The next morning, Monday.
After entering the classroom, Shizuka Hiratsuka scanned the students, then rapped her knuckles on the lectern. Only when every student's attention was focused on her did she slowly begin speaking.
"As you all know, we'll be having our final examinations next Monday."
"After the exams conclude, it will be your long-awaited summer holiday."
Hearing this, the students couldn't help but show excited expressions.
This lengthy first semester was finally coming to an end.
What comes to mind when you think of summer holiday?
The ocean!
Fireworks festivals!
And over two months of freedom.
Before the students could get too excited, Hiratsuka crossed her arms and let out two cold laughs.
"Hmph, don't celebrate just yet."
"This final examination is somewhat different."
Hiratsuka placed both hands on the lectern, scanning the students of Class 1-A as she slowly articulated each word.
"For this final examination, our Sobu High School and Shuchi'in Academy will jointly set the papers."
"Then, both schools' first-year students will take the exam simultaneously in the same examination hall."
"This will determine the winner."
When they heard the name Shuchi'in Academy, most students were already stunned.
By the time they heard Hiratsuka's final words – "determine the winner" – practically everyone was completely dumbfounded.
"Wait, has the school gone mad?"
"That's Shuchi'in Academy we're talking about..."
"Why bother competing? We should just surrender and admit defeat."
"Isn't this just asking for humiliation?"
As the students murmured among themselves, their gazes inevitably turned towards two people in the classroom.
A small portion of glances fell upon Yukino Yukinoshita.
After all, she ranked second in overall grade scores.
But the majority of looks were directed towards the window-side king's seat at the back of the classroom, where Ye Xing was currently sleeping with his head on the desk.
The top student in their year.
The upper years might be different.
But through the spring examinations, Sobu High students had come to understand one thing.
Ye Xing was the strongest among Sobu High's first-years.
Moreover, he was the undisputed strongest, ranking first in all three subjects, far ahead of everyone else.
If they were really going to hold a joint examination with Shuchi'in Academy...
Only these two stood any chance of winning, however slim.
"Anyway..."
Looking at the whispering Class A students who showed absolutely no confidence, Hiratsuka could only sigh helplessly.
There was no helping it.
If the students had appeared confident and determined after hearing her announcement, that would have been the real problem.
They would have needed a psychiatric evaluation.
After all, their opponent in this joint examination was that unshakeable institution, Shuchi'in Academy – renowned throughout Japan as the cradle of future talent.
While Sobu High was a decent school, compared to that behemoth, they weren't in the same league.
The administration of Sobu High School wasn't foolish enough to harbour the naive and fearless delusion that they could surpass Shuchi'in Academy in average scores.
They didn't even place their hopes on Yukino Yukinoshita, who ranked second in her year.
Only Ye Xing, who had previously achieved first place in unified exams, held any hope of defeating Shuchi'in Academy.
Sobu High School's administration had staked all their chips on him alone.
...
During lunch break.
"Finally finished, that was exhausting."
Rio Futaba, who had transferred to Class A, couldn't resist teasing when she heard Ye Xing's remark.
"What's so exhausting about it? You've been sleeping all morning."
"Hey, that's not fair to say."
Ye Xing waved his hand with an earnest expression.
"I've been racking my brain, contemplating the future plans for the Supernatural Society, not sleeping."
Rio Futaba asked curiously upon hearing this.
"So what have you come up with?"
Ye Xing looked directly into Rio Futaba's eyes and replied with a light laugh.
"For the future of the Supernatural Society, next time I visit your home, please wear a maid outfit and address me as master."
Rio Futaba immediately blushed upon hearing this and lowered her voice.
"Don't talk nonsense, we're at school. Fine, I won't banter with you anymore. I'll wait for you in the clubroom."
Meanwhile, Kazusa Touma was looking forward to what had become her most anticipated moment of each school day.
She lay with her head on a small pillow, arms seemingly positioned to block the surrounding view, burying her head deep like an ostrich.
In reality.
