Chapter 1 : Interruption and Curiosity

"... What do you actually think of me, Hikigaya-kun?"

What? Did I mishear that? Yukinoshita's expectant eyes are making it very clear that I didn't. But why? Where is this coming from? This is so out of the blue that I am not sure in what context she's expressing her query from. By the looks of it, it is definitely a serious one. One doesn't just go around asking such questions for fun, and I know for a fact that Yukinoshita isn't that incompetent in her conversational skills to even mistakenly do so. Many thoughts race through my mind with increased pace proportional to the time passing by, and yet her expectant gaze remains unwavered while my stunned silence unbroken.

"...In… what context... are you asking, Yukinoshita?"

Time seemed to have stopped for a moment. I gulp. The taste of tea remains in my mouth. I can't hear that miserable downpour pounding against my ear now. The fluorescent tube-light's near inaudible hum has been magnified by several decibels. And the calming silence has seemingly turned on me - it has become unbearable.

"..."

"..."

Meanwhile, Yukinoshita is just calmly sitting there, in front of me - eyeing me like a cat. I am finding it very unusual for her to be acting like this and her indifference to the subtle heaviness of her inquiry magnifies the feeling. She raises her arm slowly in a manner that seems habitual and instinctive; extends her dainty fingers near the edge of her right eye and methodically adjusts the strands of hair to sit behind her ears. I have seen her do this so many times that I can recreate the scene in my head in the highest resolution humanly possible at any time of the day. And I don't know what to make of that. She adjusts her seating position and clears her throat. I break out of my stupor and ready myself for the grand reveal.

"..."

But I was greeted with a pause again.

Seconds start to tick by and I wait. The pauses speak more than actual words - I thought, Yukinoshita might be doing this premeditatedly. I try to look for any underlying meanings she is trying to hint at, remembering all the recent club sessions, but can't seem to get any lead. I was starting to get restless when finally, she started to speak.

"... I seem to be in a daze, Hikigaya-kun. A book-hangover, if you would say so… You don't have to answer that question. Let's forget that I ever asked… I apolog-"

"N-no-"

"..?"

"Y-you don't have to apologize…"

"But I do have to, Hikigaya-kun. It was a weird question to ask. I'm sorry for ruining the mood-"

"I-it's fine, Yukinoshita."

"..."

"I was just caught off-guard. I-I…"

I wanted to continue talking but the words got stuck in my throat. I can't seem to bring them out.

We've been together in the Service Club for nearly a year now. While solving many of our clients' requests we - Yukinoshita, Yuigahama and I, have developed an unspoken bond with each other. I would never have thought there would come a time where I can say I genuinely had fun getting along with other people, my past self would be surprised. Yet, here I am spending my time with people I have come to care about. We had a lot of misunderstandings in the past but we somehow reconciled eventually, Yuigahama being one mending our ties most of the time. We were able to stay together for so long -

Yet… an unvoiced thought had always remained between us. We all knew there was something… that needed to be addressed. I never thought about it for a prolonged period, but it has come to my mind for the briefest of a second several times. It always bothered me. Even now, it seems like our conversation is threading over the trenches of a similar unsaid thought. I… don't want this to continue.

Regardless of the context, I want to know what she is thinking. Why did she ask that question? But for that I need to meet her halfway through - I need to respond…

She remains silent. An inaudible, but long sigh, escapes my being.

"I-I…" - I mustered up the courage to speak and commit myself to the oncoming embarrassment. "I-I think of you as one of my c-cl-closest acquaintances, Y-Yukinoshita. T-the same goes for Yuigahama too."

Her eyes widened slightly. Mirroring my expression, a light crimson hue adorns her face as she replies - "I-Is that so..."

"Yeah," I say with a barely mustered composure. This is really embarrassing. She mutely looks away and starts observing the window. I look over and see the same sight that has been greeting us since morning. Since it has become quite dark outside, the streetlights' reflections twinkle through the roughly spherical encaptures of the downpour, stuck to the transparent window, that doesn't seem to have any signs of slowing down. She continues to avoid eye contact and mutters something under her breath.

