Prelude: So, Hikigaya Komachi Says It Like

This

What is all of this about?

Even if you ask Komachi that, Komachi wouldn’t know … rather, Komachi would like to ask
him.

Komachi wanted to ask Onii-chan about it, but every me I tried asking, I couldn’t go any
further, as I was too shy to con nue …

No, it’s not like that. It’s not because “Onii-chan is going to be taken away from me, I’m
going to be so lonely, uwuwuu … ah, that scored a lot of Komachi points!”. No, for real, no!

I’m not lying to you! You’re asking how honest I’m being? I’m as honest as I can be! To say
the truth, it’s probably best for Onii-chan to get married away quickly, that’s what I had
always thought. Yes, I really didn’t lie to you. I’m not feeling lonely at all, it’s true! So, what
I’m saying the truth, it can’t be truer than that.

… I already said, it’s true!

This person is so annoying, not giving up at all! How many mes do you have to ask about
the same thing! Are your parents parrots or something? Ah, so that’s what it was, I
understand now! If it’s like this, then there’s nothing I can do … to think that I would meet
the alternate champion of the Birdman Compe on here …

For real, I’m not feeling lonely or jealous or anything. It’s not that I’m in denial.

It’s just that I’m too shy him about it …

It’s like asking your parents how they started da ng.

Hearing how your dad courted your mom, isn’t that just awful to hear? If he was making an
embarrassed face and speaking in a deeply emo onal manner, that would make it even
worse!

1
So, you would feel uneasy and naturally start playing with your fingers. That’s right, you will
make the face that Komachi is making now.

Listening to your brother talk about his love stories would be a similar scenario. Can you
understand? Hey, can you understand?

I think that in daily life, I’ve always kept an appropriate distance from my brother, so even
when I hear about topics related to rela onships, I can stay calm. You’re saying that’s not
the case, that we’re very close? Really? Aren’t all siblings like this? Well, actually I’m not too
sure myself.

So, un l today I had no problem hearing about things like this. I don’t know if it was just
that I couldn’t understand in that moment, anyways it just didn’t feel realis c.

… Ah, no no, it’s not like I never imagined it, rather, it’s just that I hadn’t imagined enough.
A blurry scene of “I’m so blessed! So happy! Onee-chan!”, that type of scene I have
imagined.

But in reality, it was not that simple …

What? Repeat what I said again? I’m so blessed, so happy, Onee-chan! You mean this?

Another round? This isn’t a sauna, why another round? But I’ll say it again anyways.
Komachi has a great spirit for service a er all.

One, two, three, Onee-chan!

Whew …

What’s up with this person … ah, let me have some tea first.

… Wheeew …

Ah, sorry, I’ll con nue. It doesn’t feel like Komachi should be the one to apologize though …
whatever, let’s just put that ma er aside.

I did hear Onii-chan try to bring it up once. He promised me he would tell me if anything
was to happen.

But, being the person he is, even if I went to ask him, he would try hiding it and make
excuses, so I guess I’ll just take it slowly, he’ll reveal it bit by bit anyways. That way, Komachi
can also accept reality bit by bit, that’s what I thought …

But things were not what I had imagined …

2
No, at first I was just going with the flow, teasing him in an a empt to squeeze some
informa on out of him, but when it came to the “So? Are you two actually da ng?” part,
the conversa on suddenly became unbearable.

Because, it’s that Onii-chan! My Onii-chan!

You know what happened? Onii-chan made a serious expression and cleared his throat,
then in a serious manner he told me “Komachi, actually I have something I want to tell you
…”.

I thought he was going to get into the topic, he was finally going to get into the topic!

So, Komachi sat straight immediately.

I waited ages for him to start talking, but he never did.

And in the end, all he could say sounded broken and small like a mosquito “Um, so like, I
think, it went pre y well”, his ears were red, he couldn’t make eye contact, and he sighed,
but s ll, he forced a smile.

I don’t even know if I should call him disgus ng, cute, or pure, I don’t even know if he is
happy or not, anyways, even I started to feel bashful …

And then I couldn’t help but say “Oh, oh! So that’s how it is! That’s great! Then Komachi
can rest easy”, faking a calm expression and ending the conversa on. Oh my, that really
gave me a fright, I didn’t even know that I had such talent in ac ng … if I don’t keep myself
in check, I could turn into an evil women that toys with men’s hearts!

Hmm? You’re saying that we’re similar in how we try to muddle past our problems? No no
no, there is no resemblance, not a bit. If you keep saying that I’ll get angry!

Because, we’re not the same at all! Onii-chan muddles past his problems by adding weird
selfdepreca on, which makes it especially disgus ng, but Komachi’s technique has an
indescribable cuteness to it, a flair of personality … what are you laughing at! Uh … no, like I
said, we bear no resemblance …

You’re saying that I’m trying to muddle past this? That, I admit.

We both have the same idea.

Yes, Komachi accidently muddled past the problem again …

Onii-chan is the same too, I think.

3
Like a thorn stuck in his heart, there are things he isn’t prepared to let out, and therefore
can’t say out loud, which is why he didn’t tell Komachi more about it.

But that is just what I selfishly thought …

Ah, no, it’s not like there’s any real evidence. A er all, Komachi wasn’t even with him,
didn’t hear about everything, and s ll have a lot I don’t understand.

But during ac vi es in the club room, I can’t help but have the thought that “Ah, Onii-chan
is daydreaming again”.

Do you know? When Onii-chan is daydreaming, he’s usually thinking about complicated
things, and his face becomes this jumbled mess.

Yes yes yes! Like the face you make when you eat sour candy!

Ah, so you already knew. You’re smarter than you look.

Yeah, so like, it’s ok if he makes a normal expression like frowning, but his en re face gives
off a sour and off-pu ng vibe when he’s daydreaming.

Things like this, if you hadn’t been together for a long me, you wouldn’t possibly know
right? … That’s what I thought. Oh really? There are also people that know this other than
Komachi? Oh, ok.

Well since everyone knows already … looks like Komachi has said something unnecessary.

… Ah.

Aaah, stop it, stop pa ng my head. It took me so much effort to dy my hair … say, this
person uses so much force when touching someone’s head … ouch, take your hand off my
head! Hmm, that wasn’t really all that bad.

… Yes, you’re right.

Indeed, even if Komachi does nothing, those other people will do something, I think.

Heh-heh, hearing you say that, I think I’ve cheered up a li le.

Ah! Wait! I said stop pa ng my head! No! I’m not that down!

But the future really puts me in unease, ah what a troublesome future … thinking about
what

4
will happen from now on, Komachi gets really worried …

Yes, just as you thought.

This is probably going to go on for a while.

But I think things will slowly start to change.

No ma er it being Komachi, or Onii-chan.

… Or for all of the members of the service club.

My new life? Yeah, it’s going pre y well! I’m slowly but surely working hard.

As for the club … things are considerably well … not good but not bad …

So, if you can look over him for a li le while longer, I will be very happy as a li le sister. Ah!

That scored pre y high on Komachi points!Then if there’s anything else I’ll let you know!

So that’s how it is ⼀

I’ll be in your care for a li le while longer!

5
 Chapter 1: And So, Our Youth Will Not End.

No ma er how the seasons alternate, some things never change.

It’s already half-way through April, looking outside the window from the classroom, you
could see the cherry blossoms star ng to wilt.

However, the branches reaching into the sky, the thick tree trunks accumula ng energy,
and the roots deeply plunging into the ground, remained the same.

From a flowering cherry blossom to a tree star ng to sprout new leaves, despite the
changes in its appearance, it s ll doesn’t affect its overall look.

Human nature may also be the same.

In the third spring of my high school life, no, if we’re talking about spring in my high school
life, because of some reasons, it’s only my second me, but if we’re including elementary
and middle school, I’ve already passed countless new semesters.

No ma er how long me has passed, I s ll don’t like this season.

The atmosphere of mutual gree ngs, superficial conversa ons, those, I’ve already long
been accustomed to.

Because I have to go through this every year, all I can do now is just sigh and say: “It’s that
season of the year again …”. It’s like in the summer when friends give salad oil to your
family as a gree ng gi . You thought it was a bo le of Calpis, but uncapping it, you see
that, it’s all oil,and mom and Komachi are happy. But then, ge ng oil as a gi is pre y
exci ng too, as you can use it to fry things to eat.

I should have already grown accustomed to the new semester by now, but I s ll felt
uncomfortable somehow, even more so than previous years, which made me suspect
whether I had a pollen allergy.

But I already knew the real culprit.

It was the classroom redistribu on a er we became third years.

No, the redistribu on itself was not the issue.

6
A er all, I wasn’t all that comfortable with our class when I was in my second year, so I
doubt I have any nostalgia. At the most, it’s just crying into my pillow and complaining “I’m
in a different class as Totsuka!”, I’ll never forgive you Ministry of Educa on!

But as the saying goes, good things don’t last forever, life is filled with goodbyes.
Separa ons in the short term are inevitable. Rather, I’ve already go en used to it. Looking
from another perspec ve, I can finally go to the tennis court alone in the a ernoon break
and just squat there. So, the class redistribu on itself really has no downsides for me.

So, the culprit that is making me uncomfortable is not the class redistribu on.

Unknowingly, I squinted at the culprit, even so ly clicking my tongue.

I’m not sure if he heard the sound, or if he felt the stare of hatred on his back, but the
culprit of my uncomfortableness turned around to face me.His e swung in front of his
chest, and his bangs flu ered in the wind.

Hayama Hayato.

He’s my former classmate slash current classmate, and the main cause of my
uncomfortableness.

Hayama originally had a cool smile on his face, but as soon as his eyes met mine, they
flashed a teasing look. He raised the corners of his mouth, then bowed his head slightly.

With that ac on, it was as if he was saying “Is there a problem?”.

I have no business with you …

I shook my head slightly in response.

Hayama shrugged his shoulders, as if saying “Don’t call me if you gave nothing to say”.

No, I didn’t call you …

I sighed impa ently, and at that moment—

“Huhuhu…”

A weird laughter reached my ears.

In an instance, Hayama and I had straightened our backs.

7
It’s over! That person’s coming! I raised my alertness, discovering a female student in the
corner of my eyesight.

She had so shoulder-length black hair, a pair of red-rimmed glasses, and the sides of her
mouth were contorted in an unpleasant manner, showing a delighted smile.

Ebina Hina.

She is also my former classmate slash current classmate, and another cause of my
uncomfortableness. She showed a sa sfied smile, pulled the chair beside her, and started
poin ng between me and Hayama.

“We’re in the same class as Hikigaya again huh”

“Hahaha …”

Hayama let out an awkward laughter a er hearing Ebina’s meaningless comment.

“Um, yeah, I guess this is fate …”

He helplessly replied, but, towards Ebina, he made a grave mistake. Who knew Ebina would
snicker and say:

“Fate … fufufu …”[1]

She licked her lips, looking like a devil with no decency at all.

Miura had always been here to stop her rampage! Great queen, please come here quickly! I
shrunk my shoulders and prayed that this ro en storm would blow over.

As our new semester seat arrangement was based on our school number, Hayama was the
one to sit in front of me.

Up un l middle school, schools in Chiba arranged our school numbers by birthday, but for
some reason they decided to arrange it by alphabe cal order in high school. Damn it!
Hayama’s birthday is on September 28th, if our seats were arranged by birthday, he would
be in the back …

God, oh god, I just clearly remembered Hayama’s birthday … doesn’t that look like I care a
lot about him …?!

Ebina seemed to have picked up on the maiden-in-love scene playing in my heart, as she
quickly walked over and her ro en energy intensified.

