Making up for lost time
- Chapter 1 -
~The Beginning of the New Service Club~

- Prelude -
~ The sun filled room ~

You didn't have to look at a clock to realize that it was getting late. The sun was low enough to be visible from the club room window, and its red light filled the room with its warmth. For some reason, this feeling was causing all of us to be rather lazy. No one had bothered to move from their chairs, and if it wasn't for Yukinoshita we may have just stayed like that until someone yelled at us.

"I think we should call it a day here. It has gotten quite late."

Yukinoshita closed her book then moved her gaze to the window. I too moved my gaze from my book; however, I wasn't too focused on the scenery as Yukinoshita was. Instead, my focus was solely on Yukinoshita herself. It was like there was a filter that allowed me to see an image that was better than what I was actually seeing. Though I have to say, it was only the environment around her that looked better. There was no filter, even in my mind, that could have possibly made Yukinoshita herself look any better than what she already was.

If I could describe what I was looking at in simpler terms, it was a visual novel with my favorite heroine. This is the part where she says, "I love you Protag-kun" and then holds me close. Oh goodness, I'm making myself blush… The Yukinoshita Yukino route is truly the best! Unfortunately, I forgot there were others in the room with me besides Yukinoshita, our ex-club president, who I had been staring at this entire time.

"Hmm, Senpai~ What are you looking at?"

I quickly snapped my head around to the source of the voice. Isshiki was looking at me with her smug face. I had been busted, but why did it have to be this cunning junior here that had no understanding of the word "restraint"?! I shot her down immediately.

"M-Mind your own business…"

"Ehh you're no fun." She stuck her tongue out at me like a child.

"Well, sorry for being such a disappointment," I smiled wryly.

This girl was truly evil I tell you. No matter what the situation, she would tease me to the point of making my life a living hell. She's totally not cute at all, why can't she just be a normal junior? It's whatever—if she were any different the universe would go into disarray for sure. I just wish she wouldn't try to humiliate me in front of Yukinoshita and my sister. Oh, Yuigahama was here too. Yeah, I guess her too.

Thankfully, Isshiki wasn't too loud, so the others didn't pick up on her comment. Not to mention they were too busy packing their bags. I on the other hand had packed my bag long ago. It was just in case I felt the need to go home at any second.

"Ah!" Isshiki shouted all of a sudden. "I totally forgot I was gonna help Hayama-senpai with soccer club!" She jumped out of her chair and quickly gathered her belongings. "Gotta run!" She went running for the door and disappeared into the hallway without a second thought or a proper farewell. Well, see you later too then. Ah, it's not like I really cared anyway.

"I don't understand why she still bothers with trying win over Hayama," I said, leaning on my arm.

"She can't just give up on him Hikki, she's a girl in love! But y'know she's so dedicated—I'm a little jealous…" Yuigahama moved her gaze to some random direction as she let her hand fall to her chest. She was suddenly despondent even though she just riled herself up.

"It's a waste of effort, Hayama doesn't have eyes for anyone. He'll just keep rejecting her again and again. Heh, she could probably do better than that guy anyway."

"Hikki, that's pretty mean…" Yuigahama gave me her puppy eye look, but nothing about what I said made me feel any regret. For once, Yukinoshita decided to back me up.

"He's not entirely wrong… they're both kind of… you know." She tip-toed around the subject.

"Yukinon, that doesn't make it any better!" Upset that we were saying some not-nice things about one of her friends, Yuigahama looked a little sad. Understandable, but this is Isshiki Iroha and Hayama Hayato we're talking about here. They weren't necessarily our "best friends"—or "friends" rather.

"Don't misunderstand Yuigahama-san, I was not necessarily saying their character is bad, but—well…" Yukinoshita hesitated. It was totally obvious to me she was struggling to not point out their faults. "I was referring to the fact that Hayama-kun and Isshiki-san are completely different."

Different, huh? They were both normies, but if you thought about it, they were polar opposites in several ways. If Isshiki was a mischievous, sly schemer, then that makes Hayama some kind of saint or angel. No, that's completely wrong… he's not that special. But he's too trusting in the good of others, as well as having an annoying penchant for trying to avoid drama. Isshiki on the other hand was the type to meddle in the drama until it benefited her. I couldn't see Hayama finding any kind of attachment to her.

"Yeah, they really aren't made for each other." I was in complete agreement with Yukinoshita. Yuigahama, however, was committed to not giving up.

"Well it wouldn't hurt to make an effort! Sometimes all it takes is a little determination!" she said with a sparkle in her eye. Yukinoshita sighed and gripped her forehead having enough of Yuigahama's obstinacy.

