At that moment, the two locked eyes, and everything was conveyed without words.
"That's my second condition: progress comes with rewards. Incremental rewards are the best way to motivate a student."
Yukino remained silent, merely staring at Hoshimi.
She wanted to refuse him because it felt a bit dangerous. She could tolerate the rewards for 80 or 90 points, but the full-score reward... she found it hard to accept.
But could Hoshimi really achieve full marks?
Even she, consistently the top student, had never achieved perfect scores in all subjects during high school.
"Yukino, this is a dream. Why not take a gamble?" Hoshimi noticed Yukino's hesitation, so he leaned closer to her ear, coaxing her with warm breath.
"A gamble?" Yukino turned her head, exhaling a warm breath into Hoshimi's ear. "A gamble requires stakes. Right now, the only stakes on the table are mine. What about yours, Hoshimi?"
"My stakes?" Hoshimi pondered for a moment, then asked, "Yukino, what do you want?"
"Heh," Yukino chuckled softly, poking Hoshimi's abdomen with her finger, teasing, "What do I want? Hoshimi, I haven't forgotten how you used to bully me."
"Since you've brought up the stakes, I have something to say."
"Let's also use grades as the dividing line."
"Hoshimi, if you score between 60 and 70 on any subject, I want you to sit properly and lick my... foot..."
As soon as she said that, Yukino's cheeks flushed with a hint of red.
She felt like this wasn't punishing Hoshimi; it was more like rewarding him.
She pushed aside unnecessary thoughts and continued, "Hoshimi, if you score between 50 and 60 on any subject, I want you to be my horse and carry me around twice."
Yukino's face grew even redder. This punishment felt childish to her.
It was like a daughter begging her father to play a game of horse riding—childish and ridiculous...
But for someone like her, who wasn't skilled at teasing others, this was the best method she could think of...
"Hoshimi, if you score below 50 on any subject..."
Yukino thought for a moment, then suddenly leaned in close to Hoshimi's ear, mimicking his tone, and sarcastically said, "No way, no way, could someone as smart as you really score below 50? That would be so pitiful~"
Hoshimi twitched his mouth, tilting his head as he looked at Yukino with a strange expression.
This was the first time he had heard Yukino being sarcastic.
What could he say? It wasn't bad?
"Ahem," Yukino cleared her throat, turning her head to avoid Hoshimi's gaze, feeling a bit awkward.
"So, Yukino, what if I score below 50?" Hoshimi asked, grinning as he leaned closer.
"Uh," Yukino racked her brain, trying to think of a suitable punishment.
Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind.
She curled her lips and looked at Hoshimi, saying each word clearly, "Hoshimi, if you score below 50 on any subject, then you're not allowed to see Kotoko that night. You have to spend the entire night with me!"
"..." Hoshimi's eyelid twitched. Now that was a truly intimidating punishment.
The balance between Yukino and Kotoko was already fragile. If that delicate balance were broken, he would undoubtedly have a headache at school.
Hoshimi thought for a while and added a few conditions to the rules.
"Yukino, the mock exams start on the fourth day. You have to give me some time to study. Jumping straight into mock exams won't work."
"Secondly, in the evaluation of all subjects, Japanese shouldn't be included. After all, the essay component is too subjective to be a fair measure."
"Hmph!" Yukino snorted coldly, pinching the soft flesh on Hoshimi's waist. "Hoshimi, I'm not like you. I wouldn't intentionally give your essay a low score just because of my own biases!"
Hoshimi merely smiled, silently holding Yukino's hand.
If it were in the past, he would have believed Yukino.
But now, after spending so much time with him, she had started to pick up some of his habits and ways of thinking. He was well aware of how he followed the rules.
"Hmph! Let's settle it this way then. I have no objections." Seeing that no matter how hard she pinched, Hoshimi remained unaffected, Yukino realized he must have turned off his pain receptors again.
She poked Hoshimi's abdomen, feeling a bit annoyed, and withdrew her hand.
"Alright then, the bet is on." Hoshimi's eyes sparkled as he added with a sly grin, "By the way, Yukino, how about extending this bet to reality?"
"Hmm?" Yukino looked puzzled.
Hoshimi explained, "I mean, based on my actual midterm exam scores, we carry out the bet in reality."
Understanding now, Yukino immediately shook her head in refusal. "No! I refuse!"
The entire bet, if applied to reality, would be a huge loss for her!
Except for the clause about scoring below 50, where she would gain, all the other conditions favored Hoshimi!
No matter how she looked at it, the risk didn't match the reward.
Besides, she didn't believe that after some serious study, Hoshimi would score below 50 in any subject.
"Alright then, what a pity."
Seeing that Yukino wouldn't fall for it, Hoshimi could only shrug helplessly.
He stepped back a few paces and snapped his fingers at Yukino.
"Snap!"
In an instant, Yukino's Sobu High uniform transformed into a thin, translucent white blouse on top, paired with a pencil skirt and black stockings below.
Hoshimi looked her up and down, then gave a thumbs-up, praising, "Looks great!"
Except for her chest being a bit lacking, there was nothing else to nitpick.
Yukino's slender legs didn't need any further commentary. Wrapped in glossy, smooth black stockings, they were simply mesmerizing.
And then there was the curve of her hips. Previously hidden under her school uniform, the well-fitted pencil skirt now revealed a perfect curve.
Wow, what a great shape!
From now on, you could only say Yukino had no chest, but not that she had no chest and no hips.
Finally, there was her aura. The contrast between her cool demeanor and the allure of her uniform highlighted Yukino's beauty in all its glory.
Both pure and seductive, both cold and alluring.
Absolutely stunning!
"Let's start the tutoring!" Hoshimi said, his eyes sparkling like stars as he moved closer.
"..." Yukino avoided Hoshimi's gaze, letting him lead her by the hand.
This was the first time she had seen Hoshimi's gaze so intense, his crimson eyes seemed to burn with fire...
That fire sparked a sense of danger in her heart...
It seemed she had been tricked again.
But with the rules set and the tutoring about to begin, there was no room for Yukino to back out.
She sighed softly, set aside her doubts, and began focusing on how to tutor Hoshimi.
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