8
Since becoming a third year, everyday has been like this.

Of course, the three of us aren’t always together.

From an outsider’s perspec ve, Hayama and Ebina frequently talk with the other
classmates, and seem to socialize well. Rather, they seem to always be happy with
everyone.

But maybe because of the sea ng arrangement, some mes things like this happen.

For example, a er school when everyone is thinking of what to do next, or during the brief
me before and a er class.

At mes like these, a situa on like this would gradually form, and Hayama, Ebina, and I
would end up together.

Even if we did make eye contact, we seldomly talked, and any talk that did come up always
ended in a simple two lines, not even coun ng as a conversa on, pre y much the only way
we“make conversa on” is through sighing. But it’s s ll one month before the next seat
change, so before then, this situa on can only con nue on.

If it’s just one month, I think I can make it through.

Furthermore, I’ve already had a whole years’ worth of experience with Hayama and Ebina,
and at least know how to handle being with them.

We respect the same rules, that is, not to meddle too much with someone else’s business.

Because both Hayama and Ebina are inclined to maintain the status quo, ge ng along with
them is quite easy. As of the other classmates … that’s not the case.

Hayama Hayato had always been one of those a en on-hoarding people, same goes as
Ebina.

Many people in the class have already known them to an extent, plus, there were definitely
some that wanted to use this chance to get to know them.

And so, all the a en on in the class naturally falls onto Hayama and his friends.

Even so, Hayama o en uses a non-offensive manner to coolly block their gazes, while Ebina
uses her ro en mode to make herself look like a clown character, so, no one has actually
go en close to them.

To be able to break though all these protec ve layers is probably pre y impressive …

9
Can’t say that I called it, but just as I was thinking about these things, a large ruckus
sounded from outside the classroom, and the door in the back was opened.

“Hayato! Listen to me.” Accompanied by the ambient noise, someone came in crying out
like how Nobita calls for Doraemon’s help. The one noisily running towards him is our
former classmate, Tobe.

“This is bad! Yumiko is making me in charge of the 2F class gathering, but the soccer club is
also preparing for the imminent compe on, I already said I have no me to spare …”

Tobe came towards us and started playing with the hair on his nape, crying and
complaining about his situa on.

So that’s the case, that really does sound like trouble.

As for the people in remaining in the classroom, they had heard what Hayama and his circle
were talking about, and formed a discussion that went “Ah … Miura … ah … so that’s it”.

But that level of understanding is not sufficient to truly understand Hayama and his circle.

Hayama and Ebina made no response. Surprisingly, Tobe subsequently changed the tone of
his voice.

“This is not good; I’m be ng my all on this last compe on for the soccer club.”

With that said he took a glance at Ebina.

“But she’s forcing me to plan the gathering, what should I do? This is bad. I’m also in charge
of the gathering for our new class, I wonder if there’s anyone else that can do it.”

With every sentence, no, every sec on, no, every word, he glanced towards Ebina.Even
without deciphering the contents of his speech, it was evident that he was using a super
self-humilia ng way to boast about himself. But it seemed that it had li le effect on his
target Ebina. From the beginning of his speech, she had not u ered a word, only smiling
and nodding.

“Sure is hard for you huh, Tobe-kun.”

Ebina’s indifference made Tobe stop talking for a moment, but that wouldn’t be enough to
let Tobe down, that’s the kind of person he is.

“This is bad, this is really bad. Ah! If there was someone else that could do this other than
me!

10
But I also want to prepare for my club! Ah! I’m in trouble! A er all, this is our last year in
high school, so we also have to do something about class gatherings.”

He was making it as if it was his last move before victory, with only one weapon called
“boas ng” to carry him on. Um, that weapon you have, it’s a bamboo gun…

His gallant effort sure was touching, but in the past few days, the frequency of his visits and
boas ng had increased substan ally, to say the truth, as a bystander, it is quite sad to
watch.

This dude, I feel like he’s the type of person who will one day send a “I may look frivolous,
but during Mother’s Day I went home with my childhood bros to give her carna ons” kind
of uninteres ng and crazy tweet.

The bystanders listening to him have also gradually made a “what’s up with that person…”
kind of look.

But the one person that could solve this problem was non-other than the human air purifier
Hayama Hayato, although I don’t know whether he has that plasma cluster-something
func on,it’s like he always has the fresh breath a er ea ng a Frisk mint candy. He silently
looked at Tobe and showed a smile.

Seeing his cool smile, Tobe somewhat shyly scratched his nose.

Hayama started speaking while maintaining his smile: “Doesn’t that mean everyone thinks
you’re very reliable? That’s pre y good. Don’t worry about club, you can focus on planning
the gatherings.”

An almost perfect reply. His speech really shows his matureness. Tobe was annoyingly
boas ng about himself there, and yet he could s ll reply with a smile and decent tone, he
really is something.

Actually, the people listening to Hayama were also radia ng a “Ah…Hayama really is
something, he’s so mature…” kind of vibe.

But that level of understanding is not sufficient to truly understand Hayama and his circle.

For people that know Hayama well enough, his message was very evident.

It seemed that Tobe had picked up on this, and reached his hand towards Hayama’s
shoulders, complaining: “Wait, wait! Hayato! Nonono! I also want to work hard for our
club!”

11
But Hayama swi ly dodged Tobe’s incoming hand, and with a hammering smile, he said:
“No need to worry about that anymore, worry about the class gathering, I’ll be cheering for
you.”He showed off a cool smile with perfect white teeth that made Tobe brim with tears. It
was like he was saying that the soccer club no longer needed him … the only person that
could force Hayama to say such toxic things is probably Tobe only.

On the flip side, Tobe was able to make this annoying, twisted, cool, and dark-sided
handsome person open up his heart, that’s really impressive in its own.

Seeing Hayama reveal his dark side, Ebina and I nodded without any surprise. As for the
otherss ll remaining in the classroom, they started to secretly chat with one another.

“Should we also consider arranging a class gathering?”

“Right? Let’s think of something too.”

The people in the class started to make conversa on. Their conversa on was supposed to
be happening with their within their own circles, yet they were secretly shoo ng glances at
Hayama in an cipa on.

Things like class gatherings are usually organized by the leading figure of a group.

Although our classmates didn’t openly request for it, their inten on was obviously to get
Hayama to grant their wish for a class gathering. The whole class were wai ng for Hayama
to say “Let’s do it then (shiny white teeth ☆)!”.

No cing this, Hayama lightly sighed.

That sure looks exhaus ng … this year he was sure to be the center of the class again, stuck
being everybody’s Hayama Hayato.Just as I was trying my best to show my indifference,
Tobe made an “Eh?” sound, and showed a worried expression.

It seemed that Tobe had also heard our classmates murmuring. He looked around his
surroundings, pulled at the hair on his nape, and directed a ques on to Ebina.

“Ebina, have you guys not had a class gathering yet?”

“Yeah. No one’s planning one.”

Ebina troubledly laughed a er being asked that ques on, turning to look at me and
Hayama.

“Is there anyone that would plan one?”

12
“Who knows …”

Seeing that Ebina was elonga ng her sentences and feigning ignorance, Hayama lowered
his shoulders in response. And then, as if he remembered something, the corners of his
mouth floated into an annoying smile.

“Right?”

He directed this simple ques on towards me, and lted his head towards me in fake
concern.

Stop that, don’t ask me … what does this have to do with me … please don’t pull me into
this mess …

To express my thoughts out loud, I took my new textbooks and straightened them on my
desk, then I stowed them in my drawer. At the same me, picking up my bag to express my
inten on to leave. A er all, it was nearing club me …

I tried ge ng out of my seat, but Ebina and Hayama con nued speaking to me, completely
ignoring my signals.

“But I do want to have a class gathering.”

“A er all, if we don’t plan one now, there won’t be me later.”

“Yeah!”

Even Tobe, who was unrelated to our class ma ers, had joined in on the conversa on,
gradually, an cipa on for a class gathering was growing in the classroom.

Not good … if I stay here, I will surely be forced to par cipate!

Even the three of them had began to throw glances at me that said “what to do”, like they
were wai ng for my reply. We were enveloped by a strange silence.

If I were to agree now, they would probably say something like “Then I’ll tell the girls,
Hayama, you’ll be in charge of the boys, Hikigaya you’re in charge of contac ng everybody,
choosing the loca on and booking it, and we’ll rely on you for all the other errands”.

Even so, if I objected to the class gathering it would not stop this growing an cipa on.
Towards Hayama and Ebina, I feel like I can’t muddle past this with just an excuse. I’m really
not adept at handling those two …

13
And so, there was only one thing for me to say: “If everything’s se led, remember to tell
me …”

That was my killer technique.

Whenever there was going to be an ac vity, if I said those magic words, I could covertly
express that I had no inten on to be the leader.

The person saying this basically doesn’t need to do anything, not even chip in on the
finances.

They are people that others would call an asshole, and so in most situa ons, this person
would not be called on in the future. But if things were to actually shape up, they could
solve it by saying “I’ll go if I can”. This technique originated from the polite way that people
in Kyoto use to refuse others, but it seemed that Hayama and Ebina had caught up on what
I was implying, the two of them showed a troubled smile, and lightly nodded their heads,
with a look that said “Thought so”.

But some mes you’ll meet that one person that just doesn’t understand.

The person I’m referring to is Tobe.

Tobe played with his annoyingly long hair, made a solemn expression a er being immersed
in his thoughts, then he suddenly pa ed my shoulder.

“You’re wrong, this type of thing needs to done in the moment! We need to decide it, now
or never, or else if we consider everyone’s plans, this ma er would never be se led. Just
WEI it! WEI!”

“Oh, ok … don’t suddenly say something so correct …”

Because his smile directed towards me was too handsome, I accidently made a casual reply.

Even I had a reac on.

Tobe’s rude loud voice seemed to have entered the ears of all the people remaining in the
classroom.

In front of the classroom, a few boys and girls that had formed a group suddenly looked
back towards us.

The impression they gave at first glance, were not of people that caught the a en on of
others, and not like Hayama and his circle’s outstanding appearances, also not like the

14
weird type you would find with the woodworks or game crea on club’s members. Plus,
they also did not seem to have the dark vibe that Sagami had..

To put it simply, they were what we call normal people. You might disagree at what the
threshold is to be a normal person, but looking at the people I’m acquainted with, calling
them normal would be most fi ng.

Because of this, they blended in to school life very well. Rather, they did it so well that it
was hard to even remember their names or faces.

Two of our classmates glanced at Hayama, then at each other, and so ly spoke to one
another: “What do we do?” “Do we say something?”, or something like that.

At last it seemed like they had reached a conclusion, one of the short black-haired girls in
the group nodded and stood up.

Under her friend’s scru ny, she nervously marched towards us.

Her hair was slightly curled in, it’s length going just around her shoulders, and her bangs
rested on her pre y forehead. With each step, her hair bounced around.

Her facial features were favorable, and she gave off a lively vibe, adding to that, her stature
was quite short, and the way she walked was like that of a small wild deer.

Because we had just recently been distributed to new classes, there were s ll many
classmates that I could not recognize, yet, I knew this girl.

I think she was the one that became our class leader.

Her name was … uh … name … I think was Tomioka Mio?

No, Tomioka Mito? Or Tomioka Mika? Nono, it’s Tomioka something ... well it could be in
reverse too ...

No ma er what it was, I was certain was she was a To-something-san. I’m actually pre y
good at remembering names, so much so that I haven’t forgo en the name of that Kawa-
somethingsan. I wonder if Kawa-something-san is doing well now …

Just as I was trying to remember To-something-san’s name, To-something-san came beside

us, took in a breath of air, and said to us:

“Um, about …!”

