Chapter 2: Gazes of Envy and Jealousy

The end of summer vacation heralded the day students dreaded most: the opening ceremony.

Even as the scorching heat still held its grip, a ripple of excitement spread through the school.

“Hey, did you hear? Frost-san changed her last name!”

“Yeah, yeah! She’s not Sophia Frost anymore, she’s Shirakawa Sophia now!!”

“But the new last name is awesome too! It really suits her image!”

Even in my class, located in a different school building, the buzz was palpable.

And this was just the first day back; the news had already traveled like wildfire.

“But, uhm… I heard some student saw Frost-san coming out of Kento’s house…”

My heart skipped a beat—guilt pricked at me.

The moment my name was mentioned, my heart hammered in my chest.

I knew this would come out sooner or later—but I never imagined it would be on day one…

Had I underestimated Sophia’s influence?

“Ken, Ken, Kento!? What’s going on here!?”

My classmate Shouta, upon hearing the rumor, predictably rushed over to interrogate me, his voice brimming with excitement.

“Shouta, calm down…”

“Calm down!? How can I calm down!? You went and got a head start on me without saying a word!?”

“Uh, what do you mean…?”

“Am I wrong!? If Frost-san changed her name to Shirakawa, doesn’t that mean you guys are married already!?”

“No way, high schoolers can’t just get married, can they?”

Facing my utterly clueless friend, who kept spouting these outlandish claims, I couldn’t help but sigh in exasperation.

I hadn’t even considered such a misunderstanding would arise.

“If that’s not it, then why did Frost-san change her name to Shirakawa!?”

In situations like this, Shouta’s presence was a godsend to those around us.

Because no matter how awkward or delicate the subject, he’d blurt it out without a second thought.

Thanks to him, the entire class perked up their ears, eavesdropping on our conversation.

“Because my dad remarried her mother, that’s why she changed her name.”

Since this was bound to surface eventually, I had already asked Sophia beforehand if I could disclose the reason.

Though she initially made a face like she’d rather swallow nails, she understood that withholding the information would only lead to more trouble down the line and reluctantly agreed.

“Whoa~ That’s like something straight out of a manga!? So enviable…! Does that mean you’re living under the same roof now…!?”

Why was this guy’s brain so sharp when it came to gossip?

I really wished he’d remain blissfully unaware of these things.

“Kento, please trade places with me…! I’m a huge fan of hers, you know…!”

Perhaps unable to contain himself any longer, another male classmate jumped into the conversation.

Huh? A fan…?

Sophia isn't some celebrity, is she…?

“I also wish you’d switch places with me…! Actually, I’ve been keeping an eye on her ever since we enrolled…!?”

Dude, that’s straight-up stalking behavior, you know…?

Could this guy be the reason Sophia was so cold to people in the first place…?

“Hmph, you’re all so shallow.”

A male classmate from the soccer club, attempting to break the tension, suavely pushed up his glasses.

Except, he wasn't wearing any.

Instead, he—

“Big bro, please introduce me to your little sister!”

—Stuck out his right hand and bowed deeply.

His thought process was just as shallow as everyone else’s.

“Right, if we become Kento’s sworn brothers…!”

“That’s practically like dating Frost-san…!”

“No way that’s gonna happen, please stop messing around, she’ll just yell at me.”

I sighed at my classmates’ ridiculous antics.

If Sophia ever found out that people were using me to get closer to her, who knows what kind of revenge she’d exact when I got home.

Just imagining it sent shivers down my spine.

“But I’m seriously so envious~ Because you can pretend to accidentally walk in on her changing in the bathroom, or peek at her underwear, right?”

Just as my head began to throb, Shouta casually dropped another remark that sent a fresh wave of pain through my skull.

Was this guy completely fearless?

“If something like that actually happened, I’m not kidding, it would be social suicide for me, okay?”

Even if we were family, I was certain Sophia would show no mercy and readily disown me.

And with a look of utter disgust, like I was trash, she’d probably call the cops and have me arrested.

“Even if it’s just an accident!?”

“There’s no way she’d tolerate such a shallow wishful thinking scenario you’re imagining…”

In reality, to prevent accidental bathroom intrusions, there was a clear sign on the door indicating if someone was inside.

