The next day at noon.
I left the manor with Hinako and Ms. Shizune, and after about an hour’s drive, we arrived at a large lodging facility nestled in the mountains.
"This place is huge."
After getting out of the car and walking for about five minutes, a vast array of tennis courts came into view.
There were twelve courts in total. Two were clay, two were hard courts like asphalt, and the remaining eight were omni-courts made of artificial turf and sand.
"This is one of the lodging facilities owned by the Konohana Group. It is currently closed for renovations, but the courts are perfectly functional," Ms. Shizune explained.
Since it was under renovation, there were naturally no other guests. It seemed we would have this entire expanse of courts all to ourselves.
"Miyakojima-sama has arrived."
A black car pulled into the parking lot. Narika and her servant emerged from within.
Narika spotted us immediately and approached.
"Narika, thanks for doing this today."
"Yeah! Same to you!"
Narika was brimming with confidence. She carried a tennis bag on her back and held another bag in each hand.
"That’s quite a lot of luggage."
"Since Hinako-san provided the court, I thought I’d provide the equipment. I’ve brought rackets, balls, and just in case, extra grips and strings. They’re all the latest products our company handles. I have full confidence in their performance. I even brought clothes and shoes!"
Narika pulled out sets of tennis wear for everyone from her bags. Her family owned Japan's largest sports equipment manufacturer, so I could trust the quality of her gear without reservation. We decided to take her up on the offer and use the equipment she provided.
"The changing rooms are this way."
Ms. Shizune led us to the locker rooms. I quickly changed into the tennis wear I received from Narika.
"Oh... it’s so light."
I had thought the gym clothes at Kikou Academy were high quality, but the gear Narika gave me was on another level. In the summer, I tended to be sensitive about how well clothes breathed, but the comfort of this outfit was exceptional. The shoes were also light and easy to move in.
"Itsuki-san, have you finished changing?"
Just as I finished, I heard Ms. Shizune’s voice from the entrance. A bit surprised, I called back, "Yes."
When I stepped outside, Ms. Shizune was waiting for me.
"Your collar is a bit messy."
"Ah, sorry..."
I had been so impressed by how the clothes felt that I'd neglected my appearance. I reflected on my lack of attention while Ms. Shizune fixed my collar.
"By the way, Itsuki-san. Are you aware of the skill level expected at the Athletic Festival?" she asked abruptly.
"I heard it was a casual event..."
"It is. However, that is only from the perspective of the students."
I wondered what she meant by that.
"The students of Kikou Academy focus on athletics as much as their studies. It is not uncommon for their families to own professional corporate sports teams. From a young age, they are well-versed not just in business, but in sports as well. I hear some even train alongside the corporate athletes."
If your family’s company owned a professional team, you would naturally have more opportunities to learn about sports. That was likely what Ms. Shizune was getting at.
Lately, I had come to realize something. The students of Kikou Academy weren't just good at studying and sports because they were diligent. They simply had many more opportunities to develop a positive attitude toward those pursuits. Surrounded by CEOs, secretaries, master craftsmen, and professional athletes—people respected by society—they never lacked role models to look up to.
The students here were raised in a treasure trove of motivation. And among such students, Hinako and Narika were the ones who maintained particularly outstanding records. I was once again reminded of just how formidable their abilities were.
"Even if they call it 'casual,' it will likely be more intense than you imagine, Itsuki-san. I believe it will be difficult for you to keep up with those two... but please do your best."
"...Right."
I gave my answer, bracing myself. It would be fine. It had already been three months since I started attending Kikou Academy. I was well-accustomed to making up the difference through hard work.
The girls haven't arrived yet, I see.
I reached the court first and waited for a while, checking the feel of the racket.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
A short while later, Hinako and Narika arrived. Both were dressed in tennis wear. Hinako wore a white shirt with a pink skort, while Narika wore a light blue shirt with a gray skort. Both looked so different from their usual selves that I was briefly at a loss for words.
Should I tell them it suited them? If it were casual clothes, I wouldn't hesitate, but this was sports gear. If I praised them when they weren't thinking about fashion, I felt like it might come across as sexual harassment.
As I was agonizing over what to say—
"How do I look, Tomonari-san?" Hinako asked.
"Uh... it suits you very well."
When I said that, Hinako gave a lovely smile.
"Itsuki! What about me?! How do I look?!" Narika chimed in, competing for attention.
"It suits you too."
"...Doesn't that feel a bit half-hearted?"
"You're imagining things."
I couldn't help it. It was embarrassing to say it seriously.
"Still, Hinako-san makes any outfit look stylish..." Narika remarked.
