Chapter 535: I Would Only Do This Kind Of Thing For You, Senpai
After watching the movie, the two of them walked out of the theater.
At this point, Iroha had returned to her usual self. Stretching and shaking off the stiffness from sitting for too long, she smiled happily.
"So, Senpai, what did you think of the movie?"
"Yeah, it was quite good," Hachiman nodded.
Even though the plot was somewhat cliché, the film excelled in special effects and cinematography, making it particularly eye-catching.
Moreover, the story in the movie was obviously not finished yet—the protagonist team hadn't defeated the final boss, and the sister hadn't turned back into a human. This left him eager for the continuation.
As if reading Hachiman's thoughts, Iroha suddenly smiled.
"Senpai, when the sequel comes out, let's watch it together."
Hachiman naturally didn't refuse, "Sure, no problem."
Hearing his response, a bright smile appeared on her face.
This movie just came out this year, and if they wanted to watch the sequel, they would have to wait at least two to three years.
[Watching the sequel together] = [She and Hachiman will stay in touch for the next two to three years]
She was confident that in those two to three years, she could win Hachiman over.
Thinking of this, Iroha felt full of confidence and spoke with a smile, "Let's go, Senpai, and do something else."
"Sure, let's go."
...
The two started wandering around again. Before long, they found themselves near a sports complex.
This complex not only had the usual facilities for basketball and soccer, but also offered table tennis, bowling, and billiards.
Iroha noticed the venue and, after a moment's thought, her eyes lit up.
"Senpai, how about we play some table tennis?"
In Japan, aside from baseball, which is practically a national sport, table tennis is extremely popular. People of all ages enjoy playing it.
"Sure, I don't mind," Hachiman agreed.
Hachiman was certainly familiar with table tennis, having traveled to China, Hungary, and Australia in a past life, where he was a high school student and played countless rounds with the neighborhood's skilled elderly and retired players.
However, when Iroha mentioned playing table tennis, Hachiman hesitated a bit and pointed to her shoes.
"I don't have a problem, but isn't it hard for you to move around in those shoes?"
"Huh? Me?" Iroha looked down at her shoes.
She was wearing a pair of white heeled boots. Although the heels weren't very high, they would make it quite difficult to move quickly and there was a risk of twisting an ankle.
Still, sensing the concern in Hachiman's voice made Iroha secretly happy.
See? Senpai does care about me.
With this thought, she smiled brightly.
"Don't worry, Senpai. Sports complexes usually have rental shoes. I can just rent a pair."
Hearing this, Hachiman nodded.
"In that case, let's go."
"Yeah."
....
The two arrived at the sports complex and rented a table, a pair of paddles, and a pair of athletic shoes at the front desk.
Entering the ping pong room, Iroha sat on a chair and began taking off her white boots as she spoke:
"I haven't played table tennis since middle school. I'm not sure if I still remember how."
"If you like table tennis, you can take it as an elective in your second year," Hachiman suggested with a smile.
"Hmm... We'll see when the time comes."
After changing into the athletic shoes, Iroha took a few steps, nodding in approval.
"Alright, this feels good. Let's start, Senpai."
"Sure, no problem."
Hachiman shrugged, picked up a paddle, and walked to the opposite side of the table.
After changing her shoes, Iroha twisted her body to do some warm-up exercises. Since she was about to play table tennis, she took off her coat, revealing the snug white sweater underneath.
The form-fitting sweater perfectly highlighted her figure, accentuating her slender waist and gently curving chest, embodying the beauty of adolescence.
Having warmed up, Iroha picked up a paddle and faced Hachiman at the table.
"Senpai, if I win, you have to treat me to lunch," she proposed.
Hachiman smirked slightly at her challenge.
"Sure, if you manage to win, I'd be happy to."
Seeing him agree, Iroha placed her hands on her hips confidently.
"Hmph, just you wait, Senpai."
With that, she served the ball.
The initial serve was a simple straight shot, not difficult for Hachiman to return easily. They played back and forth for several rounds.
