Teachers' Office
"You want to eat lunch in the Service Club?"
Setting down her manga, Hiratsuka looked at Yuu in surprise.
The instant noodle timer dinged right on cue. She picked up her chopsticks and answered casually, "Sure. The key's over there, grab it yourself. Just lock the door when you leave."
"Thanks, Sensei."
Scanning the office desk, Yuu quickly spotted the Service Club key, but it had a spare label attached.
Noticing his skeptical gaze, Hiratsuka explained while slurping her hot noodles, "The original key's with Yukinoshita. I gave it to her to keep."
Yuu frowned, showing a hint of irritation.
"Is she at the Service Club now?"
That woman held grudges. After what Yuu did to Yukino last week, she might be emotionally calm now, but she definitely wouldn't let things slide easily. Eating lunch shouldn't feel like a professional showdown.
"Maybe… Srrruupp."
Slurping noodles and broth greedily, Hiratsuka wiped her lips. Her carefree posture lacked any feminine grace. "That place is practically Yukinoshita's headquarters. Good lighting, secluded location, and a hot water kettle for tea. If I had no friends, I'd eat lunch there too."
"…"
Her words made so much sense that Yuu didn't know how to respond. Yukino did seem friendless, after all.
Pausing silently, staring at the key in his hand, Yuu hesitated.
"What's wrong?" The noodle slurping stopped abruptly, and Hiratsuka grinned, raising an eyebrow at him. "Scared to be alone with a girl? Afraid she'll eat you alive?"
"…"
"Hahaha!" Guessing his thoughts from his expression, Hiratsuka burst into laughter. She slapped his shoulder, giving a thumbs-up. "Didn't expect you, kid—decent looks but a shy little heart! Good, good, your teacher approves!"
Yuu sighed deeply, staring at her expressionlessly.
"I don't need your approval for this. Besides, we'll see who's afraid of whom later."
He pocketed the key. As he turned to leave, he suddenly remembered something and asked, "Hiratsuka-sensei, do you eat instant noodles often?"
"Huh?" Hiratsuka blinked in confusion, then answered, "Not really. I like ramen and instant noodles, usually alternating. When I'm bored, I switch to fried rice."
"I see."
At the teachers' office door, before closing it, Yuu flashed Hiratsuka a friendly smile. "According to British research, women who often eat instant noodles not only have poor skin quality but also find it harder to get boyfriends compared to average women…"
"Indeed, Sensei being single this long isn't without reason, huh."
Hiratsuka: "…"
Before the Warrior Woman's magnetic field could spin and pulverize him, Yuu shut the door and activated his Acceleration skill, bolting away.
A small heart wasn't just a woman's privilege. A tough guy like him couldn't stand being called a shy kid.
As for what consequences awaited Yuu later…
(Heh, if she dares, let her crush me with her 36Fs!)
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Hands in pockets, Yuu zipped through the corridor like a gentle breeze, nimbly and stylishly weaving past the crowd. Ignoring the surprised glances of students turning to look, he headed straight for the secluded, quiet school building.
Standing under the nameless classroom sign, Yuu pulled out the key, sighed, and slipped it back into his pocket.
It was daytime, and with no windows facing the corridor, he couldn't tell from outside if anyone was inside.
There was a small window on the door, but Yuu was too lazy to check again. Carrying his bento, he opened the door and stepped in.
The door was unlocked.
The next second, what appeared before his eyes…
Was a beautiful black-haired girl sitting by the window, her small lips slightly parted, frozen in shock, as the tiny panda onigiri on her chopsticks slowly fell back into her bento box.
Their wide-eyed gazes locked, trapped in a brief silence.
"…"
"…Pffft!"
As if seeing something adorable, Yuu burst into laughter without a hint of malice.
*CRACK!*
The air's temperature plummeted. The girl's delicate hand tightened, her chopsticks emitting a pitiful creak as if about to snap, and a flush of angry red spread like spilled dye across her soft, fair cheeks.
"Sorry, I'm intruding."
Just before the atmosphere turned tense, Yuu politely closed the door, restoring the corridor's warmth and calm.
[To prevent the Service Club from truly fracturing, considerately avoiding disturbance and finding another place to eat alone.] Yuu turned to head downstairs.
But as he took a step, the door behind him creaked open silently.
With a still-flushed face but an eerily cold expression, Yukino gripped the doorframe with one hand. In a voice softer than a sharp blade, she said:
"Tenkuji-kun, since you're here, why rush off?"
Yuu shrugged. "I wasn't sure you'd welcome me."
"Oh, why's that?"
Yukino feigned surprise, covering her mouth, but each word seemed to emerge from icy cracks, laced with unmistakable chill.
"As fellow club members, our communication is sorely lacking, not to mention team cohesion… That's fatal for a team with only an exceptional club president preparing for the club exhibition. Do you understand my point?"
Yukino's smile was friendly and bright, but her gaze was icy.
"So, please come in… I won't let you laugh and run off like that."
"You're blatantly stating your intentions."
Though he said that, like a student who didn't study but still wrote fervently on the final exam, Yuu didn't flee. Instead, he approached Yukino, a chilling smile creeping onto his face.
"Aren't you afraid I'll lock the door and do something to you like last week?"
Yet Yukino's expression didn't waver.
"Do as you please."
With a composed posture, she returned to her seat, smoothing a slight wrinkle in her skirt, then looked at him calmly and indifferently.
"If you act, go ahead. I'll resist with every means possible and take revenge, Mr. Trash."
"…"
The air froze momentarily.
Finally, Yuu's sigh broke the silence. "Sorry, I shouldn't have joked like that."
Dropping his smile, he stepped into the Service Club room, leaving the door open, and walked to the opposite side of the long table.
"Eh, he even apologized voluntarily?" Lifting her head to look at him, Yukino blinked in surprise, her smile dripping with sarcasm. "Could it be Mr. Trash only talks big and backs off when a girl fights back? That's reassuring."
"Stop with the constant jabs; it's grating." Yuu rolled his eyes, placing his bento on the table, emphasizing his words. "I'm not that kind of guy! It's just that last time's grudge was settled, and if I threatened you again without reason, I wouldn't forgive myself."
Pulling out a chair and sitting, Yuu thought for a moment, his expression suddenly turning serious.
"An apology is an apology, but honestly, my actions before were harassment and threats. If you have proof, you could sue me."
"…"
His voice held no trace of jest, almost too serious.
Now it was Yukino's turn to fall silent.
Quickly overcoming her shock, she studied the young man before her as if seeing him anew, sizing him up from head to toe.
"Tenkuji-kun, you're… really hard to figure out."
Yuu smiled.
"That's how it should be. We've only known each other briefly. If you already understood me, I'd be scared."
Opening his bento box, he said casually, "Adults are creatures driven by emotions, doing irrational things, but once calm, they're still willing to take responsibility for their words and actions."
Hearing this, Yukino raised her willow-like eyebrows, seizing the chance to strike.
"Yet you're still a minor?"
"I'm different from you—I matured early."
"…That's just early maturity, not actual adulthood, right?"
"Aren't adults just kids with mature minds?"
"A ripe apple doesn't turn into an apple tree."
"Yukinoshita, are you some eternal debate champion? Why are you so relentless?"
"…"