"Beep, beep..."
The tone of a call trying to connect.
"Hello?"
A rough male voice answered.
Akane's shoulders stiffened instinctively, but then she reminded herself—this was her own room. She let out a small breath, the image of the boy who had walked her home today flashing in her mind. Finally, she spoke:
"Supervisor Tōgō."
As the manager of the Baseball Club, of course she had the supervisor's number.
On the other end came a laugh. Just from that laugh alone, she could picture his disgusting face, lips pulling back to reveal yellowed teeth.
"Oh, it's Nanao. Calling me? Heh, have you thought it through? I told you already... if you're going to be with some guy like Anshi—"
"I want to quit the Baseball Club."
Her words were clear and without hesitation.
"...Wh—what!?" Tōgō sounded like he couldn't believe his ears. After a pause, his voice grew harsher, almost snarling: "You brat, do you have any idea what you're saying? Because of your selfishness, Hiraishi Kōya will lose his spot in the starting lineup! You'll crush his dream completely!"
"Kōya's dream is very important to me."
That was what Akane herself had once said—and the very leverage Tōgō always held over her.
But now, she remembered the words another boy had told her: Your dream is something you have to achieve yourself.
"As for Kōya, I'll talk to him directly," Akane said. "I'm only calling you out of courtesy as the supervisor. You don't have the right to force me to stay, do you?"
And he didn't. A supervisor could recruit members, but they had no authority to hold a student against their will.
Tōgō ground his teeth. Each word dripped with menace: "You will regret this..."
Click.
Akane hung up before he could finish.
She deleted both the call record and Tōgō's contact, then tossed her phone onto the bed. Falling back beside it, she sank into the soft blankets, her gaze drifting up to the white ceiling.
Amazing. She had actually said something like that to Tōgō.
She raised a hand, spreading her slender fingers, watching the incandescent light scatter through them. It feels like... I really have changed.
Her phone vibrated again.
Annoyed, Akane thought it was Tōgō calling back. She was ready to block him outright—until she noticed the name on the screen.
Hiraishi Kōya.
She froze, took a deep breath, and accepted the call.
"Akane!"
A young man's voice, panicked and angry, erupted from the speaker. "What are you doing?! Supervisor Tōgō just told me everything! How could you quit the club without telling me first?!"
Akane let him finish before calmly replying:
"I'm sorry. But this is my decision... I can't stay in the Baseball Club anymore."
"But—but what about our dream? Our dream of going to Koshien?" His voice trembled.
Once, that tone would have broken her resolve. She would have set aside her feelings to comfort him. But tonight, she was different. Her voice was cold—Kōya could hear it.
"That's not my dream," Akane said softly. "I don't even like baseball."
"But... but you—"
She sighed. Her words came out gently, almost like explaining something to a child:
"Before, I liked you. That's why I liked baseball. But I don't like you anymore... and baseball means nothing to me now."
"Akane... wh-what are you saying...?"
"I wanted to tell you in person, but since you called... I'll make it clear. I'm sorry, Kōya. Please chase your own dream. I... have my own goal now."
"Your... goal?"
"I don't want to say more. But for your sake, I'll warn you—stay away from Tōgō. He's not someone you should trust."
Before she could finish, his angry voice cut her off:
"Why are you still slandering Supervisor Tōgō?! Don't you understand how many chances he's given me? If it weren't for him, I'd never have been able to play!"
"I'm sorry."
Akane interrupted, her tone calm. Once, those words would've broken her heart. Now, they only made her think—how foolish he is.
"Maybe I knew that before, but I've already forgotten. That's all I wanted to say, Kōya. I hope you do well."
"You—!"
"Goodbye."
Click.
She hung up once more.
Akane lay back again, staring blankly at the halo of the ceiling light.
The months she had spent with Kōya flickered in her mind like a revolving lantern. Then, just like that, his words shattered it all.
Tears welled up at the corners of her eyes. But on her lips, there was a faint smile.
There was a strange, sudden sense of relief.
Akane sprang up from her futon like a carp leaping out of water.
No more clinging to the past, she told herself. It's time to prepare tomorrow's bento... Hmm, maybe I should make a double portion?
...…
The next morning.
Hayato sneezed several times in a row the night before, so he was convinced he'd wake up with a cold. But when the sun rose, his body felt perfectly fine.
Apparently, it hadn't been a chill.
Someone must have been cursing him behind his back.
"Tch… so this is what happens when you're too handsome. People just can't help but hate you..."
Hayato sat in his classroom seat like an obedient honor student, the day's lessons yet to begin.
Suddenly, a terrible thought struck him.
After crossing into this world, he had forgotten something—his hard drive. Specifically, the D drive.
Yes. His "study materials."
And of course, by study materials he meant… NTR doujins. And videos.
Know your enemy, know yourself, and you need not fear a hundred battles. That was Hayato's philosophy, and so he frequently "studied" them.
But now—if anyone searched through his belongings, what would they think?
Would those bastards assume he himself was an NTR bull?
No, with the sheer amount of files he had… Forget being a bull. He might as well be Red Boy's father—the Bull Demon King incarnate.
He should've deleted them earlier.
As the old saying went: Even if my body is shattered, I must leave my chastity behind in this world...
"Bro!"
A loud voice interrupted his spiraling thoughts.
Anshi strode up to him, chest puffed out, a triumphant look on his face.
"Check this out!"
He turned sideways, proudly showing off the enormous case strapped to his back.
Hayato blinked.
…That was a guitar case.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/Kazenova223
If you guys wanna check it out.