Because that group itself was essentially formed around Miura Yumiko and Hayama Hayato, Miura-san's feelings for Hayama-kun were a hidden bomb buried within it. Delaying the issue might turn this potentially explosive bomb—which could shatter the group—into a dud, but it also carried the risk that this Damocles' sword might completely detonate over a minor trigger.
Only by resolving the issue of one-sided affection and allowing Miura Yumiko and Hayama Hayato to confront their inner emotions and conflicts could the group remain stable, regardless of what happened to it or any future conflicts between members. As long as Hayama Hayato and Miura Yumiko remained the anchors, things would not escalate too far.
Therefore, Miura Yumiko's emotional problem was intrinsically linked to whether the group could maintain peace.
"Kakeru Tobe also has an issue."
When he had been chatting with Ebina Hina earlier, Kakeru Tobe's gaze had unintentionally fallen upon him and Ebina Hina. Tobe had even shown subtle hostility toward him. Tobe had previously read his novel and shown him kindness; such a drastic shift in attitude in such a short time could only be due to the rapid progress in his relationship with Ebina Hina.
If there were no surprises, Kakeru Tobe probably had feelings for Ebina Hina.
—or rather, Kakeru Tobe liked Ebina Hina.
That was why his attitude had shifted so quickly—from goodwill to subtle hostility.
However, the problem was—
The problem Ebina Hina faced might be the same as Hayama Hayato's.
Because Ebina Hina also did not want to date.
The last time he ran into Ebina Hina on the way to school and chatted, he had inadvertently probed her thoughts.
The fact that Ebina Hina deliberately acted hopelessly obsessed with BL within that group was actually a tactic to lower her "impression score" in others' minds. It was a way to integrate into the crowd and maintain a stable position within the group.
While it couldn't be denied that Ebina Hina was indeed a fujoshi, the fact that she deliberately reinforced that stereotype showed that she was using what she believed to be the best social strategy within Miura's group.
However, it had not been entirely effective.
Because Kakeru Tobe had developed feelings for her.
Miura and Hayama had a problem.
Kakeru Tobe and Ebina also had a problem.
Perhaps issues of affection were simply part of youth.
Maintaining superficial peace while allowing real problems to ferment in the shadows—doing so in the name of "the greater good"—yet never actually resolving the issues.
Instead, they were buried deeper and deeper, as if refusing to bring them to the surface would make them disappear.
It was just like in Yes, Prime Minister.
> "What is the purpose of our military buildup?
To defend Britain from Russian invasion?
No. It is to make the British people believe we can resist a Russian invasion.
Russia knows we cannot."
"It is indeed quite interesting…"
Yet, while interesting, Ishikawa Hikaru couldn't truly understand such behavior.
Nor could he grasp the psychological turmoil they experienced while acting this way.
Just as Hachiman Hikigaya had once evaluated him—
Even if the students at Sobu High School were outstanding, even if their grades were excellent, even if they were popular, they were still young eagles in the cradle.
They would experience confusion, hesitation, and bewilderment because of friendships and secret admiration.
They would feel pessimistic when things went wrong.
However, Ishikawa's reason for attending school was fundamentally different.
He attended school for his pursuit of interest, happiness, and satisfaction, and to observe youth, not because society or parents demanded it.
Moreover, he already possessed the talent, status, and wealth to control his own life—just like Yamada Elf.
Therefore, his life as a "high school student" existed purely to satisfy himself and enrich his spiritual world.
Naturally, his perspective differed greatly from that of ordinary students.
Which meant—
He could never truly possess the youth that ordinary students experienced.
Because youth was precisely what he lacked, Hachiman Hikigaya labeled him an anomaly within the high school environment.
Another problem child who had to be placed in the "isolation ward" known as the Service Club by Hiratsuka-sensei.
This caused Ishikawa Hikaru to sigh.
A sigh filled with both anticipation and melancholy.
"When will I ever be able to possess something like youth as easily as they do…"
---
39. So, Is the Problem Child a Child Prodigy?
After school.
Ishikawa Hikaru and Hayama Hayato had already agreed to play tennis at the outdoor courts in Seaside Park, and Miura Yumiko would accompany them.
