"Zerozaki-san, you're awake. I was just about to knock and call you down for breakfast."
Yukimura Seiichi lowered the hand he had raised to knock, looking down at her.
Zerozaki Hajime looked up at him with a very complicated expression. She opened her mouth as if to ask something, but in the end, she just smiled.
"Thank you, Yukimura."
When she went downstairs for breakfast, Yukimura's grandmother, Yukimura's father, and Yukimura Chieko had already finished eating and were out in the courtyard soaking up the sun while tending to the plants.
Only Yukimura's Mother remained at the dining table, keeping Yukimura Seiichi and Zerozaki Hajime company. She repeatedly checked on Zerozaki Hajime's physical condition and asked about her and Yukimura Seiichi's plans for the day.
Zerozaki Hajime felt a strange flutter in her chest. While politely responding, she kept glancing over at Yukimura Seiichi.
She guessed that Yukimura Seiichi must have said something to his family; otherwise, Yukimura's Mother wouldn't be acting like this.
Catching the two of them exchanging glances, Yukimura's Mother felt her smile deepen.
Before they set off for the tournament venue, she even shoved a pack of painkillers into Yukimura Seiichi's hands, telling him to keep a close eye on Zerozaki Hajime's condition.
Yukimura Seiichi looked a bit puzzled, but after Yukimura's Mother explained, he didn't hesitate, taking the medicine and putting it away.
As the two of them rounded a street corner and stepped out onto the main road, they saw Sanada Genichirou standing by the wall.
Sanada Genichirou was just about to say hello when he caught sight of Zerozaki Hajime standing next to Yukimura Seiichi. His pupils dilated slightly in shock.
"You two..."
Zerozaki Hajime glanced at Sanada Genichirou, then back at Yukimura Seiichi beside her. Lowering her gaze, she said nothing—the more you explain, the messier things get.
Better to just let him guess.
Yukimura Seiichi seemed to share the same thought and had no intention of explaining at all. He simply greeted Sanada Genichirou as he usually did.
"Morning, Sanada."
Sanada Genichirou looked at Zerozaki Hajime's clean school uniform and the schoolbag in her hand, his eyes turning to Yukimura Seiichi with a silent question.
However, Yukimura Seiichi merely gave Zerozaki Hajime a glance and showed no sign of answering. Left with no choice, Sanada Genichirou swallowed his doubts.
"Morning, Yukimura... and Zerozaki-san."
Zerozaki Hajime smiled and greeted him back.
The three of them, each harboring their own thoughts, boarded the bus. Perhaps because it was early Saturday morning, the interior was empty and passenger numbers were sparse.
Feeling unwell, Zerozaki Hajime found a seat near the front. Yukimura Seiichi and Sanada Genichirou stood beside her like a pair of temple guardians.
Noticing her strained expression, Sanada Genichirou recalled what the school nurse had said yesterday. He covered his mouth and gave a staged cough.
"Zerozaki-san, if you're not feeling well, there's no need to force yourself to come to the tournament."
Even though she had eaten, Zerozaki Hajime's face was still somewhat pale. She was just about to say something when Yukimura Seiichi pulled a pack of painkillers from his pocket and handed them to her.
"If Zerozaki-san is uncomfortable, you can take these once we get off."
Zerozaki Hajime was momentarily stunned before she took the pills. She stared blankly at the painkillers in her hand, completely forgetting to even say thank you.
Sanada Genichirou instantly felt completely out of place. He wished he could jump off the bus right then and there to avoid becoming a bystander in their little romance.
The prefectural tournament was being held at the Akidai Gymnasium, and they arrived at their stop in no time.
As they got off the bus, Zerozaki Hajime started walking toward a vending machine by the roadside to buy some water so she could take her medicine.
Yukimura Seiichi stopped her, unzipped his tennis bag, and pulled out a small, pink insulated flask, handing it to her.
"Zerozaki-san should drink hot water instead."
Zerozaki Hajime stared dumbfounded at the pink flask in front of her. She reached out and took it, looking at him with a mix of amusement and exasperation.
"This belongs to your younger sister, doesn't it?"
Yukimura Seiichi gave a cheerful little laugh and nodded.
