EDIT: A/N: You should read the stuff on SomeChineseGuy's Pastebin before reading the chapter after this one! I reference it, so you don't want it to be spoiled! I reference the ones labeled oregairu-vac. Also, thanks to him for translating the new stuffs.
My Valentine's Day wasn't as Wrong as I Expected
"A-ah it's you."
"Yo."
Despite not being able to remember her name, I was able to come up with a response to her greeting. Now, the problem was figuring out her name before she notices...
"Y-you have more chocolate?"
"Ah this is from Sagami. It's not romantic." What was it then? Not obligation... Atonement? Somehow I don't think that Sagami would ever atone for something like that. Maybe it's like a participation ribbon? You get one for simply being there. Participation chocolate sounds about right.
As I was thinking about that, Kawasomething (I'm halfway there to figuring out her name!) sighed in what looked like relief. Probably relieved that it's not romantic. I would also feel bad for the poor girl that was in love with me. Like that would ever happen. Wow, I just thought two sad things in a row.
"I see... U-um... Here."
As she said that, she handed me a plastic bag of chocolates. It was wrapped in a cute ribbon. Speaking of cute, Kawasomething looked very cute when she was giving the bag to me. I wondered if she could tell that I was blushing.
"A-ah... Thank you."
"I-it's not romantic..." Yeah, I've given up hope already. "Keika said she wanted to make chocolates for you. So I helped."
"Ah, I see." Keika was the young girl I had played with while she waited for Kawasomething to pick her up. She had come up with a nickname for me... Ah that's it. Haa-chan. Didn't she have a nickname for Kawasomething, too? I think it was... Saa-chan? Saa-chan must come from her first name, so that doesn't help much.
"So, I'm sorry if some of them didn't turn out good..." She looked downwards, embarrassed.
"Ah, it's fine. I'm just glad you gave me chocolate." To those words, the silver-haired delinquent started to blush.
No, Kawasomething was not a delinquent. She was very kind and considerate, especially towards her family. She had helped me quite a few times, specifically with finding Sagami and with Isshiki's request. And the initial reason we thought she was a delinquent, which was that she stayed out late at night and always came late to class, was to help her family financially. Whoever came up with that label was incorrect. The only times she would seem mean were when she was cold to others, but that was probably just because she wasn't close to them.
"Well, I'll see you later." As I started walking back to the club room, I felt a hand grasp my blazer. I looked back at Kawasomething, whose face was downturn. "What is it?"
"Um... r-remember what you said at the culture festival?" [1] As she said that, she looked at me. I looked into her large eyes for a few seconds before turning away in embarrassment.
What did I say to her? Ah, she was a part of that rotten production Ebina organized, right? If I remember correctly... she was in charge of costume design. That's right, this girl knew how to sew very well, Thus, I probably said that she was good at it. Even if I can't remember correctly, I have to come up with a response soon... Or else I might die of embarassment! In any case, I don't think I would lie to Kawasomething... I've got it!
"I really meant it, you know." To that she turned tomato red.
"W-w-what?!" Oof... did I say the wrong thing? As I was thinking that, Kawasomething fell towards me as if she fainted. I caught her.
"Oi, are you alright?" As she recollected herself, I remembered her name. It was Kawa- "Saki?"
When I accidentally said that, she tensed up in my arms.
"W-what did you just call me?" Oh, Saki Kawasaki was her whole name. That's embarrassing... To be called by her first name by me, of all people. If I was in her position, I'd probably die of shame. Speaking of dying, I was about to die of embarrassment with the pretty Kawasaki in my arms.
"Sorry. Uh, let me take you to the nurse." I helped her stand up and let her lean on my shoulder. If I was a true gentleman, and as strong as Berserker, I'd carry her princess style, but alas, I am neither trained in etiquette nor a Heroic Spirit. [2]
As we walked to the nurse's office, I started to blush thinking about the situation. I mean, this is straight out of an anime like... My Little Monster! [3] Wait, why am I playing the female who cares for the male delinquent. Actually, I am not a hard worker, Kawasaki is not a delinquent, and we're not in love. Maybe I should increase the amount of shoujo anime I watch so that I can make a better comparison. Actually, maybe I shouldn't.
