In the elevator of the apartment building, a physically exhausted Hoshimi leaned weakly against the wall. Beside him, Yukinoshita was lost in thought, staring ahead.
Suddenly, Yukinoshita turned her head towards Hoshimi, "Hoshimi, come exercise with me tomorrow and the day after."
"Huh? Isn't the day after tomorrow the weekend? I need to rest," Hoshimi refused without hesitation.
In school, Hoshimi was constrained by his persona and couldn't refuse Yukinoshita, but outside of school, it didn't matter. Besides, he had other plans for the weekend, and exercising with Yukinoshita seemed like a waste of time.
"Hoshimi, if you exercise with me over the weekend, I'll practice with you on Monday."
"Hmm?" Hearing the condition Yukinoshita proposed, Hoshimi couldn't help but turn his head to meet her gaze.
Yukinoshita stared into Hoshimi's crimson eyes, her voice indifferent, "Hoshimi, your next plan is to practice with me, right?"
Hoshimi raised an eyebrow, responding with interest, "That's right, Yukinoshita, you've become much smarter than before."
"So, what's your answer?" Yukinoshita's gaze remained calm as she looked at Hoshimi.
Hoshimi rubbed his chin, asking, "What if I refuse?"
"If you refuse, I won't practice with you, and your plan will fail."
"I see. Fine, I'll go with you."
Hoshimi could roughly guess why Yukinoshita insisted on dragging him to exercise. His stamina was too weak, and if they wanted to place in the rankings, they had to exercise diligently. Although the weekend wasn't long, maintaining the exercise routine would ensure that the previous days' efforts weren't wasted and would allow them to continue effectively the following week. Understanding Yukinoshita's thoughts, he chose to agree. After all, a healthy body is essential for any endeavor, and he also wanted to improve his stamina.
"Ding---"
The elevator reached the 15th floor. Yukinoshita took a deep look at Hoshimi, left a sentence, and walked out of the elevator.
"Tomorrow morning at seven, see you downstairs."
"Okay," Hoshimi responded lazily.
"By the way, Yukinoshita, are you prepared for tonight's storm?" Hoshimi asked meaningfully as the elevator doors slowly closed.
In the next moment, the elevator doors fully closed, and Yukinoshita, standing outside, trembled. She gripped the strap of her school bag tightly, biting her lower lip, and walked silently towards her home.
Yukinoshita, it's just a dream, don't be afraid, don't fear! Hold on, everything will be fine!
Encouraging herself, Yukinoshita's first action upon returning home was to brew a large pot of tea and make a high-sugar dessert. She brought the tea and dessert into her study, turned on the computer, and watched cat videos.
Maybe I won't sleep tonight...
---
Things don't always go as one wishes. At 11:00 PM, Yukinoshita, who planned to stay up all night, suddenly felt overwhelming drowsiness wash over her. Her eyelids grew heavier, and her consciousness started to blur.
"Ha~ha~"
Yawns came one after another. In a daze, Yukinoshita closed her laptop and stumbled towards her bedroom. Entering the bedroom, she half-closed her eyes, changed out of her school uniform into pajamas, and then lay on the bed, falling into a deep sleep.
---
In the dream, the moment Yukinoshita saw Hoshimi's smiling face, she gave up thinking. Bring it on, there's nothing to be afraid of anymore. You strike first, I'll retaliate harder; let's see who gives up first.
"Let me count, 41 strikes with the pointer, kicks, elbow jabs, a can to the head, an over-the-shoulder throw—today's menu was quite diverse."
"Let me think, how should I retaliate tonight?"
"Right, let's do this!"
Hoshimi clapped his hands, and the dream shifted. They were now in Class 2J of Sobu High.
On the podium, Ms. Shizuka Hiratsuka was giving a lecture. In the classroom, the female students were attentively listening to the lesson. Yes, only female students; the other three male students in Class J were not conjured up by Hoshimi for certain reasons.
"?!"
Seeing the familiar setting and classmates, Yukinoshita's pupils contracted. What's going on?! Can Hoshimi do this? This is the first time she saw other people in Hoshimi's dream.
"They're fake, constructed based on my perception, but in some sense, they can be considered real."
