Saijo no Osewa ~ Takane no Hana [LN] - V3 Chp 2 part 2
Our practice continued for the next hour.
[Let’s take a break]
Narika came over to us, holding her racket and a ball.
Narika also looks exhausted after an hour and a half of continuous movement.
But even more than her, I was sweating like a waterfall.
[Itsuki, are you okay?]
[Yeah… somehow]
I couldn’t stop sweating.
Even after becoming Hinako’s caretaker, I had been learning self-defense and other techniques to train my body, so I shouldn’t have lost in terms of physical strength but… I couldn’t keep up with Narika’s stamina.
[I think Itsuki needs to work on using different types of balls and different courses. Itsuki is unconsciously hitting the ball to the center of the opponent’s court. It’s better to spread it out to either the left or right side. …The reason why Itsuki is tired now is because I’ve aimed the ball to either side. On the contrary, I’m not so tired is because Itsuki’s hitting the ball directly to me]
[…I see. I’m hitting the ball where the opponent can easily hit it back?]
[Pretty much]
It seems I didn’t lose in a simple stamina battle.
I’ll remember what Narika taught me.
[Konohana-san is so good that I honestly don’t have anything to teach you]
[I’m still not at Miyakojima-san’s level]
[I’m not trying to be modest. Your serves and receives are stable, and your volleying is also decent. You have the outstanding ability that is typical of a Konohana family member]
Narika praised Hinako.
[I just think that your high hitting is a little inconsistent, especially your backhand. Konohana-san is a good volleyer, so I think it would be better if she would move to the front, but that will leave you susceptible to spin shots on the baseline] (TN: I probably said this before, but I’m saying it again. I have no idea how tennis plays and if anyone can give me an insight it would be great so I can fix it, thanks)
[Should I just slice and dice it?]
[No, I’d rather you be able to hit it back normally if possible. You don’t need a lot of power with the ball, you want control. If a loose ball comes, I think you can come around to the foreground]
I somehow understood what she was saying, but it sounded like a different language to me, an almost novice. But Hinako seemed to understand and nodded with a serious look.
[I’m sweating. I’m going to drink some water]
Saying this, Narika headed for the fountain.
Hinako and I watch her walk away.
[…When it comes to sports, Narika is truly amazing]
[Nn. …I’m glad Miyakojima-san wasn’t in the tennis section…]
It’s unusual for Hinako to praise someone honestly.
If Narika had been in the tennis division of the competition, Hinako would have had to practice hard to win.
(She doesn’t realize it but the way Narika talks to Hinako has become more natural. …I guess when something she excels at is involved, she becomes more relaxed)
Narika isn’t nervous all the time either.
Perhaps her natural demeanor comes out in front of people she knows well or while doing something she’s good at.
I should get to know a little more about Narika.
Beyond that, I think there are some hints here for Narika to make friends.
[Hyahh!?]
At that moment, Narika screamed.
[Narika, you okay?]
[Uuuu… Itsuki….]
I approached Narika, who fell on her butt.
When I looked at it, the faucet that Narika just used was spraying water at a very fast rate.
Clearly, too much water was coming out.
[Did the faucet break?]
[Yeah… I’m soaked]
Narika was drenched from her head to her shoulders.
A servant of the Konohana family, who saw what happened, hurriedly came over.
[We’re very sorry! It was our fault—]
[N-No, it’s fine!! I just feel nice and cool now!]
Narika makes an apologetic face at the servants who bow deeply.
Well… sure, she does appear cooler.
After moving around so much in this hot weather. If there’s a swimming pool in front of me, I would have jumped into it.
[Hold on, I’ll get you a towel]
However, it’s hard to continue practicing when she’s wet, so I went and got her a towel.
[Itsuki… wipe…]
[Yes yes]
She was probably more startled by the sudden jet of water than getting wet.
The dignified appearance she had was gone, and now, Narika looked like a depressed dog.
I wiped Narika’s hair with a towel.
(….Her hair feels different than Hinako’s)
The length and texture of their hairs were slightly different.
Hinako would deflate and surrender her body to me when I took care of her. But Narika would casually approach me where she wanted me to wipe her. It was as if a large dog was pining for me.
[…Fufu]
Suddenly, Narika smiled in a good mood.
[I remember when Itsuki did this to me once before]
[Eh? Really?]
[I was running around in the yard after it rained. Then I fell and my hair got all muddy, so I asked Itsuki to wipe it off]
Come to think of it, that did happen.
I was very young. I don’t remember everything vividly, but Narika may remember more than I do.
[I miss it. …I used to feel calm when Itsuki would do this to me]
Narika retold the story with a smile on her face.
I… don’t feel bad when she says that much.
[—what are you doing?]
Hinako, who had been by my side for some time, asked.
[Well… the water faucet was broken and Narika got wet, so I was wiping her down]
[…I see]
When I explained the situation with some surprise, Hinako nodded.
(insert hair drying Narika)
I think I just got stared at for a moment… but maybe it’s just my imagination.
I wonder if Hinako came for a drink of water too.
Hinako approached the broken faucet and opened it as Narika did… and was soon drenched in water as well.
[I’m sorry, I opened it]
[Why!?]
Just a moment ago, I told you that the faucet was broken.
[K-Konohana-san can be careless too huh…]
Narika said in surprise. But can that be seen as careless…?
Hinako approached me with her head and shoulders soaked, just like Narika.
[Please wipe me too]
[…I understand]
I nodded, but I couldn’t suppress my bewilderment.
I had another towel with me just in case, and I used it on Hinako.
[I-Is this right…?]
