Service Club? Tea Ceremony Club!

"A bet?"

Hirata Yosuke had just returned to his seat when he happened to hear the conversation between the two.

"What are you talking about, Ayanokoji?"

"Calling it a bet might not be entirely accurate."

Bai Yu paused his fierce battle with the food in front of him, then turned to explain, "Strictly speaking, it should be a transaction."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said in surprise, "Wasn't it some sort of agreement you reached beforehand that made you care so much about the outcome of this tennis match?"

"That was merely Horikita's wishful thinking."

Bai Yu mercilessly cut down another mouthful of rice, sent it into his mouth, chewed, and continued, "I merely proposed a deal to her. She joins the Service Club to fill the vacancy needed to establish it, and in return, I help her avoid the harassment of certain classmates."

"Perhaps this is also the hero's test of the Demon King's strength."

As if struck by inspiration, Bai Yu sighed. "The Demon King will never force anyone to do anything. He merely becomes a source of support for their growth. As for what the hero thinks, and whether she wishes to sign a mutually beneficial contract with the Demon King, that is entirely up to her."

In other words.

The tennis match had merely been an incidental bit of seasoning. Bai Yu had no intention of forcing her into the club through brute means and had left the choice to her. Horikita, meanwhile, wanted to see whether Bai Yu truly had the ability to fulfill the contract. Perhaps there were some emotional factors involved as well, which was why she had proposed settling the matter with him on the tennis court...

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka seemed to understand.

Earlier, using the excuse of fulfilling Kushida's request, he had made them deliberately provoke Horikita's displeasure. Perhaps that had also been groundwork laid for today.

After thinking it over carefully for a while, he felt the plan still had a few minor flaws, so he asked, "But President, your goal is for Kushida to join the club later as well, so she can get closer to Horikita. Wouldn't that directly trigger Horikita's resentment and make her leave the club the moment Kushida joins?"

"Hehe."

Bai Yu meaningfully raised the accompanying soup from the table and took a sip before frankly saying, "It would."

"???"

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was caught completely off guard and wondered whether he had misheard.

"Then wouldn't the Service Club still only have four members?"

Hirata Yosuke beside him could not help questioning him.

At that, Bai Yu wore an obscure smile that was utterly villainous. "Do you think someone like Horikita, who cannot even be bothered to greet others, would personally go to the student council office and submit a withdrawal application?"

"As long as I don't submit the application she handed me, won't she have to grow cotton for me for all three years? Hehehe!"

What kind of farmer was the president? And how had I been trafficked into this for no reason?

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka involuntarily leaned back in shock.

Hirata Yosuke was starting to get used to the other party making startling remarks. He calmly analyzed, "But I think Horikita's resistance toward Kushida is even stronger than her reluctance to submit an application to the student council."

"Hoho, even so, I have my countermeasures!"

Bai Yu declared confidently, "Chabashira-sensei told me that applying to establish a club required at least five people, but she never said the club could not operate normally with fewer than five members after it was established. As long as I delay Kushida's club application and submit it on the final day of the one-month deadline, we can meet the minimum membership requirement."

"After that, whether Horikita or Kushida wants to leave will no longer affect the club's operations. That is my complete plan!"

"Hahahaha! What do you think? This is the wisdom of the Demon King! Hahahaha..."

Once again drowned out by that hearty laughter, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's feelings became somewhat complicated. He had truly thought too highly of the president earlier.

He briefly sorted through the other man's line of thought and carefully digested it from beginning to end. Then, something suddenly occurred to him.

"But President, isn't everything you just said based on the premise that Horikita will accept your proposal and voluntarily join the Service Club?"

"..."

The hearty laughter froze, along with the smile on someone's face, transforming from a brilliant, picturesque expression into the dim stillness of a sculpture.

"Ayanokoji, it seems we need to execute Plan C."

"President, forgive me for saying so, but we do not have such a farsighted backup plan."

Bai Yu wore a tactical dark expression.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka also wore a tactical dark expression.

