On the fourth floor, inside the Service Club.
Looking at the Service Club's room, which was so plain it was almost shabby, Hoshimi couldn't help but comment, "Yukino, does it have to be this bare?"
After all, it was a room for an active club, but all it had was a long table and some discarded desks and chairs. Other than that, there was nothing else—so simple it was comparable to an abandoned classroom.
"Mm?" Yukino tilted her head and looked at Hoshimi, displeased. "Haven't you heard of 'The Humble Room Inscription'? It says, 'This is a humble room, but its virtue is fragrant.'"
Hoshimi was at a loss for words. He put his arm around Yukino's shoulders and asked, "Yukino, does our 'humble room' have 'learned scholars'? Can we 'play the plain zither' or 'read the golden scriptures' here?"
Yukino pursed her lips tightly, unable to respond.
Hoshimi continued, "Besides, our Service Club is supposed to be open to take on requests, doing free labor—oh, no, I mean volunteer work with a heart for the world. With that in mind, we can't manage to 'avoid the noise of silk and bamboo' or 'escape the fatigue of official documents.'"
Yukino shot Hoshimi a sideways glance, pinched the soft flesh of his waist, and said irritably, "Hoshimi, what exactly are you plotting? If you have something to say, just say it directly. Stop being so sarcastic."
"Alright, I'll say it then." Hoshimi glanced around to make sure no one was around, then leaned in close to Yukino's ear and asked, "Yukino, we've done so much in the Service Club—don't we have any club funds?"
Yukino frowned slightly. "The Service Club didn't have any activity funds before because I was the only member. It wasn't considered an official club. As for whether there will be funds this year, I'm not sure. You'd have to ask Hiratsuka-sensei; she might know."
"Sigh~" Hoshimi sighed softly, squeezing Yukino's shoulders with a meaningful expression. "Yukino, you're really cute."
"..." Yukino's frown deepened. She felt like Hoshimi wasn't really complimenting her but couldn't quite figure out what he was implying.
"Forget it. I'll pay for it myself; it's not like I'm short on money," Hoshimi muttered as he took Yukino's hand and led her outside.
Still lost in thought, Yukino subconsciously followed Hoshimi. After walking for a while, she realized they were heading in the wrong direction. Why was Hoshimi leading her away from the Service Club?
She stopped in her tracks, pulling Hoshimi to a halt. "Hoshimi, where are you going?"
"To get some things for the Service Club."
"Mm?" Yukino looked at Hoshimi, confused.
"Let's talk as we walk; it'll save time." Hoshimi turned back and wrapped an arm around Yukino's waist, guiding her forward.
At the same time, Hoshimi explained his plan.
"Yukino, your Service Club is too bare. It's still a club, after all. It doesn't need to be luxurious, but it should at least be comfortable enough for people to want to stay. Right now, it's so shabby it's like an abandoned classroom."
"No wonder, even with such a beautiful girl like you, there aren't any new members joining the Service Club on their own."
Yukino's eyes narrowed.
There is! Yui joined voluntarily!
"I originally planned to use the club's activity funds to buy some things for the Service Club, but then you said the club didn't have any."
"Well, that makes sense. It was just you before, so it's understandable not to have funds."
"But this year, the Service Club isn't just one person anymore, and we've completed some requests, right?"
"If there are still no activity funds under these circumstances, Hiratsuka-sensei is really treating the Service Club as free labor."
"But it's fine; it's still within acceptable limits. After all, Hiratsuka-sensei has taken good care of you, Yukino. It's only fair she uses the Service Club as free labor."
"I was thinking about asking Hiratsuka-sensei for the club's activity funds for this semester."
"But after thinking about it, I decided not to. I'll pay out of pocket myself. It's not like I lack the money, and I don't want to damage your relationship with Hiratsuka-sensei over something so small."
"By the way, Yukino, send Yuigahama-san a message and let her know that you have something to do for now and that she and Hikigaya-san should wait in the Service Club for a while."
Without saying a word, Yukino took out her phone and sent Yui a message as Hoshimi instructed.
"Let's go, Yukino. We'll check out the nearest furniture store to Sobu High."
"..." Yukino was silent, but she didn't refuse Hoshimi's suggestion and followed him out of the school.
...
Over an hour later, the Service Club looked completely different.
The plain long table that had been in the center of the room was replaced with a white Nordic-style wooden dining table, complete with ten matching white wooden chairs, neatly arranged around the table—one on each short side and four on each long side.
The white wooden table was positioned closer to the front door of the Service Club than the previous table, taking up about the front third of the room.
In the middle section of the room, a full set of sofas had been arranged, along with a marble coffee table.
The sofa set consisted of a long sofa, big enough for three to four people, flanked by two single-seaters on either side.
In the back of the room, the previously piled-up desks and chairs were cleared out, replaced with a storage cabinet and a medium-sized bookshelf.
The storage cabinet was placed against the back wall near the windows, while the bookshelf was set against the back wall near the rear door.
The bookshelf was just the right size to block the rear door completely, making it impossible to enter even with a key.
Faced with the newly transformed Service Club, Hachiman and Yui stood at the front of the room, each with a different expression, looking at Hoshimi, who stood by the window, deep in thought.
Hachiman: This is the power of money. In just one hour, the once plain Service Club was completely revamped. Ah, the enviable life of a rich kid—explode already!
Yui: As expected of Yukino's boyfriend, Hoshimi-kun is amazing...
"Hoshimi, what are you thinking?" Yukino asked as she walked up to him.
"I feel like something's still missing," Hoshimi murmured, rubbing his chin.
Yukino shook her head. "...It's already enough. The room is only so big; it can only hold so much."
"True. Well, let's leave it at that. Come on, Yukino, let's test out the sofa's softness."
Hoshimi immediately pulled Yukino over to the long sofa to test its softness.
Puzzled, Yukino asked, "Hoshimi, didn't we already test it at the furniture store? Why test it again now?"
"It's different. The furniture store is the furniture store, and the Service Club is the Service Club. The mood is completely different."
"..." Yukino was silent.
She couldn't understand what Hoshimi meant by "mood," but she had a vague feeling that it wasn't something good...
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