Chapter 16
The Birthday Bash of one Yuigahama Yui
"Are… you sure you're alright, Onii-chan?"
"Hmm? Of course I am. What makes you think I'm not?"
"…You've been staring at Kamakura's belly for the past 10 minutes."
"…It's a cute belly."
It really was, and it wasn't that often that Kamakura decided to just lay there with his belly up.
It wasn't a chance he could miss.
Yes, that was definitely what was happening here.
And it had nothing to do with the fact that Yukinoshita had confessed to him yesterday, no sir.
…
…
…Fuck
"I'm fine, really." He said to Komachi, which did little to change her doubtful stare. "It's the cab here already?"
He wouldn't have minded a walk and public transport, but since Komachi had insisted money was no longer an issue because they were, apparently, loaded now, they were now forced to wait for their ride.
Would he have preferred to just stay at home on Saturday? Absolutely.
But that was not an option given what today's date was.
Yuigahama's birthday.
He wasn't a fan of birthdays per se, especially knowing it would mean going to a bunch of places he would never go unless dragged.
But Yuigahama had invited him.
And some might say he was a rude person, but even he wasn't going to just outright refuse to go to her birthday after being invited.
It was Yuigahama, after all.
Also, he was sure Komachi and Yukinoshita would skin him alive if he just decided to skip.
Aaaand he was back at thinking about Yukinoshita…
Fuck, he needed a distraction.
And Kamakura had just curled up so that distraction was gone.
Desperate measures, then.
'Don't forget the gift.'
And sent.
Now to wait for—ding —damn she's fast.
'pls. I already dropped off our gift with Yui's mum.
Don't forget I love—'
He didn't even bother finishing reading Miura's text. It was way too early for such embarrassment.
He still had to massage his forehead though, the last bit of the text stopping him from realizing what she had written for a few seconds.
What did she mean by 'their' gift?
"Onii-chan, the cab's here!"
A sigh left just as he stared at their first stop of the day, for even though he had known about it already, being here was already enough to tire him out.
And this wasn't even him just being anti-social, it was him just knowing that this was definitely going be quite the… experience.
For even though he had never gone to a place like this, he just had a hunch.
Karaokes weren't exactly his cup of tea, after all.
"Yahallo!"
Even so, he still braced himself as he went in with Komachi on the lead, with her greeting the rather big group that was standing there in front of the reception desk.
Suffice it to say, that was their group, and it seemed Komachi and him were the last ones to arrive
"Komachi-chan, yahallo!"
"Happy birthday, Yui-senpai!"
And the first one to greet Komachi was, of course, the birthday girl herself.
"Thank you so much!"
And as the two shared quite the hug, he used the opportunity to sweep his gaze alongside everyone else present. They were pretty much everyone he had expected to be here, so at the very least the attendee list wasn't a surprise.
Going from right to left, his eyes first landed on the bundled-up trio of Tobe, Ooka, and Yamato as they were chatting with one another, although the moment they felt his gaze on them, both Ooka and Yamato stopped to give him a nod, while Tobe himself gave him a thumbs up for some reason. He returned it with a nod himself.
Right to their left were the girls of their group, namely Ebina and Miura, and while Ebina simply waved at him with a smile, the moment his gaze landed on Miura it was as if she finally realized how embarrassing she had been acting lately, given the way she quickly broke eye contact, her cheeks tinted in red and… was she actually pouting right now?
She had no right, the only one that should be feeling embarrassed here was him, not her!
He moved his gaze further to the left, hoping to have a reprieve as he was already feeling some heat going up to his face.
Of course, much to his luck, said action had the opposite effect. As soon as he moved his gaze, his eyes clashed with Yukinoshita's blue eyes, as she had apparently been looking right at him beforehand.
Suffice it to say, they were only able to keep their gazes on one another for a couple of seconds, before she broke the starring match. Not like he could blame her though, especially with the pink hue that he could see on her cheeks even from here.
They… were going to need to talk about it sooner or later, that was for sure, but with today being Yuigahama's birthday, and Yukinoshita being always the diplomatic one, she had told him they would talk later about… her confession.
Her confession to him.
Continuing his sweep through the group finally got him to stop feeling embarrassed, although the confusion he felt next wasn't exactly an upgrade, with the responsible of that one being the narrowed gaze Isshiki was sending his way.
And considering how he saw her gaze go between himself and Yukinoshita before her eyes narrowed even further, something told him they had not been subtle enough on that one.
As such he did the only available move and decided to ignore Isshiki for everyone's sake, his eyes then landing on an obviously uncomfortable Kawasaki, who had her arms crossed over her chest, all while Totsuka seemed to be trying to make small talk with her fellow silver-haired girl.
But for as much as an ego boost that it was to see how both Kawasaki's and Totsuka's eyes light up the moment they saw him, with Kawasaki simply nodding his way while Totsuka sent a wave of her own, it was hard to ignore how he could feel more pair of eyes making a hole at his face besides Isshiki's.
At least that was finally all though.
And a third of them apparently had romantic feelings for him.
Surely that wasn't going to complicate today's business.
Surely….
"Yahallo, Hikki!"
He was broken out of his internal doom musing by an approaching Yuigahama, with her hands behind her back and a rather elated smile on her lips, with her eyes showing nothing but expectations as she walked closer to him.
He had to hold himself from sighing. He knew subtlety wasn't Yuigahama's strong suit but c'mon, it wasn't like he wasn't going to do it…
Might as well give her what she wants then.
"Happy birthday, Yuigahama."
It was a simple congratulations, something that she had probably heard dozens of times by now, and while he certainly meant what he said, as simply as it was, it didn't change the fact that his tone still wasn't as excited as it should probably have been.
"Thank you, Hikki!"
That didn't stop Yuigahama's smile from turning into a grin, however, one so unexpectedly elated that, before he had realized, his heart had already skipped a beat.
…He should probably get his chest checked one of these days if even Yuigahama was getting to him like this.
"How are you this calm? Your turn is almost up!" Kawasaki hissed to his left, with a rather amusing amount of nervousness displayed on her face that would have had him snickering if he wasn't afraid of the retaliations.
"I had months to prepare myself mentally for this." He advised sagely, his eyes fixed on the front as both Yuigahama and Yukinoshita were seemingly about to finish their duet.
It seemed it was Yuigahama's mission to sing as many duets as possible given this was her third, with both Komachi and Miura already having their turn, although, and maybe to no one's surprise, this song in particular was definitely coming out way better, for even as embarrassed as Yukinoshita seemed to be by Yuigahama dragging her into the song, it didn't change her skills as a superwoman who was apparently talented on everything.
At least, from his spot on the corner of the seat with only Kawasaki to his right, he was able to keep himself low profile enough, to the point he hadn't been dragged out to make a fool of himself just yet by singing something way too upbeat for his tastes, although everyone else seemed to be enjoying it just fine.
At least that's what he got based on how Tobe, Miura, Isshiki and Komachi seemed to be cheering every time a new song was brought up.
Miura had been doing it too, but she had been rather silent since Yukinoshita took the stage, and that frown on her face made it clear what she thought of Yuigahama's other best friend.
