Let's do it again, Yukino.

It's not that gentle and righteous people can't survive in this world.

Rather, they simply hadn't met the right person.

Some people learn about the world through hurt, whether it's the harm inflicted on them by the outside world or by themselves, whether it's love, family, life, or survival.

Of course, if you are hurt in a gentle way by someone who is actually right, then that's a different story.

on the field,

"I'm not fighting anymore, I give up, I give up..."

Chunri, who originally wanted to have a good tennis match with Xiaoxue, suddenly raised his hands and calmly chose to forfeit in front of everyone.

"Huh? Kasuga-kun, are you giving up so quickly? You and Yukinoshita are evenly matched right now."

Hayato looked at the boy who suddenly didn't want to continue the match with some confusion, while Hayama, one of the referees, looked at him as if he were an idiot.

If I were in that situation, I probably wouldn't have been able to hold on much longer.

Sure enough, Chunri threw the racket to the ground in anger, and the warm atmosphere she had wanted to create with Xiaoxue vanished at that moment.

He looked at Ye Shan, his hand still trembling and numb, but he pointed without hesitation at Yukinoshita on the other side, his voice hoarse from coughing.

"Hayama, which eye of yours saw fairness? Have you ever seen anyone play tennis with an ordinary person using the Iaijutsu technique? Didn't you see the ball flying from behind? It was too fast for the naked eye to catch."

"Stop it, Yukino Yukinoshita—cough, Yukino Yukinoshita, stop! This isn't tennis anymore!!!"

"I concede defeat. In tennis, I, Haruhi Kasuga, acknowledge you as the strongest."

Q: If someone wants to win a match before they run out of energy, what should they do?

A: Just let your opponent leave the field voluntarily.

See? The rules for winning at games are that simple.

The snow woman in the distance was at a time of perfect harmony and peace. Quietness filled her beautiful eyebrows, lowered eyelids, and slightly closed lips, all of which revealed her deliberately cunning personality.

However, Hayama looked surprised.

"Huh? Is that really the case? I think both of you are quite skilled."

"..."

Haruhi and Hikigaya, in perfect unison, rolled their eyes at Hayama, who was being far too hypocritical.

Could it be because he just bullied Miura Yumiko?

They're just pretending not to see it, aren't they?

Does he really not want to leave this tennis court alive?

Springtime's lips twitched slightly. Since he had achieved his initial goal, he didn't want to linger there any longer. The boy bent down and picked up the racket from the ground.

"Alright, that's enough for our post-dinner exercise. The court is yours again, Yukinoshita. If you two are not satisfied, you can try to spar with Yukinoshita. I don't mind staying here a little longer. I also want to witness someone say 'You two are both pretty good' without any emotional fluctuation."

As expected, Hayama decisively shook his head and rejected Haruhi's devilish suggestion.

"It's getting late, so Yumiko and I are planning to head back to the classroom. If there's another chance, we can continue the competition next time."

He shook his head apologetically at the Service Club, then left the tennis court with Yumiko and the others, who still harbored great hostility towards Haruhi.

Watching the departing figures of Hayama and the others, taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, Haruhi, who had been furious, turned around and looked at Koyuki, whose gaze had been fixed on her. A smug look appeared on her face, and she grinned, revealing a row of white teeth. She habitually gave a thumbs up as usual.

No need to thank me...

He stood there, rooted to the spot, looking utterly helpless.

Coach, I'm reporting a fool who's throwing the game, a serious violation of sportsmanship.

The incident on the tennis court was like a trivial interlude with no real impact.

Shortly after Kasuga left, the members of the Service Club began training Totsuka again.

As for how Totsuka-kun developed the idea of ​​learning Yukinoshita's killer tennis at that moment, and how this led to his team's overwhelming victory in a subsequent off-campus match, that's another story.

……

…………

In my memory,

One night after graduating from university

A young man in a sharp suit, drunkenly pushed open the door to the apartment building in front of him, and then stumbled inside.

"I am back."

Upon hearing this sound, his girlfriend, barefoot, quickly walked from the living room to the entryway.

