Chapter 30: Comforting the Depressed Beautiful Junior Manager.

Kana had fallen into a deep pit of self-loathing after sniffing Takumi’s jersey and falling asleep with it still in her arms.

Of course, Takumi had no way of knowing about her actions or her current mental state. He simply assumed she hadn’t returned the jersey yet because she was tired and had gone straight to sleep.

“…Eh? Shirayuki-san? W-What’s wrong?”

He was visibly shaken the moment he saw her face. She wore an incredibly dark, cornered expression—one he had never seen on her before. The girl who was usually a bundle of pure energy now looked completely drained.

Despite her strained smile and weak “I’m fine,” Takumi practically dragged her inside. It might have looked like he was pulling her in, but he couldn’t possibly leave her like that.

He sat her down on the sofa and prepared a cup of warm tea using a teabag. Kana quietly thanked him and took the cup, but she never brought it to her lips.

From their previous conversations, he knew she didn’t dislike tea. Seeing the girl who usually brimmed with energy looking so lifeless, Takumi struggled to find the right words.

In the heavy silence, Kana spoke first.

“I’m sorry… for bothering you again…”

“It’s really no trouble at all. I wasn’t inconvenienced even without the jersey.”

Takumi assumed her distress stemmed from guilt over being late to return it. Though her expression seemed far too serious for just that, he couldn’t think of any other cause.

“…It’s not just about the jersey.”

Still staring down at the cup clutched in both hands, Kana began speaking haltingly.

“Today on the way home… and all the times before… I’ve caused you so much trouble. I keep intruding, taking advantage of your kindness, and acting selfish… I’m truly sorry…”

Takumi immediately understood that Kana had fallen into a negative spiral. He didn’t know if it was that time of the month or something else, but once he recognized her emotional instability, the way to respond became clear.

“Walking to and from school together must have been a bother, right? I’m sor—”

“Hey, Shirayuki-san.”

Takumi, sitting beside her, deliberately looked forward as he spoke.

“I’m actually pretty selfish myself.”

Kana blinked in surprise, clearly wondering where this was coming from.

“I especially hate when things don’t go my way. I cut ties with people who interrupt my study time with pointless chatter, and I’ve even turned down requests from upperclassmen if they clashed with my important plans. That got me targeted quite a bit back in middle school.”

Takumi smiled faintly, recalling those difficult days. He then turned to face her directly.

“So if I really found you annoying, I wouldn’t have let you in, and I definitely wouldn’t walk to school with you. Even today, I would have sent you home right away. If I wanted to avoid misunderstandings, I could reject you easily. The reason I don’t is because I genuinely enjoy spending time with you.”

“Eh…”

Kana’s eyes widened.

“You’re pretty much the only one I can talk to about soccer with the same level of passion. You play along with my jokes, you’re great at reading the room, and you never actually disrupt my life. Even when you’re around, I can relax. At the same time, I don’t want to show a sloppy side in front of my junior, so I end up living more properly too. I’ve never once thought anything you do or say is annoying. Sure, you can be loud sometimes, but watching you cheers me up.”

“…Is that your way of saying I’m cute?”

“Yeah. Like watching a cheerful kid bouncing around.”

“Can you wrap that in a little more tact, please?”

For the first time in a while, Kana let out a genuine laugh. Takumi took a sip of his tea.

“I figured now was the time to be completely honest. Everything I said is the truth, no sugarcoating.”

“…Really? You don’t have to be considerate. I want to hear your real feelings.”

Her ruby-like eyes were trembling with visible anxiety. Takumi gave a firm nod.

“It’s the truth. I’ve never once found you bothersome. Come over whenever you want. Lean on me whenever you need to.”

“Are you really, really sure? If you’re lying, I’ll make you swallow a thousand needles from an air pump, okay?”

“That’s such a manager-like threat.”

Takumi smiled wryly, inwardly relieved. The fact that she could make a joke like that meant she was starting to recover.

“I’m not lying. If I were annoyed, I wouldn’t have said all that.”

“Well… that’s true, but… then, can I keep coming over like before…?”

“‘Keep coming over’ sounds a bit much, but yes.”

“Really!? Thank you…!”

A look of relief spread across Kana’s face. Tears welled up in her beautiful eyes. She sniffled loudly.

“Ueeh!? W-Wait, Shirayuki-san, are you okay?”

Takumi panicked.

“I-I’m sorry… I got so scared that you might hate me… and now I feel relieved…! Sorry for causing trouble again…!”

Kana sniffled again.

“Not at all. It’s not trouble. Cry whenever you want. Comforting my junior is part of a senpai’s job.”

Takumi spoke as gently as he could. After hesitating a few times, Kana grabbed his arm with determination.

“Then… would this… also not be too much trouble…?”

Still hiccuping, she guided his hand toward her head.

“Of course.”

Smiling softly, Takumi began to move his hand.

(This feels like we’ve gone way beyond a normal senpai-kouhai relationship… Well, I guess it’s fine if I think of it like siblings.)

As he gently stroked her soft, fluffy red hair following its natural flow, that vague thought crossed his mind.

“Um, senpai… Thank you so much.”

Once she stopped crying, Kana—cheeks and eyes still flushed—bowed deeply. Disliking heavy atmospheres, Takumi decided to tease her a little.

“Huh? You’re not going to say ‘I’m soaked again~’ like usual?”

“D-Don’t tease me! That really would make me soaked!”

“I see. Another lesson learned.”

Takumi made a show of writing a memo in the air.

“Geez… I think you should study a maiden’s heart a bit more, senpai.”

Kana pouted, lips pursed.

“I do try to be a gentleman at all times.”

“Being a gentleman is important, but sometimes that alone isn’t enough.”

“Sounds complicated. Time for math.”

“Homework?”

“Yep. Want to do it together?”

“Yes!”

Kana nodded with a bright, joyful expression.

Yeah, Takumi thought, this face really suits her best.