When asked if Tokyo Destinyland was located in Tokyo, people would be surprised when they got the answer that it was actually in Chiba. In fact, it was quite a cliché to say that everyone from Chiba might have their coming of age celebration party held at Destinyland.

A white castle straight out of fantasy animation filled the view the moment one stepped out of the train station. Even someone as laid back as Hachiman could still express mild amazement. "Whoa."

The crowd wasn't an understatement. As a matter of fact, Hachiman expected this many people to come and the crowd still caught him off guard. There were so many people that he was already out of breath the moment he saw the entrance gate.

So he went through the ticket gate and showed them his ticket, or rather, passport. Destinyland, being an international theme park franchise, were pretentious like that. Yet, even someone as boorish as Hachiman couldn't help but get swept up by the atmosphere of excitement.

"Yahallo!" Yuigahama Yui's usual, sunny greeting welcomed him as soon as he arrived at the meeting spot. She wore an indigo muffler around her neck, which gave a staggering contrast with her beige coat. Though, it complemented the red sweater she wore.

"Yo!" Hachiman replied. "You guys are pretty early."

Yukino, who was dressed in a white coat and long boots, responded. "Arriving five minutes earlier than the designated time is standard conduct in society."

"Right! Right! I thought I came here early too, but Yukinon was already here first!" Yui nodded furiously, the bobbing of her knitted cap gave an illusion of even bigger motions.

Yukino flinched and turned her back from him. "I just didn't want to deal with a crowded train."

Very honest with your desires, huh, Yukinoshita.

Hachiman checked out the people who were present. He noticed Isshiki, Hayato, Yumiko, Tobe, and Hina were also already here.

The difference in style between the four members of the Hayama clique couldn't be any more contrasting to each other if they even tried. Yumiko was wearing an orange parka with shorts, even as the other three girls wear leggings. Hachiman wondered how the hell she didn't feel cold wearing that.

Ebina Hina, his ever-humble girlfriend, wore a baggy, dark brown, hooded jacket paired with an over-the-knee pleated dark skirt. She was cute, as always, but it seemed that she was deliberately avoiding a stylish look today, as if desperately wanting to hide in the background.

Well, not as if Hachiman came specially dressed either. But, at least Komachi commented that his light blue track jacket looked pretty youthful on him. Which made him look different than usual. Hachiman paired it with a simple pair of black jeans and sneakers to balance out the coordination.

"I'd have thought Ooka and Yamato would be here, too..." Hachiman remarked, not that he cared about them, but he was curious over their nonexistence.

"Well, you know how they are, people with girlfriends and all." Hayato gave a friendly smile, but Hachiman felt a proverbial harpoon strike his heart in that moment.

"They said they want to save up for Christmas dates and all, the bastards." Tobe laughed. "Man, I'm so envious."

Hachiman could tell that Tobe was legitimately sad when he said that. Nevertheless, he was still as bright as the sun, and Hachiman felt like he had to look away.

"Didn't you get confessed to yesterday?" Hayato asked the orange-haired friend.

"Well, I didn't know about them at all, so I told them it'd be better if we started as friends..." Tobe said with confusion on his face. "Is this how you feel every time you reject girls, Hayato?"

"Uwa, look! He's bragging!" Iroha eyed Tobe with disgust.

"Leave him be, even if he got a girlfriend they'd probably break up right away!" Yumiko hissed.

Eh, salty much, Miura?

The feelings of rejecting strangers who are hopelessly attracted to you, Hachiman might never experience that. No, he wasn't jealous or anything! It was funnier because Tobe definitely wasn't bragging, at least not intentionally so.

He remained the same pure-hearted fool he had always been, just more matured in appearance and calmer in attitude.

Still, being told by your crush that they just wanted to be friends was probably worse than being rejected outright. After all, you end up in an inescapable relationship as opposed to moving on... Hachiman could certainly speak from experience there.

"What do you think, Hikitani?" Hayato asked him, thick sarcasm dripping from his voice.

Hayato had started to be super irritating recently, but, at the same time, Hachiman didn't feel too bad about it. No, Hachiman absolutely didn't mean the fact that he was a little bit scary to some of the girls now was a good thing!