If you missed that sign and stumbled upon her naked form—honestly, there was no way to explain yourself out of that situation.

As for underwear, if I really wanted to see it, it wouldn’t be impossible—but the risk of getting caught rummaging through the laundry machine and hamper was too high, so the thought had never even crossed my mind.

“Unless you’re prepared to accept that your life will end then and there, I’d advise you not to think about it too much…”

I was being completely serious, not making some kind of joke.

“After all, even though Frost-san is really cute, her personality is seriously cold…”

Though my classmates were buzzing with excitement, not everyone was actually envious.

The reason being, even if Sophia was cute, some were intimidated by her icy demeanor, or simply preferred to admire her from afar.

“But maybe she’s especially gentle to family, you know?”

Still, some people held onto a sliver of hope.

It was true that in anime, there were often scenes where the heroine becomes gentle and demure once she becomes family. But reality wasn’t that kind.

“She completely ignores me, living with that constant cold treatment is giving me stomachaches.”

“““““O-Oh, Really…”””””

When I gave my answer with a desolate look, my classmates all stared at me with sympathy.

It seemed they finally understood how I felt.

Reality was like that.

And just like that, my classmates quickly scattered like startled birds, freeing me from their attention.

Perhaps everyone had finally realized that trying to get closer to Sophia through me was just wishful thinking.

◆

“—But you’re still so enviable, you know?”

As we changed into our practice uniforms and headed towards the field, Shouta looked at me with the same envious eyes as before.

“You’re still on about that…? Even if I became family with Sophia, there’s no chance of getting close to her in that way, you know.”

“No, no, no, you never know, right? At least you have more chances to get close to her than anyone else in school.”

I truly thought Shouta possessed an incredibly strong will.

Despite being utterly rejected by Sophia shortly after enrollment, he still hadn’t given up even now.

“—Whatever about that. If you get distracted by women and miss my pitches during practice, I’ll kill you.”

As Shouta and I were talking, a voice as sharp and cold as a blade sliced through the air from behind us.

Turning around, I saw my teammate—Kurogane Toudo, who was about my height, glaring at me with sharp eyes.

If Sophia was the undisputed school beauty, then Toudo was handsome enough to rival for the title of school heartthrob.

Though he had a domineering, almost tyrannical personality, he was completely dedicated to baseball.

And his skills were undeniable.

He could hurl a fastball from the left mound at a maximum speed of 147 kilometers per hour, a top-tier level that seemed to flash past batters’ eyes.

He also possessed four types of breaking balls, and his control was exceptional. Batters who could stand toe-to-toe with him were few and far between.

It was because of this talent that, despite being only a freshman, he had been appointed as the ace pitcher since summer.

Rumor had it that professional baseball scouts were already trying to recruit him.

His batting skills were also top-notch, and it was believed he would one day become a world-renowned two-way player.

Currently, we formed the battery, pitcher and catcher, together.

“Haha, judging by my usual catching, is there any need to worry about that?”

Since the atmosphere was getting a bit tense, I responded with a smile, trying to smooth things over.

“If that were the case, someone else would be the starting catcher by now.”

Toudo scoffed in response to my words.

In other words, it was a non-issue.

After all, they wouldn’t let someone who was likely to drop pitches be the starting catcher.

“Toudo, seriously…! I’ve told you this countless times, but remember to watch your tone when you speak…!”

Honestly, I wasn’t bothered by it, but Shouta seemed to take offense.

He had always been irritated by Toudo’s arrogant attitude, and you could often see him getting worked up like this.

The thing was, Toudo didn’t mean any harm when he spoke…

“What’s the point of mincing words? Speaking directly is considerate to everyone.”

“That’s not the point! I’m telling you that even if you speak directly, you still need to watch your wording…! Besides, the only one capable of partnering with you right now is Kento, you know!? If Kento wasn’t the catcher, you’d be the one in trouble…!”

“But I never said Kento shouldn’t be the catcher, did I?”

Toudo was just that kind of guy.

He was a straightforward, albeit clumsy, honest guy.

He didn’t mean any harm.

That’s why I could get along with him.

Compared to someone whose words were dripping with malice from the get-go, Toudo was much more likeable.

“What!? You clearly just said…”

Shouta, unable to fully grasp what Toudo was trying to convey, still wouldn’t back down.