After saying goodbye to the others in Miura's group, the three walked toward the park, about five or six hundred meters away.
Ishikawa started chatting casually.
"Speaking of which, Miura-san used to be a prefectural representative, right?"
"Yeah. That's right. Why?"
"So you entered Sobu High as a special recruitment student?"
Hayama smiled.
"Yumiko really did enter Sobu High as a special recruit."
"She participated in the national tournament as the prefectural representative during middle school, so it wasn't surprising."
"But after entering Sobu High, she lost interest in joining the tennis club."
"I can understand that," Ishikawa nodded.
"I also lose interest in many things quickly."
"When something becomes too easy, it's easy to lose motivation."
"But when it comes to observing people, I can remain persistent."
Miura looked surprised.
"Huh?"
"At the start of the school year, I began secretly observing the various social groups in the class."
Ishikawa admitted his strange hobby frankly.
"The Russian philosopher Chernyshevsky once said:
Art originates from life, yet transcends life."
"The more comprehensively a writer understands reality, the easier it becomes to create works that are profound and popular."
"The genres I write mainly target young people—middle school, high school, and university students."
"So I need to observe real high school life."
Miura fell silent.
After all, what Ishikawa said was completely outside her realm of understanding.
She had never thought about literature this way.
Only now did she suddenly realize—
Ishikawa Hikaru really was a writer.
Japanese literature had produced Nobel Prize winners.
And Ishikawa had already written a successful debut novel.
Perhaps in the future, he might even enter the mainstream literary world.
Such a future felt very distant for someone like her.
Hayama asked,
"Do you plan to enter the Japanese literary world someday?"
"If I'm interested, maybe."
"But not now."
Ishikawa smiled.
"Life's journey is long."
"If you move too fast, it's like riding a train."
"You only see the scenery flash by."
"You never get to truly observe the flowers, mountains, and rivers along the road."
Hayama frowned slightly.
"So… are we the scenery you observe?"
"My stories become brilliant because of characters."
"The plot cannot exist independently of the characters."
Ishikawa replied calmly.
"My philosophy is people-centered storytelling."
---
40. So, Will the Problem Child Become a "Wounded Zhongyong"(Wasted Talent)?
Because Ishikawa Hikaru had made a reservation in advance, the staff quickly led them to the reserved outdoor tennis court.
After Hayama Hayato picked up his racket, he looked at Ishikawa Hikaru, who had already picked up his own racket and was casually swinging it while walking toward the court.
"Ishikawa. For this match, how about Yumiko acts as the referee? As a former prefectural tennis representative, she understands the rules better than either of us. It will also make the match more formal and closer to an actual competition."
"Sounds good."
Ishikawa Hikaru stopped swinging his racket and began measuring the court with his steps.
"The closer it is to real combat, the more practical experience we gain and the more accurately we can understand our current level. So please, from the very beginning, use your full strength. Don't hold back to test my ability or save face. Don't underestimate me from the start."
"I will."
"Then you serve first."
Ishikawa Hikaru stood on the right side of the court, still casually swinging his racket to get used to it.
"Then I won't be polite."
Hayama Hayato stood in the right-hand service box, facing Ishikawa Hikaru across the net. He bounced the tennis ball lightly with his right hand, testing its feel on the court.
Only after Miura Yumiko had climbed into the umpire's chair beside the net did he ask,
"Ready to start?"
Miura Yumiko immediately announced loudly,
"Match start!"
Hayama Hayato bounced the tennis ball twice with his left hand before tossing it high into the air. As it dropped, he struck it powerfully.
The ball landed in Ishikawa Hikaru's half of the court.
After the ball bounced once, Ishikawa immediately raised his racket and returned it.
However, the ball flew straight out of bounds.
Miura Yumiko announced loudly,
"ACE!"
Ishikawa Hikaru swung his racket again in surprise, clearly taken aback by the result.
"It's your turn to serve," Hayama Hayato said, picking up another tennis ball from outside the court. He lightly hit it toward Ishikawa.
"But you looked surprised just now. Was there a problem?"
"As long as you didn't use some black-hole special effect, there's no problem," Ishikawa replied casually.