Hoshimi walked to a girl, smiling as he patted her head. Immediately, the classroom buzzed with chatter.
"Hoshimi-kun, how bold, doing that during Hiratsuka-sensei's class."
"But why did he pat Ayami's head instead of Yukinoshita-san's? Is he cheating?"
"No, I think Ayami is the third party! Hoshimi-kun is too loyal to cheat."
"Hoshimi-kun..." The girl being patted, Tenpou Ayami, blushed, her eyes avoiding the curious looks of her classmates.
"Hey! Hoshimi! What are you doing? Get back to your seat!" Hiratsuka-sensei's voice tightened with anger, a vein throbbing on her temple.
"Snap--"
Hoshimi snapped his fingers, freezing everything in the classroom. He looked at Yukinoshita and smiled, "Pretty good, right? Tonight's location is set here. As for the game?"
Hoshimi's smile grew more peculiar as he lowered his center of gravity, taking a wrestling stance, "Let's wrestle. By the way, I'm quite good at ground techniques."
"..." Yukinoshita's expression stiffened as she looked at Hoshimi's stance, "Hoshimi, leave a line when you do things, so we can meet again later. Don't go too far..."
"Hehe~" Hoshimi laughed brightly, unfreezing the classroom as he charged at Yukinoshita.
"Fight! Begin!"
---
Saturday morning at 7:00 AM, Hoshimi and Yukinoshita met punctually downstairs.
"Let's go." Without showing any expression, Yukinoshita led the way, ignoring what happened the previous night. She glanced at Hoshimi with the corner of her eye and walked ahead.
Behind her, Hoshimi blinked thoughtfully and followed.
The calm before the storm, huh? What's next?
At 8:00 AM, they entered the gym. Hoshimi expected Yukinoshita to train him hard as a form of revenge. However, she led him to a private room.
"Click--"
Seeing the soft carpet and hearing the door lock behind him, Hoshimi shrugged helplessly. It was over.
"Hoshimi Kiyokawa, prepare to die!"
"Sigh~~"
With a sigh, Hoshimi's world began to spin.
An hour later, Hoshimi lay on the carpet, eyes unfocused. He confirmed three things once again.
First, Yukinoshita's Aikido was indeed superb.
Second, Yukinoshita smelled really nice...
Third, Yukinoshita's ribs were incredibly hard...
"Hoshimi, stop pretending to be dead. Get up and exercise." Feeling refreshed, Yukinoshita stood beside Hoshimi, her expression cold as she nudged him with her foot.
"No, I need to lie down a bit longer..." Every part of Hoshimi's body hurt, and he didn't want to move.
"Hehe." Yukinoshita placed her bare foot on Hoshimi's chest, smiling brightly, "That was just throws. If you don't get up, I'll make you try joint locks."
Hoshimi looked at Yukinoshita, forcing a polite smile, "Yukinoshita, leave a line when you do things, so we can meet again later."
Yukinoshita's expression remained cold as she raised her foot and aimed it at Hoshimi's face without saying a word.
Seeing the approaching delicate foot, Hoshimi rolled away with difficulty, avoiding her stomp.
"Hmph! If you have the strength to move, get up. I'll give you one minute. If you're not up by then, you'll be my punching bag for the day."
After thinking for a moment, Hoshimi chose to get up and exercise. Being a punching bag any longer wasn't interesting; Yukinoshita's bones were too hard. If it were the white-haired "detective" or the flop light novel writer from his dream, he might consider it. But not with Yukinoshita.
---
The painful weekend passed quickly. Around 7:00 PM on Sunday, Hoshimi lay on the couch, his body aching. Nanami Aoyama, the housekeeper, was blushing as she massaged his back.
"Yes, right there, use a bit more force~ Ah~~ that's good~~ a bit more, ah~~~"
Listening to Hoshimi's moans, Nanami Aoyama's face grew redder. She whispered, "Hoshimi-kun, if I press any harder, it will hurt."
"It's fine, Nanami. Use all your strength. If it hurts, I'll tell you to stop."
"...Okay..." Nanami Aoyama replied softly, increasing the pressure.
While massaging, she hesitated and asked, "Hoshimi-kun, who were you exercising with? How did you end up like this?"
===
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