The point being though, that he had been able to delay the inevitable. He knew his turn would happen sooner or later, he had already accepted that fact, his fate, but at least he would be able to see Kawasaki butchering it up before he did, so that would lessen the pressure!
"H-Hey…" Kawasaki whispered before she bit her lip just as Yuigahama and Yukinoshita finished their bonding moment. "W-Wanna do it with me?"
He blinked slowly before turning his face to her, hoping she understood how she had made it sound.
"S-Shut up!" And seemingly she did by the hiss and colored face she had. Strange wording notwithstanding, and as much as he related to Kawasaki right now, there was no force on this planet that would get him to stand up before it was absolutely necessary.
"Let's go, Saki-Saki!"
Fortunately for her, Kawasaki's partner was at least someone she knew, as Ebina bounced up in front of her and pretty much dragged her out of her seat, letting his gaze trail the now spluttering Kawasaki.
It was truly hard to be a loner.
"Heya, Senpai!" But Kawasaki's empty seat did not last long before it was taken by Isshiki herself, a half-lidded stare aimed right at him. "I was just wondering—"
"I'm not going to sing with you."
"—why are you like this?" Isshiki sighed in defeat, right before she sent a glare his way. "I bet you would say yes if it was Yukinoshita-senpai…"
"I assure you, there is no one here that would get me to agree to it." If she thought he was going to take the bait, then she was sorely mistaken.
"Not even Komachi-chan?" She smirked at him, but he still only shook his head in return.
"I have tons of points saved up that I can use for something like this." Surely he had enough points to pay for a skip considering he hadn't disowned her after the stuff she had been saying and doing lately.
Wasn't he an amazing brother?
"What?" Not like Isshiki understood, but she didn't have to, so kept his gaze on the stiff-as-hell Kawasaki, who was trying, and failing miserably, at keeping up with Ebina's pace of the song.
At least no one was laughing at her, although how much of that was a result of the glare that she had on her face, he could only guess.
The good part is that it wasn't his mandatory turn yet, and since he was an unmovable mountain right now-
"H-Hachiman…!" Suddenly, it was Totsuka who stood in front of him, a bashful expression on her face as she held a microphone. "It's my turn next… c-can we go together…?"
"Absolutely, let's go."
"Excuse me?!" He ignored Isshiki's indignant voice as he stood up, resolution showing on his face.
He might be a rock and all but c'mon!
He was starting to hate Ebina.
Now, hate might be a strong word, but even ignoring her involvement with the whole Miura debacle, did she really have to put a damn love song of all things for Totsuka and him?
She had made an already embarrassing moment somehow even worse.
Of course, he wasn't an idiot and knew why she had done so. After all, as far as she was aware, Totsuka was a guy, so having two guys singing a cheesy love song like this was definitely one of her stupid fantasies.
Especially if the hollering she was sending their way was an indication of anything. Not like she was the only one cheering though, and suffice to say, he could have done without the words of encouragement from his peers.
Even Kawasaki was on it, for she certainly thought revenge was sweet.
At least the song was finally coming to an end. An idol, he was not, but at least he managed to not stumble over his words, which was quite the feat considering he had Totsuka singing right in front of him, who looked like she would burst into flames at any second now.
Unlike them, he knew that Totsuka was a girl, so this was doing weird things to his heartbeat that definitely had him considering visiting a doctor.
With any luck though, maybe his embarrassment wasn't on full display…
"Timid Senpai is a great sight."
Well, screw you too, Isshiki.
"S-Sorry…!" It was Totsuka who apologized as soon as they ended the song, with the clapping coming from most of the group only making her shrink even more into herself.
"Don't worry…" Not like it was her fault that Ebina couldn't keep her fetish on the line.
Maybe the fact that Hayama wasn't here was truly a blessing in disguise.
"Now it's Hikki's turn to pick!"
And now he was supposed to double dip.
Lovely.
The things he did just to not bring the mood down. Yuigahama better be grateful for this.
"I'm picking." He declared as soon as Ebina stood up, not even giving her a chance to grab the tablet from Yuigahama's hands. If he was going to dance with the figurative devil, he was picking the song this time at least.
The issue though, was that they were only doing duets.
Well, maybe that wasn't the issue per se.
The problem was the expectant looks he was not so subtle receiving from like, half the people in the room.
Kawasaki, Miura, Yukinoshita, and even Isshiki for some reason, it was as if they were about to jump from their damn seat the moment he even said anything.
Suffice it to say, he knew a trap when he saw one, so he immediately crossed them out of the list.
There was Komachi of course, but he didn't need more siscon rumours from spreading.
Totsuka was still out of breath, and he didn't want her to get the wrong idea by picking her.
Same reason he couldn't pick Yuigahama.
That only left one logical choice, which would bring a lesser headache.
"Tobe." He declared, giving him a look of utmost seriousness, which he returned with a dumb look of surprise.
Before saying anything though, Tobe's gaze moved through the rest of the room, and he had to give credit where it was due: He did not falter even though he was on the receiving end of more than a few glares from angry girls.
Instead, his gaze actually grew resoluted, just as he suddenly stood up.
"I got you, bro!"
Right now, he actually did.
And that fact scared him.
He needed a drink.
A good old MAXX Coffee, to be precise.
Fortunately, the vending machine on the hall outside of their booth was blessed with such a beverage.
"Senpai!"
Unfortunately, he would not be able to enjoy said drink in silence, as Isshiki had pretty much followed him as soon as he left the room.
"Wasn't it your turn?" He asked, remembering she was meant to go right after him.
"Yeah, but the guys got excited after you and Tobe-senpai's turn so they are all doing some weird three-way right now."
Sounded fun. He couldn't be happier about not participating.
"Senpai…" Isshiki had her hands on her hips, fixing him up with a glare. "Did you say anything to Yukino-senpai and Yui-senpai?"
"I told you I would explain it to them." He did, and he had, so why was she acting surprised?
"Yeah but…" She continued with a frown. "Yukino-senpai's been glaring at me even more than I expected. Did something happen between you two?"
Something happened alright.
Not like he would explain that to Isshiki though.
"It's no—"
"Eh? Senpai and Hikigaya-senpai?"
They both froze, their gaze widening as they slowly turned their heads to the right.
Just to see the brat—Nene standing right there with a surprised look on her face.
Had she been following them again without him realizing it?
No, wait, she looked just as surprised as they were…
Was it really just a coincidence—
"Heya, Nene-chan!"
He was taken out of his thoughts by Isshiki's brain seemingly going into overdrive, making it not work properly, or at least that was the only explanation he had for how she suddenly went and hugged his arm.
"I didn't think I'd see you both today!" Nene declared as came closer to them, only earning a nervous chuckle from Isshiki.
"W-Well, you know…" He was going to have to pay for some acting classes if this was the best Isshiki could come up with.
Also, surely they could tell her they were just here for Yuigahama's birthday—
"Ah, I know." She snapped her fingers as if she had discovered something. "You two are on a date, aren't you?"
Well, no—
"Yes!"
For fucks sake, Isshiki.
"Y-You know how it is!" Isshiki continued, now even resting her head on his arm for good measure. "S-Senpai and I can't stop being lovey-dovey even for a day!"
For someone that wanted to pretend a relationship, she sure sucked at it.
