Chapter 3: The Tender Beauty Gets Invited to Dinner
The following Monday, Yumiko began her day with a shower to wash away any previous excesses. Thinking back to last Friday, while she did thoroughly enjoy spending time with Kyoko, she never expected to drink as much as she ended up doing. She may not have drank herself to the point of no return, but she drank enough to give her a slight feeling of uneasiness the following day.
She never expected to encounter Kawasaki Saki either.
Back in high school, Yumiko never did like Kawasaki. As a former Queen Bee, Kawasaki's delinquent personality was one that she found revolting. Saki was exactly the kind of person she was unable to exert any kind of authority over. However, it wasn't as if Yumiko hated her. If anything, despite the fact that the two never quite got along, Yumiko had a begrudging respect for the soon-to-be-former bartender for her domestic abilities.
In her conversations with both Kyoko and Kawasaki, she couldn't help but slightly envy the two women for having a direction in their respective lives. There was a time, long ago as a high school student, where she may have felt as if she was on top of the world. Fast forward to today, she had never expected to become just another cog on the wheel. Unlike the two, she felt as if she's trudging along life just doing what was expected of her to do, unsure of what she wanted.
Stepping out of the shower with renewed vigor, Yumiko made her way towards her bedroom dresser to plan out her work attire for the morning. After getting dressed and taking the time to apply her makeup, Yumiko picked up her phone only to find two new messages in her inbox from Yui and Hina, It had been a while since she was in communication with either of the two, so she was quite happy to hear from them.
Inside each message was an invitation to get together this upcoming weekend. Apparently, their entire clique from high school wanted to reunite. In addition, Yui had also invited Yumiko over to her home for dinner later this evening, though Yumiko wasn't sure how felt about that. Yui was never the greatest of cooks.
She would need to give it a bit of thought.
Yumiko rolled back on her chair and stretched out her arms to relieve some of the stiffness she had developed over the last few hours. It was lunch and she was eager to eat her convenience store bento, a chicken katsu box.
Arriving into the break room, after pulling her meal out of her bag, Yumiko placed the box in front of her and eyed the contents before clasping her hands together in a quick prayer.
"Thanks for the meal."
Soon after, Kyoko entered with a cup of warm instant noodles and quickly made a stride towards her senior.
"Hey Yumiko-senpai. I had a lot of fun last Friday. It was awesome."
"Same here. How was the rest of your weekend?"
Taking a seat across from Yumiko, Kyoko slurped up some noodles before replying.
"It was okay. I was mostly lazing around at home." She replied and continued slurping up more noodles. Kyoko found herself eyeing Yumiko's bento. For the younger woman, chicken katsu looks damn good right now.
"Yeah? I pretty much did the same thing." Yumiko nodded. Taking notice that Kyoko had been staring at her meal intently, Yumiko decided she should offer some to her kohai.
"Want some?" Yumiko asked as she nudged her bento towards Kyoko.
"I'd love some! Thanks senpai!" The younger woman beamed. Taking a piece, Kyoko chewed on the chicken cutlet and couldn't help but gush a bit. "Oh my...this is pretty good."
"It's good huh? Would you like some more?" Yumiko inquired as she held up another piece between her chopsticks.
"Nope! I just wanted to try some."
As the two continued eating their respective meals while chatting away enthusiastically, Hachiman entered the break room and made his way to the vending machine. After a bit of deliberation, the man made his decision and soon a yellow and black aluminum can emerged from the machine. After sipping some of the contents gingerly, a small smile crept on his face as he sighed deeply.
"Hikigaya-san! Over here!" Kyoko called out.
Upon hearing the young woman's voice, Hachiman glanced over to where Yumiko and Kyoko were and decided to make his way to their table.
"Yo."
"Hey Hikigaya-san. What're you drinking?"
"Oh this?" Hachiman gestured to his can before taking another gulp. "It's MAX COFFEE."
"Oh? I never tried MAX COFFEE before."
The editor raised an eyebrow. "Really? It's pretty damn good."
"Geez. I really don't know why you like that stuff. Isn't it just coffee with an unhealthy amount of condensed milk and sugar?" Yumiko commented. Her response seemed to have immediately irked the editor as his eyes narrowed and his arms were crossed.
"Like hell." Hachiman scoffed. "Miura, if you think you can just dump condensed milk and sugar into coffee and call it MAX, you're sorely mistaken."
