When Hayasaka reunited with her Mistress, she was dumbfounded to find someone seemingly refreshed and having the time of her life, with a bouquet and a weird smile.
"You look happy, Kaguya-sama."
"How could I not?" Kaguya grinned. "Not only did I win a hard-fought battle splendidly, but the President was also willing to be the subservient one and made the first move."
"Ah." Hayasaka realized. "He gave it to you, I suppose?"
"He said it was a congratulatory gift for my victory. But when I asked how could he be so sure I was going to win, he said-"
Kaguya snickered hard.
"He said it was because of his faith in me!" Kaguya cheerfully pointed. "Isn't that basically admitting his devotion to me?"
"That is true." Hayasaka nodded.
"Then it is just a little more until he confessed to me." Kaguya boasted. "Because if he's that devoted to me, then that means he loved me!"
"I wouldn't say that." Hayasaka waved her hand. "Faith and devotion could also mean friendships, comradeships, familial, and in my case, servitude."
Faith! The word faith itself is not necessarily religious. However, it means absolute belief in something, even if people call it unreasonable.
"Having faith in someone means burdening them with unreasonable expectations, or so Hikigaya-san would say." Hayasaka rolled her eyes. "Nevertheless, it is not necessarily romantic on the President's part."
Kaguya popped a vein, knowing that Hayasaka was right and that she couldn't argue. And that was the reason why she felt mad now! Her mood is ruined!
"I think you missed the most crucial part of the whole ordeal. The reason behind these flowers, and why President gave it." Hayasaka smiled knowingly. "Rather than selfishly thinking it is about the confession you waited for so long, should you not think about the deeper meaning behind that gesture?"
Kaguya was agape.
"True. If it was the usual President, he would do this to fish for a compliment or try to seduce me into confessing instead." Kaguya sadly smiled. "Did he purposely show his weakness to cheer me up?"
Kaguya understood how prideful Shirogane Miyuki can be. So for him to openly show care and affection like that, regardless of how it makes him look...
"He has been doing that for an entire week to cheer you up, but you were too obsessed with Yukinoshita and the exam ranks." Hayasaka pointed. "I will be frank. You're a terrible woman for ignoring him because you were jealous of someone completely unrelated. You were, literally, missing the forest for the trees."
Kaguya felt harpooned by each of Hayasaka's statements. It was true that hatred and envy clouded her eyes for a week straight. To the point of ignoring Miyuki entirely!
"It was a great opportunity to nurture his feelings so he could be more open too." Hayasaka scoffed.
"...Aren't you as rotten as I am for thinking that way?" Kaguya twitched.
"I'm just saying," Hayasaka said. "Maybe you should extend him an olive branch in return."
"Hmm." Kaguya gave a non-committal answer, which worried Hayasaka somewhat.
"Also, I made a mistake in many ways, which was disheartening. I'm sorry I wasn't able to do my duty properly."
"Was it about the intel on Yukinoshita-san? You can brush that off just fine." Kaguya said. "She let that rumor spread to play possum and made people underestimate her."
"Appear weak when you are strong! And appear strong when you're weak!" - Sun Tzu (paraphrased).
"The intel is one thing, but there was this thing," Hayasaka explained the bet she made with Hachiman and how it backfired horribly. All because she believed Kaguya could dominate the race.
"It isn't like you to believe in something like faith, Hayasaka." Kaguya blushed. "I mean, I appreciate it, but still."
"I won't repeat that mistake," Hayasaka remarked, which annoyed Kaguya a bit. Needless to say, Kaguya is an emotionally unstable girl.
"You better start writing your will." Kaguya smiled in dejection.
That bad?!
"Don't worry. I know just enough to say that Hikigaya-san is actually the least perverted guy in the student council, so be assured your purity will be preserved." Kaguya sighed heavily. "But he is extremely petty."
"I know he is," Hayasaka said. "But how petty are we talking about?"
