“Forget about that indirect kiss, okay!? I didn’t mean anything by it!” (Sophia)
Frost-san’s angry voice echoed through the otherwise silent train.
I had chosen an area with fewer people, thinking it would bother fewer people, but maybe if there had been more people around, she would have kept her voice down.
“I understand…” (Kento)
“Do you really get it!?” (Sophia)
She kept asking me with a still-flushed face.
It was a bit too much, honestly… but I could understand why she was so worked up.
“No matter how many times you ask, I can only say ‘I understand,’ you know…?” (Kento)
I’m nodding properly, so what else does she want me to do?
“Haa… You shouldn’t have eaten it…” (Sophia)
“Wait, you’re the one who started it, right…?” (Kento)
I never asked her to feed me, nor did I say I wanted to eat it.
She misunderstood on her own and tried to feed me.
…Well, I guess it’s also partly my fault for going along with the indirect kiss even after noticing it…
“You were the one who looked like you wanted to eat it…” (Sophia)
“That was… because Frost-san—” (Kento)
I was about to say something, but suddenly, I froze.
That was close.
What in the world was I about to blurt out…?
“What about me?” (Sophia)
Just when I thought I managed to stop myself in time, she was quick to catch on.
She probably realized that I had stopped speaking because it was something I didn’t want her to know.
“…It’s nothing.” (Kento)
“Hmm, is it something you need to hide? What exactly were you going to say?” (Sophia)
Thinking she had the upper hand, Frost-san peered into my face with a sly grin.
If I put it into words, it would be more embarrassing for her than for me… but from the flow of the conversation, I hoped she’d realize it.
“Is it something you can’t say?” (Sophia)
As I kept quiet, she moved her face closer as if silently urging me to speak.
She sure is a sadist, isn’t she?
“Your face… is too close…” (Kento)
“――!?” (Sophia)
As soon as I voiced my thoughts, her face turned bright red in an instant.
I didn’t think she’d get this close, but it seems like she wasn’t even aware of it.
“W-W-What kind of naughty thing are you thinking about?!” (Sophia)
Yeah, as usual, I couldn’t fully understand what she was saying, but judging from her expression, I was probably being scolded.
But, strangely enough, I didn’t feel angry.
Honestly, I think it’s not so bad that she ends up speaking English when she gets flustered.
“Sorry.” (Kento)
“—?!” (Sophia)
I found it a bit amusing, so I couldn’t help but smile and apologize.
That made Frost-san gasp again and turn her face away with a huff.
For some reason, her cheeks were even redder than before.
“What’s with that smile… I didn’t really think you did anything wrong, I just said it in the heat of the moment… Sorry…” (Sophia)
She was muttering something, but of course, since it was in English, I could barely make out what she was saying.
I did catch the apology at the end, though.
I could understand what “sorry” means at least.
The more I talk to Frost-san, the more her original image of being cold and distant seems to crumble.
I really don’t think she’s a bad person, she’s just clumsy and awkward.
At this rate, if the right opportunity came, I feel like we could get along much better.
I thought of this while looking at Frost-san’s profile, as she still wouldn’t look at me.
◆
After getting off the train…
The roads in our rural area are either dimly lit by streetlights or completely dark with no lights at all, so it’s not as bright as the city streets.
By late night, everyone is usually home and asleep, leaving the outside eerily quiet.
Because of this, some people might find the night roads scary, and—
“…………” (Sophia)
It seems that Frost-san is the type of person who feels that way.
As soon as we left the station, she quietly pinched the sleeve of my jacket with her fingers.
—No, that’s unfair…!
I couldn’t help but shout this in my mind.
I honestly think it’s unfair for someone like her, a cool and beautiful girl, to nervously pinch the sleeve of my clothes like that.
It’s just too much of a gap in her usual demeanor.
Honestly, it’s way too cute.
“—Hey.” (Sophia)
“Wh-what is it?” (Kento)
She suddenly spoke to me, and I jumped a little as I asked.
“Tell me something funny.” (Sophia)
And just like that, she threw an unexpected request at me.
“Why all of a sudden…?” (Kento)
“It’s not like there’s any deep meaning or anything…” (Sophia)
Could it be that she’s scared and trying to distract herself?
If that’s the case, then I should tell her something interesting to distract her—but there’s no way I can do that.