"Are you serious, Hikio? You're actually pissed off about that?! It's just coffee!" Yumiko was incredulous. She knew the man loved his MAX COFFEE, but she couldn't help but wonder just how much did he love the beverage.
"You call yourself a Chiban? Miura, let me tell you that MAX COFFEE is not simply mere coffee." Hachiman countered.
"What the hell? What does Chiba even have to do with MAX COFFEE?"
"Everything."
"...Um...Hikigaya-san?" Kyoko's voice had cut through the two's small banter, diffusing any developing tension. She held out an empty paper cup. "Do you mind if I can try some?"
Hachiman looked hesitant for a moment but ultimately decided to pour a bit into her cup. Kyoko sipped the beverage gingerly and let the contents sit on her palette so she can properly taste the flavor notes.
"Woah...this is really sweet..." Kyoko muttered under her breath, though Hachiman and Yumiko could hear it quite clearly. With a smile, the younger woman added, "It's not bad though."
The editor nodded with approval. "I recommend drinking it warm in the winter. Hot or cold, MAX COFFEE is pretty good at any time of the year, but it's especially good when it's getting cold outside." The editor added. Kyoko nodded, taking his advice to heart.
"Yumiko-senpai. Do you want some?" Kyoko asked, offering what's left in her cup.
"No thanks." Yumiko shook her head. "Hikio tried to convert me and his wife into the church of MAX COFFEE and it didn't work out. I'm just not gonna have it."
"For your information Miura, my wife likes MAX COFFEE."
"Why should I be surprised? She does live with you after all. She probably developed a taste for it." The blonde retorted. Realizing this conversation was getting nowhere, Yumiko decided to change the subject.
"Anyways, how's work? Zaimokuza still giving you trouble?"
"Its…its been frustrating to say the least." Hachiman paused and took a sip of his drink. "From what he told me, the upcoming chapter's rewrite will be ready soon."
"That doesn't sound all that bad." Yumiko remarked.
"From your perspective, I suppose so. However, we're behind schedule and we had promised the fans that the next volume will be available by this upcoming winter. We may have to push the date back." Hachiman replied with a shrug. Leaning back on his chair, he clasped his hands behind his head and glanced up to the ceiling.
"But whats been also rather frustrating as of late has been working with Watari."
"Watari?" Yumiko asked before taking another bite from her bento before continuing. "Why?"
Hachiman returned to a regular seating position before leaning forward slightly while resting his chin in his hands. His eyes narrowed in internal contemplation as he took a moment to think about the issue at hand.
"Well, while we don't have a solid release date established, the fans have been clamoring for volume 12 of Yahari. The editorial staff did reject a number of possible drafts for the volume for various reasons, but now that he has been so involved in a number of other projects, we don't know when it'll ever be released. Some of our readers have become frustrated."
"So you're trying to get him to finish it?" Kyoko asked.
"Yeah." Hachiman affirmed. "Not sure how I'll manage to do it. At the very least, he was able to tie up the side story that was paired with the blu-rays. It may not be volume 12, but at the very least it'll sate some of the fans' appetites for the time being."
Hachiman pulled out his cellphone to check the time. Since his break was almost over, the editor finished the remnants of his drink and properly disposed it before approaching Yumiko and Kyoko.
"I should go. Miura, did you get Yui's invite?"
"Which one? She sent me two different invites."
"The one for dinner later tonight. She wanted me to confirm if you're going since she accidentally left her phone at home."
"I was going to give it some thought..."
"If you're worried about her cooking, don't worry. Yukinoshita has been helping her improve."
"Is that so? If that's the case...Yeah, I guess I'm definitely going then."
"Alright. I'll let her know. See you two later."
"Later Hikio."
"Bye, Hikigaya-san."
As Hachiman strode through the door, Yumiko and Kyoko began to clean up their table. The two chatted their way out of the break room before making their way to their respective desks.
After her shift was over, Yumiko decided to go straight home. Normally, she'd like to make a trip to the grocery store to find ingredients for what she would plan to have for dinner, and if she was lucky, hopefully a flash sale would take place around the same time. She was, by no means, a great cook. Yumiko may not be like Yukinoshita or even Kawasaki, but her cooking skills had developed to be definitely serviceable at best. Convenience store bentos are great from time to time, but as tempting as they may be, it would be both expensive and unhealthy in the long-run. Living in Tokyo wasn't cheap, and while Yumiko made a decent enough living to have plenty to splurge, she knew she shouldn't develop bad habits and made it a point to make every yen count.
