CH 44

Me and Sei-chan left the cafe and headed for The Around One nearby.

We decided to go there in a hurry so Sei-chan decided to get on the back of my bike.

W-Well, I never thought I’d be riding the bike with Sei-chan anytime soon.

“How am I supposed to get on this? This is my first time so I’m not sure.”

“You have to sit here, riding sideways.”

“Like this?”

“Mhm, It’s hard to be stable when you’re sitting there so put your hands around my shoulder or waist.”

I realized it the instant after I said it.

Does this mean that Sei-chan is going to stick her body to me?

It’s dangerous if she doesn’t, so I guess we have to do it… I’m so nervous.

Rinke and I ride together almost everyday, and she often puts her hands on my shoulder.

There was this one time when I told her that holding my waist is safer but she instantly retorted with “You’re an idiot.” I can’t understand her sometimes.

But just for a moment, I think I saw her take her hands off my shoulders and quickly try to put them around my waist for a second. Maybe I was just imagining it though.

“L-Like this?”

Sei-chan put her hand on my shoulder and grabbed it lightly.

A hand, softer than I expected, touched my shoulder. I am really thrilled.

I’ve held hands with her a few times, but I still can’t get used to this feeling.

This was the first time she had touched my shoulder, so I was even less used to it.

Why does it feel so soft when it’s just a light squeeze on my shoulder through my uniform?

“Is this fine?”

“U-Un, yeah. This is fine. Let’s go.”

I put my foot down and start paddling.

At first, I was too nervous to paddle well, but after a while, I was finally able to paddle as usual.

I guess Sei-chan was a little nervous too, as the grip on my shoulder gradually grew stronger and stronger.

“How’s the ride, princess?”

“Pri-Princess?! What the hell are you saying?!”

“No, it’s just a joke. Don’t take it so seriously.”

“A-Ahh, umu. Not bad for a servant.”

“Ahh, you’re a prince aren’t you.”

“Fufu, one without a white horse.”

The current conversation seemed to have relieved Sei-chan’s tension a little bit.

“The ride was pretty good. Maybe it’s because you’re used to having Rinke behind you the entire time.”

“Well, anyone will get used to it if Rinke’s at the back everyday. Also, the fact that Sei-chan is sitting on some cushions instead of the hard part of the bike.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

“I bought it and installed it because Rinke kept sitting on the hard part every time.”

If Rinke is going to ride on it every day, I definitely need to put some kind of cushion on it.

I’ll definitely protect Rinke’s butt! 

Don’t worry, I’m disgusted with myself too…

Sei-chan, who probably doesn’t know that I’m thinking such things, seems to be happily looking to the side, watching the scenery pass by quietly.

I’m glad you’re having fun, Sei-chan.

With that in mind, I pedaled on, and when the traffic light turned red just before I got there, I hit the brakes.

“Ah.”

“!?”

I guess she didn’t expect me to break, but the law of motion instantly made her stick to my back.

I can’t help it since this happens occasionally with Rinke as well.

But there was one thing that was completely different from… Rinke.

It is the feeling of something hitting my back, or, well, perhaps, the difference between the physical growth of Rinke and Sei-chan.

Anyways, Sei-chan seems to be much bigger than Rinke’s. She was sitting sideways so she only hit me a little bit but the force was amazing.

“I’m sorry, I bumped into your back, are you okay?”

“I-It’s fine.”

“Your nose is bleeding!”

“Eh? Really?”

I didn’t notice it either, but when I touched the bridge of my nose, there was some blood flowing out.

Sei-chan hurried behind me and pulled out a tissue from her bag and handed it over to me.

“Thank you.”

I took it, tore it into pieces, rolled it up, and stuck it into the bleeding nostril.

“Are you okay? It came out the moment I hit your back. No wait, do you even get nosebleeds from getting hit in the back?”

“I guess it just comes out when the conditions are specifically right.”

“What are the specific conditions for such a scenario?”

“I guess the condition is for us to be riding together with Sei-chan behind me.”

“What!? Does that mean you shouldn’t be riding alone with me anymore?”

“No, no. I’d rather you be behind me for the rest of my life.”

“No, if we grow older and you become a grandpa. We won’t have the strength to support each other anymore.”

I think we have gone a bit off-topic but… oh well.

