Hoshimi glanced over and leisurely ran to hit a high ball to ensure it went over the net.
"Ha~"
Seeing the ball soar, Yukinoshita sneered.
She quickly ran forward and made a powerful jump smash, sending the ball back into Hoshimi's court.
"..."
Watching the lightning-fast smash, Hoshimi flinched, not intending to catch it. He stepped back to avoid getting hurt.
"Bang!"
Hearing the tennis ball bounce and hit the wire fence, Hoshimi winced.
Just how much does this little girl hate him? She has been smashing the ball at him quite often, and it always seems to be aimed directly at him.
Hoshimi shook his head and looked at Yukinoshita, ready to say something.
"Yukino... Huh?!"
The moment his eyes met the other side of the court, Hoshimi saw Yukinoshita clutching her ankle, sitting on the ground with a pained expression.
Seeing this, Hoshimi hurried over, squatting in front of Yukinoshita with a furrowed brow, looking at her hand covering her right ankle.
"Did you twist your ankle?"
"Yeah..." Yukinoshita's brows knitted in pain, her voice trembling slightly, clearly trying to endure the pain.
"Let go, let me see." Hoshimi bent down, rolling up the right leg of Yukinoshita's sports pants, revealing her pale, slender calf.
He patted Yukinoshita's hand, signaling her to release it.
"..." Yukinoshita hesitated, glancing at Hoshimi.
She was a bit suspicious that this jerk might take the opportunity to poke her injured ankle.
But seeing Hoshimi's concerned expression, Yukinoshita decided to trust him this once and let go, exposing her sprained ankle.
Hoshimi saw the slight swelling on the outside of her ankle and relaxed a bit.
It didn't look too serious, probably just a mild ankle sprain. With proper care, it would heal in a few days.
"Let's go, Yukinoshita. I'll take you to the school nurse's office for treatment." Hoshimi stood up and asked, "Should I carry you or just support you?"
"...Just support me." Yukinoshita raised her right arm, signaling Hoshimi to help her up.
"Wait, let me gather the tennis equipment first." Hoshimi was about to assist her but then remembered the tennis balls and rackets were still on the court.
He quickly got up, collected all the tennis equipment, and put them in the tennis bag.
He slung the bag over his right shoulder, ran back to Yukinoshita, and helped her up by placing his left arm around her back.
"Use your right hand to hold onto my shoulder, why are you hesitating?"
Seeing Yukinoshita standing still like a puppet, Hoshimi urged her.
"..." Yukinoshita glanced at Hoshimi and silently hooked her arm around his shoulder.
Hoshimi supported Yukinoshita as they walked to the nurse's office.
At first, Yukinoshita tried to walk on her own, but after a few steps, she leaned heavily on Hoshimi.
Along the way, Yukinoshita looked at Hoshimi's hand resting on her ribs. Her lips moved as if to say something but ultimately remained silent.
Hoshimi probably didn't mean it, right?
Since that's the case, it's better not to mention it, lest he mocks her for having a flat chest again...
Soon, they reached the nurse's office.
"Clatter—"
Hoshimi opened the door and helped Yukinoshita to a bed.
Looking around the empty nurse's office, he said, "The nurse isn't here. Should I treat it for you?"
"...No need, just bring me the medicine and I'll do it myself." Yukinoshita kept her head down, looking at her injured ankle.
"Stubborn girl..." Hoshimi muttered as he turned to find supplies for treating a sprained ankle.
As he searched, he said, "Alright, don't be stubborn. Let me handle it."
"Your sprain isn't severe. It's better not to use medication unless necessary to avoid dependency."
"I'll apply a cold compress first to reduce the swelling. If it doesn't go down, we can consider medication."
"Is there no ice? Never mind, cold water will do."
Saying this, Hoshimi came back with a towel soaked in cold water.
He handed the towel to Yukinoshita, "Hold this for now while I get a stool."
He found a stool that was level with the bed and brought it over.
Sitting on the stool, he took back the towel from Yukinoshita.
"Lie down and keep your right foot off the bed to avoid getting the sheets wet."
"..." Yukinoshita silently looked at Hoshimi, a flicker of surprise in her eyes.
Was it her imagination, or did Hoshimi seem quite adept at handling this?
But how could a rich kid like Hoshimi be so skilled at dealing with such situations?
"Hmm? Why are you staring at me? Lie down," Hoshimi said, raising an eyebrow.
Was the little girl suspecting his intentions?
Though his actions earlier might have been a bit inappropriate, now he genuinely wanted to help her.
"...Alright," Yukinoshita replied.
She struggled to take off her shoe and moved to sit with her right foot dangling over the bed.
Seeing this, Hoshimi adjusted the stool closer to the bed.
He then removed Yukinoshita's white sock, held her delicate foot, and placed the damp towel over the sprain.
After a while, when Yukinoshita got used to the cold, he gently pressed the area through the towel.
"Ah~"
The sudden pain made Yukinoshita gasp.
She glared at Hoshimi, both angry and confused.
"This is for compression, it helps reduce the pain. But judging by your reaction, you probably don't need it," Hoshimi explained nonchalantly.
"..." Yukinoshita remained silent, staring at Hoshimi's profile.
This Hoshimi seemed different from the vile person she knew.
She thought he might take advantage of her injury, but he brought her to the nurse's office and treated her sprain.
Moreover, Hoshimi was handling it with such skill, as if he had done it many times before.
This wasn't the Hoshimi she knew...
The Hoshimi she knew was more vile... more shameless... more heartless...
"Hoshimi..." Yukinoshita spoke up, full of doubts. She wanted to understand something...
"Yes? What is it?" Hoshimi asked, pressing the towel with one hand and playing with his phone with the other.
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