276 Would Shouko Really Get Angry?

"The Service Club? What kind of weird place is that? Why are we even here?" Kyousuke's lazy voice drifted in from outside the door, though it sounded pleasant enough.

"We finally got out of club duties by using the sports festival as an excuse. Shouko doesn't have class either. Let's head over to Toyogasaki and visit Eriri and the others."

"We can give Kato-senpai the new manga while we're at it—or maybe sneak into the Ochanomizu campus and hang out with Mitsuha."

Inside the room, Yukinoshita Yukino closed her book with a sigh and shut her eyes.

Her fingers gently folded over the paperback resting on her lap as she turned toward the window.

The twilight sky outside was a dreamy blend of golden clouds and deepening blue.

The colors seemed so soft, almost washed out, like someone had spilled yellow paint across the heavens.

It made her wonder if this world was even real anymore.

She couldn't help but fall into thought—why do people like Hojou Kyousuke even exist?

The way he spoke now was worlds apart from the composed figure he'd presented earlier that afternoon in the kendo club.

Adored by everyone, burdened with so many expectations—and yet, all he seemed to think about was having fun.

To Yukino, a textbook perfectionist, that was simply unacceptable.

But at the same time, she understood: trying to carry everyone's hopes on your shoulders was an act of pure foolishness.

A person should live by their own will.

Even blindly following one's desires was better than being shoved along by others.

These two conflicting beliefs clashed inside her mind, leaving her momentarily unsure of what to think.

"Eh? What do you mean, weird? I picked this club very carefully, you know!"

Another cheerful voice chimed in—there was no mistaking Yamauchi Sakura's tone.

Even without looking, Yukino could imagine her pouting and acting all cutesy.

It might be adorable, but Yukino didn't approve of pushing people around like that.

"You didn't drag Shouko into this too, did you?"

"Of course I did! How could I leave her out of something this fun, right, Shou-chan~?"

"..." Yukino rubbed her temples in frustration.

Why did Sakura insist on broadcasting her "secret" conversations right outside the door? Did she not realize Yukino could hear every single word?

'Click—'

The door swung open with a dramatic flourish, and a voice bursting with energy called out:

"Yukino~ we're here!"

"I believe I've mentioned before that knocking is a basic courtesy, Yamauchi-san," Yukino said coolly, not even bothering to look up.

She remained seated, hands neatly folded over her book, showing no intention of welcoming them warmly.

She was the very picture of quiet, poised elegance.

"Good afternoon, Yukinoshita-san," Shouko greeted politely with a respectful nod.

For some reason, the girl always seemed especially deferential toward Yukino.

"Good afternoon, Nishimiya-san," Yukino replied with a small, satisfied nod.

'This was how proper social interactions should be.'

"Sorry to intrude," came the last voice—Kyousuke, reluctantly being dragged along by Sakura, who had a firm grip on his hand.

If she let go, he'd clearly bolt.

He had already done his research: the uniforms of Ochanomizu Girls' Middle School and their own school, Sobu High, were nearly identical.

Both were black.

If he just walked in with confidence, no one would question him.

He could pull off a surprise visit to Mitsuha…

Although it had "Ochanomizu" in the name, the school wasn't even remotely close to the famous Ochanomizu bridge.

It was a fully integrated school system from kindergarten through university.

But alas, that plan had already fallen apart. Right now, the main issue was:

"Service Club"

"Super beautiful girl"

"Ice-cold beauty"

Yes, the term Service Club appeared twice because it was just that baffling.

Before he met Yukinoshita, Kyousuke had thought the idea was downright bizarre.

A club dedicated to "serving others"? Seriously?

But now that he'd seen Yukinoshita in person, his only thought was: they should install a steel gate between the third and fourth floors.

She was way too dangerous—teenage boys simply weren't ready for this level of visual assault.

"The term 'Service Club' comes from the Japanese word houshi, which means 'to help or serve others without compensation,'" Yukinoshita explained coldly, clearly unimpressed by the gawking.

Her voice was sharp enough to freeze water.

"Ohhh, so it means helping people. Got it," Kyousuke nodded like he'd just had a revelation—but clearly, he wasn't taking it seriously.

His casual attitude hit Yukino like a gut punch.

She inhaled deeply, trying not to let her emotions show.

Why was she so rattled today? Was it because she'd lost the election?

But she wasn't the type to get hung up on failure, was she?

She'd done everything a club president should: studied every responsibility, crafted a flawless speech, delivered it with clarity and confidence, her tone unwavering, not a single pause.

Even her facial expressions had been perfect.

So if she lost, the fault didn't lie with her.