The fact that Hayama Hayato could be true to himself... that was a good thing, right? Because Hayato's lying face always made Hachiman disgusted.

"Well, if you think logically, originally dating or, as it was called back then, courtship, was simply a prelude to marriage." Hachiman pointed out, trying to be as detached and rational as possible. "However, these days, a lot of people don't bother even getting married. Thus, the value of long-term dating has gotten increasingly higher as the value of marriage has gone down. This is actually considered problematic both for the government and society as a whole."

As Hachiman said that, everyone squinted their eyes as if they were watching the light of zen coming from a descending Buddha. Was this the wisdom of a claimed man?!

Yukino looked at Yui with worry, but all she saw from her friend was her absolute, pure laughter.

"That sounds like Hikki alright!" Yui said.

Yukino understood that Yui still hadn't been able to get over him just yet, even so... Yuigahama Yui had regained her smile. And that was good enough. For the moment anyway.

Yukino knew, and she felt disgusted by herself. Unable to be honest, pretending that there was nothing wrong... Yukino began to understand why Hayato tried so hard to maintain a sense of normalcy in his group.

In the future, Yukino would confront Hachiman. But not today. Not before they finished the last of their work as members of the Service Club, and members of Soubu's Student Council this year.

The Christmas Collaboration party must succeed.

After that, Yukino would surely ask him about it. If not immediately, then soon after the winter vacation's end and right at the start of next year. Because, Yukino was well aware that the longer you held onto a lie, the harder it was to speak out with the truth.

"Wow, Senpai is unexpectedly mature, huh?" Iroha murmured.

Unexpectedly?

"No, I did some research when making certain articles after all..." Hachiman said, referring to the magazine articles on marriage that the Service Club wrote on behalf of Hiratsuka for Chiba Town Magazine.

If there was anything Hachiman was allergic to, it was receiving deserved praise.

"Huh? That was from that time we were doing marriage rehearsals, right?" Yui asked.

"Call it bride special training, Yuigahama-san." Yukino corrected her.

Sometimes Hachiman forgot that he spent three-fourths of a year with these two, considering how hectic the last two months had been. The time spent together... was all that meaningless?

No.

All the little things they did, from the menial and insignificant hijinks to the more important and critical decisions they made, with and without each other's blessings...

They all had meaning, like pieces of a puzzle that built an increasingly expanding picture. Even if parts of it were pitch black and miserable, filled by a sense of guilt and regrets, they were all part of the same big picture.

Hachiman would never allow himself to be drunk with youth. However...

He had to do it because he wanted to understand these people.

Hachiman learned that observing people, no matter how confidently, could always yield the wrong conclusions. Because, at the end of the day, the results of observation still needed an interpreter.

And that interpreter could have bias.

In other words... even someone like Hikigaya Hachiman had his biases. That was why... the more information he could have, the more he could digest and process, and, the less likely he would come to the wrong conclusion, like before.

The image of Tsurumi Rumi came to his mind once again. Because he was too focused on the relationships surrounding her, Hachiman failed to take into account what Tsurumi herself would do.

No.

It was more like Hachiman kept assigning motives to people without taking into account the driving force behind those motives.

Even today, Hikigaya Hachiman was afraid. What if he guesses about people were wrong once again? Just thinking about that gave him chills. Disgustingly self-centered feelings like that, could Hachiman share them with anyone?

Nevertheless, Hachiman refused to give up. As long as he was still searching for it...

"Come on, Hikki!" Yui yanked him.

Yukino rolled her eyes at him angrily, yet, she refused to go ahead. "Don't drag us behind, Hikigaya-kun."

Ebina gave him the light to tread that scary path. He believed that the key answers lay with these two.

"You girls are way too excited about this!" Hachiman grumbled.


俺が いる - 嘘の山で

I Exist - On the Mountain of Lies

Disclaimer:

Original Story by Watari Wataru


Chapter 30: Even so, what they wanted was the real thing #2


Even saying that, Hachiman's eyes widened in shock when the first thing he saw when he passed the gate was the giant, decorated Christmas tree.

A chorus of "Whoaaaaaa!" followed the entrance of the group.

