"Your backhand is weak, your forehand is clumsy, your footwork is sloppy, and your reactions are slow! And you still want to compete on the same court as me?"
Yukinoshita's cold voice echoed across the tennis court.
In response, Mori Shinra's somewhat disheveled figure could be seen holding a racket, constantly running back and forth across the court to hit the ball.
This was Mori Shinra's third day of playing tennis. He had already basically familiarized himself with the swinging motion and could perform simple returns, but he still made mistakes easily.
Tennis was a bit more difficult than Mori Shinra had imagined. Although he had physical abilities that surpassed ordinary people, it would still take some time and practice to fully utilize them.
In fact, for a normal person to reach a standard 3.0 level, it would require at least a month of systematic training.
But for someone like him, who only trained during his lunch break, to reach a 2.0 level in just three days was, frankly, already surprising to Yukinoshita.
But despite her surprise, she didn't let up on her sharp remarks.
After realizing how much Mori Shinra could endure, Yukinoshita showed no mercy. If it weren't for the consideration that strenuous exercise is not advisable after a meal, and her uncertainty about whether it would affect the recovery of his left leg, Yukinoshita's training methods would have likely been even more aggressive.
"Do you still watch cartoons?"
Mori Shinra could barely keep a straight face at Yukinoshita's classic trash talk.
Besides, his reactions weren't slow, okay? His movements were just a bit stiff!
"You're not concentrating! Who said you could talk! At your current pace, you can forget about beating me even after you graduate." Yukinoshita really acted like a queen at that moment, not even allowing him to speak.
Nearby, the trio of Totsuka, Hikigaya, and Yuigahama, who had more or less finished their own training and were resting, couldn't help but exchange glances upon seeing this.
"I get the feeling..."
"How did they get so competitive again?"
"So intense."
The three of them voiced their respective opinions. Afterward, Totsuka picked up his racket, full of energy, and said to Hikigaya, "Hikigaya-kun, let's play!"
"Sigh, don't push yourself too hard. Those two are not ordinary people." Hikigaya sighed. He had originally planned to use the training as an excuse to properly 'repay' Mori Shinra for the 'humiliation' he had suffered in table tennis.
But now, Yukinoshita had completely monopolized Mori Shinra, leaving him no room to make a move.
As for trying to steal Mori Shinra from Yukinoshita, Hikigaya wouldn't dare entertain such a thought even if he had a hundred times the courage.
"Mori-kun is working so hard, there's no reason for me to just rest. I... I want to try a little harder!"
Totsuka gripped his racket with both hands, a determined look appearing on his pretty, girl-like face, which made Hikigaya blush.
"Now that you mention it, that's true..."
Hikigaya could somewhat understand Totsuka's mindset. It was Totsuka who had made the request, yet now the person handling the request was training even more enthusiastically than the requester. This would inevitably make Totsuka feel like he would lose if he didn't keep up.
To put it simply, Mori Shinra had become Totsuka Saika's 'catfish'.
So it's being resolved this way? That Mori Shinra, what a guy...
Just as the training was in full swing, a female voice called out.
"Huh? Yuigahama, and... so many people. How did you all get into the tennis court?"
"Eh, it's Yumiko."
Yuigahama heard the familiar voice and turned around to see Miura Yumiko, as expected, holding a juice box and watching the people on the court from behind the fence.
"I haven't seen you at lunch these past few days, so this is where you've been running off to," Miura Yumiko replied, her gaze unconsciously drifting toward Mori Shinra.
From her perspective, Yukinoshita was serving, and Mori Shinra was constantly running back and forth, while Yukinoshita would occasionally make sharp remarks at him.
The scene gave Miura Yumiko a sense of déjà vu, like watching someone throw a frisbee for a dog and then command it to fetch.
No, no, no, no matter how you look at it, it must be training, right?
Miura Yumiko quickly dismissed the strange thought, yet watching Mori Shinra being run ragged by Yukinoshita like this, she felt an inexplicable unease.
Why is it that every man she sets her sights on is inextricably linked to Yukinoshita Yukino?
It was the same with Hayama, and now Mori Shinra. With the former, Miura Yumiko's feelings were more like admiration. With the latter, it was initially her mother's prodding that made her subconsciously take notice. It wasn't until the grades came out and she discovered Mori Shinra had surpassed Hayama, tying with Yukinoshita for first in their year, that she began to get a rough idea of Mori Shinra's excellence and, as a result, became even more interested in him.
It could only be said that Miura Yumiko was someone who was strongly attracted to strength. While she had high standards for herself, she also unconsciously applied those standards to the people around her.
Once she recognized someone's 'strength,' she would be unconsciously drawn to them, gravitating toward, learning from, and developing a sense of admiration for that person.
And the stronger and more outstanding that person was, the greater their appeal to Miura Yumiko.
Take Hayama for example. Miura Yumiko was initially attracted by his strong social skills, and then, with the teasing of those around her, she gradually and unknowingly became more interested in him, which in turn fostered a certain hostility toward Yukinoshita.
But ever since Mori Shinra surpassed Hayama academically, and her family had become tied to Mori Shinra in a practical sense—with even her own father becoming his subordinate—Miura Yumiko's focus gradually shifted from Hayama to Mori Shinra.
Coupled with her mother's occasional 'advice' from the sidelines, Miura Yumiko's progress in 'courting herself' was much faster than imagined.
After all, one was just playful teasing among friends, while the other was her own mother personally getting involved, purposefully and systematically whispering in her ear. The two were worlds apart, both in terms of intimacy and effectiveness.
Not to mention, Miura Yumiko was well aware that among the people who pushed her and Hayama together, many also had fantasies about Hayama themselves, and were even secretly encouraging her to confess to him.
That way, regardless of whether Hayama accepted or rejected her, it would create an opportunity for them.
If he accepted, it meant their only rival was Miura Yumiko, and it also showed that Hayama was open to dating.
If he rejected her, it would eliminate a strong rival in Miura Yumiko, greatly increasing their chances of winning the handsome guy over in the future.
In short, either outcome was beneficial to them, so why wouldn't they encourage it?
This is dark psychology.
It was just a pity that after Miura Yumiko switched targets, their plans were likely to fall through.
No, it wasn't a complete failure. After all, Miura Yumiko had already decided to just be friends with Hayama from now on, so they were no longer competitors.
In a way, had they also achieved their goal?