That’s not really my area of expertise.
“I can’t think of anything off the top of my head…” (Kento)
“You’re such a boring guy…” (Sophia)
“Ugh…!” (Kento)
Her quiet mutter stung, and I felt it.
If she was going to mutter, I’d prefer it to be in the usual English I can’t understand.
Actually, since she usually mutters to herself in English, I think she intentionally said it in a way I could understand.
“By the way, are club activities going well…?” (Sophia)
It seemed like she was so uncomfortable with the silence that she decided to change the topic.
And instead of talking about herself, she brought up a topic related to me—so I was honestly surprised.
“What do you mean by ‘going well’?” (Kento)
Since she opened up the conversation, I wanted to expand on it as well. So, I asked her what exactly she meant by that.
“Um… like the tournaments?” (Sophia)
Right now, the regional qualifiers for the fall tournament were going on, right after the summer break.
It wasn’t a tournament-style competition, but rather a league format. If you ranked first in the league, you secured a spot in the prefectural tournament, and if you came second, you’d play against the second-ranked team from another league. If you won that match, you’d also make it to the prefectural tournament.
By the way, our school’s last match is scheduled for the day after tomorrow.
Well, she probably doesn’t even know that the tournament is happening right now.
“Actually, we’re in the middle of the tournament right now.” (Kento)
“I know that much… That’s why I asked… Well, I already know the results…” (Sophia)
Frost-san muttered something with an annoyed tone as if she was complaining.
Did I say something that upset her…?
“Heh~ I see. I didn’t know because I wasn’t interested.” (Sophia)
She glanced at me again, and for some reason, she had a smug, almost mocking smile on her face.
I didn’t understand what kind of change in her mood had just happened, and it made me a little nervous.
Is she sick or something?
“If you’re not interested, I can stop talking about it…” (Kento)
“If you’ve already brought it up, then keep talking about it.” (Sophia)
When I tried to stop, she got annoyed again.
I don’t think I did anything that would make her upset…?
Anyone with even a little bit of interest might want to know the current results after hearing that a tournament is happening, but since she claims not to care…
However, with the way she was looking at me, silently urging me to continue, I couldn’t just drop it.
“Well, for now, we’re undefeated, so at least second place in the league is guaranteed. If we win the next one, we’ll definitely be first and go to the prefectural tournament without any issues.” (Kento)
I kept the explanation short, thinking she wouldn’t want all the details if she wasn’t interested.
“Hmm, so our school is good at baseball, huh? That’s impressive.” (Sophia)
It seemed like she wasn’t really interested, as she didn’t ask about what kind of tournament it was, or why it was a league format. In fact, she didn’t even seem to know that our school was strong.
Our school often makes it to Koshien1, so even students who don’t play baseball in elementary and junior high school usually know about it, and we even get awards for it at school… but it seems she just doesn’t care about baseball, or even about what’s going on around her.
From what I’ve seen of her, it seems like she’s all about studying.
“By the way, we’re the runner-up in the summer prefectural tournament, you know…” (Kento)
“Now that you mention it, I had forgotten about that… But—” (Sophia)
She stopped mid-sentence, as if suddenly realizing something.
“Never mind, it’s nothing…” (Sophia)
Then, she turned her face away, looking embarrassed.
“No, stopping the conversation there makes it even more curious…” (Kento)
What she was about to say was far more intriguing than what I had just stopped talking about.
“I just thought it might be bad to say it, you know…” (Sophia)
It seems like she stopped herself out of some sense of guilt.
Considering how she had been so merciless with her sharp remarks until now, I couldn’t help but wonder why she had stopped.
“Are you saying I’d get angry?” (Kento)
“Well, yeah… You’d probably get angry.” (Sophia)
Hearing that made me even more curious.
What on earth was she about to say?
“I won’t get angry, so tell me.” (Kento)
“There’s no way I’d believe that.” (Sophia)
Fair point.
I wouldn’t believe me either.
“I won’t get angry” is a phrase often used by parents and teachers, but it’s rare to not get scolded afterwards.
“It’s fine. I can promise you that, unlike other people, I’ll keep my word with you, Frost-san.” (Kento)
Because the consequences are terrifying.
I’m sure she’d hold a grudge and get revenge somehow.