“What I meant was, if the starting catcher was so bad they might drop pitches, they’d have replaced him by now.”

“So that means—!”

“Shouta, calm down. What Toudo means is that I’ll never drop his pitches, so I can continue to be the starting catcher, right?”

Seeing the argument dragging on without resolution, I stepped between them.

If the coach saw this scene, all three of us would be slapped with extra training as punishment.

After all, the coach was a real hardass who could still smile even when he was furious…

“That’s what I meant.”

Toudo responded to my question, tilting his head in confusion.

What the hell are you even on about?—that expression screamed it.

“Ah, I see…”

Shouta, looking like he finally understood, nodded in agreement, his anger dissipating.

Although I wished these two could get along better, they were just inherently incompatible.

“Can’t you just say it straight out…?”

Shouta looked at Toudo with a disgruntled expression.

“Maybe you’re just too dense?”

Toudo retorted, ready to reignite the argument.

“Hold on, hold on, hold on! Why are you guys fighting again already!?”

I had just finished mediating, if they started arguing again, it would be pointless.

In short, everything we just did would be for nothing.

“To think someone like him is the ace pitcher, if it wasn’t for Kento, the team would have fallen apart.”

“If we can’t make it to Koshien with me on the team, it’s all your fault, you know?”

“Huh—!? Hey, listen to yourself—!”

“Ugh—! Okay, okay, I get what you both mean! If you don’t stop now, the coach is going to blow his top!”

I forcefully separated the two of them.

If this kept going, the coach might actually come over to check on us.

And then everyone would be in deep trouble.

“Going back to the original topic, Toudo, you can relax, baseball is my top priority too, I definitely won’t slack off on practice.”

I first directly addressed Toudo’s concern.

Because as long as I ended this topic, he wouldn’t keep nagging.

“Hmph, good. Once you fall apart, matches we should have won will be lost.”

Toudo said this and walked off ahead.

Honestly, this guy really wasn’t a bad person at heart…

“He’s still as self-centered as ever… Baseball isn’t something you can win on your own…”

“…No, I think he understands that’s exactly why he came to talk to me…”

I muttered to myself, in a voice Shouta couldn’t hear.

Baseball definitely wasn’t something you could win with just one strong player.

Even if the pitcher could keep striking batters out, without hitters to score runs, you couldn’t win games. Teamwork was essential.

That’s why Toudo demanded that his teammates reach the same level as him, demanding everyone train rigorously.

The third-year seniors had already retired from the team, and the one who felt the most regret about that summer’s defeat was probably Toudo.

“It’s better for the pitcher to be as confident as Toudo is, it gives you a sense of security during games, plus he really does have the skill to back it up.”

If we can’t make it to Koshien with me on the team, it’s all your fault—honestly, what he said wasn’t wrong.

At least as far as I knew, Toudo was the strongest pitcher in the prefecture.

“Kento, you’re still as kind and generous as ever~”

“You’re giving me too much credit. I just really like people who work hard like Toudo.”

—Yeah, way better than those guys who don’t try but laugh at others who do…

“Kento?”

Just as negative emotions began to well up in my heart, Shouta looked at me in confusion.

Seeing this, I immediately put on a smile.

“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it. More importantly, sorry, but I forgot something in the clubroom, you go on ahead.”

“Really? That’s rare for you. Alright, I’ll head over first then.”

The straightforward Shouta smiled at me and headed towards the field.

He was still such a good guy.

I watched Shouta’s receding back, and as I was about to take a deep breath and change my mood—

“You’re still working so hard as always.”

—Just then, another voice called out from behind me.

Turning around, I saw a beautiful girl with flowing black hair, smiling brightly as she looked up at me.

“Kujouin-senpai, good morning!”

I immediately bowed in greeting.

She was a senior, one year above me, named Kujouin Nadeshiko.

Senpai was the baseball club’s manager, and a school celebrity whose beauty was second only to Sophia.

But in terms of popularity, Senpai far outstripped Sophia, holding the undisputed top spot.

The reason was Senpai’s exceptional understanding and kindness.

Rumor had it that every month, at least one or two people would confess their feelings to her.

“Good morning, Kento-kun. Seeing you always acting as the babysitter for those two, you’re really amazing.”

Babysitter… Hmm—from a certain perspective, I guess it did look like that?