He understood that she wanted to pretend in front of her, but he was pretty sure they didn't need to try this much, especially when they were only one hall away from people who definitely shouldn't see them like this!
Also, and this was important, lovey-dovey his ass.
"I won't interrupt you two further then!" At least the brat was taking it in stride, which only made him wonder who was worse, if Isshiki who apparently couldn't act to save her life, or if Nene for actually believing her. "I'll go back to my group then. Bye-bye Senpai, Hikigaya-senpai!"
And then she disappeared as fast as she came, with them only releasing a sigh of relief after Nene disappeared inside one of the booths.
"How has she not figured you out is beyond me." He remarked, to which she sighed once more before pouting up at him.
"I panicked a bit, ok?"
"Just a bit?" He snorted, for if that was 'just a bit', he couldn't imagine her doing it worse. "Also, you're free to let me go now, I doubt she's going to come back."
"…"
"…"
"…but what if—"
"So that was the girl…"
He had no shame in admitting he almost jumped out of sheer surprise when a soft voice came from behind them, which was a far better reaction still compared to Isshiki's outright shriek.
"Yuigahama?" He glared at the birthday girl, while he held his chest with one of his hands. At least Isshiki had finally released him, but since when was Yuigahama this stealthy? He hadn't even felt her approaching at all!
"Y-Yui-senpai? You almost scared me to death!" Isshiki straight up glared at Yuigahama, who simply chuckled before raising her hands in a disarming way.
"Sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to sneak on you, but I didn't want her to see me." She explained, her smile slowly turning into a frown. "Since you two are on a date and all…"
Well, shit.
Of everyone that could have seen them, Yuigahama was arguably not the worst one, but even so…
"I-I have to go to the bathroom, actually! Good luck, senpai!"
Betrayed by his kouhai, who didn't even think twice before throwing him under the bus…
And then she wondered why she wasn't his favorite kouhai.
"Sorry, Yuigahama." He said sincerely, now with only him and Yuigahama standing by the vending machine.
She kept peering at his face with an unimpressed look for a few seconds, actually making him feel slightly nervous for a moment, before it was broken by another chuckle leaving her lips.
"Relax Hikki, it's fine." She smiled at him as if everything was fine with the world, which only made him frown in confusion.
"It is?" He knew she hadn't taken it as bad as Yukinoshita, as he definitely remembered how it went when she explained it to him, but he would have understood if she got at least a bit upset by him doing this during her birthday nonetheless, even if it had been for just a moment and not planned at all.
"Yeah!" She just shrugged with a tilt of her head. "I mean, I don't like that you got dragged into this, but… I trust you, Hikki, so if you feel like you have to do this… I understand."
How many times was Yuigahama going to catch him off guard like this? Even though he would understand if she had gotten angry, she still surprised him like this…
"And if you need any help with it…" She continued in a whisper, one of her hands beside her mouth as if she was telling the biggest secret of all times. "I'm on your side, Hikki, so you can ask me anytime!"
Her following words were also enough to root him on the spot, his bewildered face clashing with Yuigahama's somehow innocent yet confidant expression.
It took him a few seconds to finally verbalize what he was feeling at the moment, but when he did, it was with a sentence that he was finding himself saying more and more as of late.
"Thank you, Yuigahama."
Their next stop, because thankfully they hadn't planned to stay at the karaoke for the entire day, was a restaurant.
He had never gone to this place, of course, and the only thing he knew about it, as he had been debriefed by Komachi, is that it was one of those eccentric places that had the chef cooking on the client's tables as if it was a personal spectacle.
He hadn't known Yuigahama was into this sort of thing, but who was he to judge?
Yuigahama's taste notwithstanding though, there was something that did catch his attention as he stood behind most of the group with Kawasaki to his right.
"What's with you?" He whispered as he saw Kawasaki grimace while they walked in, while also doing his best to ignore the whispered conversation that he was sure Komachi and Yukinoshita, who were right in front of them, were having about him.
And it wasn't him having a big head or anything, as them turning to look back at him every few seconds left little to no doubt about what the topic of their talk was.
"I… know this place." She answered begrudgingly, not really clearing out his confusion. Was the food bad or something?
The answer to his doubt came the moment they finally came in, however, and were greeted by the employee standing at the reception.
"Hello, good evening! Welcome to—Saki-sama?"
Ah…
That was the guy with the PowerPoint presentation, wasn't he?
He would have rubbed his eyes just to make sure, but the way Kawasaki's palm met her face was all the proof he needed.
It didn't help that everyone in front of them suddenly turned to look at Kawasaki.
And if he had any doubt about this place just not doing proper background checks of their employees…
"Please excuse my coworker here. My name is Makoto and I'll guide you to your table, if you don't mind. We have the VIP table just for your group."
That sure went out the window the moment the scary lady came into the scene, wearing nothing but an amicable smile.
…This place was a front for something illegal, wasn't it?
"Eh? But I only reserved a regular one…" Yuigahama's confusion was palpable, and he had to hold himself from imitating Kawasaki.
"We have a special promotion today." But like a well-trained individual, her answer was swift, and as confused as they all were, Yuigahama wasn't going to miss the chance it seemed, as we ended up following her.
He had to pretend that the PowerPoint guy did not give him and Kawasaki a thumbs-up as they walked by.
Kawasaki's groan told him she was not able to do the same.
"Should I worry?" He whispered as fire erupted in front of him, courtesy of the cook who was standing in the middle of their table doing some, admittedly, pretty sick moves with the knives and other stuff he was using for quite literally sending the food flying.
"No…?" Kawasaki didn't sound exactly convinced on her own statement. "Just… dad has a bunch of places like this. Hiding in plain sight or something as he likes to ramble about sometimes."
He blinked, deciding that maybe asking for more details wasn't necessary, for the sake of his innocence and all of that.
He could have lived without said cook winking at them every time he thought no one else was looking.
In fact, the fact that he was seated just to Kawasaki's right was probably not a coincidence.
"Pff, hey bro…!"
But did they have to put Tobe on his left?
"What?"
"You going out with her or something?" Tobe whispered, his eyes looking at Kawasaki on the other side before going back to him, the suddenness of his question almost making him choke on nothing but air.
"What? No…" Not like it was any of Tobe's business anyway, but maybe that's how it looked? He had been talking mostly with Kawasaki today, after all, a result of her not really having anyone else she really knew here besides Ebina, he supposed.
"Oh, that's good!" He did not expect Tobe's relieved sigh as a response though, nor the shaky grin he sent his way. "Got scared there for a sec, thought you were two-timing Irohasu-GLURH"
And then Tobe died, the end.
Alright so maybe not the end, but Tobe did die.
As in, he had no idea what happened but the next thing he knew Tobe grunted in pain before his body fell forward, his forehead smashing on his food with a wet thud.
And with him not bent over, his gaze landed immediately on an angry Miura.
"He's not two-timing anyone, idiot." Miura's harsh whisper was barely high enough for him to hear, although her glare quickly went from the dead body to him. "Right, Hikio?"
"…Right." He nodded, not really understanding why Miura had now a smile of satisfaction but whatever floated her boat, he guessed.
"Good to know the young master wouldn't dare to two-time someone…" But apparently, Miura had not been silent enough, as a certain scary lady whispered on his side as she put a glass in front of him. "It's on the house, young master."
