How To Ruin A Love Comedy

After finishing the club activities, I carried the collection bin to gather the members’ uniforms.

While doing so, I saw Renka coming out of the shower and promptly headed towards her.

She was drinking water while drying her hair with a towel. Spotting my spirited approach, she flinched.

“What...what is it?”

“Your uniform, please.”

“...I left it in the women’s changing room bin. Chinami will bring it later.”

That’s a pity.

Tilting my head, I said, “I have a question.”

“All of a sudden?”

“Yes.”

“Alright...go on.”

I pointed towards a male senior practicing head strikes at a corner of the dojo, both arms raised above his head.

“What’s that senior doing? Is that part of the training?”

Looking in the direction, Renka exclaimed with a hint of admiration, “Ah... Yes, that stance is called ‘Sangdanse,’ also known as the ‘Fire Stance.’ Few people use it.”

“Is it that rare?”

“It has superior offensive power, but it’s weak in defense. It’s harder to maintain than the basic ‘Jungdanse’ stance. Also, it’s difficult to connect with combination attacks, vulnerable to thrusts, and very susceptible in close combat. The time to adapt to movements is also slower.”

Seems like it has many downsides.

No wonder only a few people practice it...

“Are there any advantages?”

“It has a long reach. Plus, there’s the advantage of ‘Pyon Suchigi’...”

‘Pyon Suchigi’ refers to swinging a sword with one hand.

From Renka’s trailing voice, it seemed the advantages weren’t significant compared to the disadvantages.

“Some people may differ, but most are captivated by the forceful impact of that stance, making it their primary. When someone with good energy adopts ‘Sangdanse,’ the imposing aura is impressive... There are even a few competitors who have gained prominence using it. Chinami also mainly employs ’Sangdanse.’”

“Really? Nanase Senpai?”

“Yes, didn’t you know?”

“I had no idea.”

“...Well, beginners are supposed to focus on ‘Jungdanse,’ so there wouldn’t have been a reason to mention it.”

I pictured the petite Chinami leaping about with her sword raised high, striking her opponent’s head.

The image was oddly cute.

“Are there other stances, too?”

“There are. ‘Hadanse,’ ‘Eokkaekal,’ ‘Yeopjase,’ and ‘Ido.’”

“‘Ido’? Using two swords?”

“Yes, it’s a decent stance, but it’s banned in student competitions. And there are no instructors at the academy who teach it. ‘Hadanse,’ ‘Eokkaekal,’ and ‘Yeopjase’ are really inefficient in Kendo, where striking areas are restricted. I’ve never seen anyone use them in official competitions. Maybe just for fun in friendly matches?”

“So, ‘Sangdanse’ and ‘Jungdanse’ are the mainstream stances in current Kendo?”

“Correct. Although ‘Jungdanse’ is the majority.”

To sum it up, ‘Sangdanse’ is a minor stance.

It’s a tactic solely focused on offense, also dubbed the ‘Fire Stance.’

The sense of impact is invigorating.

‘Great.’

Then I’ll go with ‘Sangdanse.’

There’s nothing more thrilling than a minor beating a major, right?

In soccer terms, it’s like a third-division underdog taking down a first-division team.

And most crucially, the protagonist has to be special, and my mentor Chinami uses ‘Sangdanse’...

I’ve made up my mind.

“Can I learn it?”

At my question, Renka chuckled as if amused.

“Without mastering the basics, even a half-baked ‘Sangdanse’ is useless. Stop the unnecessary daydreaming and start learning ’Jungdanse.’”

“Alright.”

At my nonchalant response, Renka’s smooth forehead furrowed.

“You’re not listening to me, are you?”

“I am listening.”

“Your expression says otherwise... If you’re thinking of coaxing Chinami, wake up. She’ll have the same idea as me. She won’t teach you until you’ve properly learned ’Jungdanse.’”

“Sure.”