“We’re all teammates after all, so it’s only natural.”

“Hehe, you’re too modest. At least in the baseball club, no one else is as considerate of those two as you are, Kento-kun.”

More like just Toudo, mainly.

Because he was a firm believer in meritocracy, and would retort without hesitation even to upperclassmen.

As for Shouta, he was a worrywart who’d get into trouble if you weren’t careful, but in principle, he was an easygoing good guy.

But some seniors were still quite exasperated with this troublemaker.

“If those words reach the captain and vice-captain’s ears, they’ll be heartbroken.”

“That’s no problem, because Kento-kun definitely wouldn’t snitch, and I don’t mean any criticism either, you know.”

Senpai preemptively warned me not to tell anyone.

Of course, I had no intention of doing so; telling wouldn’t change anything anyway.

“Does Senpai have some ulterior motive for praising me so much?”

“Oh dear, do I look like such a calculating person in your eyes?”

Kujouin-senpai tilted her head, looking at me with wide, innocent eyes.

Being gazed at by her pure, guileless eyes made me feel quite awkward.

“I know Senpai isn’t the type to have bad intentions, but you must have something you want to ask me, right?”

Otherwise, Senpai wouldn’t have specifically come to talk to me right before practice started.

Because club managers had a lot of things to do.

“Kento-kun, you really are observant.”

It seemed my guess was spot on, Senpai couldn’t help but smile wryly.

“I genuinely wanted to praise you for always taking care of those two, it’s not just lip service, but I did use this as an opportunity to talk to you.”

Considering I was a junior, Senpai could have just directly called out to me…

Did I look that unapproachable just now?

“So, what did Senpai want to ask me?”

Since warm-up time was about to start, I cut straight to the chase.

“Kento-kun, I heard you and Frost-san became step-siblings, is that true?”

Judging by the timing of Senpai’s approach, I vaguely guessed it was related to this… It seemed Senpai was also a little curious about my relationship with Sophia.

Even though Senpai was an elegant, pure, and refined woman, she was still a high school girl at heart.

She would naturally be particularly curious about this kind of gossip.

“Senpai’s information network is really something.”

“Because this matter has already spread throughout the entire school, you know.”

It seemed it was better to just assume that the entire school faculty and student body already knew about it.

When I got home later, Sophia would probably come to complain to me.

“Even though we became family, nothing particularly noteworthy has happened.”

At most, there was that time I camped outside her door and barely managed to get her to talk to me. After that, there had been no progress at all.

Sophia was busy going to cram school, and I was diligently practicing baseball, so we rarely crossed paths—or so it should have been.

In reality, we spent quite a lot of time at home together, but other than meals and showers, she stayed holed up in her room.

It meant she was probably deliberately avoiding me.

“Even if nothing happened, changes in environment can cause stress, can’t they? Especially when a same-aged person of the opposite sex suddenly appears in your home.”

“Hmm? Is Senpai talking about Sophia?”

Because she mentioned stress, I thought Senpai was worried about Sophia’s mental state.

“I’m talking about you, Kento-kun.”

The response I got was a wry smile that seemed to say, You just don't get it.

Stress on me?

…Thinking about it now, the reasons were practically countless…

“For example, you’re probably being very careful about many things to avoid causing problems, or you’ve lost the space where you could relax as before, things like that would create stress, right?”

“Hmm~ it does feel a bit troublesome sometimes, yeah.”

Since Senpai seemed willing to listen to my complaints, I decided to be honest and speak my mind.

“See? And the other party is Frost-san on top of that… If anything happens, don’t hesitate to talk to me, okay? Because there are many worries that can be relieved just by confiding in someone, and maybe I can offer some help.”

Kujouin-senpai was truly a wonderful person.

Even though we were just in the same club, Senpai and I were still essentially strangers. She could have just ignored me… but she still came to check on me like this.

“Even as the club manager, if you also have to provide mental counseling for the members, Senpai will be swamped, won’t you?”

Because we were considered a baseball powerhouse, the atmosphere within the club was quite tense.

Things like having to undergo grueling training from the moment you joined, enough to deter many, and the fiercely competitive spots for starting players.

Seniors who believed in seniority getting jealous and putting pressure on juniors who snatched starting positions.

