Iโve Been Working My Hardest as Manager of the Girlsโ Track and Field Team, but Ever Since I Retired, the Team Members Have Been Coming at Me Like Crazy!?
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As I watched Mitchi stiffen in the middle of the back seat and kept a close eye on Mai and Masa to make sure they didnโt do anything out of line, I found myself reminiscing about the past two years.
The spring of our freshman year.
The first tournament weโd ever competed in as high school students, held during Golden Week, ended with all three of us posting lackluster results.
Then, after school on the day the holiday ended, Aizawa sensei said this to us.
โStarting tomorrow, I am bringing a manager with me. Listen carefully to what he says and practice seriously.โ
Confused by this sudden announcement, we stood there in silence, and the teacher continued, โYou want to go to the Inter-High, donโt you?โ
The Inter-High.
Officially known as the National High School Comprehensive Sports Festival, itโs the summer sports festival that every high school student on a sports team across the country dreams of attending.
For me, who hadnโt even made it to the prefectural tournament in middle school, the National High School Sports Festival felt so far out of reach that Iโd never even thought about it. So when I was suddenly asked if I wanted to go, to be honest, it didnโt really register with me at the time.
Mai and Masa felt the same way.
We were part of a club that was not just weak but was on the verge of being disbanded, so we wondered why he had suddenly started talking about aiming for the National High School Sports Festival.
Or rather, it still remains a mystery to me.
I still donโt know why the teacher suddenly brought that up back then.
Anyway, the very next day, he showed up.
Mitsuru Senba.
He was fairly tall but slender, giving off a somewhat frail impression. After introducing himself, he said this:
โIโm here to take all of you to the National High School Championships. Follow me with everything youโve got.โ
Those words instantly snapped us out of our previous lax attitude.
Mitchiiโs eyes were burning with intensity at that moment.
There was a strong determination thereโa resolve to take us to the Nationals no matter what.
And so began our days with him: days that were tough and painful, but looking back now, were filled with happiness.
Whenever I tried to cut corners or take it easy, Mitchi would sternly scold me, saying, โDonโt slack off.โ
When practice was so tough that I felt like giving up track and field, Mitchi would encourage me, saying, โItโs okay if you come to hate me. But donโt you dare hate track and field.โ
When I was crying because I hadnโt performed well at a competition, he said, โYou did your best. Here, have something to drink,” and quietly handed me my favorite ice creamโsomething he usually forbade me from eating.
Even when I was down because of an injury, heโd say things like, โThat just proves how hard youโre working, Shirotori.โ
On top of that, he taught himself taping and massage techniques to help me recover as quickly as possible.
Day in and day out, all the time.
As I spent time with Mitchi, who was so seriously focused only on me, Iโฆ
I had fallen for Mitchi.
I mean, itโs no wonderโweโre together all the time, morning and night, even on weekends.
Itโs impossible not to fall for a guy who spends more time with me than my own family does, especially when I see how seriously he cares about me.
Plus, even though Mitchi says itโs part of my care, he touches all sorts of places during stretches and massages.
And it feels absolutely amazing.
Thatโs why I absolutely love Mitchiโs rough, calloused hands.
I want him to wrap those long fingers around my small hands.
I was planning to confess my feelings to Mitchi if I did well in the fall rookie tournament.
But.
We were eliminated in the preliminaries.
As he gently comforted me while I broke down crying, I almost blurted out my confession on impulse, but I held back, swallowing my words along with my tears.
The next day.
Mitchi said,
โNo dating until we retire.โ
Of course, I argued that romance could sometimes be a source of motivation.
But Mai and Masa agreed with him.
By majority vote, dating was completely banned until we retired.
Of course, since it was a rule weโd decided on our own within the club, breaking it wouldnโt have caused any real trouble.
Mai and Masa seemed to be following it faithfully, though.
The thought that I might be the only one to break the rule and have Mitchi give up on me was too much to bear.
After that, as I practiced for a while feeling frustrated, Mitchi said to me, โIt might be tough, but letโs laugh together at the end.โ
Moved by the sincerity in Mitchiโs eyes at that moment, I vowed to myself that I would absolutely compete in the National High School Championships.
From then on, I spent every day immersed in grueling, hellish training.
I was on the field by the time the sun began to rise.
After school, I kept training until the sun went down.
Of course, there were no days off, and I couldnโt even go to karaoke with my friends.
But thatโs because Mitchi was always by my side.
Rain or shine, scorching summer days or typhoonsโ
We were always together.
So from now on, weโll always be together.
I was truly happy when we made it to the National High School Championships.
But what made me even happier was just a moment ago.
It was when we lost in the semifinals.
ใ
Sure, I feel a sense of fulfillment from giving it my all, but what welled up inside me even more was the future I have with Mitchi.
Heโs always been by my side, no matter what, and he never gave up on me when I was at my worstโhe stayed by my side. Starting today, we wonโt be player and manager anymore.
Weโll be a man and a woman.
I want to be by his side.
I want to stay by his side forever.
I want to cuddle with him so much I canโt even put it into words.
I want to stretch with him, too.
And as an extension of that, I want him to touch me all over.
My heart is so full of feelings for Mitchi that I donโt even know what to say.
Overwhelmingly so.
Yes.
Mitchi, curled up in the back seat like a shy cat, is just too cute for words.
โI guess I really do want to make a mess of things.โ