At least, it would be a hundred times better to just swallow my anger instead of making her hate me.
“W-What’s with that… You’re making it sound like I’m special or something…?” (Sophia)
She stopped walking and turned her face away with a pout.
It’s a bit hard to tell in the dim light, but I get the feeling her cheeks might have turned slightly red.
Sometimes, I don’t understand why she acts like this.
Could it be that my Japanese isn’t getting through to her properly?
—No, I don’t think that’s the case…
I don’t know how long Frost-san has been in Japan, but her Japanese is very fluent.
I’ve never seen her struggle with understanding Japanese, and not only is she at the top in modern literature, but she also excels in classical literature.
At this point, it’s hard to imagine she wouldn’t understand Japanese.
If there’s one thing she might not understand, it’s probably just idioms or proverbs, things even native Japanese speakers have to look up to understand.
“Are you not going home?” (Kento)
We had been chatting, and we were almost at our house, but since she stopped walking, I stayed behind with her.
“……..” (Sophia)
Well, I ended up getting a pretty dissatisfied glare from her.
“Don’t glare at me like that…” (Kento)
“I have a lot of things I want to say to you.” (Sophia)
Does that mean she’s been holding a lot of anger towards me?
It sounds like I might be getting some harsh words thrown at me.
“Let’s get back to the conversation. You said you wouldn’t get angry, so don’t get angry, okay?” (Sophia)
However, instead of complaining, she seemed willing to answer my question.
For me, it was better to talk about that “potentially angering topic” rather than being bombarded with harsh words.
“Yeah, I’ll keep my promise.” (Kento)
When I nodded, she slowly opened her mouth.
“I think being a runner-up is impressive… but… you can’t go to Koshien with just being second place. The value of second place is really different from first…” (Sophia)
I see now why she stopped talking earlier.
Indeed, for some people, this could be a sensitive topic.
It’s a delicate matter, for sure.
“I understand what you’re trying to say, Frost-san. The difference between first and second place may only be one, but that gap might as well be the difference between heaven and earth. For players, whether they make it to Koshien or not is everything.” (Kento)
Only one team from the prefecture can go to Koshien.
With second place, the door to Koshien is closed.
For those aiming for Koshien—whether it’s after three years of high school, or even earlier through Little League, Senior League, or Junior Baseball2—it’s a culmination of nearly their entire youth, and if they don’t make it, all that effort ends in disappointment.
The shock of that must be unimaginable.
I’ll never forget the tears of the third-year students when they lost in the summer final.
“You really won’t get angry, huh…?” (Sophia)
Apparently, my response surprised her, and Frost-san said this in a somewhat regretful tone.
“Well, there are definitely some that will say that a person not even playing shouldn’t be the one telling them this, but personally, I don’t think what you’re saying is wrong, Frost-san. In fact, I even sympathize with it. There’s no reason for me to get angry about that.” (Kento)
“…………” (Sophia)
Frost-san fell silent and stared at my face intently.
I had no idea what she was thinking, but since she didn’t seem angry, it seemed fine to not worry about it.
—But then again, I couldn’t relax.
After all, she was the so-called most beautiful girl in school.
Of course, she was very cute.
Up until now, she had often acted with a sharp attitude and always seemed to be making faces that suggested she disliked me, so I hadn’t thought much of it.
But now—
She was staring at me without any hostility, just like a normal girl, and it made my heart race.
This is strange… Why am I getting so nervous around Frost-san…?
“W-What’s with the sudden staring…?” (Kento)
“It’s not like there’s any deep meaning behind it…” (Sophia)
With those words, Frost-san turned her face away.
She didn’t say anything else, and we both fell silent, the air between us growing heavy with silence.
The quietness took over, and a rather awkward tension settled between us.
I felt like I had to say something—so I quickly opened my mouth.
“Well, that’s exactly why just getting to the Koshien is valuable. I think it’s really harsh that even being runner-up doesn’t guarantee a spot, but the sense of achievement when you actually make it there must be incredible, right?” (Kento)
Since I’ve never been to the Koshien myself, I’m just imagining it.
But when the players, coaches, and everyone around them celebrated after winning the prefectural tournament and securing their spot at Koshien, it was like a festival.
It’s something that holds a lot of value, and I think it’s something to be incredibly happy about.