Now that she knew that tonight she wasn't cooking for herself, Yumiko opted to use her newfound extra time to relax and refresh alone at home. Ever since she had started living in Tokyo, Yumiko learned how to appreciate the solitude. She found it to be an interesting development since she used to be quite social when she was just a few years younger. It seems that the cacophony of noise and the influx of people inherent in a city as grand in scale as Tokyo can get even to the most extroverted of people.
As she approached her apartment complex, Yumiko noticed that a moving van was situated out in front. Her landlord Hachiroku stood nearby, observing the moving crew while taking a drag from his cigarette. When the landlord noticed that the blonde was approaching he took one final drag and extinguished the remainder of the cigarette butt underneath his foot.
"Yumiko. Welcome back. How was work?" Hachiroku greeted. His voice was laced with the scent of tobacco, a scent that Yumiko didn't mind.
"It was okay. It's been the same-old, same-old, day-to-day routine. Nothing new." The blonde shrugged as she stepped to the side to join the landlord in observing the moving crew at work. "Is someone moving?"
"Matsumoto-san."
"The same Matsumoto-san who lives right next to me?" Yumiko had ran into Matsumoto a number of times since she had resided in the apartment complex, but she found the man to be rather unremarkable, so she never paid too much attention to him.
"Yeah. He had been planning this move for some time now. Apparently he got promoted and his company would like for him to transfer to their Osaka division." Hachiroku found himself reaching into his pocket for his pack of smokes and placed a cigarette between his lips. Since he didn't want to be inconsiderate, Hachiroku asked the woman for her approval.
"Do you mind?"
"Not at all. Go ahead."
"Thanks." With her blessing, the landlord lit up the cigarette and took a drag. Out of courtesy, he made sure that he would minimize the amount of smoke Yumiko would inhale by exhaling away from the woman. "Anyways, we'll have some new tenants moving in a few weeks."
"You know who they are?" Yumiko asked while Hachiroku took a moment to take another drag.
"I can't exactly remember their names off the top of my head, but she and her younger sister will be the ones taking over Matsumoto-san's apartment."
"I see..." Yumiko mused.
Remembering that she didn't want to be late on the rent again, Yumiko reached into her purse and pulled out an envelope. "Anyways, here is the month's rent. I'm sorry about last time."
"I forgive you. Just try not to make a habit of it, okay? You've always been on time."
"Yeah, I know. I should go Hachiroku-san. It was nice talking to you."
"Take care Yumiko."
As Yumiko waited by the front door of the Hikigaya household, she took a moment to observe her environment. Much like the rest of the houses in the surrounding area, the exterior of the Hikigaya family residence was two-storied and nondescript. However, it was perfect to serve the needs of a growing family. Although she wasn't ready and doesn't exactly need to move, she wondered if there will ever be a time where she will be able to move out of her apartment.
"Sup. Sorry for the wait. I had to finish up something. Please come inside." Hachiman greeted and gestured for Yumiko to enter.
Immediately to Yumiko's left was an office space where Hachiman worked. To her right, was a staircase that led to the upper floor and a door that led to the garage. Down the hall, to her left, Yumiko could see the entrances to the lower floor bathroom, laundry room, and the tatami room. To her right, the hallway would lead to an open-floor kitchen and living space.
"Hikki! Is Yumiko here?" Yui called out from the kitchen around the corner.
"Yeah. We'll be right over."
After kicking her shoes off, Yumiko and Hachiman strode into the kitchen to find Yui preparing to put a cake in the oven while Yukino quietly observed. Glancing over towards the dining table, Yumiko could see several delightfully prepared dishes. Hachiman was right. Yui definitely did improve under the careful tutelage of Yukino. Still, Yumiko couldn't help but wonder how much did Yukino have a hand in Yui's cooking. In any case, the raven-haired beauty was quick to be the first to acknowledge Yumiko's presence.
"Ah...Miura-san. Hello."
"Hey Yukinoshita-san."
"Yumiko! Yahallo!"
Yui ran up to Yumiko and gave her a great hug and a wide smile.
