The game started again, and she took the initiative to hold Hoshimi's right hand.
"Tick-tock... tick-tock... tick-tock..."
As the second hand moved forward, she gripped Hoshimi's hand tighter and tighter.
Seeing the fluctuations in Hoshimi's red eyes due to the pain, she curled her lips into a smile, feeling an inexplicable emotion surge within her.
"Ring-ring-ring~~~"
The alarm rang; she had completed the game.
...
Recalling the scene of their staring contest, Yukinoshita's eyes flickered with evasion, as if an unfamiliar emotion was stirring inside her.
Not daring to continue the memory, she quickly got up to wash and dress.
...
At apartment 1507, Yukinoshita, having finished preparing, opened the door to head to school.
"Huh? Hoshimi."
As soon as she stepped out, she was surprised to find Hoshimi waiting at her doorstep.
"Yo~ good morning." Leaning against the wall, Hoshimi straightened up and greeted Yukinoshita.
"..." After a moment of silence, Yukinoshita asked, "Hoshimi, what brings you here?"
This was a polite way of speaking. She originally wanted to question Hoshimi about why he was at her doorstep so early in the morning.
But after careful consideration, she chose a softer, more polite way of asking.
"Didn't you sprain your ankle? I'm here to help you to school. After all, I'm your 'boyfriend.' If any of our classmates see you limping to school without me by your side, they'll doubt my 'boyfriend power.'"
After hearing Hoshimi's explanation, Yukinoshita's expression didn't change, leaving her thoughts unknown.
"Come, let me help you." Hoshimi stepped forward, ready to assist Yukinoshita.
"You stay put; I'll handle it myself." Yukinoshita raised her hand to stop Hoshimi by placing it on his chest.
"Huh? You want to choose your own position?" Hoshimi asked with interest, stopping in his tracks.
"Yes." Yukinoshita nodded, took two steps forward, and used her right hand to hold Hoshimi's left shoulder for support.
Her sprain wasn't severe; she just needed a slight support point to move.
Seeing Yukinoshita's slightly awkward position, Hoshimi raised his left arm to his waist and said, "Yukinoshita, you'd better hold my left arm. If you hold my shoulder, I'll have to stoop while walking."
"Okay." Yukinoshita didn't argue and silently changed her support position.
Once Yukinoshita was securely holding Hoshimi's left arm, they headed towards the elevator together.
In the elevator, Hoshimi suddenly spoke up, "Yukinoshita, shouldn't you give me a reward for helping you?"
"You came uninvited, so why should I reward you? Besides..." Yukinoshita glanced at Hoshimi coldly and said, "Aren't you trying to build your image? Not refusing you is already a reward."
"Wow? Your tongue's getting sharper. Not bad." Hoshimi smiled, complimenting her.
"Learned it from you."
"Then I guess I deserve some credit. So, what about the tuition fee?"
"..." Yukinoshita suddenly didn't want to engage with Hoshimi anymore.
"Ding---"
The elevator arrived at its destination, and both of them tacitly fell silent, quietly walking out.
After leaving the apartment, Yukinoshita suddenly asked, "Hoshimi, did you work out this morning?"
"Huh? How did you know?"
"..." Yukinoshita remained silent.
She had deduced it from the scent of Hoshimi's body wash and the strand of hair on the left side of his head that wasn't completely dry.
Hoshimi seemed to have a habit of bathing in the morning. When he hadn't worked out, he would only take a bath, leaving a faint scent of body wash.
After working out, Hoshimi would take a shower, making the scent of body wash stronger.
Moreover, when Hoshimi used a hair dryer after bathing, there would always be a small area that wasn't completely dried, specifically the back-left side of his head.
From this, she could tell that he wasn't very good with the hair dryer, and his left hand wasn't very dexterous, which is why that area was left partially wet.
"Yukinoshita, let's go this way."
Seeing Yukinoshita not answering, Hoshimi didn't mind. He reminded her to follow him to the left.
"Huh?" Yukinoshita was puzzled.
Going straight would lead to the main road, so why go left? That wasn't the direction to school.
Though puzzled, Yukinoshita didn't question further and quietly followed Hoshimi to the left.
After walking a short distance, Hoshimi suddenly stopped and pointed to a brand-new bicycle by the roadside, asking, "Yukinoshita, want to ride?"
"..." Yukinoshita was taken aback. She looked up at Hoshimi, then at the shiny new bicycle, and asked softly, "Yours?"
"Yeah, bought it last night." Hoshimi replied with a grin.
"..." Yukinoshita's eyes flickered, and her fingers tightened momentarily.
"Come on, I'll take you to school." Hoshimi helped Yukinoshita towards the bicycle.
Shortly after, Yukinoshita was sitting sideways on the back seat of the bicycle, while Hoshimi held the handlebars, ready to go.
"Hoshimi, can you ride a bike?" Yukinoshita suddenly felt uneasy.
"Of course, I can." Hoshimi replied confidently.
"May I ask, Hoshimi, how long have you been riding?"
"About ten minutes." Hoshimi arched an eyebrow, deliberately teasing Yukinoshita.
"?!!" Yukinoshita's pupils shrank.
She immediately wanted to get off, but Hoshimi didn't give her the chance and pedaled the bike far ahead.
Startled, Yukinoshita quickly grabbed Hoshimi's waist to avoid falling.
"Haha~~" Hoshimi laughed, standing up to pedal with all his might.
In this world, he had only been riding a bike for ten minutes.
But in his previous life, he had over ten years of cycling experience.
"Hoshimi! Slow down!"
As the bike wobbled, Yukinoshita, feeling it might fall at any moment, urgently warned Hoshimi.
"Ah-ha~ faster? Got it!"
"Hoshimi! I said slow down!"
"Got it, going faster!"
"?! You jerk!"
As the bicycle sped on, Yukinoshita clung tightly to Hoshimi's waist with her eyes shut.
She swore that if she ever rode Hoshimi's bike again, she'd be a puppy!
...
Time moved steadily forward. In the two days while Yukinoshita was recovering, they temporarily called a truce, spending their days at school and nights training in dreams.
In no time, the day of the tennis tournament arrived.
In the early hours of Thursday, in a dream, Yukinoshita sat on a bench reflecting on her recent receiving errors after training.
"Here, a drink." Hoshimi walked over and tossed a bottle to Yukinoshita.
Yukinoshita caught the drink, glanced at it, and tossed it back to Hoshimi, "I don't want cherry-flavored. Get me another one."
"How about coconut water?"
"That's fine."
Hoshimi raised his half-drunk coconut water and tossed it to Yukinoshita.
===
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