15
Out of nervousness, her voice came out somewhat sharp, but unexpectedly energe c.
Because of the sudden disturbance from his back, Tobe jumped and gasped.

To-something was frightened back, and couldn’t speak for a moment.

Her sharp voice and Tobe’s unsightly gasp a racted the a en on of everyone. Perhaps s ll
being embarrassed from that, her face became all red. In the silence of the classroom, to
make up for the awkwardness, she repeated again and again “Um …”.

Seeing the situa on, Ebina lunged forward to hug her.

“Oh Toto, what’s up?”

Ebina called her with a nickname and started pa ng her head. That really is impressive …
Ebina was talented at reading the mood, so her ability to resolve awkwardness was top
class …

She really is the person that tamed the Miura-lion and the endangered Kawa-something-
leopard ... if this goes on, Toto could become a new member of “Ebina’s Exo c Animal
Kingdom ...”

Just as I was thinking about that, Toto seemed to have slowly calmed down in Ebina’s
embrace.

Hayama saw that she had calmed down, and took the chance to ask her:

“Is there anything we can help you, Tomioka-san?”

Ah, it was Tomioka, yes, Tomioka-san. Uh-huh I already knew that. As I nodded my head,
Hayama shot me a contemptuous glance that said “You forgot her name right?”. No, I
remembered, ok? Wasn’t it To-something-san? You sure mind my business a lot. That said,
in the end he would s ll remind me, Hayama-san is really such a gentleman☆!

Just as my maiden heart was going doki-doki☆, Tomioka-san was just like me, doki-doki-ing
for Hayama.

“Um, you were talking about a class gathering, right?”

Tomioka-san stu ered as her face turned red, glancing at Hayama.

“Yeah, we were just discussing about. Were you talking about it over there as well?”

Hayama answered with his usual cool smile, making Tomioka-san fran cally avert her gaze.

16
Wow, what a maiden-in-love reac on that was. Hayama senpai-pai is so handsome, just his
looks set him apart from everyone, if it weren’t for me being used to it, I wouldn’t be able to
gaze at him directly. I understand. Some mes, I too don’t dare to gaze at him directly.

I smiled at the sight in front of me, just then, Tomioka-san’s averted gaze fell onto me, and
we made direct eye contact.

Of course, of course. Her gaze didn’t leave me a er that.

“Then, what do you plan to do a er this ...? Um? A class gathering? Dinner together?
Something like that …?”

Tomioka-san ghtly held onto the ribbon in front of her chest, and looked at me with her
earnest eyes. Because she couldn’t yet calculate the distance between us, she had a so
tone to her voice, from that, I could tell that she was a serious but air-headed person.

I’m guessing she said all of this because of the nonsense that Tobe was spou ng earlier, like
“We need to decide it, now or never, or else if we consider everyone’s plans, this ma er
would never be se led. Just WEI it!” Tobe, it’s all your fault, quick, apologize.

As a brotherly figure, seeing a girl try so hard makes me want to just go along with what
she wants, but if we were to go for a class gathering right a er this, it would be way too
sudden.

I s ll have my own plans for later. Normally, “I have plans later” is just a common excuse to
push away an event, and in reality, they are probably just watching re-runs of idol shows at
home. But today I really did have plans that I couldn’t push away … to be honest if I could I
really would want to.

To get away from Tomioka-san’s searing gaze, I could only look away to the side, towards
Hayama for help.

Say, weren’t you the one being asked that ques on? Shouldn’t you be the one to answer? I
silently pressured him, and gestured for him to respond quickly.

Hayama lightly sighed, nodding in answer to my plea, then, he immediately put on his usual
cool smile and turned towards Tomioka-san.

“I’m sorry, but I have to go to club.”

“Ah, sorry Toto. We are very serious about soccer prac ce. I’m not sure about Hikigaya
though.”

17
A er Hayama rejected her with a smile, Tobe quickly followed up. Say, no one even called
for you, you’re not even in the same class as us … but because I also have my own club to go
to, I obediently nodded in agreement with them.

And so, Tomioka-san also nodded.

“Yeah, yeah I guess …! So, like, a er club ends or something …”

She nodded her head like she understood, but despite her apologe c a tude, she didn’t
give up just yet. Ah-ha, so we have a troublesome girl here.

Hayama and Ebina were also shocked by how stubborn she was.

Usually when Hayama uses his cool smile to reject others, the other side would give up.
From what I know, the only person that this strategy wouldn’t work on is Yukinoshita
Haruno.

“Toto, that’s some real spirit you got there. You’re right, we could always go a er club!”

It seemed that Tobe had been swayed by Tomioka-san’s stubbornness, so he voted a yes for
the gathering. Wait, I’m pre y sure you’re not in our class though …

“I have me today as well.”

Ebina slowly raised her hand in approval, and Hayama also nodded his head.

“A er club huh …”

And then he glanced at me, asking me what I what I was going to do.

“Ah, today is not so convenient for me …”

I reflexively used that lame excuse, Hayama seemed to be baffled for a second a er hearing
that, but he quickly thought it through and regained his composure, nodding his head and
saying: “Oh yeah. Then it looks like we really can’t go.”

“Huh?”

Because Hayama became so understanding out of nowhere, I couldn’t help but throw some
suspicion at him. But before I could think any further, Tomioka-san hurriedly interrupted.

“Ah, any me is fine! We’re just out to have fun, it’s fine even if we go at night …!
Yeah?”“Um … so like, how do I say, it’s just that the ming really isn’t good …”

18
She really was being way too stubborn; I didn’t even know how to reply in that moment.

Meanwhile, Hayama was holding back a laugh, his shoulders shaking non-stop. Then he
suddenly raised his head, and greeted me with his cool smile.

“Why not just say you’re not available tonight.”

“Yeah … that’s right, but why are you the one saying that … and how do you know …?”

Wait, what’s up with this guy, he’s been smiling so slyly since just now … hey, wait. He
wouldn’t really know what’s up right? Wait a minute, wait a minute, no, are you kidding
me? Wait, hey, what the hell is up with this person? God, he has been way too interested in
my ma ers, right?

How scary.

I stared at Hayama, a emp ng to read past his cunning and annoying smile, but from the
corner of my vision Tomioka-san raised her hand abruptly, her jumpy ac ons making me
think how much she was like a hyper deer.

“Well, if that’s the case then let’s just do it next me! We can reschedule it to a me where
Hikigaya-san can also par cipate!”

“Um, ah, excuse me … actually you really don’t need to care about me … I’ll go if I can next
me, you guys should have fun, no need to mind me …”

If it was someone that knew me, they would quickly pick on the fact that I didn’t want to
go, but for someone that’s speaking to me for the first me, it seemed that they didn’t
understand.

Tomioka-san stared into my eyes, then shook her head side by side.

“No, I don’t think that is ok”

“Ah, really …”

Isn’t this kid way too serious …?

How have I been able to muddle past situa ons like this when my excuses didn’t work? Just
as I was pondering this ques on, it looked like Tobe couldn’t bear the situa on any further,
and he stepped in to resolve the awkwardness.

“Then let’s just do it next week or the week a er and see if our schedules meet!”

19
“Yeah.”

Hayato nodded in confirma on, and Tomioka-san also nodded back. Thank you, Tobe, even
if we are in different classes, even if our class gathering has nothing to do with you, s ll,
thank you.

With that ma er solved, it was nearing club me. Hayama grabbed his schoolbag, no cing
that, Ebina said to Tomioka-san:

“Want to go get dinner later? If we’re going to do a class gathering it would be best if we
could talk about it first.”

“Ah, mm! Ok! Let’s go get dinner!”

“Let’s go, let’s go!”

It was supposed to be a girl’s gathering, but Tobe was invi ng himself in, seeing that,
Hayama smiled and said:

“Oh, so that’s how it is. Then you go along with them, have fun.”

“Heyyy, don’t be like that, Hayato.”

The scene of Tobe leaning on Hayama made Tomioka-san panic a bit, but as soon as she
realized it was just how the two of them joked around, she showed a gentle smile. At the
same me, Ebina was deep in thought, mu ering:

“Ooh, that’s the kind of scene I want to see …”

That so, Tobe X Hayama, it actually sounds pre y good … no, or is it Hayama X Tobe …?

As I was thinking about these things, I picked up my bag and stood up from my seat.

As if that were the signal to leave, Hayama also stood up, and we le the classroom and
entered the hallway. Tobe, Ebina, and Tomioka-san also followed along.

“I’m going ahead.”

A er leaving the classroom, I mu ered a useless comment, but just as I was heading to the
club building—

“Hikigaya.”

Hayama abruptly called me, making me turn around.

20
“Good luck.”

“… What nonsense are you spewing.”

What are you talking about? — I wasn’t able to say that in me, and neither did I want to
go back to ask. Most importantly, what I have to do today that would require luck, I know
all too well.

Even if I were to feign ignorance, Hayama would definitely just say something like
“Whatever, as long as you’re fine with”, it would be an empty comment, but something I
can’t ignore.

And so, all I did was raise one side of my cheek, contort the corners of my mouth, and sigh
as I replied in a harsh manner.

As for whether Hayama heard it, I’m not sure, as we le in different direc ons and there
was no way to confirm.

But because I could s ll hear the sound of Ebina’s high pitched ro en speak “Hahaha that’s
what I like, fufufu”, it’s safe to say that he heard what I had said. I was too scared to look
back anyways, so I hurriedly fled the scene.

I walked speedily through the hallway, outside of the windows I could see the cherry
blossoms in the courtyard.

A breeze of wind passed by me, blowing up a storm of white flower petals, and as the wind
blew away, all that was le on the branches were fresh green shoots.

The sense of finality to the scene made me stop in my tracks and ponder.

This is the last spring of my high school life.

Summer is coming soon, but even as the new leaves sprout, spring doesn’t end just yet,
instead a touch of green grows on.

—And so, our youth will not end, and spring will con nue on.

21
Chapter 2: Even So, His and Her Rou ne Will
Con nue On

No ma er how the seasons alternate, some things never change.

Inversely, some things do change.

For example, the service club that I’m in has had some change.

A while a er par ng with Hayama—

I entered the special building and headed towards the club room, immediately, something
running towards me appeared in my peripheral vision.

“Oh, Onii-chan, what took you so long?”

The biggest change here, is that we now have an adorable new club member, who was
coming to greet me in smiles.

The one and only, best sister in the world, Hikigaya Komachi—wearing the Sobu High
uniform and joining the service club. That was a scene that I never imagined I’d see one
day.

During spring break, I’d already seen her in uniform at home plenty of mes, but to see it in
school made me more emo onal than I thought possible. Because of how precious she is, I
don’t even dare to talk to her when we run into each other on the hallway. To be exact,
Komachi treats me like air in school, but talks to me normally in the club room, Onii-chan is
so happy …

Perhaps because she was s ll not used to it, she wore her uniform jacket with her sleeves
slightly rolled up, and had a new hair pin to put down her bangs, and now, there she was,
[2]
applying Sock Touch casually like it was no big deal..

When she had just joined the club, she was like a new cat in the house exploring its new
home, however, just a few days later, she had already completely adjusted, thus exposing
such a defenseless pose now. Don’t do that in front of other boys, alright? With how cute
you are, I’m afraid that you will awaken a Sock Touch fe sh in them.

22
Sock Touch … sounds pre y good …

Of course, the change is not only in my newly discovered fe sh, there are other things that
have changed here.