"In some cases that would be true; however, it would be better for her to focus on her grades and getting into college at this point."

"Yukinon…"

"Ahem!" Komachi suddenly interjected with a cough. "Don't worry Yui-san, I'm sure everything will work out." She gave Yuigahama a smile and a thumbs-up. This was apparently Komachi's way of trying to cheer up her up, though I don't know if it was of any help. She stood up and stretched her arms, putting an end to this conversation.

"Well, I think I'll head home first! I've got some things to do so don't wait for me, okay?"

"Yeah, sure. Take care on your way home."

"Komachi-san, take care."

"Bye-bye, Komachi-cha—uhf!" Yuigahama was interrupted by Komachi as she jumped onto her and grabbed her arm. I could tell without even asking that Yuigahama was not planning on leaving already, but it looks like Komachi had something else in mind.

"Let's go Yui-san, I need your opinion when I go shopping."

"E-Eh...? Komachi-chan what are—" Komachi smiled brightly at Yuigahama as she pulled her arm in the direction of the door. Yuigahama looked to me with a worried look. Oi, why are you even looking at me? Just go with it, Komachi won't budge at this rate.

She stopped struggling with Komachi after she briefly moved her focus to Yukinoshita. "Uh uhm, I guess I'll head out too Yukinon. I'll be sure to come by tomorrow to help out—let's do our best!" She said nervously, then threw her bag over her shoulders.

"Yes, thank you for the help Yuigahama-san."

"T-Then, see you tomorrow! Hahah…" Yuigahama let out a timid chuckle while awkwardly waving. Yukinoshita responded in kind, waving her hand to the two departing.

"Mm, see you tomorrow." Before Komachi was out of the room however, she looked back and said something really troublesome.

"You two have fun together, okay? Don't stay out too late!" She giggled on her way out. Yukinoshita and I looked at each other and then hastily looked away.

"Komachi you little…!" I tried telling her off, but to no avail. She was already out the door. "I'm looking forward to tomorrow!" I could hear her shouting down the hall. Without further delay, they were gone—leaving the two of us alone.

…

…

Silence.

We didn't move for several minutes. After a while, we began to sneak glances at each other. A few of those times our eyes met—but each one was more embarrassing than the last. There was no room for doubt that she was feeling just the same as me. Komachi made it seem like we planned to spend the rest of the day together, but the reality was that we had nothing planned. At least, plans that we made together. I personally had some ideas of what I wanted to do after school, but I hadn't brought it up with Yukinoshita yet.

Komachi beat me to the punch, so now it's even harder to bring it up. She's probably got it in her head that if we do anything, it was because of her. What an insufferable little sister of mine… So mischievous but so cute… gah, why does she have such a killer combination of traits?! It's going to be embarrassing if we do anything now, she'll tease us about it all day tomorrow.

"I-I wonder what Komachi was thinking when she said that..." I scratched the back of my head. I was tired of sitting in this dead silent room.

"Who knows, but… Komachi-san is rather excited about this, isn't she?" Yukinoshita was equally bashful, but whether she meant the two of us or the club, I couldn't tell. But in both cases, there was only one answer.

"Yeah… worryingly so." We both raised our heads and looked at each other properly. We couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of it all.

…

I leaned back into my chair and let out a heavy sigh thinking back to the past few weeks. The prom, fixing my relationship with Yukinoshita, the second prom, dealing with Haruno's antics. Did I mention we did two proms? Seriously, whose idea was it to give me this much work? I really want to punch that guy.

"But you know, I'm glad this prom work is just about over. It's like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders."

"That's true, it shouldn't be long now. And by the way, that was a rather big sigh. If you keep that up, you'll lose your happiness."

"It's not like I have a lot to begin with but—that does sound bad." Was that some kind of old wives tale? I could believe it; I know for a fact that I've sighed countless times and my life is utterly disappointing. Though that just makes me want to sigh even more.

"Of course it is. I'd say you've gained quite a bit of happiness recently. It would make me really angry if you were to lose it so soon. So don't sigh around me, okay?" She said bluntly with a rather commanding tone. A bit harsh, wasn't it? Don't sigh around her? She was asking for the moon.

"You know, you're asking for the impossible."

"Am I? Well, that's a shame then."

"Look, I'm just glad this is over with. Can you not rain on my temporary parade here? I'd like to think we can take it easy from now on."

"I wouldn't say that right now if I were you. The Service Club is back again, so who knows? We might have even more work soon enough."

