With Ren stepping in, the conflict was stopped.
On one side stood Saika Totsuka, Hikigaya, Yukino Yukinoshita, and Yui Yuigahama.
On the other was the "Queen's" circle: Yumiko Miura, Hina Ebina, and the group led by Hayato Hayama.
Both sides turned their attention to Ren, who had set down the drinks and was now acting as the mediator.
"Ebina, while I don't mind you letting your imagination run, could you at least try to restrain yourself in front of me?"
Ren sighed as he pulled a pack of tissues from his pocket.
He handed them to Hina Ebina, whose nose was already bleeding from her "Fujoshi" fantasies.
With a girl like Hina, Ren knew there was no point in arguing.
You couldn't exactly tell her to stop daydreaming.
How she chose to fantasize was her business—as long as she didn't say it out loud to his face.
"Thank you, Katsuragi-kun," Hina said, taking the tissues and beginning to wipe the blood.
With the variable handled, Ren turned back to Hayato's group.
"Alright, tell me. What's the situation?"
Since Ren addressed them first, Yumiko stepped forward.
In reality, it wasn't a huge deal. Every tennis court required an official application to use.
When Yumiko and her group went to apply, the teacher told them that all available courts had already been reserved for the day.
Upon leaving, they happened to see Saika and the others using a court and figured they'd try to share their reservation.
"I have to say, Yumiko... if you're looking to share a court, that attitude you just had isn't the way to go about it," Ren said.
He had profiled Yumiko as a "hedgehog," but he hadn't expected her to bare her quills even when asking for a favor.
"I'm sorry, Totsuka-kun. My attitude just now was definitely out of line."
Since there was no further escalation, a rational Yumiko quickly regained her composure.
She gave a small bow and apologized to Saika. It wasn't about losing face; Yumiko was the type who could own up to her mistakes.
Her previous irritability likely stemmed from the disappointment of being rejected by the teacher after looking forward to playing.
"It's... it's okay, Miura-san," Saika replied, clutching his racket and accepting the apology.
"What do you think, Saika?" Ren asked, turning to the person who actually held the rental agreement.
Since Saika was the one who had officially borrowed the court, the right to use it belonged to him.
Ren wasn't going to overstep his bounds and make the decision for him.
He used a firm look to stop Hikigaya from chiming in.
Everything needed to be Saika's choice. If Hikigaya spoke up, Saika might feel pressured to follow his lead.
They still had two more years at this university, and Saika deserved the freedom to make his own calls.
Besides, if Hikigaya spoke up and they ended up refusing Yumiko, she would undoubtedly pin the blame on Hikigaya.
Ren didn't want to see his friend become a scapegoat again.
Saika looked conflicted, unsure of how to choose.
Seeing his struggle, Ren spoke up again. "Saika, if this is too hard to decide, you can entrust the decision to me."
"Then I'll leave it to you, Katsuragi. Thank you!"
Saika looked like a traveler who had just found an oasis. He couldn't wait to hand the authority over.
"Alright. Saika, your Tennis Club needs to recruit from the first-year freshmen soon, right?"
"Only having the four of you for the recruitment drive probably won't be enough."
"Wait, Ren, you're not going to help?" Hikigaya asked immediately, noticing Ren had excluded himself from the labor.
"Help? Like hell I am," Ren rolled his eyes at Hikigaya before turning to Yumiko and the others.
"As the 'price' for sharing this court, Hayato, Yumiko—you guys will have to help Saika and the others recruit for the Tennis Club when the time comes."
"Is that acceptable?"
Ren was already looking for manpower for Saika.
When the recruitment drive started, they needed to see if the freshmen had any actual tennis foundation.
Practical matches were the best way to observe skill.
Saika, as the president, couldn't play every single match himself.
Hayato Hayama and Yumiko Miura would make excellent "tools" for the job.
Of course, Hikigaya and Yukino were also already on the hook.
"No problem. I agree," Hayato said. He didn't feel like it was a bad deal.
After agreeing, he looked at his friends.
He could make decisions for himself, but he always respected his circle's opinions.
"Fine," Yumiko nodded. She glanced toward Yui Yuigahama on the other side.
It wasn't a difficult task, and it gave her an excuse to keep an eye on Yui and make sure she didn't get "kidnapped" by a certain pair of dead-fish eyes.
With the central figures of the two circles in agreement, the others followed suit.
"Saika, how about you?" Ren asked.
"Mhm, that sounds great!" Saika agreed enthusiastically.
He had heard about Ren's ideas through Hikigaya and was willing to try anything that could strengthen the club.
Having a promise of help from Hayato and Yumiko's group would significantly lighten his burden.
"Then it's settled. Boys in one area, girls in the other. The priority is still improving Saika's skills."
"You can discuss among yourselves who goes on court and when."
Ren clapped his hands to get everyone's attention as he laid out the rules and boundaries for the shared space.
No one objected.
On the boys' side, Saika and Hikigaya formed a team against Hayato and Tobe Kakeru, while the others rotated in.
On the girls' side, since there were only four of them, it was a direct match: Yukino and Yui versus Yumiko and Hina.
One expert leading one amateur on each side—a balance.
"Ren, you aren't playing?" Hayato asked, as he saw Ren walking back toward the shade.
"I don't know how to play," Ren said, waving a hand over his shoulder.
Tennis was a high-stamina sport, and Saika and Hikigaya soon had to take a break.
"Thanks." "Thank you."
Catching the sports drinks Ren tossed to them, Hikigaya began to gulp it down.
Saika took small sips.
The girls' side was about the same.
Yui and Hina couldn't keep up with the intensity of Yukino and Yumiko's play and eventually conceded.
"Ren-kun, I want one too!" Seeing Hikigaya already drinking, Yui jogged over to Ren's area.
"Yukinon, here's yours." "Yumiko, catch."
Yui and Hina each took two bottles, handing one to the "teammates" who had just fought alongside them.
"Hayato, if you guys want some, help yourselves," Ren said to the group.
Then, noticing Mahiru waiting outside the court, Ren gave the group a quick nod and left the tennis area to join her.