Haru had no idea that he had just drunk from the same bottle Megumi had used.
After all, it wasn't a personal water bottle—just a regular bottle of mineral water.
"Feeling any better now?"
Megumi's voice sounded even gentler as she watched him chug more than half of it in one go.
"Yeah, much better." Haru handed the bottle back to her, muttering, "Both classmates and teachers keep dragging me into things—guess my performance last time left too strong of an impression."
Megumi calmly held the bottle in her hand. "You're pretty popular now."
Haru joked, "Haven't I always been?"
Megumi softly replied, "Ever since you won first place in the karate tournament, I've heard that a lot of sports clubs are trying to recruit you."
The two girls behind her chimed in, "That's right! Amamiya-san, you're very popular now. Even clubs like the school newspaper want you to join."
"I don't have that kind of free time. Whoever asks, I turn them down. Honestly, I just don't have the energy to get involved in anything else."
Haru waved it off. Lately, he had indeed been bombarded with all kinds of invitations.
In fact, every morning when he changed into his indoor shoes at school, his locker would contain not just love letters—but also challenge letters.
He handed all the love letters to Yukino to deal with, but he actually took time to read the challenges. Most were from the track and field club, disguised as "friendly competitions" but clearly just an excuse to scout him. Others came from the judo and baseball clubs, who wanted to spar with him after witnessing his explosive power and athleticism.
After chatting for a bit, Megumi said before leaving, "You haven't forgotten you promised to teach me Chinese, right? I've been waiting."
The two girls next to her grew visibly excited.
Haru thought for a moment. "I happen to have some free time these days. How about after you and Yukino finish your workouts, I tutor you then?"
"Okay," Megumi agreed without hesitation.
Once she and her friends had walked off, the two girls finally couldn't hold back their curiosity.
"Megumi, that water bottle you gave Amamiya-san just now… you drank from it, didn't you?"
Megumi turned to look at them, silent for a beat.
The girls excitedly continued, "So doesn't that count as an indirect kiss?"
Megumi calmly opened the bag in her hand. "I brought two bottles. Maybe you saw wrong."
They immediately glanced into her bag—sure enough, there was another bottle inside.
And strangely, this one looked exactly the same as the one she'd handed Haru. From the label and the amount left, both seemed to have had just a small sip taken.
"Eh? Did we… make a mistake?" they murmured, now unsure.
Megumi casually placed the half-finished bottle Haru drank from back into the bag and said flatly, "Amamiya-kun really is popular. Even though he already has a girlfriend, people still love to gossip about him."
The girls instantly latched onto that comment instead, laughing, "Ahaha, we're not gonna go after him! It's just fun to talk about!"
After school, Haru arrived at the clubroom, only to find it empty.
As he wondered where Yukino and the others had gone, Megumi appeared from the front, saying, "Yukino and Utaha-senpai went to play tennis, and the others are watching."
Haru was confused. "Why would they go play tennis? Is it another showdown?"
"It doesn't seem like it this time," Megumi replied as she led him forward. "Although it was Utaha-senpai's suggestion again, this time there's no tension."
Then, her tone became a little subtle. "I think it's more about them wanting to test their newfound strength and see how much they've improved."
Haru paused for a moment; it sounded like something Yukino and the others would do.
While Yukino had already tested her progress in bed, if she had Utaha as a competitor to compare herself to, Yukino could get a much clearer reading on her progress.
After all, aside from playing tennis or other sports at school, Yukino and Utaha had no other testing grounds.
They definitely weren't…
Haru quickly hit the brakes on that train of thought. His mind was heading into dangerous territory.
He and Megumi arrived at the tennis court and, as expected, saw the photography club there.
On the court, Yukino and Utaha were still in the middle of a match.
The sound of the tennis balls hitting the rackets was sharp and loud. After their physical abilities had improved significantly, the two beautiful girls now displayed a level of skill and explosive power that was incredibly enjoyable to watch.
Not to mention, they had changed into tennis outfits before playing. The skirts that covered their thighs swayed gently with their racket swings, occasionally revealing the black safety shorts underneath.
Sunlight, beautiful girls, tennis skirts, safety shorts.
What a beautiful sight.
Haru thought to himself.
If it were just him and these two beautiful girls on the court, with no other members of the photography club around, it would be even better.
If anyone found out Haru's thoughts, they'd probably tease their club president for being dismissive of his own club members.
With Utaha's clear voice, Yukino failed to return the ball. She tightly clenched her fist.
Yukino took a deep breath and, without hurry, picked up the ball. "Is there really a need to be so excited?"
Utaha wiped the beads of sweat from her face and gave a satisfied smile. "It's rare that I win against you, so I should be happy."
"Keep in mind, the score is 4-1." Yukino reminded her.
Haru realized—no wonder she didn't mind being defeated. She had already built up a significant lead.
Utaha didn't argue with Yukino. Instead, she subtly gestured to someone off to the side. "Someone's staring at our legs."
"I'm used to his particular tastes," Yukino said coolly.
The photography club couldn't hold back their laughter, everyone knew who they were talking about.
Even Megumi couldn't help but smile, though her smile was small.
Haru, concerned about his reputation, stepped forward. "Isn't it a little rude to talk about my private matters like that in public?"
"So you're aware this is a public space?" Yukino gave him a disdainful look. "Then please restrain your gaze, Mr. President."
When Yukino used that title, it meant she was activating her "battle mode."
Across from them, Utaha suppressed a smile. She didn't mind Haru looking at her, after all, she wasn't exactly new to the idea.
This was just them running around in tennis skirts.
She'd let him see her in far more compromising positions before.
With others around, she didn't want to openly address it, nor did she help Haru out.
Because when she told him, "Let me help you," she'd have to pull her long hair back and squat down…
Seeing that they weren't going to stop anytime soon, Haru decided to give the photography club a break for the day.
When they returned, Yukino and Utaha had changed clothes and stepped out, and Haru suggested they all continue their usual training at his place.
He also casually mentioned that Megumi wanted to learn Chinese.
Yukino had no objections to this.
As long as Megumi stayed under her watchful eye, there wouldn't be much to worry about.
"I still need to work on my body, but it's already in pretty good shape."
Utaha said she'd rather rest.
Yukino spoke slowly, "Does that mean you want to stagnate, Senpai?"
"I never said that," Utaha replied with a calm smile.
She was just complaining out loud. As long as Yukino continued improving, she would follow suit.
To avoid further arguments, Haru proactively changed the subject, taking the three girls to buy groceries first.
After picking up the ingredients, he brought up their training plans and deliberately mentioned that he had already surpassed them by a wide margin, hoping to draw their attention away and reduce their bickering.
This was a transparent strategy, and even though Yukino and Utaha knew what he was doing, they still willingly walked right into the trap.
"Are you done talking? I'm thirsty, go get me some water!" Yukino gave her command with a stern face.
Utaha didn't come to Haru's defense either and added, "I want orange juice, with ice."
Megumi said, "I'll have the same."
Haru obediently went to buy the drinks while Yukino and the others waited where they were.
Less than five meters ahead, there was a watch shop. Initially, the three of them paid it no mind, but soon a loud gasp echoed from the direction of the store. Then, terrified customers rushed out of the shop, their faces filled with fear.
Utaha looked on in confusion. From this angle, she couldn't see what was happening inside, but the black sedan parked in front of the store caught her attention.
Yukino quickly glanced at the panicked customers fleeing and coldly said, "Something must have happened inside."
"Shall we check it out?" Utaha asked.
Neither Yukino nor Megumi opposed the idea.