"It is hers, but Chieko recently took a liking to a pink-and-blue cup and announced she wanted to be Sleeping Beauty, so this one got left behind."
Zerozaki Hajime didn't refuse his kindness. Using the warm water from the flask, she swallowed her painkiller, capped the bottle, and moved to hand it back to Yukimura Seiichi.
Without reaching for it, the corners of Yukimura's mouth curved upward as he said,
"Keep it with you for now. You can give it back to me after the match."
Sanada Genichirou watched their interaction in utter disbelief. He never expected the two of them to have grown this close.
The gymnasium was still a few hundred meters away from the station. As the three of them walked over, they spotted several regular team members waving to them from the intersection ahead.
In truth, the others had seen the three of them get off the bus all along. Marui Bunta had originally wanted to call out to them.
However, when they saw Yukimura Seiichi grab Zerozaki Hajime the moment they stepped off the bus and pull a pink flask out of his tennis bag to hand to her,
they had all tacitly chosen to stay quiet and watch the show, though they did feel a twinge of pity for Sanada Genichirou playing the third wheel off to the side.
Yukimura Seiichi greeted them first, cast a glance around the group, and asked with a helpless smile,
"Akaya isn't here yet?"
Yanagi Renji nodded.
"The probability of him sleeping past his stop is one hundred percent."
A cross-shaped vein popped on Sanada Genichirou's forehead.
"That Akaya... simply too slack!"
Afterward, the group checked in on Zerozaki Hajime's health. Seeing that she seemed fine, they all let out a breath of relief.
Upon entering the gymnasium, Yukimura Seiichi and Yanagi Renji went off to submit the lineup sheet, while the other regulars headed straight for the players' resting area.
Niou Masaharu, sitting beside Zerozaki Hajime, wore a rather puzzled expression.
"Today is Saturday, so why is the Order Officer wearing her school uniform and carrying a schoolbag?"
Marui Bunta also looked at Zerozaki Hajime with curiosity, waiting for her answer.
To be fair, Zerozaki Hajime genuinely had no idea how to explain this.
Sanada Genichirou, who had already guessed the truth, knew how hard it would be to explain clearly either. He walked up to the three of them.
"Niou, you're playing the first match. Go warm up."
Niou Masaharu raised an eyebrow. He swept a glance over the pink flask in Zerozaki Hajime's hand and looked meaningfully at Sanada Genichirou.
"It seems a lot of things happened yesterday that we didn't know about, puri~"
With that, he shouldered his tennis bag, left the resting area, and headed to an empty court to start warming up.
Marui Bunta blinked. Seeing that Sanada Genichirou looked like he was searching for an excuse to chase him off to warm up too, he smiled.
"Come on, Sanada, I brought cake for Zerozaki-san~ You can't possibly make me leave, too."
Sanada Genichirou pressed his lips into a thin line, turned around, and said nothing more.
Marui Bunta produced a chocolate cake, handed it to Zerozaki Hajime, and broke into a grin.
"Zerozaki-san~ I hear sweets are pretty good for a girl's special time of the month~"
Zerozaki Hajime lowered her gaze, not taking the cake immediately. She looked up at Marui Bunta.
"Thank you, Marui-san, but you should save the cake to replenish your own energy after the match."
Marui Bunta studied her for a long moment. Seeming to realize something, his eyes rolled playfully as he shoved the little cake directly into her hands.
"Zerozaki-san shouldn't put too much pressure on herself. Compared to what you do, my little gesture is nothing at all~ Besides, I actually prefer strawberry shortcake anyway~"
"Marui-san... you really are such a considerate person."
He truly was a little angel, Zerozaki Hajime couldn't help praising out loud.
Flattered by the compliment, Marui Bunta grinned even brighter. Suddenly, he leaned in and asked in a low voice,
"By the way... did Zerozaki-san stay over at Yukimura's house last night?"
Zerozaki Hajime almost dropped the flask and the cake.
"What makes you say that?"
The best way to avoid answering a question was to throw it back.
