In the blink of an eye, Yukinoshita Yukino and Kawasaki Saki's tennis match had been going on for over ten minutes.
The score was four to two.
Although Yukinoshita Yukino was temporarily leading by two points, her performance was getting worse and worse due to her lack of stamina.
Kawasaki Saki, on the other hand, had excellent stamina because she often worked part-time, did housework, and took care of her younger siblings.
Although she frequently lost points in the early stages, as Yukinoshita Yukino's stamina declined, she began to catch up.
Another ten minutes passed.
Yukinoshita Yukino was already panting, and the score had reached five to five.
Clearly, Yukinoshita Yukino's stamina could no longer hold out; if she continued, she would undoubtedly lose.
Just then, the class bell rang.
This physical education class ended, and the match between Yukinoshita Yukino and Kawasaki Saki also temporarily concluded.
Kawasaki Saki wiped the sweat from her forehead, slightly out of breath, and said, "You should be glad class just ended."
She had to admit that Yukinoshita Yukino was very strong.
Earlier, she was no match at all, barely able to hold on, and only gradually regained the advantage as Yukinoshita Yukino's stamina declined.
Moreover, although her stamina was slightly better, it wasn't by much.
At this moment, Kawasaki Saki was also somewhat exhausted, and if they continued to play, it would be hard to say who would win or lose.
Yukinoshita Yukino's face was flushed, and she was breathing heavily, but she still stubbornly said, "I don't want to hear that from an opponent who was on the defensive the whole time."
After exchanging a few harsh words, the two said no more, tidied up, and prepared to leave.
At this moment, they both had each other in their minds, acknowledging the other as a worthy opponent.
Seeing the two leave, the onlookers gradually dispersed.
They enthusiastically discussed the match.
What started as a small matter quickly became known throughout the entire grade, and even the school.
After all, one was a famous 'high-class flower,' and the other was also a beauty.
The conflict between two beauties, in a vibrant school, was naturally a highly popular topic.
As for Tanaka Masao, the instigator of this conflict, no one cared at all.
Even if someone noticed him as the referee, they only treated him as a tool or an extra.
...
Tanaka Masao was in a cheerful mood; he returned to the classroom to tidy up and then walked with light steps to the Service Club.
During today's physical education class, he not only didn't exercise but also enjoyed watching the conflict between two beautiful girls.
Most importantly, this conflict was entirely orchestrated by him.
Roughly speaking, Yukinoshita Yukino and Kawasaki Saki fought because of him.
Two beauties fighting over him—what a sense of accomplishment!
Arriving at the Service Club, Tanaka Masao knocked on the door.
After waiting a while, there was no response from inside.
Tanaka Masao was a bit puzzled; he pushed the door and found it locked.
Just then, a clear, cold voice sounded from behind Tanaka Masao.
"Tanaka-kin, you're here very early today."
Yukinoshita Yukino's classroom was closer to here, and she almost always came over right after class, so normally she would definitely arrive earlier than Tanaka Masao.
As for why she was late today, it was naturally because of physical education class.
She had to change clothes after class, and she had expended too much stamina during class, so she walked slower than usual.
On her way over, she had thought some things through.
Although she hadn't spent much time with Kawasaki Saki, perhaps it was the mutual appreciation between rivals, but she felt that the other party would definitely not actively challenge her like that.
There must be some misunderstanding.
And how this misunderstanding came about was also very clear: Tanaka Masao must have been behind it.
Opening the door and walking into the Service Club, Yukinoshita Yukino quietly said, "Tanaka-kin, the match between Kawasaki-kun and me was all planned by you, wasn't it?"
She looked back at Tanaka Masao. "What a clever trick."
There was no hint of anger on Yukinoshita Yukino's face; instead, she showed a rather charming smile.
Looking at Yukinoshita Yukino's smile, Tanaka Masao swallowed hard, exclaiming in his heart, "I'm doomed!"
Yukinoshita Yukino placed her things on the table, looked at Tanaka Masao, who was still frozen in place, and urged, "Tanaka-kin, what are you standing there for? Come over here."
Watching Yukinoshita Yukino's smile grow even more charming, Tanaka Masao became increasingly flustered.
"Yukinoshita Classmate, please don't smile anymore; I'm scared."
Yukinoshita Yukino tilted her head adorably, feigning confusion, and asked, "Oh, what are you scared of? Don't worry, I'm not a devil; I won't do anything to you."
"You're no different from a devil in my mind right now, okay?"
Tanaka Masao still bit the bullet and walked over.
"Indeed, if you don't court death, you won't die."
Tanaka Masao had deeply realized his mistake.
"Next time I do something bad, I must be even more discreet; I absolutely cannot be discovered again."
Well, he didn't actually think there was anything wrong with him instigating the tennis match between Yukinoshita Yukino and Kawasaki Saki.
Looking at Tanaka Masao, who seemed resigned to his fate, Yukinoshita Yukino pinched her chin and said, "What exercise should we do today? How about half an hour of horse stance to warm up first?"
Hearing this, Tanaka Masao rolled his eyes.
"Yukinoshita Classmate, do you have some misunderstanding about warming up?"
As he spoke, Tanaka Masao squatted into a horse stance.
"Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding? Do you think half an hour of horse stance is too easy and want to add some difficulty? How about you hold a chair in each hand? That way, you can also train your arms."
"Ah, no, please, I'll really die!"
"How will you know if you'll die if you don't try?"
Yukinoshita Yukino showed a charming smile while performing a devilish act.
She found two chairs and hung one on each of Tanaka Masao's arms.
One chair wasn't actually heavy; even elementary school students could easily lift it.
However, holding one in each hand was extremely difficult.
Because the chairs had irregular shapes and large volumes, it was hard to control their center of gravity.
Compared to items of the same weight, like dumbbells, they were much harder to hold with one hand.
Tanaka Masao's arms trembled, barely managing to lift the chairs off the ground.
But this result clearly did not satisfy Yukinoshita Yukino.
"Tanaka-kin, that won't do; your arms must be straight."
"Oysters!"
Tanaka Masao let out a pained wail.