"Speaking of which, Kasugai-senpai, do you have a girlfriend or anything?"

"…………Don't you need to practice?"

"It's fine, I'm having an important conversation right now. So, how is it?"

Otowa-san moves a little closer to me from her sitting position. Her eyes are sparkling, waiting for my answer.

"………I don't, but…"

"I see! But you'll definitely get one soon, Kasugai-senpai. You'll have a girlfriend or two in no time!"

"A-thank you."

A girlfriend, huh…

Even though she finished her question, Otowa-san still doesn't go back to practice and continues to observe me intently.

"…………"

"Uh, is there something else?"

"………No, but you're really cute, senpai. If you just get a little more proactive, you could charm any girl around here."

"H-haah. I don't think that's true."

I've never been called cute before… I've been teased and called cute by Yui-nee many times, but never by anyone else outside of my family.

But even if someone like me became proactive, I don't think any girl would pay attention to me…

"No, that's totally possible! You're incredibly cute, Kasugai-senpai! …How about we try some proactive practice? Cheer me on while I'm working hard on these tough practices."

"Cheer you on?"

I have a bad feeling about this…

"Chihiro-senpai, you're shorter than me, so use that to your advantage and give me an encouraging 'Do your best!' with an upturned gaze."

"I-I don't want to. It's embarrassing."

"Just once! First and last time! Everyone will be focused on practice, so only I will see you! Come on, come on!"

If Otowa-san were a dog, she'd be wagging her tail with excitement. Ah, I'm going to give in to the pressure. She'll keep pushing me until I say okay.

"…………If I do that, will you work hard at practice?"

"Yes! I'll work my butt off!"

…There's no helping it. I'll have to shed my shame, do it quickly, and get Otowa-san back to practice.

"Himeno! What are you doing, still preparing? Let's practice!"

"Y-yes. Che. I'll have to wait."

As I make up my mind, Otowa-san gets scolded by a senior who was practicing. With puffed cheeks, she quickly puts on her protective gear and heads towards practice. …Whew, I got out of doing it.

"So, senpai, make sure to watch my hard work!"

"U-uh, okay. Good luck."

"…………"

"Reina, what's wrong?"

" …No, nothing. Let's resume practice."