“I think so too. But—” (Sophia)
She stopped her words there and looked at me again.
“Your goal isn’t just to make it to Koshien, right?” (Kento)
The expression on her face was very warm.
She was looking at me with a gentle gaze, her lips slightly curved into a smile.
I was surprised that she remembered what I said, and even more so that she was showing me such a face.
Just how many sides of her do I not know…?
“Yeah, that’s right. My goal is to win Koshien.” (Kento)
“I expect you to show that you’re not just all talk.” (Sophia)
The gentle expression she showed for a moment disappeared, and with a mischievous look, she stared at me.
“Well then, let’s hurry up and go home. I need to take a bath and do the laundry too.” (Sophia)
Frost-san, now facing forward, looked like she was in a good mood.
Her expressions changed so quickly, and I felt like I saw so many different sides of her today.
Getting to know her like this—strangely, it made me feel happy.
“Yeah, I need to take a bath too.” (Kento)
So, I smiled and went along with her words, but—
“――!? That wasn’t an invitation to go in together or anything, okay!?” (Sophia)
For some reason, she turned bright red and got angry.
Did she think I meant we should take a bath together?
…No, that can’t be it.
We’re not even dating, so there’s no way I would think about taking a bath together.
But then, why is she getting flustered again?
Her face looks even redder than before…
“Calm down…” (Kento)
“There’s no way I can be calm…! You understand, right!? If you come in without asking, I’m going to get mad, you pervert!” (Sophia)
Hmm, isn’t she getting riled up?
I don’t really get it, but… the more she talks, the angrier she seems to get, so it’s probably better to leave her be.
After that, I lightly ignored the loud barrage of English from Frost-san as she kept ranting, and entered the house.
◆
<Sophia’s PoV>
“I messed up…” (Sophia)
Back in my room, I held my head in my hands, now that my mind had cooled down.
How could I have misheard so badly to think he said, “Let’s take a bath together”?
Between the incident at the family restaurant and today, I wanted to throw away all the memories of it.
It was such a huge mistake for me that I couldn’t even bear it.
“Really, I’ve let my guard down too much around him…” (Sophia)
It’s true… Maybe just a little, I’ve been reassessing how I think about him.
When we first became family, I only saw him as a frivolous-looking guy, but, he’s been considerate at home, and hasn’t tried to force his way into my space.
He’s different from the typical frivolous-looking guy who loves women, isn’t he?
More than anything, the conversation we had before made it clear to me that his passion for baseball was real.
His determination to aim for the championship at Koshien, not just participating but winning it, was something I even admired.
Looking at how he fought hard to become a regular player despite the tough practices at a powerhouse school, I realized he’s not just all talk—he’s a person with real grit.
And even after practice, when he must have been exhausted, he still came to meet me, put up with my bad attitude, understood my feelings at the family restaurant, and didn’t reject my thoughts on the way home—now that I think about it, he might actually be a good person.
…But there’s still a possibility he’s just pretending to be kind to get close to me.
In fact, acting like a good person and then taking advantage of a girl who’s let her guard down seems like a typical tactic for a frivolous, wolf-like guy.
And yet, I found myself in the perfect trap—getting happy over pancakes, feeding him with an “ah~n”, and even grabbing his sleeve on the way home because I was scared of the dark. I might be playing right into his hands.
I could try to stay cool and distant, but…
“Maybe it’s worth trying to get closer to him on purpose and see how he reacts…” (Sophia)
If I get too close, he might let his guard down and reveal his true nature, at which point, I can pull away immediately and never trust him again.
Even if his true nature doesn’t show, I can still make up for the mistake I made earlier.
With that thought in mind, I decided to head back to the living room.
Illustration of Sophia pinching MC’s shirt
As soon as we left the station, she quietly pinched the sleeve of my jacket with her fingers.
TL Notes:
Thanks for reading!
If you’re confused about the competition stuff, they were initially talking about the ongoing competition to secure a spot in the prefectural tournament. The ongoing tournament is held in league format where second place could still have a chance to make it to the prefectural tournament.
They started talking about Koshien later, which I think only the 1st-place winner of the prefectural tournament can go.
“If I get too close, he might let his guard down and reveal his true nature, at which point, I can pull away immediately and never trust him again.”
I doubt it lmao