Chapter 421 – What Happened at the National Competition #3

The women’s division of the Kendo National Sports Festival won the championship as expected, thanks to the performances of Lenka and Chinami.
Lenka, standing on the podium and smiling brightly after receiving the championship cup and MVP, symbols of authority and honor, looks especially beautiful today.

The same goes for Chinami, who is on the podium as vice president.
Having a pretty girl next to a pretty girl makes my eyes feel purified.
I don’t like it when other guys see the two of you, but it can’t be helped.
I’ll have to dig out my eyes later.

Goro, in the middle of the two, had a very bright expression.
This was because the men’s performance was quite good.

The men’s division was 5th.
It’s not that I did poorly, but it’s not that I did a good job either.
However, it was a big improvement compared to last year’s National Sports Festival, so a smile did not leave Goro’s face for a while.

“Great job. “Congratulations on winning.”

When the members who went to greet the two people who came down from the podium majestically said those words, Chinami, who was receiving everyone’s congratulations, smiled brightly.

“Muhuhu… I feel like strength is coming back to my tired body. Thank you.”

After hearing Chinami’s thanks in her typical old-fashioned tone, I looked at Lenka this time.

“Congratulations to the manager too.”

“Uh. Thank you.”

Although his face is expressionless, there is a hint of joy in his eyes.
This year, not only Chinami but also Lenka had a hard time.
A lot of juniors from the kendo club came and were busy.
Nevertheless, they won the championship by successive victories. As expected, these two are very talented.

After the competition was over and he was in a really good mood, he took us to the dinner party we had made reservations for in advance.
And I met an unexpected person at the store next to the restaurant.

“Are you Matsuda-kun?”

I met the vice president by chance.

“What. You’re the vice-captain, right? “Why are you here?”

“Vice captain… Do you know my name?”

“Do you need to know?”

“…”

The vice-captain’s mouth opened wide.
I guess it’s ridiculous that I say this as if it were obvious.
I giggled and waved one hand.

“I’m kidding. “It’s Natsume Honoka.”

“Oh… You know…?”

“Why are you talking like it’s surprising?”

“Because it’s unexpected…?”

Miyuki’s name is called several times a day, so why not know it?
No matter how poor my memory is, I definitely know this much.

“Are you here to participate in the competition too?”

“No. I came to cheer you on. “I’m on the archery club.”

“Is that so?”

“Look at this. Your memory is really bad. “Remembering your name is a miracle?”

“No… The club I remember wasn’t in the sports club?”

“You’re in the sports world, right?”

“Okay…? “Is my memory distorted?”

“I think so.”

Should I pay more attention to the people around me?
Since she is relatively indifferent compared to the heroines, it is hard to tell whether she is joking or is serious about the vice-captain changing clubs.

“Did the kendo club win?”

I shook my head and answered her next question.

“Only the women’s division. “The men’s division ranked 5th.”

“Oh really? “The women’s team gets good results every year.”

“What about the archery club?”

Instead of answering, the vice-captain pointed to the transparent window of the store next door.
When I looked there, I saw several archery club members sitting there with death marks on their faces.

“It’s ruined.”

“Huh. “It’s not a joke, is it?”

If it had been the same store, I think their depression would have spread to our kendo club.

“It will get better if you eat it.”

“Maybe so. Anyway, congratulations. Bon appetit.”

“OK.”

I broke up with her and went into the store, thinking that I wanted to inject something of her into her mouth.
After that, I started putting food into my stomach that started coming out in earnest.

**

“What are you doing?”

In front of the store, a cool breeze blows even in the summer.
To my question while rubbing my big belly, I heard Miyuki’s answer on the other end of the phone.

-I was watching a movie on my phone.

“Did I interrupt you?”

-Huh. How was the competition?

“I won the women’s division, and I placed 5th in the men’s division.”

-I thought it would be because the women’s team was famous and talented, but the men’s team did well too?

Since it is a student council, I guess they know the average grades of each club.

“Uh. “The director really liked it.”

-You deserve it. Congratulations on winning.

“I didn’t win.”

-Still, you can like it because your club won, you idiot.

“Don’t swear.”

-Fool.

Our Miyuki is cute because the worst curse she can say is stupid.
Now, I think I’ve reached a point where I feel empty when I’m not called an idiot.

“Shall we stop by tonight?”

-Huh? That’s okay, but why?

“I’m going to touch my chest to celebrate winning.”

-Oh what…! Cough! I have a cold, so don’t make me laugh…

“Is this funny?”

-Huh. It was funny.

“You laugh at strange points. “Pervert?”

-I guess so. Can I not participate in the company dinner?

“After eating for a while, I came out to digest it for a moment. “Have you eaten?”

-Not yet. Now I’m going to eat with my sister.

“Eat a lot. “I’ll contact you again later.”

-Okay.

After ending the call with Miyuki, who said she liked me, I tried to go back into the store and ended up freaking out.

“Huh…! Ai… I’m surprised.”

It was because Tetsuya, who wasn’t there before, was standing right next to me.
Since when did this bastard come here? There was no sign of popularity at all, so even though the distance wasn’t very close, I was startled and almost fell asleep.

