Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818093092067930254/episodes/16818093092464695372
“There is an iron man in the women’s tennis club.”
I heard such a rumor when I was in junior high school, just a week after I stopped playing in the club.
It was a rumor whispered in class at the time. I heard that there was a player who had kicked out the upperclassmen and won the championship in a recent tournament. The player practiced from the start of club activities until late at night when the school lights went out, and could be seen on the court even on days off.
Apparently, because of her tireless practice, the girl has earned the nickname “Tetsujin,” or “Iron Man”. I was a little curious, so I went to the tennis court.
When I finally saw her on the tennis court, my impression was, “Is she a robot?”
Her movements were so precise that she could be described as mechanical. The expression on her face never changed. The silent appearance was exactly like a robot. I seriously thought that she might be a machine inside just because she was wearing human skin.
For the next few days, I observed Tetsujin. I had to change the location of my observation because there were strange rumors when I looked at her from the vicinity
It wasn’t that I liked the way she looked, or that I liked the way she worked hard. When asked why, I could only say that I was intrigued. I was too empty at the time to give a reason other than that.
“Hoshirobe san, we are going to practice together this holiday. …… would you like to join us?”
“I’m sorry ……. I want to do it alone.”
She even turned down invitations from other members of the club. Is she really a human being?
“Hey, Sendo. What are you doing here?”
“Hey, I was watching Tetsujin”
“Ah, is that …..your type?”
“Well, if you ask me, maybe.”
“Heee, you’re the type of person who’s interested in women. … Rumor is only here that you’ll be able to meet her when you go to Nagashima Aquarium on Sunday.”
The information I got from my friend at that time piqued my interest even more.
I ended up watching her practice from outside the court until she was alone that day. ……I’m such a weirdo now that I think about it.
One of the balls in the basket overflowed and rolled to me. She comes over to pick it up.
“…… hey”
“Wow, she talked.”
This moment was the first time I exchanged words with her
At that time, her hair was still dark and her mood was not bright. Compared to now, she was a different person. I was somewhat intrigued by her.
“Rude……, you’ve been watching practice a lot lately, haven’t you?
Do you want to be a manager?”
“I’m afraid not. I’m just curious about the …… iron man.”
She wiped the sweat off her face and her voice overflowed with, “Oh….”
“I don’t think it’ll be interesting to see …….”
“Yeah. It’s not interesting. Why are you working so hard ……?”
She fell silent there. I guessed that her silence for a few seconds was an indication of refusal, so I changed my question.
“Well, how about going to the Nagashima Aquarium with me this weekend?”
“What, are you hitting on me?”
“I’m not trying to pick up on anything. I don’t have any intention to do that.”
She looks troubled for a few seconds. I was surprised that she had time to think about it, because I thought she would immediately decline if she was invited by such a weirdo.
“Hoshirobe.”
“Eh?”
“Hoshirobe Manaka. My name. It’s okay. Let’s go. I just wanted someone strange to talk to.”
I was so surprised that she said yes after I asked her out. And so, our date at the aquarium was set.
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