"...?" I instinctively give out a questioning hum.

"... I think so too, Hikigaya-kun..." She pauses. Composing herself while taking a deep breath, she sways her gaze towards me. A very complicated expression veiled over her. I presume she is confused but it doesn't seem like that. I unconsciously curled my fingers in anticipation of my interlocutor's next words.

"... But have y-you –"

Her words were interrupted by an ear-deafening thud of the clubroom door opening. I was so involved in the moment that the sudden intervention caused me to flinch; my spine went erect and my breath got caught in my throat. Yukinoshita also went through the same stages of surprise and I think I also heard a feminine yelp accompanied with it. A bout of irritation spewed forth from by being and I directed it at the only person who can be responsible for this -

""Knock the door before entering, Hiratsuka-sensei!""

"Woahh, calm down- calm down… You guys are still here? I was wondering why Yukinoshita didn't come to return the keys," sporting a smug smirk while looking over at our club president she continued - "Did I, by any chance, interrupt something?"

"N-no. I-It's fine, We were just discussing our r-reading preferences," Yukinoshita answers after immediately composing herself, but her blushing cheeks betray her poise. She adds - "And the weather outside makes it clear why we are still here."

"That was just a rhetorical question, Yukinoshita"- Yukinoshita directed her semi-cold glower at her but promptly ignoring it with that persistent smug, our beloved teacher continues - "I came here with the thoughts of offering you guys a drive back to your places since the rain doesn't seem like slowing down," shifting her eyes on me - "Or is that unnecessary as you're still in the middle of your 'discussion' ?"

"A-As she said, we were just having a normal conversation, Hiratsuka-sensei."

"Hmmm, sure sureeee…"

No matter how we try to deny it, it doesn't seem like she would drop the teasing insinuation. I had to voluntarily hold myself back from trying to wipe that smug smirk off her face. She knows how to rile us up very well. But seeing how she is offering a drive back home, I can't possibly lose that chance by letting her get the best of me. I look over at Yukinoshita and can easily sense that she is also holding herself back with the same concerns. Well… It looks like we have no other choice but to accept her gracious offer, even if it means we may have to bear her constant teasing along the way.

Seeing as it was nearing twelve in the night, I closed my math assignment that was due tomorrow. I was quite exhausted from today's events. The persistent heavy rain, the long lectures, the conversation with Yukinoshita in the clubroom, Hiratsuka-sensei continuous bickering on the way back home-

I released a long sigh that loosened my body. I need to sleep, desperately.

After cleaning up my desk, I shuffled over to my soft and warm haven. Tucking myself in on the bed, I let my mind wander off.

Yukinoshita… was not her usual self today. I still remember her out-of-the-blue question and the ensuing embarrassment clearly. I groan out a whimper recalling it. I remember that she was about to say something when sensei interrupted us. I have a sneaking suspicion that we won't address this incident in the near future again - No, I know for sure that'll be the case. Begrudgingly I have to admit that my curiosity will remain unquenched for the time being.

Again, a sigh escapes from me, metaphorically reflecting my hopes regarding this issue.

'... What do you actually think of me, Hikigaya-kun?" - I can't seem to get that image out of my head. What was going through her head? She said it was because of a book hangover, if I remember correctly. What was the book name? I know it was a Murakami book but… I guess it was Norwegian Forest…? or something; regardless, I need to check it out.

Making a mental note of this, I begin to doze off.

Several Days Later.

I never expected a day to come where our school librarian would come to visit our humble clubroom, but here we are. Ms. Naoto Nakajima, our well-respected librarian who is well into her late thirties, came to the Service Club as a client. While this clubroom was created to solve the students' problems, Yukinoshita didn't hesitate to instigate her usual questioning protocol as soon as Nakajima-san said she had a request. Yuigahama had left the clubroom just minutes before to attend Miura's 'window shopping' - as she put it. Basically, she just skipped today's session. I've noticed that she is doing this a lot lately, I'll have Yukinoshita address this in the coming days.