For a gloomy guy, he’s also very secretive. If he goes into a career path like an agent, he seems like he will become a very great talent.
I sighed and looked him up and down.

“When did you come?”

“Just now.”

“For what?”

“To get some air. “Did you talk to Miyuki on the phone?”

“Uh. “How did you know?”

“I heard a voice.”

“You heard that? “Have you set the call volume loud?”

“Don’t worry, I didn’t hear the content clearly.”

“Is that so? Anyway, go get some air.”

I shook my head and was about to pass Tetsuya when he called me in a low voice.

“Matsuda.”

The eyes are very hostile.
It was worth it. Today was the day when Tetsuya’s accumulated inferiority complex reached its peak.

He was indirectly getting information that Miyuki and I had a pretty hot relationship.
Recently, she often hung out with me alone at the academy, and I often stopped by her house.
And what happened when we left the room together during the school trip…

Going further than that, they started a fight with me at the convention today, and they broke up without even getting their money’s worth.
It seems like he went outside to call or leave a text message to Miyuki, but I called first from outside and he’s on the phone…

I even heard Miyuki’s voice through my cell phone.
Moreover, although I don’t know the details of the phone call, I’m sure they must have noticed that their attitude towards each other was very friendly, so it must have been very miserable.

Of course, the call wasn’t in the direction I intended.
Since this happened while Ji was secretly eavesdropping, there was no need for sympathy at all.
The same goes for the previous ones.

What can you do when you kick yourself in the butt?
There wasn’t a single thing I had to consider.

“Why.”

“Treat Miyuki well. “He’s a really good kid.”

This is the dirty admonition of a dog that lost in the love market. It’s not worth listening to.
If you look closely, among the people who lost their unrequited love, the one who couldn’t just back away and swallow the bitterness would say the same thing as Tetsuya.

Be nice, don’t make me cry, good girl…
The repertoire is all similar.
The winner will take care of it, but it feels like the last remaining regret has degenerated into meddling.

“That’s true, but why are you suddenly preaching? “I know better than you that Miyuki is nice, so let’s not worry about it.”

“… I’ve known Miyuki for over 15 years.”

When I provoked him slightly, I got a strong reaction.
It makes me sick to see him not even thinking about the fact that he scratched me, and now I don’t even want him to come near me.

“Know. So?”

“I know Miyuki much better than you. So, don’t talk nonsense.”

Why is he stepping on the accelerator like this today?
It seems worse than at the convention center.

Did you hear me say that I was going to touch Miyuki’s breasts?
If you imagine a scene where your childhood friend is having intense skinship with you, it makes a little bit of sense to do that.

“Did I eat something wrong today? “Why have you been so aggressive since the match earlier?”

“I don’t think it’s aggressive.”

“Try talking to people passing by in the same manner as you do now. “What can I say?”

“Is it? “I’m sorry if it sounded that way.”

“And why don’t you be a little more honest?”

“What?”

“What I’m saying is, don’t scratch and scold people while pretending to give advice. “If you had just told me out loud that I like Miyuki and asked her to be nice to me, I would have responded well out of consideration for you.”

Tetsuya’s face turned red.
I felt embarrassed because I hit the nail on the head with my dislike.
I continued, still looking at the pathetic guy and laughing.

“Because you act narrow-minded, I end up saying bad things too. “Let’s not do that.”

“… Are you narrow-minded?”

“Then isn’t it? “I don’t think it was like this before… Come on.”

People like Tetsuya hate people who talk down to them.
It was as if a superior was giving advice to a subordinate, and the effect was clearly evident.

Wow…!

The guy’s fist curled up inside and was shaking.
If Tetsuya had been honest with himself, he might not have reacted like that.
However, something like that cannot be explained other than lack of qualifications.

It seemed like he knew he was a loser.
Still, are you glad that there is room for self-reflection?
This is the last remaining rope, will Tetsuya be able to catch it?
No. It’s none of my business, so don’t worry about it.

I glanced down at Tetsuya’s closed fist and snorted.
It was a provocation meant to hit if you can.

If Tetsuya throws a punch, he only gets one hit.
Not a hard part like the head, but an area that swells or hurts when hit.

I passed by Tetsuya with the intention of doing so, but he seemed to not have the courage to punch him, so he stayed quiet until I entered the store.
If this happens, won’t it lead to a fist fight? I feel somehow regretful.

I sat down next to Chinami and tried to eat my food again.

Ugh-!

The phone vibrated and a message from Miyuki arrived.

[Matsuda-kun, did you ever fight with Tetsuya-kun?]

How does Miyuki know what happened just now?
I wondered if Tetsuya had manipulated Miyuki to his advantage, but that was impossible due to time constraints.

So what happened? The answer came right away.

‘I guess it’s because of the vice-captain.’

It seemed like the vice-captain I met by chance today had seen me and Tetsuya through the transparent window of the store, or had gone outside for a moment and heard our conversation.
No, it was clearly not the same thing. Otherwise, there was no way Miyuki would have sent such a message.

Nothing happens by chance, and this is why I met the vice-captain today.
It seems like he’s trying to secretly become a witness, but if that’s the case, I guess I’ll just ignore Tetsuya from now on and not scratch him.