Chapter 67: Chapter 67: Bewitched Shouya
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'Hikari-kun is such a good person.'
'Could it be... Hikari-kun has some feelings for me?'
Nanao Akane had already realized that she herself was starting to feel a bit of affection for Hikari.
But as for Hikari's attitude towards her, she was still a bit uncertain.
Now, every time she sent a message concerning her safety, Hikari would always reply very quickly.
So she couldn't help but wonder if Hikari also liked her a little...
Over the past few days, for some reason, she would immediately want to report to Hikari about anything that happened to her.
She even wanted to share every aspect of her life with Hikari.
But knowing that her relationship with Hikari wasn't that close yet, she kept holding back.
Perhaps it was because Hikari gave her such a sense of reassurance and security.
Akane especially wanted to chat with Hikari, to share everything about herself with him.
In any case, staying in the baseball club, which used to feel stifling, now felt much more bearable for her.
A faint smile even appeared on her face.
That beautiful, smiling expression made several boys, who were pretending to play baseball but were actually stealing glances at her, lose focus for a moment.
Putting down her phone, Akane picked up her pen again and continued jotting down notes about the baseball club.
This was her duty as the baseball club manager.
Before, she didn't think much of it.
She thought it was nice to be in the baseball club with Shouya, watching the members chase their dreams, and helping out as a manager.
But now, she felt a wave of irritation. After writing a few words, she put her pen down, feeling a deep sense of frustration.
Maybe it was because of Coach Togō's disgusting behavior that she now felt uncomfortable about the entire baseball club.
She didn't want to continue being the baseball club's manager anymore; she wanted to quit.
"Maybe I should send Hikari-kun a message and ask if I should leave the baseball club?"
Akane suddenly thought. Recently, she seemed to seek Hikari's opinion on almost everything.
But she quickly shook her head.
"This is my own business; I can't bother Hikari-kun with this."
Akane didn't want to send too many messages and end up annoying Hikari.
Feeling annoyed and uninterested in taking notes, Akane lifted her head to gaze into the distance and rest her eyes.
But suddenly, she saw Shouya not far away, standing close to Coach Togō, their arms around each other's shoulders, looking very friendly.
Seeing this scene, Akane felt a surge of anger.
She had originally joined the baseball club because of Shouya.
But now, Shouya was hanging around with Coach Togō, the man who had threatened and attempted to assault her. How could she feel at ease about that?
Akane immediately opened her phone and sent a message to Shouya.
On the other side, Shouya felt his phone vibrate and quickly took it out.
When he saw that it was a message from Akane, Coach Togō, standing beside him, smiled and asked, "Shouya, who's messaging you?"
Shouya smiled at Coach Togō and said, "It's Akane-chan."
Coach Togō patted Shouya's shoulder and said with a grin, "Oh, it's your little girlfriend. You should go to her, then."
"But remember to be careful. Even though I've agreed to help you keep your relationship a secret, you shouldn't flaunt it openly and expose yourselves."
"Otherwise, it'll put me in a tough spot as your coach."
Shouya nodded quickly and said, "Yes, yes! I will! Thank you so much, Coach Togō, for keeping this secret for us."
"Coach Togō, you're so kind and understanding. You've even gone against club rules to let us date. If it weren't for your generosity, I wouldn't be able to keep playing baseball and pursuing my dream."
"Coach Togō, you're like a second father to me."
Shouya couldn't help but grasp Coach Togō's hand, his face full of gratitude.
Coach Togō's ugly face showed a kind smile as he waved it off, saying, "It's nothing. Just play baseball well. I really admire the energy of young people like you. Now go find your little girlfriend."
"Got it!" Shouya happily turned and left.
Meanwhile, Coach Togō's gaze naturally shifted to Akane as he watched Shouya walk away.
Seeing Akane's lovely face, her curvaceous figure, and especially her ample chest, a glint of greed flashed in Coach Togō's eyes.
He licked his lips unconsciously.
"Shouya, you just enjoy your secret romance while I get my chance with her."
"If I just promise to make him a starter, Shouya is an easy catch. What a fool."
"If I tell him I can take him to Koshien, will he willingly offer his girlfriend to me?"
"Speaking of which, this Akane... She's just a high school girl, yet she's so voluptuous."
"Ah, I do love the youthful energy of young people."
"But I bet Akane has never done it before; she's probably completely clueless."
"Hehe, just wait to be fully 'taught' by me, Togō."
"Shouya, since you see me as a father figure, it's only right for me to share in your girlfriend, isn't it?"
Shouya, of course, had no idea that Coach Togō, whom he saw as a second father, was inwardly mocking him while eyeing Akane with vulgar thoughts.
