A single tennis ball was tossed high into the air, spinning against the backdrop of the clear sky, only to fall back down and be caught.
The motion was rhythmic, repeating over and over again.
Katsuragi Ren stood under the shade of a sprawling tree, tossing the ball with a look of casual boredom.
His eyes drifted toward the tennis court, where Hikigaya and Saika Totsuka were braving the sun.
The heat waves shimmered off the asphalt, yet the two of them continued their practice session without pause.
"I can understand why Yui is here. She's naturally a busybody with a heart of gold.
When she ran into Saika in the classroom and heard about his situation, it's just like her to volunteer to help," Ren said, his voice flat.
"But you, Poison-tongue... how did you end up here too?"
Beside Ren, Yukino Yukinoshita sat comfortably on a folding chair she had managed to find.
She didn't even bother to look up from her book as she replied, "If Scum-kun is allowed to be here, then it is only logical for me, as the President of the Service Club, to be here as well."
The situation had developed following a series of consultations.
After hearing Ren's initial suggestions, Hikigaya had returned to the Service Club and presented the problem to Yukino.
Hikigaya was conflicted. While Ren's proposed method was effective, it was undoubtedly aggressive—bordering on manipulative.
He hoped to compare Ren's radical ideas with Yukino's more grounded ones, intending to cherry-pick the best parts while discarding the risks.
However, Yukino's solution was the polar opposite of Ren's.
Instead of turning Hikigaya into a "public enemy" for the club members to unite against, Yukino suggested that Saika should simply train until his individual skill surpassed everyone else's.
Her philosophy was simple: Saika should carry the weight of the entire club on his own shoulders through competence.
Upon hearing both plans, Hikigaya couldn't help but feel that Ren and Yukino must have been mortal enemies in a past life.
Their ideologies clashed: Ren's path was about utilizing others to achieve a goal, while Yukino's path was about self-transcendence and ignoring the weaknesses of others.
"Hikigaya, would you mind telling me exactly what kind of plan Scum-kun came up with?" Yukino had asked after giving her own advice.
Knowing that Hikigaya would never miss a chance to pry for information, Yukino had guessed he had already consulted Ren.
And Hikigaya, being Hikigaya, had sold Ren out without hesitation.
A strange sense of competitiveness had flared up within Yukino.
Under her unreadable smile, Hikigaya had finally buckled.
He decided to implement both methods simultaneously: he would help Saika improve his technical skills according to Yukino's plan, while also preparing to recruit new members—the "fresh blood" Ren had mentioned.
Now, having learned that Hikigaya was actually following through with the training, Yukino had come to the court to observe and see if her training regimen had any flaws.
She just hadn't expected Ren to be lounging there as well.
"I didn't even want to come. Hikigaya practically dragged me here by force," Ren answered simply.
He had originally only intended to offer advice, not manual labor. But Hikigaya had been uncharacteristically persistent.
"Ren, look, what if we end up playing a two-on-two? We only have three people here; that's not enough. Just help us out and fill the spot if we need a match," Hikigaya had pleaded.
It seemed that for Saika's sake, Hikigaya was willing to push himself to the limit, even if it meant pestering Ren.
Ren found Hikigaya's dedication to Saika somewhat amusing, so he had allowed himself to be led along.
"Anyway, Poison-tongue, Yui is standing over there all by herself, you know."
Ren reached out and plucked the book right out of Yukino's hands.
Before she could flare up in anger, he shoved the tennis racket that Saika had prepared for him into her grasp.
With a grin, he pointed toward the court, where Yui Yuigahama was standing, looking visibly bored and out of place.
Yui wasn't particularly athletic. If she practiced with Saika, she wouldn't be able to keep up, which would only hinder his progress.
Knowing this, she hadn't volunteered to play, leaving her to watch Hikigaya and Saika trade shots.
From her perspective, Ren and Yukino looked like a "pair" that shouldn't be disturbed.
Thus, the cheerful Yui had been unintentionally isolated in an awkward way.
Yukino, true to her nature, wouldn't offer help unless specifically asked, so she hadn't moved to join her.
"..."
Yukino stared at the racket in her hand, then gave Ren a long, complicated look.
She pursed her lips slightly and whispered, "Thank you."
"Yui, would you like to play a few sets?" Racket in hand, Yukino stood up and called out to her friend.
"Eh?! Yukinon! Really?!" Yui's face lit up instantly. She turned around, beaming with happiness.
This was one of the rare times Yukino had taken the initiative to invite her to do something.
"Of course."
The radiance of Yui's smile was infectious.
It caused the corners of Yukino's mouth to lift in a tiny arc.
"Poison-tongue, catch!"
Ren called out to her again. As Yukino turned back, he tossed the tennis ball toward her. "Go on, have some fun."
Catching the ball with ease, Yukino tossed it up a couple of times to get a feel for it.
Then, she smiled at Yui. "Come on then, Yui."
With that, the tennis court was effectively split into two separate arenas.
The four of them were in the middle of a lively practice session when an unwelcome voice broke the atmosphere.
"Hey, can we play here too?"
Standing outside the chain-link fence was Yumiko Miura.
She had her arms crossed over her chest, staring at the four people on the court with her usual haughty expression.
Beside her was the rest of the clique: Hayato Hayama, the rest of the boys, and Hina Ebina.
"Miura-san, we aren't exactly 'playing' right now," Saika Totsuka explained politely, stopping his serve.
"Totsuka-kun, I—"
Before Yumiko could continue her demand, Ren's voice rang out from behind the group.
"Hayato, Yumiko. Get inside first. Don't just cluster around the entrance; you're blocking the way."
Ren was standing behind them, a full crate of sports drinks balanced on his shoulder.
His brow was slightly furrowed from the heat.
Seeing how focused Saika and the others were, Ren hadn't wanted to interrupt their flow earlier, so he had slipped away to buy drinks for everyone.
"He hadn't expected to find Yumiko and her group blocking the way at the gate upon his return."
"Ren? You're here playing too?" Hayato Hayama asked, surprised.
Ren had a decent relationship with most of the class, so the atmosphere wasn't hostile, just a bit crowded.
"Yeah. Let's talk inside. I need to put these drinks down first—unless you want to take over and carry the crate for me, Hayato?"
Ren joked, gesturing with his head toward the heavy box.
Hikigaya, who had been ready to step in and defend Saika, stayed silent.
Since Ren had arrived, he was content to let him handle the social navigation.
"No problem, let me take that for you," Hayato said, reaching out to take the crate from Ren's shoulder.
"I appreciate the offer, Hayato, but let's just get inside first."