A few minutes after the girls agreed to help Saika with his tennis practice.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Saika-chan!"
"We're changed and ready to go, Totsuka-kun!"
Even though Yui and Yotsuba looked nothing alike—having no genetic or ancestral connection whatsoever—their personalities were remarkably similar. Both possessed innocent smiles and a cheerful disposition that could breathe life into even the most suffocating silence.
As they are now, having changed into tennis outfits consisting of youthful checkered shirts and super-short miniskirts, the two girls trotted over, waving in unison. Even from a distance, Izuru could feel the aura of pure radiance emanating from them.
{Hm?}
Izuru, who previously hadn't harbored the slightest interest in helping Saika practice, felt his eyes light up the moment he saw their costumes. Specifically, as his gaze drifted slightly lower to the girls' miniskirts—which were short enough to make one worry about an "accidental peek" with the slightest movement—his intention to leave vanished into thin air.
{Tennis really is the best! Helping a friend practice tennis—the absolute best!}
In fact, to test the structural integrity and freedom of those miniskirts, Izuru did something shocking. He... dropped flat onto the tennis court floor! Like a fearsome "hunter in the brush," he attempted to peer toward the "promised land" of all men, and then...
"Dammit! Safety shorts!? Bastards—if you're going to wear safety shorts, don't wear a miniskit! You've utterly betrayed my pure feelings!"
Utterly disregarding his status as Student Council President, and without a shred of fear of being branded a creep by the other female students, Izuru gained nothing from his prone reconnaissance. On the contrary, his vision was practically blinded by the opponent's defensive measures. He let out a vengeful curse, looking as if he wanted to tear the inventor of safety shorts into eighteen pieces.
At that moment, while still facedown on the ground, Izuru noticed his surroundings suddenly grow dark. It seemed a girl was standing beside him, blocking his view. This caused him to instinctively scan the figure from the bottom up...
Dainty feet characteristic of a cute girl, perfectly proportioned legs without a trace of fat, white safety shorts, and... a tennis shoe suddenly stomping toward his face!?
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!?"
Izuru performed a "flopping salted fish" maneuver to scramble up from the floor. This allowed him to see the figure's face clearly.
"You... it's not just your mouth that's rotten; your very soul has decomposed."
Staring at Izuru with a frigid gaze as if she were looking at a maggot, Yukino—now dressed in a stylish, vibrant tennis uniform—spoke in a voice of pure ice. The temperature in the immediate area seemed to drop several degrees, sending a shiver down his spine.
Facing this, Izuru didn't panic at all. With a deadpan expression, he shot back: "What's wrong with a man being a pervert!?"
Hearing an argument that sounded vaguely logical despite being utter nonsense, Yukino felt so ridiculous she almost laughed. The corners of her mouth twitched upward, but her tone only grew colder.
"Our country has a very comprehensive set of laws. Why don't you check them and see if there's any record of 'what's wrong with a man being a pervert'? And what the applicable punishment might be?"
"Is it, like, a three-year minimum, death penalty maximum?" Izuru asked with faux innocence, tilting his head.
Fortunately, Yui noticed the situation and shouted over: "Yukinon, President, hurry up and get over here! What are you two doing dazing off over there?"
This caused Izuru to shrug in resignation, while Yukino let out a cold huff. Neither said another word as they walked quickly toward Yui.
In the center of the court stood Yui, Yotsuba, Saika, and Okita—who possessed almost zero presence. However, for some reason, the atmosphere between Okita and Saika was incredibly strange.
How strange? Saika was staring at Okita with a look of utter confusion, while Okita looked like a salted fish that had lost its dreams; he was lying flat on his back on the court, staring at the sky with hollow eyes.
The sight baffled Izuru. {Did this kid try to be clever like me and sneak a peek at the 'promised land,' only to get hit with a counterattack that made him question the meaning of life? But Saika's wearing shorts? Don't tell me this scoundrel tried to peek at Yui or Yotsuba and got what was coming to him?}
Just then, Yotsuba seemed to notice Izuru's confusion and offered an explanation.
"Hikawa-kun ended up like this right after he and Totsuka-kun came out of the locker room to change into their tennis gear. Even Totsuka-kun doesn't know why. Does the President know the cause?"
The cause? Izuru knew exactly what could reduce Okita to this state. Surely, while changing clothes with Saika, he realized that the "cute girl" actually possessed a "beast in the cage." His newly budding puppy love had been utterly demolished; hence, the existential dread.
Regarding that, Izuru could only let out a resigned sigh and spread his hands in a gesture of helplessness.
"Love is like a tornado—it comes fierce and fast, but it leaves just as fiercely and quickly. Just leave him be; let him find his own peace first. Let's get started... eh? Where's Itsuki?"
At the mention of her name, Yotsuba and Yui's expressions turned awkward, while Yukino let out a cold snort and spoke with a clear voice.
"You mean Itsuki? While changing with us earlier, she suddenly realized her body was 'full of fat.' She got a complex and ran away."
"Eh?" Izuru blinked, stunned. But then, Yotsuba—as Itsuki's sister—revealed the actual truth.
"When we were changing into tennis clothes with Itsuki, she wanted to stretch, but the top button of her shirt accidentally popped off because it was too tight. Itsuki's face went dark instantly; she said she had things to do and told us to go ahead and teach Totsuka-kun tennis."
{Okay, I understand the truth now...}
Izuru slapped his forehead in resignation. He hadn't changed into gym clothes himself, which meant he hadn't gone to the boys' locker room, let alone the girls'. He hadn't expected such chaos to erupt in the blink of an eye. He was at a loss for words.
"Fine. Even though one has become a salted fish and another a coward, the core strength remains. In that case, let the teaching session begin!"
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