The High School phase.
Beyond the High school phase lies 100 more different phases that somebody from High school goes through…Whether it's detrimental or benign to your growth as a human being, it doesn't matter, everybody goes through them at some point, that includes me of course.
A phase that I'm familiar with is the Loner Phase.
This phase does exactly what it means; you're a loner.
The worst thing about phases though is that you cannot pick them, unlike classes or hero types in a JRPG.
But like hero classes in JRPG, you could definitely level up these phases.
I am the living example of being in the loner phase and leveling up to being borderline in the Riajuu Phase.
There's a lot of requirements to enter such a realm especially if you're going from being a loner.
That one that I currently have is…A girlfriend, studying harder because of said girlfriend, going to big family business oriented events because of said girlfriend, being asked to look into studying business because of said girlfriend's mother, and finally…Sleeping with a person next to you that's not family.
Basically, I meet all the requirements needed, but exploit it to the point where I'm just in between them, and not fully committing to one.
In short, I am the living definition of a man in an identity crisis, since I'm not only on the verge of becoming the very thing that I despised most in the past, but also because I never remembered going into a depression/chuunibyou phase!
"Yukino, care to explain what the hell this paper is?" I asked the lone witness.
"I don't think it requires much explanation, I didn't notice it at first, but when I brought it home yesterday, and reviewed my notes later that had your handwriting on it. I realized that paper had the same handwriting embedded in it. In short, you made this 'poem."
This is certainly my handwriting, but…
I have no recollection making, or even forming any of these sentences!
But I could clearly see myself writing it, especially that line with youth!
Zaimouka's light novels are less cliche than this!
High school-
You have nowhere to go, youth is nothing but a lie and a form of evil.
Hiding is meaningless, hunger for love that will never be bound and acknowledged.
Yourself you don't believe, yellow is not the color of your hair.
Identity never exposed, ice that will never melt.
I'm throwing this paper away!
"It's an ancient paper, Hachiman, don't you dare try disposing of it."
"Everybody has that thing that they regretted doing when they were a child. This is just one of those unfortunate circumstances."
"So you're admitting to it?"
She got me!
"N-no, just giving out an example…"
"Then if isn't truly yours, Hachiman wouldn't mind having me take another look-"
"All right, fine, I admit that it's mine…Happy?"
Her expression didn't change, and I grew a little bit more interested in the paper.
"I am not…satisfied though. I believe that paper -whether I made it or not- has a hidden meaning inside it."
It just sounds…plausible.
Maybe my past self was going through a disease of forgetting memories, and wrote a secret code that only I could decipher to remember said memories?
It sounds interesting, but it's impossible, unless I was going through some undiscovered syndrome…one that occurs in puberty…
That's a good plot for a story.
But if this was really mine, then it was made around the time I entered High School and before I met Yukino, since those were the arcs that I really talked about youth.
Yukino said they found it in my shoe locker…?
Ah, forget it.
"Are you going through your chuunibyou phase again, Hachiman? What do you mean by hidden meaning?"
"It's just that…Every single sentence between the commas starts with the same letter…"
"Isn't that just how some poems are constructed? Maybe your past self thought it would add literateness if he did that."
"I suppose so…"
"And don't trash it, I'll keep it if you don't want it anymore-
"It's fine, I'll keep it, it's mine after all, right?"
I folded the paper and put it inside my blazer pocket.
I'll probably forget about it, and wash the paper away from water by accident later.
*THUMP* *THUMP* *THUMP*
The footsteps heard outside the room got closer as the door slid open, and revealed a beaming Yuigahama.
"Yahallo! Yukinon, I finished the date plan for this coming saturday! Give me Mai-san's number!"
Date plan?
What's the occasion? Or does she just-
"Your Hikidegenerate-aura is leaking Hachiman, please refrain from looking at me, and my friend with those lustful eyes."
That's impossible since you will always be in my peripheral vision from how you're sitting besides me, woman.
"I forgot we were in public, I'm sorry, Yuki..." I tried my best Komachi impersonation.
"Stop flirting in front of me! In the first place, this date plan is for Mai-san!"
And yes, my Komachi impersonation does work.
It's only 2% as effective compared to hers though…but that number strangely multiplies by 30 whenever I'm doing it to Yukino.
There is no possible way to completely imitate Komachi's adorableness.
Also, 'Mai-san'? She's the one that-
*KNOCK* *KNOCK*
Ah yes, something that you will never miss in a romance anime, or just any fictional work made by man…
The perfect timing.
"Come in!"
The door slid open, and…that doesn't look like the Sakurajima Mai that I remembered…
It's because it wasn't.
"Good Afternoon, everyone, my name is Chitanda Eru…does this club accept questions that I have for the school? I happened to see this room when I was walking towards the staff office, but got lost on the way since I'm one of the new transfer students…"
"The Service Club will at the very least, hear your problems out, and try to guide you in solving your obstacles. Any questions are acceptable. Welcome, my name is Yukinoshita Yukino."
After going through the introductions with the names, Chitanda-san is now sitting in what I would call…The Judgement seat...Eh, too extreme even for me.
"My old high school had a Classic Literature Club that I, and a few other members used to run. I figured a school like Sobu would have one too, but they're apparently out of order according to the bulletin boards that have the school clubs listed on them. Would you know anything about this, Yukinoshita-san, and everyone?"
Yukino and I wouldn't know, since we have no interest in any other clubs except for this one, and Yui…wouldn't know anything that involves the word Literature.
Though, there is one person that could definitely help-
Ah right, the perfect timing, if I could learn how to use, and even control this power in situations where I actually need it, then I might just start liking it a lot more.
The door was slid open and a new…attraction was added to the Service Club room.
"Yahallo! Who's the new face? Did Senpai add another…Uhh, friend in his unlimited list of women?"
An unlimited list of women huh…? I wonder if that path would've actually worked, I wish I could run a simulation where-
No, I'm already satisfied with Yukino alone.
"Isshiki, do you know the President of the Literature club?" I asked the self proclaimed 5th member of the service club.
"Hmm? They disbanded last year when Komi-san graduated, why?"
"In that case, Chitanda-san, it seems like you will have to talk to a Club counselor to revive the club. Isshiki could guide you there." I said to the black haired woman, as she motioned to grab something from her bag.
It was a poster.
'Currently looking for members for the literature club! On Saturday, the club will stop hiring members, so this week is your last chance to join! Each duty must be accomplished, the literature club always takes everything seriously!
"I found this poster on the bulletin board yesterday…"
I look at everyone in the room, and they don't seem to have any idea about it.