Yeah he was not drinking that thing, free or not
He needed to go to the bathroom.
"Is that the young master?"
"Yeah! I hear he's on a date with Saki-sama today!"
"He better be treating her right!"
"That guy was acknowledged by the boss himself, you know?! He's the real deal!"
He was regretting not staying put.
Apparently, everyone working here was part of Kawasaki's dad's… business, and they sure liked to gossip a lot as he walked by.
He was going to let a bad review online at this rate.
Also, what the hell did they mean by young master? He had been hearing way too much of that lately and frankly, the implications were starting to scare him.
The only reason he hadn't asked Kawasaki about it was to not make things even more awkward between them.
At least he was already close to the bathroom so things couldn't possibly worsen—
"Ara? Boyfriend-kun?"
What sort of crime had he committed in his past life? He could only wonder…
"Ignoring a lady is not good, boyfriend-kun. How do you expect to keep them all happy if you don't know that?"
Turns out just going into the bathroom while ignoring the annoying saleslady who apparently also worked here and whose name he never bothered to learn did not make her disappear by the time he had come out.
Just his luck.
"Are you stalking me?" Maybe he was overreacting a bit, but this was way too much of a coincidence really.
"Maybe we're just having a fated meeting!" Her answer came with a giggle as she trailed to his side, with her gaze moving to the front before going back to him, her smile just a bit larger. "Although seems I underestimated you. There are some new ones in your group… maybe I should start serving that table?"
"I'll give you a tip to not do that." They were now loaded, right? He might as well take advantage of it then, which is why he stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her, while also trying to block her view of the table.
"Hmmm…" And as if the cutesy act was going to give her any points, she brought a finger to her bottom lip, as if she was in deep thought, for just a few seconds before her eyes almost literally lit up for some reason. "I think I'm fine for now. Enjoy your day, boyfriend-kun."
And then she was gone, presumably to serve another table that would have to deal with her rather than his—
"Why did the waitress call you like that?"
God dammit.
"Because the universe hates me or something." He answered out of pure reflex, before he finally realized that someone had sneaked up on him again.
Only that, unlike Yuigahama who was far more forgiving and understanding than he had ever given credit for, the one now standing close to him was a clearly suspicious Yukinoshita.
"I was expecting a more forthcoming answer." She seemingly wasn't amused by his sense of humor, which only meant she had bad taste. "But if you don't want to answer, very well."
Hoh? Was she really not going to ask further? Just like that?
"Why is everyone here calling you young master then?"
Never mind, too good to be true.
When they came back to their table, after a long explanation of how he had no idea why the people working here were stupidly weird, he noticed a change.
More specifically, a sitting arrangement change.
"Are you going to just stand there? Food's getting cold, Hikio."
As in, Tobe was seemingly kicked out and instead, now Miura had the seat to his left, proving once more that she had the subtlety of a tornado.
He still took his seat though, because what else was he supposed to do? Besides, Miura had been sort of behaving calmly enough today, so maybe she wouldn't try anything, especially on Yuigahama's birthday?
"Hey, did you try this?" But even as hoping that, as soon as he sat Miura was already on him with a piece of meat resting on her chopsticks.
"No?" He had not, for even though the food so far had been admittedly pretty good, he had been too busy not sighing to death to try everything.
"Want some?" She offered as she brought the meat closer to his face, and as he gave her a raised eyebrow he was also wondering what she was trying to pull here.
"Sure." He still agreed though, for there wasn't any need to cause a scene during Yuigahama's birthday and he didn't want to risk it.
"Go ahead then…" Once again she pushed her chopsticks closer to his face, and her intentions became even more apparent when he saw the way her gaze kept moving down from his eyes to his lips.
Was she… trying to feed him? Just like that? In front of everyone?
Just how high was her power level?!
"…Thank you."
So of course he did the only sensitive thing to do and he picked up the meat with his fingers, taking it away from her grasp before throwing it in his mouth.
Oh, and he could tell she didn't like his move by her heating glare, but what else could she do? Force the food down his throat herself?
Miura zero, Hachiman one—
"Hey Hikigaya. Want to try this one too?"
There were no winners in the war.
He turned to the opposite side, just in time to see Kawasaki raising her own chopsticks, this time with what looked like chicken there, with her serious expression telling him she wasn't backing down on this.
It didn't help that he had a view of the scary lady giving him a thumbs-up from behind Kawasaki.
Nor that he could feel Miura's rising blood pressure from behind him somehow.
Was it a bad time to become a vegetarian?
"Seriously bro, how are you doing it?" He should have known that even the ride to Yuigahama's house wouldn't be a quiet one, only that this time it was Tobe who was pestering him with a strange, awed-looking expression on his face?
"Doing what?" He still asked though, for something told him Tobe would pester him about it the entire ride if he tried to ignore him.
It didn't help that his two friends looked awfully curious as well.
"How are you getting so many girls, bro, what else?!" His tone was a mix of jealousy and admiration. "Is it the bad boy brooding act? It has to be that, right?!"
"…I have no idea what you're talking about." Now he was definitely glad that they had taken two cabs instead of one, with the girls riding the other one. He didn't know if Tobe was stupid enough to ask something like that in front of them, but he wouldn't put it past him by now.
"Dude c'mon we're not blind! Not even Hayato has the hottest girls in the school pinning for him like you do! Tell me your secret, bro!" Frankly speaking, it wasn't Tobe's words that were making him worry, but the fact that, if even Tobe was able to figure this out then, who else had? "You're curious too, aren't you, Totsuka?"
"…"
Rather than curious, Totsuka's pout was one of obvious displeasure, and he could have sworn her eyes were looking kind of glassy as she looked at him.
"…It isn't fair…"
"I know, right?!"
Something told him there was a disconnection here when it came to the topic at hand, but as Totsuka started sulking for reasons beyond him while Tobe kept asking him for advice as if he were some kind of romance guru, he could only wonder if things were being a bit less chaotic on the girl's car.
The fact that a shiver went down his spine at that thought didn't help.
"Good luck, Onii-chan. You're going to need it." Komachi spoke in a solemn tone the moment she stepped out of the car first. His one had arrived first, so they had all been waiting for them.
He had not expected Komachi to look at him like a dead man walking through.
But before he could ask for an explanation, the rest of the group started coming out and, well, he honestly couldn't remember the last time he had been glared by so many people at the same time.
Like, what the hell had happened and why were they all, except for Ebina and Yuigahama, looking as if they had swallowed a lemon?
Yuigahama's look of pity wasn't exactly giving him any confidence either.
"So many faces I haven't met yet, fufu. My Yui sure is a popular girl, isn't she?"
At the very least, the tense atmosphere that had been settled the moment they all got together once again disappeared the instant they were greeted by Yuigahama's mom, who quite literally looked so much like an older Yuigahama that he had to wonder what happened with her dad's genes.
Also, at least he was now sure Yuigahama wasn't secretly rich. Sure, her home was quite big so they could all fit in without issue, but knowing her family wasn't secretly millionaires helped bring a sense of normality.
"M-Mum, stop that!" Her mom only laughed at Yuigahama's pouting visage, with Yuigahama deciding that a proper introduction of each one was in order as they all came inside.
