Chapter 41: Glared Down by a First-Year.

Someone in the third string must have leaked it. The rumor that Takumi and Kana were commuting to and from school together had already spread through the second string. No one looked surprised to see them together—though a fair number of people did direct gazes of pure envy toward Takumi.

“You’re Kisaragi Takumi-kun, right?”

The one who spoke to him was a man with narrow, squinting eyes behind a pair of glasses.

“Yes. I’ll be in your care starting today—Nihei-senpai.”

“You don’t have to be so formal. I’m not really the gung-ho, sports-club type.”

Nihei waved his hand dismissively, a gentle smile on his face. That smile feels fake, Takumi sensed. With that same expression fixed on his face, Nihei leaned in close.

“Still, from what I remember, you were among the bottom tier even in the third string. What kind of underhanded trick did you use to get up here?”

“I just did the absolute most with what I could do. Besides, I don’t think Sakura High is soft enough to let someone move up just by being sneaky.”

“…You pass.”

Nihei’s squinting eyes relaxed. This time, it looked like a genuine smile.

“Sorry. I wanted to see what kind of person you were.”

“It’s fine.”

“In three days, we’re having a scrimmage. I’ve already heard from Miwa and Coach Kawabata that you’re an interesting player. I’m looking forward to it.”

“Yes, sir.”

Takumi gave a firm nod.

Naturally, he had no intention of slacking off during any of the regular drills. However, knowing that his specific traits were already understood to some extent was encouraging for someone like Takumi, who lagged behind his peers in so many other areas.

(I see. So this is what she meant by a ‘good senior’ despite having a bad personality.)

Remembering Kana’s words, Takumi nodded to himself.

***

As expected, the intensity of the second-string practice was on another level compared to the third string.

“Whew…”

“Good work, Senpai!”

As Takumi wiped the sweat from his chin with the palm of his hand, a water bottle was suddenly thrust toward him from the side.

“Thanks, Shirayuki-san.”

Takumi took small sips. If he drank too much at once, he’d get a stomachache the next time he started moving.

“How do you like it? The second string?”

“The level is high, obviously. But as I’m sure you felt when you were with the third string, the look in everyone’s eyes is way more intense here.”

The skill gap was one thing, but that intensity was what truly impressed Takumi. Being in a position closer to the first string likely fueled their motivation. He could feel their determination to leave a mark, and most people seemed deeply focused on their own performance.

However, there are exceptions to every rule. In terms of being focused on one’s own performance, the exception was Haruhiro—the first-year who had achieved the fastest promotion to the second string this year.

During the one-on-one drills earlier, every time he won against Takumi, he would direct a triumphant, gloating look his way. Since he was undoubtedly talented, as Kana had said, Takumi was forced to witness his underclassman’s smug face every time they faced off.

Even now, while he wasn’t approaching them, he was shooting sharp glares in Takumi’s direction. It seemed Kana had noticed as well. She shifted her position quickly, standing right on the line of sight between Haruhiro and Takumi. They could no longer see each other.

“Thanks, Shirayuki-san. But don’t worry about it. I really don’t mind.”

“…I thought so. You wouldn’t let someone like that get to you, Senpai. Sorry, even though it’s not my business.”

“Huh? No, it’s because you’re so considerate that I’m able to stay unbothered. Thank you.”

“Really? Am I actually being helpful to you, Senpai?”

“Of course. You’ve supported me in so many ways already. Probably more than you realize.”

“I see…!”

Kana smiled, looking genuinely happy.

“Oh—it’s our turn next.”

“Yes! Good luck!”

“Yeah, thanks.”

Takumi hurried away from Kana and gave his cheeks a firm pat. Right, he thought. He was glad it was their turn at such a perfect moment.

***

On Takumi’s second day of weight training since his promotion, the scene was much the same as the first day, for better or worse. Most of the players were pushing their limits, while Haruhiro went out of his way to perform the same exercises as Takumi, looking quite pleased with himself whenever he lifted heavier weights.

(I don’t think we’ve had enough contact for him to hate me this much, though.)

Intrigued, Takumi observed him for a bit and realized that after winning against him, Haruhiro always turned his gaze toward Kana.

(…I see. So that’s how it is.)

There had been several times when Haruhiro’s gaze was particularly sharp, including yesterday morning when Takumi first joined the second-string practice. All those moments had one thing in common. He was with Kana. Given the situation, he couldn’t help but be reminded of the incident with Takeoka.

(…No, surely he won’t actually do anything.)

Takumi desperately tried to shake off the encroaching anxiety.

After finishing the weight-focused session, Takumi finished getting ready while chatting with his fellow second-years. He parted ways with half of the train commuters in front of the clubroom and the other half at the school gate. Sakura High was served by two nearby stations; one was closer to the opposite gate, and for the other, they would naturally split at the gate to take the shortest paths.

He could have walked them to the station, but that would involve backtracking to stop by the supermarket. It would be a hassle, and he felt bad making several people take a detour just for him, so Takumi chose to head home alone. It had been a little while.

Kana, who had been walking home with him every day recently, was currently in a managers-only meeting. Takumi wouldn’t have minded waiting, but Kana had insisted he go ahead since she didn’t know when it would end and didn’t want to keep him waiting.

Takumi’s role was strictly to keep other guys away. If Kana didn’t want him there, he had no intention of forcing his company on her. If he did that, he really would become the “delusional guy” Takeoka had accused him of being.

What should I have for dinner today—? That train of thought, started just as he left his friends, was immediately derailed.

“—Takumi-san. Got a minute?”

His reflex was to say “no,” but he swallowed the words just in time. The one who had stopped him was Haruhiro. His expression was far from friendly; he didn’t look like he was about to say something cute like, “Want to walk home together?”

(Trouble is definitely on the way… but I guess it’s better that he came for me instead of Kana.)

Trying to pivot to a positive mindset, Takumi nodded.

“Sure.”

Haruhiro must have decided the school gate wasn’t the right place. As soon as they entered a park near the school, he spun around and leveled a sharp gaze at Takumi.

“I’ll be blunt. Takumi-san, stop hanging around Shirayuki.”

(…Well now.)

This might be even more of a headache than I imagined—