[Yes. …Fufu, you have a gentle hand]
It was totally different from the usual routine.
I nervously wiped Hinako’s hair.
(I never thought I’d be taking care of Hinako in her Ojou mode…)
Hinako when she’s in the mansion and now is totally different.
Still, the silky feel of her hair and the faintly sweet scent in the air were the same as the usual Hinako. Once again, I’m reminded that the ever-sleepy girl and the young lady in front of me, who’s respected by all, are the same person.
[…Muu]
Seeing us, Narika’ lips twitched.
[Tomonari-san. Could you help me stretch?]
[Eh? …Yes]
Hinako sat down on the ground and tried to stretch.
I slowly pushed Hinako’s shoulder.
Naturally, our faces came closer.
[Konohana-san! Isn’t… Isn’t that a little close!?]
[Is that so?]
Narika had a point.
Hinako, however, seemed unfazed.
[Tomonari-san. Keep it like that, it feels like you’re entrusting your body to me.]
[I-Is that so?]
[That’s right. …Ah]
Suddenly, Hinako lets out a small squeal.
[…Tomonari-san, you have a solid body, don’t you?] (TN: Dude is packed ig)
Hinako says with a slight blush on her cheeks.
Is… Is this an act?
[L-Let’s resume practice! Get back to practicing!! Right now!!]
Narika said loudly.
Frankly, it helped. It was going to be awkward if I continued with Hinako like this.
[What kind of practice are we going to do next?]
[Good question. I’d like to work on my serves and volleys, but… I’d also like to do some actual matches]
Narika said thoughtfully.
[Come to think of it, who’s stronger, Narika or Konohana-san?]
When I heard the word “match”, I felt like I had to ask that.
Narika and Hinako look at each other for a moment.
[I… don’t know about that, because we’ve never competed against one another]
[Yes, that’s true. We haven’t even played tennis in class yet…]
They both answered [We don’t know], but it looked like they were both curious.
[….If it’s okay with Konohana-san, may I have a match?]
Narika asked.
Hinako thought for a bit.
[Sure, I’ll be in your care]
She nodded.
It’s easy to forget because I’m so full of myself. Today is not just for me but also for Hinako, who is also going to practice hard. Moreover, Hinako is aiming to win the competition.
(…Having a competitive spirit might be good practice, too)
Somehow I got the vibe that we were going to keep it light, so I made a suggestion.
[…If we’re going to play the game anyways, why not place a bet?]
[Bet?]
They tilted their heads, and I continued.
[The winner can demand something from the loser, for example]
After I suggested that much, I realized.
If I think about it carefully, these two are the leading ladies of Japan. For us commoners, punishment games are normal, like buying a meal for the winner, but these two aren’t concerned about money in the first place.
If there’s nothing the other party wants, then this idea would be useless.
So I was about to retract my words when…
[Then… Then how about the winner goes out with Itsuki?]
Narika said with a somewhat nervous look on her face.
[Eh, me?]
I didn’t think I’d be mentioned.
[That sounds fair]
Hinako nodded seriously.
They took their rackets and some balls and headed for the court.
(…Well, in my current position, I can’t easily go out with Narika)
There’s a lot of things we needed to talk about between me and Narika. We are relatives, after all, and hadn’t seen each other in several years. We had a few chats in our time at the academy so far, but there’s still much we haven’t talked about.
But I work for the Konohana family now, so I can’t easily make time for Narika. That’s probably why Narika demanded the right to go out with me.
Well… if it’s just that, I could ask Shizune-san. She would normally give me permission.
However, frankly, I’m interested in the match between the two of them, so I’ll just have to see how it goes.
[The rules are one-set matches. How about a tiebreaker?]
[No problem]
Hinako nodded at Narika’s suggestion.
[Itsuki, can you be the referee?]
[Yeah]
I sat down at the referee’s table between the benches.
Now… on one side is the most perfect student in the academy, on the other side is someone who’s rumored to be unparalleled in sports.
This will be a great match to see who’s better.
Anyone in the academy would pay to watch this match.
The front and back of the racket determines who serves.
(EDN: Basically a coinflip but using the racket as the coin)
Narika was the server and had the ball in hand.
Narika served and a hard fastball landed in the corner of the service area.
Hinako couldn’t even touch it, and the point was taken.
[Fifteen – love] (TN: It’s a saying if the serving player wins the first point, they call it a fifteen to love, love as in 0, and no idea where it came from) (EDN: Apparently its due to zero looking like an egg and the french word for egg sounds like love)
In other words, one to zero.
Narika served again.
[Thirty – love]
Narika took another point.
This time, Hinako returned the ball, but it was caught in the net.
(That Hinako is being bested…?)
Now Narika has two consecutive points and a service ace.
(EDN: A service ace is when the opponent does not return a serve)
Even Hinako, called the perfect Ojou-sama, couldn’t beat Narika…?
Narika’s dominance continued, and she won the first game.
(TN: Hinako really got 13-0’d) (EDN: No 9-3 curse here)
Quite a lot more notes than usual, sorry if it was disturbing, just felt like we had to get it out. A bit of a shameless plead, but I have gotten into a program where I am going to Japan! It would be around November, and I would really really appreciate any sort of donations to help fund for things I would get for my family and friends. Again, quite shameless but I would like to do this not by my family’s money. On that note, I’m nearing my high school days and I guess I’ll be on a new chapter of my life soon.
Donations are very much appreciated. (EDN: Help fuel me and Ezu’s Honkai addiction plz)
TL: Ezu
ED: Animu
PR: Mateo