The very next day Yukino read the same book that she barely had read, there was a knock from the Service Club's sliding door. Blinking, Yukino unintentionally answered the door.
"Come in."
The door slid open smoothly, and the curious look on her face immediately fell. "Oh... It's you..."
"Good afternoon, Yukinoshita-san." The boy who have ruined her day yesterday spoke with that same aloof tone.
"Gopd afternoon." Their eyes were locked into a stare match, or at least that's what she thinks. "I thought that you won't come again. Are you perhaps a masochist?"
"Yukinoshita-san, would you call a blue collar worker masochist?" "wha-" "No, I don't think so. I'm just doing what I'm being paid for. But if that's the kind of fantasy that you desires, I will gladly indulge you. That's with the right price of course."
Again, Yukino's entire head felt hot from embarrassment and mortification. This time however, she bit back an indignant scream from spilling out of her mouth before she took a deep, quivering breath. "S-so be it then! I'll take up to your offer and have you kiss my feet and lick it clean now!"
S-surely he was bluffing all this time. Yes, yes that's right! He was just bluffing! His action could simply be rationalized on the basis that teenagers are generally seeking for other's attention! Especially so when the said other was her, a beautiful girl! Yukino closed her eyes and nodded in satisfaction.
"As of now, I only brought around 5000 yen in hand as of now, but if you managed to satisfy me, perhaps this arrangement may continue for-..."
Yukino stopped, the condescending smirk on her face was wiped away as she blinked in confusion. Shadow was looming over her.
"Say less."
Yukino hadn't really realized it before, but Hikigaya Hachiman is quite big. Standing over an unusual height of Japanese person, his height probably reaches over 6 feet tall and more. His shoulders were broad and she can actually see just how muscular the boy was from the way his uniform stretches as if it was slightly too small.
"I- wha-?"
Suddenly, the giant in front of her kneeled on the floor. Yukino was still stunned on her spot when the boy lifted one of her dainty feet up by her calf and ankle. His grips on her were beyond gentle, yet in contrast against that, his palms felt coarse and rough. Even with her stocking in between her skin and his hands, Yukino could still feel just how heavily caloused his hands are.
And the worse thing is that she failed to find such prickly and ticklish sensation against her skin unpleasant.
Fortunately however, said sensation that Yukino had found to be very delectable was also the one thing that managed to bring her sense back. Unfortunately however, the return of it also immediately prompted her to react poorly.
"EEK-!"
The high-pitched, ear-shattering yelp that she let out as she literally leapt away sounds awfully close to a dying scream of ambushed animal. It was filled to the full with confusion and panic more than anything else. And it also died as quickly as the prey of ambushing hunter as she felt her world feel weightless for a second.
The stool she sat on fillowed her jump and now it was dragging her down to the floor. The way the world feels slowed down as that thought settled in was genuinely not funny at least to her.
"Yukinoshita-san, are you okay?"
Another wrench was thrown into her expectations and brain yet once again.
Rather than falling down, Yukino and her chair was currently stilled in the air diagonally against the ground like a form of contemporary art. Why? Because apparently Hikigaya Hachiman was able to held her entire weight, and also the stool, with a single hand. Sadly, Yukino yet once again reacted poorly even when the boy had a genuine good intention for his action this time. Panic and confusion did funny things to brain apparently.
"D-don't!" She screamed in confusion.
"Yukinoshita-san, breath. Calm down."
"I-I will calm down once you stop m-messing with my head!" Her outburst now was less incoherent screaming.
"I don't think I'm messing with anyone right now.." He muttered to himself, equally as confused as her but just not in any state of panic, "Would you like to lay down for a bit?"
"W-what?"
Rather than answering her, the boy simply lowered her slowly unto the ground. The gravity, literal gravity then proceeded to settle in as Yukino blinked, and her skirt nearly flew up (?) if not for her limbs trying to keep it from revealing anything as quickly as possible.
Yukinoshita Yukino, on a chair, laying down on the ground. It certainly make quite a comical scene. She doesn't even have the energy to get pissed for nearly flashing this insufferable person.
She took one hand and plant it against her face, her mouth, her eyes closed, then she screamed. This time however, she sounded like middle-aged woman with pent up frustation at how awful her life has become. And also, this is why she despised riding rollercoaster.
"H-Hikigaya-kun. C-could you disappear for a moment? O-or just pretend like you're not here in the first place?"
Somehow, Yukino could feel him shrugs his shoulders off. Somehow, she could feel walk away to retrieve his bag. Then somehow he can feel him lying down unto the floor next to her.
"H-Hikigaya-kun, what are you doing?" Eyes still closed, Yukino asked with trembling voice. God, she hated dealing with curveball like him and her sister.