“Ah, Senpai, what took you so long?”

Isshiki Iroha puffed her cheeks in an adorable manner, and was busy doing a manicure on
her nails …

This person is just the same as the last huh? Say, what are you even doing here …? You’re
not a club member, right?

But the one si ng next to Isshiki, Yuigahama Yui, did undergo a bit of a change.

“Hikki, yahallo!”

Her smile and cheerful waving had not changed, neither did her weird but lively gree ng.

Although, she sat in a different place compared to before, now, she sat at the other side of
the table, right beside Isshiki.

“… Oh, good a ernoon.”

The change from the usual distance made me confused, thus, I was slow in my reply. To
cover that up, I speedily walked towards my seat.

But even this seat was different from before.

“Good a ernoon.”

As I was si ng down, a so voice came from beside the window. As usual, this voice was
quiet and composed, but it felt closer than before. And so, I replied with a quieter voice
than usual:

“… Yeah, good a ernoon.”

This was probably the smallest change of all.

Yukinoshita Yukino sat in front of the windows, the sunlight shining in and forming a
glowing backlight on her. She was lightly combing her hair, with an elegant smile on her
face.

The distance between us had become slightly closer than before, just by a few millimeters.

23
In the past, my sea ng arrangement had always been diagonal to Yukinoshita’s, but now,
we were on the same line.

Looking back at the past, it was clear to me that however far I stretched out my hand, it
would never be enough to reach her, and so I never tried. In the past, the distance between
us was as far as that.

But now, the distance between us was such that, if we both took a step forward, and tried
our best to reach out, we would be within each other’s grasp.

Even so, the distance between us now was s ll not all that close, that point hadn’t changed
that much from the past.

Despite being an almost negligible change, it was s ll something.

24
 2-2
The ambient noise and faint scent of tea gradually filled the club room.

Interrupted by the fragrant scent, I looked up from the novel I was reading, and faced the
source of the fragrance.

In front of a billowing cloud of steam, Yukinoshita Yukino elegantly brewed some tea. The
sunlight reflec ng off the cloud of steam made it looked there was a veil over her face.

I gazed at this marvelous scene, just then, Yukinoshita’s eyes suddenly met with mine.

"Anything wrong?"

Yukinoshita lted her head, silently asking me.

To that, I responded by shaking my head, and looked down to shi my a en on back onto
the novel. At that moment, I saw the corners of her lips move into a gentle smile.

There was nothing special about this type of exchange, but it made me feel a bit uneasy, so
I decided to concentrate harder on my novel.

That’s what I thought … but I couldn’t concentrate at all …

Ge ng used to a new environment is a me-consuming process. The subtle change in

rela onship, the devia on in our posi on, and the unfamiliar distance. All of this was
inevitable.

Other than that, there was s ll something bugging me.

Hayama’s words as we parted stayed in my heart and wouldn’t go away, it really was
troubling me …

The moment I thought about that and the upcoming event,, I couldn’t focus on the novel,
all I could do was scan through the lines one by one.

In situa ons like this, when only your ears are hard at work, naturally, you will be a racted
by the trivial conversa ons around you.

“Did you know a new café opened around here?”

The one that said that was Isshiki. She tapped at her phone, and showed it to Yuigahama.

25
Yuigahama took a look at it, then exclaimed:

“Ah, it really is close!”

“Yeah, I think we can go a er school. It looks like the shop was originally from Kobe, so the
décor is pre y stylish. There’s quite a diversity of drinks too.”

The two sat shoulder by shoulder, and cha ed as they swiped away at the phone screen.
Just then, Komachi pulled a chair over and sat beside Yuigahama, looking at the phone.

“Ooh, pearl milk tea.”

“No one’s drinking this stuff anymore, only old-fashioned people drink this now.”

Hearing Isshiki’s mean comment, Komachi was greatly impacted. I’m not sure whether it
was the force of the mental impact, but Komachi sat slanted on her seat upon hearing
that.Then, she said in a shaky voice: “Eh, but, but Onii-chan said he quite likes it …”

“Ah—that’s probably because he’s is like an old-fashioned person …”

Hearing what Yuigahama said to Komachi, I was impacted even harder than Komachi was,
so much so that I also sat slanted on my chair.

Hey … I didn’t drink it because I knew it was all the rage, um, it’s just that I enjoy sweet
things like milk tea, and the s ckiness of the pearls were quite intriguing … say, in it’s
origina ng place in Taiwan it is already a mainstream beverage, you can’t even describe it
as “the rage” anymore … I feel that it should also gradually have such a presence in Japan …
like how even the convenience stores sell ice cream sundaes in the summer …

Just as I was furiously protec ng my pearl milk tea, or my old-fashioned-ness, Isshiki added
to the insult, as if she was not sa sfied yet: “Old-fashioned people really do like to chase
trends from two weeks ago.”

“I understand, some mes I feel that way too … that type of person that comes over and
says ‘This is all the rage now right?’, really makes you feel annoyed …”

Yuigahama said with an impa ent tone, making a very annoyed expression.

Yet, the one listening to their conversa on, Komachi, showed a frightened expression.

“Both of you are way too familiar with old-fashioned people …”

“Yeah, cause daddy …”

26
“Yeah, because dad …”

Komachi heard both Isshiki and Yuigahama answer in a similar manner, and, as if no cing
something, started murmuring non-stop: “Ah, so that’s how it is …”

What’s wrong …? What type of “daddy” are they talking about … I don’t really understand,
but it sounds pre y scary, be er for me to pretend that I never heard anything!

I removed my gaze on them, and saw that Yukinoshita had prepared five servings of tea.
She poured the tea into the mug with the dog illustra on, the plain teacup, and a paper
cup.

“Here, have some tea.”

Yukinoshita said, and the three people opposite of her reached over for their cups and said
their thanks.

“Ah, thank you.”

“Thank you, Yukino-san.”

“Thanks, Senpai.”

Yuigahama, Komachi, and Isshiki held the tea in their hands. Then, Yukinoshita quietly
poured one last cup of tea into the mug with the Pan-san illustra on and gave it to me.

“Thank you.”

Hearing my quiet thanks, she lightly nodded. A look of sa sfac on appeared on her face,
she’s probably confident in the taste of today’s tea. Or it could have been because I
properly thanked her, and she thought that her daily teachings had finally paid off. She’s
always reminding me to be polite …

Even without direct conversa on, both of us weakly signaled to each other similar feelings.
This type of lovely-old couple interac on made me feel a bit uneasy, so to conceal the
reddening of my cheeks, I blew at my tea, deciding to forget about it.

Looking sidewards, I could see that Komachi was using her long sleeves to hold the teacup
as she blew on her tea.

And then, both of us took a sip at the same me.

“Ah, hot…! Not really …”

27
My voice and Komachi’s overlapped in perfect unison. This made both of us stare at each
other, but despite our shared surprise, no one else felt that way.

“You could even say it’s not hot enough.”

Isshiki held the paper cup to her lips, and made an unsa sfied expression. Then she glanced
at me and put on a face that said “What’s this guy talking about?”, and added:

“What’s this guy talking about?”

Hey, what type of expression was that? It was cute, sure, but also so irrita ng … how can
you be dissa sfied with the temperature of Yukinoshita’s tea, pupu!

Just as I was thinking that, Yuigahama showed an interes ng expression and looked me in
the eye, saying:

“Ah, it's because Hikki is afraid of hot things.”

Her smile seemed a bit awkward, and I returned a similar expression in agreement. From
my peripheral vision, I saw Komachi with a look of gratefulness as she sipped her tea, and
then she moved her chair to sit beside Yukinoshita.

“Everyone in the household is afraid of hot things, even Kamakura.”

[3]
“Well, he does have a cat’s tongue.”

“So, this warmth is perfect for our whole family … what do I do, Yukino-san …? I like you too
much …”

And then she put her hand on Yukinoshita’s thigh, and meowed as she cuddled on her.

“Don’t be like that, Komachi …”

Yukinoshita looked like she was at a loss then and there, but it seemed that she didn’t
dislike Komachi’s feline way of expressing in macy, so, she just le Komachi to do whatever
she wanted. A short while later, she cau ously reached towards Komachi’s head, and
started to pat her gently. Hm, not bad, Komachi’s preciousness really is something to behold
… it made me want to sing like Remeoroman “Machi —Yuki —ah …”.

I really wanted to become a wall then ... but just as I was ac ng a bystander role, suddenly,
[4]
an ice-cold sound “GURAWEAGOWARAGAKIN” knocked down my imagina on.

“Oh, that so.”

28
I glanced towards the side, only to see Isshiki make a very cold expression, saying
something so harsh without a damn. Then she took a sip of tea and made a disgusted
expression, then she murmured:

“So that’s how it is … it is pre y hot, and it’s bi er, sour, and annoying.”

She had changed from her previous opinion, and let out her feelings in a stream of
[5]
consciousness, rivalling the excitement of Okada’s triple home run.

What are you saying …? It’s not hot, I don’t think so at all … I averted my gaze and sipped
my tea.

It was neither hot nor cold, it wasn’t at either state, it was just perfect in that moment.

29
 2-3
A er drinking the perfectly prepared tea, I finally felt more relieved.

Around me, everyone had a look of sa sfac on, and the club room returned to its usual
calm atmosphere. It was silent as if nothing had happened, anyways, we were very idle, not
much different from the usual.Me, Yukinoshita, Yuigahama, and Isshiki were all doing what
we wanted to do, drinking tea, reading, and playing on the phone.

The only person panicking from the idleness was Komachi.

“… No one’s coming.”

She held her face with her hand, and lightly sighed.

“That’s just how it is. This silly club is basically idle all the me.”

You could say that being idle and not doing anything was what we did in the service club.

There’s only the occasional troublesome request, other mes, the service club = passing
me in the club room.

And so, I held up my novel, gesturing for Komachi to bring a book or phone to pass me
here.

Just then, Yukinoshita, who was also reading, li ed her head, and amusingly said:

“Yeah, that’s why there’s one silly club member that treats this place like a library.”

“So you do now that you’re that silly club member.”

Yukinoshita pressed her temples as if she were in great pain, being le speechless, she
sighed a breath. Just as she lowered her head to get back into her novel, she silently
added:

“… It’s be er than it was before, at least he knows he’s a club member now …”

The way she flipped the pages was very gentle, and the way she gazed into the distance,
paired with the novel in her hand, made it look like she was holding an album of memories.

“Hm, huh, ok.”

30
A year ago, as I was dragged into this place, all I could think about was how I could get out
of here. Remembering how I was in the past compared to now made me feel super
embarrassed, and I wanted to kill the me in the past. In mes like this you need to cough
twice to cover up the shame!

Cough, cough.

A er coughing a couple of mes to perfectly cover my shame, I turned to Komachi like

nothing happened and said:

“Whatever, isn’t it good that we have no work to do?”

Either way, we’re not ge ng paid for this. Such unfair labor, calling it evil is not enough to
describe it. Say, why are we s ll relying on manpower in this day and age? Can’t we rely on
AI?

Just as I was talking nonsense in my heart, Ms. Isshiki enthusias cally said:

“Yeah that’s right. That way, I can casually redistribute student council work to here.”

“In your dreams. Say, what are you even doing here …? You’re not even a club member,
right?”

The second we let our guards down this girl appears here …

“Don’t you have work in the student council and soccer club …?”

I asked in concern, and Isshiki lted her head with a finger on her chin.

“I’m not a club member, but as a client, shouldn’t I be en tled to being here?”

“Showa-era thinking?!”

