Chapter 34: The Beautiful Junior Manager Told Me to Pat Her Head.

After finishing their respective showers, Takumi and Kana parted ways for a short while. Even after they met back up at Takumi’s house, Kana’s high-tension mood showed no signs of slowing down.

“Wow, Senpai! You’ve finally received your congratulations!”

“If you say it like that, it sounds like I got pregnant.”

“Let’s see… Ah! It just kicked!”

Kana pressed her ear against Takumi’s stomach and squealed with delight.

(I thought she’d calm down once we got home, but she actually seems even more hyped than before…)

Because Kana’s excitement was currently exploding upward, Takumi—who should have been the one thrilled about his promotion—had circled back around to calmness. Besides, he couldn’t afford to stay giddy forever.

Takumi’s playing style was heavily influenced by those around him. Specifically, without knowing his teammates’ habits and personalities, pulling off effective plays was difficult.

And just as Coach Kawabata had said, the sudden rise in overall level would be tough. If he didn’t adapt even better than before, Takumi—who was already behind in raw physical ability and many technical skills—would only become a burden.

(From now on, I really need to raise my focus even higher—)

“Taaakumi-senpai~”

Kana tugged on his cheek.

“…What?”

“You were making a scary face.”

“Was I?”

“Yes. You looked as stern as Mom when I told her I got a failing grade.”

“I can’t really picture that.”

Takumi had never seen Ran angry. Then again, they had only met for a total of one hour so far, so that was only natural.

“You’ll be fine. I’m sure you’ll do great on the second string too, Takumi-senpai. I’ve been watching them for a long time, so you can trust me on this!”

Kana winked and gave him a thumbs-up.

“You’re really good at winking.”

“That’s what you focus on!?”

After smiling at the dumbfounded Kana, Takumi looked at her with a serious expression.

“Thanks. It really helps to hear you say that, Shirayuki-san.”

“…Right? Worrying about it now will only tire you out. If you believe you can do it, things tend to work out. I’ll teach you all about everyone’s traits and habits too.”

“Really? That’d be a huge help. Your analysis is always accurate.”

“I’m happy you think so, but… Takumi-senpai?”

Kana deliberately emphasized his name. Takumi immediately understood what she wanted.

“Sorry, Kana… Force of habit.”

“Exactly. As punishment… here.”

Kana tilted her head toward him.

“Um… You want me to pat your head?”

“Yes. But I’m not giving you permission.”

“…I see.”

There was a rule between them: if Takumi patted Kana’s head without permission, she was allowed to tease him freely for twice as long afterward. Saying “I’m not giving permission, but pat me anyway” was essentially her way of asking for teasing time later.

“…What are the conditions for exercising veto power?”

“You don’t even have non-permanent member status.”

She was probably referring to the UN. Only permanent members had veto rights.

“I thought you were bad at social studies?”

“I’ve been decent at it since the Meiji Restoration period. And right now we’re studying geography… Anyway, that doesn’t matter. Come on, Senpai.”

Kana shook her head from side to side with a bright, expectant smile. She clearly couldn’t wait to tease him later.

(She’s a spoiled girl, but she’s got a surprisingly sadistic side too.)

After a brief moment of mental escapism, Takumi reached out and placed his hand on her head. Kana narrowed her eyes in pleasure. When he tried to stop, she grabbed his hand and held it in place.

“Don’t shorten the teasing time.”

“Fine.”

Takumi resumed stroking her hair.

(It sounds perverted if I say it out loud, but Kana’s hair feels really nice…)

It was probably because she took such good care of it. Every time her hair swayed, the faint scent of rinse or hair oil drifted up.

“How does it feel, Senpai?”

Kana asked with her eyes still closed. She couldn’t have read his mind, of course.

“It’s super smooth. If I were a comb, I’d be crying.”

“‘There’s nothing for me to comb~’?”

“Exactly.”

Kana giggled softly.

“I’m glad. All that daily maintenance paid off.”

“That kind of thing takes a lot of time, huh?”

“It does. I do a full skincare routine too, so after getting in the bath, it usually ends up taking about an hour.”

“It’s amazing that girls can put in that kind of effort. I’ve heard more guys are doing proper skincare lately, but I just wash my face with water and run a comb through my hair.”

“And yet your skin and hair still look enviable.”

Kana poked his cheek and laughed. “See? So squishy.”

“I lose to you.”

“Fufufu. This is what you call porcelain skin.”

“I hate that I can’t deny it.”

“I heard that when men feel attracted to the opposite sex, the other person’s skin quality is surprisingly important.”

“Really? Huh, I can kind of understand that.”

“Eh? Takumi-senpai, saying that right now means you think my skin is su—”

“I like girls who don’t say things like that.”

“I’ll never say it again. If I do, you can boil me, grill me, or do whatever you want.”

“It’s ‘boil or grill.’ What’s ‘do whatever’ supposed to mean?”

“Huh? You’re not going to comment on the ‘do whatever’ part~?”

Kana turned to look at him with a mischievous grin.

“Kana, didn’t I tell you not to say stuff like that? Should we cancel the teasing time after this?”

“Wait, wait! It was just a warning! A warning!”

“…Fine. But next time I’m pulling a card.”

“Wow, what a strict referee.”

“Don’t get cocky.”

Takumi lightly tapped her head, then resumed stroking it.

“What are you doing after this?”

“Mom gets home around seven, so can I stay until then? I’ll help make dinner too.”

“Eh, but you’re not eating. I’d feel bad.”

“It’s totally fine. I’m the one intruding… Just let me do some taste-testing.”

Kana added the last part playfully.

“Then I’ll take you up on that.”

If she was willing to help for nothing more than taste-testing, that was more than welcome for Takumi.

“Leave it to me!”

“Is your dad usually pretty busy?”

“Yeah. He’s often home around eleven.”

“That sounds tough. What about weekends?”

“He’s gone quite a bit. Mom’s usually here though.”

“So she’ll be home all day tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

Kana nodded happily. Tomorrow was Saturday. For most students on summer break, the day of the week didn’t matter, but because Takumi was responsible for taking out the trash, he always kept track.

It’s summer, so I need to make sure I don’t forget the food waste, he thought absentmindedly while continuing to stroke Kana’s head. Before long, he noticed a far more pressing issue than garbage.

During a silence that lasted less than a minute, Kana had begun to nod off, gently rocking her head.