The Captain Has No Interest in You; the Captain Only Wants to Match You Up

"Bai."

Whoa, whoa, whoa?

What was with that look that said she would humanely destroy him if he dared say Bai Yu? She had seen it herself, hadn't she? She just refused to admit it.

Heh heh.

What a weak woman.

"Shirako," Ayanokoji Kiyotaka said, preserving his life.

Horikita Suzune withdrew her icy gaze and turned it back in its original direction, unable to suppress a mutter in her heart.

And where had this Shirako come from?

The thought flashed by, and the people over there finally met up.

"Good morning, Shiina!"

The lively, cheerful girl enthusiastically waved her hand and jogged over in quick little steps from the other side. Like a spring breeze, she brought brightness and cheer everywhere she went.

"Good morning to you too, Ichinose," Shiina Hiyori replied gently, her smile warmer than the winter morning sun.

"Oh? And this is?" Ichinose Honami noticed the unfamiliar face beside Shiina.

"This is..."

"Suzumiya Shirako," Bai Yu said casually.

His gaze graced the two of them for one second before mercilessly flicking away.

"Ahaha..."

Shiina Hiyori could not help giving a vague laugh. "Suzumiya is my friend. Her personality is rather unconventional, so please don't take offense."

Shironami Chihiro silently observed the girl before her alone, her expression deep and serious, like a large dog warily watching a stranger.

Something felt strange, though she could not say what it was. From time to time, she pursed her lips and looked toward Shiina Hiyori beside her. "Where's Bai Yu?"

"Ah, Bai had something else to do today, so he couldn't come."

Shiina Hiyori gave a brief explanation, naturally meeting Ichinose Honami's eyes. Ichinose smoothly took over the conversation.

"I see. Bai Yu has something to take care of. Um, where should we go first?"

Shironami Chihiro shook her head.

"It's hard to decide right away."

Shiina Hiyori cleverly tossed the problem back to them. What she meant was that she was fine with anything and would let them decide.

Ichinose Honami pondered for a moment, then turned an inquiring gaze toward the girl beside her, who seemed to be constantly surveying the surroundings for suspicious people passing by. "Suzumiya, what do you think?"

"Whatever. Either is fine."

"I see."

Shiina Hiyori was already getting a little impatient to call "Cut!" She stepped forward and took charge. "How about we go to Keyaki Mall first? I heard there's a café, a movie theater, and some entertainment facilities there... Um, I'm not very familiar with the place, so I'll have to ask Ichinose for more suggestions."

"Sure!"

Ichinose Honami nodded brightly.

She stole another concerned glance at Suzumiya, whose personality seemed somewhat eccentric. She always felt like she had seen her somewhere before, yet certain details subtly did not match up...

Before long, she gave up dwelling on it, regained her cheerful mood, and led everyone toward Keyaki Mall...

...followed by two ace agents who looked as if they had seen a hundred battles.

"Bai, what are we going to do later?"

On the way to the café, Shiina Hiyori brought up the topic. She casually took half a step back, and with a swing of her slender arm, landed a foul elbow.

The force was light, so the referee did not blow the whistle.

Bai Yu drove hard to the basket. "Call me Suzumiya Shirako, Shiina."

Shiina Hiyori helplessly spread her hands. "Then what's your plan, Suzumiya?"

"Create coincidences. Build ambiguity."

Bai Yu smiled leisurely, wearing the reckless, confident smile of spring. "I spoke with one of the café clerks. You just need to cooperate later and suggest trying a couple's drink. I had them prepare a double-connected couple's straw and hide it inside."

"As long as we get them drinking together, then they look at each other in confusion, their eyes meet, their hearts race, their cheeks heat up... Even between girls, attraction isn't impossible."

That seemed workable.

After thinking it over, Shiina Hiyori asked as if it were an idle question, "But how do we tell an ordinary straw apart from a connected one?"

Bai Yu raised the corners of his mouth at that. Keeping an eye on the two people ahead out of the corner of his eye, he turned to look at her.

As though a captain were teaching a member, he said with the air of a teacher, "Come on, aren't these straws usually shorter than ordinary ones? They'll definitely sit lower in the cup, and they'll split apart toward both sides. As long as we pay a little attention, we can tell them apart."

Shiina Hiyori fell silent for a moment, then looked at him and nodded, committing his teaching to heart.

Bai Yu nodded with a smile, deeply gratified.

Even on a Sunday, the café was not somewhere just anyone could enter. After glancing at the packed interior, the group simply took a seat in the outdoor lounge area instead.

Less than a minute later, the sound of fingers tapping the table began coming continuously from across from them.

Shironami Chihiro already wanted to leave a bad review on the spot.

She silently stared at the girl across from her, who kept looking around from side to side and impatiently tapping her fingers against the tabletop. Hidden within her covert gaze was the faintest trace of accusation.

She wanted to question whether the Service Club was doing this on purpose or merely being careless.

People always said that you could not demand too much from something free, but she recalled the man who called himself the club president that day, acting out a brief scene on the spot as though he truly empathized with her.

For some reason, she had felt he was trustworthy. So she had gathered her courage and made her request, hoping for a response worth looking forward to.

Yet today, he had simply stood them up.

They had only sent one representative and another girl she did not know at all. Even the other boy who had accepted the request alongside them that day was nowhere to be seen... This was utterly unprofessional.

She would definitely warn everyone in her class about them in the future!

In her little head, Shironami Chihiro denounced this enormous injustice, exposing the fraud and false advertising lurking within the school's club activities.

While righteous indignation churned within her heart, her outward appearance remained as dutiful, honest, and timid as the sea beneath a cloudless sky. Having sat there for so long, she had never once voluntarily joined the conversation, only numbingly accepting the occasional topic Ichinose Honami and Shiina tossed her way.

Who could possibly save you like that?

But upon further thought, there was nothing to be done if it was simply her personality. Perhaps this was exactly the sort of request that had greater value in fulfilling.

Though Bai Yu's eyes appeared to be casually wandering around, he had actually prepared everything in his heart.

From time to time, he stopped tapping his fingers against the table, using that as a signal to relay instructions to Shiina beside him.

Shiina immediately understood.

A sharp glint flashed through her eyes, indiscriminately hostile toward friend and foe alike, making Bai Yu shudder for a moment. Who are you, and what are you trying to do?

But she quickly smiled and let the topic she had been discussing with Ichinose pass. Then, naturally changing the subject, she suggested, "Ichinose, how about we try ordering a couple's drink to share?"

"This café has an event today, and since we're all girls, we don't need to worry about that sort of thing."

"Oh, is that so? I'm fine with it, of course, but what do Xiao Bai and Suzumiya think?"

"Whatever." Bai Yu folded his arms across his chest, showing little interest but indicating he could give it a try.

"I-I'm fine if Honami thinks it's fine..." Shironami Chihiro answered timidly.

Honami thought girl-on-girl was a no-no.

Bai Yu exposed the truth in his heart.

Moving his fingers, he submitted the order he had placed in advance on his phone, along with the note.