While Haruno was worried about Yukino, daily life at Sobu High was as calm as usual.
"Ding ding ding~~~"
As the bell for the last class rang, the teacher promptly left the classroom.
Hoshimi quickly packed his things, preparing to make a swift exit.
Today, Yukinoshita had been watching him more frequently than she usually did in three or five days combined, and each time she had a faint smile, clearly plotting something big against him.
In such situations, tactical retreat was the best option, with facing the challenge head-on being the second choice.
"Hoshimi, where are you going?"
Just as Hoshimi was about to leave with his bag, Yukinoshita grabbed his sleeve.
With so many classmates watching, Hoshimi couldn't just leave. He turned back to Yukinoshita, smiling, and asked, "Yukino, what's up?"
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Yukinoshita crossed her arms, smiling faintly. "Hoshimi, you didn't forget we start training today, did you?"
"Training?" Hoshimi raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, tennis training." Yukinoshita took out a tennis racket she had prepared and tossed it to Hoshimi. "Don't worry, I'll 'instruct' you well."
Hearing the emphasis on 'instruct,' Hoshimi's eyelid twitched.
Just as he thought, Yukinoshita was dragging him into something troublesome.
"Alright, I'll do my best." Hoshimi swung the tennis racket, not overly afraid of the upcoming 'instruction.'
After all, he was a guy and wasn't worried about Yukinoshita doing anything too serious under the guise of 'instruction.' At most, she'd just exhaust him.
"That's the attitude you should have." Yukinoshita's smile remained faint, but there was a hint of mockery in it.
Hoshimi raised an eyebrow. "Yukino, let's go to the tennis court and 'learn.'"
"Sure, let's go." Yukinoshita slung her tennis bag over her shoulder and smiled as she walked to the tennis court with Hoshimi following.
As they were about to leave the classroom, Yukinoshita placed a hand on Hoshimi's left shoulder.
"Hmm? What is it?" Hoshimi turned and asked.
"Actually, there is one more thing." Yukinoshita raised her voice slightly to draw more classmates' attention. "Hoshimi, remember to wake up at six tomorrow morning; we need to run to build stamina."
"Yukinoshita-san is really dedicated, starting training at six in the morning."
"Yeah, I thought Yukinoshita-san was just talking, but she's serious. Good luck, Hoshimi-kun!"
"This sounds great. I can't wait to see Hoshimi-kun and Yukinoshita-san's mixed doubles performance after all this training."
"Well, they're a handsome and beautiful pair. Just watching them is pleasant, and winning a place would be even better."
Listening to the murmurs of the girls in the class, Hoshimi's eyelids twitched more frequently.
As expected of the clever Yukinoshita, she was getting better at manipulating public opinion.
"Yukino, I got it." Seeing the pleased expression on Yukinoshita's face, Hoshimi lowered his head and replied.
Then, he shifted the conversation. "Yukino, I might sleep deeply in the morning, so please come and wake me up. You can pull off my covers or splash cold water on me; I won't mind. You know I don't have a problem getting up."
As soon as he said this, Yukinoshita's expression turned icy.
She didn't need to listen to know what the girls were thinking after being misled by Hoshimi.
Gripping Hoshimi's left shoulder, she pushed him towards the door. "Hoshimi, it's time for the tennis court."
"Alright, Yukino."
...
"Yukinoshita, what do we practice first?"
At the edge of the tennis court, Hoshimi, now in sportswear, asked Yukinoshita.
"What to start with..." Also in sportswear, Yukinoshita crossed her arms and supported her chin in thought.
She glanced at Hoshimi out of the corner of her eye. "Show me how you hold the racket."
"Okay." Hoshimi grabbed the tennis racket with a casual one-handed grip.
"...Your palm isn't touching the handle properly, and your index and middle fingers aren't gripping firmly. This is a relaxed grip more suited for badminton, not tennis."
"Really? How should I hold it then?"
"Do you know how to shake hands?"
"Of course, that's basic."
Yukinoshita turned around, expressionless. "Good. Take your racket, place your right hand flat against the face, and slide it back to grip the handle."
"Like this?" Hoshimi followed Yukinoshita's instructions.
"Yes, that's the Eastern forehand grip," Yukinoshita added.
"Eastern?" Hoshimi wondered which Eastern country this originated from.
Seeing Hoshimi in thought, Yukinoshita elaborated, "It originated from the Eastern United States clay courts. Any questions?"
"...No questions."
So that was the 'Eastern' she meant.
No wonder. He had been wondering if tennis originated in the East.
Habitual thinking could be misleading.
"If there's a forehand grip, what's the backhand grip?"
Seeing Yukinoshita genuinely preparing to instruct him, Hoshimi asked with interest.
"Rotate your hand 90 degrees to the left from the forehand grip, with your thumb slightly bent to press against the lower left side of the handle to prevent the racket head from drooping when hitting low balls. Got it?"
"Got it." Hoshimi tried it out. It wasn't difficult and just required some attention.
"Good. Now that you know how to grip, let's develop your ball sense." Yukinoshita took a tennis ball from the bag and tossed it to Hoshimi.
"Start with volleying the ball. Do 50 volleys per set, complete 6 sets."
"Eh?" Hoshimi looked at Yukinoshita in surprise. "Yukinoshita, are you sure? 6 sets? 300 times?"
"Is there a problem? When I started, it was 10 sets, 500 times. Are you not even up to my level?" Yukinoshita's lips curled into a mocking smile.
"Who taught you?" Hoshimi, sensing something was off, asked.
"My sister," Yukinoshita replied succinctly.
"...Alright, seems like your sister was good to you." Hoshimi muttered and turned to find a corner to practice his volleys alone.
Seeing Hoshimi heading to a corner, Yukinoshita frowned slightly and followed.
"Hmm? Why are you following?" Hearing familiar footsteps, Hoshimi turned and asked.
"To supervise you."
"...Okay." Hoshimi pouted and turned back to practice.
Watching his back, Yukinoshita silently prepared her tennis racket, ready to teach Hoshimi a lesson if he made a mistake.
Volleys of 50 were almost impossible for beginners.
Usually, beginners were expected to volley 10 times successfully.
When her sister taught her, it was 20 volleys per set, for 10 sets.
Now, she naturally raised the standard for Hoshimi.
"Smack--"
Hoshimi failed a volley, and the ball fell.
Yukinoshita, who had been waiting, gripped the front end of the tennis racket handle and swung the thicker back end at Hoshimi's butt without mercy.
"Smack!"
===
Enjoying the novel? If you'd like to read additional chapters, visit my Patreon page at - patreon.com/cherryblooming.
There are already 30 extra chapters available.