Waking Up Engaged to a Cool Yandere Beauty: My Wild Journey with a Love-Obsessed Senior - Episode 54: He Was Strong Back Then (Though He Seemed Weak)

Episode 54: He Was Strong Back Then (Though He Seemed Weak)

“Wow! That’s a great serve!” The sharply hit serve sank into the corner of the court.

“Tch! That was just a fluke!” The long-awaited match between the captain and Rei had begun.

Surprisingly, the match drew a decent crowd. About half of the tennis club members and many other students had gathered, clinging to the fences around the tennis court to watch.

“A fluke? Then return it sometime.” The match was one-sided.

It wasn’t that the captain was weak—it was just that Rei was inexplicably strong.

“Hey, you’re in the tennis club, right?” “Huh? Oh, yeah, I am. And you are?”

A blond-haired boy spoke to me during the match. Despite his flashy appearance, he had a calm demeanor.

“Rei’s gotten good, hasn’t he?” “Uh, yeah. Wait, who are you?”

“I don’t know why, but he’s been absorbed in it.” The blond-haired boy, arms crossed, stared intently at the tennis court.

“Is that so… So, who are you?” “Probably the tennis club itself or maybe the other members? Rei must’ve really taken a liking to something.”

“Are you Rei’s friend?” “We’re best friends.”

He didn’t exactly seem the part. “Oh, looks like the match is over.”

“…Yeah, it is.” As he said, the match ended. A complete victory—if I had to sum it up in one word. “You’re supposed to be the captain, huh? Pretty unimpressive.”

“You little… Don’t you dare underestimate me!”

“What? Can’t win at tennis, so you’re turning to violence now? Go ahead and try. But be ready—because if you throw a punch, I’ll make sure your face is too messed up to recognize.”

Rei’s gaze was sharp, like a finely honed blade. “Damn it… You’d better remember this!”

“You should remember it, idiot.” The more Rei worked hard and spent time with me, the worse his relationship with the captain became.

And then… “Hey, Rei. Let’s settle this with a singles match.”

“What? Not resorting to fighting? Coward.” One day, it was decided that Rei and the captain would have a match.

It was the beginning of everything—or, in a sense, maybe it was.”As expected of Rei,” Shion said with an oddly proud look.

I sipped my tea, feeling a warm glow. Even so, it was hard to explain why Rei had won so easily back then.

If I had to put it into words… “He’s got… something like a wild instinct.”

“A wild instinct?” Shion looked puzzled.

“Yeah, like… he has an uncanny knack for certain things. You were on the same team as him during the ball games tournament, right? You must’ve noticed it a little.”

“…Now that you mention it,” Shion said, nodding after a moment of thought.

“If it weren’t for Rei, we wouldn’t have won the doubles match.” “Uh… yeah.”

I didn’t quite follow her logic. “So? What happened after that?”

“Well, um… It’s not exactly something I like to talk about.”

After that, the captain stopped messing with Rei. It made sense—he had been utterly humiliated by a beginner. Instead…

“Come on, Anzai. Isn’t it about time? Let’s grab a meal, just the two of us. What do you say?”

“I’m, uh, kind of busy these days.” My excuses were starting to wear thin.

“Anzai-senpai, will you help me with practice again today?”

“Y-yeah, sure.” “Tch.”

And so, about a month passed. One day, a younger girl in the club approached me.

“Anzai-senpai, can I talk to you for a minute?” “Huh? Sure. What’s up?”

“Not here… Could we go somewhere else?” “Okay, lead the way.”

She took me to a spot behind the school building. “What’s this about…? Wait, Captain?”

For some reason, the captain and a few older members of the club were there.

Ah, so that’s how it is. “Hey, Anzai. You never hang out with me unless I go this far.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to trick me like this.” The younger girl had disappeared. She must’ve been in on it.

“Come on. Just once. Let me have a go, will you?” “Excuse me? I’m not interested in doing that with someone I don’t even like.”

I’d anticipated this would happen. After all, this guy had a reputation for being a playboy.

“Man, let’s just get it over with. Strip her and record it or something.”

“Wow, you’re the worst.” “At this point, it doesn’t matter how we do it.”

A thick arm reached out toward me. I braced myself. If it came to this…

I steeled myself. And then… “Hey, what the hell are you guys doing?”

A furious voice cut through the tension. Rei stood there, his face filled with rage. “Huh? Who the hell are you?”

One of the older boys stepped toward Rei. But before he could do anything, Rei swung his fist and landed a solid punch on the boy’s cheek.

“Be ready for this,” Rei said coldly. “I’ll make you pay.” “What the hell is with this guy?”

He was so strong. So cool. Rei Uka had always been like that—from the very first moment I met him.