Maybe a student was doing a prank? For what reason?
The color matching of the poster, and the lettering looks handmade, but very well done at the same time…Why would they spend effort for a prank like this?
"And Oreki-san, a friend of mine told me there was a hidden meaning behind the poster."
A hidden meaning again?
"Currently looking' 'On Saturday' and 'Each duty' are all the first words of the sentences in the poster, and they all connect."
Connect?
Is this connected to the letter Yukino gave me? Where each letter in the beginning, and the first word after the commas are the same?
I really gotta stop it now…this is the repercussion of rewatching Death Note in two sittings, everything would feel like a mystery to you.
Wait…
Beginning of the letter in each word…
D
"It spells 'closed,' but it should just be a coincidence."
The other three in the room were surprised as I spelled it.
"That could be true, but now that I know the poster is fake, then someone probably intended to have us solve that puzzle deliberately!"
"It could be an old poster made before the club got disbanded, Chitanda-san, besides, I don't think there was any merit in having us solve this 'puzzle' to whoever made it, and if it actually exists in the first place." Yukino explained.
Merit?
And who was the one that first solved that puzzle?
How did they even think of solving it in the first place? Did they have some type of clues in the poster-
"KNOCK* *KNOCK*
"Chitanda, you here?"
I'm done.
Was that the third one today? This could be a new record.
"Oreki-san! I thought you went home after…"
The door opened, and it revealed a male student. I'd say we have about the same height.
"You dropped your phone."
"Ah, I'm not used to having one yet, so I got careless, thank you for bringing it to me, Oreki-san."
The latter didn't say anything more after giving her the phone as he started walking back to the door.
"Wait a minute, Oreki-san! About the Literature club! Apparently, they've been abandoned since last year! What was that poster about? Kininarimasu! And why was there a hidden puzzle in it?"
"That was just a coincidence-"
"But why was it posted on the bulletin board, even though the club doesn't exist anymore?"
He sighed in dejection, and looked at the other people in the room.
"Oreki Houtarou, may I take a seat for a minute?"
We returned with our names as he took a seat in the back row of the table.
"We don't have anything to go by, but as I suggested earlier, it should just be an old poster made by the club before they went out of order." Yukino argued first.
"And like what Hachiman said earlier, the poster spelling 'closed' was just purely a coincidence." It's the most feasible theory that you would get from Yukino.
"But what if there was somebody messing with us, and sending random letters with hidden meaning behind it, so we can solve it?" As expected of Yuigahama, obviously she would think like that.
Huh.
The letter Yukino gave me…
I quickly pulled it out my pocket, and displayed it to everyone.
"Hikigaya-san, this is…?" Chitanda asks in wonder upon seeing the letter.
"It was found on my shoe locker, it has my handwriting, and unless I have Alzheimer's disease, I don't remember writing a single word on it. It could be related in some way."
Chitanda grabbed the paper and started reading it intently on her own…A minute later, she handed it to Oreki who in turn just took a simple look at it.
"Can you figure anything out, Oreki-san?" She seems entirely reliant on him…Reminds of somebody.
A few seconds passed, and the latter looked up from the letter.
"Yuigahama Yui, Hachiman Hikigaya, Yukino Yukinoshita, Isshiki Iroha. Your initials match with the beginning of each sentence in the paper except for the first one which is High School."
"Oh my god!"
"You're right!"
"Coincidence could be freaky." Again, Yukino was the only one that tried to brush it off.
I wanted to do the same, since I don't think figuring out this random 'puzzle' will give me anything except for wasting my time, but…
Just think about it for a minute, Hachiman.
That Oreki person managed to see a connection in just a few seconds…Look at the letters again, and use your brain other than creating monologues for once…
High school-
You have nowhere to go, youth is nothing but a lie and a form of evil.
Hiding is meaningless, hunger for love that will never be bound and acknowledged.
Yourself you don't believe, yellow is not the color of your hair.
Identity never exposed, ice that will never melt.
"Hikki? What's wrong-"
I put a finger on my lips as it silent her immediately. I've never done that before, and it was surprisingly effective.
If our names really do try to connect in that letter, then there must be more to it that binds them…
".."
The clock ticking in the room…the rhythm is quite off, is the battery losing life?
Huh, you could notice a lot of things in a room you haven't seen before when everybody goes quiet. I didn't even know there was one in that corner wall after all…did Komachi put it there? Speaking of Komachi, she's supposed to be the president of this club, but she's always slacking off in attending.
The clock stopped ticking…No, I just stopped hearing it.
I figured the puzzle out after all.
All of them connect perfectly.
'Youth is nothing but a form of evil' connects to me in the next sentence that has my initials on it, since I used to say that catchphrase a lot in my first year of high school.
'Hunger for love that will never be bound and acknowledged' connects to Yuigahama in the next sentence which has her initials on it, since…It fits her rather well if I'm the one getting asked.
'Yellow is not the color of your hair' connects to Isshiki in the next sentence that also has her initials, since Isshiki's hair shines yellow when exposed to light, but it's actually just very light brown, hence yellow is not the color of your hair.
'Ice that will never melt' connects to Yukino going back to the first sentence that has her initials on it…It's a bit of a weak link, but the person that wrote this obviously knew who I was.
Rather too well if I might add.
I was probably the only person in the world calling Yukino the 'Ice Queen' after all.
But is there more? Clues about who sent this letter? And how much do they know about me?
What about the first part before the commas in each sentence? They weren't used to connect anything except for the initials of our names, maybe if you combine them together…
Of course.
You have nowhere to go
Hiding is meaningless
Yourself you don't believe
Identity never exposed
That perfectly describes Haruno in my mind…I don't think those are the words that represent her completely, but it's what I will use to do it.
'Identity never exposed' relates to her always wearing a mask, and not believing even herself.
'Hiding is meaningless' relates to her being the heir of the Yukinoshita family, so she has 'nowhere to go' besides continuing her family's lineage…?
Also, the first two letters in the first two sentences have her initials in it…
Yukinoshita Haruno…
Then what about Y and I…? The last two sentences.
Their father.
Yukinoshita Ichirou.
Their mother could also be included, since she has the same initials as Haruno…
Yukinoshita Honoka.
Is that all the words in the letter?
There was one sentence missing.
High School
Could that relate to the following sentence as well? Or is it just-
God dammit, the topic got brought back to her again…
Hiratsuka Shizuka…A high school teacher bearing the same initials…
Who is the person that wrote this?
How do they know this much about my life?
