Zerozaki Hajime walked up to Yukimura Seiichi and was just about to ask if he had bought a ticket when the announcement came over the loudspeaker that the 10:09 train bound for Tokyo was about to depart.
"The train is leaving, Zerozaki-san. Let's hurry through the gates."
With that, Yukimura Seiichi took Zerozaki Hajime's hand and hurried toward the platform entrance.
Zerozaki Hajime's eyes widened slightly in a daze as she looked at their intertwined hands, then she suddenly snapped out of it.
"Wait... Yukimura, I haven't bought a ticket yet..."
Yukimura Seiichi looked back over his shoulder with a smile.
"It's fine, I bought yours together with mine."
The two quickly swiped their tickets to go through the gates and hurried across several platforms.
Yukimura Seiichi glanced at the ticket in his hand and, seeing that the train was about to move, had no choice but to pull Zerozaki Hajime aboard the nearest carriage.
However, there were simply too many people heading to Tokyo early Sunday morning, and Yukimura Seiichi and Zerozaki Hajime were squeezed into a small corner.
Zerozaki Hajime had her back against the train window, while Yukimura Seiichi faced her. To keep some distance, he had to brace his hands against the window on either side, caging Zerozaki Hajime in his arms.
Looking at the chest less than ten centimeters away from her, Zerozaki Hajime blinked and raised her head to look at Yukimura Seiichi.
Mid-journey, the train jerked. A passenger behind Yukimura Seiichi failed to keep their footing and accidentally gave him a shove, causing Zerozaki Hajime's chin to bump against Yukimura Seiichi's chest.
"Ouch..."
Seriously, why is your chest so hard, Yukimura...?
Zerozaki Hajime muttered inwardly while holding her chin.
"Sorry, is Zerozaki-san alright?"
Yukimura Seiichi looked down at the crown of her head, his voice tinged with apology.
"...I'm fine."
Just as she finished speaking, Zerozaki Hajime suddenly recalled what Ayanokouji Yumi had said:
"I heard that even under normal conditions, a guy's muscles are actually soft~ If they're hard, it's probably because he's intentionally tensing up or feeling nervous, you know~!"
......
Intentional? Zerozaki Hajime looked up at Yukimura Seiichi. She thought that was unlikely, which left only one answer.
"Are you nervous, Yukimura?"
Yukimura Seiichi froze for a moment. He didn't look down and didn't speak, simply gazing at Zerozaki Hajime's reflection in the window.
From this angle, it looked as though Zerozaki Hajime was truly nestled in his arms.
The train lurked and swayed once more. Because her attention was entirely focused on Yukimura Seiichi, Zerozaki Hajime lost her footing and tumbled right into his arms.
She clearly heard the rapid thumping of his heart beside her ear.
So he really was nervous.
"Zerozaki-san... are you okay?"
Yukimura Seiichi shielded Zerozaki Hajime with one arm and asked with renewed concern.
Zerozaki Hajime straightened up, shook her head, and was just about to say she was fine when she heard Yukimura Seiichi continue from above her head:
"Though... thinking that the current Zerozaki-san might actually be an adult makes me quite nervous indeed."
Zerozaki Hajime gave him a deadpan stare, speechless.
Just then, Yukimura Seiichi looked down at her with a teasing smile playing on his lips.
You wish.
At this distance, if she were to revert to her adult form... never mind, Zerozaki Hajime couldn't bear to imagine it.
Who knows how much time passed before the train finally arrived at Tokyo Station.
Both of them let out a mental sigh of relief as they stepped off the train.
They walked out of the station, wove through the crowd, and took the subway to the department store in Ginza.
The Tokyo subway was still packed with people. Seeming accustomed to such congestion, the two of them pressed close together this time without feeling quite as awkward as before.
In fact, to prevent Zerozaki Hajime from being swept away by the crowd or pressed against strangers, Yukimura Seiichi leaned against the handrail near the door and pulled her into his embrace.