The only thing that needed examination was her classmates' psychology.

That was how a perfectionist thought.

Once she set her mind to something, she would see it through.

A single setback wouldn't break her—and she certainly wouldn't blame others for it.

"Well then, let's get this application form filled out!" Sakura pulled a membership form from her bag and slapped it dramatically on the table like she was roping people into a failing club.

"Alright, alright, I got it," Kyousuke muttered, walking over with a sigh.

They'd all agreed earlier to join a club together anyway.

"Please wait. Before that, I have one question for Hojou-kun."

The club's official president, Yukinoshita Yukino, finally spoke.

"Huh?" Sakura blinked in surprise.

'Wasn't Yukino the one who asked Kyousuke to join in the first place?'

"Go right ahead~~"

True to her nature, Sakura immediately bowed out of the situation, dragging Shouko over to the center table and sitting down like she was now part of an interview panel.

Shouko looked at her beloved Kyousuke, then at her equally beloved Sakura, and gave him a small, apologetic smile before straightening up with a cute serious expression.

Kyousuke, who'd just bent over to fill out the form, lifted his head.

He didn't feel pressured.

It was normal for clubs to have some sort of trial or requirement.

Even the soccer club expected you to run laps—it wasn't about physical strength, but grit.

Guts, basically.

"Go ahead~" he said, unconsciously mimicking Sakura's tone.

Yukino's eye twitched.

She glanced sideways at Sakura, sighed, then carefully set her book down and asked:

"Do you even know what this club does?"

"Well, it's the Service Club, right? We serve others."

Kyousuke sat calmly in the guest chair.

"Idiot, I already told you—it's about helping others, not literally serving them!" Sakura hissed under her breath like an unqualified interviewer.

"Ohhh, right—helping people!" Kyousuke corrected himself instantly.

"Unauthorized personnel, please remain silent," Yukino snapped, shooting Sakura a cold look.

"Huh? Aren't I part of the interview panel?" Sakura asked, pointing at her own nose in confusion.

"Please don't make unnecessary assumptions."

"Yes, yes, yes ma'am~~"

"Just say it once and be done with it!" Yukinoshita's eyelid twitched again.

"Then what's the purpose of doing this? Try guessing—why would someone help others without expecting anything in return?"

Even though her original reason for bringing Hojou Kyousuke and Yamauchi Sakura into the Service Club wasn't about finding kindred spirits.

If someone really did come to them for help later on, she couldn't just leave them out of it.

So even if she didn't expect someone like Hojou Kyousuke to understand her lofty ideals, she at least wanted him to realize how noble her actions were.

"To nurture leeches on society, death~." He answered without a moment's pause.

It was obvious he'd thought this through long ago and had zero confusion about his answer.

"Leeches on... society?"

Yukinoshita repeated in a low voice, caught completely off guard.

She had been prepared to deliver a passionate explanation of her "absolute justice" philosophy, but his words left her momentarily dumbstruck.

"Eh? Isn't that the point?" Kyousuke continued, seemingly serious. "Actually, I've been meaning to ask—once I join, can I ask the club president to serve me? I mean, can I ask for your help directly?"

"Why would you think that?" Yukinoshita asked, puzzled.

She'd never heard such a bizarre take before.

"Well, who helps others without expecting anything in return? Besides your parents, I can't think of anyone."

"But if someone like that really existed, everyone would think, 'Wow, amazing, please help me for the rest of my life!' right?"

"But since you seem totally serious about this, Yukinoshita, I figured maybe you're doing some kind of social experiment."

"Like, you want to see what happens when someone keeps getting help without ever giving anything back—what kind of person do they become?"

Heaven help us.

The moment he heard the club's purpose, Kyousuke had already come up with 108 different "Ways to Use Yukinoshita Yukino." Things like: get her to do his homework, cook his meals, water his plants, pick up his kids from school…

Okay, maybe that last one was jumping the gun.

Maybe when Kasuko visited Tokyo again, he could ask her instead.

Not that Kasuko lacked companionship—she had a whole house full. Lucky kid.

"That's not it at all! Why would you come up with something so ridiculous?" Yukinoshita flatly denied it—though she had to admit, he wasn't entirely off base.

Wasn't this the same counterargument she'd made when Hiratsuka-sensei first suggested the club?

But she wasn't an idiot.

She would never blindly help others without limits.

Even international aid to developing countries came with expectations.

If true mutual benefit wasn't possible, at the very least the recipient should give something in return within their means.

And for her, sharpening her insight and mastering human dynamics was reward enough.

But if someone really tried to take advantage and kept asking for help endlessly, she'd just refuse them.

