The tennis club at Akihisa High School is quite impressive, not only boasting an extensive training area but also equipped with an indoor gymnasium, capable of hosting a medium-sized tennis competition.
Upon entering the gymnasium, Shirakawa Sawahei finally saw the members of the tennis club. They were all uniformly dressed in sportswear, training one-on-one. Some seemed to have already finished a round and were sitting on the side, drinking water and chatting.
Approaching them could be a bit troublesome. Shirakawa Sawahei frowned. Oga Masato was definitely wary and hostile towards him now. Although he wouldn't show it openly, approaching recklessly would certainly alert him.
Should I use the method of waiting patiently like a fool?
While Shirakawa Sawahei was pondering his strategy, a surprising figure appeared within his sight.
Hayakawa Kashi was wearing a white tennis skirt, with a white tennis cap on her head, and her ponytail lightly swaying behind her. Her slender, fair legs were fully revealed beneath the skirt.
At a glance, her figure was perfectly proportioned, with delicate calves. Her beauty and grace were pleasing to the eye.
When she saw Shirakawa Sawahei, she gave him a slight glance.
She didn't say anything.
Shirakawa Sawahei, of course, didn't have the nerve to approach her for a chat. He didn't know how to face this top student of his, so he could only respond with silence.
Silence... Silence is tonight's bridge of Cambridge...
"Kashi-chan~ hurry up, everyone's waiting for you." A short-haired girl also wearing a tennis cap ran over. Her hand-waving motion paused visibly when she saw Shirakawa Sawahei, and she exclaimed in surprise, "Oh... isn't this..."
Her eyes darted between the two, seemingly curious about how they had met here.
This girl knew Shirakawa Sawahei, and Shirakawa Sawahei also recognized her. She was the top student's friend and served as the accountant in the student council. Shirakawa Sawahei occasionally interacted with her over scholarship matters.
Having been spotted by this girl named Kodai Anko, he no longer had any grounds to pretend he hadn't seen them.
"What a coincidence, Kodai... and... Hayakawa..."
It was the first time Shirakawa Sawahei found himself in such an awkward situation. Hearing Shirakawa Sawahei's words, Hayakawa Kashi turned around leisurely, her exquisite and deep eyes filled with a hint of indiscernible emotion.
As if enjoying watching Shirakawa Sawahei embarrassed, Hayakawa Kashi paused for a moment and said leisurely, "Yes, quite the coincidence."
It must be said, this top student's beauty was truly exceptional. She stood there so nimbly, as if embodying all the world's goodness, making it hard for people not to fix their gaze on her.
Even someone like Shirakawa Sawahei, who had no particular attraction to beauty, couldn't help but glance away from her several times.
He considered himself not a fan of short skirts, but Hayakawa Kashi did look stunning in a tennis skirt.
She's just a means to an end... just a means to an end... Shirakawa Sawahei murmured to himself.
"Did Shirakawa come here specially to watch Kashi play tennis?" Kodai Anko, the student council's little accountant, looked at the atmosphere between the two and asked curiously.
Shirakawa Sawahei was about to speak when Hayakawa Kashi's cold, indifferent voice came leisurely: "Anko, don't talk nonsense."
"Shirakawa is usually very busy and doesn't have time to care about girls ranked lower than him."
"Isn't that right, Shirakawa?"
Shirakawa Sawahei: "..."
This woman must be holding a grudge!
"Kodai, are you familiar with the tennis club?" Shirakawa Sawahei didn't explain, instead, he asked.
"The tennis club? I'm okay with them... not too familiar... but Kashi does know some people. Do you want to ask?"
"The people I know wouldn't interest Shirakawa at all, so it might be hard to help," Hayakawa Kashi added.
Shirakawa Sawahei suddenly thought that flaunting in front of this cunning and vindictive woman might not have been a wise move.
With her pride, if he didn't lower his head, it would probably be difficult to get her to help.
She's definitely the type who would chat merrily on the riverbank rather than save a drowning enemy!
"You all might be thirsty after playing tennis, so let me buy you some drinks?" Under the eaves, Shirakawa Sawahei had to bow his head.
Well, having benefited so much from Hayakawa Kashi, giving her face once in a while isn't shameful.
"Huh? Is that okay? Won't it be too much trouble, Shirakawa?" Kodai Anko was clearly a little surprised.
"Hmm. Then I'll trouble you. Shirakawa."
Unlike Kodai Anko, Hayakawa Kashi nodded gently upon hearing this, naturally accepting Shirakawa Sawahei's apparent bribe-like good gesture, which momentarily left him puzzled about her intentions.
What's going on? Has she forgiven me so easily? Is this woman really that easy to appease?
Isn't there some hidden final move?
He thought for a moment and decided to stop pondering over it. Resolving the current situation was more important, and in any case, she couldn't possibly eat him.
The vending machine wasn't too far from the gymnasium. When Shirakawa Sawahei returned with a bunch of sodas, Hayakawa Kashi had just started her first match. With nothing else to do, he sat down to watch for a while.
Hayakawa Kashi's tennis movements were quite smooth, but Shirakawa Sawahei couldn't tell whether it was because she was beautiful, making everything she did look good, or because she was genuinely skilled in sports. He felt she seemed to emit an aura, her every move radiating brilliance.
It was clearly a doubles match, but somehow it had become her show.
Could this be the so-called effect of admiration?
Shirakawa Sawahei calmly thought about it and still found it improbable.
I'm obviously the main character; being an admirer? Impossible! Even being an admirer to a super beautiful girl is still being an admirer!
Being an admirer is of no rank; only being single is top notch!
It must be an illusion, just an illusion...
Hayakawa Kashi's tennis skill is at level 3, and Shirakawa Sawahei didn't inherit this talent, so he naturally couldn't understand how the match was unfolding on the court.
However, it didn't matter. The court Hayakawa Kashi and her team chose was close to the tennis club's training grounds, so taking advantage of the opportunity, Shirakawa Sawahei decided to secretly observe Oga Masato's situation, trying to glean some clues from their small actions.
Before long, Shirakawa Sawahei noticed some interesting phenomena from his observations.