"Train my stamina?"
"Yes."
"Oh my~ Is Yukinoshita-san feeling a sense of crisis?"
Yukinoshita's eyes narrowed slightly.
She did indeed feel a sense of crisis.
More accurately, she didn't want to just sit and wait for defeat.
If things continued to develop as they were, without any changes, it was only a matter of time before she lost to Mori Shinra.
And with Yukinoshita's pride, losing was acceptable, but she could not tolerate losing to Mori Shinra without doing anything, without even trying.
Thus, to address her shortcoming, Yukinoshita sought help from Mori Shinra.
"Help me improve my stamina. Use the bet from last time."
Previously, Mori Shinra and Yukinoshita had made a bet on their grades, which ended in a draw.
Each of them could ask one favor of the other.
However, because their requests were different, they had yet to reach an agreement.
Now, Yukinoshita was taking the initiative to use this favor to have Mori Shinra create a stamina training plan for her, which was a pretty good deal for Mori Shinra.
Because once Yukinoshita used this favor, she would lose her leverage over him.
Mori Shinra could then take this opportunity to use his own favor and have her wear the maid outfit he had been dreaming of.
Yukinoshita was well aware of this, but she still used the favor.
There was no other reason.
She simply didn't want to lose.
But what Yukinoshita didn't expect was that Mori Shinra shook his head in response to her request.
Right... even if he didn't help her, he would still win the bet in the end, making her owe him a favor.
There was no need to create extra complications.
Thinking this, Yukinoshita's mood somehow turned a little gloomy.
"No need for a bet. After all, when I asked you to help me practice tennis, you didn't charge me a fee, did you?" Mori Shinra wasn't the type to take advantage of someone's situation.
When Yukinoshita taught him, she held nothing back.
Now that she needed his help, what would it look like to talk about payment?
Besides, the whole point of betting with Yukinoshita Yukino was to get closer to her, to get her to issue a golden wish power request sooner.
As for winning or losing the bet... it didn't matter to Mori Shinra at all.
Even if he did lose in the end, could Yukinoshita really make him wear a maid outfit and act as her maid?
...Actually, that girl just might.
But if he still lost even with his cheats, then he deserved to wear the maid outfit.
"That's different..." Yukinoshita shook her head and said seriously, "You were a complete beginner in tennis. Making a bet with me was already a disadvantage for you. I taught you tennis out of a sense of fairness."
"Even without the bet, if I asked you for help, Yukino, would you not have taught me?" Mori Shinra didn't bother arguing about these things with Yukinoshita and just asked a single question.
"..."
"Besides, stamina training isn't something that can be built up in a day or two. It also depends on whether the person training can stick with it."
"Who do you think I am?"
"Yes, yes, Yukinoshita-san, whose stamina is terrible because she often gives up halfway."
Yukinoshita Yukino: ...
Faced with Mori Shinra's teasing, Yukinoshita really couldn't refute it, because it was true.
Her talents in all areas were quite outstanding.
She learned everything quickly since she was a child, which also led to her not sticking with anything for long, often giving up halfway.
One moment she'd just gotten the hang of tennis, the next she'd be off learning to paint.
You have to know, besides playing tennis, Yukinoshita's Aikido level was also quite high.
Logically speaking, to master these two skills, one's stamina, if not excellent, should at least be much better than an ordinary person's.
However, in reality, Yukinoshita's stamina was only about the same as an ordinary girl's—not too good, not too bad, just average.
Compared to her other strengths, stamina became her only weakness.
Mori Shinra felt this was related to Yukinoshita's daily habits.
As Yukinoshita Yukino's neighbor, Mori Shinra knew that as long as no one was looking for her, this girl would basically just hole up at home reading books or watching movies.
Even when going grocery shopping, she would only buy a moderate amount.
If it was too heavy, she would have the store deliver it.
The only significant physical activity she probably got each day was cooking, and there was a dedicated dishwasher for washing the dishes afterward.
You could say she was very energy-efficient.
"Besides, even if your stamina improves, with my current rate of progress, you might not be able to beat me. Don't end up losing the lady and the army," Mori Shinra teased.
Yukinoshita raised an eyebrow.
Was she someone who couldn't afford to lose?
She immediately said, "If I still lose to you then, I'll accept it."
"Accept wearing a maid outfit too?"
"...I accept!" Yukinoshita said through gritted teeth.
"Accept having your picture taken too?"
"Don't go too far!"
As if a keyword had been triggered, Yukinoshita's beautiful eyes glared at Mori Shinra, looking just like a hissing kitten.
"Heh heh, if you insist on using that bet to ask for my help, I'll have two favors in my hand, you know." Mori Shinra made a 'V' sign.
"You say that as if you've already won. Don't speak too soon. At your current level, you're still far from beating me!" Yukinoshita said with a serious tone, crossing her arms.
After a moment, she hesitated again and added, "How about I make you bento for a week, to offset that favor?"
The implication was to use a week's worth of bento in exchange for Mori Shinra's help, and at the same time, settle the bet from before.
"One week..." Mori Shinra stroked his chin, as if weighing the pros and cons.
"T-two weeks at most," Yukinoshita couldn't hold back and raised the offer.
"No, just one week. But with one condition."
"What condition?"
"We eat our bento together at lunch."
Yukinoshita was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then a look of confusion appeared on her face as she asked, "Haven't we been eating together these past few days?"
Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that Mori Shinra could perceive emotions, he really would have been fooled by her.
Looking at the crimson emotions emanating from the girl, Mori Shinra didn't expose her, but instead went along with her words.
"Mhm, what I mean is, you hold onto the bento first, and then give it to me at lunchtime."
"..."
"How about it?"
"Got it."
Looking at Mori Shinra smiling at her, Yukinoshita thought to herself that this guy was definitely doing it on purpose.
But there was nothing she could do about it.
After all, if she were to say it was inappropriate, and he were to ask what was inappropriate about it, how should she answer?
That it would give people the wrong idea?
Yukinoshita was certain that if she really said that, with Mori Shinra's shameless personality, he would definitely reply with something like: We're perfectly innocent, what wrong idea could there be? Unless someone has a guilty conscience.
And it's clear who has the guilty conscience!
Although Yukinoshita had never been in a relationship, she was by no means a naive and innocent girl who knew nothing of the world.
Therefore, she was vaguely aware of Mori Shinra's intentions.
What? You ask why she agreed if she knew?
Don't you worry about that.