Even though everyone’s situation was different, I believed there were many club members under significant mental stress.

“I certainly don’t overestimate myself to think I can provide mental counseling for all club members. To be honest, I don’t think I can do that, nor do I have the relevant professional knowledge, but I can at least be there to support you.”

Presumably, that was the reason Senpai specifically came to talk to me.

“You’re right, just knowing there’s someone willing to support you instead of fighting alone makes a world of difference.”

At least I wouldn’t be stuck in my own head, overthinking things.

Plus, it wasn’t uncommon for people to feel enlightened after talking things out. From that perspective, meeting someone as thoughtful as Kujouin-senpai was definitely beneficial.

“Exactly, exactly, that’s it. After all, I can’t do things to the extent that Kento-kun does, and I believe other members won’t have problems as long as you’re around, but—”

Kujouin-senpai, who had been speaking in a lighthearted tone, as if just chatting casually, suddenly paused.

Then, she slightly curved the corners of her mouth upwards, her eyes meeting mine with a serious gaze.

“When you have worries, you should also have someone to confide in, but based on my observation, you don’t seem to have anyone like that right now, do you? So I hope you’ll think of me as someone you can rely on.”

Her words made my heart skip a beat.

But it wasn’t a flutter of romantic excitement, it was more like anxiety.

The reason was, I felt like Senpai had seen right through my thoughts, just a little too much.

If I were to look for someone to talk to, the captain and vice-captain were both people I could rely on.

But as for someone I could truly open up to, I didn’t have anyone like that yet.

Although the coach was a different story, we were currently in the middle of the tournament season, and I really couldn’t bring myself to burden him with my personal matters.

Perhaps even that was something Senpai had seen through.

“Come to think of it, I’ve never done mental counseling for anyone before, have I?”

Because I was hesitant about how to respond, I decided to change the subject and gloss over it.

“Hehe, I advise you not to underestimate club managers, you know. I carefully observe every club member’s attitude during practice, breaks, and even in class.”

Kujouin-senpai said with a smug look.

No wonder I sometimes felt like I was being watched, so that’s what it was.

More than just a club manager, this was something only Senpai would do.

“Like how you discreetly go and encourage club members who are struggling, or listen to their worries and give advice, I’ve been noticing all of that, you know.”

Why did Senpai suddenly switch to using formal language?

I swallowed that question down.

It probably wasn’t anything worth mentioning.

“I’m not as amazing as you make me out to be, Senpai. I just offer a little help where I can, out of goodwill. And it’s not like I’ve managed to stop every single member who wanted to quit, and the reality isn't quite as rosy as you imagine.”

As a catcher, I was at the heart of the defense, and during matches, I needed to give instructions to my teammates.

If I couldn’t build trusting relationships, it could become a cause of defeat at crucial moments. Plus, I didn't want my teammates defending half-heartedly, so before I knew it, I was reaching out to check in on them.

Besides, having talented players on the team always puts your mind at ease.

Sometimes, players who didn't initially stand out would suddenly blossom and become strong, so I tried to persuade every member who considered quitting to stay.

“Anyway, you can think of it however you want. Getting back to the point, I just want you to know that you can come to me if you ever have any worries. So, if you’re ever in trouble, don’t hesitate to reach out, okay?”

With those words, Senpai smiled gently and turned to leave.

She was probably going to prepare water bottles for the members and rice balls for break time.

Although being praised like that by Senpai was a bit embarrassing, her offer to listen to my worries about Sophia was definitely a big help.

After all, Senpai and Sophia were in similar positions within the school, so she might understand the kind of rejection Sophia felt towards others, and could also offer advice from a female perspective.

If something truly troublesome happened between Sophia and me, I’d tentatively try consulting Senpai.

“Alright, I should head to the field too—”

“Ken~to~?”

Just then, my shoulder was suddenly grabbed from behind.

What was with today? Was this never going to end…?

Turning around, I saw our team captain, veins popping on his forehead and a forced smile plastered on his face, standing behind me.

“C-Captain…?”

“Living with Frost-san, and monopolizing our baseball team’s idol, Kujouin-san, even for you as the cleanup hitter, this is pushing it, don’t you think~?”

Why did I have to get scolded like this…?

I hadn’t done anything wrong, had I?