"Hey, don't jinx it! I'd like to get a breather or two before we do anything like that." I went back to relaxing with my eyes closed. Yukinoshita giggled at me.

"You were the one who made this all happen; I don't see why you should complain. But you did your best didn't you? I guess that deserves some praise. And since you work so hard and push yourself all the time, I think you'll manage." Yukinoshita gave me a cocky grin. This girl is going to work me to death…

"I guess it's both a blessing and a curse that I can be this versatile."

"Indeed, it is."

She isn't wrong that I could manage a bit more work. I was that type of person. It even runs in the family, my parents being the wage slaves they are. Though, a part of me wants to take a long break.

But at the end of it all, the work I had thrust upon myself and the people around me, it was worth it in the end. Even now, I believe I will no doubt continue to give myself more work long into the future. After all, I was able to obtain the thing that I was looking for. I'm grateful for that, but if I'm going to keep making progress and keep this happiness going, I'll have to work harder than what I'm doing now. Hiratsuka-sensei taught me that.

I opened my eyes and cast my gaze towards Yukinoshita. She was looking directly at me too, so our eyes met. Though it might have lasted a split second, it felt like an impossibly long minute. Her face flushed red, and she averted her gaze. That reaction was so cute, it made my face turn red too.

"…So, Hikigaya-kun… what shall we do now…?" she asked timidly. Asking like that was pretty cruel. Yukinoshita was so supremely cute right now it hurt my chest. This was going to be hard.

"Well…" I tried my best to focus my mind, for what I was about to say—I needed all the confidence I could get. The expectant look on her face only made it worse. Geez, she makes me want to hide somewhere...!

"I guess we could… walk home together?" This would be the first time we walked home just the two of us. Yukinoshita froze, but there was some kind of excitement in the air.

"…I suppose—that is something we could do…" She nervously moved her gaze to the side. I managed to get her off guard, but she swiftly regained some of her composure. "W-We should take the key back. We've wasted too much time." She stood up and grabbed her book off the table, packing it into her bag.

"Y-Yeah, let's go." I anxiously agreed and grabbed my bag.

We both left the club room. This place where our newfound youth began, where we thought we would part ways only a short time ago, we would continue to enter it from now on—for many months to come.

~ x ~

I was outside the teacher's office waiting for Yukinoshita to return the key. The hallway, much like the rest of the school, was completely vacant. Thanks to that, she and I could enjoy our time together without anyone bothering us. The door opened and out came Yukinoshita. Upon our eyes meeting, she smiled warmly.

"…Time for us to head home now?"

"Yeah," I said as I stopped leaning against the wall and began to walk. Yukinoshita casually came up to my side and walked next to me.

I can't lie, the simple act of walking next to each other down the school hallway made my heart want to leap out of my chest. This small period of time where we could be together after club, and doing it here where our classmates could see, pleased me to no end. A part of me wanted to hold her hand too, but doing that here of all places was a bit… too much for me to handle. As I think about the future and how we'll have many more moments like this, I feel like for the first time in my life I'm truly looking forward to living out the rest of my youth.

…

"So, the club is back again. We won't be leaving it so soon like we thought." Said Yukinoshita, referring back to a conversation we had in the club room.

"It's a shame, I was totally dead-set on going home right as class ended too…" I slouched over dejected at the loss of my free time.

"Still anti-social as ever, I see. Ignoring your classmates is a bad trademark of yours."

"Hey, don't give me that you ice-queen. You're just as guilty!"

"Oh? I wouldn't say that. I actually converse with the girls from my class. I've actually befriended a few of them. It seems I'm still ahead of you."

"Urk…" I clenched my teeth. This girl… she's so competitive even when it comes to being a loner. But hey now, if she goes off and becomes friends with everyone, we won't have much in common anymore!

"It doesn't matter, I'm fine with being alone."

But the truth was, I wouldn't mind having friends of my own. I'm just not... I don't think I'm prepared to change so quickly. Maybe if it were down the line, but I'm not going to get my hopes up. Even now, I can't imagine anyone wanting to be my friend. O-Oh, but at least I have Totsuka…

"You are really sticking with that…" she seemed disappointed.

"Yeah, I am. But I guess if things change then I'll be fine with it. I'll make friends if the opportunity arises."

"Is this a new Hikigaya-kun? Maybe you're finally evolving into a human."

"Shut it, I'm not a Pokémon. Maybe it's just the fact this is our final year of high school getting the better of me."

"Is it? Well, I am glad anyway," she smiled.

"Why's that?"

