After a simple warm-up, today's practice began.
Tennis.
The physical education teacher asked the students to practice in pairs.
There were 26 students in Tanaka Masao's class, which should have made exactly 13 groups.
Unfortunately, no one teamed up with him.
The other person left alone was Kawasaki Saki.
Over in Class 1-J, they were also playing tennis today.
That class had 25 students, and the one left without a partner was, unsurprisingly, Yukinoshita Yukino.
Tanaka Masao stood there holding his racket, glancing at Kawasaki Saki, then at Yukinoshita Yukino, feeling a little embarrassed.
[Two beautiful girls… who should I play with? This is a real dilemma.
But since I'm such a kind person, I guess I'll just have to reluctantly keep them company.]
In reality, there was no need for him to hesitate—neither Yukinoshita Yukino nor Kawasaki Saki would normally agree to team up with him.
If it were a weight-loss request, Yukinoshita Yukino might hesitate for a moment, then simply let him swing his racket alone until class ended.
Tanaka Masao's eyes shifted between the two girls.
Although Yukinoshita Yukino was the prettier one, he still chose to walk decisively toward Kawasaki Saki.
There was no helping it—her particular appeal was stronger to him.
······
Tanaka Masao went to the corner, where Kawasaki Saki was casually swinging her racket against the wall.
"Kawasaki, why don't we team up and play tennis together?"
At his words, Kawasaki Saki gave him a sideways glance and replied coldly,
"I can manage on my own."
Then she ignored him.
Faced with her frosty attitude, Tanaka Masao didn't press further.
[Forget it. I'll go ask Yukinoshita.]
He walked over to where Yukinoshita Yukino was.
"Yukinoshita, do you want to play tennis together?"
Looking at him, Yukinoshita Yukino let out a sharp little laugh.
As one of the few people who ever spoke to her, she had actually been watching Tanaka Masao's every move.
Naturally, she realized he had invited Kawasaki Saki first, been rejected, and then turned to her.
For some reason, that annoyed her, and her tone grew cutting.
"What, did she reject you?"
Yukinoshita crossed her arms across her chest. Even though she was shorter than Tanaka Masao, her posture gave the impression of looking down on him.
"It's not impossible for me to agree, but your skills are too poor. I can't get interested.
Here's a condition—practice your swing 10,000 times first. Then I'll consider whether to accept your invitation."
"Ten thousand times!"
Tanaka Masao sucked in a sharp breath.
Forget whether he could even manage it—if he did, his arms would likely break.
Realizing Yukinoshita's rejection, he knew there was no point in forcing it.
[Hah, just as I expected—rejected.
Still, it feels a little uncomfortable.]
Behind his glasses, his eyes glimmered with thought until an idea struck him.
He went back to Kawasaki Saki.
Seeing him return, she spoke first.
"I already told you—I'm not interested."
But Tanaka Masao shook his head.
"It's not me. It's Yukinoshita from the other class. She said you're skilled and wants you to play with her."
Kawasaki Saki frowned.
She had noticed him talking with Yukinoshita Yukino earlier, but she hadn't expected Yukinoshita to want to play with her.
Even so, the commanding tone bothered her.
She knew about Yukinoshita's reputation, but she, Kawasaki Saki, was not someone to be pushed around.
"Fine. Tell her I accept her challenge."
Tanaka Masao smiled, glancing at the racket in her hand. "Okay, I'll let her know."
He walked straight back to Yukinoshita Yukino.
"Yukinoshita, my classmate Kawasaki Saki wants to challenge you to a match. She's the one playing alone over there."
He even pointed her out, in case Yukinoshita didn't recognize her.
"Oh, really?"
Yukinoshita raised an eyebrow at him. "Why do I feel like this isn't so simple?"
But Tanaka Masao, having prepared his story, kept calm.
"How could it be? If you don't want to accept, I'll go tell Kawasaki-san."
"Provocation? But…"
Yukinoshita looked over at Kawasaki Saki.
At that exact moment, Kawasaki Saki looked back.
Their gazes locked, sparks flying instantly, as if both declared at the same time:
[You're barely worthy of being my opponent.]
"I accept the challenge."
Yukinoshita strode toward Kawasaki Saki with a confident, commanding air.
Kawasaki Saki wasn't intimidated—her aura was just as sharp.
Without a word, both stepped onto the nearest tennis court.
Watching them, a sly smile curled at the corner of Tanaka Masao's mouth.
[Since neither of you wanted to team up with me, you can fight each other.
I even found you both a partner—you should be grateful.]
As for whether they would discover his scheme, Tanaka Masao wasn't worried.
In his mind, both Yukinoshita and Kawasaki disliked unnecessary conversation. There was no way they would discuss something so trivial.
······
On opposite sides of the court stood Yukinoshita Yukino and Kawasaki Saki. Tanaka Masao naturally took the middle as referee.
Yukinoshita spoke first. "You serve."
Kawasaki Saki nodded.
Bouncing the ball lightly on the ground, she said, "Then be sure you can return it."
The next instant, a sharp serve shot straight at Yukinoshita.
She easily countered it, returning the ball.
After more than a dozen rallies, the point ended with Kawasaki Saki's mistake.
Since it was just practice, there were no official points, games, or sets—only a simple comparison at the end.
Yukinoshita didn't relax after scoring first; her expression stayed focused and serious.
Kawasaki Saki also wasn't discouraged. Instead, her attention sharpened further.
Before long, their match drew the attention of others.
After all, it was the two most beautiful girls from different classes facing off in tennis. It was a sight no one wanted to miss.