Hiyori Wasn't Good at Sports

Kujo had started asking Hiyori to go out with him noticeably more often.

Compared with the pointless competition between classes,

trying new things with his cute girlfriend was clearly much more enjoyable.

"Kujo, this skirt is so short."

Hiyori pursed her lips and tugged at the hem, looking utterly pitiful.

Hiyori didn't exercise much, and her hair was very long. Even when she tied it up, it was still extremely inconvenient for sports.

"That's how tennis skirts are. Be careful not to catch a chill."

Kujo draped his uniform jacket over Hiyori's head.

She poked her head out and smiled as she put the jacket on.

"Kujo, your clothes are so big."

"Remember to warm up before we start. If they get in your way, you can toss my jacket aside whenever you want."

Hiyori puffed out her cheeks and complained to Kujo:

"You've said that so many times, Kujo. I remember!"

Kujo patted Hiyori's head and confessed:

"I love you."

Hiyori buried her head in his uniform jacket and didn't respond for a long time.

The two Class D students who had been invited along also saw the way Kujo and Hiyori shamelessly showered each other with affection, ignoring everyone around them from across the court.

"Horikita, I told you Kujo would give her his jacket."

Horikita Suzune, Horikita Manabu's younger sister, Class D's aloof beauty, and Ayanokoji's deskmate, was now at the school's tennis courts with Ayanokoji.

Advanced Nurturing High School had a full range of sports facilities.

There were tennis courts, indoor badminton and table tennis facilities, soccer fields, basketball courts, baseball fields, and even a golf course.

Just as the school advertised.

Compared with the outside world, the school had every basic facility imaginable.

As for why Horikita Suzune was here with Ayanokoji,

it was because they happened to be passing by.

Besides, Horikita Suzune was curious about both Ayanokoji and Kujo.

She thought that if she spent time with them, perhaps she'd be able to understand her brother's way of thinking.

"Ayanokoji, I don't remember making such a pointless bet with you. If you're going to lie, at least make it believable."

Ayanokoji hadn't lied, but his opponent simply refused to believe him.

Watching Horikita and Ayanokoji bicker like close friends, Kujo pouted.

Beside him, Hiyori was still trying her best to correct her grip:

"Hiyori, do you know the rules?"

Hiyori nodded. She had reviewed the rules yesterday.

Ayanokoji had been about to suggest playing doubles, but before he could finish, Horikita Suzune shot him a sharp look.

Ayanokoji recalled how Horikita had jabbed him with a compass not long ago and quickly shut his mouth.

As if nothing had happened.

"I don't need a partner."

Horikita Suzune flatly rejected Ayanokoji's doubles suggestion before he could even make it.

Kujo had mainly come out today to spend some time with Hiyori.

Ayanokoji had happened to pass by, and by coincidence, Horikita Suzune had also passed by afterward.

And so four people with very different personalities ended up gathered together to play tennis.

"Then you can play Horikita first, Ayanokoji. Hiyori and I will watch from the sidelines."

Kujo was interested in seeing the two of them play, and it would also give Hiyori a chance to watch the excitement in Class D.

Hiyori took the lemon slices and water she had prepared out of her bag, then followed Kujo to the bench beside the court.

Forty minutes later.

Horikita Suzune and Ayanokoji's match was over.

Seeing Horikita Suzune leaning on her racket to keep herself upright on the court to the left, drenched in sweat, Hiyori hurried over to hand her a towel.

Horikita Suzune kept her eyes fixed on Ayanokoji. Even after losing, she still wasn't entirely convinced.

"Tennis is surprisingly fun."

Unlike Horikita, Ayanokoji hadn't even broken a sweat the entire time. He simply remarked afterward that it was something people said.

Kujo had witnessed a forty-minute crash course that a tennis novice couldn't make heads or tails of.

Even professional players would have had to acknowledge that kind of athletic talent.

Horikita refused to admit defeat and naively thought Ayanokoji had been messing with her the whole time.

That was the fundamental gap in ability between the original protagonist and the heroine with the most screen time, who was also the most competitive and exceptionally capable.

Before playing Horikita, Ayanokoji had been a complete novice who'd never held a racket before.

But after watching Horikita serve and return the ball just once, Ayanokoji had already been able to imitate her perfectly.

After that, it had come down purely to the difference in stamina and strength.

Their technique was exactly the same.

But their speed, stamina, strength, and mental fortitude weren't even on the same level.

"Horikita and Ayanokoji are both amazing. I want to give it a try too."

Hiyori was fired up and ready to show off on the court.

At that moment, the sun was hidden behind the clouds.

It shouldn't get too hot for a while.

Kujo picked up a racket and took off his sports jacket.

To keep Hiyori from getting scared by the tennis balls flying everywhere, Kujo had prepared soft balls.

Soft balls were beginner balls.

Generally, soft balls were a special kind of ball used to train children around eight years old. They were softer than regular tennis balls and flew more slowly.