"Hey, you know, Keika talks about you often." I glanced over at Kawasaki who was staring at the window.
"Really?"
"Yeah... she said she wanted to play with you again." I guess I'm pretty good with kids? Probably because they're not part of my age group. With my age group... well, I'm a bit awkward.
"That would be fine with me."
"T-then... could you maybe... um..."
"Yes?"
"C-could you... come over and babysit her sometime?" Ah, this delinquent really cared about her family. It would make sense that Keika needed a babysitter every now and then. After all, Taishi is studying hard to come to Sobu, and Kawasaki is also busy studying so she can get a scholarship. Although, being in her house would be a new experience... Wait, is this the first time I've been invited to a girl's house? Even though it's for work, it's still a milestone for every adolescent boy, right?
"That would be fine with me."
"Then I'll compensate you for your time."
"U-uh, what?" Compensation... could only mean...
"I-I'll cook for you... or something." Oh, I see. That's totally what I was thinking of anyway.
"You don't have to if you don't want to."
"N-no... that's not it. In fact, I'd like to cook for you sometime." I froze. Kawasaki wants to cook for me... No, I'm probably overthinking this. There's no way that Kawasaki could like me. There must be another reason. Maybe to test out new, potentially fatal recipes? Yeah, I'd be a pretty good test subject for that.
"O-okay." As we neared the nurse's office, Kawasaki spoke up.
"I'm okay now..."
"Ah. Okay." As I let go of Kawasaki, I looked back at the chocolates she gave me. She really put her time into this, huh? I suppose I should thank her.
"Well, see you later." Kawasaki turned away. I started walking back to the clubroom. Before I turned the corner I remembered to thank her.
"Thanks for the chocolate! Love ya, Kawasaki!" I turned the corner and heard a loud thump. "You okay?"
"Y-yeah..." I looked back around the corner at her. Oh, she just dropped her bag. She was looking a bit flustered, however. I hope she doesn't faint.
I made my way back to the clubroom and knocked on the door. After hearing Yukinoshita's customary response, I walked in.
"Yo."
"More?!" Oi, you don't need to yell, Yuigahama. I came up with a quick response.
"Sagami and Kawasaki. Not romantic."
"Ah, okay then."
Huh? This was strange. Yuigahama wasn't snuggling close to Yukinoshita. While it really wasn't my problem, it made me feel uneasy.
"Uh, are you guys okay?"
"Y-yeah..."
"Why wouldn't we be fine, Hikigaya-kun?"
"If you say so." Yukinoshita looked up from her book and we made eye contact. She frantically looked back down at her book. Something was going on... And I'm gonna find out–
A knock interrupted my train of thought.
"Come in."
Despite Yukinoshita's response, the door wasn't opened. Instead, there was another knock. I got up to open the door. Before I could fully see who it was, I had a heavy bag placed in my arms.
"Senpaiiii, I need your help." Isshiki grinned at me. As I walked to the table to put the bag down, she followed closely behind. "Ah, hello, Yukinoshita-senpai, Yui-senpai.
"Hello."
"Yahello!"
After sitting down, I looked to Isshiki for some explanation. Mainly for how she knocked twice. With a heavy bag in her arms, she couldn't with her arms... What if she stole Toshino Kyoko's way of knocking? [4] Maybe I should check her head to see if she's alright.
"Soooo, I have way too much chocolate since Hayama-senpai didn't show up today. So I've come to give it to you all..." Isshiki trailed off as she saw the abundance of chocolate. "Huh? You guys already have a lot of chocolate?"
"Most of it is Hikki's..."