Zerozaki Hajime silently felt his tension and heartbeat, letting out an inner sigh.
"Oh? Tezuka, look over there, isn't that Rikkai's Yukimura?"
Fuji Shusuke tapped Tezuka Kunimitsu on the shoulder.
Tezuka Kunimitsu followed the direction of his gesture.
"Ah... looks like it..."
Sensing someone's gaze, Yukimura Seiichi raised his eyes and met Tezuka Kunimitsu's stare. The two held each other's gaze for a moment, nodded in mutual acknowledgement, and then looked away.
"Tezuka, Yukimura... seems to be holding a girl?"
Fuji Shusuke rubbed his chin and said with a smile.
"......"
Tezuka Kunimitsu had seen it, of course, but he had no desire to comment.
Seeing that he said nothing, Fuji Shusuke grew even more curious and continued analyzing:
"Judging by her height, she's about the same as Echizen. Looks like a first-year."
"......Fuji."
Tezuka Kunimitsu adjusted his glasses and glanced at Fuji Shusuke, signaling him to drop the gossip about Yukimura Seiichi.
Fuji Shusuke chuckled and said no more.
They were all getting off at the station near Ginza, but since they were heading in opposite directions, their paths didn't cross.
Yukimura Seiichi brought Zerozaki Hajime to a shop specializing in tennis equipment, and the two headed straight for the racket section.
"Since Zerozaki-san is just starting out with tennis, you can pick a more budget-friendly one first. Once you get the hang of it, you can always switch to a different style later."
Yukimura Seiichi stood beside her, offering guidance.
Zerozaki Hajime nodded in agreement with Yukimura Seiichi's words. She looked around and ultimately selected a pink tennis racket.
She held it up to inspect it.
"This one's pretty good."
Seeing that Zerozaki Hajime had chosen a pink racket, Yukimura Seiichi looked somewhat surprised before dropping his gaze with a small smile.
"I actually thought Zerozaki-san would pick white."
"I don't like white."
Zerozaki Hajime looked down at the racket in her hand and said flatly.
Yukimura Seiichi was momentarily taken aback.
Seeming to realize the conversation was about to turn heavy, Zerozaki Hajime changed the subject, looking up at Yukimura Seiichi with a smile.
"Colorful looks better anyway, right? Yukimura?"
"Mm... I suppose so..."
Though he answered in accordance with Zerozaki Hajime's words, Yukimura Seiichi remained troubled as to why she disliked white.
Especially since, as an Order Officer, her entire world was white.
Zerozaki Hajime paid no mind to Yukimura Seiichi's puzzled expression. A smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she hugged her tennis racket and walked over to the tennis bag display.
She spotted a pink tennis bag with a laser-like sheen hanging on the wall and reached up to take it down when she heard someone murmur nearby:
"So childish."
"Echizen, how can you say that to a girl!"
Momoshiro Takeshi ruffled Echizen Ryoma's hair to signal him against running his mouth.
Zerozaki Hajime paused mid-reach and turned to look at the two figures beside her.
One was a cat-eyed boy of about her height, and the other was a taller, buzz-cut boy. The two of them were busy browsing overgrips.
Echizen Ryoma closed his eyes briefly, glanced at Zerozaki Hajime, said nothing more, and went back to looking at other items.
Hearing the commotion on Zerozaki Hajime's side, Yukimura Seiichi—who had been flipping through a tennis magazine in the store—walked over.
Noticing it was Yukimura Seiichi, Momoshiro Takeshi spoke up in mild surprise.
"You... you're Senior Yukimura from Rikkai?"
Yukimura Seiichi didn't recognize Momoshiro Takeshi and offered a polite, distant smile.
"Yes, I am."
"Eh? Rikkai... I heard they've won the national championship two years in a row. They must be strong. Care for a match?"
Echizen Ryoma put down the grip tape and looked at Yukimura Seiichi with a provocative gaze.
Zerozaki Hajime looked from Echizen Ryoma to Yukimura Seiichi, then suddenly chimed in:
"Neither of you brought rackets, how are you going to play?"
