CH 8.5

After the meeting, we’ll go back to the joint practice.

Hinagata came back up from downstairs and told me that, so I got up from my seat.

“You’re not going to watch the practice, senpai?”

“I’ve had enough of watching the games, I think I’m done.”

Is that so? Saying this Honma sat up too.

But where did Sugiuchi go?

I checked my cell phone, but there was no word. I decided not to worry about it, thinking that he would call me if something happened.

As I left the gym, Honma said, “Please show me the school, senpai.”

“There’s nothing to see here.”

“No problem.”

Honma smiled a smile that made me feel like I was about to bloom.

I had a lot of time on my hands, and there was no reason to refuse.

We started at the gymnasium, then went to the ground, the club building, and the special classroom building. There were very few students, and I could hear the occasional brass band practicing.

“Is Hinagata…… that cute and adorable in the eyes of girls?”

Honma rolled her eyes at my abrupt question. Fufufufu~, Then she laughed.

“Yes. She’s the kind of girl that every girl wants to be; cute and cool. Girls find her attractive in a slightly different way than boys do.”

Hmmm. So that’s how she looks.

“I wonder why we don’t stick together.”

I don’t care if you say so. If she doesn’t stick, she won’t stick.

“A boy who knows a lot about baseball told me. He was the first local junior high school to win the top eight in the nation in junior high school baseball, and his senior was a key figure in the team. He said that there was no one of his generation who played baseball in his hometown who didn’t know about Ryunosuke Tonomura. He was even in the newspaper.”

Honma explained to me as if she were singing.

“That was a long time ago.”

“A long time ago you say, that was two years ago.”

Honma’s expression clouded over as if she was criticizing a fan player, even though she was talking about me.

“Women’s humor is outstandingly good, senpai. Those who think that such two people should stick together…”

”Uhmm” said Honma, choosing her words carefully.

“There are a few.”

“There are quite a few, surprisingly.”

“In my opinion, it would be better if the senpai’s sensitivity was so low that he crawled on the ground.”

“Why is that?”

It’s not that I think it’s too high, but it’s kind of annoying that people want it to be low.

“Ehh~? Don’t you know–?”

She took a few steps forward and then turned around.

“It’s a good thing for me, because the competition will be lower. From my point of view, it’s a great development.”

I wondered if the rumor was true after all.

“Hey, Honma.”

“Yes?”

Honma, who was responding with an adorable smile, waited for me to say something, and then I heard the vibrating sound of a cell phone. It wasn’t mine.

I looked at Honma and saw that she was looking at the screen of her phone, her eyebrows furrowed in disgust as if she was about to click her tongue.

“Oh my god, bad timing…”

But then she quickly returned to her original smile.

“I’m going home for today, senpai. Thank you very much for showing me around.”

“No problem,” I said, letting it slide.

“The next time I see you will be when I’m on committee duty!”

Honma gave a small wave and walked away toward the exit.