"One time Fujiwara-san stole his irreplaceable seasonal candies, he asked her to buy him dagashi, 100 yen worth every day for a week," Kaguya explained. "And she's not allowed to buy the dagashi in bulk. She HAD to go to grandma's store and buy 100 yen of dagashi daily. Hikigaya-san will snitch her to her father about her school mischiefs should she refuse."
Let alone someone born into an elite family. Doing that would be humiliating for any high school student, period. And Hayasaka is aware of how strict Minister Fujiwara is. The threat of snitching, for Chika, is a fate worse than death!
Now granted, Fujiwara Chika is innocent and casual enough to do that alone. However, she is also lazy, and the enforced routine will ruin her fun.
That was why Hikigaya Hachiman is evil. He gave Chika the lightest possible punishment under the threat of something legitimately grave!
"And I also know he had been ignoring Ryuju Momo-san for instigating the competition in public, dragging his name under the mud on accident." Kaguya raised her hand. "I couldn't personally blame him."
"Well, at least his demand is relatively reasonable," Hayasaka remarked. "If it was something petty and tedious, I'd be relieved."
Dealing with Kaguya's shenanigans and pettiness is already tedious as it is. Not that Hayasaka would say it aloud...
Kaguya shrugged. "I won't chastise you or anything since it was partly my fault. But when he gives his demand, you better deliver. He hasn't been awfully disruptive recently, so I have no ill will about him. Make sure he remains as unproblematic as possible."
Of course, that was because Hayasaka conspired with Hachiman to not interfere with her plans. Having Hachiman snitch Hayasaka to Kaguya would be the worst-case scenario, so Hayasaka better be obedient.
"If you say so, Kaguya-sama." Hayasaka bowed in gratitude. "Thank you for the lenience."
"Speaking of Yukinoshita-san, I wonder how she felt about the ordeal," Kaguya said.
"I don't know about how she feels about the defeat." Hayasaka gave a tablet with a picture of Hachiman hauling Yukino's weakened body.
"He wanted to ravish her in secret?!" Kaguya gawked and flailed. "Maybe Hikigaya-san isn't as celibate as he appeared to us, after all! Should we call the Police?!"
"ARE YOU AN IDIOT?!" Hayasaka screamed.
Hayasaka explained to Kaguya that Hachiman said Yukino almost fainted when she walked out of the Traditional Arts room. Slowly, Kaguya's panic attack turned into a genuine concern.
Which Hayasaka found strange.
"In fairness, I was also quite tired when we were done. But fainting is a bit too much. I wonder if Yukinoshita-san had a condition."
Kaguya hardly has a robust physique to begin with. But it seemed that Yukino was so much worse in that regard.
"We did have her medical records, and they showed no anomalies." Hayasaka refuted. "But she lived a sedentary life, so her stamina is less than average teenage girls."
Ah, so Yukino have a geek physique!
"It is relieving to hear that," Kaguya said. "I mean? It would be bad optics if she suffered something major after our fight today."
What Kaguya said was perfectly rational and sensible. However, Hayasaka noticed the oddity in her delivery. Hayasaka had seen it before, and calling it a Deja Vu is an apt comparison.
Could it be... she...
"Kaguya-sama," Hayasaka muttered. "Could it be that you fancied Yukinoshita Yukino now?"
Kaguya grimaced, and her face was flushed.
"For the record, I am completely straight," Kaguya said defensively.
"Then why did your reaction to her feel like when you started opening up to President?"
"Maybe it is." Kaguya rubbed her chin, thoughtful. "Though. It was more like... something different yet familiar."
Hayasaka pondered for a moment. But her train of thought got stopped when Kaguya called her out. "And what about you? Don't tell me you lost the plot and fell for Hikigaya-san for real?"
"If I have to be honest, it is a possibility." Hayasaka kept her poker face as she truthfully explained. "Objectively speaking, he may not be a perfect man, but he is ideal for many. It is too easy to fall for his oblivious charm and fall in love."
Kaguya gagged as if she wanted to vomit. "You sure have a poor taste in men."