Kazusa Touma was secretly observing Ye Xing sitting beside her through the gap between her arms.
"Kazusa, time to wake up."
Ye Xing stood up and patted Kazusa Touma's shoulder.
That's right.
This was Kazusa Touma's most anticipated moment every day at school.
Ye Xing's wake-up service.
Normally, Kazusa Touma would pretend to have just woken up, rubbing her eyes as she lifted her head.
But this time...
Kazusa Touma quickly raised her head, a cold glint flashing in her delicate, slender eyes as she stared directly at Ye Xing's face and said softly,
"Why haven't you been coming to my house?"
Faced with this sudden question, Ye Xing showed no surprise, merely appearing as if he'd expected this all along.
"Heh, I knew it. You've been pretending to sleep every day."
Being exposed so bluntly made Kazusa Touma's pretty face flush slightly.
But she was determined to maintain her stubborn attitude.
"Enough of that. I'm asking you, why haven't you been coming to my house?"
Ye Xing responded flatly.
"Go to your house for what? Does your cat do backflips?"
"Um... I don't have a cat."
Kazusa Touma paused, as if searching for an excuse. It took her a while before she spoke again.
"Come to my house... to practice playing music, that's right! Didn't you promise last time that you'd practice with me?"
"I haven't had time lately."
Hearing this, Kazusa Touma's expression darkened, and her demeanour deflated.
"But..."
Ye Xing suddenly changed his tone, reaching out to pinch Kazusa Touma's fair cheek with a laugh.
"After final exams are over and I've dealt with club matters, I'll spend time with you during summer break."
"Really!?"
Hearing this, Kazusa Touma's face lit up with joy, like a wronged puppy receiving its owner's affection and rewards, wagging its tail excitedly in pleasure. Her expression became thrilled and animated.
But immediately after, she became aware of her unbecoming excitement and quickly composed herself, returning to her usual ice-cold demeanour, though a faint blush still coloured her pretty face.
"Mmm... alright then, I'll remember that."
"Let's go to the club room now."
"Mm, okay."
...
When Kazusa Touma arrived at the Supernatural Society clubroom with Ye Xing, they saw an unexpected person sitting there among the club members.
"Finally, everyone's here."
Shizuka Hiratsuka sat with her legs crossed, in a rather casual posture, occupying Ye Xing's usual window-side seat.
"Since everyone's here, I'll keep it brief."
At this point, the smile vanished from Shizuka Hiratsuka's face. She took out her phone, pointed at the screen, glared at Ye Xing while lightly gritting her teeth, and said:
"What did you mean by leaving my email address for club requests? And what's this about a nearly thirty-year-old single violent old woman!!!"
Ye Xing maintained a kindly smile.
"Aren't you nearly thirty?"
"Well... not quite there yet..."
"Aren't you violent?"
"..."
"Aren't you single?"
By the time Ye Xing asked this, Shizuka Hiratsuka's voice had gradually softened. For some reason, a hint of shyness appeared on her face. She brushed aside the hair near her ear and said in a voice as faint as a mosquito's hum:
"I... am single..."
Ye Xing nodded with satisfaction.
"Well then? I provided an accurate description."
"Besides, any normal person seeing those adjectives would definitely steer clear."
"That effectively filters out those idle busybodies who don't actually have real problems to solve, just looking for amusement."
"Learn from this, Shizuka."
Hearing Ye Xing's explanation, Shizuka Hiratsuka was left speechless.
She had come to realise something.
Every time he did something rather abstract, he could always provide a perfectly logical, self-consistent explanation.
But Shizuka Hiratsuka always felt...
The fundamental reason behind Ye Xing's actions wasn't what he claimed on the surface.
He was probably just doing it for fun, right?
Shizuka Hiratsuka shook her head, dismissing those unnecessary thoughts, and said seriously:
"Anyway, I've recently received several requests from students within the school. I've compiled them together to report to you."
Hearing this, Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't help but frown slightly.
According to her original conception, no matter the request's content, as long as the client was sincere and genuinely wanted to escape their predicament, she would provide assistance.
