"Really?"
Yukinoshita Yukino stood up and, after leaving a simple "I'll leave this to you, Yui-chan," walked away.
"Is Yukinoshita-san angry?" Saika Totsuka gazed after her with a mix of worry and admiration, his tone soft as he spoke. "Is it because I'm progressing too slowly?"
"Of course not! Yukinon would never give up on someone she's trying to help. Besides, Saika, haven't you already improved a lot?" Yui Yuigahama quickly guessed that Yukino had gone to the infirmary to get a first-aid kit.
"Anyway, let's take a break for now," Hachiman Hikigaya said as he helped Saika Totsuka over to the shade of a tree.
"We should clean the wound first," Hachiman noted, glancing at the dust-covered scrape on Totsuka's knee. Turning to Zaimokuza, he called out, "Hey, Zaimokuza, could you go buy a bottle of mineral water? I'll pay you back when you return."
Zaimokuza had joined partway through the practice. Though his participation hadn't been particularly helpful for Totsuka's training, he had at least contributed by coming up with various names for their hits, which was... somewhat useful for morale, perhaps?
To lighten the mood, at least.
"Leave it to me!"
Zaimokuza gave a thumbs-up, his brown trench coat billowing slightly—even on such a scorching day. It seemed like an obsession; despite sweating profusely, he refused to take it off.
He swished the coat dramatically as he turned, leaving behind a cool figure, only to return in a panic two steps later.
"H-Hachiman! We have uninvited guests heading this way!"
Following Zaimokuza's pointing finger, Hachiman saw a group approaching the tennis court. Leading the group were two blond classmates—a boy and a girl.
"Hayama Hayato and Miura Yumiko," Hachiman muttered under his breath, his brow twitching in reflexive annoyance. It was almost Pavlovian—just seeing their faces was enough to trigger a deep, visceral irritation. "Great, just what I needed to ruin my day." Running into Hayama now couldn't mean anything good.
Sure enough, Miura Yumiko's voice soon reached their ears.
"Wow, tennis! Hayato, I wanna play tennis too~"
Hachiman glanced at Yuigahama and the others, who simultaneously turned their gazes toward him.
Looks like it's up to me to deal with this…
Reluctantly, Hachiman got up and approached the pair, trying to reason with them. "This court was reserved by Totsuka. Other people can't use it."
"Huh? But you're already using it," Miura shot back, folding her arms.
"We're helping him train. Think of it as outsourcing."
"What kind of nonsense are you even talking about? Seriously, so gross!"
Annoyed, Miura played with her blond hair and clung to Hayama's arm. "Hayato, I wanna play tennis~"
Ugh, this blond bimbo.
Hachiman glared silently at the pair.
Although he wasn't close to Hayama and his group—in fact, they were practically enemies—Hachiman understood Hayama well enough.
The moment Hayama smiled awkwardly while Miura clung to him, Hachiman knew he'd try to resolve things with his usual nonsensical diplomacy.
"Let's not make this a conflict," Hayama said, turning to Hachiman. "Why don't we all play together?"
"'All'? As in the kind of 'everyone' that includes begging your mom for something because everyone else has it? That 'everyone'? There's no such thing here."
Hachiman's tone carried a sharp edge of sarcasm. "Hayama, I know you're a nice guy—handsome, popular, adored by girls—but do you really need to take the last bit of peace I have by stealing this court?"
"Where is this coming from?" Hayama looked genuinely caught off guard by Hachiman's sudden outburst, his expression betraying a moment of discomfort.
"Someone as privileged as you, Hayama, really needs to rob a simple tennis court from someone like me, who has nothing left?"
Hachiman's dead-fish eyes locked onto Hayama's, an unexpected pressure emanating from his gaze.
Though Hayama felt it, he brushed it off. After a glance at Miura, he proposed, "How about this? A match between you and me, neither of us being from the tennis club. Winner gets the court. Of course, we'll still help Totsuka train. Practicing with strong players would benefit him, don't you think?"