"Are you SURE you want to say that to me, Kaguya-sama?" Hayasaka popped a vein. "Let me remind you of the person you fell in love with."
"AH!" Kaguya lost her cool and screamed as she hid her face in the bouquet. "I don't want to hear it."
Hayasaka got closer and whispered to Kaguya's ears. "You are in love with the President of Shuuchin High, far from the perfect man. In fact, he is the worst possible match for you. He is destitute, has zero talent, and achieves everything through painstaking effort. Most Shinomiya members would call him a loser."
"Shut up, Hayasaka." Kaguya bit her lips and started crying. "Don't make me verbally admit it! And don't you dare to insult him and his effort!"
Ah, so you really had fallen for him.
"But as I said, Hikigaya Hachiman might be a heavily flawed person, but he also had a lot of charming points," Hayasaka said. "I'm sure you're not dense enough to not realize why I said this."
"Hrm." Kaguya scrunched up her face. "Certainly, what you said isn't objectively wrong. The President is definitely far more likable in public. But when women are involved, I think Hikigaya-san has a slight edge."
"You seem happy about that." Hayasaka drily commented.
Kaguya decided to ignore that blatant teasing. Kaguya might deny it, but she is unhappy whenever other girls display interest in Shirogane Miyuki.
"Fujiwara-san is banned from dating, so she used him for the so-called boyfriend play. She acts like a needy girlfriend to him and tries to spoil him with kindness in return. However, I think Hikigaya-san is either oblivious or denies the whole ordeal and thinks of her as a close friend."
"That is indeed correct."
"As for Ryuju-san, he more or less becomes her moral compass. Their relationships are significantly deeper, complex, and, dare I say, more intimate. At first, their relationships were more like two brothers." Kaguya explained. "I think he's more conscious of her as a girl recently, and she's putting effort into getting more feminine too. Thus, the rift in their relationships grows."
In fact, Kaguya noticed that Momo started to grow her hair again after keeping it short since she quit the Student Council. Kaguya thought something had happened in the Spring Vacation two months ago.
"That is also correct."
"How can Kaguya-sama be so perceptive and understanding of women and Hikigaya-san yet completely and utterly fooled about herself or the President?" Hayasaka wondered. "Love truly makes you blind."
"What about you, Hayasaka?" Kaguya sharpened her eyes. "No lies allowed."
"I think I might fall for him if I don't keep my guard up," Hayasaka said, half-truth and half-lie. "Hikigaya-san will be able to see and accept me for what I am. And that scared me the most. He made me feel weak and exposed, and I despised him. With him around, it is hard to do my job."
Hayasaka prized her ability to lie and deceive to fulfill her duties, but Hachiman? He could dismantle her efforts with a glance.
"If I have to be honest with you, I am not confident I can hold him for long." Hayasaka sighed. "I won't make excuses for my incompetence and accept my punishment, no matter what you decide. But I can say you don't have leisure time left."
"So even YOU were driven into a corner." Kaguya frowned. "Hikigaya-san really is a menace."
Kaguya understood the most how dangerously intrusive Hachiman could be. So, it is not a matter of Hayasaka failing out of incompetence. Hachiman bested the best just fine by being a proverbial sledgehammer.
"He is, indeed, scary." Kaguya frowned. "But never mind about that, just continue your job."
Hayasaka wondered how Kaguya could be so tolerant these days. She grows softer thanks to her love for the President. As a Shinomiya, nurturing this would be a mistake.
But as a person, Hayasaka couldn't feel more thankful.
"Anyway! While your appearance altered the balance, Yukinoshita Yukino shook it upside down." Kaguya said. "Perhaps Hikigaya-san really loves her. What do you think, as one of his potential suitors?"
Hayasaka couldn't tell if Kaguya was joking, which worried her. Nevertheless, Hayasaka decided to use her objective assessment.
"We have no clue unless we ask," Hayasaka said. "Either them or their former classmates."
It was a pointless answer but also a correct one.