This type of work-abuse a tude made Yuigahama exclaim in shock. Isshiki saw the
unbelieving expression on Yuigahama’s face and seemed to realize she had said something
bad, so, she cleared her throat and said:

“I mean, last year we really went overboard with our budget, so, I’ll need some help from
you guys to make up for it.”

“Over 80 percent of that is your fault, isn’t it?”

Isn’t it because you keep planning those meaningless ac vi es …? What was up with that
free newspaper thing …? Of course the budget is not enough.

31
Hearing me speak such annoying logic, Isshiki adorably pouted at me.

“What about the joint prom from earlier …”

“Yes, you’re right, I’m so sorry.”

I really couldn’t refute that, so I just admi ed that I was in the wrong, forcibly ending this
conversa on. Then, Isshiki exhaled dissa sfiedly.

[6]
“To say the truth, I’ve even thought of borrowing the cat’s paw”

“Ah, then you can borrow the one we have at home, our cat is really cute!”

No cing the commo on, Komachi suddenly interrupted and pulled out her phone from her
pocket. She tapped a few mes and showed the screen to Isshiki.

On the screen was an out of focus and blurry picture—a picture of our housecat
Kamakura’s bu facing the camera.

Say, Komachi, couldn’t you have taken a be er picture …? If you were to par cipate in a
worst cat photos compe on this would surely be the champion … anyone seeing this
picture would just make a confused face, I think …

That’s what I thought, but there was one of us that showed a strong reac on.

“…”

Yukinoshita was peering over Komachi to look at the phone, it looked like she was jumping
up and down on her seat. This person really loves cats like they love their Friskies … that’s
so cute.

But other than Yukinoshita, no one was making any reac on. Isshiki was wearing a cold
expression and waving her hand dismissively.

“No, I don’t need a real cat’s paw.”

“Oh really …?”

Isshiki’s coldness made Komachi droop her shoulders in disappointment, but she
immediately li ed her head, as if she had thought of something.

“Ah, then Komachi can lend you my hand?”

32
As she suggested that, she made a gesture like a lucky cat. She really is a cat owner, the
curve of her fingers, angle of her wrist, and cuteness of her ac on, even the lurking danger
of hidden claws was shown in her glamorous display.

But her outstretched hand did not reach Isshiki.

Because before that could happen, another hand from beside had taken hers away. This
made Komachi look back in surprise. Behind her, of course, was Yukinoshita Yukino-san.
Yukinoshita made a serious expression and started to caress Komachi’s hand.

“Oh, oh? What’s up …? Ah, Yukino-san’s hands are so warm …”

At first, Komachi was surprised, but a er that she snuggled onto her like a cat. Yukinoshita
also took the chance to obtain the phone from Komachi’s hand, enjoying the cat photo
while pa ng Cat-machi (cat-form Komachi). This can be considered VR, right? That’s way
too advanced.

Yuigahama and I looked at this warm scene leisurely, but Isshiki didn’t look happy at all.

She pouted at Komachi, and as if she had thought of something, she turned around to face
me, then she squeamishly pulled at my uniform jacket and said:

“Senpaiii … can’t you think of something?”

“There’s no use talking to me …”

She tried convincing me with her squeamish voice, gleaming eyes, and so pull on my
jacket uniform. I gently pried her hand way. Don’t think that would work on me every
me! I looked towards Yukinoshita and Komachi, then gestured to Isshiki to ask someone
else.

“Go ask the club president.”

Hearing the term “club president”, Isshiki and Yuigahama looked towards the same
direc on.

At the other end was a playful Komachi, making purring noises as if she were in a dream, on
the other hand, Yukinoshita stroke her chin while holding Komachi’s phone, it was like she
was a villain of some sorts.

No cing our a en on being focused on her, Yukinoshita nodded her head, and calmly
expressed her opinion in a clear voice.

“Yeah, borrowing a cat is a good idea. Rather, we should just get a cat.”

33
With that said, she revealed a smile of wisdom, but her ac ons were totally the opposite of
smart. Yukinoshita … she’s go en cat-deficiency syndrome …

“You aren’t even listening to what we’re saying? This can’t go on! Komachi, wake up! Come
[7]
back! House! House!”

Yuigahama shrieked, trying to get Komachi to wake up, as a result, Komachi sprang up
abruptly.

“Woah! Whew, that was close … I almost fell asleep …”

This person really is scary—she had such a loving expression for Yukinoshita, but I think the
in mate Komachi is really deadly … it can’t be …! Are you Beast Ⅱ [8]
?! —That’s what I had
thought, but Yukinoshita drooped her shoulders and looked distraught a er Komachi le .
Yukinoshita-san, you’re pre y scary too!

A er ge ng some vitamin c (cat), Yukinoshita returned to her usual calm self, and sipped at
her tea as if nothing had happened.

“Anyways, this is something the club president has to decide.”

“Yeah.”

Saying that, Komachi con nued to leisurely sip at her tea, but then she realized everyone
had a “No, um…” look and were silently staring at her. No cing that, she suddenly raised
her head.

“Eh, ah, eh?! Komachi?! Komachi should make a decision?!”

Komachi lted her head, and con nuously pointed at herself. Towards this, all of us
fran cally nodded. The club president of the service club had now become Komachi. No, to
be exact, it only began this spring, as the first president for the reformed service club was
registered as Hikigaya Komachi.

Also, Yukinoshita’s service club had never even been officially recognized. Hiratsuka-sensei
must have done some funny business to get the club running.

But since we are now an official club, we need Komachi to be the leader for it. Considering
we’re only third years, it would be best for Komachi to start being the club president from
now on.

It seemed that Yukinoshita and Yuigahama had a similar idea as me.

34
Yuigahama lightly pa ed Komachi’s shoulder, and cheered her on:

“Yeah, since the club president is Komachi.”

“Eh, ehhh …?”

Komachi’s worries and confusions were all over her face, so to help her relieve those
feelings, Yuigahama gave a smile and said:

“It’s ok, we’ll help out as well.”

“Yui-san!”

Komachi lunged forward to hug Yuigahama, and it was now Yuigahama’s turn to playfully
ruffle Komachi’s hair.

“What’re you going to do about it?”

Isshiki glanced at Yuigahama and Komachi, then whispered towards me.

“… She’ll get used to it a er some me, I think.”

I said as I grabbed my teacup and drunk some tea.

No ma er it being the role of the club president, or some other things, it’ll all work out
a er you get used to it. A year ago, this club also felt very wrong, but as me passed,
everything began to fall into place.

To be honest, even now, regarding this club, this rela onship, or its current situa on,
something s ll feels out of place.

Some mes, I feel as if there’s a thorn in my heart that I can’t pull out, leaving me with
pangs of pain.

But even with all these scars, from the bo om of my heart, I really think that this is a place
that I belong to.

It’s a good thing this club con nued on.

Because of Isshiki and Komachi, this place that would not have con nued exis ng was
preserved. Although they didn’t tell me exactly what was happening, this kind of thing, I’d
s ll understand.

35
Not too long later, I’ll have to leave this club behind, in the limited me that we have le
here, I want to repay for this kindness.

The biggest problem at hand is probably Komachi’s transi on to the club president, which
would ensure that the club could con nue on. Oh, and of course, the student council would
have more lackeys to order around.

But even without all this talk about repaying kindness, all of these problems have to be
solved in due me.

A er all, the service club is one hell of a fishy club …

Up un l now we had Hiratsuka-sensei to rely on, so even if the meaning for this club was
ambiguous, we could s ll con nue on through her dubious methods. But now, it was only
because of Isshiki’s role in the student council that allowed for the preserva on of this club.

The problem is what will happen a er Isshiki steps down.

If we want the service club to con nue exis ng, we’ll need to set a clear basis for our
ac vi es.

A proclama on of independence without any backdoors involved.

Ah, feels like that’s not possible at all … the future sure is looking grim …

I lightly sighed, and finished the rest of the tea in my cup.

A er I put the lightened teacup on the table, Yukinoshita silently stood up, and naturally
poured a new cup for me.

Thank you.

I lightly nodded to express my thanks, then I sipped my perfectly warm tea. I was thinking
of ge ng some snacks to go along with the tea, but as I raised my head, Yuigahama’s eyes
met mine from across the table.

However, she said nothing, and immediately averted her gaze, con nuing to play with the
phone in her hands.

That was all, nothing had happened, but just thinking that our silent exchange may had
been no ced made me feel a bit uneasy. This type of thing used to happen a lot, but now it
felt quite awkward … I feel like I’m star ng to sweat … anyways, let’s drink some tea and
have some snacks to calm down!

36
To get away from my feelings of unease, I reached out for the snacks on the table.

But just as I touched the plate, it suddenly moved towards the side, and my hand grabbed
at air. I reached out my hand another me, but the plate escaped once again.

“…”

What? —I stared in protest at the culprit behind the moving plate.

With her flowing black hair, snowy white skin, and clear blue eyes, she looked elegant even
when she was standing and drinking tea.

The culprit behind the moving plate, Yukinoshita Yukino, directed her gaze at me, and her
long eyelashes drooped as she cau ously shook her head.

Eh …? What …? What’s wrong?

Are you telling me I don’t have the rights to snack? Having snacks when we don’t have any
bread is pre y fine in itself, but not even le ng me have the snacks? Is she telling me to
[9]
starve? You’re even more harsh than Marie Antoine e!

But I’m the rebellious type, how could I just give up then and there? My stomach demanded
snacks now!

I reached at the snack again, but once again, the plate moved away from me. Eh? Is this a
flying saucer? A UFO …?

“… Hey, trying to bully me?”

Because of the illogical treatment I was being given, I couldn’t help but say that. But then,
Yukinoshita glared at me from the side.

“Have you forgo en our plans for later?”

Hearing her say that, my shoulders immediately drooped down.

“… I really want to forget.”

For the whole day, the thought of tonight’s plans had been in my mind, failing to dissipate.

A er thinking about it again, I deeply sighed.

It may have been that I looked too down, as Isshiki lted her head and asked:

37
“Is there anything happening later?”

“Um, yeah I guess …”

It wasn’t anything worth talking about. I answered as ambiguously as I could, as there was
the saying that there are always ears on the wall, people can’t keep secrets.

Komachi made a knowing look and murmured, then she clapped, and energe cally said:

“Say, I think I’ve heard something about that.”

“You know something, rice girl?”

Isshiki said in a serious voice, urging for her to con nue on. The two sandwiched
Yuigahama, and started to whisper to each other.

“Um, according to Haruno-san’s intel …”

Hearing that name, a wave of despair came over me.

“Why would that person go out of her way to tell Komachi? The intel has leaked in full
already, this is way too unbearable …”

That explains Hayama’s a tude today. Of course, Haruno had already told him … Ahhh! The
person I wanted least to know was him!

Hey! Say, what is up with that sister of yours? —I shot a protes ng glance at Yukinoshita,
but she too was shaking in anger.

“That person has told Komachi …”

The hatred in her voice made her speech feel colder and colder, but then, her voice started
to weaken, un l I almost couldn’t hear it, then she said:

“I already said it was embarrassing, I told her not to do that …”

Her face was red, and her eyes were brimming with tears as she put her face down and
shivered.

… Hm, that was different from what I thought, but being able to see something so rare, not
bad.

The root of all evil was that good-for-nothing big sister.

Younger sisters aren’t in the wrong, younger sisters are jus ce!

38
That’s what I thought, but my sister con nued leaking the intel like it was nothing.

“I heard that Onii-chan is dining with Yukinoshita-san’s mother tonight …”

Ahh, she really said it! Actually, a er the joint prom ended, Yukinoshita’s mom had invited
us out for dinner.