Of course, some were more familiar than others as her mom obviously already knew Miura's group and Yukinoshita, but the woman took it in stride even when meeting some like the tense Kawasaki or the shy Totsuka for the first time.
"And you must be the famous Hikki." And then it was his turn as he entered last, and he could have sworn Yuigahama-san's smile widened just a bit when she addressed him. "Yui has told me so much about you!"
She has?
"Mum, stop." Yuigahama's begging seemed to be doing little as her face flared red in embarrassment.
"Now now dear, it isn't every time Hikki comes to visit so I have to take my chance!" And then, in an act that made him wonder just how strong she truly was, she linked her arm with his just as she started guiding him deeper inside her home. "Now, we never had the chance to thank you for saving poor Sable, did we? You must think we're so inconsiderate…!"
"That's not…" He tried to reason with her after seeing her defeated sigh, for some reason not thinking she would bring up something like that with how long ago that event had been, but before he could even finish his sentence she was already smiling once more, a shine to her eyes that made him gulp without realizing.
"But don't worry, Hikki-kun. I'm sure we'll be able to make up for the lost time soon enough!" Her words only made him turn his head around to try and get some help from the birthday girl, but she was seemingly too busy hiding her face in her hands out of sheer embarrassment.
Not that he could blame her, for not even ten minutes after meeting her, he could already tell Yuigamama's extrovert power was far beyond even him.
When he was finally given a breather, the first thing he did was to take a seat on the couch, not because he was tired physically, but because keeping up with Yuigahama's mom's upbeatness felt like no small feat for someone like him.
"You ok there?" Kawasaki, ever the lonesome one, asked him after he took a seat on the other end of the couch where she had been sitting.
"Yeah." Honestly, as tiring as it was, he would still take Yuigahama-san's attitude over the hot mess that was Yukinoshita's mom and Kawasaki's dad. He didn't tell Kawasaki that though, for he wasn't that stupid, and instead moved to take out his phone.
He had seen the pile of gifts Yuigahama had received and he just needed to make sure of something real quick with Miura, but since he didn't want to have to go up and address her himself, and she was too busy cooing at the, admittedly, massive cake that was resting on the table.
So he sent a short message, his eyes then going to her as he visibly saw her take out her own phone, her eyes going from the device, to meet his own for just a second before they went back to it just as she started typing something.
"Of course it's our gift. I chose it, remember? Don't worry I put both of our names on the gift card."
She what?
That just made him worry even more!
Now Yuigahama was just going to wonder what the hell he had been doing picking up a gift with Miura of all people.
He groaned into his hand, cursing himself for letting Miura take the gift in the first place. At least Yuigahama would understand, he supposed, given that she knew something was happening between him and Miura.
He should definitely explain that to her if Miura or Ebina hadn't done so already, she deserved that much considering how understanding she had been throughout the entire ordeal.
He still wasn't able to stop looking at the pile of gifts with disdain. He didn't even know which one was supposed to be his, or rather theirs.
"Relax dude." And Kawasaki was seemingly able to notice his glare as she suddenly scooted closer to him. "I got you covered."
"You what now?" He asked in confusion. What did she mean?
"Well, I'll be honest, I thought you were bullshitting me about getting her a decent gift." Kawasaki continued with a shrug. "So I put your name with mine since you helped me pick it up and stuff…"
First of all, saying that what he did was helping was giving him too much credit, but whatever, that wasn't the issue here.
Her putting his name alongside hers on her gift? Well, he appreciated the sentiment and all, but what was with the lack of faith! Also, now he would have to explain why there was more than one gift with his name on it to Yuigahama.
That was going to be fun.
"Sorry, gotta take this call." But before he could say anything to Kawasaki, she had already left her seat with her phone in her hand, leaving him to sigh in defeat by himself. Well, as long as it was only two—
"Psst, senpai…!"
He moved his head slowly to the left, where Isshiki was already bending slightly so she could whisper to his ear, and without even knowing what she had to say, a feeling of impending doom had already settled itself within him.
"Since you were probably lying about getting Yui-senpai a good gift, I was gracious enough to add your name to my gift." Isshiki murmured with a smirk, as if she had just outplayed everyone in the room. "No need to thank me, Senpai, as long as you don't forget how lucky you are to have such a cute and caring girlfriend like me!"
Oh, he was lucky alright…
If by lucky she meant the… opposite of lucky…?
Great, his brain was so fried because of the sheer stupidity factor he had received in less than five minutes that he couldn't even come up with a good enough retort in his head.
His IQ had probably dropped to Tobe levels by now.
And speaking of impressive IQs…
"Hikigaya-kun, do you have a moment?"
"Let me guess." He started once Yukinoshita came to address him after Isshiki left, with nothing but tiredness reflecting in his tone. "You didn't think I could get a good gift so you put my name with whatever gift you got for Yuigahama?"
"…"
"…"
"…How did you know?" Her eyes were now narrowed, with a tint of red showing on her face as she apparently didn't expect him to have read her like a book.
"Same answer I gave you at the restaurant." He sighed, not knowing if having this made things better or worse when it came to Yuigahama.
"I… also thought it would be a good practice." Yukinoshita continued right after however, her tone far softer while her eyes were now unable to meet his. "Since… we'll probably start sending gifts together in the future…"
He really wasn't going to survive the day at this rate, was he?
At least he was given more room to breathe as Yukinoshita left after Yuigahama called her for a picture or something, which helped him settle down his raging heartbeat.
But that should be everyone, right?
"Yo, Hikkitani-bro!"
He didn't know if this was better or worse.
"Look, dude." Strangely enough, Tobe had an actual pretty serious expression on his face as he took a seat next to him, although he could have lived without his arm going around the back of his neck, as apparently whatever he was about to say was of utmost secret. "I know getting gifts for girls can be hard and all, so I get it if you couldn't get a good one. Want me to put your name with mine? We dudes have to cover our backs and all!"
…Well, at least he was asking first.
That was, scaringly enough, an improvement over everyone else right now.
It didn't stop him from feeling offended as hell though, but even he had to admit that morbid curiosity was getting to him.
It also helped him to distract himself from how apparently almost everyone here thought he was shit with gifts.
"What did you get her?" He asked, honestly expecting something dumb…
"A collar for her pet!" He responded with pride. "Cool, right?!"
…Damn.
When he heard it like that…
That was a really shitty gift, wasn't it?
"Alright, time for more pictures but with the gifts this time! I'll be reading the names on them so whoever I name next is taking a pic with Yui and the gift!"
"…"
And just like that, Yuigahama's mom had gotten him a death sentence.
As in, he could honestly start feeling the cold sweat going down his forehead, for even though he had been sure he could explain it easily enough if Yuigahama were to ask him, but if she started reading his name on most of those gifts…
That would bring up questions that, admittedly, he didn't have to answer.
But he also didn't want to die.
"Mom, we already took enough pictures!" Yuigahama, always the voice of reason nowadays, was quick to interject. She was holding one of the gifts in her hands though, and he could have sworn he saw her eyes meet his for a moment before she looked to the other side, a slight frown present on her face.
Had she… read them already?
"But dear—"
Yuigahama-san's voice by the suddenness of an unexpected sound, like a bunch of small taps against the floor that were growing increasingly louder?