Hayama's suggestion sounded like a fair compromise but was essentially a win-win for him.
It didn't matter. Hachiman nodded in agreement.
"Sounds fun! Why don't we make it a mixed doubles match?" Miura clapped excitedly.
""Join however many you want," Hachiman said with a sigh, gripping a racket. "Not like I have a choice."
"What? You're so full of yourself! Do you even realize how insulting you're being?!" Predictably, Miura flew into a rage.
Hachiman shrugged without confirming or denying her accusation.
"Fine! I'll show you what I'm capable of. Don't come crying when you lose!" Miura sneered.
"Are you sure about this? Miura used to win tennis competitions back in middle school," Yuigahama whispered worriedly.
"Don't worry," Hachiman replied nonchalantly. "I'll win."
In the past, he might have hesitated to be so arrogant. But now, things were different.
The cursed energy swirling around him was proof enough.
Too bad no one else could see it.
Ever since his recent self-reflection and determination to grow, Hachiman's demeanor had shifted subtly, adopting a quiet confidence.
He tilted his head back slightly, gazing at the sky with a melancholic expression.
Hayama, don't blame me for being underhanded.
Right now, I'm terrifyingly strong.
...
Meanwhile, Yukino was returning from the infirmary with a first-aid kit when Sukuna's voice echoed in her mind.
"Looks like your sister isn't watching you as closely now. You could use this time after school."
"If I come home too late, she'll get suspicious," Yukino replied.
"I'm talking about club hours. If no one comes to the Service Club with requests, it's free time. I can take you out, starting around the school, to exorcise low-level curses and search for special-grade ones."
"And the club?"
"Leave it to Hikigaya and Yuigahama."
"Address others properly," Yukino scolded lightly. Yet, she found the idea practical. "Fine. Let's do that."
Their conversation ended just as Yukino returned to the tennis court, where Sukuna immediately noticed Hachiman using cursed energy to overpower his opponents.
"Using cursed energy to beat regular people? Disgraceful! Did I teach you this?!" Sukuna grumbled.
Still, Sukuna's gaze lingered on the blond boy.
"Wait a second… Hayama?!
Good, Hachiman. Very good.
Now turn it up a notch!"
Under the amplification of cursed energy, Hikigaya Hachiman completely dominated the two opponents. His grip on the match tightened with each passing moment, never once relinquishing his advantage, and if anything, he only grew more powerful as it continued. Hayama Hayato and Miura Yumiko couldn't even manage to land a single point.
Hikigaya almost ended the match in a crushing, overwhelming manner, his presence towering over them like a storm cloud ready to engulf the fragile remnants of their pride.
Defeated, Hayama and the others slunk away, their heads bowed in shame. Even the ever-charismatic Hayama didn't muster the courage to speak, leaving Hikigaya with no chance to make any victory remarks.
It was clear that Hayama had initially intended to flatter Hikigaya after the match, perhaps exchange a few pleasantries and suggest they play a casual game of tennis to smooth things over, as was his usual approach.
But who could have foreseen that, despite the odds stacked in their favor, they would be utterly crushed?
"Why are Hayama and the others here?" Yukinoshita Yukino asked as she arrived with a first-aid kit, standing beside Hiratsuka Saika, her gaze fixed on the defeated trio.
"It's because Miura-san insisted on playing tennis," Hiratsuka remarked with a wry smile, recounting the events to Yukinoshita. "But Hikigaya-kun… he's something else, isn't he? He beat both Hayama and Miura by himself."
Her eyes sparkled with admiration, imagining the sheer power it would take to single-handedly dominate such a match. The thought of someone using cursed energy to overwhelm ordinary people… It was an unsettling, almost disturbing notion.
Yukinoshita pressed her lips into a thin line, silently criticizing the idea, though she couldn't deny the intensity of the victory.
But rather than focusing on Hikigaya's overwhelming win, she found herself more intrigued by something else entirely.
It seems like Sukuna really doesn't like Hayama Hayato, does he? Yukinoshita thought, glancing at Hiratsuka as she treated the wound on her arm.