Or maybe…
'High School' is not part of the letter…
It's the introduction where you write the sender or whoever wrote the letter…That would make sense from how it was structured…
That would mean Sensei was the one that sent it?
Why?
Though…Aside from Haruno, she's probably the only person that could know all this stuff and connect it.
Haruno will have no reason to do it unless she wants to mess with me, but how would Haruno know my handwriting? And that thing about youth that relates to me…Only Sensei should be the only one that knows that…Not even Yukino should have the full knowledge of it…
This letter was sent to me, because I'm the only one that could solve it.
Sensei is the sender, whether or not she was the writer, I don't know.
I'll have to call her…
"Hachiman, you've been quiet for some time now…"
Or I could just forget all about it the next day.
Impossible, someone clearly knows a lot about my relationship with a lot of people…
Knowing myself, I'd overthink it later, and would never forget it no matter how many hours I try to sleep it off.
I was about to start explaining until I realized Yuigahama is here…And that line that relates to her…Is more than what I would consider rude to say the least.
I don't know how much she's moved on, but…I don't want to see her with a sad expression.
She could probably hide it well enough, but I don't want to be the cause of it either.
"I couldn't figure anything out," I'll explain it to them later. "But I believe someone is sending me letters, and I'm gonna know that later." I'll also call Sensei later.
If what I was ranting about last night is true, then Sensei should just treat me normally like usual and nothing more.
In that way, it would be a lot easier to talk, though a lot harder to take in.
But I can do it.
"In any case, thank you for your help, Oreki-san and Chitanda-san. Isshiki could guide you two to the staff office, and you could assign the new Literature club there."
"Thank you as well for your assistance, Hikigaya-san, Yukinoshita-san, Yuigahama-san, Isshiki-san. Oreki-san, we could go." The latter sighed in abjection.
They stood up from the chair, and followed Isshiki out of the room.
"Ah, that's right! Yukinon, Sakurajima-san's number-"
"Mai-san's classroom is at 3F, giving her the date plan, and talking to her personally would be much more effective, correct?"
"Wha- then you just wasted time! What if she's not there anymore?"
"Only one way to find out, Yui."
The latter dejectedly pouted and shortly left the room hastily.
I don't know if I should call that bullying, but it sure is effective.
"So? There's something bothering you." The question caught me off guard.
"Huh? It's nothing…"
"That wasn't a question, Hachiman."
Sigh
Sometimes I regret- mourn having such a smart girlfriend that knows me a little bit too well.
"Yukino…I love you."
She was expecting that.
Yukino is slowly getting better at taking my compliments.
"Then, tell me what has been bothering you?" She scooted her chair closer as her soft hand gently wrapped around mine.
I explained to her everything I was thinking about considering that letter.
"Is it…scaring you?"
Yes, but for another reason. "Not at all…just curious on figuring out who's my secret admirer."
"I would like to meet this person as well, since it seems like from how you explained it, that this person knows Hachiman better than I do."
"You never let yourself be beaten at anything."
"And you always make completely erroneous assumptions…It's just that…I love you too, it's the one thing that no one can absolutely beat me at."
"Then keep up the good work, I'll always need it."
"And I'll always be there for you, Hachiman."
And sometimes I absolutely relish having such a caring girlfriend that only shows her emphatic side towards me.
"Thank you…Yukino."
The results of a drunk person getting emotional.
I am far too lazy to research the scientific conclusion of what happens to your emotions when you reach the state of intoxication, so let's just go with a personal opinion.
A person could become more confident, and audacious when hit with only just a small sip of alcohol, they do wonders especially on people who aren't used to them.
They become more willingfull to do certain actions that they would never consider doing while sober.
If they're too embarrassed of a topic they need to discuss, some would even consider drinking alcohol first to null said embarrassment.
But let's not talk about Yor Briar from Spy x Family.
The events of a drunk person getting suddenly emotional is not a rare occurrence, but it's somewhat hard to understand.
Your closest kin could start emitting negative emotions towards you if they lose control of themself by getting too drunk.
The best example of this are parents evilly denigrating their children after a long day of work, and drinking their stress out of alcohol.
But where did all of those negative emotions come from?
Are they true feelings?
When a parent says to their kid 'I wish I never gave birth to you!' while drunk, people shouldn't take it seriously, since it wasn't genuine right?
In a second, a drunk person would say the most cherishable words you would ever hear come out of their mouth, and in the next second, they would say words that will literally pull your heart out of your body.
But why did they think of saying it in the first place?
Was it a made up emotion you only get while intoxicated? Wrong.
It's all the built up feelings they always hide towards their loved ones.
As a parent, or just an adult overall, you have a responsibility to act mature towards children to set up a good example.
As you keep interacting with somebody you care for, the more you grow to love them, but it could be further said that you also start hating them.
You just wouldn't realize it since your mind subconsciously hides it away since you 'love' the said person.
All of those negative emotions you habitually keep to yourself are trapped in a cage.
And that cage would slowly break after glass, after glass, after glass, and after glass of alcohol.
Eventually, the cage would crack open and all of that negative emotions would emit without your control.
But why am I talking about the theory of a drunk person?
Because of…
Because of the feelings she showed me that day…
What was true, and what was influenced by alcohol?
I guess we'll find out.
I called Sensei's number.
Well, it's not like I'm expecting her to answer, it's 1:34 in the morning after all.
It took me around 4 hours to gain the confidence to press the dial button.
"What time do you think it is, Hikigaya? We have classes tomorrow."
As I thought, she wouldn't even bother…
I guess you could say all the things that happened that day was just a one night stand.
This will be hard, but I'm thankful…I was the one that wished for this after all.
I gather my breath.
"It's 1:35 in the morning Sensei, are your eyes getting worse as you grow older, so you can't read the time anymore-"
"I'm hanging up."
"Wait a minute, Sensei! I just have a quick question!"
The call didn't end.
"Did anything out of the ordinary happen to you today, Sensei? It could be any little thing."
"You woke me up just for this?" She's half correct.
"Please."
"Sigh…Nothing happened out of the ordinary, I went to work, everything was the same…Then I went shopping for food, and…"
"And?"
"Nothing…"
"Nothing?"
"Nothing happened…"
"You're not Roronoa Zoro, Sensei, tell me what happened."
She let out the smallest chuckle from the obvious reference, "And why are you even so interested?"
"For a school project." Right, how fucking witty Hachiman.
She didn't answer back…Well, I would've probably hung up by now if I was her.
"Please, Sensei…I can't really tell you the reason…yet."
"Fine, someone gave me their number today in the grocery store. I couldn't see his face because he was actively trying to hide it by wearing a hat, but I'm guessing he was a college student."