“I’ll say it again, the basics are ‘Jungdanse.’”

“Basics are ‘Jungdanse’... Sure.”

I feigned disinterest in ‘Jungdanse’ and escaped Renka’s lecture.

***

In a downtown café, I was lounging and reading a comic book, my legs crossed.

Swing—

The door opened, and as Miyuki poked her head in, I greeted her.

“You’re here? What about the food?”

“Uh... I ordered a couple’s set, so they’ll bring it over soon.”

Miyuki emphasized the word ‘couple’ as she set her bag down in the corner and took off her shoes to sit down. She looked visibly uncomfortable.

Sharing the closed and narrow space with just the two of us must have felt oddly tense.

“You’re an hour late, you know?”

“Sorry... it was because of a cultural festival meeting. Did Tetsuya-kun go home?”

“Yes, I gave him a ride as soon as the club activities were over.”

“Good... Did you two talk about anything?”

“I talked trash about you.”

At that, tension seemed to leave Miyuki, and she leaned back against the wall. She crossed her legs and wrapped her arms around herself, staring at me lounging in my chair. She glanced at the cover of the book I was reading.

“There’s a kid on the cover holding a sword and with a scar on his forehead... What genre is this?”

“Action.”

“Is it good?”

“So-so.”

“What’s the story?”

“The protagonist’s family gets slaughtered by demons, except for his sibling. He embarks on a journey to turn his sibling back into a human. That’s the gist for now.”

“Slau-slaughtered? Isn’t it a horror manga?”

“No, it’s not. I can bring you the first volume if you’d like to read it?”

Miyuki’s head shook from side to side in refusal.

“I don’t like it...”

Miyuki rummaged through her bag, pulling out her math textbook, a notebook, and some writing utensils. Seeing this, I sat up.

“Are you seriously studying even when you’re here?”

“I couldn’t review earlier because of the cultural festival meeting during our break. Don’t you have any questions, Matsuda-kun? You seemed to be struggling during math class.”

“Stop it. Close the book. You’re getting on my nerves.”

“Why? You’re reading manga.”

“Let’s just watch a movie or something.”

“Okay.”

Miyuki promptly closed her math textbook. She picked up the TV remote in the room and flashed a radiant smile as she pressed the power button.

Was this her plan all along?

Did she just... play me?

I’m confused. So confused.

I tossed my manga aside and leaned back against the wall. Miyuki skimmed through the list of movies available in the café.

“What do you want to watch?”

“Whatever you want to watch is fine.”

In a moment, the movie will likely fade into the background, barely registering in our senses. So, it doesn’t matter what we watch.

Miyuki, who chose a romance movie, cautiously moved closer and spread out a blanket she brought. She then placed it over both of our laps.

“I thought it might get cold because of the air conditioner...”

“Who said anything?”

“Mm-hm.”

Earlier, she was cunningly steering my actions like a fox, but now she’s responding with a voice quieter than a mosquito’s, puffing and unpuffing her cheeks.

It’s both amusing and baffling.

Knock, knock.

Just as the movie’s opening credits began to roll, a knock resounded from our door. Miyuki quickly stood up to open it and cautiously placed the tray that an employee had brought us on the table.

Usually, I’d expect her to spill something like this and stain her school uniform shirt, as if to prove she’s a total klutz. Though no such thing happened.

Curious about what food had arrived, I checked the tray.

Strawberry yogurt smoothie, green tea latte, and a generous serving of fries. Looks like it’s one of those couple sets.

“Did we get to choose the drinks?”

“Yep. The green tea latte is for you, Matsuda-kun.”

“Why do I have to drink something that tastes like grass? If we get to choose, you could’ve at least asked me...”

“Haha, ‘tastes like grass?’ I picked the green tea latte because you were talking about green tea at lunch... so I thought...”

Miyuki’s face contorted, looking a bit like she was hurt because I hadn’t recognized her thoughtful gesture. I decided to ease off on the teasing.

