"1"
"2"
"3"
Counting silently to herself, Yukinoshita asked coldly, "Hoshimi, have you kissed enough?"
Hoshimi straightened up, smacking his lips, and said, "If you want an honest answer, then no, I haven't."
Yukino Yukinoshita was a very beautiful girl and she was fully aware of her beauty. Confident in her looks, she rarely used makeup, as her natural face was enough to showcase her beauty.
For Hoshimi, this was perfect. No man likes kissing a face covered in makeup; the natural feel is always the best.
"Hoshimi, can you tell me the answer now?" Yukino asked coldly.
"Although I really want to tell you now, but..." Hoshimi glanced to his left, signaling Yukinoshita to look as well.
Yukinoshita felt a sinking feeling in her heart, hesitant to turn her head.
Was her sister drawn out again?
How should she face her sister now?
Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Yukinoshita prepared mentally and turned to look.
"Huh?"
It wasn't her sister, but a classmate standing about three meters to her left, looking somewhat uneasy.
"Um... sorry... Yukinoshita-san, I didn't mean to interrupt..."
Facing the icy Yukino, the girl became even more flustered, wringing her hands and darting her eyes around, unsure where to look.
"You're looking for me, right?" Hoshimi stood up, blocking Yukinoshita from view.
Look at Yukinoshita, scaring her classmates like this. Poor girl.
"Yes, yes..." The girl nodded quickly.
Facing Hoshimi, she visibly relaxed, but remembering Yukinoshita behind him, she tensed up again.
Swallowing nervously, she quickly stated her purpose, "Hoshimi-kun, the boys' singles table tennis match is starting. I'm here to get you."
"Okay, I'll go right away." After replying, Hoshimi turned to Yukinoshita, "Yukino, I need to go for the match. I'll tell you the answer later."
With that, Hoshimi left the tennis court with the girl leading the way.
Yukinoshita, sitting motionless on the bench, watched Hoshimi leave. Her earlobes turned red visibly.
"Ah~"
She let out a long breath, her previously stiff posture relaxing.
Touching the spot Hoshimi had kissed, her icy blue eyes rippled slightly.
In the distance, Haruno, hidden in the shadows, watched the scene with a heart shattered into pieces...
...
"Um, Hoshimi-kun, can I ask you something?"
On the way to the table tennis court, the girl leading Hoshimi asked shyly.
"Sure." Hoshimi smiled warmly.
"Um... what was the answer Yukinoshita-san asked about?" Feeling her question intruded on privacy, the girl blushed immediately after asking.
"Oh, that's a secret between Yukino and me. If I blab, she'll tear me apart." Hoshimi shrugged helplessly.
"Ugh~" The girl shrank back, too scared to ask more.
Yukinoshita-san's way of handling men was really brutal. If one day Hoshimi-kun couldn't take it and left, it would be a pity...
Wait, if Hoshimi-kun left, wouldn't that mean...
Her face flushed, and her legs went weak.
...
Shortly after, Hoshimi won his match easily with a big score of 2:0 and a small score of 22:2.
Returning to the tennis court, he saw a girl in a referee's uniform talking to Yukinoshita.
Seeing this, Hoshimi quickly walked over, pretending to be out of breath, and joined Yukinoshita.
"Oh, Hoshimi-kun is back. Just in time, you and Yukinoshita-san are up next."
The girl in the referee's uniform noticed his heavy breathing and asked, "Do you need more time to rest, Hoshimi-kun?"
"No, it's fine. Let's stick to the schedule." Hoshimi smiled as he sat next to Yukino.
"Alright, in five to ten minutes, it's your turn. Be ready."
With that, the referee left in a hurry.
"Ah~ Yukino, can I use your towel?" Hoshimi wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"..." Yukinoshita, sitting as straight as a pine tree, coldly handed over the white towel.
"Thanks." Hoshimi slowly wiped his sweat, returned the towel, and started drinking water.
He took his time unscrewing the cap and sipped the water slowly, seemingly stalling.
Yukinoshita noticed his intent but said nothing, just stared at his profile in silence.
After four minutes, Hoshimi had almost finished his water. As he put the bottle down, Yukinoshita asked coldly,
"Hoshimi, can you tell me the answer now?"
"Sure." Hoshimi crossed his legs, rested his chin on one hand, and smiled at Yukinoshita.
"Do you remember your question, Yukinoshita?"
Yukinoshita frowned slightly, struggling to recall. Hoshimi had been stalling, and her mind had been too chaotic then.
By now, she could barely remember what she had asked.
"It seems you don't remember, so let me remind you. Your exact words were, 'Hoshimi, were you telling the truth just now?'"
"For that question, I can definitively say, after your sister was drawn out, everything I said was a lie."
Yukinoshita stared intently at Hoshimi. "Hoshimi, you know that's not what I wanted to know."
"Really? But that was your question, and we agreed on the answer." Hoshimi's smile was sly, even cunning.
"Hoshimi, you did it on purpose?"
"Huh? What are you talking about? I don't understand." Hoshimi looked innocently at her.
"Sigh~ you win." Yukinoshita sighed, turning her head away and closing her eyes, unwilling to say more.
She had fallen into Hoshimi's trap again.
In her chaotic state, she had asked a question she couldn't clearly remember.
Using that question, Hoshimi had deliberately redirected her attention to her sister, further confusing her while stalling for time.
Even the three-second kiss might have been part of Hoshimi's scheme.
She had to admit, that kiss had turned her already chaotic thoughts into a complete mess.
After Hoshimi left for his match, she had continued to sit and think, but her mind was so jumbled she didn't even know what she was thinking about.
When Hoshimi returned, his slow actions had choked back all her words.
===
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