"Well, get on it, then." Kaguya smiled in a sinister manner. "We could always use Yukinoshita-san to distract him, should there be an opportunity."
That would be effective. But somehow, Hayasaka felt unsettled.
やはり, 彼らが望む告白は間違っている. S2
As expected, the Confession they want is wrong S2
Original Story by: Watari Wataru and Akasaka Aka
Written by: ZeroXSEED, Co-written by: GoukaRyuu
Chapter 30 - Hayasaka Wants to Deal with
"The other two can stay, but you, please go away." Yukino coldly said as she slammed the door shut in Momo's face.
"I said I'm sorry, hey!" Momo banged the door angrily.
"You have the worst timing and manner, Momo-chan," Chika remarked. "Maybe starts with apologizing properly and then goes from there."
"You bitches have a better idea. I am listening." Momo deadpanned.
"I literally just said it." Chika shrugged. "Apologize properly."
Momo pretended to ignore that one, which made Chika sigh.
"We've been telling you about this, Ryuju-san, but you acted like you were the one getting wronged. Or something equally as stupid." Hayasaka jibed exaggeratedly to style with her gal persona. "That is not how you approach a rumor victim, after all."
"Victim, right." Chika frowned. "I mean? People gossip about us, too, but I don't necessarily mind. But the thing is, it is different when it comes to Hikigaya-san and Yukinoshita-san. People would paint the rumor maliciously because they're external students."
In other words, the rumor between Hachiman and Yukino was excessively negative.
"The rumor had died for six months until it resurfaced recently." Momo nodded. "Although the trigger was Miyuki and later Shinomiya, Yukinoshita and Hachiman were the main targets. It was mainly the reason I provoked the fight in the first place. Otherwise, the tension will brew higher."
"You don't fix overpressure by slamming a sledgehammer on the pipe, though." Hayasaka grinned. "The President and Hikigaya-san were called the school safety valves for good reason. Although he's blunt, he always gives measured responses to resolve problems. And President can balance it out with his polite, professional approach."
Momo's actions were far from measured. Everything she has done has always been on impulse.
"What are you guys doing here?" Nagisa asked when she found the three hanging around the Public Service clubroom. "Do you want to have a consultation?"
"No, no, no. We were bothering Yukinoshita-san about something." Hayasaka waved her hands. "Too bad we were starting with such a rough patch! Please tell her we were sorry."
"Although she looked calm, her mood has been rough since yesterday." Nagisa sadly smiled. "Yukino-san might not show it well, but deep inside, she is fiercely competitive."
"We could tell, actually," Chika said. "I have never seen someone who pressured Kaguya-san to such a degree. Besides, if she wasn't competitive, she wouldn't get provoked by idiotic trash talk."
"Oh. Trash talk nothing. Insulting a girl about their physical appearance is the highest form of humiliation." Hayasaka gleefully pointed. "What was that again, Ryuju-san? Something about her lacking figure?"
Hayasaka did this as she mimicked what Momo did before. Slapping her own chest.
Momo felt like Chika and Hayasaka dropped an anvil on her. Right, there was that one. Momo literally insulted Yukino in public about her flat chest.
Understandably, Yukino was still upset. Why would she help someone so rude, hostile, and going out of her way to put you in an unfavorable situation?
Hachiman and Yukino are both frank and sometimes crass, but they are always ready to extend their hand to help people around them.
"Yukino-san can be petty, but she is not that petty." Nagisa smiled. "I'm sure there is something else that you missed. Something important you overlooked, and she wanted you to realize it."
"Something important that I overlooked," Momo mumbled.
"How do you feel about the whole ordeal?" Nagisa gave an angelic smile as she patted Momo's shoulder. "I'm sure you're frustrated, but so is everyone else."
"Hachiman said the same thing," Momo said. "He asked what I felt seeing everything unfold, and when I said I was amused at first, but... then I feel frustrated because he was so angry."
"Well, what else do you feel, other than amusement? And why do you think he is angry? What did you feel when he was angry?" Nagisa continued her string of questions. "Do you even care that he is angry?"