She knew full well the saying: "Give a man rice once, he'll be grateful; give him a sack of rice, he'll resent you."

Hojou Kyousuke—what a load of twisted logic.

Just like her sister. Does he really think everyone else is an idiot?

"To create a fairer society, The wealthy, out of compassion, extend their resources to those in need."

"Helping those in trouble reduces friction and creates a better living environment for capable people. It's nothing like the nonsense you're spewing"

The girl lifted her chin, carefully observing Kyousuke's expression.

But no matter how she looked at him, she couldn't see even a hint of the gentle and kind person Yamauchi Sakura had described.

At first, she'd tried not to judge him based on his relationship with her mother and sister.

Sakura's words had even sparked a bit of curiosity in her. But now…

"With that kind of mindset, you're just one careless step away from becoming the parasite you're talking about."

"No, with your talents Hojou-kun, you'd be even more dangerous than that, you could become a true threat to society. It's clear you—"

'BANG!'

A loud slam startled Yukinoshita, making her shoulders jump and cutting off her words.

"That's not true! Hojou-kun is the best person in the world, he would never become something like that!"

Shouko suddenly shot to her feet, her pale face flushed red with fury.

Her little fists were clenched tight, and from the look in her eyes, she was ready to charge at Yukinoshita and show her what "Nishimiya Shouko's Absolute Justice" looked like—namely, no one could speak ill of Kyousuke.

Her usual soft, gentle voice had turned fiery and intense, and even the fluffy fringe on her forehead seemed to rise from the force of her anger.

"Nishimiya-san…" Yukinoshita turned her head, stunned.

She had no idea why the one person she'd thought was sane—Nishimiya—would suddenly blow up like this.

Staring at Shouko's furious face, Yukinoshita found herself at a loss for words.

She'd been in similar situations before.

Back in middle school, whenever she rejected a guy's confession, some other girl would angrily drag her into the restroom to yell at her.

Of course, she never went.

Those hormone-driven girls—she could make them cry and reflect on their lives with just three sentences.

"Oh? So you like him?"

"Does he know you like him?"

"Are you trying to win him over with this behavior?"

They were just simple questions, but for some reason, those girls always acted like she'd insulted their entire bloodline—like she was some evil final boss come to destroy their world.

But this… this felt different somehow.

Yukinoshita couldn't quite put her finger on it.

There was no precedent for this kind of situation in her mental database.

The only thing she could say for sure was this: Nishimiya Shouko definitely liked Hojou Kyousuke, just like Yamauchi Sakura did.

"…Shou-chan," Sakura gently reached out and held Shouko's hand.

She could see clearly that Shouko's nails were digging into her palm.

Normally, Shouko seemed as delicate as a willow in the breeze, always wearing that serene, gentle smile.

She looked like someone who could be bullied without ever fighting back. And well… she kind of was.

That's why even someone like Kasumigaoka-senpai —who had a tongue like a razor blade never said a single mean thing to Shouko.

This girl, so fragile that even Momotarou would want to protect her, only ever showed this side of herself under one condition.

Just like that time in elementary school when she stood in front of Kyousuke with her eyes shut, ready to take a punch for him.

Kyousuke had once mentioned that moment when criticizing Shouko.

But back in the gym, right before he kicked that porcupine-haired kid, Sakura had seen it with her own eyes—Shouko, without hesitation, had tried to protect Kyousuke.

This fool… would go to any length to defend him.

When she got angry like this, it was like a lamb charging out of its pen—head down, no stopping her.

Nothing anyone said would get through to her now.

The only person who could calm her down was…

"Shouko, If you're gonna smack the table, use a chair next time, your hand must hurt—let me see."

That person.

He stood up casually, pulled Shouko's hand toward him, and, without a second thought, began gently blowing on it like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Uuuh… that tickles, Kyousuke-kun~" Shouko's soft voice returned.

Her face was still flushed, but in an instant, her rage had melted into shy embarrassment.

His breath brushed against her palm, warm and ticklish, making her shoulders twitch.

Her hand trembled slightly—she wanted to clench it into a fist again, but somehow managed to resist.

"Hang on, I'll go grab a bottle of cold water from the vending machine downstairs—let's ice it a bit."

"It's okay… it doesn't really hurt," Shouko said timidly.

And it was true—she'd slammed the desk with all her might in a fit of rage, but now that Hojou-kun was holding her hand, she couldn't feel a thing.

"How about you, Sakura? Want anything to drink?"

"Cola!"

"Denied."

"Eh?!"

"That'll count toward your quota for the week."

"Ehhh—?!"

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