As Hachiman sent another straight ball her way, Iroha prepared to seize the opportunity to score. She held the paddle in her right hand and made a "V" sign with her left hand, sticking out her tongue playfully and cutely as she aimed.
"Synchro!"
With a light exclamation, Iroha swung her right hand down with force, hitting Hachiman's ball hard.
"Snap!"
The ping pong ball bounced on Hachiman's side and then flew out of bounds.
Score: 1-0.
Seeing her successful score, Iroha put her hands on her hips, beaming with pride.
"Hmph, did you see that, Senpai? I scored!"
"Hey, hey, what's with the gloating? It's just the first point. Someone who doesn't know might think you've already won."
Seeing her smug expression, Hachiman couldn't help commenting.
In truth, that last shot wasn't particularly fast, and he could have easily returned it with his current reflexes. He just didn't bother to move. To be honest, he hadn't even taken a step so far.
Hearing his words, Iroha seemed a bit displeased.
"Hmph, really, Senpai, can't you just compliment me? Just wait, I'll definitely win!"
"Now it's my turn to serve."
She picked up the ping pong ball and bounced it a few times on the table, getting ready to serve.
Despite looking like she was about to serve, Iroha hesitated, waving her hands as if recalling something.
"Ah... Senpai... please wait... oh no... um... oh no..."
Hachiman watched her half-hearted performance with a cold gaze, completely unmoved.
Sure enough, after her little act, Iroha suddenly launched the ball when he least expected it.
"Take this!"
"Hmph, another point for me."
Watching her shot, Iroha couldn't help feeling a bit smug.
Unfortunately, her expectations didn't meet reality.
Just as her face showed a hint of triumph, the ball was returned at high speed, bouncing on her side of the table and flying out of bounds.
"..."
Her victorious expression froze.
As the ball bounced on the floor, Hachiman's voice broke the silence.
"You're still too naive, Iroha."
His teasing words made Iroha's cheeks puff out visibly.
"You're so mean, Senpai!"
Hachiman just shrugged at her words.
Seeing his casual demeanor, Iroha spoke up, clearly not pleased.
"Hmph, just you wait, Senpai. I'll definitely beat you."
"Bring it on, then."
...
"Hmph~~!"
"Ha~~!"
"Take this~~!"
"Synchro~~!"
Iroha's enthusiastic calls echoed through the room. Despite her spirited effort, she wasn't able to score any points.
Well, except for the one point she got earlier when Hachiman didn't bother moving.
Soon the game ended.
11 to 1.
Thanks to that initial point, she avoided a shutout. But seeing that Hachiman didn't hold back at all, Iroha puffed her cheeks in dissatisfaction.
"You're too much, Senpai!"
"You wanted a fair game, so I just played seriously," Hachiman shrugged.
"I guess that means I won this time."
"Ugh... fine, let's say Senpai won this time," Iroha replied, her head down, looking somewhat dejected.
"I was just a little bit away from winning... just a little..."
Why is Senpai good at everything? Light novels, cooking, piano, singing, kendo...
And now even table tennis. Seriously, Senpai is so unfair. Doesn't he care about me at all?
Just as she was feeling down, a warm hand suddenly rested on her head.
"Huh?"
Looking up, she saw Hachiman with a gentle smile, softly patting her head.
"Come on, there's nothing to be upset about. I'll treat you to lunch."
"Tell me what you'd like to eat."
His hand seemed to have magic, soothing away her sadness. In her heart, she felt warmth and reassurance.
Of course, Senpai does care about me.
Feeling the warmth of his hand, Iroha's face brightened with a happy smile.
"Yeah, yeah, I like Senpai the most~!"
With that, she hugged his arm again.
Watching her excitement, Hachiman shook his head slightly, feeling a bit helpless.
"You shouldn't say things like that so freely."
Hearing his words, Iroha smiled widely.
"Don't worry, I'll only say this to you, Senpai. And besides..."
Standing on her tiptoes, she quickly planted a kiss on his cheek.
"I'll only do this kind of thing for you, Senpai."
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