“Hey, can’t you take a joke? You’re always nagging and teasing me.”

Quickly grabbing the cup containing the latte, I took a long sip through the straw. Within seconds, about a third of the green tea latte disappeared. Seeing this, Miyuki was visibly shocked.

“What are you doing? Drinking it all at once like that!”

I swallowed the mouthful of latte I had been holding and shrugged my shoulders.

“It all ends up in the stomach anyway. But it does taste good. I like the slightly sweet aftertaste.”

“You really are an idiot... Your way of speaking is so old-fashioned, like an old man’s.”

Old man? Well, that’s a bit shocking.

“Is ‘idiot’ the only insult you know?”

Teasing Miyuki a little more, I slyly slid my arm around her shoulders. The moment my hand touched her, her shoulders tensed up, retracting inward.

She rolled her eyes at me, then back at my hand, before finally taking her straw to her lips like some kind of genteel lady and taking a tiny sip of her smoothie. She put the cup back down and chewed her lips thoughtfully.

Anxiety, excitement.

Her emotions laid bare.

Like when we kissed in Miyuki’s room, I moved the arm I had around her shoulders with a very serious expression and placed it against the side of her neck.

Adding just a bit of pressure, her petite head gradually lowered toward my shoulder.

And then,

Dak.

Her head lightly touched my shoulder. Tilting my body slightly, Miyuki’s head settled into the space between my trapezius and pectoral muscles–

Whoo.

–Her breath, penetrating through my thin shirt.

Rip. Tug.

Beneath the blanket, I heard the sound of something being torn. Miyuki was tearing at the sheet laid out in the room, revealing her unabashedly shy emotions.

“Uncomfortable?”

When I asked softly, Miyuki raised her head slowly.

“I’m, I’m fine...”

“You don’t look fine at all.”

“I said I’m fine...?”

“Don’t look like it.”

“I’m fine... I’m fine… I said I’m fine…”

Her eyes, seemingly so deep they could swallow my soul, yet her sharp mouth corners... In her mismatching expression challenging me, I saw my face reflected in her eyes.

The me that she looking at right now... was serious.

Rip. Tug...!

The sound of the sheet being torn continued to echo.

At this rate, we’ll owe the owner some kind of recompense—Just as I think this and attempt to stop Miyuki, she firmly grasps the fingers I have near her collarbone.

Gripping my middle finger with all her might, she asks in a whisper, “You... is this weekend okay for you?”

“For what?”

“Eating at my house... I know it’s a bit soon, but starting next week, I’ll be really busy preparing for the cultural festival...”

Going isn’t the issue, but there are factors to consider.

Namely, the level of physical intimacy.

Since it would be rude of me to eat at her house repeatedly, I think it would be better to go when we can be more openly affectionate than we are now. After the cultural festival ends, it should be fine.

“Is it okay if I come after the cultural festival ends?”

“Ah... well, that would be okay...”

“Then let’s plan for some time after that.”

“Alright...”

Rip. Tug.

Miyuki starts tearing at the sheet again. Despite the movie starting, she’s ignoring the TV and focusing solely on tearing up the unfortunate sheet. Her head remains pressed against my shoulder.

Suppressing a smile, I take Miyuki’s leg and place it over my thigh.

“Eek...!”

Miyuki reacts as if she’s seen a ghost, biting down on her lower lip. Her face has long turned a deep shade of red, the blush even reaching up to her ears.

One could say she transforms into a proper lady whenever such an atmosphere envelops us. It makes me question whether this is the same girl who was brazenly challenging me and showing disdain not too long ago.

With a refreshing smile toward her, I grab the strawberry smoothie and take a sip through the straw.

Then I offer the cup to her.

“.....”

Staring for a moment at the straw in the smoothie, she swallows her hesitation and sips from the same spot where my lips had been.

︵‿︵‿୨ * ୧‿︵‿︵

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Devil }