That last question was what finally shattered the confusion.
Momo rubbed her tears off. Recently, she had been developing a habit of crying for no reason. Which seemed cute. Until you realize this is the heiress to a dominant organized crime group in Kanto.
Do I even care?
With this in mind, Momo decided to knock on the door again.
"What is it?" Yukino opened it halfway.
Momo bowed deeply.
"I'm really sorry about what happened," Momo said. "I can't say with honesty that I care about what happened with you, but when I think about what Hachiman feels, now I realize that it was hurting me as well. And I feel bad for inflicting it on you both."
"Good." Yukino fully opened the door. "We're off to a good start."
Hayasaka and Chika looked at each other. Both were somewhat confused. However, they entered the room without much fuss now that Yukino allowed Momo to enter.
"Welcome to Public Service Club," Yukino said. "Although we've done a lot of social activities and charities, our original purpose was to lend a hand to students who have unsolvable problems in their hands."
"But the way we do it is not through direct intervention." Yukino sat down and smiled. "You give a man a fish? He's set for a day. You teach a man to fish? He's set for life. Congratulations, Ryuju-san, you finally developed a sense of empathy and remorse."
Hayasaka and Chika both twitched. They always know that Momo isn't exactly like the average girl. But for Yukino to dig so deep, this girl is batshit insane. Dangerously clever, too.
No wonder she became so influential at Shuchiin.
"So it is called empathy," Momo mumbled. "Being upset about someone's problem, huh? Admittedly, it is a new thing for me. My family would've considered it a weakness."
"If humans were entirely rational, that would have been a weakness. Fortunately, we are not. The only reason why the human population survived countless disasters is because people cared for the sick and the disabled." Yukino said. "If humans have no empathy, we won't be here. We'd perish a long time ago."
Hayasaka thought what Yukino said sounded laughably naive, but it was far from it. The reality is that humans are complicated beings.
"I hate selfish and demanding people like you the most, Ryuju-san," Yukino said. "But at the end of the day, I can't selfishly turn down people willing to take a step forward."
Momo can't catch a break today!
"If you don't change yourself, your problem will never leave." Nagisa smiled as she brewed a pot of tea. "This is the motto of the Public Service Club."
"It is an interesting concept for a club, I admit." Chika smiled.
"You know why I came here, right?" Momo said. "I know it is bothersome, so I will keep it short. What is your relationship with Hikigaya Hachiman, really?"
"We're neither friends nor lovers," Yukino said. "I know that is hard to believe, but that is how it is."
"We don't believe it because Hikigaya-san is far more comfortable with you than strangers." Hayasaka shrugged.
"Ah, that's where you're mistaken," Yukino said. "We're not strangers. In fact, I'd hate to say we're uncomfortably close to each other."
Chika widened her eyes in confusion. "What do you mean by that, Yukinoshita-san? You're close, but you're neither friends nor lovers?"
"Being friends would require us to hang out regularly. And being lovers means we're committed to each other romantically." Yukino smiled eerily. "We barely met each other what, twice a month?"
"But we are close because we understand each other." Yukino gently took a sip of the tea from the cup Nagisa served. "Thank you, Kashiwagi-san."
"In other words, while they're physically distant, they have a strong emotional bond with each other." Nagisa laughed as she served red tea to the other girls. "Personally, I think the idea is quite romantic."
The story began last year.
Shirogane Miyuki was recruited into the student council, but Hikigaya Hachiman had no interest in joining. Though they remain friends outside, they're no longer as close at school!
Within this time filled with an emotional void, a lonely boy stumbled upon the presence of a lonely girl.
That was when Hikigaya Hachiman met Yukinoshita Yukino.
"We met a lot, we talked a lot. Most of the time, it was around lunchtime." Yukino said. "I was isolated at the time. People either looked down on me or were afraid of my cold attitude. I don't mind the loneliness. For me, that is just a fact of life."