"Hair color?"
"How is that relevant?"
"Height?"
"His hair was covered by the hat, and you're about the same height as him."
"Body structure and condition?"
"What the…sigh* A swimmer."
"Clothes?"
"Black tracksuit."
"Skin color?"
"Somewhat pale."
"Star sign?"
"Hikigaya…"
Alright, I guess that was my limit.
"Okay, one last question, may you give me his number?"
"Sure, if I could find it."
"...Did you throw it away, Sensei?"
"It's somewhere in my bag-"
"Please try finding it right now, Sensei."
A few seconds passed as I heard pure silence from the phone…I probably should get a pen to write it down, so I wouldn't-
"91 5121 2245, Goodnight."
"Wait, Sensei!"
"What else do you need, Hikigaya?"
"Just…thank you for allowing my selfish request."
"Forget about it."
The call ended.
That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, I guess waiting for that long to call her was worth it after all.
Now the number…
Huh?
How did I memorize it?
Sensei said it so fast that I didn't even have the time to write it down…but…91 5121 2245.
I could've sworn my memory wasn't that good…
Anyways, the number looks just like a normal phone number originating from Japan.
Should I just call it? Or is this just a coincidence after all?
No, there have been way too many clues just for it to be a coincidence.
Calling it may give me another clue…
What's the worst that could happen?
*RING* *RING* *RING* *CLANK*
"What's the only word that is spelled backwards in the English dictionary?"
It was an automated voice, it sounded exactly like your average google assistant.
Before I could answer, the call ended…
I tried calling it again, but it gave me the same result.
Sigh
Why is it giving me a kindergarten riddle? The only word spelled backwards in the English dictionary is the word 'backwards' itself…
The English dictionary…
Is it telling me to use the English dictionary?
The first two numbers Sensei told me were 91…Is it telling me to read the 91th word of the English dictionary-
No, Hachiman, that is way too direct, and easy. Dictionaries also have different formations in where they put their words.
Whoever this person is, likes using relations…What relates to the English dictionary that also relates to that phone number?
The English Alphabet is numbered…like how A is the first letter etc, but that's a bit of a weak link, and I can't find any relation to the alphabet with the phone number.
It told me to search for the word backwards as well…
Maybe try making the phone numbers backwards?
That would make 91 to 19, and if I go by two numbers at a time, then it'll be 15 and 12…wait…
Now it's possible to relate them to the English Alphabet!
The 19th letter of the English alphabet is…S
The 15th is…O.
The 12th is L.
The 22nd is…V.
And the 54th is…Doesn't exist of course, but what if they're just singular? 5 and 4?
The 5th letter is…E
And the 4th is D…
…Haha….Hahahaha!
What a fucking joke.
'Solved'
This is the most I've laughed ever since entering Middle School!
And there wasn't even anything funny! I just wasted my time solving this pointless puzzle, and there wasn't even a prize, or anything in the end!
It didn't even tell me who sent it!
Wait…
"What's the only word that is spelled backwards in the English dictionary-"
"Solved! I solved it."
"What's the only word that is spelled backwards in the-"
"Ah, for god's sake! Devlos!"
"Congratulations!"
That…"That was all?"
"Congratulations!"
"Congratulations!"
It's annoying.
"Congratulations-"
I blocked the number soon after ending the call.
A compliment huh…? It's better than nothing.
01:56
I dragged my dead body to the bed, and slowly started sleeping like a log.
"What's making you look so gloomy on this bright orange Thursday, Onii-chan?"
My daily alarm clock, who also acts as my chef whenever she feels like it, does her daily routine of roasting my dead eyes…Wait, Komachi didn't mention my eyes in that insult! Is she finally realizing the beauty of her older brother? Or am I just improving into looking more like a proper human being?
"Someone complimented me last night."
The breakfast was normal eggs mixed with tomatoes and random bullshit that Komachi just adds in, because she apparently has an aptitude for cooking despite never trying to learn a single thing about it.
She's the talented child of the family.
"Yukino-nee must've been in a good mood…Or, you programmed a robot to compliment you, since not even your own girlfriend could find one that would suit your overly dead fish eyes."
What in the…
It wasn't exactly correct, but it was close enough! Women's intuitions are scary!
"Huh? Don't tell me I was correct, Onii-chan?"
I couldn't say anything.
"Ew! Yuck! Disgusting! Hachiman!"
I wonder if Komachi would've believed it if I said it was an automated voice to congratulate me after answering a four step mystery puzzle piece created by somebody that knows essentially everything about my high school life.
Well, I could've also just ignored it, but curiosity always gets the best of me.
"Hachiman, is your body fine?" My father's hardened voice.
"It's back to normal." I answered as he appeared from the hallway that leads to the stairs.
"I see…Well, we were supposed to give you this together, but Mom had to leave first since she got called up for work. Our company gave us two free tickets on their first day of opening the theme park they just recently established. Your Mom, and I wouldn't really need it, so she came up with the idea of you taking Komachi there instead, but Komachi insisted on just giving the two tickets to you. You can take Yukinoshita if you want."
I took the offered tickets, and saw the date being Saturday…Well, it should be fine.
Students should be focused on studying in their final year of high school, but I haven't taken Yukino out this year since Valentine's day, so this is a perfect opportunity.
"Thank you very much, Father, I'll use it well."
He just nodded as a response, and took a seat at the far side of the dining table.
"Careful, Papa! The food is still hot!"
"Hmm? It's delicious, so you'll have to eat it while it's still hot."
I have a feeling I'm forgetting something that's gonna happen this Saturday…
Sigh.
It should be fine.
Fictional movie's catchphrases.
Throughout the history of what is known as fictional movies, there has always been catchphrases that are used almost unanimously in almost every single movie.
For example, in a dire situation where panicking would lead to absolutely nothing, the background characters of every single movie would always say something like:
"Are we gonna die?!"
"We're really going to die!"
Wait a minute…That sounded way too realistic…
Sigh.
This is why I hate big crowds, the outside world sometimes enters my monologues when it gets too loud leading it to ruin it
Why are they even panicking so much? The ride is stable, and we're not moving.
The seatbelt is holding us perfectly intact, so we should be safe…well, except for the fact that we're completely upside down…
I could feel the blood slowly, but surely going down my head.
"This is rather uncomfortable." The person sitting at the middle left side of the seat started.
"I'm sorry, Mai-san." The man sitting beside him apologized.
"Huh? How is this any of your fault?"
"Well, if I didn't recommend this ride in the first place, then we wouldn't be in this position."
