept every practice match that day.

“Takumi, you were seriously insane out there!”

“Gahaha! A magnificent performance!”

“Yeah. Today’s wins were all thanks to you.”

“W-Wait, you’re exaggerating…”

Takumi felt itchy with embarrassment as Masaru, Daisuke, Miwa, and the others showered him with praise one after another.

“No, it’s not an exaggeration! Of course the goal scorers were amazing too, but almost every big chance started from your plays, senpai!”

“I-It’s not like that…”

Even Kana joined in, and Takumi started to feel like he wanted to disappear.

(Well… I’m really happy about it, though.)

Still, embarrassment was embarrassment.

“Haha, it’s rare to see Kisaragi-kun acting this shy.”

“Stop laughing and help me out, Aizawa-senpai.”

“No way. This precious scene has to be burned into my memory.”

Reiko grinned mischievously.

“Ugh… Are you actually ice cold, Reiko?”

“Oh? That’s quite an interesting thing to say. Shall we go rename ourselves then? You can be Kisaragi Takumi, of course.”

“I’m sorry, I was wrong.”

Laughter erupted from everyone.

Takumi had only been playfully bantering with Reiko like usual, but the high tension after their decisive victory probably made it funnier than intended. Somehow he had hit everyone’s funny bone, and by the end someone even called it “husband-and-wife comedy.”

***

“Um… Shirayuki-san?”

“What is it?”

“Are you… mad?”

“Not really. I’m normal.”

(No, you’re definitely not normal.)

Kana puffed out her cheeks like a squirrel and wore a sulky expression. She had been like this ever since they started heading home. The atmosphere was different from her usual fake sulking—this time she genuinely seemed upset.

Did I do something wrong? Takumi wondered, racking his brain. The rhythmic clatter of the train filled the silence.

After a while, Kana let out a long sigh. Takumi tensed up.

“…Please don’t be so on guard.”

Kana gave a bitter smile. Her expression had softened somewhat.

“It’s not that you did anything wrong. It’s just that my heart is small. Sorry for making you feel bad on a day you performed so well.”

“No, that’s totally fine… but if there’s something bothering you, just tell me, okay? I’ll fix it.”

“Yes. But really, it’s not your fault. Please don’t worry about it.”

“Really…? Alright then…”

From the look on her face, Takumi wasn’t directly at fault. At the same time, it was also clear that he was the cause.

(What is it, though?)

Even after Kana started talking normally again, Takumi kept pondering it in the back of his mind. But the moment they passed through the ticket gates at their station, he no longer had the luxury to think.

Suddenly, rain began pouring down with incredible force.

“Wah!?”

“W-Whoa!”

They hurriedly took shelter under the eaves of a nearby shop. In an instant the rain became a torrential downpour, slamming into the ground like a police raid on a yakuza hideout.

“Did the forecast say rain today?”

“I don’t think so…”

Takumi suddenly turned his face away.

He usually made eye contact when talking to someone, which naturally brought the area around their face into his field of vision. That was why he had seen it clearly—the purple bra visible through Kana’s club polo shirt, now soaked and translucent.

“Senpai? What’s—ah.”

Kana seemed to have realized her bra was showing too. From the corner of his eye, Takumi saw her ears turn bright red beneath her wet hair.

“You… saw it, didn’t you…?”

“S-Sorry!”

“It’s fine. It was unavoidable.”

Kana laughed brightly. Takumi quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

“Thank you… Shirayuki-san, do you have anything to wear over it?”

“No.”

“Then use this if you want.”

Takumi pulled his spare jersey from his bag and handed it to her.

“It’s just been in my bag, so it shouldn’t smell.”

“Eh, but what about you?”

“I’m fine. It doesn’t matter if mine gets see-through.”

“Then… I’ll borrow it.”

“Yeah.”

Kana’s cheeks flushed as she slipped into the jersey. Even after some time, the rain showed no sign of stopping.

“It’s not letting up…”

“Yeah. We can’t stay here forever… Can’t be helped. Here, use this.”

Takumi offered her his folding umbrella.

“Eh? What about you?”

“I’ll just run home.”

“N-No way! You’ll catch a cold running in this, and you’re already tired from the match—it’s dangerous!”

“But there’s only one umbrella, and there’s no convenience store nearby—”

“We can just share it, can’t we?”

“…Eh?”

Takumi stared at her. Kana leaned her flushed face closer.

“Given the situation, sharing is the most logical choice, right? We’ll both get a little wet, but it’s a hundred times better than one of us going without an umbrella.”

“Well, that’s true, but… are you okay with it? Sharing an umbrella and all.”

“I-It’s fine if it’s with you, senpai. Or… do you not want to share one with me?”

“Not at all. Then… let’s go.”

“Yes!”

Kana’s voice brightened. She must have been relieved they finally had a way home.

Takumi subtly tilted the umbrella more toward Kana so she wouldn’t get wet. She noticed immediately and pushed the handle back toward him.

“Hey, you’re getting wet now.”

“So are you!”

“But it’s worse for a girl to catch a chill.”

“It’s worse for a tired senpai to catch a chill… Aah, honestly!”

Kana lost her patience and let go of the handle. The next instant, she wrapped both arms around Takumi’s arm—the one holding the umbrella.

A soft, munyu sensation pressed against him. There was no need to think about what it was.

“E-Eh, wait, Shirayuki-san!?”

“Be quiet! This is the best way to keep us both from getting soaked, so it’s fine!”

“Y-Yes…”

Overwhelmed by her intensity, Takumi could only nod. But the undeniable elasticity and weight against his arm, the shortened distance, and the sweet citrus scent mixed with a faint trace of sweat tickling his nose were extremely dangerous for a healthy high school boy like him.

(A-Anyway, let’s get home quickly!)

“S-Speaking of which, Shirayuki-san. Yesterday—”

To drive away distracting thoughts, Takumi forced a random topic and quickened his pace toward the apartment, practically fleeing.

Once he stepped inside his own entrance, Takumi let out a long sigh. His mind felt more exhausted than his body.

(…Guess I’ll take a shower. I’ll catch a cold if I stay wet, and I need to clear my head.)

As Takumi headed for the bathroom, one floor above, Kana had just entered her own apartment and was clutching her head.

“What the hell did I just do…!”