"Thank you," Hinako replied, sounding very much like someone accustomed to being praised.
In addition to her tennis wear, Hinako had her hair tied back in a ponytail. That small change alone gave her a completely different appearance than usual. Her natural features were simply too good.
After that, we did some light stretching to loosen our muscles. Both Narika and Hinako were Young Ladies of major corporations. It wasn't just the people around them who were sensitive to the risk of injury; they were as well. We stretched thoroughly.
"Hinako-san won the championship last year, but how much can you do, Itsuki?" Narika asked once we finished our stretches.
"I can manage a light rally, I think."
At the high school I used to attend, we were scheduled to learn tennis in PE starting in our second year. However, since I had transferred to Kikou Academy before that, I had never properly studied the sport.
"Then let's start with a three-way rally. We can do serves and returns later."
With that, Narika headed to the far side of the court. Hinako and I took turns rallying with her, swapping every three points. Narika faced both of us, but she didn't seem the least bit out of breath.
"Itsuki! You can hit it a bit harder!"
"Got it!"
I followed Narika's instructions from across the net. However, whenever I tried to hit it harder, the ball would either go out of bounds or get caught in the net.
"Hinako, swap."
"...Okay."
Since Narika was on the opposite court, she likely couldn't hear our exchange. I spoke to Hinako in my usual tone.
"I'm going to show Itsuki... how cool I can be today."
With that, Hinako started hitting with Narika.
They're both... way too good.
Narika was a given, but Hinako was also incredibly skilled. It was almost a mystery how she could hit such fast balls with that small frame of hers. She was likely catching the ball perfectly in the center of the racket. She hadn't won last year's Athletic Festival for nothing.
"Itsuki... swap."
My turn came around again. As I took the ball from Hinako, I voiced a thought that had occurred to me.
"I occasionally think this during PE, but you're really good at sports too, Hinako."
"I don't like it much because it's tiring, but..."
Hinako casually made a comment that sounded like a total natural genius.
"But right now... the fat..."
"Eh?"
"...It's nothing."
I thought she said something, but Hinako fell silent.
We continued our rally for about thirty minutes after that.
"Oops. The net."
My ball got caught in the net. There was a basket of balls behind me, but if I took a new one every time, the court would end up covered in them, so I went to the net to pick it up. Just then, Narika approached the net as well, evidently having the same idea.
"Itsuki, you can hit better than I expected," Narika said as she picked up a ball. "At this rate, I think you'll get much better by the time of the event."
"That's good to hear. Is there anything I should fix?"
"Let's save the advice for after we've practiced everything. Even if I fix something now, it's more efficient to look at the big picture and decide on priorities."
It was such a sound opinion that I couldn't help but be impressed.
...She’s so reliable.
I remembered the first time I met Narika when I was ten. That day, having just become a dependent of the Miyakojima family, I happened upon Narika swinging a bamboo sword in the dojo. I never told her, but... at that time, I stood there captivated for a while by the sight of her. I had never seen anyone so serious, so completely lost in their devotion to something.
When Narika is focused on sports, she is dignified and cool. More than five years had passed since then, but looking at her now with sweat dripping down her face, I felt that same dignified coolness as before.
"...By the way, Narika, aren't we going to use that clay court over there?" I asked, trying to suppress my internal fluttering.
"No. Only omni-courts are used in the Athletic Festival, so I don't plan on using it."
We looked over at the other courts a short distance away.
"For your information, that dirt court is called a clay court. Because of the unevenness of the soil, you get irregular bounces. In contrast, the hard court next to it has a hard, flat surface, so irregular bounces are rare. And the omni-court we're using now is artificial turf mixed with sand; it's also hard to get irregular bounces, but your feet slide a little."
"Heh..."
I nodded at her easy-to-understand explanation. I tried lightly scuffing the ground with the sole of my shoe. Indeed, this omni-court was flat but soft and slippery. My old high school had clay courts too. It felt similar to a typical school ground.
The hard court was probably similar to a gym floor. On a hard, flat surface, the ball certainly wouldn't bounce in weird directions, but it seemed like it might be a bit hard on the knees and lower back.
"You’re well-informed. As expected of the daughter of a sports equipment store."
"Y-you think so? You can ask me anything!" Narika puffed out her chest proudly. "Next is serve and return practice. After that, we'll practice volleys, and then I'll give you some brief advice."
"Yeah. Lead the way."
The practice continued for about another hour.
"Let's take a short break."
Narika walked over toward me, holding her racket and ball. Having moved continuously for an hour and a half, even Narika was showing signs of fatigue. But more than that, I was sweating like a waterfall.
