"I'm not that interested in swimming, and as for boxing, I don't like it that much anymore either."
"Besides, I've already promised the teacher to participate in this Jade Dragon Banner and get a decent ranking."
"Teacher? Who is your teacher?"
"Musashino Kenta from the Musashino Dojo, he's my kendo teacher."
"Musashino Dojo, huh? Since you've already made your decision, then just work hard."
Shizuka was a qualified teacher, in the country of Neon, this was a rare thing.
After all, this is a country where overthrowing one's superiors and killing teachers is trendy. School teachers rarely take such responsibility for students.
"As for Yukinoshita's club, I still hope you can try joining, just treat it as helping me out, okay?"
"That child Yukinoshita doesn't have a single friend, and her personality is also a bit difficult. I'm really worried she'll run into some bad people at this school and bring trouble to herself and her family."
"Since it's a request from little Shizuka, then I'll help."
"Alright, it's getting late, go back now."
Hearing Shin-chan agree, Shizuka waved her hand in satisfaction and promptly chased him off.
"Bye-bye, Shizuka, let's have coffee together again next time if there's a chance."
'Coffee?! This kid really knows how to hit where it hurts!' Thinking back to that time they had coffee and how she had been sweet-talked by Shin-chan, Shizuka was thoroughly embarrassed.
By the time she snapped out of it, Shin-chan was already gone.
'I'll educate this kid tomorrow. For now, I'll contact Haruno and go have a drink.'
———
Summer weather is always so unpredictable. No one knew exactly when it started, but a heavy rain had quietly begun outside.
The sudden downpour darkened the sky.
'What now? I didn't bring an umbrella.'
Looking at the curtain of rain in front of her, Yukino looked a little troubled. The rain seemed to be getting heavier and heavier. Without an umbrella, how was she going to get home?
Since she lived alone outside, the driver her family arranged wasn't nearby. It would take one or two hours to come from home. If her mother found out about this, she would definitely be displeased, right? Or should she ask her sister to pick her up?
'Forget it. Maybe the rain will lighten up in a bit?'
The pouring rain carried Yukino's thoughts away, making her reflect on her current situation. Coming to Shuchiin had been quite a blow to the self-confidence she had built up over the years.
In the entrance exam, she hadn't even made it into the top fifty, which was a significant setback for Yukino, who had always been first in her grade since childhood.
Was she really that outstanding?
Establishing the Service Club had been a long-time plan of hers. Her childhood experiences made her unable to understand one thing.
Why do the weak reject those who are more outstanding than them? Is it envy? Or just human nature?
Yukino speculated that it was because these people didn't know how to improve themselves and could never make progress, so they became jealous of those who were better.
That's also why her indoor shoes had been stolen so many times.
Since that's the case, she decided to create a club that would help these people find ways to improve themselves. As the saying goes, "Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime."
This way, exclusion and bullying wouldn't happen anymore.
Unfortunately, that was just Yukino's wishful thinking. Just like her name, Yukinoshita Yukino, snow under the snow. Pure, cold, unique, beautiful. Only by peeling away the hard snow layer could one catch a glimpse of her soft true self.
She tried hard to break free from the snow's restraints, not realizing that this seemingly hard snow layer was also protecting her, shielding her from the scorching sun.
"What a coincidence, Yukino."
"Nohara-kun, just call me Yukinoshita-san. We're not close enough to be calling each other by name."
No need to look back. Just hearing the voice, she already knew, it was that troublesome Shin-chan.
Since she had accepted Shizuka's request, she would find a way to correct Shin-chan's twisted personality. What she didn't know was that she was actually the one Shizuka thought needed to be changed and saved.
"Yukino, don't be so cold. We're neighbors, and it just so happens we can go home together. With rain this heavy, you can't go back alone, right?"
Shin-chan's backpack contained all sorts of strange things, everything but books. A folding umbrella was always in it.
However, the umbrella was a bit small. Yukino took one look and immediately knew, if she and Shin-chan shared this umbrella on the way home, the posture would definitely be very suggestive.
"Forget it, I'll wait for the rain to stop."
"This rain came so suddenly. Why didn't you bring an umbrella, Yukino?"
"You're the weird one for always carrying an umbrella around! Don't tell me you don't even have a single book in your bag?"
Yukino saw right through Shin-chan. 'This guy clearly didn't like studying, his grades must be awful, right?'
"Yukino, that's too harsh! Why are your words so cold?"
"Please, we're just sheltering from the rain. Once it stops, there won't be any special connection between us."
"The relationship between you and me is just that of a club president and a member, so we don't need to talk too much or pretend to be close. Got it? Nohara-kun."
After she said that, Yukino suddenly felt a little regret. Would saying that hurt Shin-chan?
After all, she had promised Shizuka to help change Shin-chan's personality, but she couldn't control herself.
Right now, Yukino was like a hedgehog. Anyone who tried to get close to her would be instinctively pricked by her words.
Thinking of this, Yukino quietly turned around, and saw Shin-chan squatting in the corner drawing circles on the ground with a stick.
"With rain this heavy, it's definitely too late to go to the supermarket. I actually wanted to eat sukiyaki tonight."
"Eating hot sukiyaki on a chilly rainy day must be super nice. Don't you think so, Yukino?"
'?!'
Hearing Shin-chan's words, Yukino finally understood why Shizuka couldn't help but get involved, this guy was just too infuriating.
She now had the sudden urge to use Aikido on Shin-chan.
With a sigh, though she didn't know why, the anxiety brought on by the torrential rain had completely disappeared without her noticing. Yukino had to admit, Shin-chan really did have a strange kind of magic about him. He made people forget their worries and feel at ease.
"By the way, Yukino, do you like cats?"
"Huh?"
Yukino didn't understand, how could the topic jump that fast? And when did she ever give herself away?
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