Bai Yu pondered for a moment. Something seemed to flash through his mind, and his eyes were immediately filled with a beautiful gleam.

He turned at lightning speed and cast an appreciative gaze at Hirata Yosuke beside him, offering a heartfelt invitation. "I have long admired the great Hirata Ko. I heard long ago that the school Soccer Club accomplishes nothing—neither frequently holding matches for exchange nor competing alongside other schools for regional prizes."

"Since there is no stage upon which to display your abilities, why not abandon darkness for the light and join my ranks?"

Bai Yu spoke with great emotion. Then he glanced at Ayanokoji Kiyotaka beside him and continued, "Having met these two gentlemen, I feel like a fish returned to water. If I could gain the aid of you two, my sleeping dragon and fledgling phoenix, the future would surely be wide open. The Service Club would rise to the top of all clubs. As for the world itself, we would even have the courage to test our edge against it!"

Hirata was deeply moved after hearing this.

He looked at the two of them in turn. After an intense internal struggle lasting a full 0.5 seconds, he took Bai Yu's hand and said solemnly, "The Soccer Club president has treated me well!"

"Aah—!"

In his agitation, Bai Yu nearly slammed down a bowl of seafood rice, but Ayanokoji Kiyotaka stopped him in time.

"Ayanokoji! Let's make the Soccer Club our first target for conquest!"

"President, please reconsider. Soccer isn't like tennis. Three against eleven, and we'll get kicked to shit."

"Three people are enough!"

"???"

"You play goalkeeper, I attack, and Shiina will be in charge of cheering."

"Please allow me to formally refuse!"

The next day.

During the lunch break after finishing lunch, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka strolled leisurely to the classroom Bai Yu had designated earlier.

Seeing the words "Service Club," which had most likely been pasted up without permission, he lowered his head slightly and carefully entered with the demeanor of a refined young lady afraid of being seen.

"Welcome to the Service Club."

The one greeting him was the girl he had met before, another victim of the president's evangelism. She was brewing tea as she politely welcomed him.

"Good afternoon, Shiina. The president isn't here yet?"

"Not yet. Huh, that's strange. Weren't you supposed to come together?" Shiina Hiyori asked curiously.

"I had something to take care of at the last minute, so I didn't come with the president."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka gave a simple explanation.

There was no way I was going to hang around with that attention-seeking president all the time.

"I see."

Shiina Hiyori replied with a smile. She held a cup of freshly brewed tea in her hand, while covering the rest with tea bowl lids to keep them from cooling too quickly.

"Please, have some."

"Thank you."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka thanked her simply.

After taking the tea the girl had placed on the table before him, he naturally swept his gaze around the room to observe the surroundings.

The classroom had excellent lighting and plenty of space. No unnecessary desks or chairs occupied the main area. It seemed the president had indeed put some thought into choosing it...

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka brought the tea in his hand to his lips and took a light sip. ? Is this really tea I get to drink?

While the person across from her was tasting the tea, Shiina Hiyori naturally sat down in the seat opposite Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and noticed the surprise in his expression.

She smiled and said, "This is tea Bai bought. I heard it cost fifty thousand personal points."

Fifty thousand.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's enthusiasm for club activities reached an all-time high.

He had studied the tea ceremony before and possessed no small amount of knowledge when it came to tasting tea.

"Does Shiina come to the clubroom every day at noon?"

He could not help asking.

"I'm not entirely sure. Sometimes the class calls people together for things."

Shiina said with a gentle smile, "But I come by whenever I have time. After all, I'm a member of the Service Club too, and Bai's tea leaves shouldn't go to waste."

"I agree."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka displayed the greatest enthusiasm in history.

Still, come to think of it, had this person created the club just to rest and drink tea during lunch? Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's feelings became a little complicated.

He could not tell whether he was disappointed or relieved... Well, relieved after all.

From now on, there would definitely be a place for me in the Service Club during lunch break!