Sakurajima-san just gave a sigh, "There's a chance that we might die in a few seconds, so I guess I'll give up with the surprise. Happy Birthday, Sakuta."
"Thank you." I couldn't see the man's face, but I could tell he was smiling.
"Y-you knew?"
"Naturally, Mai-san."
"Then, why did you act like you didn't?"
"I was excited with the fact that Mai-san is doing so much for my birthday, and I also wanted to see what you will surprise me with more. Oh, I also know what you're carrying in that paper bag, so-"
"Don't say that with people listening!"
"Weren't Mai-san the one that said we might die in a few seconds, so we should just give up with the surprises-"
She was close enough to him to silence Azusagawa-san with her hand.
Again, she let out a sigh, "So you saw through all of it then?"
"For the most part, but I think this was better though, I enjoy knowing what I'm getting myself into instead of just getting surprised-"
"Enough already! How are you guys having a calm conversation in this situation!" A voice of a familiar girl screamed from the seat behind us.
"Good Afternoon, Komachi-chan, as well as Yui, and Isshiki-san." The woman beside me finally spoke.
"Yukinon! How can you stay so calm? Aren't you scared that we'd die? Also, this is all your fault, Iroha-chan! We weren't supposed to follow them on the roller coaster!"
"You were the one that persisted on getting them in the ride together, so we had to follow them in the line to make sure they were in the same spot."
"The one that suggested that was Komachi-chan! I just followed her-"
"Yui-senpai, I suggest being calm in this situation, panicking will lead your blood to circulate faster into your head causing blood pooling in the skull, and put pressure into the brain or the eyes. This could also lead into congestion in the blood artery, causing strokes, and even the rupturing of your blood vessels making it bleed out of the holes in your face-"
"Stop talking so scarily, Iroha-chan! That will not happen, in like ever!"
Sigh…How the hell has it come to this?
A guilty pleasure.
Everyone knows what it is, and everybody knows they have at least a portion of it.
I for one have a guilty pressure in liking Rent A Girlfriend just for the pure absurdity that comes out of that series even though you could argue that it's one of the worst Romance Animes known to man…The only thing keeping it alive is the audience wanting to see Kazuya finally get laid, and obviously…The women.
People would search and waste their time on trash just for an animated fictional girl, and I…absolutely respect them.
It's similar to watching Women's basketball purely because you know somebody playing in the game.
Autonomously, no one would watch Women's basketball over Men's basketball on a normal occasion, but it would be an exception if, for example; your daughter is the one playing.
It's similar to watching a TV Show, purely because your favorite actress appears on it for a few minutes.
But I don't need to talk about that…Another alternative to guilty pleasure is what I call…
The Secret Pleasure.
Well, maybe it's not appropriate to call it a secret, since she's basically showing it for the whole world to see.
Yukino who would look down on any man that even dares show any kind of romantic inclination towards her –except for me of course– would ultimately fail at even forming proper sentences when she's faced with her greatest, but hidden hobby.
"Hachiman, I want that one! It's Pan-san!"
And of course, as the most amazing -self-proclaimed- boyfriend I am, I'll have to follow her orders.
Though, there is one small problem.
"I've tried it for 6 rounds now, but I still can't hit the target!"
The 'game' is rigged, naturally.
You are given a nerf gun, and are required to knock off the bowling pins off the shelves.
With the nerf gun not being strong enough, you'll also have to aim perfectly at the tip of the bowling pin just to have it even bulge.
That doesn't include the fact that the gun's power is completely insufficient for the last level where you could get a life size Pan-san plushie.
Yukino managed to get to the second final level, but she hit the middle part where it's too heavy.
I could get past that, but how am I supposed to hit something that…Is impossible to hit…
Now that I think about it, It's rather windy today…
Nah, that's unthinkable…
But Yukino's face when she saw that life size plushie though…
"Better luck next time, miss! Now, line up everybody, before anybody manages to hit it first!"
Well, that's a load of bullshit.
It's hard enough to hit it in the 4th level, but you just made it physically impossible at the last.
I don't like wasting money, but…"Hey, we're not done with our turn yet." I don't want that smile to disappear from her face either
The host of the game grinned, "How many shots do you want?"
5 levels, 5 shots.
"5."
I need it.
If a Shonen protagonist has the power of friendship, then a Romance protagonist, such as myself, has the power of love!
Hmm, as I thought, that one was too cliche-
"You can do it, Hachiman!"
But why the fuck does it matter if it's cliche, it doesn't matter how platitude I could get, I would do it if it means making her happy.
I put the first bullet in the gun.
…It missed.
Ah, nevermind, no bullets came out, I forgot to charge my weapon.
I racked the slide of the nerf gun, and took my aim once more.
The target was hit.
Well, it should've since I'm literally standing in front of it, this level is probably intended for little kids to have a chance- anyways, the next level…
Level 2.
I hit it again.
Level 3.
This one could've gone 50/50, I barely hit the tip of the bowling tip just enough to have it fall down.
As I reached Level 4, and stepped back, I saw Yukino's animated face in the corner of my eyes.
I gathered my breath, and tied my hair back, so I could have full vision. I was supposed to do this earlier anyway since Yukino is rather fond of it.
I was also so focused that I almost missed the sudden blush that appeared on Yukino's face.
Now, aim high…
Not that high, Hachiman…You would hit yourself at that point from how high you're aiming when the bullet comes down from the sky.
Too low…
A little bit on the left…
It's straight in the middle, so just a little higher.
This is the one.
I don't know how, or why I was so confident, but I pulled the trigger without hesitation.
To say that the shot was perfect would've been an understatement, there was no better shot that anyone could've taken. The bullet hit it at a point where it would've been impossible for the bowling pin to not fall upon contact.
Again, I didn't know why I was being so perspective about hitting a target.
The host actually showed a surprised face, but he knows that it's impossible to hit the next level.
But like I've said before, it's rather windy today.
When shooting any projectile at a target, especially from a real gun, the wind will be your enemy.
This time though, the wind will be my biggest ally.
I closed my right eye, and took a crouching position, and the host started laughing when I did so.
I need to be in this position, since that's where the wind is blowing.
Again, I had no idea why, or when I became so perspective on where the wind is moving.
"No, the balloons! It just got blown off!"
There.
A gust of wind was felt behind me, as everyone including myself covered our eyes from it.
The next thing anybody knew, the sound of the bowling pin getting dropped to the ground was heard.
"He did it! I didn't see what happened because of the wind, but he did it!"
"He also did it in his first try!"