"I'm so happy to see you! It's been a while!" Yui beamed.
"Yeah, definitely. You look good, Yui."
"Thanks!"
Seeing as it had been several months since she had last seen Yui, Yumiko took a moment to observe the mother-to-be from head to toe. She couldn't help but blink as she observed how big Yui's belly had become. It was only a few months ago that Yui had a slight mound around her navel, but now it seems as if the woman had stuffed a balloon under her shirt.
"This is totally unreal...I can't believe you're going to be a mom."
"Hehe." Yui giggled. "I still can't believe it myself sometimes!"
Yui ushered her two friends to the dining table. Pulling a chair out slightly from the table as a gesture to take a seat, Yui called out to Yukino and Yumiko.
"Come on! Let's eat! Don't want the food to get cold now!"
Yumiko and Yukino both glanced at each other and smiled softly at one another before making their way to the table. Any remnants of animosity between the two were long gone by now, replaced by mutual respect for one another.
"Well...I hope the food is good..." The blonde quietly remarked.
"Do not worry Miura-san. I've taught Yui-san well. I can guarantee you'll be pleasantly surprised." Yukino assured. There was a degree of understated pride laced in her voice.
"If you say so."
As the three women took their seats at the dining table, Hachiman approached his wife.
"Yui, there is something I need to do. I'll join you guys in a few minutes." he stated.
"Okay, Hikki. Go for it."
With that, the man stepped out of the kitchen and walked over to his office. Yui elicited a tender expression as she watched her husband step out of the room.
"Hikki...he's been working so hard..."
"Is it because of Hikari?" Yumiko inquired.
"Yeah." Yui replied, rubbing the large mound on her belly. "Shogakukan is short on editors, so he's been tied up in a lot of things. He really wants to spend time with her."
"No wonder he's complaining that they're working him like a dog."
"Yeah...but as much as he doesn't want to admit it, Hikki really does like his job."
"It's interesting to see how much Hikigaya-kun has changed over the years. He used to be quite lazy." Yukino remarked.
"Mmhmm. You're totally right Yukinon."
It wasn't long before Hachiman joined the women at the table. Apparently, he was working on an editorial for an upcoming issue of Weekly Shonen Sunday. Contrary to its name, a new issue is released every Wednesday.
As the four ate and conversed amongst themselves, it was clear that Yui and Yumiko dominated the conversation. It had been several months since either of the two had seen each other, so there was quite a bit to catch up on. For the two introverts, Hachiman and Yukino, they found it relieving that they didn't have to talk too much. There wasn't much either of them could add to the conversation.
"So Yui...I got your text earlier; Hina sent me one too. What's exactly going on this weekend?" Yumiko inquired.
"Oh yeah! Me and Hina ran into Hayato a couple of days ago. We spent a lot of time talking so we'd thought it'd be nice to get everyone together again for lunch."
"Hina and Hayato were in town?"
"Yup. Hina was just visiting family while Hayato had some business he needed to attend to. You know, Hina wanted to join us tonight."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. I invited her over, but she couldn't make it due to work."
Realizing that her husband and her best friend were awfully quiet at the dinner table, Yui decided to strike up some conversation. "Hey Hikki, did you know Sai-chan is now working at my hospital?"
"Really? What's Totsuka doing over there?" Hachiman asked in between bites.
"He's a nurse! My coworkers and patients love him!"
'Totsuka...in a nurse's outfit...' The editor found himself indulging in a personal fantasy. A sleazy look had spread across his face as he dwelled further in his thoughts.
"Hikinasty-kun. I don't know what you're thinking, but I suggest you wipe that disgusting look off your face." Yukino chided. The former ice queen stared coldly at Hachiman. For that moment, it was as if the woman had thought of the editor as a piece of trash.
"I was doing no such thing..."
Yumiko watched as a smile crept upon Yui's features as she enjoyed her husband and her friend's back-and-forth banter. Yumiko knew there was no malice behind Hachiman's and Yukino's words. It was just a normal thing for the three of them. She couldn't help but respect the bond the three had shared as a grin crept upon her own features.
A/N: Just for clarification, Shogakukan is the publishing company responsible for releasing the Oregairu light novels. Weekly Shonen Sunday is a weekly publication that is home to manga such as Detective Conan, Hayate the Combat Butler, and Inuyasha.
This chapter may not be much but please enjoy.
