On a Wednesday afternoon, sunlight streamed through the windows of the teaching building, casting long shadows on the corridor floor. Okabara Kyogumichi held the invitation handed to him by Yuigahama Yui, standing in front of the Service Club's activity room, sighing helplessly.
Ever since their last tennis court match, Yuigahama had been enthusiastically inviting him to visit the Service Club. Unable to refuse her earnest request, he decided to spare some of his lunch break to check it out.
Gently pushing open the door to the activity room, Kyogumichi was somewhat surprised by the scene inside. The room was not large but was meticulously tidy. A long table was placed by the window, neatly stacked with various documents and books.
Yukino Yukinoshita was sitting at the table, dressed in a clean school uniform, intently looking at her laptop. Sunlight fell on her fair profile, outlining her delicate features.
"You're here." Yukinoshita didn't even lift her head, her tone calm and unruffled, but her fingers subconsciously pulled back the power cord at the corner of the table.
"Excuse me." Kyogumichi walked into the activity room, and as his gaze swept across the floor, he noticed that the scattered power cords had been tidied up and tucked inside the table legs. He paused, then walked to the long table and sat down.
Yukinoshita then closed her laptop, crossed her arms, and looked at him, her eyes holding their usual scrutiny, but with a little less sharpness: "Yuigahama-san said you've been helping her with math recently? Her notes are indeed much neater than before."
"Just occasional guidance." Kyogumichi took the cup of water she offered, his fingertips touching the cool rim of the cup, "I heard the Service Club is handling the cultural festival proposal? If you need help, just say so."
"Progress is going smoothly so far." Yukinoshita didn't directly refuse, instead opening a folder and pushing it towards him, "However, this budget sheet always comes out wrong. Your math is good, can you help me see what the problem is?"
Kyogumichi took the folder and examined it carefully, quickly finding several logical errors. Yukinoshita listened quietly to his explanation, nodding and taking notes occasionally. When he pointed out a simplified method for a complex formula, a hint of approval flashed in her eyes: "This algorithm is indeed more efficient. I hadn't thought of it before."
After they finished discussing the budget, the activity room fell into a brief silence. Sunlight streamed through the window onto the open textbooks. Yukinoshita suddenly changed the subject: "I heard there's a monthly exam in two weeks. How are your preparations coming along?"
Kyogumichi leaned back in his chair, speaking in a relaxed tone: "No preparations needed, just perform as usual."
"Perform as usual?" Yukinoshita raised an eyebrow, her fingertips gently tapping the table, "You were tenth in your grade during the last mock exam, weren't you? You can't be complacent if you want to maintain that ranking."
Kyogumichi smiled, saying with a hint of deliberate ease: "Exams are simple for me. I've already mastered all the knowledge in the textbooks anyway." His words weren't boasting; with the super memory and comprehension abilities granted by the system, maintaining tenth place in his grade was merely a result of deliberate control.
Yukinoshita looked up at him, a faint hint of mockery playing on her lips: "That sounds very confident. But theoretical knowledge and practical application are two different things. Last time, in the final major physics question, weren't you deducted points for unconventional steps?"
She paused, then took out a notebook from her bag and pushed it over: "These are my notes on common mistakes. They include the teachers' grading criteria for each subject. Perhaps they'll be useful to you."
Kyogumichi looked at the neat and elegant handwriting in the notebook, somewhat surprised that she would proactively share her materials. Yukinoshita, however, turned her face away: "Don't misunderstand, I just don't want to see Yuigahama-san's tutoring subject perform too poorly."
These words, however, ignited Kyogumichi's competitive spirit. He hadn't originally intended to vie for first place, but being reminded by Yukinoshita in such a semi-disdainful manner, a surge of determination immediately welled up. He looked into Yukinoshita's clear eyes and said firmly: "How about we make a bet?"
Yukinoshita raised an eyebrow: "Bet what?"
"This monthly exam, I will take first place in the grade." Kyogumichi's gaze was sharp and resolute, completely devoid of his previous casualness, "At that time, I hope you can grant me any one request."
Yukinoshita clearly hadn't expected him to say that. She paused for a moment, then chuckled softly: "First place in the grade? Do you know how much effort that requires? I spend at least three hours reviewing every day. And there's also Shinomiya-senpai; I've never surpassed her even once."
"I know." Kyogumichi met her gaze, unwavering, "So I will do it."
The atmosphere in the activity room instantly became somewhat tense. Yukinoshita looked at the competitive gleam in Kyogumichi's eyes, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the edge of her notebook, feeling for the first time that this seemingly nonchalant boy might harbor unknown potential.
But she still wasn't entirely convinced, merely stating calmly: "Alright, I'll be watching. If you can really get first place, I'll grant your any request. But if you can't..."
"If I can't, I'll diligently study your notes and definitely improve next time." Kyogumichi interrupted her, a smile in his voice.
Yukinoshita's lips curved into a barely perceptible smile at his teasing, but she quickly regained her composure: "I hope you're not just boasting. This is the latest mock exam paper; it has a few challenging problems. You can take it home and try them."
Kyogumichi took the test paper and noticed that the key difficult points had already been circled in red. As he stood up to leave, Yukinoshita suddenly spoke: "The library is less crowded after school, good for practice. If you encounter any problems you can't solve... you can come ask me."
"Alright." Kyogumichi smiled and nodded, then turned and left the activity room. The moment he closed the door, he heard Yukinoshita softly say: "Don't actually mess it up."
Kyogumichi's lips curved into a determined smile. The sunlight in the corridor was still warm. He felt the test paper in his pocket, his heart already anticipating this special competition. Perhaps, occasionally breaking his self-imposed "stable rhythm" wasn't such a bad thing after all.