"While we're here, let's take some pictures!" Yui said as she pulled out a digital camera.

"Give me that." Hachiman offered.

"Yay!" Yui said as she hugged Yukino after he received the camera. "Get them, Hikki!"

"Strike while it's hot!" Hachiman grinned and then took some pictures hurriedly.

"Over there, Hikitani!" Tobe pointed at Hayato, who was caught between Isshiki and Yumiko's selfishness. Was he being treated like some sort of trophy?

Man, real-life harem protagonists sure had it rough. Hachiman remarked mentally. Talk about being caught between a rock and a hard place. Why the heck would anyone want to live in such a fantasy?

"You seem to be enjoying this a little too much, Hikitani." Hayato winced.

"Oh? What gave you that idea, Hayama?" Hachiman replied, with a shit-eating grin on his face.

Yukino looked at them, wondering if it was some sort of sarcasm competition while Yui laughed hard beside her.

"Yui-san..."

"You know, I always thought that if they got along like this, it would be nice..." Yui told her. For a moment, her face turned calm. "No... it would be nice if everyone could always get along like this."

Always get along like this? It sounded like something out of a fairy tale. Nevertheless, that was something that Yuigahama Yui wanted.

"Hikitani, let me borrow the camera!" Hina exclaimed.

"Okay?"

"TOBECCHI CATCH!"

"Oh no, you don't."

Hachiman was about to protest, but he was being squeezed by both Hayato and Tobe from either side. This obviously made Hina happy, all thanks to having three handsome boys of Soubu caught squeezing together in one picture.

Hayato even went so far as to pretend like he was putting his fingers on Hachiman's chin, due to a trick of the camera and perspective.

"WAAA, give me that picture later, Yui!" Hina cried hysterically.

"Of course! Of course!" Yui told her and made a peace sign.

"At least don't make me the bottom, you bastards!" Hachiman grumbled, since he was nominally the shortest boy in the group, though only by an inch or two.

"You guys joked about me being the bottom all the time, so it's payback!" That was what was probably running inside Hayama Hayato's mind in that moment, he had been the butt of Tobe and Hachiman gay jokes for months. Pun intended.

Everyone was more or less going wild with taking photos this early on, they hadn't even moved on to any attractions yet! This could be seen with how out of breath, and dizzy-looking Yuikinoshita was when they were just about done!

"Is her soul getting sucked out or something?"

"Service Club still hasn't done any photos with each other, right?" Hina waved innocently. "Get one before we play around."

"I don't want... actually never mind..." Yukino said. "This is the last one. But, would Hikigaya-kun even show up in the picture?"

"Are you trying to curse me or something? Also, your life is hanging on by a thread now. You're more liable to appear as a ghostly after-image than me."

Yukino glared at him, "YOU'RE the one cursing me now, I'm just being rational here."

"And I'm just stating the facts." Hachiman glared back.

Yui yanked them both. "Stop fighting you two!"

"Yeah, if you keep fighting, I'll take pictures now and post it on twitter with a love triangle hashtag~!" Hina threatened them, waving her phone threateningly.

She also had yandere eyes.

This froze the three service club-cum-student council members, who obediently got their picture taken in the end.

"WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT?!" Yui hit Hina on the shoulder, though the strike was so weak that it wouldn't even register on a moderately healthy high school boy.

"If you did that you do know Yukinoshita would crush your social life, right?" Hachiman was finally able to breathe again and told his secret girlfriend.

"Really?" Hina innocently tilted her head.

"Sadly, he's right." Yukino coughed to ease her awkwardness. "But, I am legitimately terrified at this moment. And the disgust alone would take away half my lifespan before I could seek justice."

Whoa, that's harsh even by Yukinoshita's standards.

"I'd have thought you'd propose a lawsuit for defamation instead." Yui pointed out.

"...Actually, that might be a good idea." Yukino agreed.

So even Yuigahama was starting to entertain Yukinoshita's extreme pettiness, huh? That was actually amazing.

"...Do you even know what a lawsuit IS?" Hachiman asked her.

"I'm amazed." Yukino agreed.