"It was Yanagi who said it. He pointed out that the neighborhood Zerozaki-san lives in isn't on the bus route for coming to Akidai Gymnasium, and since you were still wearing your school uniform and carrying a schoolbag, he deduced that you must have stayed overnight at someone else's place. Then, when the three of you got off the bus and we saw Yukimura carrying a thermos for you, we figured out you must have stayed at Yukimura's house last night!"
Marui Bunta laid out Yanagi Renji's entire line of reasoning.
I'm sweating bullets here, guys.
Zerozaki Hajime was genuinely impressed by Yanagi Renji's deductive skills—he had practically reverse-engineered the absolute truth.
"The probability of that is over ninety percent."
Yanagi Renji's voice chimed in from right behind Zerozaki Hajime.
......
Standing next to Yanagi Renji, Yukimura Seiichi had naturally heard the whole analysis as well. With a somewhat helpless expression, he raised a hand to pat Yanagi's shoulder and quickly changed the subject.
"We should get in touch with Akaya. Niou is about to go on court, and the kid still isn't here."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Kirihara Akaya came panting into the resting area. Before he even had a chance to catch his breath, he was chewed out by Sanada Genichirou.
Watching the scene unfold, Zerozaki Hajime couldn't help laughing out loud.
April cherry blossoms fluttered down to blanket the ground. As the wind swept across the courts, carrying the figures of the boys swinging their rackets, perhaps some teams walked away with disappointing results, but before long, they would bounce right back with passion and youthful vigor.
So this is what youth feels like, Zerozaki Hajime thought to herself.
"Yukimura, are they wearing weighted gear?"
Zerozaki Hajime asked, glancing down at her System interface. She had opened it right before the match started.
Last time, a dozen monsters had suddenly popped up near the indoor court without her System interface giving any warning beforehand.
She suspected that these monsters had already evolved to the point where they could shield themselves from the System's tracking. Now, whenever the regulars gathered together, she made a habit of checking it periodically.
Yukimura Seiichi had been sitting right beside her. Just as he was about to reply, he noticed her staring intently at the System interface with a furrowed brow.
"Hm? Did Zerozaki-san notice? But what's wrong? You look so pale."
Zerozaki Hajime shook her head.
"It's nothing. As for the weights... I noticed when I watched you train before. The moment you put on those wrist and ankle bands, your speed drops noticeably, and your agility isn't quite as high."
As she spoke, Zerozaki Hajime glanced around. Seeing that no one was paying attention to them, she began typing code into the System interface.
Yukimura Seiichi looked at her with a hint of surprise, then smiled.
"Zerozaki-san's dynamic vision is really impressive. Most people can't actually tell the difference."
Hearing him say that, Zerozaki Hajime's fingers paused on the code. She saw Sanada Genichirou and Yanagi Renji talking about something as they suddenly looked over in their direction.
Stopping what she was doing, Zerozaki Hajime turned to explain to Yukimura Seiichi.
"Before I became an Order Officer, I went through similar training. That subtle difference is still pretty obvious to my eyes."
Seeing that the other two were no longer looking their way, she resumed tapping on her keyboard, rewriting the algorithm the System used to monitor monsters.
It was the first time Yukimura Seiichi had ever heard Zerozaki Hajime talk about her past, and a look of mild surprise crossed his features. Then, the corners of his eyes lifted slightly.
"In that case, Zerozaki-san should really try playing tennis sometime. Who knows, you might actually find it fun."
Marui Bunta finished playing the final match of Singles 2, bringing today's matches to a close.
Without any surprises, Rikkai advanced to the semifinals of the prefectural tournament as expected. And across today's three matches, Rikkai's "Big Three" hadn't even needed to step onto the court.
That made Rikkai's sheer tennis prowess glaringly obvious to Zerozaki Hajime—the regulars who played hadn't even used their signature moves before wrapping up their matches.
No wonder they needed to wear weights; their opponents were indeed a bit too weak. Though, of course, Rikkai was simply too overwhelmingly strong.
To celebrate advancing to the semifinals, the team announced they were going out for yakiniku, and naturally, Zerozaki Hajime was roped into coming along.
However, the System—which Zerozaki Hajime had just rewritten—suddenly detected a small cluster of monsters spawning in the vicinity of Genjiyama Park.