“My relationship with Sophia isn’t exactly ‘living together,’ and as for Kujouin-senpai, she just kindly offered to listen if I have any worries—”

“Shut it! The truth is, a lot of people have been envious of you for a long time now…! For this, you’re sentenced to running a hundred laps around the field!”

“That’s completely unreasonable, isn’t it!?”

And so, I had no choice but to obediently accept the punishment and start running laps—but when the coach came to ask what was going on, our reckless captain naturally got a thorough dressing down.

Incidentally, the coach declared, “Guys who get fawned over by beautiful girls are enemies of all men,” and then, for no apparent reason, he doubled my personal training regimen on the spot.

Our coach was strict, but he also really loved fun and games, so he was probably just joining in on the commotion.

Plus, he sometimes made these kinds of arbitrary decisions as a joke… Honestly, I was used to it.

…Damn it all～～

◆

Around 10:30 PM on the night of the day the school was buzzing with rumors.

I was in my room, idly playing on my phone, waiting for the bathroom to become free.

As usual, Sophia had gone to take a bath first tonight.

Since I was bored, I was browsing overseas baseball news on my phone—

“Why does it have to be an image here of all places…! This is going to make it impossible to use the translation app…!”

My English was terrible, and I relied on translation apps to read these reports. But the player interviews were presented as images, which meant I couldn't read them, and it was driving me crazy.

Typing it all out word for word into a translator was too much of a hassle… If only someone could help me translate.

“—Hey, can I have a moment?”

Just as I was thinking that, I heard a knock on the door, along with a disgruntled voice.

This moment had finally arrived.

“What is it…?”

I cautiously and slowly opened the door.

“What else could it be—Huh, more importantly, what’s wrong with you? You’re moving kind of strangely, aren’t you…?”

Sophia, whose face had clearly been set in a frown, looked genuinely worried and asked about my stiff movements as I stood in the hallway.

She really was a kind girl at heart…

“It’s nothing serious, just today’s practice was a bit tougher than usual.”

After being forced to do twice the usual training, anyone would be sore.

‘Oh~ so you do work hard.’

Sophia murmured to herself, looking at me, seemingly lost in thought.

A smile flickered across her face. Was she gloating over my miserable state?

What was with this super sadist…?

“More importantly, didn’t you come to see me about something?”

Honestly, just standing was starting to become unbearable, and I just wanted to end this conversation quickly and sit down to rest.

So, I tried to urge her on.

“Ah, right! I wanted to ask you, how exactly did you explain our relationship to everyone today!?”

But I quickly regretted opening my mouth.

I should have just let her forget why she came to see me…

“What else could I say…? I just honestly explained that we became family, that you and I are now step-siblings, right?”

The reason I explained it that way was because I had already confirmed it with her beforehand.

There shouldn't be anything to complain about now, right…?

“Then why are there rumors going around that I’m dating you, or that we’re all lovey-dovey all day, and—that I’m constantly clinging to you and acting spoiled!?”

“Huh!? Whaaaaaaat!?”

Sophia spat out those words, her face flushed red with indignation, and I couldn’t help but shout in surprise.

“W-What in the world is going on!?”

“What else could it be!? Those rumors are spreading in my class! And they’re saying it started in the sports classes…!”

The moment she mentioned sports classes, Shouta’s face immediately popped into my mind.

Could that guy have misunderstood something and started spreading nonsense?

…No, he was unlikely to do something like that on purpose.

Maybe he just made up some stuff for fun, and other students heard it and believed it to be true.

“Why would I spread lies like that…? There’s no benefit in it for me, after all.”

“Maybe? Perhaps you want to date me, so you’re using rumors to assert your claim, aren't you?”

Sophia crossed her arms over her chest, her cheeks flushed, and glared at me with a scornful look.

Where did she get that confidence from—? I wanted to retort, but it was probably because she was the school’s top beauty, constantly showered with praise.

Maybe someone had actually used that kind of tactic to pursue her before.

“Even if I did do that, would you really agree to date me over something so trivial?”

Stereotypes were hard to shake off once they took root. Thinking about how to clear up this misunderstanding, I decided to patiently try and reason with her.

“Of course not.”

“Right? Honestly, I already figured you’d say that, so there’s no need for me to go to the trouble of spreading rumors to assert any claim, right?”

