In the blink of an eye—
The tennis match between Yukinoshita Yukino and Kawasaki Saki had already been going on for over ten minutes.
The score had reached 4–2.
Although Yukinoshita Yukino was temporarily ahead by two points, her stamina was clearly failing her, and her performance was steadily declining.
Meanwhile, Kawasaki Saki—used to working part-time jobs, doing housework, and taking care of her younger siblings—had excellent endurance.
She had lost points frequently early on, but as Yukinoshita Yukino's stamina dropped, she began to close the gap.
Another ten-plus minutes passed.
Yukinoshita Yukino was now breathing heavily, and the score had reached 5–5.
It was obvious that Yukinoshita Yukino was at her limit. If the match continued, defeat would be inevitable.
At that very moment, the class bell rang.
The P.E. period ended, and the duel between Yukinoshita Yukino and Kawasaki Saki was forced to come to a temporary halt.
Kawasaki Saki wiped the sweat from her forehead, breathing a little hard, and spoke:
"You should be glad class ended just now."
She had to admit it—Yukinoshita Yukino was strong.
At the beginning, she hadn't stood a chance at all and could only barely hang on until Yukinoshita's stamina declined.
And even though her own stamina was slightly better, the difference wasn't overwhelming.
At this point, Kawasaki Saki herself was feeling drained. If they kept going, it was hard to say who would win.
Yukinoshita Yukino's cheeks were flushed, her breathing ragged, yet she still spoke stubbornly:
"I don't want to hear that from someone who was on the defensive the entire time."
After exchanging a couple of sharp remarks, neither said anything more. They packed up and prepared to leave.
Both of them had engraved the other into their minds—acknowledging each other as worthy opponents.
As the two left, the crowd of onlookers gradually dispersed.
They excitedly discussed the match.
What had started as a small incident quickly spread through the entire grade—then even the school.
After all, one was the famous untouchable ice queen, and the other was also a beauty.
A clash between two beautiful girls in a youthful school setting was bound to become hot gossip.
As for the instigator of this entire confrontation—Tanaka Masao—no one paid him any attention.
Even those who noticed him acting as the referee only saw him as a background extra… a human prop.
Tanaka Masao, in a fantastic mood, returned to the classroom to tidy up, then headed toward the Service Club with a light step.
Not only had he avoided exercising during P.E., he'd also enjoyed watching two beautiful girls clash.
More importantly—
That clash had been entirely orchestrated by him.
Rounding things up generously, Yukinoshita Yukino and Kawasaki Saki had fought because of him.
Two beautiful girls fighting over him—talk about a sense of achievement.
Arriving at the Service Club, Tanaka Masao knocked on the door.
He waited a bit.
No response.
Puzzled, he pushed the door slightly—locked.
Just then, a cool, calm voice sounded behind him.
"Tanaka-kun, you're here unusually early today."
Yukinoshita Yukino's classroom was closer, and she usually came straight over after class—so under normal circumstances, she would always arrive before Tanaka Masao.
The reason she was late today was obvious: P.E.
After class, she had to change clothes, and the intense exertion had left her exhausted, slowing her pace.
On the way over, she had sorted out a few things in her mind.
Although she hadn't spent much time with Kawasaki Saki—
Perhaps it was that mutual understanding between rivals—but she was certain Kawasaki wouldn't have challenged her out of the blue.
There had to be a misunderstanding.
And how that misunderstanding came about was painfully obvious.
It had to be Tanaka Masao stirring things up.
Opening the door and entering the Service Club, Yukinoshita Yukino spoke calmly:
"Tanaka-kun, the tennis match between Kawasaki-san and me… you planned it, didn't you?"
She glanced back at him.
"Quite an impressive trick, really."
There wasn't a hint of anger on Yukinoshita Yukino's face.
Instead, she wore a dangerously charming smile.
Seeing that smile, Tanaka Masao swallowed hard, screaming internally:
[I'm dead.]
Yukinoshita Yukino placed her things on the desk and looked at Tanaka Masao, who was still frozen in place.
"Tanaka-kun, what are you standing around for? Come here already."
The more charming her smile became, the more panicked Tanaka Masao felt.
"Y-Yukinoshita-san… please stop smiling. You're scaring me."
Yukinoshita Yukino tilted her head cutely, feigning confusion.
"Oh? What are you scared of?
Relax—I'm not some kind of demon. I won't do anything to you."
[You're basically a demon in my heart right now.]
Tanaka Masao still forced himself to walk over.
[As expected… if you don't seek death, you won't die.]
He had gained a deep understanding of his mistake.
[Next time I do something shady, I need to be way more discreet. Absolutely cannot get caught again.]
Of course—he didn't actually think starting the tennis duel between Yukinoshita Yukino and Kawasaki Saki was wrong.
Watching Tanaka Masao resign himself to fate, Yukinoshita Yukino pinched her chin thoughtfully.
"So… what kind of exercise should we do today?
How about starting with half an hour of horse stance to warm up?"
Hearing that, Tanaka Masao rolled his eyes.
"Yukinoshita-san, I think you might have a serious misunderstanding about what 'warming up' means."
As he spoke, he obediently dropped into a horse stance.
"A misunderstanding? What misunderstanding?
Are you saying half an hour is too easy and you want something harder?"
She smiled sweetly.
"How about holding a chair in each hand while you're at it? That way you can train your arms too."
"No—please—don't! I'll seriously die!"
"How would you know if you don't try?"
Yukinoshita Yukino wore a dazzling smile while committing an act worthy of a demon.
She went and fetched two chairs, hanging one from each of Tanaka Masao's arms.
A single chair wasn't heavy—an elementary school kid could lift one easily.
But holding one in each hand was a different story.
The shape was awkward, the size bulky, and the center of gravity hard to control.
Compared to dumbbells of the same weight, chairs were far harder to manage one-handed.
Tanaka Masao's arms trembled violently as he barely lifted the chairs off the ground.
Clearly—
This result did not satisfy Yukinoshita Yukino.
"Tanaka-kun, that won't do. Your arms need to be fully extended."
"Gyaaah—!"
Tanaka Masao let out a pained, pitiful howl.