I really don't want to have a girlfriend.

"Being envied by girls, ostracized by stupid cliques, and easily clung to by annoying men, I ended up coming here alone to enjoy some peace and quiet... Sigh, being pretty really doesn't have any advantages."

"Why...why..."

"Sorry, someone as twisted as me can't understand your pain, I can only roughly guess... Before this classroom came along, you used to eat in the toilet, right?"

"...I'm not going to the toilet because I'm likely to get splashed with water."

"Huh? Ah, uh... sorry, I meant it. I apologize if you pretended I didn't say anything."

"Shut up. The way you apologize is even more infuriating."

They clashed verbally, each side refusing to yield.

Across a long table, a heated argument disrupted the tranquility of the afternoon.

Just as Tenkuji Yu had thought, Yukino Yukinoshita was simply incompatible with him; they could talk endlessly about anything they met.

In a negative sense.

She not only tried to gain the upper hand in their "debate," but also constantly used a barbed attitude to provoke him to react; as if trying to prove how strong she was, her tone was confident and arrogant, with an air of brooking no argument.

Therefore, Yuu Tenkuji didn't hold back at all, using the boost from his "vocal skills" to refute Yukino Yukinoshita as much as possible.

She gritted her teeth, her brows furrowed, and sometimes she would even bite her chopsticks while thinking of a way to retaliate, completely forgetting about eating.

She can quickly recover from setbacks and won't easily admit defeat even when she's speechless—even if she has to resort to sophistry, Yukino Yukinoshita will always try to tip the scales of victory in her favor.

In short, he is very stubborn.

“That’s similar to Haruno…” Tenkuji Yu shook his head and waved his still-forming figure out. “Although she’s a bit annoying, she’s also quite cute.”

Is this what they call "gap moe" (cuteness born from contrast)?

She appears to be a refined and aloof beauty, but inside she's like a stubborn child—only precocious, and her extremely self-centered remarks are not uncommon.

△

The special building housing the Service Department is some distance from the teaching building.

Once the youthful energy and noise are gone, this place becomes as quiet as stepping into another world.

Half-gray clouds drifted lazily across the sky, like several small gray fish diving into a trench.

Inside the club's classroom, the autumn breeze, still carrying the heat of summer, stirred the curtains, and the girl in front of the window swayed like an ice flower.

"Under the snow, a question suddenly came to mind."

After putting away the empty bento box, Yuu Tenkuji glanced at Yukino Yukinoshita, who was silently speeding up her eating, and suddenly asked a question.

"Are you asking me for help?"

The girl paused, then put down her chopsticks, puffed out her chest humbly, and said in a gentle and elegant tone, "Very well, since you are a member of this club president's department, let me hear what troubles you."

After saying that, Yukino Yukinoshita turned her head to look at him, lightly brushed her long hair with her slender hand, and put on a high-handed and composed smile.

Where did that cold, icy beauty go?

Yuu Tenkuji sighed helplessly, too lazy to even comment on her attempts to gain a sense of superiority. Instead, he felt that this was more authentic of her.

This was the first time he had ever encountered a situation where an argument had actually improved their relationship.

"I just want to ask, what exactly does the Service Club—the club that Hiratsuka-sensei asked me to join—do?"

"It's very simple."

Yukino Yukinoshita smiled slightly, placed her hands on her knees with her fingertips touching, and announced loudly:

"The rich give to the poor with a compassionate heart; this is what is called public welfare. Such as providing aid to developing countries, feeding the homeless, and providing club fee subsidies to delinquent teenagers who are struggling to support themselves—extending a helping hand to those in need is the content of our club's activities."

Sensing the hidden agenda, Tenkuji Yu stared at her expressionlessly.

He didn't say anything, just stared calmly, waiting for her to admit her mistake.

"...Ahem."

With a calm and composed expression, Yukino Yukinoshita coughed twice, casually looked away, and continued, "This club is mainly established to help students change themselves and resolve their inner troubles. You can think of it as a rehabilitation institution or a psychological treatment clinic."

Tenkuji Yu scoffed without any restraint.

"You call yourself a psychotherapist? You'd probably just turn someone into a depression patient."

Yukino Yukinoshita glared at him coldly, but instead of directly confronting him as before, she slowly raised the corners of her mouth and gave a meaningful hum.

"You're welcome to try, Tenkuji-kun. Why don't you make a request to me?"

“I will give you a standard, correct answer that you can use in the future—provided, of course, that you are asking this question seriously; I will not play along with pointless jokes.”

Tenkuji Yu couldn't help but look at her with amusement: "Hey, why are you acting so high and mighty? Do you want me to ask, or do I want to ask myself?"

With a cold laugh, Yukino Yukinoshita remained unyielding: "As the assistant assigned to me by Hiratsuka-sensei and a new member of this club, you're the one who should be putting on airs, aren't you?"

"Or are you just afraid that I'll make you depressed?"

"What a childish attempt at provocation, but never mind." With a pout, Yuu leaned back in her chair, tilting her head back in thought. "Let me think of what I can ask..."

