ALL NOVEL Chapter 23
Maharun♪：Senpai, there’s no way you haven’t woke up, right?
Maharun♪：Good morning
Today was the third Monday I didn’t loathe at all. I wonder if it was the Respect-for-the-Aged day before.
Even though I was already awake, I’m still lazily reading a web novel on my bed.
It’s comfortable to read on my smartphone since I can just do it while lying on my bedside. Also, I can turn the page with just one hand, so I don’t have to support the book with both of my hands the whole time. Online reading is truly a blessing!
While doing that self-indulgence, a LINE notification pops out, obscuring my view from reading.
Iguchi Keita ：Well, indeed I am.
Maharun♪：Senpai, about today
I put myself on guard towards the message that had cut off my leisure time.
If she continues to say something like「Do you want to meet up after this?」, I will end up having to spend my three holidays outside. I don’t want that to happen. Can I just have one day out of three days when I can just spend my day lazily in my house? No, I should have that day!
Maharun♪：Do you know what day is it?
I can just answer her question obediently, but it will make me sound like I answer it because she asked it, and it will become boring.
Maybe I can just pretend to guess, and not saying the real answer. But then, I don’t really know a lot of anniversary days, so my guess material might be just a few in the first place. Well, I’ll do my best.
My best guesses will be a day that have those kind of match-up system from my intuition. After all, I don’t know the ones with history or coincidences behind it. Err, today is October 9, so…
Jyuu (10), Ku (9). Jyuuku. Jyuku (Cram school).
Iguchi Keita ：Is it the cram school day？
Maharun♪：That might be right,
Maharun♪：But that’s not what I mean
Not yet. I want to prolong this one more time. Nn, what else…
Maybe I can just read 10 and 9 differently to make up another anniversary. There should be another one.
I can read 10 as「Tou」. That means…
Iguchi Keita ：It is Tokyu’s day! 1
Maharun♪：Yes. But it has nothing to do with us Hamakyu line users
Iguchi Keita ：You’re too fussy. Don’t we also ride Tokyu sometimes?
For example, when we go to the school festival at that university.
Maharun♪：Senpai, you came out with a lot, huh.
Maharun♪：You didn’t look up at the Wiki, right?
Iguchi Keita ：I’m not using that kind of cheat at all.
Looking at her message, she was checking my answer, eh. But because of that, our conversation stopped in a pause.
Maharun♪：Ahh, really. Senpai, today is Physical Education Day.
Maharun♪：It is a day that will bring senpai great joy as well.
Iguchi Keita ：I win…!
Maharun♪：WIn what?
Iguchi Keita ：「Which one will say ‘Physical Education Day’ first hot hot race」!
Maharun♪：I don’t remember participating on that.
Iguchi Keita ：Well, well
If she knew, maybe it would become some kind of endurance contest. The rest will depend on my creativity and idea association power.
Maharun♪：Talking about physical education, this is my「question」for senpai today.
Maharun♪：What sports event do you like, senpai?
I thought that her way of delivering the questions has been good since the beginning, but recently I felt like she has been polishing it even more. What is she, a story teller?
But then, sports event, huh.
If she asked about「my favourite sport」, I could easily answer with tennis. But then, having tennis in physical education’s events at schools is very rare. At least, the school I have been attending up until now doesn’t have it as an event.
Uhn…
Iguchi Keita ：Maybe dodgeball?
Maharun♪：Oh my, how cute
Iguchi Keita ：Don’t tease me
Maharun♪：I just write what I think, though♪
I wonder if「rope-jumping」is also one of the events? I don’t hate it as well.
Maharun♪：In the first place, did they still do dodgeball in high school?
Iguchi Keita ：For boys, if someone is unlucky, they will die.
Iguchi Keita ：That’s why they rarely do it, and even if they do it, it will be with light volleyball.
Well, even if they change the ball, there will still be a patient at the end of the game. It can’t be helped.
Maharun♪：I see…
Maharun♪：What makes you like it?
Iguchi Keita ：Even if one person did badly, it would not affect the team.
