"Huh? Yukino-chan, why is your face so red?"
Yuigahama, returning from the vending machine with two bottles of Pocari Sweat in her hands, voiced her question upon seeing the unnatural flush on Yukinoshita's face.
Hearing this, a trace of panic flashed in Yukinoshita's eyes, but she quickly composed herself and replied, feigning calmness, "It's just that during exercise, blood circulation speeds up, and the capillaries dilate, which ultimately causes the skin to turn red."
"Is that so?" Yuigahama Yui tilted her head, not quite understanding.
But since Yukino said so, she must have her reasons.
Without thinking much, she handed the Pocari Sweat, still cool from the machine, to Yukinoshita.
"Here."
"...Thank you."
Yukinoshita took the Pocari Sweat.
She then saw Yuigahama give the other bottle to Mori Shinra.
Her expression tensed, and just as she was about to say something, she heard Mori Shinra ask.
"Where are Hikigaya and the others?"
"We ran into Ms. Hiratsuka Shizuka on the way just now. It seems they were called to help with something."
Oh, so they were press-ganged.
These days, because Mori Shinra and Yukinoshita had their practical tennis matches almost every day at noon, Hikigaya and the others had gotten tired of watching after a few days.
Coupled with the increasingly hot weather, they basically just rested in the shade and didn't deliberately stand under the sun to watch the match.
Of course, it wasn't that they did nothing.
When Mori Shinra and Yukinoshita were about to finish their match, the group would go to the vending machine together to buy drinks as a reward for the two.
And, incidentally, to reward themselves.
Today, because Hiratsuka Shizuka had randomly spawned on their route, the group was pulled into the office to move things on their way back, leaving only Yuigahama to return and report.
Yes, even Kawasaki Saki was pulled over.
But it wasn't to move things; she had to fill out the application form for the scholarship.
"How did it go today?" Yuigahama asked, as was tradition.
"He won," Yukinoshita replied.
"I see, tomorrow... huh? Won?" Yuigahama had subconsciously assumed that Mori Shinra had lost yet again today.
But who would have thought that Yukinoshita had said 'he won', not 'he lost'.
So, that means...
"Yukino-chan, you lost?" Yuigahama was in disbelief, yet she also felt it was to be expected.
Everyone had witnessed Mori Shinra's progress.
Although no one said it, anyone with eyes could see that at Mori Shinra's rate of improvement, it was inevitable that Yukino would lose the bet.
"Yes, I lost."
My skill wasn't good enough. There's no point in denying it.
Although Yukinoshita Yukino was extremely competitive, she also knew how to lose.
She wouldn't use various excuses to gloss over her failure just for the sake of face.
For her, a win was a win, and a loss was a loss.
There was nothing more to say.
"Um... Yukino-chan, are you okay?"
I thought Yukino's red face was from the strenuous exercise, but thinking back, could it be that she's 'red' from raging over the loss?
After all, Yuigahama had never seen Yukino's face get this red after playing tennis before.
"Why wouldn't I be okay?" Yukinoshita said, puzzled. "It's just losing a match. Am I someone who can't afford to lose?"
"Well..."
Yuigahama had originally thought so, but remembering how red Yukino's face was just now, she felt that statement might not be entirely heartfelt.
While talking, the three of them walked together to the tennis club's activity room.
Yukinoshita went into the clubroom to change.
Mori Shinra held his clothes and went to the restroom to change.
Yuigahama was responsible for keeping watch for Yukinoshita.
By the time Yukinoshita and Mori Shinra had changed back into their school uniforms, Hikigaya and the others had also returned from the school building.
They each held the same drink in their hands.
Unsurprisingly, it must have been their 'labor fee' from Ms. Hiratsuka.
Kawasaki Saki was not with them.
Upon asking, they learned that after filling out the scholarship application, she had voluntarily stayed behind to help Hiratsuka Shizuka input this term's scholarship application list.
You could tell she didn't have a lazy bone in her body, only a desire for that scholarship.
"Is it over?"
"It's over."
Hikigaya wanted to say something more, but Yuigahama quickly shot him a look, trying to say, 'Don't say any more, can't you read the room?'
Unfortunately, Hikigaya did not understand Yuigahama's hint.
Instead, as if comforting him or perhaps just going through the motions, he patted Mori Shinra's shoulder and said, "Keep it up."
It seemed he thought Mori Shinra had lost again today.
Even the cute Saika thought so, and also offered Mori Shinra some encouragement, saying things like "You're already doing great" and "You can definitely do it."
In any case, the effect was far better than Hikigaya's.
It was just a pity that they had both guessed wrong.
"But... I was the one who won?" Mori Shinra blinked.
"..."
After hearing this, Hikigaya and Saika both froze for a moment.