The woman was wearing a white apron.

She has a graceful figure and beautiful curves.

She watched the man stagger in, and her previously worried expression slowly eased with relief.

Then, smelling the man's strong smell of alcohol, she frowned again.

"Drinking?"

"Yes, I drank it all by myself, I didn't ask anyone else."

"I've been calling you for a while, but you haven't answered."

The man sitting in the entryway, head down changing his shoes, shook his head and said calmly.

"My phone just died..."

The woman wanted to say something more, but seeing the man's tired face, she instead gave him a gentle smile.

Welcome back.

She said softly.

"Ah."

After putting on slippers, he habitually handed his suit jacket to his girlfriend, changed into a looser, more breathable T-shirt, and went to the kitchen to wash his hands and face.

He walked straight to the refrigerator, and in his slightly more sober state, he took out a can of beer. He sat down at the table, and just as he was about to pull the metal tab on the can, the woman's soft hand tightly grasped his beer bottle.

She looked at the young man, who seemed somewhat unusual, and said gently, "What's wrong now? Did something unpleasant happen at work?"

The woman also knew that not long ago, at Hachiman's invitation, the two of them, fresh out of college, interviewed at a private company together, and the results were very pleasing. They were both eventually hired, and now he is considered one of the most ordinary white-collar workers in society.

The man, who was still in his internship, didn't look up, and his voice sounded somewhat muffled.

"If I'm happy, I won't want to drink alone in my sorrow."

"..."

Xiaoxue silently observed the somewhat unhappy young man, then raised an eyebrow as if remembering something. She reached out and took the tab from his hand, and snatched the beer from him.

The woman sat quietly beside the young man. Having washed away the light makeup she wore during the day, her beautiful face now revealed a reassuring smile.

"Can I have half of this wine?"

Without waiting for the young man's reply, she put the beer to her lips and began drinking it in one gulp at the table.

Drops of liquid slid down the corner of her mouth from the can, wetting the thin outer garment she was wearing.

Before long, when Chunri saw that Xiaoxue had drunk almost half the jar of wine, he quickly grabbed Xiaoxue's hand.

"Leave me a little bit."

"……call."

Upon hearing Chunri's words, the woman breathed a sigh of relief.

Under the influence of alcohol, a blush involuntarily appeared on her fair face the moment she put down the beer can, and her originally clear eyes revealed a watery shimmer.

She proudly shook the beer can in her hand, facing the spring sun, the can making a sound like a stream gurgling over stones.

"Would you like some too?"

"Of course."

"OK then."

In the dim light of the living room, the woman revealed a charming smile tinged with intoxication, nodded to the young man, and then sipped the last drop of liquid from her mouth.

"I already told you to leave me some—"

The man had just stood up, somewhat annoyed, and wanted to say something, but he couldn't utter a single word.

because……

At that moment, the woman had her slender arms wrapped around his neck, and her thin, rosy lips pressed against the young man's.

As their soft lips touched, the woman's smooth, koi-like tongue proactively parted the man's tightly closed lips, continuously transferring the liquid that had been in his mouth to him.

"Look, it's a deal, we'll split it in half, um... um..."

The woman's voice, filled with a drunken, coquettish quality, became indistinct during the kiss.

“…Waaah…waaah…Xiaoxue…you…”

The sounds of spring were also muffled and unclear.

Ten seconds later, his hands, which had been thrashing about, slowly gave up struggling and gently embraced the woman's slender waist. The man's hands then slowly moved down along the woman's waist.

in the living room,

Faintly, one could hear the woman's enchanting, heavenly voice.

……

After a long period of time,

"What were you doing just now? Your lips are all swollen."

The man's complaints quietly began to rise.

"Just a little comfort to ease your disappointment, it's that simple."

The woman's hands cradled her fair chin. Although her clothes were somewhat disheveled, she gazed tenderly at the young man who was slumped over the dining table.

“Everyone encounters many difficulties and setbacks at the beginning of their work. You are, and so am I. But you can confide your troubles to me because we have been one for four years. I hope you can at least share half of your troubles and joys with me.”

She smiled softly.