"Because you forced me to learn and threatened me to kick me out of your house!" Yuigahama hit both of them by the shoulders too. But Yukino was nominally a frail girl, so she flinched. Yukino definitely needed more protein in her diet.

"The hell?" Hachiman asked.

"She came to study during a sleepover*, so why shouldn't I force her to study?" Yukino defended herself.

"Oh, so it was like that..." Hachiman muttered as he received the camera from Hina again.

Hina looked at the scenery with mixed feelings, on the one hand, she was glad that Hachiman was sporting a much softer expression than before, yet, she couldn't help but anxious. And the daemons called insecurity and jealousy still hounded over her. Even now.

Don't be like this, Hina. He's your boyfriend. Not theirs.

He's yours.

Like a mantra, Hina kept repeating it inside her mind to strengthen her resolve.

"Is this really fine?" Yumiko approached Hina and asked softly.

"It really is fine. We haven't gotten to spend a lot of time together recently, so let's make use of the trip for all it's worth." Hina said. It wasn't a lie, even though Yumiko wasn't convinced.

Hina did want to spend the rest of the day with her group.

"Look, Iroha-chan monopolizing Hayato!"

"Ah, that crafty little shit!"

Hayama Hayato's group was unruly, as usual. But that was just teens being teens. The three Service Club members were quiet in comparison. That wasn't at all surprising since the chatty engine, Yuigahama, was the main driver of the group.

Of course, Hikigaya Hachiman and Yukinoshita Yukino were more talkative than usual. Only with each other, that is.

Indeed.

This was how it was, and sincerely, they wished it would stay this way until the end of time.

...

The first attraction they decided to enter was one of the three greatest attractions in the park, the Space Universe Mountain.

Hachiman could already tell that Yukino wasn't fond of it. At all.

"Yukinon, let's enter this just once, okay?" Yui pleaded.

"Why? It doesn't seem to be very thematic anyway." Yukino feigned her complete discomfort, for she was too prideful to admit her weakness.

"After this, we're going to enjoy the slow-themed Bamboo Fight, so wouldn't it be better to get our hearts pumped up before we relax?" Iroha reasoned.

"...I can see the logic in that." Yukino let go.

Hachiman wasn't sure if Yukinoshita was being a pushover today, or Isshiki was just that tough of an opponent. Seriously, her powers of persuasion were terrifying. Hachiman was glad he had gained several levels of immunity to girls in the past two months.

Hachiman could just imagine the situation where he got roped into many, many shenanigans without being able to say no.

It was clear that both Yumiko and Iroha aimed to get a special seat beside Hayato. However, they didn't expect unexpected interference. Courtesy of none other than Tobe Kakeru.

"Hayato, let's ride together, alright?" He asked. "I'm bad at this!"

"Tobe, you imbecile..." Yumiko glared at him.

And though Iroha smiled, Hachiman could tell she was irritated. "Tobe-senpai, can you not?"

"Eh, ya know, c'mon, like that's a bit out there for me? Seriously, Space Universe Mountain is super scary. Really. Er, seriously!" Tobe practically begged at them.

"Sure enough, Tobe." Hayato smiled confidently. "Let's ride it together."

Hina immediately pinched her nose as she looked up, to preemptively avoid nasal hemorrhaging. Hachiman, meanwhile, desperately fought his well-honed reflex of offering a tissue, a process he had developed from spending so much time with her.

"Yukinon, let's sit together!" Yui pulled her as they walked.

Ah.

So, Hachiman got to ride it with Hina this time. He couldn't say if it was a curse or a blessing. There was no way they did it on purpose. Even from an outsider's perspective, Hachiman and Hina looked like a bunch of leftover side characters. Side characters that got paired together as an afterthought.

Hachiman remembered, those kinds of stock characters showed up a lot in shoujo manga.

"Shall we go?"

"Sure!"

Of course, that didn't mean Hachiman and Hina didn't understand that wasting chances like this would be stupid. They spent the entire ride secretly holding hands while Hina laughed madly and Hachiman grit his teeth.

Up, down, up, down, left, right... not quite the Konami code, but about as confusing at first. The speed and weightlessness didn't bother Hachiman much.

