Chapter 63: Eyes Full of Soft Girls
Smack! Ha!
"Go for it, Nao-senpai! Tsukio-senpai!"
The tennis court buzzed with excitement. Takumi was taking on both Nao and another short-haired girl in a two-on-one match. Keeping his technique steady, he unleashed the ferocious stamina, endurance, and reaction speed of a true fighter. Even outnumbered, he moved with effortless ease.
"Man scores 6 points. Women score ? points. Game over."
"Wow, even Nao and Tsukio-senpai lost… Coach Takumi is way too strong!"
"His skill's gotta be at 7.0 by now. But the real killer is his stamina and reflexes—they're on another level. Ten full games, and he only dropped two points against Nao-senpai and Tsukio-senpai combined."
"Amazing! With an external powerhouse like him for sparring, we're definitely taking the city championship this year!"
The girls of the tennis club chattered nonstop, every conversation orbiting around Takumi.
After defeating the unbeatable Iron Captain, he'd officially become their sparring coach. The moment Rin acknowledged him, he dove right into interacting with the members. He pulled off something outrageous: one versus two, ten straight games—and crushed them all with ease. In just one hour of intense matches, he'd seamlessly blended into the girls' tennis club. Every single member was in awe of his tennis prowess, insane stamina, and lightning reactions. It felt like the whole club's favorability toward him jumped +10 overnight.
"So hype… youth really is all about sweating it out!"
The 2D-version of a certain scandalous photographer, Sana, had recorded every second of the extreme sparring session until her battery finally died. She lowered her handheld camcorder and turned to Ran.
Even though Ran was usually the quiet light-music girl type, she'd been genuinely moved by Takumi's ten-game winning streak. Kouichi-senpai was incredible—talented in music and freakishly good at tennis too.
"Coach, you worked hard. Here, wipe off the sweat."
One of the club members offered Takumi a white towel.
He accepted it, dabbed his face, then realized ten straight games had actually taken a toll—even if he'd been burning mana to maintain black-belt seventh-dan level endurance the whole time. He wasn't tired, but his clothes were soaked. Without thinking twice, he peeled off his outer shirt, leaving only his tank top. His unbelievably chiseled physique and sculpted muscles came into full view. Both of his previous body enhancements had been combat/movement-oriented, and they'd turned his build into something straight out of a fitness magazine.
"Wah, Kouichi-senpai really is ripped! Look—he's got an eight-pack!"
"For real! Such a strong body… I kinda wanna touch it."
"Haha, Hanada, just change your name to lovesick already."
"You're the pervert here! Coach looks slim with clothes on, but damn—he's built like that underneath?!"
When guys gather, they talk about girls. When girls gather, they talk about guys. The gender ratio on the entire tennis court was a staggering 28+ girls to… 1 guy. Takumi had somehow become the minority—the prime topic on every girl's lips.
"Damn it, battery's dead! Otherwise I'd totally capture this moment. Kouichi's body is so sexy… Ran-chan, don't you wanna feel it?"
Sana wailed in regret.
Ran's face turned beet red. "You're saying weird stuff again! Ran's seriously ignoring you now."
"Hehe, if you're that shy… then maybe I'll go first."
Sana set her camcorder down and boldly stepped forward, hand outstretched like she was actually going to touch him.
Takumi blinked at her curiously. "Kuranaka, what's up? What's that gesture? I don't get it."
Sana's bravado instantly crumbled. Her cheeks flushed and she fidgeted. "Kouichi… aren't you thirsty? Want a drink?"
"Hm? Now that you mention it, yeah, I'm pretty parched."
"Coach, if you're thirsty, I'll go buy something!"
"No need to trouble yourself. I actually have some sports drinks here… if Coach doesn't mind…"
"So sneaky! Trying to get an indirect kiss from Coach? Why not just feed him mouth-to-mouth with your 'saliva' already?"
"Shut up! I'm gonna tickle you!"
A bunch of girls burst into giggles and playful teasing.
Takumi couldn't help but chuckle too. Somehow he'd gone from challenger to the one being teased.
Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Sana pulled out an aluminum-pouched sports drink. "Kouichi, I bought this at the family restaurant earlier and forgot to drink it. It's unopened. Want it?"
"Oh, thanks."
Takumi twisted the cap off and downed it in one go. It tasted like one of those nutrient-packed recovery drinks. After finishing, he crushed the empty pouch.
Sana asked eagerly, "Good?"
