"Piece of cake."
The first match ended quickly, with Hoshimi and Yukinoshita winning decisively 6-0. They returned to the bench and sat down.
"Where's the water?" Yukinoshita asked, wiping her light sweat with a white towel.
"Someone will bring it soon. No rush. Hand me the towel first," Hoshimi, who had also broken a sweat, glanced at the towel in Yukinoshita's hand.
The sun was strong today, and they were sweating just from standing on the court for a while.
"Here you go." Yukinoshita handed the towel to Hoshimi after wiping her sweat.
As Hoshimi wiped his sweat, he looked around, hoping to see if their classmates had brought water for him and Yukinoshita.
"Huh?"
He didn't see anyone bringing water, but he did notice an attractive woman walking towards them. Judging by her casual attire, she seemed to be a visitor from another school.
She looked about twenty years old, probably a college student?
On closer inspection, Hoshimi realized this woman bore a striking resemblance to Yukinoshita.
He was stunned and instinctively turned to look at Yukinoshita.
"Huh? What's up?" Yukinoshita asked, sensing Hoshimi's gaze.
"Do you know that woman over there?" Hoshimi subtly indicated the direction with his eyes.
Yukinoshita leaned forward, looking past Hoshimi in the direction he indicated.
When she saw the woman, she immediately stood up, instinctively trying to distance herself from Hoshimi.
"Huh? Do you know her?" Hoshimi asked, intrigued by Yukinoshita's reaction. He grabbed her hand, curiously turning back to look at the woman.
"Let go of me, Hoshimi!" Yukinoshita threatened in a low voice.
"Too late. She's already here."
Just as he spoke, the woman who resembled Yukinoshita approached them.
She glanced at their joined hands before turning her gaze to Hoshimi.
"Hello, I am..."
"Sister!"
Before the woman could introduce herself, Yukinoshita shook off Hoshimi's hand, stepped forward to stand between them, and awkwardly said, "Sister, what are you doing here?"
Yukinoshita Haruno smiled sweetly, "I don't have any classes today, and Shizuka told me the sports tournament was starting, so I thought I'd come to see my adorable sister."
"..." Yukinoshita felt helpless.
It was Hiratsuka-sensei again...
"By the way, Yukino, who is this?" Haruno curiously looked at Hoshimi with a hint of mischief in her eyes, as if she were very interested in her sister's love life.
"He is..." Yukinoshita was reluctant to introduce Hoshimi to her sister.
But since her sister was already here, not introducing him would be awkward.
She carefully chose her words, thinking of how to introduce Hoshimi in a way that would not pique her sister's interest.
"I'll introduce myself."
Before Yukinoshita could speak, Hoshimi stood up, calmly extended his hand, and said, "Hello, I'm Hoshimi Kiyokawa, a student from Class 2-J at Sobu High."
"Hello, I'm Yukinoshita Haruno, Yukino's older sister." Haruno extended her hand and politely shook Hoshimi's.
"Indeed, from the moment I saw you, I felt you had some connection with Yukino. I didn't expect you to be her sister," Hoshimi's eyes brightened.
Yukinoshita's sister was not flat-chested! In fact, she had a great figure!
Looking at the difference, did Yukino's nutrition all go to her sister?
"Hehe, how did you figure out that I was related to Yukino, Hoshimi-kun?" Haruno asked with a smile.
"From your looks, demeanor, and eyes."
"Oh? Can you elaborate, Hoshimi-kun?"
"Sure, first, in terms of looks, you and..."
"Hoshimi," Yukinoshita tugged on Hoshimi's sleeve, threatening softly, "I'm thirsty! Go get me some water!"
"Huh? Right now?" Hoshimi seemed surprised.
"Yes, now! Immediately! Right away!" Yukinoshita tugged harder, nearly straightening his sleeve.
"..." Hoshimi looked at Haruno, then at Yukinoshita, seeming to understand something.
"Ahem," he coughed lightly, "you two talk, I'll go get some water."
With that, Hoshimi turned and left.
But he didn't go far. Instead, he found a spot among a group of students to "hide" and watch the two sisters from a distance with great interest.
After Hoshimi left, the two sisters fell into a brief silence.
"Hehe, Yukino, you have a good eye. You've chosen quite an impressive person," Haruno smiled slyly, her eyes full of unreadable depth as she looked at Yukino.
"..." Yukinoshita glanced at Haruno in shock before looking down and explaining, "Sister, it's not what you think. Hoshimi and I are just ordinary classmates."
"Ordinary classmates..." Haruno repeated meaningfully.
Ordinary classmates you let visit your apartment?
Ordinary classmates you let touch your feet?
Ordinary classmates dare to spank you?! Five times!
Who are you trying to fool?
My dear sister, do you think I'm blind?!
"..." Yukinoshita remained silent.
She and Hoshimi really were just ordinary classmates, with no special relationship.
Hmm, no, actually, she and Hoshimi were enemies...
"Yukino, do you know him? Do you know Hoshimi Kiyokawa? Do you understand the meaning behind the surname 'Hoshimi'? If you know nothing, don't make any decisions lightly," Haruno softly advised, sounding like a normal sister giving her sister dating advice.
"..." Yukinoshita remained silent, the redness fading from her pale face, leaving only a whiteness.
She looked down at her toes, deep in thought.
Seeing her sister's reaction, Haruno's eyes flashed with a hint of mystery.
Regarding Hoshimi Kiyokawa, she really couldn't do much. His background was too complicated and sensitive; one wrong move could lead to trouble.
So, her goal wasn't Hoshimi Kiyokawa for now. Instead, she aimed to make Yukino understand the significance of the 'Hoshimi' surname.
Hoshimi Kiyokawa's father, Hoshimi Takuya, wasn't an unknown figure. He was a significant person in business, aristocratic, and political circles.
With some effort, one could gather a lot of information just from Wikipedia. However, few knew that Hoshimi Takuya had a son.
What Haruno needed to do was to make Yukino aware, to make her connect the dots.
Wealth, background, Hoshimi...
These three keywords were enough to lead to the answer.
Once Yukino confirmed the answer and felt more sympathy for Hoshimi, whose parents had died...
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