Lunchtime.
After finishing his meal at the Service Club, Su Yu headed to the tennis court.
Hikigaya Hachiman, Totsuka Saika, and Hayama Hayato had already arrived at the start of lunch break.
When Hayama saw Su Yu, he smiled at him, as if he hadn't witnessed anything unusual yesterday afternoon.
Su Yu didn't bother explaining either. After all, if Hayama couldn't even figure that much out, he would be too naive.
The two started their tennis match.
This time, Hayama played seriously.
Although he was still no match for Su Yu, he performed much better than he had yesterday.
They played for over half an hour.
When Su Yu stepped off the court, he spotted Isshiki Iroha.
Hayama noticed her as well.
He glanced at Su Yu, then silently walked toward the bench.
Isshiki Iroha approached, holding a drink, and stopped in front of Su Yu.
"Senpai." She handed him the drink.
"You should be giving this to Hayama, shouldn't you?" Su Yu said indifferently.
"After what Hayama-senpai said, of course, I wouldn't bother him anymore. The reason I came to find you, Su Yu-senpai, is because I find you interesting. Please don't misunderstand, okay?" Isshiki Iroha sat down beside him.
"Are you free this afternoon?" Su Yu asked.
"Senpai, you're being so direct? I'm not that kind of easy girl, you know?" Isshiki Iroha looked at him in surprise.
"I was just asking if you were free. I wasn't inviting you to do anything." Su Yu glanced at her.
Isshiki Iroha was momentarily stunned.
Then, she quickly recovered.
"Senpai, you're so sly. You obviously meant to invite me, but now you're pretending you didn't," she pouted.
"Then what's your reason for coming to me?" Su Yu asked.
"I was just curious about you, senpai. Or do you think I like you? Sorry, I don't have that kind of feeling for you—yet. Senpai, you're a nice person, but I…"
"You must have a lot of girls who dislike you, right?" Su Yu interrupted her.
"Senpai, how do you know? Did you investigate me? I don't even know why some girls dislike me. Am I not cute?" Isshiki Iroha blinked her eyes.
"You really don't know the reason?" Su Yu didn't look at her but focused on the match.
Isshiki Iroha stared at Su Yu and fell silent.
She did know the reason—at least part of it.
Some girls hated her because the boys in class thought she was pretty, which led to jealousy.
Others simply disliked her personality.
As a result, she had almost no friends in class. The few girls who occasionally talked to her only did so because she actively approached them.
"With your personality, it's inevitable that you won't have many female friends," Su Yu turned to look at her and could tell what she was thinking.
"Senpai, you understand me so well… Don't tell me you've been planning to pursue me all along?" Isshiki Iroha forced a smile.
"To others, your personality is troublesome. But to me, having a kouhai like you isn't a bother—it's actually quite cute." Su Yu examined her.
"Senpai… Do you think I'm cute?" Isshiki Iroha froze.
"Yeah, very cute." Su Yu nodded.
"Senpai, I… I do feel a little moved, but after thinking about it carefully, I still can't accept you. Unless you have only me as your girlfriend, love only me, and keep your distance from other girls," Isshiki Iroha turned her head and muttered.
Su Yu said nothing, simply watching the match again.
After waiting for a few minutes and getting no response, Isshiki Iroha pouted and turned away.
"Senpai, you're so mean…"
"You knew I had a girlfriend, yet you still approached me. Between the two of us, who do you think is worse?"
Su Yu countered.
"I… I was just curious! It's not like I have feelings for you. We can be friends!"
"Every girl who approaches me at first only wants to be friends, but in the end…"
"In the end, they all become your girlfriends?"
"More or less."
"Senpai, you're scary. But I have confidence in myself—I definitely won't fall for you so easily," Isshiki Iroha clenched her fists and smiled.
"Really? Then do you dare to go on a date with me?" Su Yu asked casually.
Hearing this, Isshiki Iroha was about to agree, but then she suddenly realized—
If she said yes, wouldn't that mean she had feelings for Su Yu?
But if she refused, it would be the same as admitting that Su Yu was right.
With that thought, Isshiki Iroha stared at Su Yu.
"Senpai, you… you did that on purpose…"
"Looks like you're catching on. Not bad, you're improving."
After saying that, Su Yu stood up.
"Senpai, where are you going?" Isshiki Iroha stood up as well.
"Where I need to be." Su Yu replied and walked away.
"I'm going with you!" Isshiki Iroha followed him.
"In ten minutes, you'll be far away from me," Su Yu said.
"I won't!"
"You will."
—
Ten minutes later.
In the hallway outside the restroom.
Isshiki Iroha stared at the distant scenery.
"Senpai is so sly…"
—
Afternoon, after school.
After packing her bag, Isshiki Iroha left the classroom.
She headed toward the tennis court, muttering to herself.
"Senpai, I won't lose to you again."
—
Ten minutes later.
At the tennis court.
Isshiki Iroha sat on a bench, waiting for Su Yu.
Instead, Hikigaya Hachiman and Totsuka Saika arrived first.
They exchanged glances upon seeing her.
Then, Totsuka Saika walked up to her.
"Totsuka-senpai, where's Su Yu-senpai?" Isshiki Iroha asked.
"This is from Su Yu-kun." Totsuka handed her a neatly folded piece of paper.
Isshiki Iroha had a bad feeling.
Did Senpai predict my thoughts?
She took the paper and slowly unfolded it.
It wasn't words—it was a drawing, like a page from a manga.
Isshiki Iroha's eyes widened.
Because the drawing depicted her. And the dialogue next to her was exactly what she had just been thinking.
"Senpai, I won't lose to you again."
Totsuka Saika watched as Isshiki Iroha froze, then quietly slipped away.
Isshiki Iroha's mind raced.
Is Senpai a psychic?
Can he read minds?
She looked at the drawing again.
This time, she noticed a small line of text.
"Wait… This is… Senpai's contact information?!"
Her face lit up as if she had discovered a hidden treasure.
She quickly added Su Yu's contact and sent him a message.
"Guess who I am."
Before long, Su Yu replied.