Opening the clubroom door, the girl was, as always, seated by the window, reading quietly like a painting. Her skin was fair and flawless, her black hair gleamed, her figure slender and well-proportioned, her long legs clad in black stockings—her entire presence impeccable, except for her chest.
Sensing the gaze, she placed her delicate hand, with faintly visible veins, on the page of her red leather-bound book and looked up.
"Some people, just by breathing, can change the air; some, just by existing, can influence the world…"
Speaking as if reciting poetry, Yukino gave a slight smile, gazing at him softly.
"Tenkuji-kun… To me, you're one of those people."
"Should I feel honored?" Yuu closed the door behind him, showing no trace of surprise. "Sounds like you're not saying anything nice."
"As expected, your ears are sharp."
With a slight sneer, the coldness returned to her eyes. The girl flicked her black hair that fell across her chest, letting out a clear sigh. "Every time you come to the club, I can't help but miss my alone time… and the untainted air."
"Feel honored, Tenkuji-kun. You've managed to change the air here and disrupt my tranquil world of reading."
What an arrogant attitude, what a natural tone.
"…Heh."
Yuu let out an emotionless laugh. For some reason, this girl's tongue always itched whenever she saw him, needing to mock and taunt before getting to serious matters. Of course, this was also tied to his habit of retorting, turning one-sided jabs into a mutual verbal sparring match, giving her feedback that only fueled her further.
In The Great Gatsby, it's said, "Only two careless people will cause an accident." If Yuu always brushed off Yukino's remarks, the scene now would just be them ignoring each other, not this immediate verbal clash upon meeting.
So, there was some use to her beauty, at least. Yuu was willing to trade barbs with a pretty girl, occasionally enjoying her annoyed expressions.
"Do you think this is a sterile room?"
"Yukinoshita, no matter how beautiful you are or how fragrant your body is, you're still a human who eats, drinks, and uses the bathroom. And humans—on their skin alone—carry about a trillion bacteria. To the air, who isn't a pollutant?"
"Ho, an interesting argument."
As if a female knight provoked, Yukino raised an eyebrow slightly, placing both hands neatly on her knees, her eyes brimming with fighting spirit, entering attack mode.
"But unfortunately, the 'pollutant' I refer to is merely my perception of you, not the objective material world. If we follow your logic, the word 'air' itself consists of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and 1% rare gases…"
As she spoke, Yuu pulled out a chair and sat, taking out his phone and scrolling through it, cutting her off without looking up. "By the way, did Hiratsuka-sensei tell you? About the new club member."
Yukino: "…"
Her clear eyes froze for a moment, then were instantly shrouded in icy mist, glaring at him coldly.
She was the one who started the topic, and when she responded seriously, he ended it himself, arrogantly dismissing her feelings. This behavior alone made Yuu the most infuriating man Yukino had ever met, bar none!
Struggling to suppress her dissatisfaction, Yukino took several deep breaths, her flat chest rising and falling, before answering in a cold tone, "I know."
"Do you really know, or are you just pretending?"
"I don't lie, and I don't need to lie to someone like you."
"So, what kind of help does this new member want from the Service Club, and what's their name? You know that too?"
"…Hiratsuka-sensei didn't tell me."
While replying to Asuna's message, Yuu smirked. "So, you don't know."
"…"
Tightly pressing her pink lips together, Yukino lowered her head, seriously eyeing the thick hardcover book in her hands—it was hefty enough that a blow to the temple or back of the head might kill in one strike.
Unfortunately, he probably wouldn't give her a single chance to succeed; and if she failed, he likely wouldn't give her the chance to bite her tongue and die either.
"Back to the main topic, Yukinoshita."
As he spoke, Yuu put away his phone, tilting his head to observe her expression, lost in thought.
"I've always been curious—what exactly does the Service Club do? Since joining, aside from trading barbs with you and discussing what to do for the Club Exhibition, I don't think I've done anything serious."
"That's because we haven't had any clients by chance." Snapping back to reality, Yukino flicked her long black hair off her shoulder, sighing, her voice as clear as snow.
"You know the saying, 'Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime,' right?"
"What we do in the Service Club is listen to clients' problems and doubts, guiding them forward in the right way. Contrary to the word 'service,' we don't pursue sacrifice or giving but guidance and explanation, so they consciously make changes."
The warm afternoon sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating her pale, cold profile. As her words fell, an undeniable truth faintly shone, elegant and beautiful like a work of art.
Yuu nodded as if understanding. "Sounds like a volunteer club or a counseling room?"
"If you're too lazy to think, you can see it that way."
Yukino picked up her book again, flipping to a page, and said flatly, "Specific decisions are handled by me as the president, and as a member, you just need to be on standby and promptly follow my instructions."
"Can you fulfill this simple request, Tenkuji-kun?"
Yuu rolled his eyes. "But I'm the one in charge of the club exhibition, and I'm also the one coordinating with other clubs and notifying them in advance."
Tilting her head slightly, the girl flashed a charming smile. "You propose the plan, and I, as president, decide to approve it—a clear cause-and-effect relationship, no?"
"Of course not."
"Good, as president, I reject your opinion… And you once said you'd prove you have the ability to execute this plan, but so far, aside from a mere third place in your grade, I haven't seen anything else worth praising from you."
"Then let's settle it today. If we can quickly resolve the new member's issue, we'll bring her along…"
Before he could finish, a knock sounded at the Service Club door.
Pausing their conversation, both turned toward the door, their eyes glinting with understanding. The new member, willing to join as a worker if the Service Club could fulfill her request, seemed to have arrived.
"Come in."
Two seconds after the knocking stopped, Yukino spoke flatly, placing her book on the table and sitting upright, facing forward.
The door slowly slid open, and a head peeked out from behind.
When the familiar hair color and style came into view, Yuu, initially mildly curious, couldn't help but widen his eyes in shock.
"Yuigahama?"