With a smile still on his face, Shouya walked up to Akane and greeted her cheerfully.
"Akane-chan!"
Akane frowned slightly.
"Shouya-kun, didn't you repeatedly tell me not to address each other so intimately?"
Shouya, who had previously insisted they call each other by their surnames for the sake of his dreams, was now casually calling her by her first name.
But now, for some reason, she no longer wanted to hear Katasé Shouya call her so intimately.
The moment he directly called her by her name, she felt uncomfortable.
After all, it was Shouya himself who had previously insisted on this. He emphasized it over and over again, even scolding her about it at one point.
But this time, Shouya smiled at Nanao Akane and said, "Akane, it's okay."
"I've already confessed our relationship to Coach Tōgō. From now on, we can secretly date. Coach Tōgō has agreed."
"With Coach Tōgō's support, we can be a couple!"
"So, how about that? Excited?"
"We really have to thank Coach Tōgō."
"He's been so good to us. Let's treat him to a meal someday to express our gratitude."
Shouya was excitedly sharing how wonderful Coach Tōgō was.
Hearing those words, Akane fell silent.
It seemed Shouya also noticed something was off about Akane's mood.
Shouya's smile faded as he asked, "Akane, what's wrong?"
"Is there something you want to tell me?"
Akane nodded and said, "Yes. But can you stop calling me by my first name? It makes me uncomfortable."
"Didn't you say before that we should only address each other by our full names in pursuit of our dreams? I've gotten used to it, so let's not change it for now."
"And what I want to say is simple."
"That is, from now on, stay away from Coach Tōgō. Don't get too close to him."
Hearing the first few sentences, Shouya already felt a bit uneasy.
But after hearing her final statement, his expression instantly darkened.
His face turned grim, and he stared sharply at Akane, asking angrily, "Why? Why are you saying this? Why don't you want me to associate with Coach Tōgō?"
"Do you know how much Coach Tōgō has done for me? How much he has helped us?"
"Who are you to tell me not to interact with Coach Tōgō?"
Shouya angrily questioned Akane, raising his voice.
Akane sighed and explained softly, "Coach Tōgō is not a good person. He was transferred here because he sexually harassed and assaulted women before."
"For scum like that, staying away from him will only benefit us."
Shouya angrily retorted, "Rumors! Those are all baseless rumors about Coach Tōgō."
"Why isn't he a good person? Sure, he looks a bit fierce, but he's very kind."
"He's generous and compassionate. To me, he's like a mentor and a friend."
"Akane, you shouldn't judge people with such a biased perspective."
Hearing Shouya repeatedly defending Coach Tōgō, Akane couldn't hold it in anymore. She blurted out anxiously:
"No! You don't even know his true face."
"Did you know that Coach Tōgō has long been aware of our relationship?"
"And a few days ago, he used it to threaten me. He tried to… tried to assault me."
"Do you understand? He's just a scumbag!"
Akane thought that by revealing this humiliating matter, Shouya would understand her and agree to stay away from Coach Tōgō.
But to her surprise, after hearing her words—
Shouya immediately shook his head and said, "I don't believe it! Akane, what you're saying is all lies."
"Akane, oh Akane, just how much do you hate Coach Tōgō? You've even made up such nonsense to stop me from associating with him."
"Do you know that it was me who voluntarily told Coach Tōgō about our close relationship in the past few days? Moreover, he promised to help us keep it a secret."
"If Coach Tōgō is truly as bad as you say, why would he help keep our secret?"
"Wouldn't it be easier for him to kick me out of the baseball team?"
"If Coach Tōgō really wanted to, he could have kicked me out of the baseball team long ago. Instead, he chose to help us. Do you know why?"
"First, it's because Coach Tōgō is a good person. Second, because Coach Tōgō said I have exceptional baseball talent, and he wants to nurture me to ensure I can make it to Koshien."
"That's my dream! I'm an unrecognized talent, and Coach Tōgō is my mentor."
"It's because of my talent and Coach Tōgō's generosity that we haven't been kicked out of the team. Do you understand?"
"I don't need your gratitude, but at least you should thank Coach Tōgō, right? Even if you don't want to thank him, you shouldn't slander my mentor."
Hearing Shouya's words, Akane said speechlessly, "No! Shouya, those words are just lies Coach Tōgō told you."
"He didn't kick you out of the team because he wanted to use it as leverage to keep threatening us."
"He always stares at me with those disgusting eyes. Do you know what that means? Do you understand how vile his intentions are?"
"Coach Tōgō has been trying to threaten me. He's using all these reasons to find opportunities to assault me. Don't you see?"
As Akane explained, she was on the verge of breaking down.
'Why does Shouya trust Coach Tōgō so much?'
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