"Yukinoshita, don't do any more smashes in the next match. Have you forgotten how you sprained your ankle?"
At the tennis court, Hoshimi, sitting on the bench, reminded Yukino beside him.
Yukino, who was wiping her sweat, paused and replied coldly, "I don't need you to tell me. I know my limits."
"Alright, just be careful. We still have a lot of matches. Keep your body in good condition. By the way..." Hoshimi looked around, "Where's Yuigahama-san? Didn't she promise to come cheer for us? Why isn't she here?"
Yukino frowned and threw her towel at Hoshimi's face, "Don't ask me. I don't know."
"Sigh~ It's a pity. You finally made a friend, and now she's gone." Hoshimi sighed.
"..." Yukino remained expressionless and silent, her thoughts unknown.
Hoshimi glanced at Yukino from the corner of his eye but said nothing more, closing his eyes to enjoy the sunlight.
Shortly after, two girls from Class 2-J's support group appeared in front of Hoshimi and Yukino.
"Hoshimi-kun, the men's singles badminton match is about to start."
"Yukinoshita-san, the women's singles tennis match is about to start."
The two stood up and walked away in opposite directions.
...
A little later, they reunited again.
"Yukinoshita, did you destroy your opponent again? I just saw a girl squatting and crying when I came back. Was that your doing?"
"If she can't handle it mentally, it's not my fault."
"Sigh~ After all this time with me, you still don't get it, Yukinoshita. Letting the opponent win a set won't hurt. I let them have one point in every game."
"That's humiliating, worse than not letting them win."
"Well~ You just don't understand. By the way, give me a sip of your water."
Yukino handed Hoshimi her half-empty bottle of water without a word.
"Click—"
In the shadows, someone's heart, already shattered like glass, broke once again...
...
The first day of the sports tournament ended amid much excitement.
Hoshimi and Yukino easily advanced to the next day's main event in mixed doubles as group leaders.
Both also smoothly entered the finals in their respective singles events.
After a day's matches, a physically exhausted Hoshimi and Yukino habitually went home together.
"Ride my bike?" Hoshimi asked.
"No," Yukino, who had sworn not to, flatly refused.
"If you ride my bike, I promise not to do anything extra in tonight's dream, and I won't play any 'games' under any pretext."
"Deal!" Yukino agreed immediately.
After all, it was just a vow in her heart; no one would know...
"Click—"
In the shadows, watching the two leave romantically, someone's heart shattered into pieces.
Meanwhile, Kotoko Iwanaga, sound asleep, turned over and continued dreaming of meeting Hoshimi.
...
Friday morning, the sports tournament resumed.
In the morning, Hoshimi easily won the men's singles in both table tennis and badminton, and together with Yukino, advanced to the finals in mixed doubles tennis.
Yukino also secured the women's singles tennis championship without any trouble.
During a short lunch break, the exhausted pair rested on a bench in the shade.
"Yukinoshita, can you still hold on?" Hoshimi asked softly, feeling discomfort in his lungs.
"I'm fine," Yukino replied weakly, her voice betraying her true state.
The finals on the second day were far more intense than the first.
Though the opponents were stronger, they were still not much in Hoshimi and Yukino's eyes. The real killer was the extended schedule!
Table tennis moved from best-of-three to best-of-five, and tennis and badminton went from single sets to best-of-three.
The prolonged schedule wore down their already limited stamina.
If not for their weak opponents, they might have been eliminated long ago.
"Yukinoshita, want to recover your energy quickly?" Hoshimi asked.
"Do you have a way?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"Like this." Hoshimi pulled Yukino into his arms, resting his head on hers.
Without waiting for her to struggle, Hoshimi closed his eyes, pulling Yukino into his dream world.
Instantly, Yukino found herself resting on Hoshimi's shoulder, both of them falling into a deep sleep.
As mentioned before, Hoshimi's body enters a state of deep sleep when he enters the dream world.
Deep sleep, also known as golden sleep, allows the brain cells to rest fully, crucial for relieving fatigue, restoring energy, and boosting immunity.
Typically, deep sleep only accounts for 25% of total sleep time, but it is enough to alleviate a day's fatigue.
Hoshimi, however, can turn all his sleep time into deep sleep with miraculous effects.
An hour of sleep for him and Yukino equals the benefit of half a night's rest for others.
In the distant shadows, Hiratsuka Shizuka observed the scene with a peculiar expression, looking at Haruno Yukinoshita beside her.
"Haruno, how does it feel to see your sister growing up?"
"Heh~" Haruno Yukinoshita laughed coldly, her heart as cold as iron, showing no emotion.
"Haruno, I'm just saying, I think Hoshimi Kiyokawa is a good kid. Don't interfere and let your sister and Hoshimi develop freely for a while."
"..." Haruno Yukinoshita glanced at Hiratsuka Shizuka, not bothering to say anything.
If Hoshimi Kiyokawa were free, she might consider it. But since he wasn't, why let him harm her sister?
She didn't want her sister to be deceived emotionally, physically, and mentally.
"The Yukinoshita family sure is stubborn," Hiratsuka Shizuka sighed, seeing Haruno's silence.
"Huh? What's stubborn? Shizuka, are you mistaken?"
"No, I don't want to argue. Just tell me if you're coming to eat."
"No."
"If you're not coming, then I'm leaving."
Hiratsuka Shizuka turned to leave.
"Wait." Haruno Yukinoshita called out, looking thoughtful.
"Huh? Changed your mind?" Hiratsuka Shizuka turned back.
"No, I just want you to bring me some bread."
Hiratsuka Shizuka, at a loss for words, waved her hand, "Got it. I'll be back soon."
