Eri Kashiwagi's retirement announcement caused a massive stir within the doujin art community, but outside of it, it didn't even create the tiniest ripple—far less than the splash of a pebble dropped into water.
This was actually a good thing. Eriri never wanted her decision to attract much attention, and things turning out this way was perfect.
Now that Eriri planned to dedicate more time to her part-time work at the studio, her activities with the Service Club had naturally decreased.
Yukino didn't get upset about it. Instead, she showed her support because Eriri was pursuing something she genuinely wanted to do, just like how Yukino established the Service Club to pursue her own goals.
Eriri's membership in the Service Club was still valid, and during the five school days each week, she would at least show up once.
After completing their first request, the Service Club had received a new request: helping a first-year girl struggling with math by providing her with study guidance.
The girl had already asked her teacher for advice, but all she got was the standard response: "Pay more attention in class and attend extracurricular tutoring."
Most teachers would respond this way, which was pretty normal. However, the girl was clueless about the overwhelming number of tutoring classes out there. So, through Shizuka Hiratsuka, she sought help from the Service Club.
Studying was Yukino's specialty, and for over a week, even though Eriri's visits to the club were fewer, Yukino didn't feel lonely. Instead, she fully immersed herself in tutoring the girl and providing her with guidance.
"Yukino really is good at tutoring."
In the studio, Eriri said, chewing on a lollipop with a slightly furrowed brow. "For over a week, she's been tutoring that girl in math every day after school, but I can't shake the feeling something's off."
"Something off? Isn't it just normal tutoring?"
Utaha responded while typing away on her keyboard. "Didn't Yukino tutor you before? And she did a great job. Your grades shot up immediately."
"That's not what I mean. Of course, I know how capable Yukino is."
Eriri shook her shiny golden twin-tails. "What I mean is, there's something weird about that girl."
"Hm?"
Hazuki, who was working on programming, instantly looked over at Eriri, her glasses gleaming with curiosity. "What exactly feels off?"
"Uhm... It's hard to put into words."
Eriri folded her arms, trying hard to think. "I just feel like that girl's purpose isn't solely to improve her math grades."
Hazuki immediately had a suspicion. Could it be that the girl had some kind of interest in Yukino?
But she shook her head. With so little evidence, it was impossible to draw a conclusion. Still, this situation was definitely interesting!
Ichin had also overheard the conversation, and he was struggling to keep a straight face.
He'd seen that girl who sought help from the Service Club before. She certainly seemed like she had ulterior motives, but with someone like Yukino, it probably wouldn't matter.
In some sense, Yukino was a total iron-willed, straightforward girl. She always spoke directly and would easily retort to anyone. Even if someone was upset, she wouldn't hesitate to speak her mind the next time.
Hazuki and Ichin weren't going to say anything, but that didn't mean Utaha would keep quiet.
With a smirk, Utaha spoke with amusement, "What's wrong? Afraid someone's going to steal your territory?"
"Huh? Steal my territory?"
Eriri looked at Utaha in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"Oh, nothing, just a random thought. Anyway, you really don't have to worry about the Service Club. Don't forget the client was referred by Hiratsuka-sensei. She's definitely keeping an eye on things."
"That's true."
Eriri nodded, letting the thought go and returning to her work.
"By the way, what are we having for dinner today?"
"McDonald's. You want some?"
"Sure! I want to try the new items!"
A week later, the midterm exams concluded. The girl who had come to the Service Club for help had indeed made noticeable progress in her math scores, indicating that the Service Club's second request had been successfully completed.
One day, Ichin and Utaha decided to pay a rare visit to the Service Club's clubroom, only to find Eriri there alone—Yukino hadn't arrived yet.
"Yukino? She's got something to take care of. She'll be here soon," Eriri explained while pouring tea for the two of them. "Have a seat. So, how did you do on your midterm exams?"
The two sat down, and Utaha spoke with a hint of frustration, "Still second in the grade. I clearly spent more time studying this time, so how did you still score better than me, Ichin?"
Ichin remained calm. "Just luck. I was just luckier."
"Ichin, you weren't secretly studying behind my back, were you?"
"Of course not." Ichin shook his head, taking a sip of tea. "You know exactly what I've been doing every day. Where would I find the extra time to study? It's pure luck."
Utaha narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him but didn't press the matter any further.
About ten minutes later, the door to the Service Club opened, and Yukino finally walked in.
However, something was clearly off about her expression when she entered.
"Yukino, what's wrong?"
The young lady walked in silently and sat down, prompting Eriri to quickly pour her a cup of tea.
Ichin and Eriri exchanged a confused glance. They had never seen Yukino with this kind of expression before.
"Thank you."
Taking a sip of tea to calm herself, Yukino let out a deep breath and rubbed her forehead. "I just didn't expect something like this to happen to me."
She then proceeded to explain why she was late.
"I... I was confessed to by the girl who came to the Service Club for help."
"Huh?!!!"
Eriri's eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at Yukino. "Confessed to? You mean the kind of confession I'm thinking of, right?"
Yukino nodded helplessly. "Yes, that kind. It scared me quite a bit. Fortunately, Hiratsuka-sensei showed up to save me, or else I wouldn't have known what to do. Even though I clearly rejected her, she kept pestering me."
At that moment, Shizuka Hiratsuka's voice came from the hallway. "I didn't expect your charm to be so powerful now, Yukino. You've become irresistible to both genders, huh?"
Hiratsuka walked into the clubroom and, with practiced ease, poured herself a cup of tea, downing it in one gulp before grinning. "So? How does it feel to be confessed to?"
"Sensei, please don't make fun of me." Yukino shot her an irritated glare before asking, "How did you handle it?"
"Relax, I've already dealt with it." Making an "OK" sign with her hand, Hiratsuka's smile remained. "It's rare to see you so flustered. This time, it really was my oversight. I never expected that girl to be so persistent and actually go through with a confession."
Ichin looked at Hiratsuka with surprise. "So, you knew about this from the start, Hiratsuka-sensei?"
"Yep, but it's not something I could just bring up with you all. I was hoping the girl would figure things out for herself. But, well... It looks like she was just born this way."
As she spoke, Hiratsuka spread her hands, expressing her helplessness.
Meanwhile, Yukino had already given up on saying anything more.
...
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