"I was wondering what he was doing even sitting down, but he looks like he knows what he's doing!" Are background characters always given little to no vocabulary?
From the host's face, this looks like the first time someone was able to hit it, and he also looks exactly like the type of man that will never accept his loss, so…
"It was the wind that blew the bowling pin away! I'm not giving you anything, you waited and even pretended to sit, so the wind could help you!"
Well, I expected this, and he's technically not wrong with his statement.
I guess I'll just have to buy one for Yukino later-
"I have the evidence! Umm, I was kind of recording it, since I thought it was like super cool…"
Someone from the large crowd that I didn't even realize started gathering, emerged.
That hair…this is…
"Here!" The girl wearing a carnival mask, showed her phone to the host.
After watching it, the latter grew the most irritated face I've seen all year, it even beats most Tsundere's facial expressions.
"All right, fine, here you go! Now get out of my shop, you can't do it twice after winning!" I was handed the Pan-san plushie that is easily the size of a 4th grader.
When I looked back at the…mysterious girl to thank her, she was already gone.
Well, before she put a small piece of paper in my back pocket that nobody saw, since they were too focused on me actually winning.
I walked back to Yukino's face that was a mix of…Too many expressions to name.
I simply handed her the Pan-san plushie, and started walking away.
Though, before I could even move a step, I felt a warm hug from behind
That was an understatement, I could physically feel her heart from how fast it's beating.
"Thank you, Hachiman." Yukino whispered in a voice only I could hear from the big crowd that suddenly got silent from my ears, just so I could listen to hers alone.
"That was…amazing." The Pan-san plushie that she so desperately wanted was on the ground, Yukino dropped it like it didn't even matter to her anymore as she went to hug me…She probably didn't even realize that small gesture, but it made me so happy.
"Mai-san look, do you want a plushie before we go back to the roller coaster ride?" A voice managed to enter my ears because it somehow sounded…familiar.
"Wouldn't it be troublesome to bring it home?"
"You showed me your exceptional parenting skills earlier when we rescued that lost little girl, so I have no doubt that you could take care of a stuffed animal just fine."
"I guess we are lacking decorations in our home…Then get it for me, Sakuta, don't fail."
"Understood."
Huh?
Yukino was still stuck to my body when she looked back. "Mai-san? Is this the place Yui recommended for you to go?"
Ah yes, the perfect coincidence, there's absolutely nothing that could beat it.
"Yukino? And…Hikigaya-kun…? I see, well, it's nice meeting you two here."
"Yes, it is-"
"Mai-san! I got you a plushie! It isn't as big as the one on the floor though, since the host said he only had one of them in stock and it got claimed already…" Yukino left my body once she heard about the Pan-san plushie and quickly went to get it.
Also, I didn't even notice -or anyone for that matter- him shooting the targets…It seems like he also hit the first four on his first try. The last one wasn't even made available.
"It's fine…Also, why a Bunny?"
Azusagawa grew what I would only consider a deviant smile. "Well, it's because-"
"Forget I asked that, let's go, there's too many people gathered here. It's nice to see you again, Hikigaya-kun, and Yukino. We'll see you later-"
"Actually about that…" I pulled out the paper that the girl from earlier handed me, and displayed it. "I got 4 free tickets for a ride, if you two want it, then I don't mind giving it away."
Sakurajima-san thought about it for a moment, before agreeing. "Gladly, I hope we don't trouble you two."
Yukino came back with the Plushie covering most of her body, as we started walking away from the man that was having his most unfortunate day.
The only word I would associate with winning at that game is lucky after all.
Mhm, all that talk about knowing where the wind will be blowing, and knowing exactly where to aim is just luck…Totally just luck…
".."
Now that I think about it…How in the fuck.
Sigh, not that it matters anymore.
Also, I should've known this before, but Isshiki could be an amazing voice actress.
I couldn't recognize her voice, the only reason I knew it was her is because of the phone that I've seen before, her hair would have also been a given.
And why am I surprised that Komachi is also here? She's not particularly bad at hiding, but I have this peculiar feeling when someone is staring right at me.
2 years of being a loner could grant you this ability.
Is Yuigahama also here?
Should I just invite those two since this 'date' has expanded to 4 people anyways?
Seems like they'll keep following.
"Are we being stalked, Hachiman?" Yukino noticed me eyeing something from a distance.
"Not really, well if we are, you wouldn't have to worry about them, they're…contacts." Yukino understood what I meant immediately.
"I see, why not invite them?"
"It'll be more fun this way, besides, they're going the extra effort to not be seen, so I'd say let them be."
Yukino just smiled.
Shortly after a few walks, we made it into our…death place.
I've never been scared of riding a roller coaster in my life, but this one does give me second thoughts.
And they're still following us, obviously.
Yuigahama also regrouped with them, my vision never got worse –even though there was a period of my life where I just stared at monitor screens all the time– so I was able to keep track of them.
Three girls wearing Yukatas is also not much of a disguise, in fact, it just makes you stand out a lot more especially where there's not even a festival so most people would just dress normally.
"Welcome! Do you need tickets for the rides, or do you have a pass?" The woman positioned beside the line of the rollercoaster that is only filled by half, greeted.
Normally, a ride like this would be one of the main attractions of a theme park, but I guess some people just value their lives a lot more than entertainment.
Besides, there is a fairly big sign warning you that there is a possibility of getting nausea while riding on the ride after all.
"Three tickets please."
The woman handed me the tickets as I did the same with money.
Hmm, that's weird.
Superbly eerie.
Normally, a person especially someone that's held in high regard would say something like; 'It's all right, Hikigaya-san, we could pay for our tickets,' but neither of them said anything, well, it's not like I was looking to have them pay since I did say it was free, but…
All they did was just a nod of thanks.
Interesting.
Everybody I know including myself would've probably insisted on paying for their own tickets, but they just accepted it without thought.
Unless they know about the other three…
I handed the tickets back to the woman in the front, "Please give this to the three girls coming here soon with Yukatas on, I have my own tickets."
"I understand, then enjoy the ride!"
Seems like they didn't…Oh well.
"Did you have other companions with you, Yukino-san?"
"I suppose so, it looks like they're rather shy though."
"Is it Yuigahama-san? I never got to thank her properly for the date plan, since she ran away immediately after asking for my number…"
"Sounds exactly like her. Though, I do apologize on her behalf, since Yui was probably here…trailing you two."
The latter chuckled, "It's quite fine, the more the merrier, isn't that right, Sakuta?"
"I guess…but they're the ones that have been following us since we entered this theme park, huh?"
