As the saying went: persuasion was no match for provocation.
The fact that provocation had been passed down from ancient times to the present showed just how broadly applicable it was. For people with especially strong pride, even when they knew they were being provoked, they could not help but rise to the challenge...
As it happened, Yukino Yukinoshita was someone with an extremely strong sense of pride. Incompetent? Backing out? Sorry, but she could not accept that.
"Doma, I believe I said this before as well. As long as I accept a request, I will not simply give up on it..."
"Is that so..." Sogo Doma said with a half-smile. "If you are not giving up, then what did all those things you just said mean? Wasn't that just another way of saying you had no way to get Mashiro through the make-up exam?"
"I was merely stating a fact..." Yukino Yukinoshita said coldly. "And making a declaration in advance. The Service Club's help has never been omnipotent. Teaching someone how to fish is better than giving them a fish—that is the basic principle of helping others. As long as Mashiro does not explicitly refuse, I will continue tutoring her. But whether she passes the make-up exam depends entirely on herself!"
She might have been competitive, but she was not stupid. Given Mashiro's current level, getting her through a make-up exam by tutoring alone would require a miracle. Otherwise, no one could do it. Yukino Yukinoshita firmly believed that.
"So Yukinoshita's tutoring can't even guarantee Mashiro will pass the make-up exam?" Sogo Doma provoked her again.
"I already said that whether she passes depends on Mashiro herself. Or does Doma believe he can ensure Mashiro passes the exam one hundred percent?" This time, the prideful Yukino Yukinoshita did not