[OreGaIru : New Me!]

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[-Continuation-]

[-Next Day-]

[-Service Club-]

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[Hachiman's POV]

"Hey Yukinoshita, are you listening…?" I questioned with a dragged voice.

For now, I am not looking at her, so I was really clueless as to whether she was paying attention to what I was saying or not.

"..." Silence hung in the air for what felt like an eternity.

"Huuumm…" Came her eventual response, leaving me to decipher what it should mean.

Well, at least she wasn't completely ignoring me like she had been this entire time.

We both occupied our usual spots in the room. Should I mention my chair is again a bit closer to yesterday?

I glanced over at her, hoping for some confirmation of her attention, only to find her immersed in a book. Her eyes were fixed downward, intently reading the pages laid open in her lap.

Is she multitasking…? I am impressed.

"So, where was I…" I mumbled to myself, trying to recollect my train of thought.

"Oh right, I opened the door with a loud bang that jolted the old man awake…" I continued, recounting the events of a few days ago, precisely two days.

"That isn't an appropriate way to refer to your father, Hikigaya…" Yukinoshita interjected suddenly, catching me off guard and breaking her own silence.

You wouldn't say that if only she knew half of my family dynamics, which are far from the norm. Physical abuse was just one missing element from the list.

No. Nowadays, I think even that was added, considering all the chores and more heaped upon me like I was some servant… Well, maybe I am exaggerating this part…

Changing the subject, I added. "Anyway, thanks for the cookies yesterday. Komichi really enjoyed them." 

It felt like an opportune moment to express my gratitude towards Yukinoshita.

"So you were successful in your endeavor of deceiving your Sister about having an unexisting friend who was kind enough to give homemade cookies." My not-so-genuine intentions of expressing gratitude were mocked by Yukinoshita.

...nothing unexpected, I guess.

I thought while thinking back how I was the one who asked her permission to grant my little Sister a chance to taste her futu-*cough, *cough–

…let's leave it at that.

"No need to put it that way. I am simply informing you that she wanted me to thank you." Concluding the conversation, we want to go back to our work.

Reading books and constantly increasing my [Intelligence] stats.

Is this how it feels to be in a club? Definitely not.

I mean, I am pretty sure if Ms. Hiratsuka hadn't sent Yuigahama to this clubroom yesterday, no one would even bother to look at…this isolation ward.

After all, all we do is read our own books.

No, I am not complaining. In fact, I like how it is now. There were still no customers, but business was open as usual.

Yukinoshita and I were both the sort who didn't mind silence, so the times we just put our all into reading, like we were now, were peaceful.

–Knock!

That's exactly why that hard knock on the door echoed so loudly.

"Yahallo!" Yuigahama Yui slid the sliding door open with a stupid, insipid greeting.

Yukinoshita laid eyes on her, then gave a huge sigh, murmuring to herself. "…what do you want?"

"Huh? Am I not really welcome here…? Um, Yukinoshita… Do you hate me?" Yuigahama's shoulders began to tremble.

Yukinoshita sighed as though she was thinking about it.

Then she replied in a mundane voice. "I don't particularly hate you… I just think you are a little hard to deal with."

Agreed.

"When a girl says that, it means that she hates you!" Her reaction was just what you would expect from a normal girl.

"So, do you need something?" Yukinoshita asked, cutting to the chase.

"Well, you know how I have been really into cooking lately?" Yuigahama replied with a hint of shyness.

"No, this is the first time I have heard that." Yukinoshita's response was as blunt as ever.

"...*nod, this is just as, like, thanks for the other day, but I made some cookies…" Hearing Yuigahama, the blood quickly drained from Yukinoshita's face.

As their conversation became the main event in the clubroom, I activated my [Stealth] skill to blend in the background with chairs.

"I apologize. I don't have much of an appetite right now, so I am fine, thank you. Your gratitude is enough." Yukinoshita had probably only lost her aptitude just now.

Oh? What happened to her anticipated onslaught? Yukinoshita was thoughtful in not rejecting her outright.

Nonetheless, Yuigahama, still oblivious to the blessing she received, continued humming contentedly as she took out a cellophane package from her bag. It was clearly a cutely packaged bag of blackened cookies.

There was no stopping Yuigahama as she went on. "Well, it's actually fun when you try it… Maybe I will try making lunch or something next! So anyway, Yukinon, let's eat lunch together."

"No. I like eating by myself, so I don't really want to… Also, please don't call me 'Yukinon.' It makes me sick." Yukinoshita said with displeasure.

Yuigahama, who was already adjusted to Yukinoshita's behavior, wasn't the least bit discouraged by her response. "No way… Aren't you lonely? Yukinon, where do you eat lunch?"

"Here, but… Hey, are you listening to me?" Yukinoshita was starting to get restless.

"Ah, okay then, well… I am free after school, so I will help you with club activities. Well, like, you know… I am returning the favor? Yeah, I am returning the favor, so don't worry about it at all." Yuigahama tried to justify her reasoning.

"…are you listening to me?" Yukinoshita was clearly lost in Yuigahama's constant waves of conversation.

With a soft sigh, Yukinoshita looked at me from the corner of her eyes, as if to say, 'Do something about her.'

However, I simply raised an invisible white flag in defeat and went ahead, trying to adjust my breathing to my surroundings. I really don't want to deal with Yuigahama.

Do you now get it, Yukinoshita? What does it feel like to be ignored?