"My request from Hiratsuka-sensei is a success. Your rehabilitation seems to have worked for the most part, no?"

"Y-You still remember that…"

"Of course, I never stopped working on it."

"Wait—so, even now…?"

"You still need to make friends, don't you?" She tilted her head and said matter-of-factly. She said it like it were common sense. Which she would be right about.

"Ehh…" Annoyed, I turned my head to the side. Yukinoshita chuckled at my expense.

"It seems I still have my work cut out for me."

"Hey, I'm not some problem child…"

"Then it shouldn't be a problem. Do your best, okay?"

The year has only just begun, and my plate continues to get bigger. Am I going to be alright?

…

By the time we reached the school gate, I stopped walking and called out to her. "Hey, Yukinoshita." She stopped walking and turned to face me, staring with curiosity. "There's something I'd like to do actually…"

"…Something… to do?" Yukinoshita looked down embarrassed and clenched her bag tightly. Look, this has nothing to do with what Komachi said! This was all my idea—I was thinking about this way before then, I swear! And don't give me that reaction, it's not good for my nerves!

"If we could… would you like to go somewhere before we head home...?" I somehow managed to say it without messing up. She hesitated briefly, almost as if she didn't hear me. But I could tell I didn't need to repeat myself. In an effort to gain some confidence, Yukinoshita flicked her hair back and steeled her gaze.

"Could it be that you would be lonely without me, I wonder?" She was rather smug about it, but I don't think she was ready for my response. This was different from anything we had done previously, except maybe that night on the bridge. I'm not the kind of person who would do this, opening up to someone else, but I was taking the next step thanks to Hiratsuka-sensei's guidance. I didn't want to be alone anymore, not with Yukinoshita in my life now.

I walked forward and grabbed her hand. "Yeah, actually—I would. I'd be lonely without you."

"Huh?" Yukinoshita jolted slightly from my touch. Her face began to flush an incredible red. This was quite the sight—yes, yes indeed. But even with this rare sight, I was already completely out of my comfort zone and wanted to hide somewhere. However, I wanted my feelings to reach her. Running away was not an option.

"I have a wish, if you could hear me out?" I tightened my grip on her hand. She was stunned, is the least I could say. A nod was all she could muster, so I continued.

"We've known each other for a year now, we've been through a lot together..."

She nodded again.

"We've always been in close proximity, but there was always this gap. We're… p-partners now, but that gap feels as present as it was before." Yukinoshita's expression turned to worry when she heard what I had to say, but I gripped her hand once again to try and calm her down. I didn't want her to feel bad, but it wasn't just that. I couldn't stop the emotion welling up inside of me ready to burst.

There were a lot of sides to Yukinoshita that I have yet to see, sides of her that I've never experienced. I want to see them. What she's like at home, or what kind of faces she makes when she's not putting on airs. There was so much that I didn't know about her that it was making me anxious. We avoided each other so many times over the past year, and made no effort to spend any time together or talk to each other outside of club activities. The only person that has gotten close to her in this time was Yuigahama, which honestly made me feel a little jealous. Pathetic, I know, but it's no wonder I'm feeling this way now.

"I've felt so distant and alone all this time, as pathetic as it sounds. We've spent more time together recently, but it's like… it's not enough." My face was heating up, my chest was burning like I had never felt before. "That's why—"

This was the breaking point; I came right out and told her my honest feelings. I was tired of the vagueness of our current relationship; I want to be direct with her. Things were going to be different from now on, and I want to close that gap between us. I want to break that old relationship down and start a new one.

"I want to make up for lost time—that is, I want to spend even more time with you…" I was doing it again. I was confessing to her a second time. She was clearly taken aback; her mouth was slightly open as if she were trying to say something this entire time.

"Hi-Hikigaya-kun… I didn't know you felt that way…" She squeezed my hand. Her gaze was averted as her face stayed that same shade of red. She was only making me feel more embarrassed about what I said.

"I thought you would have taken longer... I thought it was still a ways off for anything to change. So, if that's your wish, Hikigaya-kun—then I'll gladly grant it…!" She closed her eyes as she gave me an innocent smile, a face and a voice that seemed to be holding back tears. As she was still gripping my hand, I pulled her in close.

"…Thanks."

She wrapped her arms around me while gripping my jacket and said, "I'm sorry for causing so much trouble. I probably should have been more selfish back then… with everything."

"Well, it's not like we can change the past…"

"Yes, but… the prom, and even the contest… I was acting stupid."

