After school in the afternoon, Tanaka Masao arrived at the Service Club on time.
As expected, Yukinoshita Yukino was already there, waiting.
"Good afternoon, Yukinoshita."
"Good afternoon."
Perhaps because of her upbringing as the second daughter of the Yukinoshita family, she always responded politely whenever Tanaka Masao greeted her.
Tanaka enjoyed this about her.
He opened his backpack and pulled something out.
"Yukinoshita, I went to Tokyo this weekend and brought you a gift."
At first, Yukinoshita Yukino instinctively wanted to refuse.
"I don't need—"
But she stopped mid-sentence.
Because what Tanaka held was a pure white cat plush doll—adorable beyond words.
As a cat lover, Yukinoshita Yukino had no defense against it. She couldn't possibly say no.
Her eager eyes betrayed her feelings, even though she stayed silent.
Tanaka Masao smiled, certain she liked it.
He placed the doll on her desk and said,
"Don't be polite. Think of it as a thank-you gift for your help."
Yukinoshita Yukino hesitated, but in the end she gave in.
"Then I'll take it."
She reached out to touch the plush doll. It felt soft and comforting.
Though not the same as a real cat, it was a wonderful substitute for someone like her who couldn't keep pets in her apartment.
Suppressing the urge to cuddle it, she carefully put the doll away.
Then she cleared her throat, hiding her excitement, and urged,
"Alright, let's start training."
Because she was serious and responsible, receiving a gift only made her feel more obligated to help Tanaka Masao.
But that meant today's session was even stricter than usual.
Normally, he finished training with legs that simply trembled.
But today, he was so drained he couldn't even straighten his back.
He collapsed on the floor, groaning.
"No… I can't… I really don't have any strength left."
Seeing him like this, Yukinoshita finally realized she'd pushed too hard.
"I was too serious," she admitted.
She glanced at the clock. "It's still early. Rest for half an hour before going back. I'll buy you a drink."
"Oh, thanks, Yukinoshita. I'd like a Coke."
"I recall saying Coke and similar drinks are off-limits while dieting."
"I'm too tired… just this once?"
"No. You need to stay disciplined. I'll get you a sports drink."
With that, Yukinoshita Yukino left the Service Club.
A few minutes later, she returned and set a bottle of sports drink in front of him.
"Here."
Tanaka Masao didn't hold back. He cracked it open and drank deeply.
The sweetness revived him.
"Ahh, I feel alive again."
He rested while sipping, glancing at Yukinoshita Yukino sitting by the window, quietly reading.
A beautiful girl, a school beauty, had just gone out of her way to buy him a drink after training.
It was a wonderful feeling for Tanaka Masao.
For a moment, it felt like he was the most popular boy in school.
The quiet atmosphere was warm.
Since Yukinoshita was the head of the Service Club, she had to lock up, so she waited for him to finish before leaving.
Tanaka Masao enjoyed the moment and wanted to linger, but it was getting late.
After resting, the two left together.
······
"I'm home."
Though exhausted, Tanaka Masao still forced himself to shower.
He wanted to change himself, stay clean, and keep up good habits.
Afterward, he stepped on the scale, saw the number, and smiled.
"Down another 300 grams today."
After just over a week of dieting, results were showing.
From his original 200 kilograms, he was now at 195.
Seeing progress only fueled his motivation.
"Alright, keep working hard. I'll get that eight-pack in no time."
Just as he was imagining his future, a voice interrupted.
"What are you doing?"
He turned and saw Jahy standing there.
"Wait—did you sneak in while I was showering? Were you trying to peek?"
"Huh!? Me, peek at you!?"
Jahy pointed to herself, looking indignant.
How could she possibly want to peek at Tanaka Masao?
But she had noticed he returned today looking like he was about to collapse.
That made her curious about what had happened.
If she found out the reason, maybe she could use it to her advantage.
So she had secretly followed him.
"I am Lord Jahy! Nothing I do could ever be called peeping!"
"Ah, right, right. How could the great Lord's deeds ever be called peeping?"
Jahy didn't fully understand his mocking tone, but she knew he was making fun of her.
She simply pretended not to notice.
"Didn't you say you were at school? Why did you come back so exhausted? Were you fighting there?"
Her question made Tanaka Masao chuckle.
"Fighting? I'm learning how to kill, actually. Anyway, if you want the shower, go take it. I'm heading out."
Too tired to continue, he brushed her off.
All he wanted was to lie on the sofa, drink milk, and watch TV.
Jahy, however, stayed behind, stroking her chin in thought.
"So that's it… I knew human schools couldn't just teach the things Masao mentioned this morning.
They teach fighting—and even killing.
No wonder he's so strong. I can't beat him.
He must have learned it at school."
She smirked smugly at his retreating back.
"Kukuku… trying to fool me? Impossible.
I'll go to school too, learn human combat, and my power will soar.
When that happens, Tanaka Masao will bow before me!
Wahahaha!"
"Jahy, what are you doing? Come to dinner."
Hearing Kazumi's voice, Jahy stopped laughing and called back,
"I'm coming!"
...
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