Nakajima-san seated herself in front of us. Yukinoshita poured her a cup of tea and then waited to hear the elucidation of the request. Adjusting her frameless oval-shaped glasses, Nakajima-san takes a slow sip of the beverage presented to her. Her peach coloured hair has been tied to a ponytail which is resting over her left shoulder. She looks up -

"Thank you for the lovely tea, Yukinoshita-san." The raven haired president politely nods with a smile.

"You must be… " She addressed me with a nonchalant disposition.

"Hikigaya Hachiman, 3rd Year."

She greets me with a smile. Soon after having the ice broken, she started to explain her request. Apparently there is a book fair happening in the next week that she has been given the responsibility to organize in our school. There will be a lot of new arrivals of the latest journals, trendy novels and many other similar stuff. Some neighboring middle schools in the area have planned to bring over their students to this book fair and there is a need for volunteers to maintain decorum during this event. That is where we come in. Since Nakajima-san was well-acquainted with Yukinoshita and was aware of the Service Club, she just thought of asking us.

We messaged the details of this request to Yuigahama and she replied in positive affirmation to accept the request. Yukinoshita agreed to assist our client and after a few details of the work were discussed, Nakajima-san expressed her gratitude and promptly left.

"I wonder if Zaimokuza is also volunteering to help," I thought out loud.

Not trying to hide her disinclination, she replies - "He would scare away those students with his eccentric chuunibyou behavior. I would prefer it if he didn't come to the library at all that day to preserve Sobu's dignity."

Mentally offering my sympathies to him, I went on to suggest an idea.

"Why don't we ask Kawasaki to help us, she has a knack for taking care of little kids and I think she won't mind chipping in."

This way the workload will be significantly reduced. Since it's Kawasaki we're talking about, the eldest of her many siblings, I am sure she'll be a great volunteer.

"That's… a good idea. The more the merrier. Can you inform her of the details and inquire further, Hikigaya-kun?"

"Will do." I hum in concurrence.

As I busied myself in drafting the message, Yukinoshita went on to make another batch of her heavenly tea. The weather today was really good. It was not too sunny and neither was it too cloudy. It was just perfect. Since tomorrow the weekend starts, I am looking forward to starting to read the new set of light novels I purchased. This time I went through many reviews and put a lot of thought into choosing the right series. I want to enjoy some unique stories that aren't constrained by the traditional bounds of a typical light novel.

Speaking of the books I purchased recently, I also managed to catch myself a copy of Norwegian Wood, a Yukinoshita recommendation. I am looking forward to reading it. In fact, the anticipation is higher in regards to this book than the novel series I bought - courtesy to Yukinoshita's weird behavior a few days back. As I had assumed, we didn't address the incident after that day. It was all back to normal in the Service Club.

Recalling the events of that day, I can't help but feel dissatisfied. If Hiratsuka-sensei hadn't interrupted us, what would Yukinoshita have said? I withheld satiating my curiosity for all these days while my intent to ask her directly balances itself over the thin rope of indecision. How long until we either eventually forget it or I give in and ask her anyways? Would she find it weird if I addressed it? What would her reaction be?

As these questions keep on piling, the subject of my restless mindstate appears before me with her usual grace. She places my assigned teacup on the desk and fills it up in her usual fashion. I have taken it for granted, the ministering she so selflessly offers to us - Yuigahama and I. It's not like everyone has the privilege of having the Yukinoshita Yukino making and serving them an incredible cup of expertly brewed tea. We are fortunate to be in this situation. The ravenette, after serving, goes on to get seated beside the window and resume reading yet another one of her minimalistic covered, classical books. I relax back into my chair wondering how it is yet another normal day in the Service Club, until -

Yukinoshita's cell phone starts buzzing.

Writer's Notes :

Having the self obligation to update a chapter regularly is more of a pain than I had imagined. Thus, no promises regarding them being consistent. Make sure to leave some reviews.