So, you really don't need to worry about these things. They were things I did myself back then.
You can't blame yourselves for them. And looking at it this way, perhaps this was fate bringing us together. Hachiman patted the dango on Yui's head and comforted her in a low voice.
Yukino and I still spend time together every day, don't we? I don't feel as though she has any guilt toward me, so you don't need to feel guilty either.
If you want to make it up to me, then just honestly maintain the situation as it is now.
So that means I can keep being friends with Hikki and Little Snow? Seeing Hachiman gently nod, Yui wiped away the tears that were about to fall and gave him a sincere smile.
Chapter Thirteen: Little Angel
Just as Hachiman and Yui were talking, a surprised, clear voice as melodious as an oriole came from behind them.
Yui-san, what a coincidence.
A beautiful girl in a green tennis uniform was walking toward them, her dazzling silver hair glittering beneath the sunlight.
Perhaps because she had just finished training, her face was covered in fine beads of sweat.
Her misty, deerlike eyes were wide and round. Though she seemed timid, they held a unique gentleness.
Beneath the shorts of her tennis uniform, something resembling black safety shorts was visible, covering most of her fair thighs.
Her smooth, delicate legs, as white and lustrous as jade, reflected the sunlight with a crystalline glow.
Below them were calves and ankles with perfectly balanced proportions, while her tender feet were hidden inside white socks.
Hachiman knew a person named Ayaka Totsuka. Although he had an appearance and voice far more beautiful than those of ordinary girls, a figure as slender as a woman's, and even highly feminine mannerisms—
Unfortunately, Ayaka Totsuka was an adorable boy overflowing with femininity.
Ah~ Little Aya! Hello~ Yui waved at Ayaka with a smile. It was obvious that she was especially happy to run into a friend she knew.
Hello, Ayaka replied with a smile, returning Yui's greeting.
Hachiman, you played tennis pretty well just now.
Ayaka tilted his head, his large, damp eyes fixed on Hachiman.
Ah... um, did I...? Hachiman, who had been secretly watching Ayaka from the corner of his eye, was caught off guard by his sudden comment.
He could only scratch his cheek with a finger and respond evasively in an extremely awkward tone, while a strange flush spread across his face.
But Hachiman seemed unwilling to give up, as though he wanted to verify something. He asked Ayaka, "Aren't the boys and girls separated during physical education? How could you see me?"
Eh~ What are you talking about, Hachiman-kun? I'm a boy, you know.
Ayaka turned his head to the side, an inexplicable shyness on his face.
As he spoke, he reached toward his shorts. His smiling face carried a hint of allure. "If you want to see, I have proof."
Hachiman felt as though something strange was about to surge out of his body, so he hurriedly slapped his own face, hoping it would help him calm down.
"So, did you need something?"
Hachiman asked Ayaka while forcing himself to remain composed.
"I saw Hachiman-kun here, so I thought I'd come over and ask whether you wanted to join the tennis club."
A look of anticipation showed in Ayaka's eyes.
"Well, I've already joined a club, and my club president isn't exactly easy to deal with, so I'm sorry."
Hachiman nearly agreed on the spot, but forcibly suppressed his impulse and spoke.
He ignored how Yukino was currently completely obedient to him and followed his every word, using a clumsy excuse to fob Ayaka off.
"Is that so? All right, then."
Ayaka looked somewhat disappointed.
"It's fine. You can come to the Service Club to find me anytime. I'll be happy to help."
Eh, really? A bright smile appeared on Ayaka's face.
"Then it's settled. See you later, Hachiman-kun~"
Only after Ayaka's figure had completely disappeared from sight did Hachiman withdraw his gaze. He patted the dust from his trousers, which he had picked up from sitting on the steps.
"I'm heading back first, Yuihama."
After saying goodbye to Yui, Hachiman turned and walked toward his classroom.
Eh~ Hikki, wait for me!
Yui hurried after Hachiman.
After classes ended, Hachiman carried his bag to the Service Club. The moment he opened the door, he was met by Yukino's complicated gaze.
"What is it? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Hachiman walked over to Yukino, pulled out a chair, and sat down. He placed his bag beside his feet and took out the book he usually read.
Before Hachiman could open the book, Yukino's cool voice sounded beside him. "I just received a phone call. It... it was from my sister."
Yukino spoke hesitantly.
"Haruno? What did she say?" Hachiman looked at the book in his hands without much interest.
"She said... that the two of us should go out to eat with her this weekend."
"Then let's go. I don't have anything to do this weekend anyway."
Hachiman's reply sounded rather careless.
Seeing her beloved react that way, Yukino couldn't help growing somewhat agitated. "But..."
Before she could finish, a knock on the door interrupted her.
Yukino could only give Hachiman a helpless look before turning toward the door and saying, "Come in."
After receiving permission, the door opened at once, and Yui walked in with a silly grin.
"Little Snow, hello~" Yui greeted Yukino in her usual foolish manner.
"Oh, it's you, Yui. Did you need something?" Seeing that it was her best friend, Yukino's mood improved somewhat, and she asked Yui with a smile.
"Wow~ I must be dreaming, right? Little Snow, you actually smiled!"
Having seen Snow Beauty's smile for the first time, Miss Dango cried out in exaggerated surprise, "Hikki, did you see that?"
Hachiman's face remained expressionless. He did not even raise his head, completely absorbed in his book.
"Aw, Hikki, you're so cold." Met with silence, Yui spoke with some hurt in her voice.
