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 6: Accidentally Patting the Beautiful Junior Manager’s Head.

Chapter 6: Accidentally Patting the Beautiful Junior Manager’s Head.

“What are we making?”

“Tomato soup, a salad with broccoli, chilled tofu, and maybe some cold shabu-shabu with eggplant.”

“Oh, that sounds great!”

Kana clapped her hands happily.

“What are you putting in the soup?”

“Cabbage, onions, carrots… all sorts of things. When you just want to get nutrition easily, soup or hot pot is the strongest option.”

“I totally get that. In winter, I almost always end up making hot pot when I cook for myself.”

“Same here.”

“We’re comrades!”

Kana flashed a bright smile.

“Eh? What kind of hot pot do you like, senpai?”

“Hmm… I like simple ones eaten with ponzu, but I also like kimchi hot pot and soy milk hot pot.”

“Kimchi hot pot is my favorite too! Next time, let’s do a mystery hot pot?”

“…Wait, wait. I don’t follow.”

The sudden leap in conversation left Takumi one step behind. He couldn’t figure out how the discussion had arrived at the idea of a mystery hot pot.

“Why would we have to eat a hot pot in complete darkness with unknown ingredients right after inviting you inside? We should at least build up to that after sharing more meals together.”

“Eh? Does that mean you’ll eat with me again in the future?”

Kana asked with a mischievous, teasing grin.

“If you’re okay with it, feel free to come over anytime.”

“…O-Okay.”

“Okay?”

Takumi immediately shot back.

Kana’s cheeks were dyed a cherry-blossom pink. She was probably embarrassed by her own strange reaction.

“N-Nothing!”

“…Right.”

Her cheeks kept growing redder, turning the same color as the tomatoes on the counter, so Takumi decided not to press the issue and quietly focused on cooking.

He had thought his occasional cooking experience would be enough, but Kana’s skills were surprisingly good. Maybe his “occasional” had been an understatement.

“Senpai… If you really don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine, but… may I ask why you decided to quit soccer?”

Kana asked hesitantly.

The timing—right after he had finished using the knife—clearly wasn’t a coincidence.

“It’s okay, but… it’s not a fun story.”

“I don’t mind.”

Kana nodded with a serious expression.

After a brief hesitation, Takumi decided to open up. He had wanted someone to listen.

“Lately, it hasn’t been fun at all. I can’t play the way I want, and I keep making mistakes that cause trouble for my teammates. I thought that if I practiced, I’d eventually improve, but that never happened. No matter how hard I try, I don’t get any better. I think I’ve reached my limit. Continuing would only make things more painful.”

The words came out smoother than he had expected. Cooking side by side without facing each other directly probably helped ease the psychological pressure.

He inwardly smiled bitterly, thinking that he had unknowingly added yet another debt to Shirayuki.

“So… that’s why you decided to quit?”

“Yeah.”

Kana stopped what she was doing and stared at him intently.

“…Is that really all?”

“Eh?”

“I mean, the wording ‘that’s all’ might not be right… but wasn’t there a specific trigger that made the cup overflow? Something from today’s practice match?”

“…Are you an esper, Shirayuki?”

Takumi was genuinely impressed by her sharp insight.

“Because otherwise, I can’t imagine you staying out in the rain at the park like that.”

“Ah… yeah, I guess so.”

“If you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t force you… but if you’re willing, could you tell me?”

After another short hesitation, Takumi honestly confessed that Takeoka had ordered him to quit the team.

“Haa…? What the hell is that muscle-brained gorilla thinking…!”

Kana’s eyebrows shot up as she spat out the insult. Her cheeks flushed red, and fiery anger burned in her eyes.

“Shirayuki, calm down.”

“This is me holding back. If he were here, I’d say I’d beat him to death. Actually, I would beat him to death.”

“That would put you in danger, so please don’t.”

“No way! It’s just wrong!”

Unable to hold it in any longer, Kana raised her voice.

“Senpai hasn’t done anything wrong! You’ve been practicing harder than anyone, yet someone like that tells you to quit…!”

Transparent tears rapidly welled up in her crimson eyes.

Without thinking, Takumi reached out and gently stroked her head, running his fingers through her glossy hair that matched the color of her eyes.

“Thank you, Shirayuki. For getting angry on my behalf.”

“…Eh?”

Kana, who had been sniffling, looked up with a dazed expression. She glanced back and forth between Takumi’s face and the hand resting on her head. Her cheeks rapidly turned a deeper shade of red, the color spreading all the way to her ears.

“U-Um, senpai…!?”

“Eh? …Ah.”

Only then did Takumi realize what he was doing.

(W-What am I doing!?)

“S-Sorry! I just…!”

He quickly pulled his hand back and lowered his head.

“You probably hate having your head touched, right? I’m really sorry!”

“N-No, it’s not that I hate it or anything! P-Please raise your head!”

Kana was even more flustered than he was. The surprise seemed to have stopped her tears completely.

“…Really? You’re not angry?”

“Of course I’m not angry! I was just a little surprised… but it actually felt nice… Ahh, forget I said that last part!”

“…Pfft.”

Seeing Kana accidentally self-destruct and turn bright red from embarrassment was so amusing that Takumi couldn’t hold back his laughter.

“Ah! You just made fun of me, didn’t you!?”

“N-No, I didn’t.”

“Your voice is shaking! I’m not falling for that!”

“No, really… I wasn’t making fun of you. It was just… kind of cute.”

“That’s exactly what making fun of someone sounds like!”

Kana raised her fists and puffed up in anger. It was endearing in its own way, but Takumi desperately held back his laughter so as not to worsen her mood.

“Sorry, sorry.”

“Geez…”

Kana crossed her arms and puffed out her cheeks. Her ears were still red. She was probably trying to hide her embarrassment more than actual anger.

“Still… I feel a lot lighter now. Thanks for listening, Shirayuki.”

“No, thank you for opening up to me. It made me happy to feel like you were relying on me!”

“I’ve always relied on you, ever since you joined the third string.”

“…R-Really?”

Kana averted her gaze.

“Shirayuki?”

“It’s nothing. Anyway, we’re almost done. Shouldn’t we finish cooking? I’m getting pretty hungry.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Whether it was because he had let everything out or because they had laughed together, Takumi’s heart felt considerably lighter—just as he had told her.

However, at the same time, the fog in his chest had not completely cleared.

Just what was this lingering unease…?