Matryoshka Doll

In this pure match of cue and ball, they played a total of ten rounds.

The score was five wins and five losses, perfectly even.

Aside from the first match, where Haruno showcased her full ability without a single mistake, clearing the table outright and teaching him the consequences of underestimating her, they tried various formats like eight-ball, nine-ball, target ball, and so on.

For Yuu, it was all just casual entertainment, not something to take seriously. If he wanted to win, he could've won every round, but there was no need.

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"You think I'd be happy if you went easy on me, deliberately manipulating the results like this?"

As they left the billiards area, Haruno rubbed her sore arm, deliberately speaking to him with a cold expression.

Yuu didn't care. Unlike shooting, which relied solely on scores, playing billiards with a beautiful young woman was quite enjoyable for him.

…Though he preferred younger girls, that didn't mean he disliked older ones.

After all, beautiful things were still beautiful.

"Trying your hardest doesn't get you anything. The important thing is to have fun."

"What, you're just messing around with me?!"

With trembling lips, Haruno showed a shocked expression, her hand at the corner of her eye, pretending to cry.

"I'm at a loss, such a loss—I was so serious about showing off my skills to you, but you were just playing around… Sniff sniff~"

One hand wiped the corner of her eye, while the other kept making a motion as if rubbing a cue stick.

"Stop making weird gestures like that!"

Haruno immediately ceased her fake crying, giggling mischievously like a little girl who'd successfully hooked a fish.

"If you didn't have weird thoughts in your head, how could you think this gesture was weird?"

—Too cliché.

The older a woman gets, the more she loves making dirty jokes and teasing younger guys. Yuu could only feel speechless.

"You say that, but you're clearly having a blast… Unless it's all just an act?"

"No, that's real."

Haruno admitted frankly, both hands behind her back, walking with graceful, light steps beside Yuu.

Her black ponytail draped over her white neck, a few strands clinging messily due to a thin layer of sweat, exuding a unique charm.

"Playing without pressure, not worrying about when to stop, let alone at the end, smiling inwardly and saying 'how boring'… Hmm, it's been a while since I felt like this."

Haruno turned her head, her bright smile shining like her namesake, radiant as if filled with sunlight.

"But! I'm not going to thank you, okay? I'll just think—'Wow, I didn't expect to hire a world-class shooter and billiards player. Even though my heart's crushed and my body's battered from losing, this money wasn't wasted!'"

She pursed her pink lips, chuckling proudly.

Her lively, cunning eyes openly observed his reaction.

Yuu closed the system panel, his expression unchanged, his lips responding with sincere enthusiasm: "Great job, Sweetie, if you're satisfied, please leave a star rating!"

"Yahahaha, you talk so weirdly~"

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Haruno was ever-changing, hard to predict.

She wasn't always happy when laughing heartily, not always angry when expressionless, and not always hating her sister when criticizing her.

Before today, Yuu only saw Haruno as a selfish, troublesome, capricious, and mysterious woman, perhaps with a touch of masochism.

But now, seeing her carefree, childlike smile, he couldn't help but slightly change his view.

Only by being on her level, or even far surpassing her, could he glimpse another side of Haruno.

…Wait, that description sounds a bit off.

She was like a Matryoshka doll, each layer revealing a different Haruno. What you saw might be her true self, or perhaps her true self carefully disguised. If you didn't have a way to peel back the layers one by one, you might never realize she was actually quite an interesting, not-so-annoying person.

For example, when Yuu was about to win a round, Haruno deliberately leaned close, pressing against him, blowing into his ear, and speaking coyly to shake his focus, yet not actually interfering with his shot.

Yuu didn't hate it.

Though he ultimately wasn't swayed by her beauty, winning the round quickly with a resolute expression, he had to admit, that cue stick was huge… No, soft… No, not that either.

Anyway, after this incident, Haruno's image truly took shape in Yuu's mind, and he gained a certain understanding of the woman.

Their relationship might not yet be friendship, but at least interacting as a "rent-a-boyfriend" felt far more natural than before.

This was only their third day of knowing each other.

◆━⊰✧⊱━◆

Spending too much time in the billiards area, the two activities kept them playing until noon.

Feeling a bit hungry, Haruno took Yuu to the fifth floor of the sports center. Seeing various signs for upscale restaurants, she patted her chest, telling him to pick any restaurant he liked—she'd treat today.

Calmly accepting the offer from the wealthy woman, Yuu chose a Chinese restaurant.

The decor and such need no mention—standard for a high-end restaurant, with excellent service and ambiance.

Yuu ordered white rice, sweet-and-sour pork, stir-fried pork, pineapple shrimp, and mapo eggplant.

Haruno ordered mapo tofu, Tianjin fried rice, shrimp shumai, and stir-fried vegetables. When she tried to order alcohol, Yuu stopped her.

"Ugh, I forgot I'm driving today…" Her hand tapped her head, Haruno briefly regretted it, then looked at him hopefully.

"Yuu-chan, can you drive?"

"I can, but I don't have a license."

"Well then…"

"Don't even think about it. Just drink tea." Yuu's expression didn't change as he ordered a pot of tea.

Haruno wouldn't actually let a high schooler drive. After joking, she changed her order to a pot of Longjing tea, then asked the waiter to deliver their food.

In the quiet Chinese restaurant, every movement seemed to make a sound, and the two sitting across from each other were keenly aware of one another.

Yuu stayed silent. If not for politeness, he'd probably be playing on his phone to ease the awkward silence.

As for Haruno.

"Hmm↗ hmm↘~"

Her reddish-white elbow rested on the table, both hands propping up her cheeks, striking a classic lover's pose with a teasing, sparkling gaze fixed on him.

With an unreadable smile in her eyes, Haruno softened her voice and said with a grin:

"Hey, can you tell me why your shooting and billiards skills are so amazing?"

Yuu met her eyes, almost drawn into her beautiful gaze, like stars in the night sky.

"Of course not."

His answer was毫不犹豫.

"Even if I introduce you to my sister, you still won't tell?" Haruno tilted her head, pouting playfully.

"She's super cute and interesting, you know? Though her figure's a bit lacking, I bet you're not that shallow, right?"

"Sorry, I'm exactly that shallow."

Yuu lied without hesitation, then mimicked her, the corner of his mouth curling into a "dragon king" arc, lowering his voice to feign coolness.

"No matter how pretty, she's not as pretty as you. No matter how fun, she's not as fun as you… I'm your 'boyfriend,' so of course I won't have thoughts about anyone else, Haruno-san."

"…"

Haruno paused, the spark in her eyes slowly fading, her DHA levels seemingly spiking. In short, she showed a pair of dead-fish eyes.

"What was that? Kinda gross."

"Hey, at least say it with a fake smile, not so blatantly."

For some reason, Yuu's heart stung a little.

Haruno sighed, waving her hand: "Forget it, I didn't really expect to learn anything from you. Talent is indeed more absurd than imagined."

"But whatever, what else can we talk about?"

She twirled a strand of hair near her ear, her long, curled eyelashes blinking slowly twice, as if genuinely pondering.

"Hmm… Can't think of anything. Oh, right—what do you want to play next? The 'trials' aren't over; this is only the second."

Seeing "Table Tennis" on his skill list, Yuu thought for a moment.

"You decide."

"Still me deciding? Fine." Her eyes rolled, and Haruno quickly found her answer.

"Archery—can you do it?"