It was AFTER he got off that ride, the sudden rush of gravity almost swerved him off balance. Now he understood why Char Aznable hated being bound by it.

And some of them got even worse, with Iroha practically losing her footing until Yumiko caught her. Hachiman could see the disappointment in Iroha's eyes, but all in all, Yumiko really was a good girl!

"Well, then, let's go!"

The line to Pan-san's Bamboo Fight was even worse than Space Universe Mountain, though unlike the previous ride, this ride was staggered in a group of three adults or four children at a time. So they didn't need to stand still for minutes before moving.

It seemed that the group of three for Hayama had been decided, there was no way they would let any interruptions slide this time. By they, Hachiman meant Iroha and Yumiko. Because Bamboo Fight was a very relaxed ride, Tobe had no excuses either.

Wait.

Does that mean Tobe would ride with Hina?

Concern and jealousy. That much Hachiman understood. But the fact that he understood didn't mean he could accept it wholeheartedly. The fact that he was concerned and jealous didn't change that those negative feelings made him anxious.

"Hikitani! You gonna sit with me, right?" Tobe hooked his arm around Hachiman's neck.

"Uh, sure?" Hachiman agreed. "It'd be kind of weird to see two high school boys on such a childish ride, though."

"Childish?" Yukino glared at Hachiman. "The Bamboo fight is internationally acclaimed as an ALL AGES performance piece. The fact that you're so concerned with your image reveals how insecure you are with your age and masculinity."

"You're the one who tried to hide your own interest in said damned Panda, Ice Queen." Hachiman made a cross with his hands. "As someone who watches Pretty Cure regularly, I have absolute confidence in my manliness."

"No, that's... ehh?" Yukino blushed a bit. Hachiman admitting openly about liking a little girls shows was a new one. Though Yukino knew very well that he didn't hide the fact he always read Shoujo manga. Though he never spoke about that either.

"You watch Pretty Cure?" Tobe balked.

"What's the problem with Pretty Cure?" Yui asked obliviously. Yui understood very well that despite being aimed at preteen girls, Pretty Cure's popularity exceeded the targeted demographics easily.

"Yui, President, can we ride together?" Hina asked, clearly trying to intervene. Of course, it wasn't as if she wasn't taking potshots and enjoying the fanservice as it is. "Ufufufu. As expected, handsome guys belong to each other, even in Destinyland!"

"Can we, Yukinon?" Yui asked.

"I have no problem with it." Yukino agreed with an understanding smile. "Because, I don't want to sit with an uncultured man who can't appreciate real art."

First of all, three girls riding made it more comfortable than a mixed group, especially those who had an awkward history with each other. Secondly, neither Hachiman nor Hina would sit with people of the opposite sex for an extended amount of time.

Still, Hachiman wondered if Tobe felt awkward with Hina. The old Tobe would have taken the chance in a heartbeat.

"Then, we're going ahead!" Tobe pulled Hachiman along, and they entered the ride together. Tobe didn't forget to take a selfie with Hachiman before the attraction started. "Can I post it on Twitter?"

"Sure." Hachiman sighed.

All this time, he never managed to stop Tobe doing anything he wanted, except that Kyoto Confession, that is.

The ride still continued in the meantime, and they arrived before a big screen.

On the screen was Pan-san running left and right. And then, there was an overflow of plushy Pan-sans. The ugly cute creature filled the interior of the attraction.

The ride they were on responded to the movements of all of the Pan-sans. It then moved inwards.

All the while, Tobe chatted nonstop, endlessly. "Whoa, look at that! So many!"

"If one likes the Panda, you may even call this heaven!" Hachiman remarked.

"I know, right?"

Hachiman didn't hate small talk, he hated irrelevant small talk. And when it came to irrelevant small talk, Tobe Kakeru was proficient at it. He'd expected this to be a mentally draining ride.

Yet, so far, Tobe remained on topic. It seemed that his conversational skills had improved...

Until...

"I wonder what the girls are talking about..." Tobe whispered aloud and wiggled his eyebrows.

Ah, shit, here comes the gossip.

"Ebina's probably talking about us being together, Yukinoshita's seething about her being noisy, and Yuigahama's mediating between them, or at least trying to."

