Waking Up Engaged to a Cool Yandere Beauty: My Wild Journey with a Love-Obsessed Senior - Episode 53: That One Time... What a Fool

Episode 53: That One Time… What a Fool

Rei Uoka. It struck me as an unusual name. My first impression of him was that he was an unapproachable guy. Everyone seemed to think so.

“Ubana.” On the tennis court in the evening, Mariri stood next to Rei, who was practicing his serves.

“What?” He was a strange beginner—someone who had joined the tennis club yet had never once held a racket before, nor could he speak politely.

“I heard about it. You had another fight with the club president, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, well, I don’t like him.” He tossed the ball, pulled his arm back, and swung it like a whip. The ball struck perfectly in the racket’s sweet spot, and spun as it landed on the opposite side of the court.

“Tch, missed.” “Don’t like him? Come on…”

Back then, the tennis club was unofficial and unapproved—a laid-back group that couldn’t participate in tournaments or even easily arrange practice matches with other schools.

“Couldn’t you try getting along a little?” “What’s the point? People betray each other easily anyway.”

“…Hmph.” Once he said it outright, there was no way to reason with him.

Rei Uka always started practicing after everyone else in the club had left—around 6 p.m., at dusk.

“Ubana?” That day, the sun had already set, and it was almost completely dark.

“Anzai… What are you doing here?” “Put ‘senpai’ at the end, you idiot.”

He ignored me. It seemed he had no intention of responding, no matter what I said. “Isn’t it time to stop?”

“Why?” “Well, everyone else has gone home, right?” “That’s why I came.”

“Huh?!” He was so hard to figure out. Why did I fall for someone like him? I didn’t even know.

“Hey, can I ask something?” Shion, tearing a piece of her croissant, spoke up.

“Hm? What is it?” “It’s about that former club president, right? The one Rei fought with?”

“Ah, yeah. Alright, I’ll start from there.” Mariri cleared her throat and began to weave the story.

Where should I begin? After a moment’s hesitation, I decided to start with the big incident from last year—the so-called “club war.”

The root of all the trouble was the former tennis club president. He was what you’d call a playboy—a guy who constantly hit on women inside and outside the club, swapping them out like they were disposable.

“Hey, Anzai, how about we grab drinks together tonight?” He’d often approach me like that when I was in the clubroom.

“Uh, well, I already have plans today…” Of course, to this playboy, I was no exception. He kept inviting me, and I kept finding excuses to turn him down. Every time it happened—

“Anzai… Senpai. Teach me tennis.” “Huh? You? You think someone like you deserves lessons from Anzai?”

“What’s it to you? This has nothing to do with a jerk like you.”

Rei always stepped in for me. “Hey, hey, I asked her first, didn’t I? Isn’t it wrong to jump in like that?”

“Hah? I asked Anzai-senpai ages ago. You’re the one butting in.” “C-Calm down, Ubana. Let’s just go practice, alright?”

Somehow, I managed to defuse the tension. Then, the two of us would escape to the tennis court.

And as a month passed, Rei grew noticeably better. Like a sponge, he absorbed everything he was taught, improving rapidly. By then, I thought he might even do well in tournaments.

“You’ve gotten pretty good.” “Well, I’ve always liked sports. I’m decent at them.”

“And yet, you still can’t speak politely.” “Hah, I just don’t want to be one of those fools who’s polite to everyone.”

“That’s what manners are for, you know?”

“Don’t care.” We grew closer. Or rather, he finally started to open up to me. It made me happy, and I began looking forward to these after-school hours.

But one day, when I arrived at the tennis court, there were two shadows instead of the usual one.

“Hey, Uka. Don’t you think you’re getting a little full of yourself?” When I strained my ears, that’s what I heard.

“Huh?” “You can’t even speak properly, can’t even play tennis. Why are you here? Just quit already.”

“What’s it to you? Besides, I’m better at tennis than you now. Why don’t you quit and go wag your tail at some girls?”

“You little—!” Rei’s collar was grabbed, and it looked like he was about to be punched. But—

“You want to hit me? Go ahead. Do it. But be ready. I’ll hit you back until your face is unrecognizable.”

His eyes were sharp. Like a razor. No, like a blade. “Damn it! Remember this, you jerk!”

“You’re the one who should remember it, idiot.” The more Rei improved and the more time he spent with me, the worse his relationship with the president got. And then—

“Hey, Uka. Let’s settle this with a singles match.” “Hah? Not going to fight? Coward.”

One day, it was decided. Rei and the president would face off in a match. It was the beginning of everything. In a way.