I already resolved myself for it to be revealed, but I was beaten to the punch, and it was
answered before I could say anything, thus, the awkward situa on now.

“Ah … so that’s how it is.”Yuigahama tugged at her hair buns, revealing a troubled look.
Beside her, Isshiki was ea ng snacks, and uninterestedly replied:

“Oh, so that’s it.”

Isshiki’s dull tone shocked Komachi. Then, Isshiki looked at me while chewing her snacks
with a teacup in hand.

“Well, I’m not all that interested … but, hearing you say that, Senpai’s face does looks a bit
awful now huh.”

“Really? It doesn’t look all that different from usual though.”

Isshiki’s words made Yukinoshita stare intently at me in wonder. And so, I did my best to put
on a lifeless expression. My dead fish eyes were world renowned, and by relaxing my facial
muscles to make a lifeless expression, I could really make the anguish at the bo om of my
heart surface.

Just then, Yukinoshita giggled.

“See, I told you he looks the same as usual.”

“How have you been looking at me?”

Can I ask how you have been looking at me? Yukinoshita-san, have you really seen
Hikigaya-san’s expression? Although I don’t want to admit it myself, I’m basically no
different from a zombie now. Being able to express the ro enness of a zombie without any
makeup, even the zombie film makers all around the world are interested in me. Say, do you
think that is the expression that I have all the me?

Just as I was about to launch into an empha c speech, Isshiki used an overpowering voice
to say:

39
“I can understand how Senpai is feeling, having to go out for dinner with that old hag must
be pre y exhaus ng.”

“Old … you …”

Yukinoshita was speechless.

Isshiki, how could you say that? That’s not the case at all! —Was what I wanted to say, but
what she said really resonated with me, so I couldn’t refute her. Ah, no, I don’t think
Yukinoshita’s mom is an old hag, I think that she’s a pre y, young, elegant, and scary
woman, and some mes I can even see her humorous side, which is quite lovable.

It’s just that, out of all the good the scary part really stands out, in conclusion, going out for
dinner with her is pre y exhaus ng.

As I nodded, on the other side, Komachi and Isshiki were deep in conversa on, appearing
to be pre y entertained.

“Woah, Iroha-senpai, you’re bad mouthing really is excellent, ☆ I definitely don’t want to
call you my sister! ♪”

“I didn’t ask for it, and I don’t want to be called that either.”
[10]
“Komachi, what even is your standard for calling someone your sister?”

Yukinoshita also added in to their conversa on. What are you even asking about …?

Because Yukinoshita’s a en on was now diverted, it was the perfect chance for me reach
for the snacks I wasn’t able to get to earlier.

Don’t look down on the appe te of a healthy teen. Ea ng some snacks is nothing for me,
and considering the hardships later, filling up my belly now is important.

This me I was definitely going to get my hands on some snacks.

Just as I thought that, my hands grasped at air yet again.

“Huh?”

Eh? Why? Wasn’t Yukinoshita with Komachi? I li ed my head in confusion, seeing that
Yuigahama had the plate in her hands.

“Aren’t you having dinner later? I’ll be taking this.”

40
With that said, she held the plate in a protec ve manner, and started ea ng away at the
snacks.

“No, why are you the one ea ng then …?”

“Because, it would be wasteful if no one ate it.”

As she said that she turned to look at the clock, and so did I, it was nearing evening, outside
the window in the direc on of west, the sky had already been dyed a thin layer of red.

“Yukinon, shouldn’t it be me for you guys to leave? We’ll clean up here.”

Hearing that, Yukinoshita also looked towards the clock. Although I didn’t know the exact
me they had arranged, now was probably the me to leave. Yukinoshita thought for a
while, then nodded and responded:

“You’re right … then I’ll let you take care of it …thanks.”

Yukinoshita showed a smile and thanked her, in response to that, Yuigahama shook her
head as if to say it was no big deal.

“Then let’s go.”

“… Yes.”

Yukinoshita picked up her schoolbag and urged me to leave, and I also started keeping my
things in prepara on for leaving. There was nothing much in my bag, but it felt par cularly
heavy now.

Yukinoshita had already packed all her things earlier, and was wai ng for me by the door.

Nothing else I can do but resolve myself and go … I sighed one last sigh, stood up, and slung
my bag behind my shoulder.

“Then we’ll go first, see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah, see you tomorrow.”

Yuigahama and Komachi waved their hands at me, and Isshiki added in a “Good luck.”, but
didn’t turn to face me. Under their supervision, we opened the door and entered the
hallway. Wait, one person wasn’t paying a en on to us at all.

Just then—

41
“Ah, Yukino-san, you forgot this.”

Komachi called for Yukinoshita, and ran towards us, holding a small paper bag in her hands.

She firmly placed the paper bag in Yukinoshita’s hands, Yukinoshita looked down at the bag
and lted her head in confusion, but she carefully opened the bag and peeked at its
contents, then abruptly smiled.

“Thanks, this will help a lot.”

“Don’t mind it!”

Komachi elegantly bowed while standing by the door, and waved her hand while saying:

“Be careful on your way!”

Inside the club room, Yuigahama waved us goodbye, while Isshiki con nued playing with
her phone.

This me under everyone’s gaze, we le for real.

Wait, there was one person that didn’t look at us. Whatever, it’s easier on me like this, it
makes no difference, really!

42
 Interlude

A er seeing off Senpai and Yukinoshita-san, rice girl slowly closed the door.

Because of that, the club room plunged into an eerie silence.

And so, Yui-senpai put down her hand, and an audible sigh reached my ears.

I peered over my phone look at her, and I could see that she had a smidge of a smile. Her
face looked the same as usual, but perhaps because of the light shining in from dusk, she
looked a bit lonely.

I pretended not to have no ced Yui-senpai’s lonely smile and sigh, and directed my gaze
towards rice girl.

For some reason, rice girl also sighed.

“... Is Onii-chan going to be fine?”

“There’s no need to worry so much.”

Yui-senpai comforted the pou ng rice girl.

“No, it sounds like Haruno-san will also be there.”

Hearing that, I also sighed.

Haruno-senpai looks pre y, has a good figure, and a big chest, she’s like an ideal woman,
but I couldn’t quite understand her stubbornness towards Yukino-senpai. Between the two
of them, there was surely some complicated and hidden ma ers, but what made ma ers
worse was the existence of Senpai. Ignoring Yukino-senpai, I think if Senpai was involved in
the equa on anyhow, it would surely turn into a mess.
[11]
“Ah—some conflict is definitely going to happen. I bet one perica that those two will
argue on the way.”

Hearing me say that, Komachi enthusias cally replied:

43
“Ah then Komachi bets 1000 points that Onii-chan will hole himself up in a toilet and never
come out for the rest of his life, what does Yui-san want to bet?”

“No, I’m not be ng anything ...”

Our be ng seemed to have frightened Yui-senpai, but I think I can understand how she
was feeling. Anyways, Senpai’s defeat was already a fact, so this round of be ng wouldn’t
even establish, and most importantly, rice girl was s ll worried a while ago, but now she’s
fooling around with me, so scary. What is up with this kid ...?

It was because our mo ves met that we were able to create the service club we have now,
as for what thoughts resided deep in her heart, I s ll didn’t understand to this day.

She really is Senpai’s sister ... as I was deep in thought, Yui-senpai lted her head, as if
thinking about something.

“But, a big fight ... I don’t think that will be the case.”

“Eh? Why is that so? Aren’t the two of them always arguing?”

Ever since I began hanging around the service club, that had been the case for them.

Yui-senpai showed a shocked expression, then laughed out loud, as if she had heard some
kind of joke. “Ah, that’s funny ...” she pressed the corners of her eyes, then smiled as if
nothing had happened and said:

“That’s not the case at all, you’re being too drama c, that can’t even count as a fight. It’ll
probably be just two weeks of ignoring each other?”

“Isn’t that even worse ...?”

“Woah, now everyone surrounding them have walk on egg shells.”

Both me and rice girl were shocked.

How could this person say such heavy things with a calm expression ...?

Anyways, Yui-senpai doesn’t even consider that as a fight, that’s really something ... she
really is experienced a er dealing with them for a whole year ...

Just as I thought of that, I looked towards the seats that both of them were si ng in just
now.

“Those two, they really are troublesome ...”

44
My catchphrase is “All girls are trouble”, but just as rice girl has said, Senpai is pre y
troublesome too as a boy. So Senpai’s saying that “All human beings are trouble” really is
true ...

Anyways, the two of them together means trouble ... but that’s not something that I hate
about the two of them.

But that’s another ma er.

Thinking about the trouble that may come tomorrow made me feel as if the club room’s
atmosphere has become murky.

“It’ll be fine! Completely fine!”

Yui-senpai must have felt the atmosphere sink, as she exclaimed in an op mis c tone.

“Is that so ...?”

Rice girl shot her a doub ng gaze, and in return, Yui-senpai clenched her fists in front of her
chest and made a victory pose.

“Yeah, you’ll get used to it in no me! It’s not like it hasn’t happened before! It’s quite the
common occurrence!”

Woah, what an awful response. Could it be that you’re the mythical op mis c monster?
That’s what I thought, but I found what she was saying to be quite nega ve. If this person
were to start working, she would definitely be taken advantage of like crazy ...

Of course, I wasn’t the only one shocked, as it looked like rice girl also had quite the fright.

She shi ed her gaze away from Yui-senpai and whispered towards me:

“Um, Iroha-senpai, where do I submit the form to leave this club?”

“Not sure, I’m not even a club member, I think it should be submi ed to the club
president?"

"But you’re the club president.”

Saying that, I couldn’t resist my laughter anymore. Hum, during these troubling mes, I
guess it would be best to not come here anymore.

“Ah, I need to head back to the student council.”

45
Just as I said that and prepared to excuse myself—

“Wait! Don’t leave me here alone!”

Komachi ghtly hugged my waist.

“Hey, what is up with you? Let go of me! I suddenly remembered that I have two weeks’
worth of work that I need to finish ...”

Depending on the situa on it could also be three weeks, but if things cooled down faster, I
could be back within two days, so don’t come to find me!

I pushed her hands away, trying to get out of her grip.

But Komachi ghtly held me and refused to release me.

“Wait! Komachi was also in the student council in middle school! I could definitely be of
help! Take me along!”

Ah for real, she is annoying. There’s nothing else I can do I guess, I’ll just let her stay with
the student council for now—just as I thought that:

“Ah, but I think it won’t be a problem.”

Me and rice girl looked at each other, communica ng with a “What do you think?” and
“Nonono, that’s not possible” gaze. Considering her wrong op mism just now, it didn’t feel
believable at all.

“Eh? Are you really saying the truth?”

Me and rice girl said at the same me, even matching in our doub ng demeanor.

But this me, Yui-senpai revealed a warm and calm smile to us.

“Yeah, for real. Because Hikki probably wouldn’t get angry, at the most he’d just be red for
two or three days and look half dead, probably?”

“Ah ...”

So that’s it ...? Me and rice girl nodded our heads in a somewhat cheerful manner.

Hearing what she said, I couldn’t actually imagine the look of Senpai being angry.

Although we always hear him complain, no one had actually seen him overtly unhappy, at
least not to the point that you wouldn’t want to approach him.

46
Should I say that he would take care of his ma ers himself? He is pre y mature in things
like that. Although, he doesn’t give others that impression at all.

And also, Senpai looks half dead all the me, it wouldn’t make a difference to see it for two
or more days longer, hmm.

Seeing me nod, Yui-senpai also smiled and nodded back.