“…………”

After hearing my explanation, Sophia stared at me, looking unconvinced, lost in thought.

I hoped she would accept this explanation…

“But people making up rumors and spreading them… it makes me really uncomfortable…”

She seemed to understand that it wasn't my fault, and started to complain to me.

Given how much attention she already attracted, it was understandable that she would be strongly opposed to these kinds of rumors.

Even I was quite troubled by them.

“These kinds of rumors just have to run their course and die down. I’ve been envied and resented too, and it’s been tough.”

“Oh my, don’t tell me you actually felt a sense of self-satisfaction from that?”

“…………”

Wait, weren't we just talking about how we were both troubled by rumors? Now she was smugly mocking me.

No, well, some people might actually feel good about it, I guess…

“As expected of Frost-san, just changing your last name causes a commotion at school.”

I felt inexplicably annoyed, and retorted with a barbed tone.

But—

“It’s only because the other person just happens to be you.”

She glared at me, looking displeased.

“Huh…?”

I tilted my head, completely bewildered.

“To be so dense, how do you even manage to be a catcher?”

My reaction immediately earned me this sarcastic remark.

Wait, why was I the one being criticized?

And besides—

“Why do you know that I’m the catcher on the team?”

I should never have mentioned that to her.

If that was the case, why was she so sure I was a catcher?

“——!?”

Sophia gasped, taking a sharp breath when I questioned her.

Then, she started to panic.

‘I just happened to overhear someone mentioning it…!’

The fact that she switched to answering in English indicated she was seriously flustered now.

Had something embarrassing happened to her…?

“I don’t understand what you’re saying. Why are you so flustered…?”

Since I was completely clueless, I tried asking back.

‘It’s not because I’m interested in you, or because I saw you play in a game and found out. Don’t get the wrong idea and become conceited…!’

Yeah, I had no idea what she was talking about.

My English was ridiculously bad, and she was rattling off words like a machine gun. Of course, it was all Greek to me.

“If you don’t calm down soon, Jessica-san will get angry again, you know?”

Sophia’s tone was too agitated. If she kept this up, she was bound to attract Jessica-san’s attention.

She seemed genuinely terrified of Jessica-san. My reminder immediately calmed her down.

And her cheeks were still flushed, staring intently at me, looking quite embarrassed.

“I didn’t do anything wrong, did I…”

I hadn’t done anything at all, she was the one who got flustered for no reason.

Since I hadn't done anything that required an apology, I didn’t know what to do, so I shifted my gaze back to my phone.

As a result—

“Huh…?”

Drawn by my gaze, Sophia also looked at the phone screen, then tilted her head in confusion.

“What’s wrong?”

“So your English isn’t bad after all.”

It seemed the English article on my phone screen had caused her to misunderstand.

“You’ve got it wrong. I can’t understand English at all. I’m reading it using the browser’s built-in translation function.”

“But isn’t that all in English?”

She pointed at my phone, looking doubtful.

“Because this is an image file, I can’t use the translation app… That’s why I’m racking my brains about how to read it.”

If I could understand it, I wouldn't be feeling so down right now.

“Hmm～～…”

Sophia gazed at the phone screen again.

Oh, was she… ?

“It says, ‘Everyone praises how amazing I am, and looking at the results, the records I’ve set might be quite impressive. But defense isn’t something I can achieve on my own as a pitcher (pitcher). There have been many times when teammates (teammate)’s fine plays (fine play) saved the day, and it's thanks to teammates (teammate) scoring runs that I can become a winning pitcher. If I were to assume all of this was due to my own efforts and become arrogant, in team sports (team sports), that would be suicide.’”

Sophia specifically translated it for me.

And she didn’t translate all the English into Japanese, but deliberately interspersed English words to make it easier for me to understand.

English to Japanese translation was a piece of cake for Sophia.

Meaning, I should have just asked her for help from the start.

“As expected of Sophia…”

‘——It’s because you’re always goofing off that you can’t even understand such simple English!’

After I praised Sophia, she quickly turned her face away.

Even though I didn’t understand the meaning of that sentence, judging by her expression and tone, she was probably scolding me.

And her face was still flushed, probably from the lingering embarrassment from before.

If she could just get rid of this bad habit of getting angry so easily, living with her might not be so bad after all…