The moment he saw Miura Yumiko, Mori Shinra's first reaction was 'She's following me,' but he immediately corrected himself.
Oh, right, I'm the one who just arrived.
After all, judging by her appearance, Miura Yumiko had probably been playing tennis here for a while.
There was no way it had anything to do with her following him...
Heh heh, you think that explanation holds up?
You have to understand, this tennis club was near Mori Shinra's house, not Miura's.
It was quite a distance from her home, and there was a larger, higher-spec tennis facility right next to her place.
So, there was absolutely no reason for Miura Yumiko to spawn here.
Furthermore, based on Mori Shinra's observations of Yumiko, she was a very social person.
Usually, even when she went out, she would be surrounded by her clique or friends and was rarely seen alone.
For a doubles sport like tennis, Mori Shinra couldn't believe that Yumiko, unlike him, would be unable to find a partner.
Wait, why do I feel more and more pathetic the more I think about this?
Mori Shinra fell into deep thought.
Forget it, I won't think about it.
Since we've run into each other, I might as well say hello.
After all, her father had a business partnership with him.
From that perspective alone, Yumiko was practically in his niece's generation.
It was only right and proper to greet her.
When the people in the rest area saw Mori Shinra walking toward Yumiko, they all put on expressions like they were watching a show for fun.
Some even started an impromptu betting pool, wagering on which sentence Mori Shinra would give up on, or if he would be the next unlucky guy to be dragged away by security.
"This kid's character model is pretty high-res. He doesn't look like the type to pester someone. I reckon he can get a few words in. I'm guessing 10 sentences."
"Heh heh, you can't judge a book by its cover. And that blonde tyrant is no pushover. I say he'll be sent packing in less than three sentences."
"Is there no chance he'll succeed in hitting on her?"
Hearing this, everyone looked at each other and burst into laughter, all waving their hands at the speaker.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible. You don't know that girl's temper. It's as explosive as her figure."
They weren't wrong about that.
Miura Yumiko's patience for ill-intentioned strangers and people she disliked was basically nonexistent.
The kind who wouldn't even spare an extra word.
"But... that kid went in?"
The speaker pointed blankly at Mori Shinra.
Everyone followed his gaze and saw that Mori Shinra hadn't tried to talk to her from behind the wire fence like the others but had directly opened the gate and entered the court.
"That kid is finished," the person who started the betting said with certainty.
The others nodded in agreement.
After all, she ignored people who tried to talk to her through the fence.
If you go right in, aren't you just asking for it?
Did this bro really think he could do whatever he wanted just because his character model was high-res?
Wait... can he really do whatever he wants?
Just as everyone was getting ready for the drama, they saw that the notoriously hot-tempered Miura Yumiko, upon seeing Mori Shinra enter, not only didn't kick him out as they had expected but actually showed a look of pleasant surprise and trotted over to meet him.
She went from the Golden Lion King to a golden retriever, so to speak.
"They must know each other, right?"
"Definitely."
"Judging by their age, they might even be a couple."
"Tsk, boring. Let's bounce."
...
"Miura-san, what made you decide to come play tennis alone?"
Mori Shinra asked after they greeted each other.
"I saw you guys playing at school, and my hands got itchy."
As she said this, Miura Yumiko's eyes darted around.
Anyone could tell she wasn't being entirely truthful.
But thinking about it, Miura Yumiko had always given the impression of being someone who did as she pleased and spoke her mind.
She was rarely seen lying to anyone.
After all, given her status in the popular clique, it was always others who had to accommodate her.
Getting her to accommodate others was probably harder than climbing to the heavens.
"I see. Miura-san, did you buy a ticket to get in?"
"Yeah. Oh, right, Mori Shinra-san, you can just call me Yumiko. My family is very grateful for your recent help."
Speaking of which, Miura Yumiko thought of her tripled allowance, and she felt like she couldn't quite stand up straight in front of Mori Shinra.
"Then you can just call me by my first name too, Yumiko-san. Or my full name is fine," Mori Shinra said casually.
"Then, Shinra-kun."
Yumiko wasn't the coy type.
Especially since he had agreed to let her use his first name, she wasn't going to drag it out.
Just as Yumiko thought the conversation would continue, she suddenly heard Mori Shinra say, "Well then, I'll be taking my leave."
"Mm... huh?"
Yumiko responded instinctively, then immediately realized.
Wait, how could he just leave like that?
Shouldn't he be asking about my tennis level and then ask me to coach him?
Why isn't he following the script?
"Is there something else?"
Mori Shinra asked, showing just the right amount of confusion.
"No... I mean, yes. Shinra-kun, are you here to play alone too?"
Yumiko quickly recovered and awkwardly steered the conversation back.
"Yeah."
"Then..."
"Speaking of which, I remember there's a pretty nice tennis club near your house, Yumiko. Mr. Miura invited me to play there before."
"Ugh..."
Hearing Mori Shinra say this, Miura Yumiko knew her plan had been exposed.
It was all her mom's fault for insisting that a carefully planned "accidental" encounter was far more effective than a direct invitation.
Now it had come to this.
If she had known, she would have just asked him out on LINE...
"Fine, I admit it. I came here to play on purpose."
"Oh?"
Mori Shinra raised an eyebrow, not expecting Yumiko to admit it so directly.
"Besides, aren't you in a bet with Yukinoshita? Your chances of winning should be a little higher if someone helps, right? It might sound like I'm bragging, but I was the ace of the school's tennis club in middle school, you know."
Miura Yumiko figured since she'd already let the cat out of the bag, she might as well be more direct.
Her previous wishy-washy demeanor didn't feel like her at all.
This was much more comfortable.
"Uh..."
Faced with Miura Yumiko's directness, it was Mori Shinra's turn to be thrown off.
He scratched his head and said with some uncertainty, "In that case... I'll be in your care?"
"Mhm, leave it to me!"
A bright smile appeared on Miura Yumiko's face.
Why was it so dazzling?
Mori Shinra suddenly understood why Yumiko, despite seeming rather hot-tempered, was unexpectedly popular at school.
Besides her exquisite appearance, it was her straightforward, unveiled personality, and her strong initiative in social interactions.
An ultimate move that an ordinary girl would take several episodes to build up to, she used it like a basic attack!