But then her movements suddenly stopped, and her face darkened. Following that, Yui-
senpai turned her head around like a rusty robot, towards the corner of the club room.

Why do I feel something ominous is about to come ...? I shivered in my corner, just then,
Yui-san said something despairing in a broken voice.

“But on the other hand, Yukinon, she might, take offense, and become very depressed ...”

“Ah ...”

So that’s how it’ll be ...? Me and rice girl drooped our heads down, and sighed in a slightly
gloomy manner.

I could relate very well, as the image of that happening immediately came to my mind.

Yukino-senpai may be dexterous, but she’s also a cool beauty that’s quick to reach
conclusions. If it had anything to do with Senpai, she would also be just like a maiden, even
her mentality

would become very fragile.

But that’s something I like about her.

Giving off a girly impression, I liked that very much.

Yui-senpai probably also thought the same. If she didn’t like that, how could she have dealt
with them for so long?

They really are troublesome, but I like it that way, so there’s nothing I can do about that.

Whew ... I lightly sighed, just then, rice girl suddenly leaned over, and whispered to me:

“Say, without Yui-san, the service club wouldn’t be this peaceful, right?”

“Ah ... so you have no ced ...”

47
Seeing me nod with a wry smile, rice girl also showed a difficult smile and said, “Yeah,
that’s right.”

You really are impressive, Yui-senpai.

So, I like her.

I like girls in love and girls that never give up. I like myself, so I like others that are just like
me.

I gazed at Yui-senpai with a look filled with respect and gratefulness, while she peered
outside with a look of unease.

“... Yukinon, she’ll be alright, right?”

What she said sounded like it came out unwi ngly, and along with it, a feeling of
gentleness way surpassing that of a mom.

No, instead of saying she’s impressive, I’d say she’s impressive to the point of being quite
scary, Yui-senpai ...

I con nued to gaze at Yui-senpai, albeit with an extra bit of fear compared to earlier. The
sunset

shining in from the windows enveloped Yui-senpai like a halo, making her gleam so much
that I

couldn’t help but squint my eyes.

“Is this person an angel ...?”

“This should be the level of a goddess ...”

At least we couldn’t count her as a normal person anymore ... me and rice girl expressed
the same opinion, albeit a bit fearfully. The two of use clasped our hands, and prayed
towards Yui-senpai.

Thank you for protec ng this place that we love so much ... a er this, let’s go to a café and
hold a conference to bad-mouth Senpai ...

48
 Chapter 3: Above the roadside, see the
world from the train windows that Chiba is
[12]
proud of.

The scenery from the windows flowed slowly.

As we were a few minutes ahead of the evening rush hour, hardly any other passengers
were on board the monorail. Our cabin did not have any traces of people at all and thanks
to that, Yukinoshita and I were able to see the streets of Chiba from the windows on the
opposite side.

Beyond the pris ne white sand, the evening glow dyed the sea in red. That view gradually
faded as the monorail made its way into the city that sank into an indigo colour.

With tail lamps that stretched into a long row and street lights that blurred faintly beneath
my eyes, the monorail headed into a cluster of towering buildings as if it was a skyscraper
itself.

From evening scenery into night view, the sensa on of sprin ng across the sky felt like an
a rac on at the amusement park.

Even though I was thrilled just from riding on the monorail, the view was simply
marvellous. Above all else, the route from Chiba-minato sta on to Chiba sta on at dusk
「
was my favourite. It’s about me that See the World by Train 」[13]
features it.

I could gaze at this dreamlike scenery forever.

......I wanted to gaze at it forever.

Undoubtedly, I was aver ng my gaze from reality.

A er this, I would be having dinner with the Yukinoshita family. No, it’s not that I am
unwilling to have a meal with Yukinoshita herself. If anything, bring it on! However, the
story changes slightly when the Yukinoshita family is the other party involved.

49
Ahhh, what should I do…

Giving a deep sigh, I hung my head. Then, I felt a so pull on my cuff. When I looked up,
Yukinoshita, who was si ng beside me, had a somewhat troubled look on her face.

“What is it, is something wrong?”

Yukinoshita shook her head slightly. With her mouth firmly shut, she made a face that said,
“It’s nothing.”

Although she made such a face, her eyes were restlessly swimming around and she cast her
eyes down onto the floor repeatedly.

Wha...what’s wrong? What happened? I mean, having my cuff gripped makes me incredibly
nervous, she smells amazing and whenever the cabin sways, her hair touches me gently! As
I become fidgety, my palms start swea ng too! Wha, what kind of sign is this?

Just when my palms were swea ng by the gallon, the monorail approached a bend and the
cabin lted to the side.

At that instant, the force holding onto my cuff ghtened firmly.

With that, I suddenly remembered.

Roughly five years ago... wait, it wasn’t that far back in the past, but at most a few months
ago. When we went to Des nyland during the Christmas season, Yukinoshita had shown
me a similar state of nervousness on one of the rides. I s ll remembered her tense figure
when we got on the Ferris wheel at Kasai-Rinkai aquarium too.

The conclusion that I came to was that... Yukinoshita is hopeless with heights.

Based on my experience, I needed something to divert her a en on. I recalled myself

doing the same during our trip to Des nyland.

If she turned her a en on to something else, she would no longer worry about the height
and the ra ling monorail. With a light conversa on, a few sta ons would feel like an
instant.

In that case, it can’t be helped.

I edged myself slowly towards her and closed the distance by a li le.

It can’t be helped, since we’re going to talk. I will be troubled if the trembling and ra ling of
the moving monorail bury our voices too. That’s why, I mean, I have no other choice. This is

50
definitely within the range of tolerance.

It was not an excuse for someone else, but simply a way to persuade myself. With that in
mind, I closed the roughly two fist-length gap that separated us.

Our thighs gently touched... and our shoulders came into contact as well.

Yukinoshita looked at me in surprise. ...If you stare that hard at me, I will get embarrassed
too! Pretending that I did not no ce her gaze, I spoke in a hurry.

“I’m asking just in case, but are you afraid of heights?”

“...I might not... be good at it.”

Answering in a so voice, Yukinoshita turned her face away. She had the same reac on
when I asked her at Des nyland some me ago. See! I knew it! I thought that would be the
case!

“Erm… If you told me, I would have chosen a different route, ya know?”

In fact, I had chosen the monorail as it required the least transfers. There were other routes
that could have brought us to Chiba sta on. It just so happened that I said, “Let’s take the
[14]
monorail,” excitedly like it was a jazz standard and it was decided that way. Wait,
perhaps Yukinoshita knows that I am a true Chiba Monorailer (someone who likes Chiba
Monorail) and indulged me. Nah, that can’t be. What even is a Monorailer?

In any case, my words had faint signs of remorse as though I was apologizing for making her
indulge me and in response, Yukinoshita shook her head. Next, she placed her hand on her
chest, took a deep breath, gently closed her eyes and whispered.

“No, I’m really fine with the monorail… I’m fine because it’s a vehicle… I’m fine because...
it’s a train…”

“You’re just trying to convince yourself now…”

Will she really be fine...? As I let out a worried sigh, the force applied on my cuff faded
slowly.

Her once hesitant fingers then widened and grabbed onto my sleeve as if she wanted to
wrap her hand around my whole wrist.

Unconcerned by my nonplussed reac on towards her ki en-like play bi ng behaviour,

Yukinoshita closed the distance between us and delicately rested her weight on my

51
shoulder.

“I’m not good at it..., but I don’t dislike it.”

As she responded with a sighing smile, Yukinoshita’s eyes turned to the windows opposite
us, towards buildings illuminated by the evening glow.

The monorail was s ll high up in the sky and ra ling in its own way, but Yukinoshita looked
like she had se led down. I could also sense that from her relaxed breathing, as if she had
dozed off.

If anything, I was the one who could not keep calm.

Even though the weight of the slender shoulder res ng on me was worryingly light, without
a doubt, her soothing warmth was conveyed to me through our school uniforms.
[15]
Shampoo? Or was it perfume? I could not tell but whenever the Sabon -like fresh
aroma c scent wa ed in the air, my back muscles tensed up.

In order to hide my nervousness, I… Ah, I was sure I had already been exposed. Pu ng it at
the back of my head, I looked at the same scenery Yukinoshita had been gazing at and I
whispered.

“Can you tell me about other things that you’re not really good at?”

I thought I knew it all. I thought that I understood everything. Even then, I wanted to ask
her. Just like today, things about her that I gradually realized but could not understand were
countless.

Yukinoshita, who was now si ng at a much closer distance than before, lted her head in
response.

“Even if you say that…”

Yukinoshita placed her hand on her lips and her line of sight moved to the upper right
corner. Well, when you get asked such a ques on suddenly, nothing really pops up in your
mind a er all. If I were to be asked about Yukinoshita’s weak points, I would not be able to
answer it right away either.

“Well, first of all, dogs, am I right? Next will be ghosts, I guess.”

Or so I thought, but I could really come up with quite a number of them! Doesn’t this girl
have way too many weaknesses? Is she alright? Can she survive properly?

52
“How about others? Is there anything else?”

Heights, dogs and ghosts. I counted each one of them with my fingers and when I turned
my head back to her asking for the fourth, Yukinoshita was giving me a rather displeased
look.

“I’m not really weak to dogs or ghosts…”

“Ah, that’s fine, you don’t have to go on.”

It’s fine. It’s all good. I understand. That’s why I’m asking in such a way, for “things you’re
not really good at”.

When I dismissed her bluntly with a straight face, Yukinoshita sulked and pouted her lips
before finally giving up with a sigh.

“I guess I’m really not great with those.”

Then, a er pondering for a brief moment, she raised her head abruptly and answered
candidly in a refreshed expression.

“Bugs are impossible.”

“Me too.”

Looking at her overly sincere and straigh orward declara on, I could not help but agree.
Really, bugs are impossible. I get it~

As I nodded my head, Yukinoshita giggled.

“What about you? Your weak points.”

“Tomatoes, I think. I have vowed never to eat raw ones.”

Yukinoshita nodded in acceptance and started typing away on her smartphone that she
took out of her pocket. Hold on, you don’t have to take notes. By the way I’m bad with
cucumbers as well but pickled ones are fine, got it?

Before I had the me to remonstrate with her, Yukinoshita shot me a glance, asking me,
“Any others?” with just her eyes.

“A er that it’s maths, I suppose. Hmm...what’s next? I wonder if there are more.”

53
Now that I think about it, I really cannot come up with much when someone asks about my
weaknesses in such a serious tone. I am bad at some aspects of everything in the world. In
that case, I can say that I’m bad at things in the other world too, since I’m rather weak to
ghosts.

Are there any more?... Unable to come up with one that screamed, “This is it!” I could not
get anywhere by thinking any further. At this moment, Yukinoshita opened her mouth as
though she was exclaiming, “Ah! I thought of something,” and tapped on my upper arm
lightly as if to say, “Listen! Listen!”

Hey, this type of gesture makes me shudder and is embarrassing, but it’s super cute and
surprises me, so stop that, alright? I turned to look at her as her eyes sparkled, and she
spoke with a tone full of confidence.

“When it comes to Hikigaya-kun’s weak points, this is it. Human rela onships.”

“That goes for you too…”

Why are you making such a triumphant face? Or rather, isn’t it a bit too late for something
like that? I’m hardly even conscious of that anymore.

“Everyone is bad at that kind of thing, so it’s a no-count. Generally speaking, the only
people who say that they’re good at human rela ons are scammers and psychopaths.”