But I have to admit they are an odd but nevertheless interesting pair, for sure.

Surprisingly, Yuigahama was holding herself remarkably well. At one point, she seemed to have the upper hand in their exchange. I can go as far as to say she managed to push Yukinoshita into a tight spot with her barrage of quotes.

Honestly, it's fair to say that Yukinoshita brought this upon herself, considering the sincerity she displayed yesterday while attempting to address Yuigahama's problem, so that's probably why she was trying so hard to pay her back. Therefore, Yukinoshita had the right and responsibility to accept her gratitude.

"Ah, Hikki!"(Yuigahama)

Wait! My sk-ill failed!!??

Suddenly, I heard my name, and I raised my head from the book to see a blackened thing flying towards my face.

Although, still surprised by the fact that I was seen through, I caught the package reflexively.

"I kinda need to thank you too, since you helped out as well."

The package had something inside it. It was deep black and heart-shaped… How ominous?

"Thanks. Oh, and don't call me Hikki." Still, she was trying to thank me, so I accepted.

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[-Scene END-]

•••----------•••

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[-Next Day-]

[-Class F-]

[Hachiman's POV]

The ringing chime signaled the end of fourth period, sending a wave of relief through the classroom.

After my counseling session with Ms. Hiratsuka was over, I assumed that I would have a relatively peaceful and uneventful day ahead.

But. But fate had other plans, and my luck ditched me again.

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–["Come on, Hayato!"]–(Miura)

–["Nah, I can't do it today. I have practice."]–(Hayato)

–["Can't you just spare a day? Double scoops at Baskin Robbins are on sale today~~. I want a chocolate-cocoa double scoop."]–(Miura)

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And as usual, the classroom of Grade 11's Class F, which unfortunately happened to be my class, was consumed by a grand lunchtime din.

It was raining, so I found myself without a place to go. I usually had a perfect spot to eat lunch, but I had no interest in getting rained on as I ate.

And so, left with no other choice, I sat in the classroom and ate my convenience store bread in silence.

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–["Beside that, Yumiko. If you eat too much, then you're gonna regret it.–"](Hayato continued)

–["Ya know, I never get fat no matter how much I eat."]–(Miura)

–["Ahh, yeah, totally, Miura! You are. like, totally beautiful! And your legs are so pretty.… But I have plans right now, so I have to–"]–(Yuigahama)

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My ears were starting to itch from all the background noise. Couldn't they tone it down a bit?

Thankfully, I had come prepared, having learned from past experiences. I made sure to bring my earphones, which I was currently using to cancel all the superfluous background noise.

So, one could argue that I was indeed enjoying my meal.

...or, at least, that's what I wanted to believe.

However, it seems that my earphones couldn't entirely mute the vexing voices of a specific group of individuals.

Man, why is the noise cancellation technology in these earphones so bad?

Stop. Stop. Didn't I buy the latest model out there on the market? SO why do I feel like I used something even better than this….?

But before I give more attention to this 'unknown feeling.' I was again disturbed by loud noises, and it was the same group as before.

It is a pack of four boys and three girls. Oh, by the way, Yuigahama was part of that group.

Maybe I should opt for playing some high-bass music instead of simply playing some random, pleasant melody.

Yep, that's it. Today's objective is to prepare a playlist of high-bass music.

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–["Ahh, yeah, totally, Miura! You are like, totally beautiful! And her legs are so pretty.… But I have plans right now, so I have to–"]–(Yuigahama)

–["You think so? But don't you think that Yukinoshita or whatever is kind of pretty too?"]–(Miura)

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And, as you can, se-*ahem....I mean - could hear in my background that even within that group, there were two individuals who were shining brighter than all the others.

The Goody Two-shoes, 'Hayato Hayama', and the one with the most annoying voice I have ever encountered, 'Miura Yumiko'.

Now that the conversation is shifting towards Yukinoshita, the conflict should start to surface.

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–["Umm, I… have to go somewhere for lunch, so…"]–(Yuigahama)

–["Oh, really? Then make sure you buy some of that stuff when you get back. You know, that lemon tea? I totally forgot to bring something to drink today. And plus, I am having bread, so it's gonna be really rough if I don't have any tea, right?"]–(Miura)

–["A-Ah, b-but I might not get back until fifth period, so lunch might have ended, and, umm… y'know…"]–(Yuigahama)

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As you might have also guessed, Yuigahama, who wanted to leave in accordance with her plans with Yukinoshita, had by now dealt with a lot of damage from Bit*hy Queen Miura's relentless assaults, ultimately leading her to offer an apology.

However, in my view, Yuigahama is also somewhat at fault in this situation. If you have something to say, say it out loud and clear.

Then again, I realize this might be construed as me imposing my preferences on others. Everyone has their own ways of handling things, whether I agree with them or not.

And unlike me, Yuigahama isn't a loner who doesn't care about social nuances. She has friends and relationships to maintain.

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–["Sorry…"]–(Yuigahama)

–["Don't just tell me 'sorry.' You have something you want to say, don't you?"]–(Miura)

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I really, really thought long and hard about whether to involve myself in this rather trivial affair.

But...welp, I can't just stand idly by any longer. I just hope this doesn't give any wrong ideas to a certain orange-haired girl.

But who am I kidding? It definitely will cause a misunderstanding.

–Kick!

I suddenly rose from my seat, kicked the table, and exclaimed. "Eeeekk! I can't stand this anymore. This is disgusting!... *nom."

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[To be continued….]

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