But now, after listening to Shizuka Hiratsuka's meaning, would requests be selectively chosen?
Yukino Yukinoshita had some objections to this.
However...
She glanced at Ye Xing sitting beside her and thought with resignation.
'I have no say in this matter.'
"The first request: a second-year student says they need to work part-time after school, but no one is available to walk their dog at home..."
Before Shizuka Hiratsuka could finish, Ye Xing waved his hand.
"Pass. Don't even mention such boring matters."
Shizuka Hiratsuka nodded slightly. "I thought as much."
Her fingers slid across the screen as she checked email after email, murmuring to herself as she read.
"Hmm... Appreciating the light novels I wrote myself? Using the word 'appreciate' makes it sound boring already... Skip."
"Gathering companions with special powers... to fight against the Holy Caretaker together? What on earth is this... chuunibyou?"
"Improving the tennis club's abilities? This one sounds somewhat reasonable."
Reading this far, Shizuka Hiratsuka looked up at the members of the Supernatural Society sitting opposite her.
"Can any of you play tennis?"
Ye Xing's response was simple.
"Somewhat."
Yukino Yukinoshita tucked a strand of black hair behind her ear and spoke calmly.
"Helping to improve abilities can be done even by those not particularly skilled at tennis."
"Then..."
Shizuka Hiratsuka glanced at the other members and tentatively asked.
"Shall we decide that this will be the Supernatural Society's first official school request?"
To be honest, Shizuka Hiratsuka had been quite unwilling to handle these troublesome matters initially.
But Yukino Yukinoshita was different from ordinary students—she held a special place in her heart.
Setting aside the fact that she was the younger sister of her good friend and former student Haruno...
For a student like Yukino Yukinoshita, who was overly idealistic, had an unusual personality, yet still achieved excellent grades, Shizuka Hiratsuka, as a teacher, genuinely couldn't predict what path she would take in the future.
Shizuka Hiratsuka's thinking was simple.
She didn't place much importance on students' academic results. As a teacher, what she truly valued was whether her students would grow into well-rounded individuals after graduating from high school.
Having Yukino Yukinoshita and Kazusa Touma, these two problematic students with peculiar personalities, join the Supernatural Society was Shizuka Hiratsuka's first attempt at intervention.
"Then it's decided..."
Yukino's words trailed off mid-sentence as she paused, looked at Ye Xing, and asked softly.
"Is that acceptable, Director?"
"Acceptable. It shouldn't take much time anyway."
Seeing Ye Xing nod in agreement, Shizuka Hiratsuka breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.
"Then after school, I'll have the client come here to explain the specific details of the request to you."
...
In the blink of an eye, school ended for the day.
Although they had accepted the request, it was clear that not all members of the Supernatural Society could stay in the club room.
Kazusa Touma went to play the piano.
Saki Kawasaki and Marin Kitagawa also left school, planning to continue with their previous plan - after picking up Keika Kawasaki, they would go shopping together in the commercial district.
The three psychics —Miko Yotsuya, Rio Futaba, and Mai Sakurajima —followed their usual operational pattern. One of Miko Yotsuya or Rio Futaba remained stationed at Kyoto Municipal Hospital to guard against potential attacks by evil spirits targeting Shoko Makinohara at any time.
The available one would take Mai Sakurajima to hunt nearby evil spirits, levelling up through combat.
Everyone had a bright future ahead.
Only Yukino Yukinoshita, Ye Xing, Yui Yuigahama, and Hina Amano—who had no sunny girl assignments to handle since the weather had unexpectedly cleared today—remained waiting in the clubroom.
Amid the silent wait, the clubroom door was carefully slid open.
A student with silver-white short hair, fair skin, a petite figure, delicate features, and a shy blush on her face stood there, looking exceptionally well-behaved and cute, like a beautiful girl. Dressed in a tracksuit, she spoke in a soft, somewhat hesitant voice.
"Um... is this the Supernatural Society?"