She gripped me again as if she were confirming I was still present. "I distanced myself from you and caused you to suffer, I didn't think you would go to such lengths for me. I thought what I wished for was the best, that you were better off with Yuigahama-san…" She buried her forehead into my chest. "I didn't know you felt that way, I'm sorry."

It was certainly true, if Yukinoshita had been more selfish with her wish, things could have gone differently. But that didn't matter now.

"But it was worth it. I probably had to struggle at least that much." I let out a self-deprecating chuckle.

Yukinoshita punched my arm. "You really didn't have to create a second prom though…"

"I needed another excuse to keep you close."

"It's not like we need something like that to stay connected…"

"Yeah, but knowing me I would have just stayed put and done nothing if I didn't have an excuse. Now though, I've got a reason." She turned her head to look up at me, and our eyes met. For the both of us, I probably didn't need to say it. The reason why I wanted to keep her close was obvious from what I said. But with the flow of things, it felt like the right timing. "Oh, that's right. I almost forgot."

"Eh?" She raised her head.

"Yukinoshita."

"What is it?" She asked softly.

…

"I love you."

Her eyes grew wide, and her jaw dropped ever so slightly. "Wha—" She let out a gasp and gripped my shoulders. "All of a sudden… why…?"

"You never gave me a chance to respond."

"Th-There's no way I would...! It was too embarrassing!" Her face was redder than I had ever seen it. She began lightly punching my chest.

"Well, at least I've said it." I chuckled and looked to the side. Yukinoshita made a displeased noise and moved her head down.

"What's wrong?"

"Could… you say it again…?"

"Huh?"

"You heard me." She glared right at me like a predator. I almost forgot how scary Yukinoshita can be.

"A-Alright…" I couldn't object to it; If I wanted to leave here alive, I'd have to say it again. But there was no way that I'd refuse this request of hers; I wanted to do it too. We once again locked our eyes onto each other.

"I love you, Yukinoshita." Her misty eyes began to shine as light reflected off of them. She gripped my arm and let out a small, "mm" as she laid her head on my shoulder. I wonder what kind of face I'd see if I could see her right now.

…

Realizing that we hadn't even moved 10 feet from the school gate, we eventually let go of each other.

"Then, if you don't mind, shall we get going?" I asked, but then she paused for a moment, only to walk right up to my side and grab onto my right arm.

"Let's go." She said assertively.

"O-Oh… sure." Everything about this situation right now was incredibly heart pounding. We're linking arms and I just confessed my love to her! Can she hear my heart? Isn't this kinda embarrassing!? I really need to calm down, this mood is going to kill me!

Though despite my burning chest, beating heart, and light head, I held her arm that was wrapped around mine just a little tighter. I didn't want to let her go. Not now, and not for a long time. Once again, through the warmth of our touch and the sound of our beating hearts, I'm sure our feelings have reached each other.

~ Intermission ~

The two of us are now walking down the sidewalk with our arms linked. I held onto his right arm as tightly as I could. I don't want to leave this warmth of his, not after what just happened. I was thinking about what he said—and his wish. Just thinking of that made my heart pound like crazy. For a moment, my eyes were on the verge of crying. Hachiman had voiced what I was feeling in my heart for a long time now. To think, it was the same for him.

About a month ago, when I asked him to grant Yuigahama's wish, I had no idea about his feelings or intentions or that of Yuigahama's. For the longest time, I had always seen those two get along really well. I had thought at various points in time that there were chances he had feelings for me, but I concluded it was wishful thinking on my part. But for those assumptions that I ignored and turned away to be actually true, it makes me want to laugh at myself. But—I was truly relieved.

I never thought that he would go so far just to keep us together. However, like I've realized many times, he always goes as far as he can to get what he wants. I was being foolish distancing myself from him. There was no way he would have allowed that to happen.

When he first confessed to me that day, I initially had a hard time believing what was happening. For the first time in my life, I was able to obtain something that I felt was unobtainable. My first love, my feelings for Hachiman. They became a reality.

When I went home that night, I was the happiest I had been in recent memory. I cried, tossed and turned in my bed, and squeezed my pillow as hard as I could. Hachiman was, and is still, the most important thing to me. All I could think about that night was the warmth we shared and the image of his face. I thought maybe I was going crazy, but when I think about it, it's normal to think about the person you love this much.

That's why, when he told me about his new wish, I had no reason to refuse him. He's that special to me after all. I am going to make that wish of his—no, ours—come true.

~ x ~

We walked alongside each other for about half an hour until we reached the place Yukinoshita insisted. When I asked her what she wanted to do, she said, "Just follow me...!" but because she was horrible with directions, I ended up having to lead us there.

