Chapter 48: The Service Club

The Service Club.

Rei Ao was led to a classroom with this sign by Yui Yuigahama. He couldn't help but smirk. Of course, he knew exactly where they were.

Even though he knew, he couldn't resist teasing her: "Yuigahama-san, you're not thinking of anything strange about me, are you?"

"Uh…"

Yuigahama blinked, glancing up at the classroom sign and immediately understanding what Rei Ao was implying. She frantically waved her hands in embarrassment. "You've got it wrong, Rei Ao-kun! The Service Club isn't some weird H…H-type place! I-I just joined this club recently."

However, Rei Ao's playful look only grew more pronounced, causing Yui to become even more flustered.

"It's true! Our club helps people, that's all!"

"Mmm…"

'I'm making it worse,' Yui thought in despair, feeling like everything she said just made the situation more embarrassing. Desperate, she threw open the classroom door.

"Our club president, Yukino-chan, can explain it better!"

The door swung open with a bang. Inside, a quiet, black-haired girl with a cold expression was calmly reading a book by the window. Her long, straight hair and icy demeanor were as striking as her beauty. She glanced up, frowning slightly, and in a voice that was both pleasant and chilling, she said:

"I've told you before to knock before entering, haven't I?"

"Ugh!"

Yuigahama shivered at the reprimand, hurriedly trying to explain, "It's because Rei Ao-kun misunderstood what our club does, so…"

"Our club's mission is to lend a hand to those in need. That's why it's called the Service Club, right?" Rei Ao interrupted, smoothly summarizing the club's mission before Yukinoshita Yukino could explain.

"Eh?"

Yuigahama blinked, a large question mark practically visible over her head.

"Rei Ao-kun… just now…"

"I thought it'd be fun to mess with you, Yuigahama-san. I did it on purpose," Rei Ao said with a grin.

To Yui, that smile looked terrifying!

"Ugh…"

She whimpered like a small animal, realizing she had been completely played with.

"Rei Ao-kun, you're so mean!"

She puffed her cheeks out like a pufferfish, visibly upset.

"..."

Yukinoshita Yukino closed her book with a soft thud and spoke, her voice cold as ever, "Yuigahama-san, if you joined my Service Club just to flirt with others, you can leave."

"Wait!"

"Yukino-chan, you've got it all wrong! Rei Ao-kun and I aren't a couple or anything like that!" Yuigahama hurriedly explained.

She quickly walked to a nearby cabinet, opened it, and pulled out a bag of… cookies.

Yukino's eyes softened in understanding as soon as she saw the cookies.

Yuigahama handed the bag to Rei Ao, saying, "Rei Ao-kun, thank you for helping me to the infirmary before. These are cookies I made as a thank-you."

"Did you make these yourself?"

If Rei Ao remembered correctly, Yuigahama's cooking skills were famously terrible, no matter how hard she tried. He couldn't help but be curious.

He opened the transparent bag, took out a cookie, and brought it to his mouth.

Yuigahama looked on with eager anticipation, while Yukino hesitated, as if she wanted to stop him.

The story behind these cookies was a bit complicated. Yesterday, Yuigahama had come to the Service Club, asking for help in making a thank-you gift of cookies. Following the club's mission to help those in need, and with the belief that "teaching someone to fish is better than giving them fish," Yukino had taken on the request and guided Yuigahama through the process of making cookies.

At first, Yukino thought this would be a simple task. As long as Yuigahama followed the steps, she should have been able to make passable cookies. But Yukino had underestimated Yuigahama's unique cooking "skills."

Despite following the recipe step by step and using the correct ingredients, no matter what they did—whether Yukino helped directly or guided her from the side—the result was always the same: the cookies were inedible.

For the first time in her life, Yukino felt a sense of despair in the kitchen. She even began to question her own abilities. After several failed batches, Yukino finally gave up. The last batch of cookies, which had been made under her direct supervision, was still so bad that Yukino couldn't bring herself to say they were good.

So, she had told Yuigahama, "Anyone who tastes these will certainly feel your sincerity."

It wasn't a lie, but Yukino still felt guilty about it.

Now, watching Rei Ao about to taste one of those cookies, she wanted to stop him but realized it was too late.

Rei Ao took a bite of the cookie.

And then calmly swallowed it.

"???"

Yukino was stunned.

Did he really just… swallow it that easily?

~~~

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