Time marched on, like pages in a novel, with a few meaningful days passing quietly for the reader.
Yuu went to school in the morning to study diligently, and at noon, he ate lunch with Yukino and Yuigahama in the Service Club while discussing the upcoming autumn festival.
Initially, he was quite worried that if Yukino, who never minced words, was tasked with diplomacy, it might immediately spark a wave of resentment, making the Service Club a target of hatred even before the battle began.
And the facts proved it was indeed so.
If not for Yuigahama's efforts to smooth things over, some clubs might have already harbored hostility toward the Service Club, even picking a fight outright.
After all, in Yukino's view, pretense was self-deception, and gentle words were a compromise with the world—unless others spoke politely to her, they'd better brace for her cold sarcasm and enjoy the feeling of being verbally pummeled.
Yuigahama had once complained about this:
"It's not that Yukinon's wrong; those people's tones were really annoying, and if I could, I'd want to punish them too… But this is too dangerous! If Yuu-kun were there, it might be fine, but just us two girls going into the enemy's den…"
Yukino immediately frowned, retorting with clear displeasure:
"What's wrong with being girls? Yuigahama-san, that mindset is utterly incorrect. Even if you can't trust yourself, please trust in my abilities—and the school's safe environment. If they dare do anything to us, they'll have to say goodbye to the rest of their lives. There's nothing to fear."
Yuigahama slumped onto the table, drained. "That's not the issue…"
Yuu couldn't help but sigh. "Forget it, I'll handle it."
Hearing that, Yukino immediately directed her dissatisfaction at him.
"There's no need for that. Progress is going smoothly, so there's no reason to replace the person in charge… Just focus on your own business and don't meddle unnecessarily."
Yuu didn't give her a friendly look either, responding firmly and righteously.
"What you think doesn't concern me. I'm only thinking about the club… Unless you can guarantee that every word you say won't cause trouble for your teammates, I'll let you keep handling this."
"…"
Yukino bit her lip and fell silent.
As the main executor of the plan, she couldn't ignore Yuu's opinion, but she also couldn't confidently give any guarantees with her self-awareness, pride, and refusal to lie. In the end, she could only give him a mocking smile, as if struggling on the brink of death:
"Your reckless plan—isn't it already a hassle for me and Yuigahama? What a fine double standard."
Amid their cold stares, Yuigahama gave another wry smile, stepping in to mediate as usual:
"You two, please don't fight…"
"We're not fighting, just having a normal discussion!"
"Ugh, I don't care about you guys anymore…"
Looking into those stubborn yet reluctant blue-green eyes, Yuu said seriously:
"The Yukinoshita I know—would she hold back her anger and do something she doesn't want to? If so, then do whatever you want. I don't mind suggesting another plan that won't trouble you."
"…Don't talk like you know me so well."
With that cold remark, Yukino stopped speaking, leaving the decision to him.
In the end, Yuu didn't change his approach. He continued to ask both of them to inform the other clubs of the Service Club's intent to challenge them on the festival day.
Thanks to this, as the news spread, Yukino and Yuigahama received plenty of strange looks. The previously obscure Service Club slowly began to be mentioned by other club members.
Of course, most of these discussions were lighthearted, treating it as amusing and waiting to see what would happen, not taking them seriously at all.
Yuu could be said to be hiding behind the scenes; no one knew him except the cooking club members.
Yuigahama was merely a sidekick, appearing harmless and non-threatening.
As for the highly renowned Yukino, though a genius with excellent grades, it seemed impossible for her to defeat them all in so many fields—with such confident thinking, the clubs warmly welcomed their challenge.
The chance to defeat the Ice Queen might only come once—how could they refuse?
Even so, Yukino didn't reveal Yuu's name, silently bearing it all and memorizing the faces of those who spoke carelessly in front of her, ready to relish their changing expressions later.
"But don't get the wrong idea. This doesn't mean I trust you completely."
"If you succeed by luck, I'll mock those arrogant people. If you fail, I'll turn the tables and mock you mercilessly… Either way, it's always my victory."
Yuu still remembered how Yukino had laughed so gleefully, as if eagerly awaiting his downfall.
A bad trait similar to her older sister's, yet not as twisted, with a touch of teenage mischief—it made Yuu smile wryly and slightly shift his view of her.
As for school matters, that was roughly the situation, all being meticulously prepared.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Meanwhile, on Asuna's side, they still met at tutoring and studied together, walking home after class.
Evenings were the best time for dates, chatting about their experiences, growing closer and weaving their once-parallel lives together.
According to Asuna, Sugou had recently used work as an excuse, no longer casually visiting to greet her, and only responded to Kyouko's questions indifferently, as if truly intending to distance himself from the Yuuki family.
Regarding this, Kyouko seemed to think the other party had given up on the matchmaking idea. Seeing their family's standing not only unchanged but rising, even peaking at the tutoring center, her objections gradually faded.
As for Asuna's habit of coming home later, Kyouko no longer constantly reminded her to watch the time, at most saying…
"Don't keep kissing so passionately in front of the house! I don't want to hear gossip about the Yuuki family's daughter being shameless, flirting with a guy in public!"
On this, Asuna also wanted to say:
"We always check if anyone's around when kissing! Unless Mom's peeking from inside, no one would know, right?!"
Thus, lately, the focus of the mother-daughter disputes had shifted to romance and moral etiquette, no longer about heavy education and the future…
Yuu didn't know if this change was good or bad.
But at least Asuna had said she was very happy now—that was enough.