Chapter 81: The Second Tennis War (3)
After being lightly knocked on the head, Yuigahama immediately covered her head in dissatisfaction. The way she pouted looked just like a Diglett that had been hit by a wooden mallet.
"Then don't hit my head! You even tricked me into massaging your back earlier!"
Luke showed no awareness of having tricked her and casually said, "That's because you're too pure, Yuigahama-san…"
Pure?
Yuigahama suddenly froze, then turned her head away and muttered softly, "Why are you suddenly saying that?"
"I'm just saying what I think."
Luke looked at the oddly behaving Yuigahama.
That was just another way of saying she was dumb…
Fine. He admitted that sentence just now really had been praise.
Yuigahama was indeed a pure person. Spending time with someone like her felt very easy, and the experience was strangely not bad.
"You two have a really good relationship…"
Totsuka, who had been resting nearby, timidly joined the conversation after seeing the two fall silent.
"Huh? Do we?"
Yuigahama widened her eyes and hurriedly waved her hands.
"We're actually members of the same club! We only started talking recently!"
Luke looked at the flustered Yuigahama, then compared her to Totsuka Saika.
Honestly, Totsuka's quiet and delicate personality, paired with his pretty face, gave him more feminine charm than most girls in class, even though Totsuka himself did not really like being described that way.
"Is that so? I don't really know what club you're in."
Totsuka asked curiously.
"It's a club I only joined recently. It's called the Service Club. The name is really weird, right? And the members are all kind of weird too, haha…"
Yuigahama scratched her hair and laughed awkwardly.
"You really didn't need to add that last description."
Luke pinched his forehead.
It was one thing to call him and Yukinoshita weird, but why did she have to include herself too?
"Really? I think you two are both very friendly."
Totsuka was referring to him and Yuigahama.
"Is that so…? Then that's good. That's good."
Yuigahama, afraid of being disliked, let out a small breath of relief. Then, moved by an idea, she asked, "By the way… um, Sai-chan, you invited those two—mm, because you want help training, right?"
"Mm."
Totsuka nodded.
Yuigahama, don't tell me…
Luke had a bad feeling about what was about to happen.
"Then do you want us to help you? Our club activity is helping other people solve their problems, and lately, the club just happens to have nothing going on~!"
Yuigahama spoke with more and more enthusiasm.
"Oh, right. Yukinon is really amazing. She'll definitely be able to make a scientific and effective training plan for you! Just like how she's tutoring me!"
She was exactly like one of those salespeople in a suit who knocked on your door to sell products, talking only about the advantages and never mentioning the drawbacks.
"I-is that so?"
Totsuka looked somewhat tempted.
"…"
Luke fell silent for a moment. He had already guessed this would happen.
Although he had not spent much time with Hikigaya and Totsuka, as an upright person, he still spoke up and interrupted the optimistic Totsuka and Yuigahama.
"Totsuka, I advise you not to."
Totsuka turned his head in confusion and stared at him.
"Why?"
Yuigahama also asked strangely, "Yukinon is so smart, so she can definitely help Sai-chan make a training plan and get stronger, right?"
"That part is true…"
Luke did not deny that, but…
"She'll definitely demand that you follow a plan that surpasses your limits, including but not limited to—"
"Ten thousand racket swings."
"Endless side-to-side jumps."
"And continuing until your legs can't move and your arms can't lift anymore!"
He spoke to Totsuka with sincere seriousness.
Hearing his explanation, Totsuka's hands slowly clenched.
"I-is that so…"
"This tennis court is empty!"
An unexpected voice interrupted Totsuka Saika's thoughts.
Everyone turned around and saw Hayama, Miura, Ebina, Tobe, and the rest of their group. They were the top normie clique in the second year.
"Your best friends just spawned."
Luke said that to Yuigahama Yui, who also belonged to that group.
"Eh? Don't describe it in such a weird way…"
Yuigahama lowered her head again at his words, then hurriedly perked up. She bounced in place, her slim arms waving constantly in the air.
"Yumiko! Over here!"
"Ah! Yui!"
Seeing a familiar face, Miura Yumiko and Ebina Hina happily walked over. They directly ignored the three people under the shade and went straight to Yuigahama.
"Yui, why are you here?"
"Hellooo~ Yui."
Ebina greeted her in their strange way.
"Hellooo~ Hina."
Yuigahama happily ran over and hugged Miura's arm.
"Me? I'm discussing how to help Sai-chan train!"
Hm?
She had come here at first to help Totsuka train?
Was that really the case?
Absolutely not!
So what exactly had Yuigahama come to the tennis court for in the first place?
"Eh, it's hot. Don't cling so close…"
Miura moved her head away from Yuigahama, but she did not push away Yuigahama, who was clinging to her like a puppy.
"Oh, right. Yumiko, what are you all doing here?"
Yuigahama raised her head and asked.
"Didn't I say this morning that we should play together? We were bored at lunch, so we decided to come here and play some tennis~!"
Miura Yumiko said it as if it were only natural.
He recalled what had happened before he fell asleep…
Mm. She had indeed said that.
"U-um…"
Totsuka gathered his courage and raised one hand while still hugging his knees.
That is not a teacher, Totsuka-kun. You do not need to raise your hand.
"So, can we play here too, Yui?"
Miura asked.
Luke glanced at Totsuka Saika, who had put his hand down again. Totsuka's helpless gaze drifted between him and Hikigaya.
Luke helplessly raised his head and spoke to Miura.
"Didn't we say we were helping Totsuka-kun train? You're asking the wrong person, Miura-san."
"Eh?"
Miura Yumiko looked under the shade of the tree, then asked in confusion, "Why did you suddenly pop out silently again?"
"Pop out…?"
Luke replied with a dark expression.
"I was here the whole time. You just didn't see me."
He looked at Miura, this self-centered person who treated everyone outside her friend group like NPCs.
"Also, I'm not an NPC. What kind of weird description is 'pop out'?"
"NPC?"
Yuigahama and Miura Yumiko, who did not play games, tilted their heads in confusion.
"It's an abbreviation for non-player characters in games."
Hayama Hayato explained it to them.
"Oh."
After realizing what he meant, Yuigahama helplessly exposed him.
"You did the same thing just now, though!"
"…"
Luke fell silent for a moment, then hurriedly said, "So this is also me criticizing myself."
Yes. He was someone who knew how to reflect, someone who understood criticism and self-criticism. That was why he could become a powerful exorcist.
Luke silently evaluated himself in his heart.
"Hmph. If you do it too, then don't talk about other people."
Miura looked at Luke, who was crouching on the ground and tapping his shoulder with a racket, then turned her face away in disgust.
"Also, are you some kind of delinquent? Why are you posing like that? It feels kind of…"
…
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