"Not bad. Just a little warm. In this heat, cold ones hit better."
"Warm…?"
Sana froze, then squirmed awkwardly. "Sorry… I've been keeping it in my skirt pocket the whole time."
Takumi's gaze drifted down to her skirt. Instant realization: the drink had been warmed by her thigh heat. His heart skipped a beat. 'Damn… even this 2D background girl has her moments. She's usually overlooked in the OVA, lowest official popularity… but not bad at all.'
Rin watched the completely transformed atmosphere in silence for a long time.
Takumi had gone one-versus-two, pushed to the absolute limit for ten games—and in doing so, integrated into the group faster and more naturally than she ever had with all her strict discipline. The energy he brought was worlds apart from her usual intensity. She felt a pang of confusion. 'Have I… been doing everything wrong all this time?'
"Captain, what's on your mind?"
Nao hadn't been overly clingy with Takumi on the court, but she was thrilled to see her man blend into the team so quickly. She also noticed the captain's distant expression.
"Nothing."
"Captain… are you mad at Kouichi?"
"How could I be? I'm completely convinced. His stamina, technique, willpower, endurance—they're all far beyond mine. With him helping us spar, we might actually win the championship this year. If I can retire without regrets, that's more than enough."
Rin wasn't the sentimental type. She quickly shook off the doubt, patted Nao's shoulder, and said, "I used to think men were only good at sweet-talking their way into girls' pants. But you really found a solid one. Just remember—a good man isn't like tennis, passed back and forth with rackets. He's more like basketball—everyone's fighting to steal him. Be careful. I can already see half the single girls in the club starting to get spring fever."
"Mm. Kouichi and I aren't going to break up."
Hearing someone she respected so highly praise her beloved made Nao happier than any compliment aimed at herself. As for Takumi being surrounded by a flock of cute, twittering girls? She wasn't worried. Only someone on the level of the Akizuki sisters could possibly become a real rival. And she trusted him completely—he would never toss her aside for someone new. This was the man she'd given her entire heart and life to!
"Alright, everyone—quiet down! Three hours of training are up. You're free to head home. Next session's in three days."
"Eh, time flew by that fast?"
"Coach, you coming back in three days, right?"
"You better!"
"Mm-hm! There's still this one move I can't get right… Coach, could you maybe teach me one-on-one?"
Eyes full of soft, adorable girls.
Faced with the barrage of questions from the chattering crowd, Takumi answered every single one patiently, no trace of annoyance.
Only then did the tennis club girls reluctantly start to disperse.
"Kouichi-kun, it's still early. How about I show you around campus?"
After the others left, Nao happily took his hand.
Takumi smiled. "You burned a ton of energy today. Better head home and rest. I'm officially the sparring coach now—plenty of chances to hang out."
"You're right… I'll go take a shower now. Kinda jealous of the swim club—they've got their own baths and are always in the water. Never feel the heat at all."
"Don't they freeze to death in winter? Swimming's fun as a hobby, but turning it into repetitive training sounds miserable. Tennis sparring's way more interesting."
As Takumi spoke, he suddenly felt a small hand press against his back.
Then a girl's voice: "Got him! Ran-chan, look!"
He turned—Sana, grinning mischievously.
Takumi laughed. "I'm covered in sweat. Not scared of getting dirty? What, you two betting on something?"
"Hehe, yup! We were seeing who's braver—who'd actually touch Kouichi's body."
"I'm not some monster. What's there to be afraid of?"
"Mm… you're as ripped as a monster, desu."
Sana nodded with exaggerated seriousness, even copying Ran's signature verbal tic at the end.
Ran flushed. "Sana-chan!"
Sana giggled. "Okay okay, we won't interrupt Nao-senpai and Kouichi's couple time anymore. Ran-chan, we've still got rehearsal for the charity performance."
"Ah! I totally forgot something that important! Nao-senpai, Kouichi-senpai, we're heading out first!"
After the two girls left, Takumi and Nao walked out of campus together. While waiting at the downhill bus stop, Takumi suddenly remembered something. He pulled out his phone, glanced at the time, and his expression changed.
"Crap, I almost forgot again. Sorry, Nao—I've got something urgent. Gotta run."
"Okay, Kouichi. See you tomorrow."
He planted a quick kiss on her forehead, then sprinted off, vanishing from sight. Only after rounding a corner in an alley did he activate dimensional travel and return to the real world.
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