"Sleeping." His curt answer. "To be perfectly honest with you, Yukinoshita-san, I was hired into this club expecting to get an easy money while doing absolutely nothing. I mean, who would have come for help to a shady and obscure club? Your offer today was a nice surprise though, but seeing your reaction, I was pretty sure that our agreement was cancelled. I still appreciate it, however, thank you."
That's it. Yukino took a quivering deep breath and opened her eyes. Her glare boring into the side of his head. "Hi. Ki. Ga. Ya. Kun. God. Why? Why? Why are you so fixated with money? Have you no shame lowering yourself to that level!? At that point you're just selling your own humanity for a pocket money!"
Yukino always considered herself to be more mature than most teenager her age, but god, this young man right here managed to make her feels like a whiny child while he appeared more mature than she could ever be, even when he was about to kiss her foot.
"You may not understand this, Yukinoshita-san, but when someone really need money, they can be worse than animal. Other than my dignity, I can proudly say that I am mostly human."
"Hikigaya-kun that's... Ughhh…." Yukino groaned, face scrunched in thought as she felt headache begn to close in. She hate rollercoaster, either physicial or emotional, so much! "C-can I lay down for a bit? Please?"
"Sure, I'm feeling kinda tired myself, anyway."
"Great. Lovely. Fantastic. Huff... Haaah... Huff... Haaaah.." Breathe in, breathe out. Zero thought, absolutely keep the trauma dumping for later thought. For now just relax...
With that, the two of them laying down on the ground next to each other, with Yukino strangely sitting on the chair that parallel against the floor, basked in the silence and the warm glow of afternoon spring sunray. Soon enough, drowsiness began to overtook her as mental exhaustion made itself aware in her subconsciousness. Her body feels like it was flying once her consciousness began to drift away ad finally, she fell into the embrace of sleep.
And this, is the scene that Yuigahama Yui found herself watching the moment she slid open the door.
"Wha-?" The bubbly girl blinked, absolutely floored, "erm... A-am I interrupting something?"
Still confused, she was about to step away before looking back, "But this look really fun, I guess. Should I... Should I call Hiratsuka-sensei?"
-oOo-
"Y...kino...ta."
The sound of flesh tapping against flesh reached Yukino's ears as her consciousness slowly resurfaced. Her eyelid moved ever so slowly, flickering and trying to open, fighting against the lull of sleep. And when she managed to open it for the slightest light to pass through, Yukino felt something wet around her mouth.
"Whu-?"
"Yukinoshita, comfy is it?" Hiratsuka-sense was in front of her, with unamused stare directed at her.
"S-sensei, is that you?" Her back creaked satisfyingly as she tried to lift herself up, "What are you-? Huh? I?"
"Yukinoshita, I remember telling you to fix Hikigaya, not join him in his delinquency. Even Hikigaya was awake before I came here."
"A-awake? H-Hikiga- I..." Then she drifted away, eyes wandering across the room trying to figure out just what in tarnation is happening here. There was a girl with pinkish hair standing behind Hiratsuka-sensei, trying to appear like she wasn't looking at her while failing miserably while doing so.
And there was Hikigaya-kun, sitting on a stool exactly where he had been la-
"no..." The horror finally settled in.
"Also wipe that drool of yours. Had to admit it was rather funny hones-"
"god, no..."
The last thing she remembered was her in that funny position with him beside her before she fell asleep, exhausted. Oh god, why did her brain make it sounds even worse!? Now she was on the floor, the stool was gone and there was a dark hoodie over her to cover what's left of her dignity.
"Hikigaya-kun." Yukino started, hand idly wiped her mouth clean from her own saliva. Her voice sounds awfully broken and empty.
"Yes?"
"Namw your price, I can pay whatever amount of money that you want. Just please, please can you stop trying to mess me up at the slightest chance everytime you're with me, please."
"M-mess me up!?" The pinknette suddenly exclaimed, hand over mouth as face blushed scarlet.
"It was misinput! Misinput! Ugghhhhhhhhh.." And Yukino finally right there as Hiratsuka-sensei began to burst out laughing.
"Hahahahaaha, what the hell!? Hikigaya, what did you to her? You literally broke her!"
"Nothing much, Yukinoshita-san at one point paid me to kiss and lick her feet but she backed out before I can do it."
"F-FEET!?"
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"NOOOOOOOO!!! AAAAAACCCCCKKK!!!"
-oOo-
Three different voices, all screamed in three different emotions. Hachiman simply watched them goes without batting an eye, thinking that all of these feels too stupid but unfortunately he had been to used to being polite his entire life to voice his thoughts. Though, he must admit, screwing up Yukinoshita Yukino's day feels particularly amusing to him.