They wouldn't hurt even if they hit someone, and besides, Kujo had excellent control.

Hiyori had never played badminton either, so even though she had practiced swinging the racket a few times off the court, she still couldn't return a single ball once she was on it.

Fortunately, Kujo had made a point of telling Hiyori:

He'd borrowed plenty of balls from the gym, so she wouldn't have to pick them all up one by one. Otherwise, just picking up the balls would tire anyone out.

"Kujo, tennis is so hard."

"You're doing fine for your first time."

"Kujo, I hit it! I hit it!"

"Yeah. It'd be even better if you hadn't hit it backward. Here comes the next one."

"Ugh. Kujo, why does it feel like all the balls are coming from the same direction?"

"Because you haven't moved from your spot at all."

"Waaah."

Ayanokoji had already figured it out.

Kujo's tennis skills and ability to teach were even better than Horikita Suzune's.

The tennis club at this school was quite strong and fairly large.

Ordinary schools wouldn't have enough courts, staff, and students for every kind of ball sport. It seemed there was a reason this school could recruit so many students.

Ayanokoji began silently analyzing it all.

These weren't the kinds of things he would have thought about before coming to this school.

It seemed he really had changed a lot.

As expected...

Coming out with someone had been the right choice.

By the time the sixth ball rolled past Ayanokoji's feet,

Hiyori's arms were already sore.

Kujo could only call a stop.

Hiyori wasn't good at sports and knew nothing about ball games.

As a bookish girl who spent most of her time indoors, Hiyori had done her best.

Kujo took Hiyori's racket and said softly:

"Shall we go to the library tonight? Thanks for all your effort."

Hiyori had been a little dejected, but her mood instantly improved.

Watching Hiyori head to the shade and strike up a conversation with Horikita, Kujo turned to Ayanokoji, who had a towel around his neck, and said:

"So you knew Horikita Suzune would pass by here, and that's why you found Hiyori and me before she did?"

In Ayanokoji's eyes, Kujo was exceptionally familiar with the school's rules and knew the first-years extremely well.

More importantly, he understood Ayanokoji very well.

"How about a match?"

"Forget it. I don't want to play against a robot."

What else could you call someone who imitated his opponent's tennis skills without changing expression?

"I'm not a robot."

Kujo glanced at Ayanokoji, who was staring at the handle of his racket. At that moment, he looked very lonely.

Kujo sighed and said to Ayanokoji:

"We won't keep score. We'll just rally for forty minutes."

Ayanokoji picked up his racket and declared his challenge to Kujo:

"Even an hour would be fine."

Kujo smiled and reminded him again:

"Fine. One point decides it."

Four hours later.

"Kujo, Ayanokoji, let's pick up the balls together."

Hiyori pushed over a ball-picking machine and suggested it with a smile.

Kujo took over.

He told Hiyori to rest and said they could handle picking up the balls.

Hiyori wasn't very willing.

Because no matter how you looked at it, her Kujo had been active on the court for so long. He was clearly the one who was most tired.

She had only watched and cheered from the sidelines.

As for Horikita Suzune, she'd watched the two boys play and was now sulking in a corner over her earlier loss.

Clearly, she was still extremely dissatisfied with Ayanokoji for hiding his abilities.

And after watching Kujo and Ayanokoji play against each other, she'd become even more dejected, unable to let it go for a long time.

In the end, Hiyori still couldn't win an argument with Kujo. She went to rest, while Kujo pulled Ayanokoji along to pick up the balls.

Horikita Suzune watched Kujo and Ayanokoji walk to the other side of the court.

Then she looked at Shiina, who had sat back down, and asked:

"When did you and Kujo meet Ayanokoji?"

Hiyori put Kujo's uniform jacket back on and answered:

"Kujo probably met Ayanokoji when school started. I only met Ayanokoji after I started dating Kujo."

Horikita buried her head in her knees and asked Shiina another question about the school:

"What do you think of this school? As someone in Class C, will you work to help your class rise to Class A?"

Hiyori blinked, feeling that the question sounded familiar.

Horikita Suzune reminded her of herself at the start of the school year. Back then, she had also thought about this question.

But Hiyori no longer had the same worries she'd had then.

Because.

"All I want now is to graduate from this school with Kujo. That's all."

Horikita fell silent.

Horikita couldn't understand Hiyori.

"Did you know each other before you came to this school? You seem to have a good relationship."

"No. I met Kujo for the first time at this school."

"Then what would you do if one day you and Kujo had no choice but to become opponents?"

"Horikita, could it be... you think Ayanokoji might become your opponent?"

Horikita was surprised by Shiina's perceptiveness, but she didn't stop complaining about Ayanokoji:

"I can't trust someone who's different on the inside from how he appears."

Hiyori could understand how Horikita felt—or rather, her concern was probably the better word.

Because Kujo was also someone full of secrets.

And he was friends with Ayanokoji, who was just as full of secrets. There was no way he was an ordinary person.

Gurgle~ I love Kujo the most.