Maharun♪：It is a really senpai-like reason
Iguchi Keita ：Right?
Dodgeball is a game where one will only need to avoid the opponent’s attack, catch the ball if there is a gap, and pass it around. And then, slams it until the opponent’s formation collapses.
If one can just pass the ball around, even if someone is bad, they can at least do that much, and the people from the athletic club with strong shoulder can be the ones to do the rest. They can also try to avoid the ball moderately, and even if it hits them, they can also participate on passing moderately in the outfield. This game won’t make someone become a criminal, and they will also feel like they have participated moderately.
I think this sport has a pretty good balance in physical education lesson.
Iguchi Keita ：As always, this is also my「today’s question」
Iguchi Keita ：Kouhai-chan, what sports event do you like?
Maharun♪：For me, nnー
Maharun♪：Maybe volleyball?
In the first place, what did the girls play?
Volleyball, basketball, table tennis, and then… dance? I feel like they won’t do something like soccer.
Iguchi Keita ：Isn’t that hard?
Iguchi Keita ：If you don’t serve it well, it’s over
Maharun♪：If it’s just a serve, normally one can make it enter anyway
How weird.
My heart is always thumping so fast everytime I’m about to do a serve in volleyball. I don’t want to make trouble to players on the same team as me. I think people who can do jump serves are amazing.
Iguchi Keita ：I see…
Iguchi Keita ：Why do you like it?
Maharun♪：Ah, I didn’t think about that
Iguchi Keita ：You are really…
Isn’t it weird for you to ask people about it, yet you can’t answer when that other person asks you back?
Maharun♪：Maybe it’s the name
Iguchi Keita ：Name?
Maharun♪：Yes. The name
Maharun♪：Doesn’t it sound kind of cute? Vo–lley–ball
Iguchi Keita ：Is that so?
Maharun♪：Yes. It is cute.
Maharun♪：Come on, senpai, please say it too.
This flow of conversation is somewhat dangerous.
I feel like I don’t know how she will treat me if I say「cute」here right now. It’s not like I’m a politician surrounded by the media that needs to think thoroughly about what they are going to say, though.
Maharun♪：Say it, Kouhai-chan is cute!
Look now. It really is a trap after all.
She already typed it before I could start to type「Yes, yes. Cute, really cute」, so the moment I send it, she had enough time to send that too immediately. This is why I can’t be too prepared for her.
Now then, how should I reply to this? What kind of reply would make this interesting?
Let’s think about it for a moment.
＊ ＊ ＊
Senpai missed my message’s interval! or that’s what my intention is, but maybe I was the one who missed it? There is still no reply from senpai yet.
Since he had read it, there’s no way he is out of battery, but…
Iguchi Keita ：Kouhai-chan is cute!
Ah, here he comes.
But then, he clearly wrote this message… after clearly seeing what I sent to him, right? I thought that senpai will be typing on his smartphones dazedly without thinking about his reply, but he might be even more serious in guarding against me than I thought.
Maharun♪：What’s with that time lag?
Iguchi Keita ：The name is also certainly cute
Iguchi Keita ：Face is also cute
Iguchi Keita ：Even the gesture, and the wicked tongue as well
Maharun♪：Er, senpai?
Iguchi Keita ：It’s cute
Maharun♪：You are not drunk, right? You will break the law, you know?
There’s no way senpai had been caught on drinking alcohol by his parents just now, hence the delay, right?
Iguchi Keita ：No, I’m not drunk
Iguchi Keita ：Anyway, what I sent above is all the truth
What happened? Even though not by face-to-face, for that not very honest senpai suddenly said those kind of things is very strange.
Maybe it was good that today we were chatting using LINE.
If he saw my foolishly grinning face now, I don’t know how much he will make fun of me later on.
There is a lot of things I want to write, and I also just want to talk with him in a call, but if I do that, senpai will know what I am currently feeling towards him, and I still want to keep it as a secret.
In the end, I reply to him with the only thing I can send. It is only this 4 words.
Maharun♪：Thank you very much♪
The things I knew about my senpai㉓
It seems like he wants to avoid bothering others as much as he can.