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 5: Having His Hair Dried by the Beautiful Junior Manager.

Chapter 5: Having His Hair Dried by the Beautiful Junior Manager.

When Takumi stepped out of the bathroom, Kana was sitting on the sofa, absorbed in reading a manga.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“No, not at all! I’m the one who should apologize for staying so long.”

Kana hurriedly placed the manga on the low table and stood up, offering a small bow. Her hair appeared to have dried, but—

“Shirayuki, what about your bath?”

“Ah, no, I’m fine! It would be too much to borrow your bath when I’m already intruding… and, um… it feels a little awkward…”

Kana looked down slightly, her expression awkward as her words trailed off. After a brief pause, she forced a stiff smile.

“Besides… I don’t have any spare clothes.”

“……”

Takumi’s eyes widened. He hadn’t thought that far.

Of course. He could lend her a hoodie, but there was no way he had spare underwear for her.

It was perfectly natural that she felt hesitant to say it. He hadn’t considered her position at all—being alone in the home of a guy who lived by himself.

“…Sorry. I wasn’t being very thoughtful.”

“N-No! I know you were trying to be considerate!”

Kana waved her hands frantically and smiled to show she wasn’t blaming him. Still, a faint blush lingered at the edges of her expression.

“M-More importantly, senpai… isn’t your hair still wet?”

“Ah, yeah. I’ll dry it properly after I drink some water.”

“Good. I was starting to worry you might actually be pretty sloppy.”

“Hey, is there a mirror between us or something?”

“W-What do you mean by that?!”

Seeing Kana puff out her cheeks in indignation, Takumi couldn’t help but laugh.

Her bright energy was contagious. Thanks to her, his mental state had recovered far more than when he had been sitting alone in the rain at the park. He was even able to tease her and smile at her reactions again.

Kana, who had been pretending to be angry, eventually let out a relieved laugh as well.

“…I’ll go dry my hair now.”

Feeling a mix of embarrassment and awkwardness, Takumi tried to slip away quickly, but—

“Senpai. If you’d like, I could dry it for you? Think of it as a small thank-you for letting me into your home.”

“Eh, no, it’s fine. I’d feel bad.”

“Come on, don’t be so reserved.”

Kana approached with a mischievous grin reminiscent of a door-to-door salesman.

“Actually, I’ve wanted to touch your hair for a while now. It looks so fluffy and soft. If you don’t mind, I’d really like to do it.”

“…Then I guess I’ll take you up on that.”

Her words were probably meant to ease his guilt, but since she had gone this far, he had no real reason to refuse.

“Leave it to me!”

Kana happily picked up the hair dryer and moved behind him.

“Wow, it really is fluffy!”

As she dried his hair following its natural flow, Kana let out an excited voice. Her desire to touch his hair might not have been entirely a lie.

Carried by the warm air of the dryer, a faintly sweet scent—different from shampoo or conditioner—tickled Takumi’s nose.

(Ah, this is Shirayuki’s scent… No, no, stop.)

Takumi hurriedly shook his head.

“Oh? What’s wrong, senpai?”

Kana paused, sounding surprised.

“Nothing… it’s nothing.”

He gave a vague excuse and averted his gaze, clearing his throat awkwardly.

“…Sorry. Please continue.”

“Okay~”

After that, Takumi desperately focused on the movement of Kana’s hands.

Fortunately, the drying only took a few more minutes. Kana had styled his hair into a neat center part, with the parting standing up sharply.

“Wow, it looks cool! I thought a center part would really suit you.”

“Thanks. I like it.”

Since Takumi usually only fixed his bedhead, the style gave him a noticeably more polished look than usual.

“Why don’t you do this every day?”

“Ehh, no thanks. It’s too much effort.”

“What a waste~ If you dressed up properly, senpai, you’d definitely be way more popular.”

“I’m honored to hear that from you, Shirayuki.”

Knowing it was probably just lip service, Takumi brushed it off lightly. For a brief moment, he thought he saw a flicker of dissatisfaction on Kana’s face… but it quickly turned back into a smile. Maybe he had imagined it.

“Senpai, you live alone, right? What do you usually do for dinner?”

“I mostly cook for myself.”

“Eh~ That’s amazing! You manage everything even though you live alone. I can’t even finish my homework on time.”

Kana puffed out her chest proudly, which only emphasized its generous size. Takumi deliberately shifted his gaze slightly upward, focusing on the area around her eyebrows.

“Don’t brag. You could’ve done it while I was in the bath.”

“You should’ve said that earlier!”

“People who would do it don’t need to be told. People who won’t, won’t do it even if you tell them.”

“Senpai, you’re surprisingly sharp-tongued.”

Kana gave a wry smile.

“Did that gap moe you?”

“Yes, extremely.”

“Thanks for that. Do your parents make dinner for you when they get home, Shirayuki?”

“No. On days like today when they come back late, we each handle our own meals. If we all waited to eat together, it would get way too late.”

Kana gave a slightly lonely smile.

“So you cook too, or eat out?”

“Either cooking or eating out. Today I was planning to grab a convenience store bento since it’s raining.”

This felt like a small chance for Takumi to repay her kindness.

“In that case, would you like to eat here?”

“Eh? N-No, no, that would definitely be too much trouble. Really, just the thought is enough—”

The moment Kana tried to decline—

—Guuuu.

A comically loud stomach growl echoed through the room.

“……!”

Kana turned bright red in an instant. The flush spread all the way to her ears.

“P-Please pretend you didn’t hear that…!”

“Fufu, sorry. That might be a little difficult.”

“……!”

Her face grew even redder as Takumi couldn’t hold back a laugh. She covered her face with both hands, crouching down as she groaned, “Uuu… this is so embarrassing…!”

“Shirayuki.”

Takumi smiled gently and spoke in a warm, inviting tone.

“Go ahead and eat with me. You helped me out a lot today too… Consider it my way of saying thanks. How about it?”

“Uuu…”

Kana hesitated for a moment, looking conflicted, but eventually gave a small, resigned shrug.

“…Then… I’m sorry for imposing. I’ll take you up on your kind offer.”

Kana smiled bashfully and gave a polite little bow, hands neatly placed on her knees.

Takumi smiled softly and nodded.

“Yeah. Just wait a bit. I’ll start cooking now.”

“No, I’ll help too! It would feel wrong to just sit and wait.”

“Really? Then I’ll gladly accept.”

He figured it would feel better for both of them if he didn’t awkwardly refuse, so he accepted her offer honestly.

“Yes! Leave it to this capable, beautiful manager—Shirayuki Kana!”

Kana struck a guts pose with a proud grin, the corners of her mouth lifted high.

(She really says that stuff about herself out loud… Well, she does have the skills and looks to back up such a grand title.)

Takumi smiled wryly and pointed at her slender white upper arm, which showed almost no muscle.

“At least when it comes to muscle, it’s not quite perfect.”

“Shut up.”

Kana pouted. A beat later, the two of them looked at each other and burst into laughter.