"Wait, Shizuka, one more thing. Find a student to bring Yukino her lunch."
Hiratsuka Shizuka turned back, puzzled, "Why don't you do it yourself?"
Because Hoshimi Kiyokawa was there, and she was wary of him, planning to observe more before getting closer.
Such words couldn't be said out loud.
So, she coaxed like talking to a child, "Be good, go on. I'll treat you to a drink next time."
===
Enjoying the novel? If you'd like to read additional chapters, visit my Patreon page at - patreon.com/cherryblooming.
There are already 30 extra chapters available.
"Alright, alright, I get it," Hiratsuka Shizuka waved her hand impatiently, unwilling to argue with Haruno any further.
After a few steps, Hiratsuka turned her head and asked, "What about Hoshimi Kiyokawa? Should we bring him lunch?"
"Better not. I want to see him so hungry that his legs give out," Haruno Yukinoshita's words were full of malice.
"..." Hiratsuka's eye twitched as she left without another word.
She was just asking and had no intention of taking Haruno's suggestion. After all, Hoshimi Kiyokawa was her student, and it was her duty to care for him. She would definitely ensure he got lunch.
But who should she choose to deliver lunch to Hoshimi and Yukinoshita?
Hiratsuka pondered...
...
Meanwhile, Kotoko Iwanaga, who had slept for 29 hours, finally woke up.
Seeing the time, she thought she had only slept for 5 hours. She leisurely got up to attend to her physiological needs.
"Click—"
She opened the bedroom door, and the maids on either side bowed.
"Miss, you're awake. You've slept for a day. What would you like for lunch?"
"Lunch as usual. Hmm?" Kotoko responded before realizing something was off. She turned to the maid, her expression stiffening, "How long did you say I slept?"
"A day, to be precise, 29 hours and 12 minutes," the maid replied accurately.
"..." Kotoko's mouth hung open, her face full of astonishment.
The next moment, without another word, she dashed to the bathroom, calling out, "Lunch as quickly as possible. Also, gather the maids. I need makeup and a bath! As fast as possible!"
"Yes, Miss," the two maids bowed and swiftly went to notify the kitchen and other maids.
...
At Sobu High, Yui Yuigahama, having received a hint from Hiratsuka-sensei, was on her way to Hoshimi and Yukino's location with two convenience store lunches.
Soon, near the bench, Yui hesitated, seeing the two of them sleeping so closely together, unsure whether to wake them.
Standing by, she thought, "I'll wait until they wake up. It wouldn't be good to disturb their rest..."
After a while, the lunch in Yui's hand had gone cold.
Biting her lip, she decided that since they didn't seem like they would wake up soon, she would reheat the lunch at the convenience store.
Returning, she continued to wait.
As the lunch break was ending, Hoshimi and Yukino showed no signs of waking, sleeping even more peacefully, their hands unknowingly clasped together.
"Just a bit longer... They might wake up soon..." Yui murmured, her eyes downcast.
"Ring, ring, ring~~~"
The bell rang, signaling the end of the break. The two still hadn't woken up, but Yui's lunch had gone cold again.
She hesitated whether to reheat the lunch again. Cold food wasn't good for Yukino's health.
But if she reheated it and they woke up and left, they wouldn't have anything to eat.
What should she do? Yui was troubled.
Just as she was at a loss, she spotted a familiar figure in her field of vision.
Her eyes lit up, and she waved her arms, calling softly, "Hikki, Hikki, over here."
"..." Hachiman Hikigaya, passing by, reluctantly approached.
He had already heard from classmates about Yukino and Hoshimi napping sweetly while Yui stood guard nearby.
He didn't think he should get involved, so he hadn't come over before.
But the bell rang, and the matches were about to start. He was looking for a quiet place to continue zoning out and happened to pass by here. He hadn't expected to be dragged into this...
"Yuigahama-san, what's up?" Hikigaya tried not to look at the overly dazzling Hoshimi and Yukino.
"Um, Hikki, can you wait here for a bit? If Hoshimi and Yukino wake up, ask them to wait for me. I'll be back with lunch."
Yuigahama's eyes were pleading.
"..." Hikigaya's eye twitched. Scratching his head, he took the lunch from Yui's hands. "I'll go reheat the lunch..."
He didn't want to stay here. Firstly, standing next to the sleeping Hoshimi and Yukino made him look like a creepy voyeur, likely to be targeted by 'justice warriors.'
Secondly, their radiance was too blinding. Watching too long might damage his spirit.
Thirdly, he didn't want to face Hoshimi. This 'social terrorist' was too scary; one misstep, and he'd be stripped to his underwear...
By the way, let the normies explode!!
"Hikki, thank you..." Yui sighed with relief.
"No problem..." Hikigaya's lips twitched as he glanced at the bench, "They seem to be waking up..."
"Huh?" Yui looked over and saw Hoshimi and Yukino's eyelashes flutter, indeed about to wake up.
She smiled, ready to thank Hikigaya for the heads-up.
But when she turned back, Hikigaya had already walked away...
"Ah~ Yukino, feeling better?"
"... Much better. How long until the match?"
"About twenty minutes. We can warm up a bit... Hm?"
Noticing Yui nearby, Hoshimi raised his eyebrows and greeted with a warm smile.
"Yuigahama-san, good afternoon. What brings you here?"
Yukino, surprised, turned to look at Yui.
"Um... I heard from Hiratsuka-sensei that you two didn't have lunch, so I brought some from the convenience store. It's still warm..."
Yui took a few steps forward, her eyes avoiding theirs as she handed the lunch to Yukino.
===
Enjoying the novel? If you'd like to read additional chapters, visit my Patreon page at - patreon.com/cherryblooming.
There are already 30 extra chapters available.
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