Then, they simultaneously looked at the composed Yukinoshita, and at Yuigahama beside her, who was covering her forehead with an 'I can't bear to look' expression.
After a long pause, Hikigaya asked falteringly, "The crime... it's not punishable by death, is it?"
Yukinoshita clearly had no intention of holding it against them.
On the contrary, seeing their reactions upon learning she had lost, she began to wonder where the problem lay, that she had come across as a sore loser in their eyes.
"But in that case, does this mean the special training is over?" Yuigahama suddenly thought of a question.
It was kind of funny when you thought about it.
The training was originally organized because of Totsuka Saika's request, but the main character ended up being Mori Shinra.
Totsuka Saika had actually achieved his training goal long ago, and had successfully taken over as the tennis club captain after the third-years retired.
The only reason he still trained with them was because Mori Shinra and Yukinoshita hadn't finished their match and needed the court to practice.
Now that the result was out, did this mean the request, which had lasted for nearly a month, could be declared complete?
Hearing Yuigahama's words, everyone turned their gaze to Yukinoshita.
Even Totsuka Saika, the newly appointed tennis captain, looked at Yukinoshita, waiting for her to make a decision.
"Yes, it's over." As Yukinoshita said this, she herself breathed a sigh of relief.
Although Yukinoshita Yukino had been chased as a target by people since she was young, Mori Shinra was the only one who had ever made her feel such a sense of crisis.
This feeling of being chased was not pleasant.
It was fine for a short time, but over a long period, even Yukinoshita would feel somewhat fatigued.
Not to mention, she also had to worry about whether Mori Shinra would make some excessive demands if he won.
But after today, she no longer needed to worry about these things.
Although she lost to Mori Shinra in the end, he did not propose any conditions that made her feel troubled.
In fact, it was just what she wanted.
The condition was so ideal that Yukinoshita even wondered if there was a catch.
It was a case of judging a gentleman by one's own petty standards.
But the truth was, there really was no catch.
This whole exchange, in turn, made Yukinoshita feel as if she owed Mori Shinra something.
She began to think about whether she should compensate him in some other way in the next few days...
Don't get the wrong idea. The compensation here refers to food.
Because she had the previous experience of making bento for Mori Shinra for a week, Yukinoshita felt that making it for another week wouldn't be a problem.
Habit... is truly a terrifying thing.
"In that case, can we still get together for lunch in the future?" Yuigahama was a little reluctant to let it go.
Because of the special training, everyone had been bringing their lunches to the tennis court these past few days.
It was very lively, and Yuigahama thoroughly enjoyed this time together.
Now that the training was over, would they go back to eating separately?
Hikigaya didn't really care.
The only pity was that he wouldn't be able to eat lunch with Saika anymore.
Wait... why do I feel pity for that?
Hikigaya realized something was wrong with that thought and subconsciously looked at Totsuka Saika, only to find him looking back at him at the same moment.
His face instantly turned red.
What are you blushing for?
Mori Shinra watched coldly from the sidelines, deciding to reduce his contact with Hikigaya in the future.
"Actually, it's completely fine if everyone wants to come in the future. But it might not be possible for the next little while. Because it's nearing the end of the semester, the facility will not be open to the public outside of club activities and P.E. classes," Totsuka Saika said.
This was understandable.
Sobu High was, after all, a key high school.
At the end of the semester, the school definitely wanted its students to focus more on their studies.
"That's true. In the blink of an eye, the semester is almost over," Yuigahama immediately agreed, but then a worried look appeared on her face.
The end of the semester meant exams.
Although summer vacation would follow the exams, if she did poorly, she felt it would ruin her mood for the vacation.
Hearing Yuigahama's worry, Yukinoshita didn't think much of it and said, "In that case, why don't we just hold another study session?"
"Can we?" Yuigahama's eyes lit up.
To be honest, she had this idea for a long time, but she felt that it wasn't right to always trouble Yukino, so she never dared to say it.
Now that Yukinoshita Yukino had suggested it herself, Yuigahama was naturally very happy.
"There's no reason we can't. While helping you review, I also deepen my own grasp of the knowledge points. This is called the Feynman Technique."
"The what-man technique?" Yuigahama didn't quite understand.
It sounded very high-level.
In any case, as long as Yukinoshita didn't mind her, that was all that mattered.
Mori Shinra looked at Totsuka and said, "Saika-san, would you like to come?"
"Can I come too?" Saika thought this was a special perk reserved for the Service Club.
He had been quite envious.
"Of course you can. Teaching one is teaching, teaching two is also teaching. Besides, Saika, your math is much better than Hikigaya's."
"Hehe... it's alright. Hachiman is also very smart," Saika said, a little embarrassed, while also remembering to comfort Hikigaya.
What an angel.
It's just that Saika's gender is wrong.
If his gender were different, wouldn't he have Hikigaya completely hooked?