She was purely there to enjoy the spectacle—after all, what's the fun in a world of tennis if you aren't watching others play?
Hearing this, Echizen Ryoma looked at Zerozaki Hajime and offered a completely earnest suggestion:
"You guys know each other, right? He can use your racket, and I'll just buy another one."
Momoshiro Takeshi offered Yukimura Seiichi an awkward smile, leaned over to Echizen Ryoma's ear, and lowered his voice.
"Hey, Echizen, do you even know who Senior Yukimura is?"
"Who?"
"He's the captain of Rikkai!"
"Oh, even better."
Echizen Ryoma looked utterly unbothered, gazing at Yukimura Seiichi with even greater determination.
Yukimura Seiichi finally spoke up as well. He looked at Echizen Ryoma and gave a cold smile.
"Nice look in your eyes. I look forward to seeing you on the court."
With that, Yukimura Seiichi ignored Echizen Ryoma, turned back to Zerozaki Hajime, and his expression softened back to its usual warmth.
"Zerozaki-san, it seems you've picked yours out."
Zerozaki Hajime looked up at Yukimura Seiichi and blinked, thinking to herself that this match wasn't going to happen after all.
Still, the way Yukimura Seiichi had just squared off against Echizen Ryoma was rather... cool?
Without dwelling on it further, she reached up to take the pink tennis bag off the wall and smiled at Yukimura Seiichi.
"Alright, let's go, Yukimura."
"You..."
Seeing Yukimura Seiichi about to leave, Echizen Ryoma wore an unconvinced expression, but Momoshiro Takeshi held him back.
Once Yukimura Seiichi and Zerozaki Hajime reached the register, Momoshiro Takeshi massaged his forehead in exasperation and said,
"Echizen, didn't you see that Senior Yukimura is out on a date with his girlfriend? When would he have time to play tennis with you?"
Echizen Ryoma watched as Yukimura Seiichi and Zerozaki Hajime left the specialty shop chatting and laughing. He closed his eyes, then opened them again, his amber eyes flashing with brilliant light.
"......You still have a long way to go......"
By the time Zerozaki Hajime and Yukimura Seiichi left the specialty shop, it was right around lunchtime. Ever since she'd tasted cake and yakiniku, Zerozaki Hajime had been full of curiosity about the food in this world.
"This unadon is so good!"
Zerozaki Hajime couldn't help but wear a blissful expression as she took another spoonful of rice.
Seeing her so happy, Yukimura Seiichi's smile grew even gentler.
"Mhm, it really is good. But haven't you ever had similar... food before, Zerozaki-san?"
Hearing him bring up her past, Zerozaki Hajime let her smile fade. She chewed her food and let out a lingering sigh.
"No... we didn't have the conditions for that back then, and we didn't need it either."
She then pointed toward the tennis bag on the table, tilting her head with a helpless expression.
"Besides, almost the entire world was left with nothing but white."
This nearly desolate world left Yukimura Seiichi momentarily at a loss for words, but thinking of Zerozaki Hajime's formidable abilities, the corners of his eyes curved upward as he said gently,
"At least it birthed someone as strong as you, didn't it?"
Zerozaki Hajime froze for a moment. She looked at Yukimura Seiichi, let out a relieved laugh, and nodded.
"Yeah, you're right, Yukimura."
He really is such a gentle person, Yukimura Seiichi.
As the two were discussing which nearby sports complex to visit for tennis practice later, Zerozaki Hajime casually pulled up her system interface and saw monster tracks displayed on the map, though there was only one.
Yukimura Seiichi glanced at her system interface, then looked up at Zerozaki Hajime.
"More monsters, Zerozaki-san?"
"Yeah, what a persistent pest. Let's hurry over."
Who knows which tennis player's bad luck it's going to be, Zerozaki Hajime thought to herself.
She minimized the system interface, shouldered her tennis bag, and led Yukimura Seiichi toward the monster's location.