Although Shin was not very optimistic about Yukinoshita Yukino's proposed plan, after some thought, he still agreed:
"Alright, let me know when you're planning to execute the plan over the weekend. I happen to have some things to take care of then, so it'll be a good excuse for me to get away from those two."
After all, Yukinoshita Yukino might be a clueless strategist when it came to love, but had Shin ever been in a relationship either? No!
Shin himself was also a novice when it came to romance, not much different from Yukinoshita Yukino. If there was a difference, it was that at least he wouldn't be as confidently assertive as she was when devising plans for others.
However, if he rejected Yukinoshita Yukino's plan, he couldn't come up with a better alternative himself. In that case, the atmosphere would likely become quite awkward.
So, to avoid being mocked by Yukinoshita Yukino, Shin simply agreed to her plan.
After all, if the plan succeeded, everyone would be happy. If it failed, it would be Yukino, Akagi, and Tamiya who would be embarrassed—what did that have to do with Shin?
However, after agreeing to the plan, Shin noticed that Yukinoshita Yukino was still staring at him. He instinctively raised his hand to touch his face:
"Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?"
"Give me your contact information. How else am I supposed to inform you over the weekend? Through a dream?"
Yukinoshita Yukino looked a bit exasperated, holding her phone and waiting for a while, not expecting Shin to have no reaction at all.
Exchanging contact information—shouldn't the guy take the initiative in such things? Why did she have to be the one to bring it up?
Only then did Shin realize and quickly took out his phone to exchange contact details with Yukinoshita Yukino.
As they swapped contacts, Shin glanced at her phone screen—it had only a few contacts, one of which was just recently added, Tamiya Shion.
It made sense, considering Yukinoshita Yukino's past attitude towards social interactions. She didn't seem like someone who could easily make many friends, so it was natural that her contact list was quite sparse.
In fact, the only male contact on her phone was her father, making Shin likely the first peer of the opposite sex in her contact list.
...
After the soccer club's practice ended, Shin and Yukinoshita Yukino parted ways.
Yukinoshita Yukino said she would go back and carefully think about how to match Akagi and Tamiya together, and told Shin to stay alert for her messages.
To this, Shin could only express that as long as she was happy, it was fine—he was approaching her plan with a "what if it works?" mindset.
In Yukinoshita Yukino's eyes, her interactions with Shin were merely part of fulfilling a service club request, but to outsiders, it was a different story.
"Hey, Shin, you... how did you get so close to Yukinoshita so quickly?"
After the soccer practice ended, Akagi looked as though he had seen a ghost. Despite being drenched in sweat, he rushed over, eager to question Shin.
He had clearly seen Shin and Yukinoshita Yukino exchange contact information!
The usually aloof Yukinoshita Yukino, who spoke to everyone with cold indifference, had exchanged contact details with Shin, his male friend!
"Don't come near me with that sweat."
Shin disdainfully pressed his finger against Akagi's forehead to push him away, unimpressed by his overreaction.
"Yukinoshita is just fulfilling a service club request, nothing more. Don't overthink it."
But it seemed Akagi hadn't heard Shin's explanation at all. He was already lost in his thoughts, much to Shin's helplessness.
Just as he had thought, when it came to these teenagers in the midst of their youth, even a small spark could be blown out of proportion.
He had merely exchanged contact information with Yukinoshita Yukino, yet judging by Akagi's reaction, it was as if Shin had already stepped into adulthood.
"Alright, let me tell you what Yukinoshita found out about that girl you're interested in. After that, we'll figure out how to get you closer to her."
Shin knew that continuing to explain would be pointless, so he simply changed the subject, offering information about Tamiya Shion to catch Akagi's attention.
Indeed, the mention of Tamiya Shion's details quickly made Akagi forget about "his friend being romantically involved with a famous beauty at school."
"Really? Tell me quickly, I can't wait!"
...
After a day at school, Shin returned home. He made a simple meal for dinner, intending to take a bath and then lie down.
Yes, he was preparing for his second exploration of the Dragon Ball world. Last night, in his dreams, he had gained the "Instant Transmission" technique and some control over "Ki," but he was still far from completing the main quest.
The main quest required him to defeat Frieza at 100% power, which meant Shin couldn't resort to sneak attacks and kill Frieza during his first form's 530,000 power level.
For Shin, there was no shortcut. Only by improving his strength to the point where he could defeat Frieza head-on could he progress in the main quest.
After bathing and changing into his pajamas, Shin sat on his bed, just like the night before. Before going to sleep, he glanced at his phone.
To his surprise, there was a message from Yukinoshita Yukino on the screen.
"Hmm? What is she messaging me for at this hour?"
Curious, Shin opened her message.
If it had been another girl messaging him late at night, Shin might have gotten excited. But since it was Yukinoshita Yukino, he could guess the content even with his toes.
"Sure enough, it's a plan. This girl really went all out, writing down every step meticulously."
Looking at the long plan on the screen, Shin couldn't help but chuckle—should he praise Yukinoshita Yukino for being serious or call her stubborn? When she set her mind to something, she would give it her all.
For most people, matchmaking two high school students would be handled casually, but Yukinoshita Yukino had crafted such a detailed plan.
That was just like her; it matched her personality perfectly.
"I understand. See you on Saturday morning."
After skimming through the lengthy plan, Shin gave a simple reply and put down his phone.
Compared to Yukinoshita Yukino, the Dragon Ball world was more appealing to him right now. Women would only slow down his Kamehameha. LMFAO
Who knows what expression Yukinoshita Yukino would have when she saw Shin's curt response—probably like a teacher seeing a "read" mark on the summer homework they had painstakingly graded.
To be continued…