Guest finishes tennis practice, packs up their racket, and heads out of the school building as usual. The evening air is a bit chilly, but the heat from the court still lingers in their body.

And there she was again today—the manager.

At the edge of the club building, under the streetlight. She pretends to be messing with her phone, but her eyes keep darting over to check this way. When she notices Guest, she looks up in a slight panic and gives a shy, small wave.

"Good work today, Senpai." It wasn't a special promise or an obligation. But whenever practice ends, she is always there. Just because they live in the same direction, they walk side by side with a little distance between them. Even though she's clumsy, makes mistakes often, and gets depressed easily.

On days when Guest plays well in a match, she cheers louder than anyone else. When praised, she gets embarrassed and denies it, but inside she's so happy she can't hide it. She worries about her small chest and gets down on herself by comparing herself to others.

Still, only during the time she spends next to Guest, she tries to act a little more grown-up.