Chapter 160 I'm Feeling Really Terrible Right Now!
After school and having finished dinner, Shimizu Akira received a message from Sato, the captain of the Boxing Club, asking him to come by the club.
Thinking it over, it was indeed about time for him to make his weekly appearance at the club. Come to think of it, he still didn't know whether Karuizawa Kei had ultimately ended up quitting the Boxing Club or not.
When he arrived at the club, he found that Karuizawa Kei had already beaten him there. At the moment, she was working alongside two other female managers, moving crates of bottled mineral water.
"Senpai, let me do it! After all, I've taken quite a few days off," Karuizawa Kei looked up at the girl beside her and proactively reached out to take a crate.
"Hehe, it's fine," the senpai laughed, waving her off. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she asked, "By the way, Karuizawa, why didn't you come last week? You weren't feeling unwell, were you?"
"Well... actually, I just kind of wanted to slack off," Karuizawa Kei's voice dropped lower, sounding a bit embarrassed.
"...Ah, so that's how it was." The senpai nodded as if enlightened, then leaned in a bit closer. "But you know, when you talk to the Captain, you can just make up an excuse—like saying you're on your period or something. He definitely wouldn't ask any more questions."
"Uh... actually, I already told the Captain the real reason on Saturday," Karuizawa Kei replied somewhat helplessly.
"Is that so... you really are an honest, silly kouhai," the other female manager laughed and patted her on the shoulder.
"What are you staring at me for, Shimizu-kun?" Karuizawa Kei finally noticed Shimizu Akira at the door. A flash of awkwardness crossed her face, but she was the first to speak.
"Nothing." Shimizu Akira withdrew his gaze nonchalantly.
He could see that Karuizawa Kei had truly learned her lesson from the previous incident—not only had she given the Captain a full account of the situation, but she had also made a point to come to the Boxing Club early today to help out.
Considering that the reason she had quarreled with those people was to stand up for Matsushita Chiaki, her true nature seemed quite decent.
He scanned the floor; there were about ten or so crates of water left. At this rate, it would take Karuizawa and the two other managers quite a while to move them all to the storage room.
"Let me help, senpai," Shimizu Akira thought for a moment. The Boxing Club was a good club, and since these managers were all his upperclassmen, it felt natural to lend a hand.
"Oh, that would be a great help, Shimizu-kun," the female manager responded with a smile. To her, it was only natural for club members to help one another.
"Alright, Karuizawa, hand the crates directly to Shimizu Akira."
"Okay, senpai. Um... reach out then." Karuizawa Kei glanced at Shimizu, approaching him with a bit of bashfulness.
Shimizu Akira extended his hands as requested. Just as his palms touched the edge of the plastic, he heard Karuizawa mutter under her breath, "It's pretty heavy."
He didn't say a word. With a surge of strength in his arms, he held the crate steadily.
"Shimizu's got quite a bit of strength," the female manager teased.
"Give me two more." Shimizu followed up, clutching the crates tightly so he could carry several at once. In his view, the weight of a single crate was barely worth mentioning.
"...Actually, you don't need to do it, senpai. I'll handle it myself." Shimizu thought about it and simply stacked the crates one by one. Squatting on the ground, he lifted three crates of mineral water in one go.
"T-That's too exaggerated, isn't it?" Karuizawa Kei's eyes went wide. She stood there with a crate half-lifted, forgetting to hand it over.
The female manager was also stunned for a moment, then laughed and shook her head. "Shimizu-kun's strength is exactly like the Captain's. No wonder he thinks so highly of you."
Shimizu didn't respond. As he stood up with the three crates held firmly, the cardboard at the bottom creaked under the pressure. He walked toward the storage room with light steps, his back muscles forming fluid lines and his athletic wear stretching tight over his frame.
Just as he turned the corner of the hallway, he heard the sound of Karuizawa Kei's footsteps behind him, along with her hushed, amazed whispers to the senpai.
"Is he really okay? Isn't it too heavy?" Her voice carried a hint of worry, as if she feared the crates would suddenly collapse and crush him.
He didn't look back, only slowing his pace as he entered the storage room. After a few trips back and forth, the ten crates were finally neatly stacked in the corner of the warehouse.
The moment Shimizu Akira straightened up, a towel was suddenly handed to him from behind.
"Wipe off your sweat." Karuizawa Kei's voice was right by his ear, tinged with an inescapable bashfulness. "Even if you make it look easy, holding those must be tiring—after all, it was three crates! You aren't just showing off, are you?"
"Thanks for the towel, Manager Karuizawa," Shimizu Akira thanked her. As soon as the words left his mouth, she rolled her eyes at him.
"I feel like you're teasing me on purpose!"
"And besides! Who said I'm still a manager? For all I know, after tonight, the Captain might kick me out of the Boxing Club directly!" Karuizawa Kei's expression soured, her tone carrying a hint of dejection.
"You really are something... you won't even say a few good words for me! Of course... I'm not blaming you. Actually, didn't you just help me move the water? And, I'm really grateful for what you said to me that day." She turned her face away, muttering a few more words under her breath.
"You've misunderstood... or at least, not entirely. I actually helped move the water for the sake of those two senpai managers," Shimizu added, pouring cold water on her mood.
"I'm feeling really terrible right now!" Karuizawa Kei's voice spiked, filled with the flustered annoyance of being teased.
"Hehe..." Shimizu Akira let out a light chuckle in spite of himself.
He suddenly felt that since that day, although Karuizawa Kei's personality still wasn't very straightforward, her words and reactions were somehow quite cute.
"Anyway, don't worry. Things probably won't be as bad as you think. The Captain might not necessarily fire you."
"You probably heard it just now. Those two manager senpais weren't surprised at all when they heard about your leave, and they didn't look worried about you leaving at all. It's strange, right? Following that logic, there's a high probability you won't be fired."
However, Shimizu added a silent thought in his head—according to the intel, she was likely about to leave.
Karuizawa Kei instinctively perked up her ears to listen—after all, it was rare for Shimizu Akira to offer comfort.
After thinking it over carefully, she realized there seemed to be some truth to what he said. Even though she had been absent for many days, her relationship with those two managers had always been good. If she were truly leaving, they couldn't possibly maintain such calm expressions; even if only out of politeness, they should have said a few words to ask her to stay or to comfort her.
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