His thought of the girl was that she was an arrogant bitch, a stupid arrogant bitch who is too naive for her own good. But again, he never shows that thought out because it was honestly more beneficial for him if he keeps his thoughts to himself.
Though, exploiting her was out of question. The deal he made with Hiratsuka-sensei had weighted enough on him, but he simply convinced himself that forcing him to waste time here deserve some form of compensation in exchange. Trying to use Yukinoshita's naivety on the other hand was, again, out of question.
He doesn't want to be at the same level as his uncle.
"Alright, haha, okay... Heh, let's just calm down for a second everyone." Hiratsuka-sensei started, still chuckling herself before she took a deep breath and put a faux serious look on her face, "Chop, chop, you two! I got you someone in need of your help!"
She then nudged the pinknette behind here to come forward. The said girl however, was still blushing and looking unsurely at Yukinoshita as if she was a freak.
A work, finally. Not like he hated rest, but not doing anything other than having a banter with a stubborn girl or trying to fall asleep for a few hours made him feels rather fidgety. How fucking funny it was that when he finally get the chance to rest and do nothing, he would start to get restless.
Hachiman sighed. All these changes were making him unsure whether it will brings good or not. But he had no say in the matter anyway, never did, so it is what it is.
"Erm... Y-yahallo." Weird greetings aside, Hachiman nodded at her. "Hi! Um... N-never thought I would find you here H-Hikki!"
This time, he actually reacted with a furrowed brows, "Hikki?"
"O-oh, it's like, er, a nickname y'know. I just- I just think it was cute...?"
That's... Well, whatever. Glancing at his so-called club president, the girl was still in fetal, clutching her head and muttering some kind of mantra. "That's alright, I guess. I assume you know my name then."
"Y-yes!" She paused, somehow she seemed to blush even more the longer Hachiman talked with her, "I, umm..., my name is Yuigahama Yui. I-It's nice to finally meet you, Hikki! You always slept in class, yknow, so I never got the chance to introduce myself to you hehe."
"We're in the same class?" Her response was only a surprised look, "Sorry then, never really paid that much attention. Yuigahama-san, would you like to discuss your request right now?"
"Oh my request! Yeah! That's umm... Actually, I don't think we can do it today, like, it's kinda late y'know."
True, the sky was beginning to turn from it's blue colour to an orange painting as sun slowly set in the horizon. And it's not like he had much time to spare anyway. "It's alright, Yuigahama-san. I suggest you to come here earlier if you still in need of our help. Or you can just find me at lunch break. Then, is that all?"
"Yes." Her quick answer
"Great. Yukinoshita-san," The said girl looked less pitiful now, but she was hugging his jacket too tightly as he approached her, as if she doesn't want to be parted with it just like a cat with its blanket, "My jacket, please "
"Urgh..." She grunted slightly before ever so reluctantly handed the jacket to him.
"Thank you. Hiratsuka-sensei, Yuigahama-san, Yukinoshita-san, I will take my leave first. Have a good night." And with that, he simply left without saying another word or waiting for their response.
-oOo-
"Whoa, never knew Hikki could be so serious like that. Is that how he usually act?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka was snapped out of her stupor by Yuigahama's comment at the boy who had disappeared behind the door. Funnily enough, she share the same thought with the airheaded girl.
Hikigaya Hachiman had always been an enigma to her and everyone else who paid attention for that matter. He had always slept in class, always come a little bit late and always be the fastest to go home once the bell rang. Shizuka had given him an earful here and there, but all of those scolding seems to be flying over his head. The fact that some teachers even feared him made it even worse.
Shizuka can't really say that she was a responsible person, but she is someone who at least care for her student. Him included. Putting him in this club, even with some incentives, was an effort she was willing to give.
Surprisingly, despite looking like he can kill someone barehanded, the boy was nothing short of respectful and polite towards anyone he talked with, even with someone like Yukinoshita and her scathing remarks. His grades were also quite amazing for someone who slept through his entire school hour, although he still to work with his literature and biology. And so far, she hadn't gotten any notice of misbehaviour inside and outside the school.
Well, it is what it is. She herself was still trying to figure just what exactly is wrong with the boy. If anything else, he had managed to bring some form of colour to Yukinoshita's dreary, lonely life and helped her to enjoy it, in a very roundabout way that is. Hey, despite looking like she was losing her mind, the girl looked like a woman well-fuc-
She coughed on her own saliva. Alright, that's enough, Yukinoshita's habit to misspoke the most outrageous thing around him was starting to rub on her too.