"Wait, Sable, don't!"
And the responsible for the noise made its presence known not even a second later, as Yuigahama's dog suddenly barred in from the hallway into the living room, looking around with all the excitement that a dog could give, obviously not minding the multitude of extra people in its home.
Until its eyes landed on him though, at which point he could have sworn he saw them fricking sparkle like stars for just a second.
"Wait!"
He was unable to listen to Yuigahama's cry, for he was now being devoured by the brown missile that had flown straight to him
"Huh, so you're even good with dogs too…" Kawasaki's whisper came just as Sable's tongue once again met his face, his only reaction being the twitch of his right eye.
"Kamakura is going to feel betrayed." Komachi, on the other hand, simply snickered, and he had to pretend he didn't see her taking a picture with her phone. It was either that or to disown her on the spot.
"S-Sorry, Hikki." Yuigahama lamented while standing in front of him, right before she once again attempted to take her dog out of his grasp. "Sable, c'mon boy, leave Hikki alone for a bit, ok?"
The only thing her attempt did was to make Sable whine before it tried to scramble even further in his hold, which was next to impossible as he was already holding the dog as if it was a damn baby.
Of course, he had tried to release the dog back to its owner himself, but that was only met with even more whining and trashing from the pup.
"… Cats are still better." Thank you for the valuable input, Yukinoshita.
"He's never like this when we visit." Miura spoke with confusion, which only made him feel even more special.
Because the dog saliva on his face was not doing that already.
"That's just cause Sable here recognized his savior!" At least someone was enjoying herself given the giggle that escaped Yuigahama-san's lips.
"Savior?" Isshiki voiced out the doubt that was reflected on most of everyone's faces, with Yukinoshita's grimace, Yuigahama's conflicted face, and Komachi's sad expression being the only exceptions.
"I don't think Hikki wants to talk about that, Mom." Yuigahama lamented with pursed lips, for which he was grateful.
She was supposed to be the center of attention today, after all, not him. He never wanted to be one anyway, and that had been so long ago that it wasn't even worth bringing it up again.
But even when it looked like she was going to push forward, he was quite literally saved by the bell, as the sound of what he could only assume was the doorbell suddenly brought their attention elsewhere.
"Who could it be?" Such were Yuigahama-san's words of confusion before she went to answer the door, with the answer to her question making itself known not too long after, as she came with someone new right behind her.
"Sorry for the delay, everyone!"
It was Hayama Hayato
On one hand, it felt nice not being the center of attention, as almost everyone had pretty much crowed Hayama the moment he made his presence known.
Not that he really blamed them, given how Hayama had just disappeared for almost a month by now. Certainly, a concerning amount of time, which is why he understood.
He also understood why Kawasaki was still sitting to his right, since she probably didn't give a damn about Hayama at all.
Yukinoshita still sitting to his left, on the other hand, and with the way her eyes refused to go to where Hayama was…
"Do you know why he was absent?" He whispered quietly to her, his right hand stroking Sable's fur. Now that the dog wasn't salivating on his face, it was actually rather calming having him on his lap.
Yukinoshita didn't answer anything however, and instead moved her gaze towards Hayama finally, although it only lasted for a split second before her eyes landed on his own, her gaze more colder than usual for another second, before it became surprisingly soft towards him.
"I'm unsure." She answered with a slight frown settling on her face. "But… I believe mother went to speak with Hayama-kun's family before… you know." The way her face flushed slightly was all he needed to know to confirm what she was talking about.
And while she wasn't outright saying it, the implications were more than clear, which made his gaze move towards where Hayama was standing.
The moment he did, he immediately met Hayama's gaze, only that unlike the usual, there was no fake friendliness hidden in them. Instead, they were nothing but cold, to the point Yukinoshita would have had competition when it came to frosty stares.
But not even a couple of seconds later Hayama had already moved his gaze to someone else from everyone surrounding him, a smile once again plastered on his face as warmth, whether genuine or practiced he didn't know, returned to his eyes.
Suffice it to say, that was all the confirmation he needed.
Hayama Hayato knew about their engagement.
"Happy birthday!"
Such words were being bombarded at Yuigahama from every side, just as the sound of clapping filled the room, all while she finished blowing off the candles on her cake, a slight tint of red on her cheeks just as a grin appeared on her lips.
Then came the round of more personal congratulations, as everyone pretty much lined up to give Yuigahama a hug in most cases, or just an awkward handshake in Kawasaki's very particular case, which would have had him snickering if it wasn't his turn now.
"…"
"…Hikki?" Yuigahama's tone was curious as he stepped close to her. He was the last one to go once again, and as much as a part of him wanted to emulate Kawasaki, as hugging wasn't exactly his thing, he also knew it wasn't exactly the… appropriate response, so to speak.
Yuigahama and him were friends, after all.
It was a term that he hadn't really used for years, and that he had just started using again not so long ago when it came to Yukinoshita, Yuigahama, and heck even Isshiki.
But things were more complicated with Isshiki now, and far, far more with Yukinoshita.
Meanwhile, Yuigahama was still just his friend, and as she had shown in the last few weeks, she was even willing to take his side over two friends with whom she definitely had a closer relationship.
And he appreciated that, he truly did.
Especially with how… volatile his last weeks had been.
So when Yuigahama's eyes twinkled in anticipation, he didn't sigh or lamented anything, and instead simply nodded while raising his right arm slightly.
"Happy birthday, Yuigahama." He said with sincerity, a smile blossoming on Yuigahama's lips as he did.
The hug that followed next wasn't nearly as intimate as the one she had shared with others like Miura and Yukinoshita. It was only a side hug at best on his part, and it barely lasted anything in comparison to the others she had received.
"Thank you for being here, Hikki."
But even so, the heartfelt whisper that left Yuigahama the moment they separated, low enough so only he would hear, still made the corners of his lips twitch upward, and if someone had commented on it, he would have told them that the red hue on his cheeks was nothing but a trick of the lights.
And even though he didn't voice it out, as he simply nodded to her once she let go of him, a small thought came into his head, one that was as genuine as it could be
'Thank you, Yuigahama.'
The post-party brought a sense of calmness to him that he hadn't expected.
Honestly, he had been nervous about a lot of things during the day, and particularly at the end he had been worried about Hayama confronting him or Yukinoshita directly.
And yet everything had been surprisingly smooth. Not perfect, and he was sure he had a few extra white hairs now, but at least nothing that had negatively affected Yuigahama's birthday.
Even Hayama had decided to just ignore them for the short time he had been there, but from what he had heard he was going to be back at Sobu starting this week, so something told him he would be having a talk with him whether he liked it or not.
"Thank you for the help, Hikki!"
He was still at Yuigahama's place, however, as his fingers closed on the garbage bag that he was filling with all the stuff they were going to be throwing away.
"And sorry that mom made you help us." Yuigahama sighed to which he could only shrug. As he said, he found it relaxing by now, even if he was only here because her mom had asked for help with cleaning and he was somehow the only one who could stay the extra time to do so.
Like, he knew it was late but since when did everyone have curfew? Even Komachi had just taken a ride with Yukinoshita, something about not wanting to lose her muse or whatever that meant.