Hachiman expected Tobe to laugh hard in response to Hachiman's blunt statement of truth. Instead, Tobe gave a vague smile.

"Hikitani, you understand girls well, huh..." Tobe said. "Hayato-kun too... I really envy you both."

"Hayama is one thing, but I can't understand girls at all." Hachiman scoffed. "I've told you how unlucky I've been when it comes to girls, right?"

"You did say that before." Tobe nodded.

"Girls aren't meant to be understood, because you won't be able to understand them just by looking..." Hachiman told him. "But if you pay attention, then they will show you because they're more perceptive than us."

It wasn't just about romance, either. Yui and Yukino were like that too. During the election crisis, that had threatened to break their relationship apart. Hachiman gave them the attention they wanted, that was why they were willing to show him what they wanted in turn.

Hachiman showed he cared, rather than pretending he didn't or showing a fake concern when his heart didn't mean it. Because he was afraid of getting hurt, by acknowledging that he cared about their presence in his life.

It was Hina who made him do that. And he was thankful for it.

"I guess I was too self-centered to do that." Tobe laughed in mirth. "Thanks for sharing your wisdom."

Hachiman legit shivered, did Tobe just praise him earnestly? Still, Hachiman guessed Tobe finally understood why the Kyoto Confession had gone awry.

"It's fine."

Any other guy probably would say, "That's what friends are for." But Hachiman wasn't sure if they were actually friends, or just two strangers brought together by circumstance.

Well, Hachiman knew that Tobe saw him as a friend, at least. The sleepover more or less cemented that belief.

No.

Hachiman probably would never able to consider Tobe a friend, at least, until he could come clean about his relationship with Hina. And they had talked about doing that at some point, because, keeping it a secret forever was unfair for everyone.

And even if Hachiman came clean with it, would Tobe's view remain unchanged? What about Yukinoshita and Yuigahama?

"Speaking of which..."

Finally, the group of three girls arrived behind him and Tobe. Hachiman saw how pale Hina was.

"..."

"Was it fun, Ebina-chan?" Tobe asked her.

"Yeah, it was pretty fun. President was super intense about it though, we weren't able to make noise at all." Hina said with a smile, but boy, did her voice sound bitter. Very bitter.

Yukinoshita's fondness of the Panda almost certainly reached a point of obsession.

At the end of Pan-san's Bamboo Fight, there was a specialty shop that sold Pan-san merchandise and other stuff. A wide array of products ranging from plushies to snacks were sold there.

"Sorry, can we stop here a bit?"

Iroha giggled, "Senpai... you want to buy something from here?"

"For my little sister, yeah!" Hachiman told her, somewhat irked, knowing that Iroha was making fun of him.

Miura haughtily glared at a Pan-san Plushie and squeezed it. "I mean, aren't Pan-san's eyes not cute at all? I prefer Marie the Aristocat instead!"

Yukino fumed and was about to kick Yumiko's ass again, verbally at least. Hachiman froze from terror before he could intervene, and when he regained his strength, it was too late.

"I think both of them look good together." Hayato suddenly spoke before Yukino could blurt out whatever insult was on the tip of her tongue. "If you see their picture together, don't they highlight each other's charms?"

"Really?" Yumiko and Yukino both asked in sync.

"That's really true!" Iroha, realizing what was almost about to happen, also rushed to join the conversation and defuse things. "Don't you think so, Hayato-senpai?"

"Still, I can't think of Pan-san as cute at all..." Hayato muttered. "Though Pan-san was shunned by others for looking scary, he still reached to everyone. And his effort was rewarded because he got a lot of friends in the end."

As he said that, Hayato looked in Hachiman's direction with a knowing smile. "He's a pretty cool guy."

Yukino didn't see the recipient of Hayato's words, but she had gotten rather pensive. "That's an interesting interpretation of his character. Why do you think of it that way?"

"Because, I've known him for a long time, I guess."

Yukino's eyes widened for a moment, and she became quiet. Then blushed, hard. Yumiko and Iroha both went agape in response.

"Eh?"

"Nothing, I'll be checking out the goods over there as well. Please excuse me." Yukino looked listless as he hurriedly left them in a collective state of confusion.

