Afternoon – The Service Club
After school, the Service Club had one additional member today—Hiratsuka Shizuka.
She was here to "supervise" the club's tutoring session.
Su Yu ignored her presence and continued explaining the study material to the group.
Yuigahama Yui listened attentively, and even Ebina Hina and Miura Yumiko were focused.
Hiratsuka Shizuka watched Su Yu, evaluating his abilities.
His grades probably aren't bad—he's at least on the same level as Yukinoshita Yukino.
With that in mind—
Should I assign more tutoring requests to the Service Club?
Before she could decide—
"Shizuka-sensei, are you just going to sit there and watch?"
Su Yu suddenly spoke.
"Ahem… You're doing a great job," Shizuka praised.
"As the club's advisor, shouldn't you be helping with tutoring?" Su Yu questioned, looking at her.
"This is your Service Club request," Shizuka said seriously. "If I help, it wouldn't contribute to your growth."
"I see," Su Yu nodded.
"In that case, please don't add any more tutoring requests. I'm already teaching three people. If another one joins, I'll need your help."
Shizuka's eyes darted away for a moment.
How did he know I was thinking of adding more requests?
"My gut tells me that whenever you silently watch me, you're up to something."
"And whenever your eyes avoid mine, it means I've guessed correctly."
"It's nothing special. I just read your expression."
Su Yu spoke calmly and confidently, while Shizuka stared at him—completely stunned.
The three girls beside them snuck a glance at Shizuka, noticing that Su Yu had hit the nail on the head.
"Su Yu-kun, you're too sharp," Shizuka sighed. "I hope your grades will impress me as much as your mind-reading skills."
"If not, I'll personally tutor you myself."
"No need," Su Yu rejected immediately.
"If you tutor me, I'd probably be bored to sleep."
A vein popped on Shizuka's forehead.
…Did this brat just say my lessons are boring?!
She made a mental note—
Tomorrow, she'd make him answer extra questions in class.
"By the way, Shizuka-sensei," Su Yu suddenly added, "If you plan on calling on me, please prepare harder questions—the usual ones are too easy."
Shizuka: "…"
…This brat is definitely a mind reader.
Tennis Rematch – Su Yu vs. Totsuka
After finishing the tutoring session, Su Yu didn't leave immediately.
Instead, he headed to the tennis courts.
Yui followed him, while Ebina dragged Miura along to "observe their target."
Shizuka also tagged along due to a previous club request.
At the courts—
Totsuka Saika and Hikigaya Hachiman were locked in an evenly matched game.
The moment Totsuka saw Su Yu, he paused.
"Su Yu-kun! Want to play a match?"
"That's exactly why I came."
Su Yu handed his bag to Yui and walked over to Hachiman, who silently passed him a tennis racket before heading toward Shizuka.
Hachiman stood in front of her without saying a word.
Shizuka smirked.
"Looks like you're adapting well—you even made some good friends."
Hachiman lowered his voice.
"…I never wanted to change."
"But you already have," Shizuka replied. "The tutoring request I gave Su Yu-kun… is officially completed."
Hachiman frowned slightly.
"That guy dumped me here and never looked back."
"That's because he's smart," Shizuka analyzed.
"If he kept helping you, you'd never grow.
By leaving you here, he forced you to make your own choices.
And guess what? It worked.
If Su Yu had been the one constantly introducing you to friends, you probably would've rejected them all, wouldn't you?"
Hachiman fell silent.
"…Did he really think that far ahead?"
Shizuka smiled, choosing not to answer.
A Different Su Yu
As the match began, Su Yu and Totsuka faced off.
Although Totsuka was already tired from his previous match, he still had the upper hand due to experience.
However—
Unlike before, Su Yu was attacking aggressively.
His playstyle was completely different from the one he had used against Hayama.
Among everyone present, Miura Yumiko understood tennis the most.
Watching Su Yu now, she realized something—
If he plays against Hayama again during the next P.E. class…
He'll defeat him with pure skill.
Sunset Reflections
As the sun set, Su Yu left the tennis courts.
He sighed.
My stamina is still lacking… Compared to Totsuka, I'm nowhere near his level.
I only won against Hayama because he's not a tennis player.
Even though Hayama was a top athlete, in terms of tennis skills, he might not even be able to beat Hachiman.
"Su Yu-kun, are you planning to rematch Hayama during P.E.?" Yui asked curiously.
"Yui," Su Yu said, looking up at the sky,
"My rival isn't Hayama Hayato."
"My only true opponent is myself."
"Today's me must surpass yesterday's me—that alone is progress."
Yui blinked in surprise.
After a moment—
"Then…"
"I'll start morning runs every day, and in the afternoons, I'll play one hour of tennis to build my endurance," Su Yu announced.
"Then I'll run with you!" Yui declared.
"You're not built for running," Su Yu stated flatly.
"Huh? Why not?"
She followed his gaze—
Then blushed instantly.
…Right.
Her body type made running difficult.
Even on normal days, her shoulders sometimes felt sore.
"Yukino is actually suited for training," Su Yu mused, "but her stamina is too low. If she sticks with it long enough, she'll see results."
Yui giggled.
"If Yukino heard that, she'd definitely be mad."
"Some things are innate, but others can be improved with effort.
Yukino will improve—her potential is limitless."
Su Yu nodded seriously.
Yui immediately turned away in embarrassment.
"Su Yu-kun, you're the worst!"
Shopping for "Home"
As they passed a convenience store, Yui suddenly stopped.
"Su Yu-kun, wait here!"
She quickly rushed inside.
A few minutes later—
She emerged with two bags—one with snacks and the other with drinks.
"Our snack supply at home was running low," Yui explained.
"I also got your favorite drinks.
And… I bought a bento for tomorrow's lunch!"
Su Yu raised an eyebrow.
"Are you treating Sakura Dormitory like your second home?"
"This is starting to feel like we're already married."
"But you can't cook, so… we'd have to stop by the supermarket next time."
Yui blushed.
"I can learn!"
She hesitated, then said softly—
"On weekends, I'll stay home and learn from Mom."
Su Yu nodded.
"Good. Learn well—at least until Yukino acknowledges your cooking skills."