"Ah, I see. A café. Wait, a cat café?"

Yukinoshita squeezed my arm. "I thought we could give it a try." She spoke sheepishly, although I don't know why. We all know she has a great love for cats. But, she's been a little nervous since suggesting to come here.

"Well, it's not like it's a problem or anything. Let's go in." I said.

We walked into the café and were greeted by the hostess at the front.

"Thank you for coming, I'll get you two seated and we'll get someone out to you shortly."

And thus, we were seated at a table. The table itself was small, not the kind of table you would see at a family restaurant, but one that was suited for two people. It was also situated next to the windows, so we had a good view of the street. The interior design of this café was interesting, to say the least. There were a lot of plants and flowers around the room, and the walls had a variety of cat themed wallpapers, pictures, and decorations. It was certainly unique, I guess this is what they call a "themed café".

Despite the decorations begging for attention, Yukinoshita was busy focusing on the main attraction of this place. She took pictures of the cats with a joyful smile. I wonder how many times she's visited this place before. As I was watching her gleefully taking pictures of the cats, a white cat walked up to me and jumped into my lap.

Oh, this one kind of resembles Kamakura. Though Kamakura is never this friendly towards me…

"Ah." Yukinoshita let out an unexpectedly cute sound. I looked back to Yukinoshita, she was staring directly at me. Instead of saying anything, I just gave her a face that said, "What? Something wrong?". The cat continued to purr in my arms as I pet its soft fur. Yukinoshita continued staring at me silently before she snapped out of whatever was keeping her from talking.

"This is… quite the interesting sight…"

Is this a side of me she's never seen before? If that's the case, we both have that in common. Not knowing the many different sides, faces, and emotions of each other. Just now, I heard the sound of Yukinoshita tapping her phone while she aimed her camera over at me. Is... Is she taking a picture of me?

"You know, we have Kamakura at my place. You can come over anytime to play with him. He's soft, just like this cat here." I scratch the cat's chin and it lovingly purrs into my hand. I can't help but smile at the cat. Kamakura never gives me this much love…

Yukinoshita's cheeks turned red. "Oh, I see," she looked down towards the table. "Yes, I suppose so. That wouldn't be a bad idea..."

Oh, I didn't realize it, but I casually said she could visit my house anytime she wants to. Ahh, that was embarrassing and unexpectedly cool of me. Oh well, it's not like it would bother me. "Not just for Kamakura, I think Komachi would like it if you came over to visit as well."

"Yes, I've been thinking that I should spend more time with Komachi-san. I wouldn't want to get on her bad side."

I chuckled at the thought, "I don't really think it's possible to get on her bad side, at least for you. I think she likes you a lot."

"That so? That's one less thing I have to worry about."

"That and... of course I'd like it as well." Crap, that came out weird.

"E-Excuse me..."

The waitress made her appearance, thankfully interrupting our awkwardness. She was young, probably the same age as us. What surprised me was how nervous she was. She looked to me like your typical quiet-and-shy schoolgirl. What was she doing working at a place like this?

"T-Thank you for coming. What would you like to order?" she asked timidly. Then she quickly interjected, "O-Oh but first, might I r-recommend our special? I believe you two would enjoy it."

Yukinoshita tensed up. She looked to the waitress and said, "Um—y-yes… I would like to order the special… That's why we came here… actually..." She glanced over at me blushing then averted her eyes. Just what is this special that's making her blush!?

"Oh! Yes, of course I'll get that right away! No problem. Is there anything else?" She looked between the two of us.

"I'll have a coffee please," I said.

"A water, please."

She nodded, and once she had our order she quickly walked back towards the kitchen, taking with her the menus. Crap, I wanted to see what this special was. I guess I'll find out when it gets here.

…

Yukinoshita had calmed down now that the waitress was gone. She picked her phone back up again, this time completely focused on whatever was on her screen.

"Hey, what are you doing on your phone?"

"I'm playing a game."

"A game? Oh, is it that game you were playing in the club room?" I couldn't think of any other game Yukinoshita could be playing. She wasn't normally the type to play video games, but if it was anything it was definitely cat related.

"Yes, Neko Tomodachi Life."

"Of course, this would be the perfect time for you to play it…" I sneered, but was ignored.

"Hikigaya-kun, would you mind logging in again? I need your help with this."

"I guess..." Hahh, there was no choice. I still had the game downloaded onto my phone. Yukinoshita was hooked on this game, and demanded that I help her every day. After opening the game, I was met with the daily log-in reward screen.

"Oh."