He had a bad feeling about it, to say the least, but that was an issue for the Hachiman of tomorrow. Same with having to answer Yukinoshita's confession.
That left him and Yuigahama by themselves though, and as stealthy as she probably thought she was being, he could still feel her gaze going to him every few seconds as they cleaned up the place in silence.
"Is there anything wrong, Yuigahama?" He ended up asking after just being silent ended up not helping much, and he seemingly caught her by surprise given how she almost dropped the broom on her hand.
"W-Well…" It was strange, to see Yuigahama acting shy of all things. "I… was just surprised about how popular you got, Hikki…"
And with the way her eyes moved to her pile of gifts, he was able to put two and two together rather quickly.
"They just needed some help picking them up, that's all." He explained rather quickly, not wanting Yuigahama to get the wrong idea. "Except the one with Miura, that one is mine."
"Did you pick it?" She asked with a frown, to which he could only look to the side before shaking his head, prompting her to sigh in apparent defeat.
"Did you not like it?" He would have words with Miura if that was the issue.
"I did, but…" Then Yuigahama's voice was softer, to the point he had to stop what he was doing to focus to be able to hear it properly. "I would have preferred a proper gift from you, Hikki…"
"…I don't think you would have liked what I thought of getting you." He grimaced at her words, but still believed the gift he had thought of getting her wouldn't have made things exactly better.
"What was it?" She still asked though, and he had to clear his throat and look to the side before answering.
"…A collar for Sable." He admitted, now actually feeling self-conscious about the matter, especially since Yuigahama offered no response at all for a few seconds, which made him turn his gaze to her once again, just to see her stand there, no expression on her face as she was still seemingly trying to process his choice of gift.
And then the giggles started coming out of her lips, which only made him grunt in response. He could tell she wasn't mocking him, but he still had his pride!
"I think Sable would have liked yours way more than Tobecchi's." She said between laughs, before a small smile settled on her face. "That does sound like a Hikki gift though, so I wouldn't have minded."
Yuigahama was too nice sometimes, but his thing being called a Hikki gift when Tobe got the exact same thing was kind of insulting.
"I can go and get one if you insist." He offered with a roll of his eyes, prompting Yuigahama to go quiet once again, much to his surprise.
"Actually… can I ask for something else?" Her tone was surprisingly serious, making him raise an eyebrow in wonder. Yuigahama never struck him as someone who liked to be pampered with gifts, but as long as it wasn't anything weird or crazy…
"Can we take a picture?" She asked, and nothing but confusion must have shown on his face given the way she quickly backpedaled. "I-I mean I have a bunch of pictures with Yukinon, a-and pictures with all three together too but… I don't really have any pics with just you, Hikki…"
That was probably true in retrospect.
Even today Yuigahama's mom had taken a bunch of pictures with almost everyone that had been invited. Hell, even Kawasaki got dragged by Ebina at one point, but he had somehow escaped the photo session.
Until now, it seemed.
"Are you sure that's what you want?" He still asked, however, because even though he didn't really mind, he didn't know if that could even be considered an actual gift.
But when the only thing she did was nod while holding her phone in her hands, he knew his fate was sealed.
It was only a selfie though, with him on her side and their faces just close enough so they could both be on the frame. Yuigahama, of course, was all smiles, and while he tried his best to look at least decent, he couldn't imagine his expression being exactly photogenic.
Even so, that didn't stop Yuigahama from grinning at him after seeing the picture, all while holding her phone to her chest.
"Thank you, Hikki!"
When he finally returned home, he did so with a sigh.
He was tired, of course, and wanted nothing more than to just hit the bed and call it a day, after checking on Komachi of course.
Sure, he had a lot of things to think about, mainly about Yukinoshita, but that could wait for tomorrow at the very least.
She hadn't pushed him for an answer yesterday, and for that he was grateful. It was far, far more complicated than Kawasaki's and Miura's confession, after all. With them, he knew where he stood, but with Yukinoshita? His feelings were pretty much all over the place, especially since they were still engaged.
Would he like to see the contract before answering her confession? Absolutely, and it was something that he would bring up with her the next time they saw one another. It might sound scummy to make her wait that long, but a forceful engagement was definitely something that changed the whole dynamic of the relationship, especially now that he knew he was pretty much the only one against the thing in the first place.
Would he have just said yes if Yukinoshita had confessed to him without a betrothal hanging on top of them?
He… wasn't sure, and that fact only made him sigh once more
He would think about it tomorrow, truly, but now he just wanted to—
"Hmm?" He was taken out of his thoughts by someone knocking at the door of his house, making him turn around with a frown. Who could be knocking so late?
He took a look at the peephole before opening the door of course, but what he saw, or rather who, only made him even more confused.
"What are you doing here?" He asked as he opened the door, a frown on his face as his body remained on edge. He doubted this was a friendly visit after all.
And the even stare he received was enough confirmation from the person standing in front of him.
"I want to talk about your engagement with Yukino."
It was Hayama Hayato.
…
…
…
…
She was so happy.
She was so happy she could barely put it into words, to the point the only thing she could do was to roll around on her bed, a dopey smile on her lips and giggles leaving her every few seconds, all while hugging tightly the new picture she had just framed.
Today had to have been her best birthday ever.
It might sound exaggerated, but how could it not be? All of her friends came, she had a great day with them, and most importantly of all, Hikki was here.
And she got a new picture with him to boot!
She looked at it again, now in a frame rather than just on her phone. Of course, she had already made it her screensaver on her phone, but she also needed this framed version just in case she wanted to sleep while hugging something else besides her Hikki plushie.
While looking at the frame though, a glassy look appeared on her face, and just a few seconds later she became unable to hold herself back, and planted a kiss right on the frame, as close as possible to Hikki's lips, of course.
That just made her feel even more giddy, a slight squeal leaving her as she rolled around the bed again.
It might look weird, but how could she help it?
She loved Hikki, after all.
She loved him…
ShelovedhimShelovedhimShelovedhimShelovedhimShelovedhimShelovedhimShelovedhimShelovedhimShelovedhimShelovedhimShelovedhimShelovedhimShelovedhimShelovedhimShelovedhimShelovedhimShelovedhimShelovedhimShelovedhimShelovedhimShelovedhimShelovedhimShelovedhimShelovedhimShelovedhimShelovedhimSHELOVEDHIM—
Oh boy, she did it again.
She smacked her cheeks with her palms in an attempt to calm herself. Now wasn't the time for that, she thought, as fun as it was to just drown herself in her love for him…
First, she needed a proper place for her new picture.
Of course, if it was up to her she would have the frame resting right beside her bed just so she could wake up every day and see it first thing in the morning.
But that wouldn't right now. It would be a bit risky, after all, with how often than not she had friends coming over.
So she went to her closet, opened the doors of it, and immediately basked on her collection.
More specifically, her Hikki Collection.
Dozens upon dozens of pictures filled the walls of her closet, with all of them being of the same boy she loved so much. It was the collection she had amassed through the years.
She giggled once more, wondering what would Hikki think if he knew that she was even more stealthy than his stealth-Hikki.
Of course, pictures weren't the only thing she kept in here. Clothes and trinkets, all that she knew had once belonged to Hikki, were being carefully kept together here, safe enough so she could admire them whenever she wanted to.
