Hayama Hayato really was trying to think of a solution—but at the moment, he had no clue what to do.
If he used his popularity around school to recruit people, he could probably fill the nearly-abandoned soccer club with newcomers in just a single day.
But the problem was, recruiting bodies wasn't enough. They had to actually know how to play.
If all the new members were just there to make up the numbers, their third-year captain—on the verge of graduating—would probably turn into some furious field marshal, jabbing a finger at each of them one by one while shouting, "Can any of you even kick a ball?!"
While Shirase and Hayama were talking, a tall, slender figure walked into the classroom.
From the corner of her eye, she noticed the school's two most popular boys chatting together. Her gaze flickered slightly, then returned to calm indifference.
"Tch."
Miura Yumiko, noticing the beautiful girl too, curled her lips faintly but didn't say anything.
Hayama gave Shirase a helpless smile. "She's always like that. Don't take it personally."
Of course, Shirase didn't.
As the girl passed by, a faint, elegant scent brushed through the air.
She had a flawless, delicate face—almost unreal in its perfection—but her expression carried not a hint of emotion. The atmosphere around her screamed "keep your distance", almost a female version of Shirase himself.
Even so, boys in the classroom couldn't help but sneak glances at her.
Her face could captivate anyone; her long legs, hidden beneath the hem of her uniform skirt, and those sleek, straight lines shaped by her thigh-high stockings—all of it radiated an allure that pulled the eye.
And after all, they were teenage boys.
Yukinoshita Yukino—Aoyama High School's most famous genius girl.
Always alone. No friends. Hardly ever speaking to anyone.
As for "the unshakable Hiratsuka Shizuka," she was currently teaching Class B.
Shirase withdrew his gaze from Yukinoshita, thinking to himself, so that's the one I have to surpass.
At that moment, Hayama turned to Yumiko. "Yumiko, go ahead and take your seat first. Since there's still a bit of time, I want to talk to Shirase alone."
"Ah… fine."
Yumiko clearly wasn't happy about it, but she went anyway.
Watching the blonde girl's retreating back, Shirase thought—if the timing weren't so awkward, he would've told her straight out that Hayama's interest in her probably didn't run as deep as his interest in… well, him.
How did that saying go again?
If not for the pangs of adolescence and the stirrings of springtime, boys would rather hang out with boys.
"The girl who used to manage the soccer club stepped down, right?" Hayama leaned closer, lowering his voice.
"Yeah," Shirase replied. "That girl was clearly tricked into joining in the first place. Once she realized we didn't even have enough members to form a proper team, and after seeing our pathetic record, she bailed immediately."
"Can't blame her," Hayama mused. "That club's practically falling apart." After a pause, he asked, "So how good are you, honestly?"
"Amateur level. If I go up against players who've trained professionally since middle school, my only advantage is stamina."
He wasn't lying—though he did still have that one unused experience card in his system inventory.
"I'm about the same," Hayama sighed, rubbing his temples.
Soccer here wasn't as big as baseball, but it was still one of the most popular sports.
Every year, countless schools participated in the high school soccer league. Though the teams' skill levels varied wildly, many of those players were already on track to go pro.
That alone meant that even someone as confident as Hayama wouldn't dare talk big in front of those "semi-professional" players.
He knew the gap between professionals and amateurs all too well.
That was exactly why he'd agreed with Shirase earlier: unless the soccer club somehow lucked into geniuses like Sakuragi Hanamichi or Rukawa Kaede, they'd be lucky just to have some fun before the end.
The two discussed for a while but came up with nothing concrete. Still, seeing the faint determination in Hayama's eyes, Shirase suspected he really did intend to call in some of his connections.
...
Neither of them realized that their quiet huddle had drawn plenty of eyes from around the room—not only from fluttery, lovestruck girls but also from Yukinoshita Yukino herself, who was subtly watching them from her seat.
Of course, it wasn't Hayama who caught her interest. He'd long since stopped being someone worth observing.
It was Shirase.
She'd first heard that name from Hiratsuka Shizuka, who'd mentioned it with an oddly amused tone.
"Yukino, did you know? That boy in your class, Shirase Haruto—he studied nearly nonstop for an entire month to prepare for the entrance exams. Barely slept. My colleague, Kojima-sensei, told me about it."
At first, Yukinoshita hadn't cared. So he'd crammed for a month before the exam—big deal. That just meant his original grades weren't anything special, and he'd tried pulling a last-minute miracle.
But on the second day of school, she'd witnessed the infamous scene: that boy, the one who "fought his way from inside the school to outside," beating up delinquents and "championing justice."
How am I even supposed to describe someone like you?
Yukinoshita found herself utterly perplexed.
His school persona was the polar opposite of Hayama's. In fact, he resembled herself far more.
Difficult to approach. Preferring solitude.
Yet this was the same person who had gone out of his way to help a bullied student—on his second day of high school—and then refused any connection or gratitude afterward.
Even those he'd rescued were met with distant, cold indifference.
Yukinoshita's eyes flicked briefly toward Hayama. With her intelligence, it wasn't hard to guess that his sudden interest in Shirase probably stemmed from curiosity more than friendship.
Human nature really is complicated, she thought, her gaze glimmering faintly.
...
Shirase, of course, had no idea that the very person he aimed to surpass—the school's number-one genius—was now quietly watching him.
As soon as class ended, he activated [Fixed Hosting] to study. As for [Free Hosting], he still planned to use it again eventually.
Not only to unlock more system functions—but also for the rewards.
From his own testing, it seemed that the longer he set the duration for [Free Hosting], the greater the chance the progress bar would increase significantly… though sometimes, it would only move normally.
After the second period ended, he was summoned to the office by Kirisu Mafuyu.
He knocked on the door, and after hearing a calm "Come in," he stepped inside—only for his vision to be immediately filled with a strikingly elegant sight.
Her long, waterfall-like hair cascaded down her back to her waist; her smooth brows showed not the slightest ripple of emotion. Her lips, clearly moistened by gloss, glimmered softly. Though there was still a respectful distance between them, the warm, faint fragrance surrounding her seemed to fill the whole room, blending perfectly with the delicate, porcelain-like glow of her skin.
"Have a seat," said Kirisu Mafuyu, setting down her pen and turning those beautiful, sharp eyes toward him.