"Huh? Most of it's Senpai's?" After saying that, Isshiki walked up to my chair and leaned downwards so that her face was by my ear. Too close, Irohasu!
"Why are you getting all this chocolate, Senpai? Who are they from?" Isshiki said that with a smile that didn't look particularly happy. In fact, you are kind of scary. Aren't you normally trying to be cute all the time? I know they sound similar, but there's no way you could mix them up like that! [5]
I explained who the chocolates were from and that they were platonic. Isshiki seemed to be satisfied but kept glancing at Yukinoshita and Yuigahama while I was explaining. Probably to check that they were also surprised by the chocolate I got... I know it's a bit out of the ordinary, but could you at least be happy for me instead of being doubtful?!
"Huh? Who's this one from?" I gulped as she picked up the chocolate from Hiratsuka-sensei. Isshiki is safe to tell, right? I don't think she'll misunderstand... Okay, I'll tell them.
"It's from Hiratsuka-sensei." As they looked at me in shock I continued to explain. Once I had finished, Yuigahama looked a bit relieved while Yukinoshita seemed worried.
"What a sad teacher..." I know, right? Isshiki spoke right after.
"Ah, I understand now." Isshiki then proceeded to reach into the bag and eat some of the chocolate she had brought. I got up and handed Yuigahama and Yukinoshita some of the chocolate from the bag. In the process, I saw a smaller bag of chocolates that was wrapped up.
"Isshiki, what's this bag?"
"Ah, those are all mistakes that I was going to give to Senpai!" Wow, thanks. "They're all too sweet, and I remember you said you like sweet, right?" Oh, she was actually being considerate? That's a bit surprising.
"Ah, thanks very much." I smiled at Isshiki. To that, Isshiki blinked at me twice.
"W-what's with that response? An attempt to hit on me on Valentine's Day since Hayama-senpai isn't around?! I'm sorry, but just because I'm giving you sweets doesn't mean a sweet gesture-"
"It's a sincere 'thank you', Isshiki." I interrupted her before she could finish the rejection. Even though I'm used to her constant rejection, it still hurts a bit, you know. Isshiki blinked again.
"That's... Quite surprising..." I can hear you muttering, you know. What kind of image of me do you have in your head, anyway?! After clearing her throat, she turned to the girls. "Alright, I'll be off!"
Before leaving she walked up to me and whispered in my ear.
"You better take responsibility on White Day, [6] Senpai." With a sly grin, she walked out the club room. I'm sure my face was red from that. After calming down a little, I looked over at the girls who were glaring daggers at me.
"What?"
"Taking advantage of your kouhai during Valentine's Day..."
"Hikki..."
"It's not like that at all!"
There was another knock on the door later. How many visitors are we gonna get today? I've already overdosed on human interaction today. That and sugar. Two MAX coffees in such a short time period... I feel a bit sick. It's a good thing I've decided to wait on eating chocolate. I don't think my body could handle any more sugar. Besides, I have to show Komachi that her onii-chan isn't a failure!
"Come in."
The door opened quickly and was followed with a loud declaration.
"I've come to spend time with my comrade in loneline-" Zaimokuza cut off his sentence as he saw the abundance of chocolate in front of me. "H-how could you betray me like this?!"
To that I shrugged and grabbed the light novel I was reading in an attempt to ignore him. I glanced over at the girls who were also occupying themselves. In response, Zaimokuza stormed over to me.
"In order for you to atone for your sins, I order you to help me out!"
"Is this a request for the Service Club?" Yukinoshita, you don't have to help him. It's probably something stupid, like-
"I need you to review a light novel I've written." I knew it. Pulling giant manuscripts out of his bag, Zaimokuza grinned widely. He placed them on the table, and we all grabbed one. The title was-
"A Murder Most Foul on the Foulest of Days?" Yukinoshita seemed a bit puzzled by the title.
"I'm sure he means today, Yukinoshita."
"Fumu, that's correct! As expected of my comrade. So, go on and tell me how it is!" Looking at the daunting manuscript, I started to read it.