"But since I met him, things around me have changed," Yukino said. "We have a lot of clashing opinions, yet we understood each other. We were loners, yet we disliked loneliness. And we hate to admit it, but we enjoyed each other's company."
"It was around the time when Yukino-san started to open up to her classmates," Nagisa said. "It is how I get to know her well."
"But while I started to get friends, he had no one but me. To be honest, I was concerned. And I think Hikigaya-kun also started to get uncomfortable because he felt like a burden."
"In that kind of situation, our relationships, or the nonexistence of it, became a sore point," Yukino said. "I could confidently say that he liked me, just like I was attracted to him."
"We were too stubborn, immature, and unwilling to admit our true feelings. With Summer vacation coming, it should be a good chance for us to mend our distance and get closer, but nothing ever comes out of it."
"Doesn't Hikigaya-san spend most of his time with the President around?" Chika asked. "I distinctly remember this."
"It was indeed like that," Momo said. "I know for sure because we become close after this. And Hachiman told his misadventures in Chiba involving the President."
"That is correct. After the election, Hikigaya-kun joined the Student Council. We met again for the first time within six weeks of separation and have changed as people." Yukino said. "It is ridiculous. Even though we're neither friends nor ever dated, my close friends said we behaved like a divorced couple."
"We did say that." Nagisa openly laughed. "Maki-san was this close to trapping you two in a closet because she was annoyed."
Ah, so you're super self-aware about it. Hayasaka remarked.
"Do you... still like Hikigaya-san?" Chika asked somewhat awkwardly. "Given the chance, would you like to go on a date with him?"
"If he was here, I'd say I'd rather die. But since he isn't here, I'd say the chances of it happening isn't zero." Yukino calmly answered.
This bitch. Momo popped a vein. "Your confidence is grating, you know?"
"Cry about it." Yukino straight-up told her off.
Hayasaka and Chika, too, understood that when Yukino said the chances aren't zero, it might as well be a hundred percent assured. If they get closer again, then it is not a matter of if, but when.
The old rumor resurfacing wasn't a coincidence. It was because Hachiman and Yukino met each other more regularly than before. In other words, any other girls romantically interested in him are on borrowed time.
Either they need to take action now or never.
However, while close to Hikigaya Hachiman, the three girls aren't necessarily attracted to him romantically. They were curious and wanted to get closer to him as a friend. Each has their own reasons why.
...Or so they would try to convince themselves.
"Also, when it comes to Hikigaya-kun, sure enough, big breasts are an advantage. Because he likes them just like most boys do." Yukino siddenly said. "But I am not too concerned about it."
"...Why?"
"Because he is obsessed with these."
Yukino's face suddenly turned devilish as she slid her chair behind... and crossed her legs. Uncharacteristically, she began showing off her immaculate, smooth, slender, and long legs for everyone to see.
"I hope I will never become a love rival for Yukino-san." Nagisa winced. "When you're being competitive, you really have no chill."
"Well, I know you have an AWFUL taste in men, Kashiwagi-san." Yukino said. "Considering you're pining for that guy..."
"I'm not even going to defend myself." Nagisa shrugged. "Good thing you gave up on him, so I have a chance."
It was when Ryuuju Momo, Fujiwara Chika, and Hayasaka Ai understood.
...
"As I said, I came here with a peaceful intent," Kaguya said while carrying a basket of fruits in her hand. "You know very well it is hard for me to get impressed with someone."
"Even more reason not to believe you." Maki frowned. "Get it? If you make trouble, I'll make you pay, Auntie."
"Stop calling me Auntie, I'm not that old." Kaguya scolded her.
When they entered the clubroom, they see Hayasaka, Momo, and Chika kneeling on the floor in despair. While Yukino smugly sat on the chair in front of them.
Kaguya and Maki closed the door in confusion and fear until Nagisa opened it for them with a grimace. "I can explain, but where to begin..."
Hikigaya Hachiman is, in fact, a leg man!
The Results of Today's Battle: Yukinoshita Yukino's splendid victory!