"Itsuki, are you okay?"
"Yeah... barely."
The sweat wouldn't stop. Even after becoming Hinako's caretaker, I had been training in things like self-defense, so my stamina shouldn't have been lacking... but I couldn't keep up with Narika's endurance.
"Itsuki, your challenge is distinguishing between ball types and court placement. You're subconsciously hitting the ball toward the center of the opponent's court, so you should try to scatter them to the left or right. The reason you're tired now is because I was scattering my shots. Conversely, the reason I'm not that tired is because you were hitting the ball right back to me."
"...I see. I've been hitting the ball where it's easiest for my opponent to hit it back."
"That's it."
It seemed I hadn't lost purely on physical stamina. I made sure to memorize everything Narika taught me.
"To be honest, Hinako-san is so good I don't really have anything to teach her."
"Not as good as you, Miyakojima-san."
"Please don't be modest. Your serves and returns are stable, and your volleys are solid. It's the kind of flawless skill I'd expect from you."
Narika was full of praise for Hinako.
"However, I think your shots at high contact points are slightly unstable. Especially your backhand. I know you want to move forward because you're good at volleys, but at this rate, you'll be pinned to the baseline by spin shots."
"Should I try to hold them off with slices?"
"No, if possible, it's better to be able to hit them back normally. You don't need power, just control. If a slow ball comes, you could even step around for a forehand."
I more or less understood what they were saying, but as a near-beginner, it sounded like a conversation from another dimension. Hinako seemed to understand, however, nodding with a serious expression.
"I’ve worked up a sweat. I’m going to go get some water."
With that, Narika headed toward the drinking fountain. Hinako and I watched her walk away.
"...When it comes to sports, Narika really is incredible."
"Mm. I'm glad... Miyakojima-san isn't in the Tennis Division..."
It was rare for Hinako to praise someone so straightforwardly. In fact, if Narika were in the Tennis Division at the Athletic Festival, Hinako—who aimed for the championship—would have had to train even harder.
She probably isn't aware of it, but her way of speaking with Hinako has become natural. I guess when her area of expertise is involved, her tension melts away.
Narika wasn't nervous all the time. Around people she felt comfortable with or in subjects she excelled at, she could behave naturally. I needed to get to know Narika a bit more. I felt like the hint to helping her make friends lay somewhere ahead of that.
"Eek?!"
Just then, Narika let out a shriek.
"Narika, are you okay?"
"U-uuu... Itsuki..."
I approached Narika, who had fallen on her backside. Looking closer, water was spraying vigorously from the faucet she had just been using. It was clearly putting out too much water.
"Was the faucet broken?"
"Yeah... I'm soaking wet."
Narika was wet from her head down to her shoulders. Seeing this, the Konohana family servants rushed over.
"We are terribly sorry! This was an oversight on our part—"
"N-no, it's fine! If anything, it’s actually cooled me down!"
Narika looked apologetic toward the servants as they bowed deeply. Well... it certainly might be cooling. It was the middle of a hot season, and we had just finished moving around. If there had been a pool in front of me, I would have wanted to jump in myself.
"Wait a second, I'll go get a towel."
Regardless, it would be hard to resume practice while soaking wet, so I went to fetch a towel.
"Itsuki... dry me off..."
"Yeah, yeah."
Rather than being upset about getting wet, she seemed more startled by the sudden spray. The dignified air she had a moment ago had vanished, and now Narika looked like a dejected dog. I rubbed her hair vigorously with the towel.
...It feels different from Hinako's hair.
The length and texture were subtly different. When Hinako was being taken care of by me, she would go limp and leave her body to me, but Narika would occasionally lean the parts she wanted dried closer to me. It was like a large dog showing affection.
"...Hehe."
Suddenly, Narika laughed, appearing to be in high spirits.
"You’ve done this for me before, Itsuki."
"Eh? We did?"
"If I remember correctly, I was running around the garden after it rained. I tripped and my hair got covered in mud, so you dried it for me."
Now that she mentioned it, I felt like something like that had happened. After all, it was a childhood memory. I didn't remember everything vividly, but Narika might remember those days even better than I did.
"It brings back memories. It’s always calmed me down when you do this for me, ever since we were kids."
Narika spoke with a softening expression. When she put it that way... it didn't feel bad.
"—What are you doing?"
Hinako, who had been standing nearby before I realized it, asked the question.
"Uh... that faucet was broken and Narika got wet, so I was drying her off."
"...I see."
When I explained, sounding a bit surprised, Hinako seemed to accept it.