No ma er how much or how li le, everyone had their share of worries with human
rela onships. When a fortune teller nonchalantly tells you, “I’m sorry, your horoscope, Leo,
comes in at twel h place. You might worry about your human rela onships today. Your
lucky item is seven trillion yen!” Isn’t he guaranteed to hit the mark? There isn’t anyone
who doesn’t face rela onship problems and besides, anyone who strikes seven trillion yen
should automa cally be considered lucky. Stop fooling around and hand over that seven
trillion yen!

Yukinoshita shrugged her shoulders and chuckled.

“Indeed, everyone has someone they can’t handle.”

It would have been fine if she had stopped there, but Yukinoshita started pondering and
coun ng with her fingers.

“In your case, there’s my mother. Next is my sister.”

“I’m going to have dinner with those people later, you know…”

54
Hahaha you li le devil! A er le ng out a feigned laughter, I remembered the grim reality
drawing close to me and my heart became no ceably heavier.

“Erm, can I ask what will we be ea ng later?”

It will be paid by someone else a er all, so I just have to enjoy myself to the fullest. As I
asked her in order to prepare myself mentally, Yukinoshita inclined her head.

“Didn’t I tell you? We’re having Italian. Don’t you like it?”

“Are you saying it’s Saizeriya? Well, I certainly like Saizeriya, but…”

Hmm… Saizeriya is undoubtedly an Italian restaurant but upon hearing that, I felt a sense of
discomfort that I could not seem to clear away. It was likely because I recognized Saizeriya
as a genre of its own.

However, it is highly unlikely for me to be going to Saizeriya with the Yukinoshita family.

Saizeriya is a restaurant for everyday use. The ally of commoners. Members of high society
families like the Yukinoshitas did not give off the impression that they went to Saizeriya. No,
it wouldn’t be strange if Haruno-san went somewhere with reasonably priced wine and
[16]
drank them by the magnum .

However, today is definitely not the day for that. We’re definitely going to a fancy place.
Compelled by anxiety, I couldn’t help but ask,

“I mean, where are we going for dinner?”

“A place my family frequents.”

“Eh, wouldn’t it be expensive? Is my dress code ok? I’m screwed, right?”

Looking at my school uniform in haste, I spo ed wrinkles all over. Oh, this won’t do. With
such shabby looking clothes, I’m bound to get kicked out at the front door. Oh crap~ I guess
this is impossible a er all~ I wanted to meet Hahanon but with wrinkles all over my clothes,
I just couldn’t~ I have tried to straighten it but it’s impossible~ As I came up with all these
excuses in my head, I pa ed my uniform vigorously.

Disregarding all of my movements, Yukinoshita lowered my hand quietly before showing

me a beaming smile.

“It’s a pre y casual restaurant and is not that strict. Our school uniform is fine.”

“I see…”

55
Is that so? Our school uniform might be fine, but Yukinoshita probably did not know much
about life on the streets. At best, a casual restaurant could refer to a privately owned
trendy looking cafe. You could not call a place that required a school uniform as the
minimum dress code a casual restaurant.

In other words, it would be an expensive restaurant. There were high class restaurants for
Italian places too. In that case, don’t say it’s an Italian place, just tell me it’s an expensive
one!

Mee ng Yukinoshita’s mother in such a place...I’m definitely screwed…

My back is against the wall, huh… Just as I was about to give up, I no ced a major flaw in
my a re. Yes, my outer wall may have been destroyed but my inner wall remains! Not yet!
[17]
I’m s ll barely hanging on in the Summer Siege of Osaka ! Well, I’ll probably lose in the
Summer Siege of Osaka and I s ll have a figh ng chance with my back against the wall, but
that’s beside the point.

“......Ah!”

I stood up from my seat has ly as if I just remembered something.

“This is bad… I forgot my neck e. I’m going back to get it, or rather, I’m going home.”

“You don’t have to worry about that.”

Without a moment’s delay, Yukinoshita firmly pulled me back to my seat by my sleeve.

Then, she took out a small package from her bag. As she opened it, a neck e made
specifically for the Sobu High School male uniform appeared in my sight.

“Komachi-san entrusted me with this. Now there are no more problems, right?”

“O…oh.”

Uh… this sister of mine, isn’t she way too capable? She’s already like a fresh graduate ready
to fight immediately and is far more capable than those job-seeking students who proclaim
to be social lubricants in the office.

Ignoring my conflicted expression, Yukinoshita smoothly extended the neck e and gently
pulled my collar towards her. Unable to react to her sudden movement, I stayed s ll like an
obedient ki en being carried.

The collar of my shirt was raised and the neck e was smoothly wrapped around it. A er
making a full circle around and then going through the loop, a lovely triangular knot was

56
formed. Finally, she grabbed the e and pushed the knot up to my collar delicately.

At that very moment, my eyes met with Yukinoshita’s, who was at a much closer distance
to me than ever before.

Upon the sudden realiza on of her ac ons and coming back to her senses, Yukinoshita’s
cheeks flushed in a scarlet colour and her mouth fidgeted in nervousness. Even a er
fastening my e and le ng it go, her blush did not subside as she fell into silence.

For an instant, a delicate atmosphere lingered around us.

“Th...thank you.”

“No worries...”

Having difficul es enduring the silence, I filled in the me by expressing my gra tude.
However, Yukinoshita was s ll hanging her head downwards. Thanks to that, I was able to
see her scorching red ears peeking out from her luscious black hair.

Ahhh I can’t take it anymore, you cheeky... If you get embarrassed while doing that, stop it!
I will get embarrassed too, you know.

I have no idea whether she’s unaware or if she’s actually conscious about it, but the way
she’s coming at me with such asser veness leaves me at a complete loss.

The fact that I don’t hate it in the slightest, is really troubling.

57
 Author's A erword

Good evening, I am Wataru.

Unexpectedly, one day I would write this “Chronicle” again…

Who can imagine this kind of thing…Of course I imagined it! Rather, I hope I can write it,
but I can write it like this, thanks to your support, thank you very much.

That’s it, now it is “My youth romance story really has a problem. 』

Regardless of the postscript or the middle story, a er wri ng it many mes, I feel that there
is almost nothing to write, but what is incredible is that a er wri ng the main story, there is
something I want to write.

Before I started wri ng, I was s ll thinking “No, I have nothing to write… It’s enough to
write the true story…”, but once I decided and started wri ng, I wrote it smoothly,
some mes even because too many irrelevant things were wri en, I abandoned all. Maybe
it’s because I wrote it in the middle of the night, and my brain had a bug…

When the original version was made, I mostly wrote the postscript which is a habit.

But a er rereading what I wrote before, I found that my wri ng style and content had
changed. Not only did I feel the weight of me, but also the impermanence of me.

Although I don’t think it has changed, it does change a er a closer look.

Rather, perhaps it is precisely because there is no change that a small difference leads to a
huge change.

I don’t just mean postscript and middle story, other things in life should be the same.

In the big storms of the society, I used a mud boat to dri up and down for nearly ten years.
The schedule is always full, and the rabbit with a pocket watch (used to refer to a gentler
metaphor for editors) on the Kacha Kacha Mountain all day urges him to say “Hurry up,
hurry up!” right now. I o en want to say to him “You are a dead rabbit”, but calm down and

58
think about it is basically my fault, so I always cursed in my heart, “In my mind you are not a
[18]
rabbit, but a mountain. “It’s just precious game” to vent my hatred.

Living this kind of life every day, and gradually there is nothing worth touching. Even in
April, the situa on did not improve. There was only a feeling of “beginning BP… so it was
(desperate)” in my heart, and then I had to work hard towards the next final account. New
gears (a gentler metaphor used to refer to new employees) are new to come in, but since
there is a flow of people every season, it is not surprising that it is slowly.

When you gradually get used to it like this, the trouble will o en be buried. Deliberate
neglect and omissions will produce huge profits and losses.

At this me, if the rabbit inadvertently said something nice to me, I would occasionally be
moved and think, “Hey, this rabbit man is too good…”, will it? No way? Probably not, not,
how could it be.

It feels like I’m playing the “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh”, but few

people should understand it. Sure enough, the rabbit is unforgivable, but let’s leave it
alone!

Because life is plain and without ups and downs, some subtle differences will look like huge
changes. On the other hand, if you fail to no ce the small sense of viola on in the smooth
daily life, one day may suddenly usher in earth-shaking changes.

I think that even if the actual degree of change is small, as long as one feels “changed”, the
feelings will be shaken, and new discoveries will be made and values will be updated.

If this is the case, there must be changes in them and their new daily life.

With the new environment, new rela onship, and new sen mentality, “My youth romance
story really has a problem. -New-』Started.

Because it is over, I am hesitant to con nue wri ng, but I feel that I haven’t wri en enough
yet. Under the mystery theory of “It should be okay for special codes…”, I decided to write
this. Completely new as a sequel to the orthodox.

I intend to con nue to describe the daily life of them, them and the people around them
who have reached the third year of high school. I hope you can stay with you for a while
and con nue to guard him, her and her in the future.

59
60
Transla on Notes
1. » This is a play on words, “fu” meaning ro en, BL
2. » Sock Touch is a type of glue that prevents knee socks from falling off.
3. » In Japanese, cat’s tongue is used to describe people that don’t like ea ng hot things.
4. » References are too Japanese for me to understand, something about a song and a
manga catchphrase.
5. » Japanese baseball reference, something about a triple home run by some person.
6. » An idiom in Japanese meaning being understaffed and busy as a result.
7. » House is a command to get a dog back to their shed, lol.
8. » Reference to Tiamat in FGO, who has the same CV as Komachi, Yuuki Aoi.
9. » It is said that when Louis XVI’s wife heard of how the peasants in France had no
bread to eat, she said: ‘If there’s no bread than have some snacks!’, this phrase is now
used to mock the upper class on know nothing about the common folk.
10. » The way Komachi has called Yukino and Yui can also be interpreted as “sister”, like
“Yukino-nee” and “Yui-nee”, but it felt off, so I used “-san” instead, up to your
imagina on.
11. » “Perica” is a reference to the currency in the manga “Kaiji”, 1 perica = 0.1 yen.
12. » The tle has 2 references. One is to the song 「前略、道の上より」by ⼀世風靡セピ
ア. The other reference is to the TV programme called 「See the World by Train」.
13. » See the World by Train ( 世 界 の ⾞ 窓 か ら ) is a Japanese short factual television
programme featuring railway journeys in various countries around the world.
14. » Jazz standards are musical composi ons that are an important part of the musical
repertoire of jazz musicians. “Let’s take the monorail,” is a reference to 「Take the A
train」by Duke Ellington.
15. » SABON is a famous Israeli brand for cosme cs, skin and health care products.
16. » Magnum is a unit of measurement for wine. 1 magnum = 1.5 litres.8.
17. » Siege of Osaka was a series of ba les in the 17th century and was divided into two
stages, summer and winter.
18. » “Mud Boat”, “Kacha Kacha Mountain”, “Rabbit” neta Japanese fairy tale ” Kacha
Kacha Mountain “, “The Rabbit with Pocket Watch” is in neta “Alice in Wonderland”,
here is a double play terrier

61
Credits
Transla on

Chapter Prologue, 1, 2
JP-CN: h ps://shimo.im/docs/vvJJT9T9GqxjtK9w/read
CN-EN: u/parameciumalgae @ r/OregairuSNAFU
Google Drive

Chapter 3
viol3 c
JP proofreading : viol3 c
EN proofreading : u/Williambillhuggins & u/A1cyon @ /r/OreGairuSNAFU

A erword
8man @ h ps://oregairu.cf

ePub version: johny_dmonic

This ePub was created using Sigil.

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