And at the center of it all was her small little altar for Hikki, with two of her favorite pictures framed there and resting beside one another.
The first one was the photo they took all together as members of the Service Club. It had been her only real picture of her with Hikki until today, and it had been such a precious memory for her.
Too bad it was tainted with Yukinon's presence though, something that she could still feel even though she had done her best to cut the picture up…
The other one was simpler. It was just Hikki lying there, on his bed, asleep without a care in the world. A rare moment of a vulnerable Hikki that she was unable to pass up.
Not her fault breaking into Hikki's house was so easy!
And now she had a new frame that she could put just between the other two, with a content sigh leaving as she did.
She couldn't wait, she truly couldn't.
She couldn't wait for Hikki to be finally hers.
Which is why it was so hard.
So hard to the point her nails were digging hard enough on her, almost drawing blood, forcing her to hug herself just to try and keep herself on check, unless she started taking out her frustration on the walls of her room again.
At least she didn't have anything sharp on hand this time.
But of course, any girl would get upset if they saw the boy they loved hanging around with wastes of space that thought could snatch her beloved Hikki away from her—
"No no, bad thoughts." She palmed her cheeks again. She shouldn't be thinking like that, they were all her friends after all!
Not their fault they would fall in love with Hikki. Who wouldn't right?
Didn't mean she had to like it though, and she was sure she would have done something extreme by now if her mom hadn't taught her about self-control for so long.
She didn't want to scare Hikki away, after all. That would break her heart, and she would most likely kill herself if that happened.
She also didn't want to see him hurt, which was the only reason she hadn't acted on her impulses already with some measures of force.
Because how dare they, right?!
So what if Yumiko had been in love with him since they were kids? She should be happy she hadn't pushed her off the top of the school when she conffesed to Hikki.
So what if Saki-Saki had decided he should join her family? She should be glad she hadn't turned her siblings into a pulp after she invited Hikki to eat with them.
So what if Iroha thought she was being cute by playing pretend? She should be glad she hadn't broken her legs just today for acting like Hikki's girlfriend in front of her.
So what if Saika thought no one else knew about her little secret? She should be glad she hadn't ruined her whole life for going to Hikki's house without her permission.
So what if Yukinon was engaged to him? She should be glad she hadn't ended her existance by now.
None of that mattered. Hikki was hers.
HewashershewashersHewashershewashersHewashershewashersHewashershewashersHewashershewashersHewashershewashersHewashershewashersHewashershewashersHewashershewashersHewashershewashersHewashershewashersHewashershewashersHewashershewashersHewashershewashersHEWASHERS!
And no one was going to take him away from her, no one.
But right now, she needed to play nice. She didn't want to hurt Hikki, after all, and deep down she didn't want to do any permanent damage to her friends if she could actually avoid it, even if they deserved it for trying to get between Hikki and her.
She would bide her time.
She knew exactly everything that was happening around Hikki. She had known for a while something like this would happen, and she had prepared for it.
That's why she had chosen those particular places to go during her birthday.
That's why she had started letting go of her façade and started being more supportive of him.
That is why she knew that, right now, Hayama-kun was confronting Hikki.
Nothing could escape her when it came to Hikki, that was just a fact of life.
Because she would show Hikki, even if he didn't realize it was her doing.
She would show him she was the only one for him. That she was the only one who could make him happy, that could give him the calm, content, genuine future he wanted.
And that everyone else was undeserving of his attention, let alone love.
He would realize she was the only one that wouldn't bring him problems, and that she was the only one that would always have his back.
Because she trusted Hikki.
And she trusted him to return her love once it was all set and done. She knew he didn't see her like that right now, but she also knew she was tearing down the walls that were surroinding Hikki's heart, slowly but steadily.
If she had to step over Yukinon, Yumiko, and everyone else to do so? So be it.
She was a selfish girl, after all, and they all should be more than grateful that she still let them breathe even though they were trying to ruin her love.
But no one would be able to get in the way, she would make sure of it.
And as she was unable to hold herself in check with all the thoughts raging in her head, she brought her hands to her face, her gaze slipping through her fingers as a smile settled on her lips.
By the end of the year, Hikki and her would be together, and then they would live happily ever after, that much she knew for a fact.
And no one was going to get in her way.
No one.
Alternative Title
Enter, Ŷ̶̛̼͍̹̝̭̫͕͐͂̓̽̇̋̒̄̂͛̎̕ͅͅu̵̡̗͎̰̩̲̼̳͙̜͎̓̾̆͂̍͛͂ī̵̯̦̗̺̜̠̇̈͛̀̓́͆͋̈̃g̷̨͍̪̤͈̲͕̘̬̔̒̓̈́͗̄̒̽͛̃̄͌̌͝a̵̤̯̮̭͍̹͖̙̼̣͓̬̟̻̾͑̀͋̕͜͝h̴͓̞͉̪̣̿͗̀̀͝ä̴͍̪̃͗̅̐m̸̰̜͍̤̻͍̗̩͉͕̭̭̂̀͛͛ͅą̴̫̹͓̯̐̀͋̈́̎̐̂͒̔̍͊͑̃ ̸̢̙̙̟̝̝̱͍̈́͂͛̎̄͐͑̅̏͛̓̃͋͜͜͝ͅY̵̜͔̥͕͔̳͆̽̄́͘ữ̸̼͓͉̜̞̮̳͉̲̌͂͊̇̈̽̀̀̄̾̇̅͝͠ͅͅi̶̢̢͓̦̽̇̾̐͐̒̀̽̕
And with this, every route has been presented.
For those who kept saying the last one had to be Yui, well you got it right, and as some reviews said it can't be a romcom without a good old yandere and I decided it had to be Yui just because.
I hope yandere Yui is something we can all enjoy.
If Komachi's supposed to be an extra route that helps the others, then Yui is the opposite.
Don't get used to different POVs though. I'm not doing it again for a long time, which I think will make things better. After all, I hope this reveal makes every Yui scene in the future better.
Now that every route has been established, a small interlude for the next chapter and then an actual time-skip.
Does this mean no other route will be added? There might be 1 exception, but I wouldn't count on it, and even then the route has already been decided, just depends on whether I want to actually add it to the story or not.
Thank you for reading this far! And thank you for favs, favorites, follows and reviews!
Next Chapter: Collision.
Plots so far
1) Yukinoshita Yukino: "Because of my grandfather, my high-class Club President suddenly became my fiancée."
2) Miura Yumiko: "I discovered the most popular girl in the school is my old childhood friend and now she won't leave me alone!"
3) Kawasaki Saki: "My mundane high school days are being threatened by the Yakuza Princess' constant flirting!"
4) Hikigaya Komachi: "I somehow became the inspiration for my cute little sister's ongoing romantic comedy light novel and now she keeps setting me up with every girl I know!"
5) Totsuka Saika: "My adorable classmate ended up being a girl and now I have to protect her secret with my life!"
6) Isshiki Iroha: "I pretended to be my kouhai's boyfriend to help her and now the whole school thinks we're dating for real and she isn't letting me change their mind!"
7) Yuigahama Yui: "My sweet, friendly and bubly clubmate ended up being my obsessive, deranged, insane yandere stalker and I had no idea until it was too late!"