"You knew we had stalkers?"
"Naturally, Mai-san, you're an actress after all, so I'd have to be aware at all times." Azusagawa knew that they were following them as soon as they entered?
Well, I probably would've as well if I was focused on doing it.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
This ride might prove to be fun.
"Y-you guys can go ahead, it's fine." The people in front us started forming a way for anybody to step forward.
"No, you guys have more girls in your group, so ladies first!"
"We're older than you, so you'd have to follow your upperclassmen!"
"We don't even know each other, how does that make sense?"
"Then what's the point of riding that roller coaster, there's no point!" Has people's vocabulary really grown this bad in our generation? Jesus.
"So you're telling me you're scared? In front of your girlfriend as well?"
"At least I have a girlfriend, where's yours, huh?"
Sigh, to be a normie in our society…
"Excuse us." I pronounced as we moved forward to the front of the line. Our stalkers slowly made their way through the crowd.
"Hey, no cutting!" As I said, three girls wearing yukatas are not decent disguises at all.
"Umm, we're with somebody in the front!" They squeezed through the scared students and made their way to the front line.
"Sorry for using you guys as an alibi! We're just super excited to ride the rollercoaster, that's all, I hope you guys don't mind!" Does she really think I still don't know yet?
Who else has such bright colored hair?
"Next up! You guys said you were excited right? Ride it in the front for the ultimate experience!"
"Heh? That was a lie- Hold on, I'm not actually riding!" Komachi looked rather animated, so she pushed the other two that were clearly getting…coerced.
Before Yui could finish her protest, we were already in the seats.
The scared students from before suddenly gained the guts to also ride the roller coaster. Well, any normie would be motivated to do anything when they see…beyond attractive women in their path, so all of us were pushed into the seats.
"Why are we also riding the roller coaster with them?!"
"Onii-chan gave us free tickets, so why not use them- AHHHHHHH!"
"I'm definitely dying today!"
A smile formed- the smile that was already on my face when I heard their voices grew even larger when the wind hit my face.
Yukino's grip on my hand tightened as I heard insufferable screams in the back.
This is bliss…
We made it at the peak of the rollercoaster as I saw a group of birds flocking through the sky.
Freedom!
".."
Freedom…That is not definitely not the word that I would use right now. Well maybe a few seconds ago, but I'm currently trapped about 120 meters in the air with absolutely zero control on any parts of my body.
"Stop talking so scarily, Yukinon, that will never happen in like ever!"
We're back in the present.
"At any rate, if Onii-chan dies, we could sue the theme park and the Hikigaya family would flourish in success!"
"I wished I would've married you before today, so I could take half of that money."
Your family's fortune probably octuples whatever money the Hikigayas would get when I die here, woman.
"WERE ANY OF YOU SCARED? MOST PEOPLE WOULD'VE BEEN CRYING BY NOW!" The speakers inside of our seats emitted a loud voice.
An exciting, and a rather original addition for a roller coaster ride.
In fairness, I got somewhat worried about it, since this was my first time getting 'stuck' in a roller coaster.
The seats started moving again as I felt the wind start blowing my face, the screams from the back getting a lot louder again.
When we reached the end, or technically the start, all of the people in the back got off, and immediately started complaining to the person in charge of that…incident.
I'll give them credit though, unlike most manga readers, they didn't spoil anything to the people waiting in line.
I didn't eat breakfast today, I'm getting quite hungry-
"That was fun! Do you guys want to eat lunch together? Onii-chan's treat!"
How-
"Okay Hikki, thank you for that!"
Wait-
"Thank you for taking responsibility, Senpai!"
That's still going on?-
"We can split it, Hachiman-"
"No, I got it."
Why the hell did I say that!?
Sigh
How the hell did it come to this- No no no.
I already know how, I don't want another flashback.
But what is this weird feeling? Another flashback? I just said I don't want another one!-
To the left.
Huh?
My head instinct looked at the empty space to my left, all my other companions were on the right with Yukino obviously being the closest one to me.
There isn't anything there though…
I see it.
The roller coaster we were just riding on, the railing closest to the ground…It's gonna break.
The foundation that's keeping it up is gonna break if the force of that roller coaster goes on top of it with enough speed
I looked back, some trees were covering my vision, but I was able to see the roller coaster that just started leaving the start of the ride.
We have time.
"Hey, isn't that railing too shaky?"
!
He notices it too?
With a pointed finger, everybody followed it.
After a loud collective gasp, "Yui, go back and make them stop the ride." She's the fastest runner among us, not including Azusagawa and I.
"What will you do Hikki-"
"Just go." She wanted to protest but ran at full speed anyway.
We need to put something under it for support, thankfully the railing is close to the ground, so we could use the latter as footing to sandwich whatever we could find as support.
Benches, trees, anything big enough.
On the contrary, if we don't do anything, the rollercoaster could hit the ground at full speed if the railing fails.
The benches are too heavy, and there's a fence separating the roller coaster railing, so we won't have the time to get it over.
We need something light.
The trees that are already inside the rollercoaster area…they don't look old in the slightest though, we'd have trouble using them.
I look at Yukino's panicking face, her arms snuggling the Pan-san plushie tightly…
The Pan-san plushie.
One wouldn't be close to supporting all that weight, but this is a theme park…
Azusagawa noticed me staring at the Pan-san plushie and immediately sprinted towards the closest tents of the carnival games.
He catches on quickly. Way too quick.
"Sakuta! Where are we going?" He's bringing extra hands with him, so they could carry as much as possible.
"The three of you, follow Azusagawa-san, and do what he says." I said to the three girls that stayed behind.
Again, they wanted to protest, but sprinted to my orders instead.
I never knew I had such a commanding voice.
"AHHHHHHHHH!"
The screams are getting louder.
Thankfully, the detached railing is at the end of the ride where it usually starts slowing down.
The ride only lasted for about…3 minutes. Including the time we stopped at the apex.
It's been about a minute since it started, Yuigahama should be able to get there in time.
But what if she doesn't?
Will the plushie be enough? It's the only thing I could think of right now.
I could try placing the railing back in place, but I don't have the strength to do that-
You don't know that.
I removed my shoes, so I could use my toes to climb the fence more efficiently.
1 and 30.
I jumped at the railing that was only about 20 inches above the ground.
With all my strength, I tried pulling the detached railing back to place…
As I thought, It wasn't bulging an inch.
1 and 45 minutes.
"Catch!"
A small shadow momentarily blocked the sun out of my eyes as I catched the big plushie with my hands. I jumped down immediately and put it below the railing.
