After PE class ended, the girls of Class 2J returned to the girls' locker room to change clothes. Yukinoshita was no exception. She stood in front of the locker marked with her name, first placing her unfinished coconut water in the corner of the locker. Then she took off her gym clothes, folded them neatly, and placed them aside. The worn gym clothes needed to be taken home, cleaned, and brought back to school for storage in the locker. Finally, Yukinoshita took out her neatly folded Sobu High black uniform from the locker and put it on.
After changing into her uniform, Yukinoshita noticed two classmates curiously approaching her. They didn't speak first, so Yukinoshita pretended not to see them. She took out the coconut water from her locker, closed the locker, and picked up the gym clothes, ready to leave.
"Yukinoshita-san, please wait," one of them spoke up, causing Yukinoshita to turn around and face them. "What is it, Tenpou-san?" she asked.
The one who had spoken was Tenpou Ayami, who had acted as a referee for Yukinoshita and Hoshimi during the PE class. She had shoulder-length short hair, a delicate face, and a petite figure, looking like a cute girl. The other person was Tenpou Ayami's friend, Nagakura Moeka. The two were often seen together, like typical best friends.
"Yukinoshita-san, do you know where Hoshimi-kun is from?" Tenpou Ayami asked, her eyes avoiding Yukinoshita's gaze, with a hint of blush on her pretty face.
"...," Yukinoshita's brows furrowed slightly at the sight of her expression, feeling a surge of irritation. This irritation was not for any particular reason, but simply because she was annoyed by how easily her classmates were fooled by Hoshimi's appearance. There was no other reason and could not be any other reason, for she was genuinely angry at Hoshimi, who was beautiful on the outside but rotten inside.
"Don't get close to him or investigate him. He's not a good person," Yukinoshita coldly warned Tenpou Ayami, who seemed to have illusions about Hoshimi.
"Ahaha~ is that so..." Tenpou Ayami laughed awkwardly, standing there, unsure whether to leave or stay, as she faced the cold and slightly angry Yukinoshita.
"Ayami, didn't you say you needed to go to the bookstore after school to buy a limited-time sale book? If you don't leave now, you'll be late," Nagakura Moeka interjected, helping her friend out of the awkward situation.
"Ahaha~ that's right, there's that too. Goodbye, Yukinoshita-san. Let's go, Moeka," Tenpou Ayami responded, quickly leaving the locker room with her friend after awkwardly saying goodbye to Yukinoshita.
At the same time, the other girls who had been paying attention to Yukinoshita's situation also found excuses to leave the locker room in groups of three or five. Within a few dozen seconds, only Yukinoshita was left in the locker room.
Yukinoshita, who appeared indifferent, was clearly used to this situation. Holding her coconut water in her right hand and gym clothes in her left, she expressionlessly walked towards the exit of the locker room. As she passed under the locker room's ventilation window, she vaguely heard her name. She looked up at the ventilation window and stood still, quietly listening to the commotion outside.
"Yukinoshita-san's possessiveness is really strong. She doesn't even allow anyone to get close to Hoshimi-kun. Hoshimi-kun must be very tired, right?"
"Pfft~ haha~ of course, he's tired. He's practically floating when he walks; how could he not be?"
"Oh-hoho~ as expected of Yukinoshita-san, the all-rounder ace of Class 2J. She's amazing in every aspect."
"By the way, I finally understand why Yukinoshita-san is so aloof."
"Eh? What's the reason? Tell us."
"She has a boyfriend already! With such a handsome, gentle, reliable, and devoted boyfriend, she naturally doesn't need to get along with others. If I had a boyfriend like Hoshimi-kun, I would be aloof too~"
"Pfft~ you? No way. You'd still be joking around with others."
"Who says so! I could definitely do it! If I had a handsome boyfriend, why would I hang out with you guys? Wouldn't it be better to stick with my handsome boyfriend all day?"
"Alright~ alright~ so, do you have one?"
"Ugh~ that's so heartless! Let me hit you to calm down. Huh? Don't run!"
Listening to the distant laughter, Yukinoshita loosened her grip on the deformed drink bottle. "Hoshimi Kiyokawa!" she muttered through gritted teeth, once again transforming into a high-powered cooling machine.
Meanwhile, Hoshimi was leaning against the ventilation window of the boys' locker room, listening to three boys from Class 2J gossiping about him.
"What's with Hoshimi? He got beaten 6-0 by Yukinoshita-san, yet those girls still flock to him. Do they only care about looks?" The first voice was a bit sharp. Hoshimi remembered it belonged to a tall, skinny boy with glasses who looked very refined.
"Exactly, if it were me, I'd at least score 6-2. He has such poor stamina. I don't know what Yukinoshita-san and those girls see in him." The second voice sounded like an average high school boy. Hoshimi recalled it belonged to a robust-looking boy.
"It's his face. His face is nice, he's tall, his skin is fair, and he has that sometimes lazy, sometimes sunny vibe. It's normal for high school girls to like that." The third voice had a distinct magnetism. Hoshimi remembered it belonged to a laid-back, somewhat indifferent boy who seemed to not care about anything.
From their words, Hoshimi could tell that this boy was indeed a calm person who was only responding to his classmates' topic without adding any embellishments. But it seemed there was a bit of envy towards Hoshimi's situation?
"Enough, I don't want to talk about it. I have club activities to go to, so I'm leaving."
"Me too, I have to go as well."
"Oh~ okay~ goodbye then. Enjoy your youth. I'm heading home."
Listening to their footsteps approaching the door, Hoshimi slowly stood up, moving to a corner to avoid his three classmates. Being caught overhearing badmouthing would be awkward for both parties, so it was better to avoid it. After hearing their footsteps fade away, Hoshimi slowly entered the locker room to change clothes.
The rejection from his male classmates was expected. There was no helping it; his actions naturally led to this result. It was a give-and-take situation. As for trying to improve his relationship with these three boys? There was no need. First, he didn't need the benefits these three boys could bring, and second, he wasn't interested in getting along with boys.
Wasn't it better to spend time with sweet-smelling, soft, and beautiful girls made of the best things in the world?
"Home~ home~ time to play games~"
After changing into his uniform, Hoshimi happily headed home.
......
In a dream, the modern cityscape remained grand. The late-night Yukinoshita arrived there again, looking up at Hoshimi floating in mid-air with a parachute.
"Yo~ Yukinoshita, want to experience the feeling of flying up into the sky?"
"..."
Before Yukinoshita could respond, Hoshimi hugged her from behind, taking her above the clouds.
"Yo~ the skydiving game starts now, Yukinoshita. Make sure to hold on tight, or you'll die!"
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