"So, a batting cage?"

  "Yes." Hayasaka nodded. "It is a great pce if you want to release your pent-up stress si feels great to smash those balls with a rge bat."

  "..."

  Where did you put your eyes, Hayasaka Ai?!

  While Ishigami was helpless, it was also his first time going to the batting cage. Probably because baseball was the most popur sport in this try, many of these types of businesses appeared in this try, and as Hayasaka had said before, it was a good pce to release stress.

  Or rather, many busihat could be used to relieve stress, such as karaoke or even prostitution, were bustling, especially in this try, where people felt stress from everything, whether it was work, family, or even just the smallest things.

  'Well, it's not just the people of this try who feel that way.'

  Ishigami thought that he really o rex, but before that, he o solve the situation before him.

  Maki, Karen, and Erika.

  While this situation might cause anyone, especially those scumbags, to panic, Ishigami wouldn't waver and would calmly face this situation, especially when he had faced many more dangerous situations than before. Instead, this situation was nothing but child py for him, who had mastered how to handle all the problems caused by a woman.

  At the same time, while Ishigami had a retionship with Karen, he had ionship with Maki and Erika, so after they talked, he khat they would realize that he was i.

  As for Hayasaka, she had already given up on him, so it didn't matter.

  The problem was Shirogane, Ishigami thought.

  "Sorry, Kaichou."

  "Why did you apologize?" Shirogane was startled when Ishigami suddenly apologized.

  Still, Ishigami said, "Let's have a talk after this."

  "Thanks..."

  As Ishigami saw Shirogane's sincere smile and grateful words, he felt guilty for some reasoe not doing anything and had been doing his best to support Shirogane.

  Yet, was the truth really what Ishigami thought in his mind?

  Ishigami wao ask directly, but sidering their situation, he khat he could only ask whewo were together as it was reted to Shirogane's privacy. Only, as Hayasaka showed an example of swinging the bat to hit the ball, did he hope to see something from her expression if she knew something.

  Yet, Hayasaka probably knew ho Ishigami's sense was, so she gave the bat to him and said, "I have shown you the example. Try it, Yuu."

  "Okay."

  "....."

  Only Shirogane was even further doubtful when he heard how Hayasaka called Ishigami by Ishigami's first name.

  Oher hand, when Ishigami ehe batting cage ready to start his first batting experience, Maki looked at Karen and asked, "How did you know him, Karen?"

  "That's what I want to ask you. How did you know him, Maki?" Karen asked softly, trying to mask her panic, yet she also had a certain doubt about Maki. Still, Maki was her best friend, and at the same time, she khat she was the one who had caused Maki to have a broke.

  While it might not be reted to Ishigami's current situatio's talk about how Maki got her first break.

  Who did Maki love?

  Naturally, this person wasn't Ishigami. Instead, her crush was the young man in her css, but simir to Kaguya, she couldn't be ho with her feelings, and in the end, after many misuandings, that boy, in the end, became the boyfriend Nagisa, who came to Ishigami for advi the past.

  Well, the plicated past aside, everything had happened, and Maki had her broke and was on her journey of healing. "...he helped me in the past, and then, we became friends."

  If Karen was alo would be all good, but Erika was there, so it was hard for Maki to talk about everything.

  Maki, Karen, Nagisa, and Erika.

  The four of them had bee friends for so long as they studied in the Shuchi'in Academy when they were children.

  "Help? What kind?" Erika asked ily, causing Karen to look at this silly girl helplessly.

  "Well... I had a broke, and he helped me." Maki suddenly felt that it was unfair if she didn't tell Erika what had happeo her, even if a friend had o tell her everything about their lives.

  "Eh?!" Erika was startled and was about to shout, but Karen quickly closed her mouth. "Shh... be quiet!"

  "!!" Erika realized what she had done, and she quickly calmed down and asked worriedly, "Are you okay, Maki? Who is that guy?! Let me beat him up! No, I will destroy him!"

  'It's Nagisa's boyfriend.' 2x

  Karen and Maki thought inwardly, but her of them po say anything sihey khe situation would bee so awkward.

  "It's fine. I... should have moved on..."

  Maki murmured as she looked at Ishigami, who went to the batting cage.

  "That's great, then..."

  While Erika sighed in relief, knowing that her best friend was okay, Karen fell silent wheiced the dire in which Maki was looking.

  "Well, enough about me, what about you, Karen? How did you know, Yuu?"

  Maki narrowed her eyes at Karen since she felt that their retionship was quite weird. After all, she could feel the closeness and a slight affe that slipped from Karen's expression and voice when Karen faced Ishigami.

  If Ishigami had no girlfriend, then Maki would think that the two were dating.

  Or rather, Maki felt that Ishigami was so close with many girls, which made her amazed inwardly since all the girls he knew were high-css levels.

  Yet, when she looked at his appearahat appeared resolute, calm, yet also rexed as Ishigami held the metal bat, waiting for the ball to be shot from the mae... she uood the reason, especially when Erika had been stealing a g him although they talked to each other.

  However, Maki's focus had always been on Karen, so she kept staring at her, waiting for an answer from Karen.

  "He helped me before, but unlike you, he just helped me to pick up my lost item."

  "Lost item?"

  "It's something important, so I am grateful to him."

  Karen's expression softened whehought about their meeting that day. She tried to hide their retionship since she knerong it was, especially when she khat Ishigami had a girlfriend, yet even if her rational mind told her to do so, her feelings, body, and expression said otherwise, especially whehought of her first kiss.

  "....." 3x

  Only Hayasaka, Maki, and even Erika, who was the most clueless, realized something must be happeniween Karen and Ishigami.

  Regardless, Ishigami, who was ihe batting cage, khat even if it was his first time, he felt that he could learn it easily, especially with his great physical ability and also the "Fast Learner" ability he gained from Iino.

  Then, as expected, he saw the mae shoot out the ball at high speed and swing his metal bat calmly.

  Ping!

  At that moment, the beautiful sound of the ball meeting the metal bat echoed withiting cage, causing the ball to hit the target in the cage, which showed that Ishigami had hit the "home run."

  Only after he hit the home run did he know well that he had a dead ball on his strategy to hahis situation, as he realized everything had even beessed up after this.