Isshiki Iroha also knew it wasn't polite to keep probing into someone else's private affairs.
So once Yukino stopped her, she didn't push any further.
Even so, a happy new idea was already forming in her mind.
Originally, she just wanted to improve her tennis skills through exercise and use it as a way to get closer to Rei Ao. She also planned to rely on the rumored "jack-of-all-trades" Service Club at school to work on her tennis.
She never expected an added bonus:
The senpai right in front of her turned out to be someone very close to her target!
Wait a minute!
The eagerness in Isshiki Iroha's eyes suddenly dimmed.
She had realized something crucial.
Friends? Close friends? Neighbors? Childhood friends?
Exactly what was the relationship between those two?!
If she didn't figure that out, it would bother her endlessly.
"Ahem."
She coughed to hide her unease.
"Um… Yukinoshita-senpai, you and Rei Ao-senpai… are you two…a couple?"
Might as well go straight for the biggest question. Isshiki asked the most explosive one of all.
"Not at all."
Yukino's response was firm and immediate.
"Ohhh."
Getting that answer relieved the worry in Isshiki's heart. While she wanted to pursue Rei Ao, it wasn't what Yukino would call "true love." More than anything, it was due to his popularity among the girls.
Of course, the main reason was that Rei Ao excelled in so many ways—he was definitely someone worthy of admiration, if not outright love. Add to that the blind fervor a teenage girl might feel in her adolescence, and suddenly she had this impassioned idea to chase after him.
Even then, she wasn't shameless enough to try stealing another person's boyfriend or be the third party. So when Yukino said they weren't dating, Isshiki finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"…"
But the moment Yukino spoke those words, she regretted them.
She spotted the hopeful gleam in Isshiki's eyes, realizing that this could get complicated. Yukino couldn't help wondering if refusing to answer or remaining silent might have spared her from some future trouble.
Just then, Yui came back, shoulders drooping. Yukino hurried toward her as if she'd been rescued. But Yui, as though she couldn't see Yukino at all, walked by with a blank expression.
Yukino immediately sensed something was off.
"Yui, you couldn't find your phone?"
"Huh?"
Yui jolted out of her muddled thoughts. She forced a goofy smile. "Haha, nope, couldn't find it. But I've got a feeling it'll pop up on its own tomorrow."
"?"
That was such a strange way to put it. Isshiki, on the other hand, nodded in understanding.
"Exactly. Life's like that: the more you look for something, the harder it is to find. Stop looking, and it shows up on its own."
"Right…ha…haha…"
Yui's awkward laugh sounded strained. Yukino could clearly see something unsettling in her eyes, but Yui spoke up before she could say more:
"I'm all rested now. Let's keep going."
"Sure!"
Seeing Isshiki eager to continue as well, Yukino had no choice but to hold back any comforting words.
They resumed their practice rally, and Yui kept collecting balls. Her distraction, however, was hard to ignore.
Her thoughts were a confused mess, filled with images conjured by the noises she'd overheard—Yumiko and Rei Ao turning the Service Club into a place of "true service." At the same time, she had one strange question lingering in her mind that wouldn't go away:
"Was…that really fun?"
She didn't know how to face it, but that was what she'd gathered from Yumiko's tone. Yui couldn't find the words to describe her own feelings.
…
Time passed. Lunch break was nearly over.
"That's enough practice."
Drenched in sweat, Yukino stopped serving.
"Finally done!!!"
Isshiki Iroha was on the verge of tears. Tired, sore, weak—those were her entire physical sensations. She wanted nothing more than to lie on the ground and not move, and only a last shred of self-restraint kept her from doing so. Gasping for air, she moved off to the side to rest against the fence.
Yukino didn't feel much better, but she could more or less manage such intense exercise. Glancing at Isshiki, who was still breathing heavily, she said in an almost casual tone, "If this is too much, you can always cancel the request."
She wasn't trying to provoke Isshiki; she was genuinely advising her. Yukino just didn't want her caught in the vortex of Rei Ao and his other women. It was a deep and complicated situation, and even Yukino herself wasn't sure if she could handle it. There was a fundamental gap between them—supernatural factors aside. Unless…some unforeseeable event violently tore that barrier open, such as a deal one couldn't refuse.
However, Yukino had decided that even in the face of death, she wouldn't make that deal. She had no clue that she was like an old general on stage, banner after banner already stuck behind her back.
"Mm…"
Unexpectedly, her warning appeared to have an effect on Isshiki, who wore a contemplative look. After a moment, her eyes lit up as though she'd just realized something, and she flashed a mischievous grin.
"I guess I'm really not cut out for tennis after all."
Yukino nodded inwardly, believing she was about to give up. But then Isshiki abruptly switched gears:
"So I've decided to change my request."
"Huh?"
Yukino frowned.
"Change…your request?"
"Right. The Service Club should allow revisions to incomplete requests, correct?" Isshiki blinked her large, clear eyes at Yukino with an overly cute expression.
"Senpaaai~"
She spoke with such a sugary-sweet voice that even Yukino struggled not to recoil. Eventually, Yukino said with difficulty, "If it's within reason…yes."
"Hehe, I knew you were the best, Yukino-senpai!"
Her cutesy face vanished in an instant, replaced by a look of sly satisfaction—exactly the kind of "face-changing" that Yukino detested. Putting one finger to the corner of her mouth, Isshiki mulled over what "within reason" might mean in Yukino's eyes. Then she announced:
"I've made up my mind, Yukino-senpai. Please have the Service Club help me find a way to meet with Rei Ao-kun…and confess to him!"
"Rei Ao-kun?!"
Yukino hadn't spoken yet, but Yui reacted first. She snapped out of her dazed state at that trigger word and spun to face Isshiki.
"What did you just say?!!!"
~~~
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