I’ve Been Working My Hardest as Manager of the Girls’ Track and Field Team, but Ever Since I Retired, the Team Members Have Been Coming at Me Like Crazy!?
“…Is this a dream?”
Back in the bathroom again.
I didn’t really need to pee, but I fled into the nearby men’s restroom and slumped down on the toilet seat.
Even Yukimura’s acting weird now.
What the hell is going on?
What does “you can wreck me” even mean?
Does she mean she wants to do some insanely hard training?
Didn’t she say she wasn’t going to do track in college?
“Mitsu— are you done yet?”
“Ah, yeah, yeah.”
Called out in a voice loud enough to reach the farthest stall, I immediately left the restroom.
When I did, Yukimura—back to her usual sharp-featured self—looked a little annoyed.
“Come on, you’re late. The coaches are waiting.”
“Sorry, sorry. My stomach hurt.”
“Huh? No way, are you okay?”
“I-I said I’m fine.”
“But Mitsuru, you’re the one who never went to the bathroom even during practice. Saying your stomach hurts is serious. Hey, do you want me to carry you on my back?”
“N-no, that’s not necessary. Let’s just hurry to the meeting spot.”
I walked ahead as if fleeing from Yukimura, but she caught up to me right away and kept talking to me with a worried look on her face.
“Are you okay? You shouldn’t push yourself.”
“I’m not pushing myself.”
“If something happens to Mitsuru… Hey, are you really okay?”
“I’m fine. I’m just tired from talking to the staff about the paperwork and stuff.”
“I see. Hey, who was that staff member?”
“Huh?”
“Who was it? Come on, what kind of woman made Mitsuru act like that?”
“W-wait, wait, Yukimura! The staff member is an old guy, and I’m totally fine!”
Yukimura looked like she was about to bolt toward the staff desk, so I hurriedly stopped her.
“I-is that so? So you’re really okay?”
“I’ve been saying that the whole time. Oh, look, the teachers are over there.”
As we left the stadium, I spotted the teacher and Shiratori near the main entrance.
“Hey, Sensei!”
“Oh, Senba.”
The advisor who waved back at us was Aizawa Honoka.
She was a young woman in her third year out of college, a demure beauty.
However, her personality was more masculine than Yukimura’s.
Or rather, inside, she was an old man.
“Oh, Yukimura’s here too? You two weren’t getting cozy, were you?”
“Teacher, please don’t say things like that at the competition venue.”
“Hahaha, Senba, you’re as straight-laced as ever.”
I’m used to this kind of banter with a teacher who’s always cracking dirty jokes.
But I really wish she’d stop right now.
Because Shiratori is glaring at me from behind you with eyes like a hitman.
“Mitchii, are you lying to me? Were you sneaking around with Mai?”
“N-no, no. We just ran into each other on the way back.”
“Oh, really? Don’t scare me like that.”
Why would you be surprised if I’m with Yukimura?
I can’t say that, though.
It’s a bit of a landmine.
“Oh, come to think of it, where’s Masa?”
As Yukimura looked around, the teacher said, “Come to think of it, she’s not here.”
She didn’t seem worried; she said it as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.
“Teacher, weren’t you with her?”
“No, I was until partway here. But she went to the bathroom, so I left her behind.”
“Seriously, you’re unfit to be a chaperone if you’re going to do stuff like that.”
“Haha, she’s not a baby, so she’ll be fine.”
“But we’re staying at a hotel tonight. We have to check in, too.”
“Oh, that’s right. Alright, Senba, go find Hayase for me.”
“Me?”
“You know Hayase’s habits better than I do, don’t you? Come on, go find her.”
“……I’ll be right back.”
With that, I dashed back into the stadium.
It wasn’t that I was in such a hurry.
It was just that Yukimura had been muttering behind me the whole time, “Do you prefer Masaya over me?” in a voice so dark it could kill.
And then there was Shiratori.
She was staring at me intently, intently, intently—without blinking once.
This is seriously scary… Someone, help me!
“Haa, haa… um, ah, there she is, there she is.”
Looking around from high up in the stands, I spotted a girl with brown hair in a spot where the long jump area was clearly visible.
“Hey, Hayase, what are you doing?”
“…Sen-chan?”
Hayase Mas, who turned around at my voice, was what you’d call a “gal.”
She had brown hair, wore makeup, and was quite the free spirit.
It was no big deal for her to wander around alone like this, but she wasn’t the kind of girl who was easy—she had a strong core, and out of the three of them, she was the one I clashed with the least.
By the way, she’s the only one who calls me “Sen-chan.”
Apparently, it’s because my real name is Mitsuru Senba.
“What’s up? Why are you just spacing out here? Everyone’s waiting.”
“…I don’t know… I just feel like it’s all over.”
“You were getting all sentimental? That’s not like you, Hayase.”
“You’re the one who’s being sentimental. You used to get mad whenever I was late to practice.”
“Well, everyone’s retiring today. My role as the ‘demon manager’—a title that never really suited me—is finally over.”
“Huh. I see. So, it’s really over.”
Leaning against the railing, Hayase stared at the empty long jump pit.
“Do you have any lingering feelings about track and field?”
“Nope. I even set a personal best at the end. I feel totally at peace.”
“You don’t look it. Isn’t there something you actually regret?”
“As expected of Sen-chan, you really know me well.”
“I am the manager, after all.”
“Hehe, what’s that supposed to mean?”
“So, what’s on your mind?”
“You’ll listen?”
“Well, since we’re here…”
“Thanks. Hey, do you remember the day you came over to my house?”
“Oh, yeah, that was the day you had a fever, right?”
“I was so happy that day. But you left right away, didn’t you?”
“Well, you fell asleep right away.”
“Yeah, that. I wish I hadn’t fallen asleep then—I wanted to lock Sen-chan in my room.”
“…Lock me in?”
“Also, do you remember when we were alone together in the gym storage room?”
“Um, I think it was a rainy day, and we were splitting up to tidy up different areas, right?”
“Exactly. Even then, I kept thinking, ‘Maybe I should’ve just knocked him out and pinned him down.’”
“…Knocked me out?”
What on earth is she talking about?
Lock him up, knock him out… it sounds like she is planning to attack someone…
“Sen-chan.”
“Y-yes?”
“You’re staying at a hotel tonight, right?”
“Ah, yeah. We’re taking the train tomorrow morning.”
“You’re in a single room, right, Sen-chan?”
“W-well, yeah. I mean, we can’t exactly share a room, can we?”
“Hmm.”
As if she’d come to her own conclusion, Hayase nodded a few times before…
…gazing up at the sky, her light hair blowing in the breeze, she murmured.
“Maybe this time, I’ll finally have a chance to lock you in.”