I Became a Supporting Character in an N*R Manga

18 – The prince who never played with a man – 2

“Really? So? What happened after that?”

“Well, I took out earphones from my pocket and… !”

The room was noisy.

I stood for a while with the closed door in front of me. In the middle of the story, the members in the room were talking happily as if the water had risen.

“Put one end in my ear. Put the other end in your ear… !”

“What is that… ! That’s totally what a boyfriend would do!”

“Right, right? Does he obviously like me?”

“That’s right! That’s what you’re doing by sticking together!”

The hand trying to open the door stops.

“What should I do… Tomorrow, just the two of us decided to meet and play together.”

“What should I do! You must prepare now.”

“What are you preparing for?”

Is that the story?

It was a common occurrence in our club, where all members were female.

To be inflamed with stories about men and romance.

“That….”

“What are you whispering about? We’re the only ones here, so speak louder.”

“Sports bras are no longer the way they are today? Know?”

A shrill cheer is heard. Unknowingly, I opened the door.

The members, who had been shouting among themselves and having fun, stood up in surprise.

“Ah… Come on, senior! Hello!”

“Good job practicing!”

As if the conversation they had just stopped abruptly ended, they looked at me with tense eyes.

“……… Uh… huh.”

What are you talking about?

I opened the door because I wanted to hear more about it.

The members quietly sat down and looked at me.

“Ah… stand up, senior. Then we’ll leave.”

After being silent, the members stood up and left the room.

Left alone, I pondered what the problem was.

What the hell do I have to prepare for?

Why did people say that sports bras are not allowed? The reason was that I couldn’t stand it because I was nervous. The members did not bring up such topics at all in front of me.

“You went to the amusement park with your boyfriend last weekend?”

“Really? How was it?”

“That…… Ah… senior! Hello!”

The members who just came in also stop talking about seeing me.

“Ah…… That’s why this midterm exam is about that.”

“Uh… huh. How was it?”

Then they change the subject altogether and talk about something else.

I don’t know why. Why don’t you talk about men in front of me?

Why?

“Ah… uh….”

“……… Seo, senior? Whatever you do….”

Noticing my gaze, they cautiously asked.

When I said that there was no such thing, it became quiet, but they also sat for a while and then left the room.

Weren’t you chatting about your boyfriend?

You don’t have to worry about me at all.

…… It’s an amusement park. Isn’t that a place where children go with their parents?

What’s fun about going to a place like that with a man alone?

I wanted to hear.

Some of the members already knew that she had a boyfriend.

And I’ve seen them a few times excited about talking about men when they’re together.

However, I had never participated in such a story.

In this way… Because they looked at me and kept their mouths shut.

I couldn’t figure out why.

I wonder if it’s because I’m a solo person who’s never been in a relationship before.

Or was it because he felt burdened by me as the captain?

When I asked Sayoko, who came in after me, she asked back as if she was dumbfounded.

“What? Do you really not know?”

“……… I do not know. Why don’t you talk about men in front of me?”

Sayoko took out a small hand mirror from her bosom and reflected my face.

“What can I do when I’m staring at you with such an expression?”

“……… ….”

I was looking very serious in the mirror.

“This, this is concentrating… That’s why I’m interested in the story….”

“Because I can only see you staring hard enough to catch it?”

“……… ….”

“If the ace captain of the track and field club stares at you like this, it only means to focus on club activities rather than dating.”

“I…… I am… ….”

I’m not that rigid.

In fact, I’ve never posted a ‘dating ban’ clause that some sports clubs are doing.

“What is it, Eri, do you want a boyfriend too?”

“……… Just… I am just curious.”

“Have you never tried it before? Really?”

“……… ….”

Before that, I had no contact with men. I couldn’t say

.

I don’t want to be seen as a foolish woman with no dating experience.

From a certain point on, men stopped approaching me.

At last year’s folk dance at the cultural festival, a male student caught with me flinched and switched turns with a female student.

I didn’t even recommend a group meeting with male students from another school that I was promoting in the classroom. After asking the other kids….

To be honest, the only male student I knew was Yuuki, who was like my younger brother, whom I had been close to since childhood.

I’ve never had the fluttering experience with a guy other girls say.

And that was the only weakness I wanted to hide.

“……… Eri. Are you sure you’re not aware?”

“What… What are you talking about?”

“I’m afraid of you. Boys.”

…………….

“What is it, kid? Look shocked Did you know that now?”

“Why…… Because. My, do I look so dreadful? Is it the look?”

“No, not that way… Are you completely unaware of yourself? This is serious.”

Sayoko sighed and said.

“You… It is too high.”

“……… Stomach?”