He caught the tennis ball with his left hand and bounced it on the ground.
"I was just surprised that I used too much force, which caused the ball to fly out of bounds."
Hayama Hayato immediately grasped the key point.
"You've never played tennis before?"
"I played badminton when I was very young, so I instinctively returned the ball using badminton technique."
Ishikawa stepped into the left service court and adopted a ready stance.
"However, based on my observation, the way force is applied in badminton and tennis is different. That's why I used my wrist when returning the ball just now."
"Also, the elasticity of the racket strings is much stronger than I expected, which caused me to apply too much force and miss the exact point I was aiming for."
"You've never really played tennis before?"
"I've seen it before," Ishikawa replied.
"I've watched many episodes of The Prince of Tennis and read the manga in Weekly Shonen Jump. So I'm not completely ignorant of the rules."
"I just needed to experience actual combat."
"Anyway, I'm serving now."
Ishikawa tossed the ball upward and jumped slightly as he struck it.
The ball landed in Hayama's half of the court.
Hayama returned it immediately, sending the ball toward Ishikawa's right side.
The moment Hayama struck the ball, Ishikawa sprinted toward the right side of the court and returned it toward the opposite corner.
Hayama took two steps toward that direction but stopped.
He judged that the ball would go out of bounds.
"30!"
Miura Yumiko announced the score immediately.
Ishikawa looked at Hayama with interest.
"A spin shot?"
"Yes," Hayama nodded. "It was."
"Interesting," Ishikawa smiled.
"Give the ball to the one who's losing."
Hayama retrieved the ball and lightly hit it toward him.
After catching it, Ishikawa bounced it on the ground like a basketball and returned to the service position.
He glanced at Hayama to confirm he was ready.
Then he served again.
Hayama returned the ball toward the same direction.
Ishikawa struck it back easily without moving much.
But once again, the ball flew out of bounds.
"40!"
Miura Yumiko announced.
"Hayama-kun is truly amazing," Ishikawa said with a smile.
"It seems I'm going to be completely dominated in this match."
"Tennis is a game of tie-breaks," Hayama replied seriously.
"You still have a chance."
"I'd rather you just zero me out completely," Ishikawa said casually, swinging his racket.
"At least that would give me a proper sense of respect for tennis."
"Otherwise I might win against you someday."
"After all, the ancient Chinese story of the Wounded Zhongyong came about this way."
"Wounded Zhongyong?"
Hayama frowned.
He tossed the ball toward Ishikawa again.
Ishikawa stopped the ball with his racket, picked it up, and continued bouncing it on the ground.
"In ancient China there was a child prodigy who could compose poetry at a very young age."
"He became famous because of it."
"But for various reasons he stopped studying seriously."
"As he grew older, his talent gradually faded, and he eventually became an ordinary person."
"Therefore, talent only determines the upper limit that effort can reach."
"Effort determines how much of that talent can actually be realized."
"If something is obtained too easily, people won't cherish it."
"Just like a nouveau riche spending money recklessly."
"Getting things too easily makes people arrogant."
"And then they lose what they gained because of overconfidence."
He paused briefly.
"Perhaps that isn't the case for you."
"But it certainly is for me."
---
41. So, Will the Problem Child Possess Saiyan-Like Potential?
This was the first time Hayama Hayato had truly experienced what talent meant.
Although the match had only just begun—
And Ishikawa Hikaru had not scored a single point—
Most of his shots had gone out of bounds.
Many points had been won by Hayama with a single strike.
On the surface, the gap between them seemed enormous.
It looked as if Hayama could easily defeat Ishikawa with just a little more time.
But the truth might not be so simple.
Because Hayama Hayato was genuinely giving his full effort in this match.
He truly intended to demonstrate his superiority in tennis.
Yet it was precisely during these few exchanges that he realized something terrifying—
The overwhelming power of Ishikawa Hikaru's talent.
In any sport, competitors must possess the ability to read their opponents.
And what Hayama read from Ishikawa Hikaru—
Was not weakness.
But growth.
Rapid.
Abnormal.
Almost frightening.
Like someone whose ability increased with every rally—
Almost like a Saiyan growing stronger during battle.