Something involving Pan-san and both of them, damn it, Hachiman was now super curious. But, he was too afraid to ask. Also, Hayama totally just poured gasoline onto the fire of the love triangle. The bastard. Now Isshiki and Miura are jealous.

Though in all honestly, it mostly isn't Hayama's fault. Yukinoshita's reaction was just way too obvious.

Hachiman sighed.

"Hey, Hikki! Why are you spacing out?" Yui asked him.

"Nah, nothing. Have you found anything interesting?" Hachiman asked her.

"Do you have any idea what your sister would want?" Yukino asked him as she brought along a ton of Pan-san plushies in her embrace.

"Have you asked her?" Yui asked, agreeing, Hachiman was rather unhelpful here.

"Book gift certificates, gift card..." Hachiman recounted with an increasingly horrified face. "Household appliances..."

Yukino almost slapped her own face in frustration while Yui just twitched. Meanwhile, a crowd of tourists entered and almost swept up the three teenagers in a human wave.

"Have you decided? What about lunch?" Yumiko and Iroha approached them.

"About that... please ask this indecisive hermit." Yukino pointed at Hachiman, completely free of guilt herself.

"You say that, but none of you are being helpful." Hachiman groaned. "Girls really are hard to understand."

"Yukinoshita..." Yumiko muttered, bashfully. "Can we talk again, over lunch?"

"...Your intentions are way too obvious, Miura-san." Yukino sighed. "You can't just involve me every time you get anxious about that person."

That person, of course, being none other than Hayama Hayato.

Yumiko looked like she was about to cry, and Hachiman couldn't help but grimace in response to her expression. The queen bee of Soubu going so low as to figuratively bend over in supplication in front of her archenemy... love makes people crazy, indeed!

"Think of it as a favor." Iroha clapped her hands. "Please?"

Yukino looked to Yui in worry. "I'm not sure."

"Eh? Umm..."

Yui looked conflicted. On one side, it was rare to see Yumiko being so reliant on Yukino without being extremely hostile. On the other hand... the party was in complete disarray! What kind of group was this?!

"It's fine..." Hachiman said. "I'll be with Yuigahama for the time being. Let's meet up later, after lunch."

"Ah yeah, you should go, Yukinon. Wait, I don't mean-"

"Let's go." Hachiman grinned at her and left the shop.

"Wait, Hikki!"

"Stay close."

Yui followed Hachiman closely as they tread through the crowd. Because she didn't want to be separated, she decided to hold onto the sleeve of his jacket.

Hachiman didn't mind, at least, not this much. He had grown so accustomed to Hina's clingy presence that a casual touch by other girls didn't phase him at all.

"Where are we going, Hikki?"

"Does Sweetheart Cafe sound to your liking?" Hachiman asked Yui. "My treat."

Thanks to its convenient location, near the front of the park, it had ample seating, also not to mention its good variety of grab-and-go baked goods and desserts. It was a great place to grab a quick breakfast or a snack. There was also a selection of teas and coffee.

"EH? UH!" This reminded Yui of something, for some reason. She racked her brain and finally realized.

Indeed, the promise that Hachiman had given to her way back in September, during the then-disastrous Culture Festival. Yui had given him a big chunk of honey toast, but he refused to accept it as it was and wanted to give something in return.

Hachiman ended up promising to treat her to something. A small part of Yui's mind was well aware that she basically asked him to go on a date with her

But... was it really alright? What about Hina?

Yui knew, Hachiman was a loyal person, and would never cheat on his girlfriend so easily. Nevertheless, would Hina still accept this? Did Hina know? Had she planned this all along? Was that the reason why she decided to have lunch with just Hayato and Tobe? Wouldn't Hachiman feel jealous, in return?

So many questions plagued Yui that she almost lost her appetite, despite this being the perfect time for lunch.

However.

She couldn't let Hachiman cling to some stupid promise forever either. Otherwise, Yui would never move on.

Forgive my selfishness, Hina-chan. Just this once...

Just this once... Please, forgive me!

With a heartfelt smile, Yui replied to Hachiman. "Sure!"


* See Chapter 16