The first thing that came to mind was the goal I'd been thinking about since yesterday.

Tenkuji Yu quickly made a decision: "I've got it."

"So fast?"

With an interested wink, Yukino Yukinoshita turned to face him from her chair.

"Tell me about it. I hope it's not some trivial problem, otherwise your already low rating will drop even further."

Tenkuji Yu casually waved his hand: "It's okay, your rating here is basically zero. Lower it as you please, we're even."

"..."

Yukino glanced at the bento box on the table, and only after confirming that it couldn't bring her to her death did she turn her gaze back to him.

Yuu Tenkuji closed his eyes, sorted out the questions, and then cleared his throat before speaking.

"That's right. I have a friend who knows all sorts of skills, including massage, high jump, billiards, table tennis, archery, cooking, swordsmanship, and more, and he's proficient in most of them to an expert level..."

"He's a good student, he's rich, he's loved, and he's several times more handsome than the average person. He could live a good life even without working hard..."

"He was unwilling to give up and wanted to find a dream and goal to strive for, but because there were too many directions and choices, he didn't know where to start, nor was he interested in any particular thing. He had a lot of enthusiasm but didn't know where to pour it..."

Tenkuji Yuu opened his eyes, looked at Yukino Yukinoshita who was staring blankly in front of him, and smiled slightly.

"In this situation, what advice would you give, President Yukinoshita?"

"..."

As expected, the person opposite lowered their eyes and fell into silence.

Yuu Tenkuji did not expect the girl to give him a satisfactory answer.

After all, goals only have meaning when you rack your brains to come up with them and make a firm decision.

The reason he asked Yukino Yukinoshita this question was not only to get some reference, but also because he really wanted to know how this sharp-tongued and proud girl would answer.

Should we scoff at it? Or...?

"You've come to the right person."

The unexpected answer startled Yuu Tenkuji.

"I know very well what kind of person is capable of everything but is uninterested in anything and has no dreams whatsoever."

Yukino Yukinoshita slowly raised her gaze, her hands gently clenching into fists on her thighs, looking intently into his eyes.

"Finding the motivation to improve yourself, or a clear goal to strive for, is actually very simple."

"—You need an opponent who is far stronger than you, a formidable foe who is utterly defeated by her in every way."

Chapter Thirty-Nine: His Former Goal

Even without looking into her eyes, Tenkuji Yu knew that the person she was talking about was Yukinoshita Haruno.

After all, in her memory, Yang Nai had said something like this:

"She always tries to prove she's no worse than me, but unfortunately, she hasn't accomplished anything except maintaining that useless number one position."

If she treats outsiders this dismissively, she'll probably be even more rude to people in person, given her personality.

That's why Yukino Yukinoshita's tone was so intense, even sharp.

"Once this person stands in your way, you will realize your own weakness and try to cross that mountain. However, no matter how hard you try, the road to the top of the mountain is always endless. You can only keep striving, keep climbing, keep moving forward until you can no longer think about anything else. At this time, overcoming the shadow hanging over your head will become the goal you can never get rid of."

Seemingly forgetting that she was only answering a question, her face and tone were both gloomy, her head was slightly lowered, and her whole body exuded a cold aura like black snowflakes.

Ka!

Tenkuji Yu tapped the table, and she jolted awake as if from a dream. She avoided his gaze and pressed her hand to her chest, taking deep breaths.

"...If the friend you mentioned is really good at everything, then let him find someone who is far superior to him in some aspect, or even completely surpasses him."

Having regained her composure and calmness, Yukino Yukinoshita finally concluded: "If you can't find your peers, then find your seniors; if you can't find your seniors, then break records... Only by setting an endpoint can humanity overcome its inertia and keep moving forward."

This is the correct argument. She declared it righteously in a clear voice that brooked no argument.

After a moment's thought, Yuu Tenkuji countered, "What if he's not interested in challenging anyone, and doesn't care whether he can break any records?"

"Then let him fend for himself." The black-haired girl answered decisively, her eyes filled with obvious disdain. "This troublesome guy should just go to the deep mountains to meditate and seek enlightenment."

"..."

I'm so sorry, I'm just that kind of troublesome person.

Stared at speechlessly by Yuuki Tenkuji, Yukino Yukinoshita touched her hair and sighed helplessly, "Okay, let me think about it..."

Her bright blue eyes moved upwards, and after a moment of quiet contemplation, she spoke hesitantly:

"How about trying to figure out what's most important to you?"

"The most important thing?" Tenkuji Yu was slightly taken aback.

Yukino Yukinoshita nodded, her smooth, cascading black hair swaying gently with her movements.

"It's not about heavy topics like what we live for, but about what we value most."

She raised a finger, her melodious voice floating in the gentle air: "People who value money will make money, people who value love will fall in love—everyone has things they value in life, more or less. To put it slyly, your friend values ​​'purpose,' which is why he seeks out goals to which he wants to pour his passion."

"In conclusion, finding a goal is actually very simple; it just depends on whether you are willing to put in the effort and not make excuses for your incompetence."