For now, the traffic light has turned green, so I continue to pedal my bike whilst riding with just the two of us.

“Are you sure you’re okay? I can paddle instead if you want me to.”

“As a man, I can’t let a woman paddle for me. Don’t worry, we’ll get there soon.”

“That’s good and all, but do you get a nosebleed when Rinke hits your back?”

“No, not at all. She’s my sister so I don’t think it will ever happen.”

“Nn? What do you mean? Does Rinke never crash into you?”

“No, well. Something like that.”

She’s my sister so I don’t really feel anything when she crashes into me.

Rinke isn’t as big as Sei-chan so I don’t really feel much when she crashes into me.

No, well, I shouldn’t delve further into it or it will be too late for Rinke’s reputation.

Well, I didn’t say it out loud, so I guess it’s okay.

With this in mind, Sei-chan and I rode together to The Around One.

Apparently, Rinke began sneezing just around that time, but I had no way of knowing that.

We arrived at The Around One and immediately went inside to pay and go to the sports area.

They have futsal, badminton, a batting center, etcetera. It seems that you can play so many different sports here.

Sei-chan and I walked right past them and headed straight for the basketball court.

Luckily, no one else was here, so we were able to use it right away.

“It’s been a while since I last touched a basketball.”

Sei-chan was dribbling lightly, she looked so good.

It doesn’t look like the level of an amateur who just started playing again after a long time.

She tried dribbling the ball through her legs. Making it go from her back to the front.

I don’t think that’s a technique that an amateur can do that easily, you know.

Normal amateurs are forced to look down cause they can’t see the ball properly. And of course, Sei-chan managed to dribble with such difficult techniques without even so much as taking a glance at the ball.

“Fumu, I’m still getting used to it.”

“Seriously…?”

I muttered to myself.

That’s how well she handled the ball with a delicate face.

“Have you really not played basketball before? Sei-chan?”

“Hmm? Well, I never played much sports aside from what we do at school.”

She’s so amazing, I can’t even put it into words.

She says that she’s an amatuer, but in every sport she plays, which she practices in class, she can somehow beat the prefecture representative easily.

Sei-chan continues to dribble towards the hoop as she talks to me.

She was running while dribbling so fast that it was an unthinkable move for an amateur to perform.

I guess Sei-chan wasn’t at full strength yet, but she’s running towards the goal at a speed really close to it and takes a layup shot.

This is a shot where you hold the ball with your right hand and jump towards the goal to place the ball in between the hoop.

She looks so cooooooooool~!

“Well, landing these are just natural. Three-pointers are a bit of a problem though. Hmm? What’s wrong, Hisamura?”

Sei-chan asked since I spun my head around with great force. Sei-chan asked me because I turned my head with great force.

“W-Well, y-you know. Y-You shouldn’t do that kind of shot in your current outfit.”

Sei-chan and I came here straight after school, which means we’re both still in our uniform.

A uniform means that Sei-chan is still in a skirt.

The skirt is quite short, so if you jump as hard as you can the skirt will show something that you’re not supposed to normally see.

“Eh? AH!”

Sei-chan seemed to have noticed, and with a red face, she let go of the ball and held the hem of her skirt with both hands.

There’s no particular point in holding it now, you know…

“D-Did you see it?”

“I couldn’t see it. I turned my head around just before you jumped.”

“I-Is that so… T-That’s good to know.”

“I think I saw a little red though.”

“SO YOU DID SEE!”

“I’M SORRY!”

It was really close, I could just barely see it from the corner of my eyes.

It wasn’t my fault… maybe.

I really tried to turn my head right away, but I still saw just a little bit of it.

Well, I might have delayed my reaction by a bit.

I don’t think I could help it as a man, that’s for sure.

“Uuu…”

“I’m sorry. Sei-chan.”

“No, well, it’s my fault for jumping so high in my skirt. I don’t have my gym clothes with me today, so no more layup shots for me, I guess.”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea.”

We’re not the only ones here of course, there are many others also around.

Luckily, there was no one around for now, but that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be any next time.

If anyone other than me saw Sei-chan’s sacred pantsu…… I’d never forgive you, and I wouldn’t let you leave this place alive.

I don’t want to commit a crime either, so I hope that Sei-chan will be careful enough not to show her pantsu next time.