"What is it?" Yukinoshita looked up from her phone.

"It looks like I pulled one of the Pan-san event items from the daily reward…"

"What…?! Let me see." Yukinoshita jumped up and came over to look at my screen, in the process her face was now in close proximity to mine.

"So close…"

"Huh?" She turned her head, oblivious to how close she was. Our lips were now only inches apart…!

"Eh—ah… sorry." Blushing, she retreated back to her seat.

"There's something wrong with this game, I still cannot get that scarf… but you get it from the daily reward…" Yukinoshita was new to the world of video games; of course, that also included gacha games. She had no idea of the common cruelty of this world that is RNG.

"That's just life. Some people are luckier than others. Especially when it comes to gacha games."

I'll be honest, sometimes it felt like developers purposefully made it so that different players had different chances of getting rare items. There was a time Komachi was playing a game with me and she would always get better drops than I did, and we were pulling from the same number of rolls. Mobile games are totally highway robbery...! But this was a rare chance for me to experience what it's like to be lucky. Though, it was on a game I didn't really care about… Why couldn't I get this kind of luck with Union Cross?!

"So, which minigame are we doing this time?" We began what was essentially a two-player tower defense game. Thanks to getting that Pan-san scarf earlier, which had really good stats, the game was a breeze.

"That item needs to be less effective…"

You're already wanting it nerfed just because you can't get it?! Yukinoshita was starting to open up to the gamer life.

~ x ~

Yukinoshita and I continued to play Neko Tomodachi Life until the waitress returned with our order. So, what was this—

"Eh?"

The waitress brought out large sized cup that was clearly targeted for two people. It was a vanilla and chocolate milkshake covered with whip cream and chocolate syrup. There were two cherries on the top while small red hearts were scattered over the whip cream. The cup itself was engraved with a variety of cats, owing to the cafe's theme. The two straws sticking into it were twisted together to form a heart shape in the middle.

Is this what I think it is? That legendary thing that only really lovey-dovey couples ever dare to experience? Besides, just look at it...! This thing is on another level! We're going to be eating this?!

"W-Wha—?"

As I sat there shocked, Yukinoshita was entirely silent.

"H-Here's your order, our café's "Lover's Special Chocolate & Vanilla Milkshake." I-I hope you enjoy it. A-Also, I can take your picture if you'd like?"

I spaced out for a second from the waitress saying, "Lover's special", not really paying attention to the rest of what she said. If it wasn't apparent before, the waitress knows about our relationship now, doesn't she? Was it that obvious, or was she just lucky?

"I-It's just a thing most people do! Y-You don't have to!" The waitress was worried she was overstepping or simply being too forward, Yukinoshita though wasn't bothered.

"If you could, that would be great." Yukinoshita timidly responded and looked at me with a pleading face as if asking for permission.

"O-Oh… sure." I said, snapping back to reality. I can't ignore Yukinoshita when she makes a face like that. Yukinoshita handed the waitress her phone. She nervously grabbed it and asked us to pose for the picture.

"Uh well, how should we do this...?" I asked Yukinoshita.

"Why don't you two sit closer and drink from the straw…?" The waitress suggested, but that only caused us to stiffen. Worried that she was doing it again, she tried to quickly explain herself. "Ah! W-Well it's just what everyone else does, so I was only s-suggesting!"

"—Ehem." Yukinoshita cleared her throat. She leaned over towards the straw, and once she was ready, she threw up a peace sign.

"Hikigaya-kun…" she looked at me as if she wanted me to hurry up so I could put an end to her embarrassment. I grabbed the cat and put him on the table so he could take part in the picture as well. Though he started licking my face once he was closer. I put up a peace sign as well, cause why not.

"A-Alright, here I go...!" The waitress took the picture. "W-Wow… You two look like a good couple…"

"D-Do we? I see… Thank you…" Yukinoshita said with a happy look and a blushing face. She didn't deny it at all. A good thing, it means my girlfriend isn't a horrible tsundere.

"Yes, of course! Oh, I probably should leave you two together. P-Please flag me down if there's anything you need." The waitress left the two of us here to wallow in our shared embarrassment. There was a long period of silence as we both stared at the cup in front of us.

"Well, we should probably drink this before it melts too much…" I said.

"Yes, we probably should."

We still didn't budge even after that. I quickly took the sweetener and stirred it into my cup to fill the silence.

"I suppose we look like a couple now, huh?" She fidgeted in her chair ever so slightly.

"...If the waitress noticed, I guess so." I coughed into my hand. "Though it's a bit embarrassing, it does make me a little happy..."