"All right, stop fooling around. Yui, what exactly did you come here for?"
Yukino supported her forehead and spoke weakly.
"Ehehe~ It's actually nothing major. Someone asked me to help him, so I brought him here." Yui playfully stuck out her tongue.
The instant Yui finished speaking, Ayaka walked out from behind the door.
The moment he noticed Ayaka, Hachiman put down the book in his hands, quickly took his glasses out of his bag, put them on, and sat upright in his chair, striking a proper pose.
Noticing Hachiman's movements, Yukino suspiciously glanced at Ayaka. When she realized that the other boy's various qualities rivaled her own, she clenched her silver teeth.
She quietly moved closer to Hachiman and secretly reached out to pinch the soft flesh at his waist.
Ignoring Hachiman's grimace, Yukino turned around and asked Ayaka in a harsh, gritted tone, "What do you need, Totsuka-kun?"
Sensing the hostility in Yukino's voice, Ayaka spoke somewhat flusteredly. "I saw Hachiman play tennis very well during physical education, so I wanted him to help me improve my tennis skills."
"Physical education?" Yukino increased the force of her pinch.
"Wait a moment. Aren't the boys and girls separated during physical education? Why were you two together?"
Yukino asked in confusion.
"Um... I'm a boy."
Having been mistaken by many people, Ayaka spoke shyly.
"Eh? A boy?" Once Yukino understood, she immediately released her hand and did not dare look at Hachiman, whose eyes were almost watering from the pain.
"So, all you need is to improve your tennis skills?" Ignoring Hachiman's resentful gaze, Yukino questioned Ayaka.
"The Service Club accepts this request."
With a grand sweep of her little hand, Yukino announced it with great confidence.
Chapter Fourteen: Ayaka's Resolve
Hachiman and the others, dressed in green sportswear, stood on the tennis court Ayaka had reserved. They looked at one another, unsure what to do.
"So, what are we supposed to do now?" Hachiman turned toward Yukino.
"Er..." Still not daring to look Hachiman in the eye, Yukino turned her face aside and pondered.
"When it comes to tennis, aside from talent, it requires a great deal of practice."
As if she had made up her mind, Yukino looked at Ayaka with an extremely serious gaze.
Because of Yukino's intimidating stare, Ayaka nervously retreated half a step. "What does that mean, Yukino?"
"It means that, from now on, we will stay here and practice with you. This request will not be considered complete until you feel that your skills have improved."
Yukino looked at Ayaka seriously.
"Totsuka-kun, you need to understand that the only way to succeed in these matters is through hard work. Someone who lies in bed doing nothing all day while complaining about other people's efforts will achieve only one thing in this life: waiting to die."
Yukino's expression was extremely serious as she spoke. It seemed that even after changing her mind, she still hated such people deep down—those incapable people who only envied others instead of working hard themselves.
Failing to make an effort, refusing to take action, clinging to another person's weaknesses—in the end, you degraded yourself as well. That was what jealousy was.
You should work hard to match your opponent and strive to surpass them. As long as you persisted day after day, every problem would eventually resolve itself.
But people always failed to do this, because envying others was easier than making an effort themselves.
But what good did complaining do? You might believe that you had been born at the wrong time or that society was unfair, but could that change anything? Reality was reality. There had to be a reason things had reached their current state. You had to understand it and learn to analyze it, then take action based on a thorough understanding of the cause. That was how most problems in this world were solved.
Hachiman thought this as he gazed at the girl before him. Someone as outstanding as her was bound to face the jealousy of incapable people on the road ahead, yet she had only grown stronger because of it, and had become even more determined to change the situation.
"So, Totsuka-kun, just work hard and keep practicing. No one will mock an ordinary person who works hard, and no one will envy a lazy genius."
"A so-called genius is nothing more than someone who started a little higher than ordinary people."
Yukino said this.
"I... I understand." Ayaka seemed to regain his motivation because of Yukino's words.
Yukino gently nodded, then called over Hachiman, who was standing to one side and staring at her.
"Hachiman-kun, could you go get some tennis balls?" Yukino ordered Hachiman around without the slightest psychological burden.
Without saying a word, Hachiman obediently ran off, returned carrying a large bag of tennis balls, and even dragged out a ball machine.
Yukino was like a demon instructor, waving the racket in her hand and guiding Ayaka through his warm-up exercises.
Ayaka obediently placed his legs against the wall and effortlessly completed a beautiful split.
Hachiman stared at Ayaka in that strange pose, and his face flushed inexplicably once again.
After the warm-up was complete, Hachiman followed Yukino's instructions, poured the tennis balls into the ball machine, and set it to launch one ball every two seconds.
Thus, while Ayaka remained on the court practicing his returns against the ball machine, Yukino and the others retreated to the benches beside the court for a chat.
"Mm~ Little Snow looked so cool when she was talking just now."
Little stars seemed to sparkle in Yui's eyes.
"No, that was merely my personal opinion."
Yukino's expression turned somewhat unpleasant as she spoke.
"What do you mean by 'personal opinion'?" Yui asked somewhat stupidly.
"When I was in middle school, I had just transferred there, so when I arrived at that school, all the girls in the school held a certain amount of hostility toward me."
Yukino calmly recounted her past.
"So I would often discover that the things I left in my locker had mysteriously disappeared. As for my indoor shoes alone, it happened more than sixty times."
Before you continue