"Do you remember, when we were younger, how I could see right through all of your little schemes? Even back then, I knew Hayama was up to something. That guy was clearly trying to get close to your sister."
"You mean, Hayama liked my sister?" Yukinoshita asked, her mind reeling from the shock. "And he's been interested since we were kids?"
How could I not have known this?
Her memories of childhood were scattered and blurry—only fragments of those days remained, especially the time she was bullied and had to study abroad. But she did recall one thing: trailing behind her older sister and Hayama when they were younger.
Didn't you notice how Hayama treated you when you were being bullied? His method of "helping" you was practically a poor imitation of your sister's. Pathetic.
Sukuna's voice dripped with disdain, making his thoughts clear.
It seems he hasn't changed at all, huh?
"Are you saying that Hayama's approach to things now is the same as it was back then? Well, it's definitely more effective now."
Weaklings group together, hoping to make themselves seem stronger by dragging others down. But real strength? Real strength stands alone.
Ah, so Sukuna can actually say something insightful, every now and then.
That wasn't me, it was Xun Ge'er who said that.
Xun Ge'er? You mean the former doctor turned writer, Lu Xun from China? But Sukuna isn't from the past… How does he know about modern authors?
There's a lot you don't understand.
Yukinoshita hadn't even noticed that she was smiling softly as she spoke to Sukuna. It was a faint expression, like a tiny spring sprout breaking through the soil, a sign of a quiet joy that reflected on her face in that very moment.
Hiratsuka noticed this and paused, observing Yukinoshita, whose expression had softened as she worked.
"Yukinoshita-san?"
The question brought Yukinoshita back to reality, and she flushed, slightly embarrassed. "Sorry, I was… daydreaming."
"Something good must have happened," Hiratsuka observed. "You seem in a really good mood today."
"Something good? Perhaps..." Yukinoshita murmured, quickly disinfecting Hiratsuka's wound. "Just be careful not to get the wound wet. You wouldn't want it to get infected."
"Got it. Thanks."
"It's no trouble. Now, let's take a break. It's lunchtime."
Yukinoshita gathered the iodine and medicine, offered a few words to Yuigahama, and then left to return the medical kit.
With the school nurse absent and no one else nearby, Sukuna stepped out to get some air.
"By the way, if you could go back to when you were being bullied… what would you do?" Sukuna asked, his tone casual, yet carrying a certain weight.
Yukinoshita blinked, caught off guard by the question, but her response came quickly. "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."
"I'd either get a teacher involved or use violence—whatever it took, I'd hunt down those who used underhanded tactics and make them pay."
Talking about her past had never been easy, but now, with Sukuna—someone who understood her in ways others didn't—she found herself speaking more freely than usual.
"It's strange, isn't it? People who are clearly capable get ignored, while those who aren't capable—those who can't do anything on their own—band together. They think that by dragging others down, they'll somehow become stronger. It's absurd. As if weakness can somehow be masked by numbers."
"The world is wrong, and I want to change it."
Yukinoshita stood by the window, the early summer breeze carrying the scent of freshly cut grass and earth from the school courtyard into the medical room.
After listening to her, Sukuna let out a light chuckle, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Naive, kid."
His words made Yukinoshita frown, the calm, composed demeanor she usually wore slipping just slightly. "Am I wrong? What's your opinion, Sukuna?"
"Maybe you're a good person, but you're not strong enough," Sukuna said.
"You aren't capable of rising above them. You don't have the power to make them fear you. You're too weak, socially and otherwise. You got bullied because of it. Did I miss something?"
"I…"
I just didn't want to deal with them, Yukinoshita thought, but the words caught in her throat, especially with her older sister standing right before her.
"You're weak too. And the world? The world is even more merciless toward the weak than you can imagine."
The window reflected their faces, the two girls' gazes locked in an unspoken challenge.
"You don't want a perfect world."
"The world you want—what you desire—is one where even the weak can smile without fear."