Yukinoshita Yukino was the kind of student who made everyone else feel comfortably ordinary. Her test scores were always at the top, her posture impeccable, and even when she said nothing, people still felt the pressure of her presence. She had that rare combination of beauty and distance that made her impossible to approach without rehearsing three polite sentences first.
Being accepted into the Service Club had been Yukino's idea of changing the world through small acts. She believed that changing small weaknesses in people could eventually change larger trends. The club, however, had not been busy. So when a student showed up with an odd story and a cast on his leg, that alone was enough to pique curiosity.
Lin Qianshu answered the question straightforwardly when asked why he wanted to join. He said he wanted to help others. That sounded noble, and Yukino accepted him after a short pause. Her face did not show the usual surprise people would display when admitting someone new into a closed group. Instead she nodded as if logic and justice had been satisfied.
When the teacher left them alone, the room did not fill with awkward silence. Instead it felt like two actors both waiting for their cue. Yukino poured tea as if hosting a guest. Lin replied with a mock-serious toast, and the ridiculousness of that formal exchange loosened the tension. The room shifted from formal to warm in a few small gestures and matching smiles.
There was a practical side to joining the club as well. Lin had a system now, and the system rewarded effort. A task could turn into a long-term assignment, creating a steady stream of small rewards instead of one big payout. That meant the work he did in the Service Club could be repeated, tracked, and gradually profitable in the currency that mattered to him: wish points. When the teacher's gray or blue task transformed into a recurring assignment, Lin saw long-term value.
Yukino's leadership was not theatrical. She was pragmatic, precise, and quietly serious. Her idea of "help" was not sentimental. She wanted measurable improvement. That suited Lin. He liked the efficiency of converting social goodwill into measurable outcomes. If helping people could be repeated with reliable results, then it was not just charity, it was a strategy.
By the time the club activity wound down, Lin had the sense that joining this group was a small door he could walk through. It felt like the first step in a plan he had not known he was making: gather small favors, turn them into wish points, and use those points to buy more useful things than praise. The system had already shown him how practical that could be.
As he left the room, the thought that stayed with him was simple and sharp. This club might be more useful than he had expected. It might even be the quickest way to find the kinds of people whose lives, if nudged, would reward him handsomely.