The size is perfect, but we need to stuff it more, so it could be solid.
"Do you need help!?" Azusagawa screamed behind me as I saw the rest of the group carrying at least 3 of them each.
"No, just keep them coming!"
I didn't notice at first, but the first one he threw at me was the one I won for Yukino…
Irrelevant.
2 minutes and 16 seconds.
The plushie kept coming as I stuffed all of them between the railing and the ground.
God dammit, it's not balance, I need someone in the other side to push it in together with me, otherwise-
"3, 2, 1, Go!"
The plushis were able to get stuck below the railing after the collective push between Asuzagawa and I.
2 minutes and 33 seconds.
That was all I- we could do at that time.
"Hachiman, get out of there!"
"Sakuta!"
Not yet…we have just enough time to try a little bit more, and in the worst case scenario, we could just jump out the way.
It seems like Azusagawa has the same idea as me: he'll push and I'll pull.
I don't think the plushies are enough, we need to at least try making the railing go back in place.
"3, 2, 1. Go!"
2 minutes and 55 seconds.
One more.
"3, 2, 1. Go!"
One more.
"3, 2, 1. Go!"
One more- The sounds, I don't hear them anymore…I could hear the screams perfectly well, but not the ride itself.
They're not…coming?
Oh, she was able to get there in time.
The response team got here rather fast, maybe we should've just put our efforts in calling them.
Nevermind, Yukino was the one that did that. Quick thinking.
I heard the sirens, and multiple vehicles coming our way. A loud speaker telling everybody to move out the way.
In the corner of my eyes, I saw the railing put further back into place than earlier, we were able to move it just a little bit…
Not that it matters anymore.
That was quite an eventful date, if there was anything good that came with that; I don't need to win a new plushie for Yukino…Well, it's covered, and squished in grass but it's better than nothing.
"So what you mean to tell me is that the theme park the Yukinoshita Company majorly sponsors almost killed a ride full of students, but not only that, my daughter who was in the ride before that?"
Give it up -san, you cannot win against her.
You need at least a training arc which I'm doing right now to even look at her eyes properly.
"I'm sorry, we didn't knew it was your daughter-"
I think your intentions were good, but you definitely picked the wrong words, -san.
This is going to get ugly, I also didn't have the chance to drink water because we got dragged here immediately when she arrived.
I'm thirsty. Better act now before she could move her agro to us.
Ah- Everybody had the same idea as me, including -san over there, but he's currently in a magic curse that binds you to whatever position you were in, before you got in sight of her minacious eyes.
Before I could even touch the handle on the door, "There is MAX coffee, Tea, and normal water in the fridge, sit on the couch; I still have a few questions for you all." That 'you' seemed specifically directed to me though!
And just how boujee are you woman? You have a special room in a theme park just for occasions like this?
The expression on her face was enough for an answer.
Exactly for occasions like this.
"I don't know how we're required to stay though…" What are you doing Azusagawa? You're gonna experience the wrath of-
My greatest enemy just showed a smile, "You're not, I'm merely asking you to, consider it a favor."
".."
You interfered, and trespassed in private property, and even put a group of students in danger by doing something you're not close to being an expert in. I could name you 100 reasons to stay in this room, young man, please be cooperative.
That was the reaction I thought she would give, or at least, it's what she would say to me…
"I guess we could wait, have you ever tasted MAX coffee, Mai-san?"
But every situation differs from person to person…She truly is a scary devil, if Yukino is the Ice Queen, then Honoka-san's coldness reaches beyond Absolute Zero.
Sigh, this is such an unfair fight.
"MAX coffee is the best." was all I could say as I prepared for the transcendental performance of my greatest enemy treating -san like he's the most disgusting human being in the world.
"So what you mean to tell me is that the theme park we invested Millions of dollars in, wasn't tested the day before our supposedly 'Grand Opening'? Do you know the amount of commotion this accident generates? Do you know the consequence of already having this incident on our very first day of opening? The Theme Park hasn't even been open publicly for 24 hours, and we already need to shut down for at least 2 weeks already."
How can Max coffee be this good in any parts, or situation in the world? This needs to be studied.
"Yes, Ma'am-"
-san has gotten 4 questions right, and 5 wrong.
"Clearly you don't since…"
After a couple of minutes of lecture, time started moving properly again.
Time for our turn, I suppose.
That poor Proctor-san, truthfully, I have absolutely no idea on why she was blaming him, because I'm 80% confident that he doesn't handle keeping the roller coaster rides in check, and safe for their intended purpose. He doesn't look like an engineer to me, more like an entertainer which he probably is.
Well, The Yukinoshita family is known for their different motives with just a single action.
Theoretically, Yukino could just be pretending to be with me for the sole purpose of…
Bad example, I have absolutely nothing to give her, or anything for her to gain from being with me. Actually, it may look like I'm the one being with her since she's the youngest heir of the Yukinoshita Company.
"Why so tense, Hikigaya-kun? I'm just here to talk about-"
"The future?"
"You have a good memory, but not quite, I just wanted to thank you for possibly saving a group of minors from a roller coaster accident."
Normally, I would be giving the credit to Yuigahama, since she was the one that technically saved them, but to face a logical monster, you'd have to be unpredictable.
I sat down on what I would actually call…The Judgement seat. And in this situation, it is not considered cliche in the slightest.
"I appreciate the gratitude, but you could've just said that much earlier, ."
It's working, or at least she didn't expect this kind of response.
"I was looking forward to giving you a reward for your hard work. Normally, something like this would be forgotten, but I'm no such person. I remember everything." Too literal, way too literal.
And a reward huh…
A beach house, and 1 billion Yen.
I could fulfill my duties as a househusband much efficiently this way-
You don't have a choice at all. If you want to fully protect Yukino, then you'd have to match her footing equally, are you capable of that?
Every single word she uttered that day, I remember it like it's my favorite song of all time.
And I want to do that on my own, I don't need her mother's help.
I need to prove myself capable.
Though, I guess having this later might be a good idea.
"An IOU." I proposed with the most blank face I could muster.
"The limits?"
"Anything that will not directly worsen your image."
"I'm afraid that is way too broad for even someone like me, Hikigaya-kun. Try again."
I expected this.
"One favor that will not directly do you anything conceptually bad."
And for the first time since she first mentioned my name, Honoka-san blinked.
It signaled the end of the conversation.
"Very well. See you soon, Hikigaya-kun." I stood up from my seat and bowed.
It seems like she would be talking to the other faces in this room…I better find that Pan-san plushie while I still have the time.
Good luck everyone, and especially you Komachi.