Feeling increasingly sidelined as a founding member who hadn't played a significant role lately, the society's figurehead, Yui Yuigahama, quickly stood up and approached with a sweet smile.
"Yes, this is the Supernatural Society. Are you the client, miss?"
"Mm... yes, I am."
The girl seemed somewhat timid, stealing a glance at the people seated in the clubroom. When her eyes landed on Ye Xing by the window, they lit up with excitement. Following Yui Yuigahama's lead, she entered the clubroom.
She took a seat, appearing nervous, pursed her pink lips, and cautiously said,
"Well... I mainly wanted to see Ye Xing."
Noticing the strange looks from Hina Amano and Yui Yuigahama, the girl quickly waved her hands in explanation.
"N-no, it's not like that! I don't mean anything else. It's just that Ye Xing is very good at sports, so I wanted to ask for his help."
Yui Yuigahama's expression remained sceptical.
She'd seen this kind of situation many times before.
Because she was sociable and approachable, girls from other classes—even upperclassmen—often approached Yui Yuigahama with simple requests.
To pass along love letters.
Yui Yuigahama wasn't good at refusing people, so each time she could only endure the inexplicable ache in her heart, accept the confession letters, and pass them to Ye Xing.
As for the outcome...
The result was that the Supernatural Society's bin bags would fill up every day or two, requiring frequent changes.
"You're Saika Totsuka, right?"
Yukino Yukinoshita had cross-referenced the student registry and memorised every student's appearance and corresponding name at Sobu High School.
That was how she could now confidently address the other by name.
"S-sorry, I forgot to introduce myself."
Saika Totsuka immediately stood up and bowed, appearing very reserved.
"I'm Saika Totsuka from Class 1-B. Nice to meet you, pleased to make your acquaintance."
"Alright, alright, no need to be so formal," Yui Yuigahama said with a laugh. "I'm Yui—"
"Yui Yuigahama, I know," Saika Totsuka replied with an embarrassed smile, speaking cautiously.
"Your Supernatural Society... is quite a famous club within our school."
Yukino Yukinoshita said calmly.
"Probably not for good reasons, I assume? But that doesn't matter. Tell us about your request."
"Yes, alright."
Saika Totsuka spoke softly.
"Actually, my request is to ask for your help in improving my tennis skills. With the current tennis club, if I don't become stronger... I'm afraid we won't even qualify for the national tournament..."
"I see."
Yui Yuigahama nodded, then asked with slight confusion.
"But... does our school have a girls' tennis team?"
"Huh?"
Saika Totsuka froze.
Ye Xing and Yukino Yukinoshita both turned to look at Yui Yuigahama, then spoke in unison.
"He's a boy."
"Huh?"
This time, it was Yui Yuigahama and Hina Amano's turn to be utterly bewildered.
"Eh? A boy?"
Yui Yuigahama and Hina Amano scrutinised Saika Totsuka carefully.
Pale, smooth skin, delicate and cute features, slender limbs, and that faint blush of maidenly shyness on his face.
This could be a boy!?
Saika Totsuka smiled awkwardly and whispered.
"I... really am a boy."
"Alright, this isn't important."
Ye Xing stood up directly and spoke slowly.
"Let's go play tennis."
Yui Yuigahama looked puzzled.
"Eh? Just like that? Do you know how to play tennis?"
"Heh, I'm an expert."
Seeing Ye Xing's confident expression, Saika Totsuka couldn't help but ask curiously.
"Ye Xing, do you really know how to play tennis?"
"Of course."
Ye Xing said seriously.
"Have you heard of the Zero-Shiki Serve, Swallow Return, Wave Motion Ball, Black Hole, and Tornado Destroying Car Park?"
"Um..."
Saika Totsuka said cautiously.
"Isn't the last one a bit exaggerated?"
"Not exaggerated at all. You'll see when we get there. Let's go."
Ye Xing walked towards the clubroom door, saying calmly.
"Tennis isn't such a simple sport, you know."
"Today, we'll determine both superiority and survival."