Yukinoshita chuckled and leaned forward towards the cup slightly. I guess it's now or never. We both leaned over until we were inches away from each other's face and began to drink the slowly melting milkshake. Everything about this was making my heart pound, and probably hers too. Even though it was super embarrassing with the people around us, we looked into each other's eyes. I don't think I've ever tasted a better milkshake…

~ x ~

After a few minutes, we put a decent dent into the milkshake and took a break after getting full. I have never been so exhausted after drinking a milkshake...

For some reason, Yukinoshita was adamant about only drinking whenever I was. If for some reason I stopped, she would stop. She was also looking at me the entire time while blushing, so it took a lot of mental strength to stay calm. In the end, we continued to drink from the straws continuously without breaking eye contact. It didn't come as a surprise when we got brain freeze afterward.

Yukinoshita pulled out her phone and began tapping away. I looked over and saw her messing around with the photos that she took. I also noticed she was on a social messaging app. I began to think about the possibility of using that app myself. It's probably no different from texting on your phone, but probably more convenient in other ways too. It would be weird creating an account now, but I guess it's better to be late than never. I wondered if right now was the best time to bring this up with Yukinoshita.

"Say, Yukinoshita." I scratched my cheek. "Do you think… maybe I should start using LINE too?" She pondered for a moment before giving her answer.

"I'm surprised, but that's fine with me. In fact, I think that would be nice. We could text each other and also form group chats with the others."

She had a wonderfully gentle and bright smile as she gave me her reasoning. That was enough for me. If Yukinoshita thought it would be beneficial for me to use these social media apps then I guess I was fine with it. After all, I already felt a little left out and this would probably help me in the long run. Well, baby steps. I'll just use LINE for now. It's not like I need to use Instagram and whatnot right now anyway. I don't want to join the ranks of the youthful normies just yet.

"Send me that photo later, yeah?"

"Mm, sure."

After paying, we talked there for a short while before finally heading out. We were outside the café now.

"Hikigaya-kun."

"Yeah?"

"Give me your hand."

"R-Really?" Geez, she is being so upfront about this… Yukinoshita looked at me sternly, but grabbed my hand anyway.

"Let's go home." She said with a smile.

"I'll lead the way though, Miss Yukinoshita. You'll get lost again." I joked, causing Yukinoshita to immediately pinch my arm. Hah, though it was painful, it was totally worth it. We've gone through quite a bit this year, but things are starting to look better. As we held hands on our way home this night, I prayed I could continue to share this warmth with Yukinoshita.

~ Interlude ~

Today marks the second week since I started working here at this café. I'm normally quiet and shy, but I wanted to challenge myself to do something outside of my comfort zone. So far, this place has been really nice. The manager looks out for me and makes sure I'm doing okay. I had mentioned to him when I was hired that I was using this job as a way to get better at dealing with strangers. When he heard that, he told me he would be happy to help. He also said that there would be a great opportunity coming soon.

Two days ago, I found out what that opportunity was. The café started a monthly campaign to bring in more couples. The manager told me it's always busy around this time because this place is a popular dating spot, so this was a good chance for me to speak to more people than usual. I was excited about it, but it wasn't for the reason I told the manager. The manager knows about my shyness situation, but I never told him the other reason why I wanted to work here. That is, I wanted to see how other girls interact with their boyfriends.

While I was in the middle of my shift today, I saw a really nice couple walk in. I realized that the girl was my senpai, Yukinoshita Yukino from my school. I knew her since I sometimes helped during Student Council events last year. She was with a boy I've rarely seen; I didn't know who he was at all. But I could clearly tell from the way they looked at each other when they sat down, the way they talked to each other while they waited, and how they were able to go on such a date with little to no issues, it was all so captivating. It was like everything they did was natural for them. I wanted to be like them, I wanted to be like her. If I could talk to my boyfriend just like her, get close to him just like her, that would be a dream come true.

They continued to sit there for a long time even after they finished the milkshake. They talked and looked at each other's phones the entire time, probably sharing photos and stuff. It looked like a lot of fun. If that were me with my boyfriend, I don't think I could pull it off like she does. I'm just too shy around him…

Every time he gets close to me my heart races faster and I start to feel lightheaded, making my mind go blank to where I can't think or say anything. It's gotten to the point that I worry I won't be able to talk to him properly and end up avoiding him.

I just wonder how long those two have been together. Is that the result of dating for a really long time? I don't know but if that's not the case, if they were like that from the start, then I'm afraid of ruining my relationship with him. I don't want an ending like that.