"S-sensei, I will take my leave too. And like, thank you for the help. Totes! I had no idea what to do there." Yuigahama, the bubbly, girl started, scratching her head in shyness that doesn't quite fit with her cheeriness.
"It's alright. If anything, I should be thanking you instead for bringing one of my charge's misdemeanor to my attention." A catcs glare was boring through her skull right about now.
"Alright then, see ya, Sensei! And you too, um, Yu-Yukinon!"
Shizuka waved at the girl as she left, eyes smiling in amusement at another predicament Yukinoshita found herself in.
"So, what do you think?" Then she turned at the only girl left, who was still flopped on the floor, "Hikigaya I me-"
"It was awful! Each minutes I spent with him had managed to more damage to my mind than my sister's lifetime effort to ruin my life and my day. Sense, I'm begging you, whatever alley you found him in, please return him there so that humanity doesn't have the need to face this calamity."
"So... you're throwing the towel?" Her smirk said it all.
"Urgh... This! God, you two are driving me insane!"
"Yukinoshita~, you haven't answered yet~ Are you giving up on him?"
"I'm not! I'm just... Huff, haah, huff." She cleared her throat, "Haven't gathered my thoughts yet. Thank you."
"Heh, alright, alright." Shizuka herself shook her head, if Hikigaya are capable of showing amusement or feeling it at all, she can't blame him for trying to continuously driving Yukinoshita mad, "Here's the deal then. What about I give you a hand to figure what exactly you needed to do to change him."
"...Isn't that cheating, Sensei?" Ahh, there's the competitiveness. Didn't hear her saying no though.
"Yukinoshita, seeingbyour lack of progress so far, I had a feeling that the boy can win this game without even doing anything in the first place. Let's start with what he does the moment he came her-"
"Sleep." Yukinoshita suddenly cut her off.
"T-that's... Er, alright. I kinda guessed it already. Anything else?"
"Messing with my head."
"Uhh..."
"No, I'm being serious. All of my attempt to fix him he would respond it with the most appalling and outrageous thing to say I was fully convinced he was doing this on purpose just so that can get into my head and ruin my day."
"W-what about his personality? What can you glean from it, surely he revealed something about himself right? Or maybe his view, principle, all that crap if you know what I mean."
"His personality? View? Principle? It's all money Sensei. Didn't he tell you that already?" This time however, Shizuka managed to bring back Yukinoshita's critical side. "I have never seen someone so fixated with money, so desperate for it, he was willing to sell his dignity like it was a cheap commodity. You heard him right about I'm paying him to kiss my feet, but you didn't know the extent of it. He was down on the floor, face inches away from my foot, the moment I put my price. And it was only for five-thousand yen."
Wait, that's not just a gag joke? What the fuck?
"... And?"
"Well, it shame me to admit, but that's just too humiliating for me to fully commit on my test so I retreated before he can put his lips on my toes." Yukinoshita's cheek reddened again, "Although, he sounds like he really need money so much so that he was willing to become animal for it."
Okay. Wow. That's... Shizuka need to do a thorough background check on him. Not for something malicious, but her guts was telling her there's more, much more than meets the eye. Where do she start though?
"Also, I want to take back something that I said before."
"What's that?" Shizuka raised her right eyebrow.
"I don't think he was desperate for money, just need it, not to the point of desperation. Because apparently, the worse that he had done for money was just selling his dignity." She pause, eyes looking down in display of concern and thoughts as she continued, "Could you... Could you look further in him, Sensei? Hikigaya-kun, something about him is not right..."
"Hoho, getting concerned are we?"
"Am not!?" The slightest hint of red on her ears says otherwise.
"Don't worry about it. That's exactly what I'm planning to do. I think I know a student who shares the same family name with him at class 1-C."
"A relative?"
"More likely a sister. Heardnthat sometimes, when Hikigaya was not falling asleep, he usually went there. Funny enough, he's rather popular with first year girls."
"Ughh... Of course he did, hooligan like him must have been a source of scandalous fantasies for hormonal teenage girls."
"Aren't you one of them?"
"Of course not!" Shizuka was tempted to say 'yet' there, "I simply feared for their sanity once they had caught a glimpse at the terrible man that's Hikigaya Hachiman. I'm not even afraid for my own safety anymore, Sensei! He really is an eldeitch being whose sole purpose of existence is to destroy the mind of innoce-"
"Alright, alright, I get it. Hikigaya screw you up good. I get it." Turning away, Shizuka cut off the girl's incessant rambling and took a bar of cigarette from her pocket.
"For the love of all that is good, can we please stop with the innuendo! I'm begging you!"
"You're the one who started it, you're the one who started it, Yukinoshita."