“Yeah, you have to be a bit overbearing for guys to come to you. What is this….”

It’s on top.

Are you talking about my height?

It’s definitely a bit bigger than normal men, but… Not to that extent.

Does this mean that men like short, cute women?

“No, that’s not it. I mean position, position.”

“……… I am… just plain….”

“Are you normal?”

“I’m in charge of the captain, but what’s that about! Me, I just do my best in the given task… !”

Sayoko waved her hand at me, who jumped up and protested.

As if I still didn’t understand at all.

“No, that’s not it. This isn’t a flower on a cliff, should I call it a castle? Should I say longevity?”

“Longevity… ….”

“Should I say a lofty general who protects the castle? A solid gateway that can never be captured.”

“…………….”

What…… I’m talking about a relationship with a man.

Why is there a longevity because it is a gateway?

It’s not like we’re going to war.

“Tell me honestly. You want to fall in love, right?”

“Ah… ah… no!”

“If you said so, I was going to help you~”

“Ugh… that… that… !”

That day’s Sayoko ended up harassing me and not helping me properly.

But I didn’t really want to be in a relationship.

I was just curious.

I wanted to try that experience.

What kind of experience would they be excited about?

What is it that you like so much?

It was uncharted territory for me, who had only been exercising since middle school.

Holding hands with a man.

To walk together.

And….

***

“…… Would you like to hear?”

When I came to my senses, the manager in front of me was holding out an earphone to me.

“Because even seniors need to know. Now, listen to it once.”

“……… Eww… huh. I get it.”

My heart is pounding.

I was sitting with the manager in a cafe.

“Ah… Is this uncomfortable? Wait.”

The manager stood up and sat next to me.

“Here, here.”

“………… Eww… huh.”

The shoulders touch. The white string stretches and the earphone gently sticks in my ear.

The other side is in his ear.

This is… Is it an act of sharing earphones between men and women?

“Can you hear me? Eavesdropping is a crime… Don’t say that. Because I have already come this far.”

Is it like this?

Feeling each other’s breathing at close range and listening to the same sound while holding your body together.

“Look at this. Guy Sakai, you’re flirting with just making sounds that are completely nice to hear.”

However, the voice of the manager right next to me could be heard more clearly than the sound of earphones.

He closes his eyes with a concentrating expression.

I look at him sideways.

You have long eyelashes.

Just like a girl.

“Senior? Are you listening?”

“Yes… It definitely sounds….”

“Looking at it, I don’t think I’ll commit it today. I feel a bit wary over there.”

“I see….”

He reached out and raised his glass.

That was the Americano I was drinking.

The straw stuck in the lid got stuck between his lips. The black liquid wet his lips, leaving small drops at the end of the straw.

“Perhaps we became close friends… I think I’ll invite you to my house or karaoke later…… Senior?”

The condensed drops gently fall down. I was staring at it without realizing it.

“Senior?”

“Ah… uh… huh.”

“Why is that?”

“No… ….”

“Ah, this was the senior drink. Sorry.”

“Oh no… Because I don’t care about that.”

My heart is pounding.

I see.

At that time, did the members who were excited about talking about men share this feeling?

The feeling of doing something alone with someone of a different gender, unrelated to me.

And at such a close distance, sharing the same information.

“Look at this, Sakai son of a b*tch. I asked Sayoko-senpai if she likes karaoke.”

“Ugh, yes… Right.”

Is this the feeling of spending time with a man?

It was a strange thing.

Feels like feeling for the first time.

Did other people make memories by accumulating these experiences during the days when I was only focusing on exercise?

Only me……… Was it the first time

“…… Manager.”

“Yes. Why, senior?”

“You seem used to things like this… Have you ever done this often?”

“Yes?”

At those words, the manager took the earphones out of his ears and put on an embarrassing expression.

“Oh, no… This is the first time I’ve ever done anything like this. Actually, I’m a little nervous too.”

I see. Wasn’t it just me

“Ah… I’m going. Senior, bring your jacket.”

That means that the manager has never experienced anything like this with a woman.

Me and he both became each other’s first time.

This…… Isn’t it the situation I’ve always longed for?

“Senior, what are you doing? Come out quickly.”

“Ah…… Uh….”

The manager grabs my wrist again.

This was also a different feeling… How does it feel to hold hands?

As I was being led by him, I saw his small, slender hands.

On the other hand, my blackened, callused hands… It didn’t seem like it would fit him.

I want to hold your hand.

If this is the time the manager says men and women spend together… Maybe that’s acceptable.

The manager lets go of his wrist.

I felt sorry for that, so I stretched out my arm without realizing it.