"Wait, when did the main character turn out to be a detective?"
"... I can't read half of these kanji. But I'm sure it's good!"
"This is another pile of trash. There's no character development other than gaining new powers. Also, why have superheroes in what seems like a horror/mystery? You need to work on grammar, but apparently not on kanji, since you know so many obscure ones. Other than that... The premise is just nonsense."
After we voiced our complaints, I looked at the downtrodden Zaimokuza. Then, I went up to him.
"But we'll continue helping you if you wish." To that Zaimokuza's face lit up and he nodded vigorously. Thus, we continued helping him on his light novel.
"In the end, he didn't make much improvements, did he?" I nodded at Yukinoshita, who had her hand at her forehead in exhaustion. "Well, he seemed happy, so it seems we fulfilled the request." As she said that I realized that Komachi was probably going to be home soon. I should jump on this opportunity!
"Should we call it a day?" Huh? I'm not usually the one to ask this question. I looked over at Yukinoshita who had her mouth open as if she wanted to say something. After she looked quickly downward, I looked at Yuigahama. She was fidgeting in her seat. I looked to Yukinoshita one more time. "Well?"
"But... I suppose we should..." She and Yuigahama seemed a bit sad at the idea. In the stillness of the clubroom, there was only one thing to do. Take initiative!
"Well, I'll be off." After all, I want to show off to Komachi as soon as I can!
"Wai-"
"What is it?" I looked at Yuigahama.
"N-never mind. Yukinon, let's go to your house okay?"
"... Okay." That may have been the first normal interaction I've seen between them all day. Well, whatever's going on, I'm sure they'll work it out. Right, Yurinon?
Once I got home I saw that Komachi's shoes weren't there. I wanted to brag to her... Well whatever. I'll just laze around until she gets home.
After around an hour of lazing around the house (which was quite relaxing considering how many people interacted with me today), I heard a knock on the door. Ah, maybe Komachi had too much to carry, like Isshiki did... Wait, I hope she isn't banging her head against the door! I rushed over the door to open it for her.
"Koma-" Komachi was not the person at the door. Instead of Komachi it was...
"You mistook me for someone else, Hikigaya? That's hilarious!" That brown, wavy hair was blowing in the cool wind. Orimoto was outside my doorstep, grinning widely.
Hey all. Thanks for reading this chapter. As always, reviews are appreciated!
Sorry about the long wait. Was pretty busy these past few weeks. But now that school's back (fml), I'm also back!
Kawasaki... Idk if I got her interactions with 8man right. Pls let me know. Actually there's a lot I'm unsure about when it comes to each character so help me out, yeah?
ALSO, Yukino and Yui are not done yet. Don't worry!
Now to answer some reviews:
Judicar: Chocolate eating scene will come soon. Meguri's chocolate was force-fed to 8man, so he prolly didn't notice the taste as much as he noticed Haruno :3 Thanks btw.
ImaNukeYourFace: Thanks, I'm definitely trying to mimic it. Makes it seem true to the light novel (I think?).
Bright Man Akihiko: I used to play SIF A LOT. But after ranking 4577 on the October Maki event (fell asleep, could've played Daring! one more time and made the cutoff ._. Had the tokens to do it, too) I've stopped playing all the time. I do play occasionally tho.
Umami08: Yo, thanks for giving me the word "atonement".
Thanks, all,
Bchets
Footnotes:
[1]: Volume 6. (a/n: You should read the LN if you have the time)
[2]: Fate Series
[3]: Romcom anime about a girl who only studies and a guy who seems like a delinquent.
[4]: The karaoke episode of YuruYuri (don't remember exact episode). Toshino Kyoko bangs her head on the door because she's carrying too much.
[5]: Japanese pun. Kawaii (cute) sounds (kinda?) close to kowai (scary).
[6]: White Day is when the guys give girls chocolate. A month after Valentine's (3/14)