During the last class before dismissal, Shin received an unexpected message on his phone.
The sender was someone he hadn't contacted in quite a while—so long that he'd nearly forgotten about their existence.
Opening LINE, he saw the name "Yukino Yukinoshita" displayed at the top of the screen, followed by her message:
"Are you free after school? Can you come to the Service Club?"
Though it might sound conceited, Shin had recently noticed a significant increase in invitations from girls.
And this was with several girls already living in his household, meaning they saw him daily and had no need to deliberately arrange meetups. Otherwise, his schedule would've been even more packed.
While Shin and Yukinoshita had indeed exchanged contact information, aside from the brief period when he helped with Akagi, they'd had almost no further communication.
So why was Yukinoshita suddenly reaching out now? Shin wondered if it had something to do with Yukinoshita Haruno.
It wasn't an unreasonable assumption—after all, Haruno had just approached him yesterday, and now, the very next day, Yukino was contacting him to meet at the Service Club.
Did Yukinoshita Haruno realize I don't have Stand potential and decide to test her sister instead?
That was the first thought that crossed Shin's mind. But upon reflection, Haruno didn't seem like the type to drag her sister into family affairs.
Perhaps it was just a coincidence—Yukino just happened to need something from him the day after her sister's visit.
"I do have time."
Without overthinking it, Shin replied. Though I'm surprised someone as diligent as Yukinoshita is using her phone during class.
The moment he sent the message, a "Read" notification appeared, followed almost immediately by Yukino's response:
"Good. I'll be waiting for you at the Service Club after school."
It seemed Yukinoshita had been holding her phone, waiting for his reply. This only deepened Shin's curiosity—what could she possibly want?
...
After school, Shin and Kato Megumi didn't head home together.
Kato was going to Shimokitazawa with Gotou Hitori and Kasumigaoka Utaha to meet up with the rest of Kessoku Band and share her intention to join as their keyboardist.
After seeing Kato off, Shin slung his bag over his shoulder and made his way to the Service Club.
The trip was uneventful, and soon, he arrived at the clubroom. He knocked once before pushing the door open.
Inside, the Service Club was arranged just as he remembered—only Yukino Yukinoshita sat quietly at her desk, reading a book. It seemed the club hadn't received any requests lately.
Without Hikigaya Hachiman's presence, the Service Club's development had diverged completely from what Shin knew. To this day, it remained a one-person operation.
Honestly, if not for Hiratsuka Shizuka's protection, a club that couldn't even meet the minimum membership requirement would've been disbanded long ago.
Shin had needed to recruit Yuigahama Yui just to meet the quota for the Paranormal Research Club, while Yukinoshita faced no such issue. Having connections really does make life easier.
"You're here."
At the sound of the door, Yukinoshita looked up. When she saw Shin enter, an unreadable expression flickered across her face.
"What did you need me for?"
Without standing on ceremony, Shin pulled up a chair and sat down, watching Yukinoshita with interest.
"Did you get a difficult request and need backup?"
Given that he'd previously assisted with Akagi's situation, the question wasn't unfounded—he did have experience as an outside consultant.
In fact, many school clubs borrowed members from others for important events. So if the Service Club had encountered a particularly troublesome request, calling for help wasn't unreasonable.
"In a sense, it is a request I can't handle alone."
Yukinoshita sighed before continuing.
"Do you remember Saeko Busujima-san? The girl from the kendo dojo I took you to."
As she spoke, Yukinoshita's gaze lingered on Shin, as if recalling the overwhelming presence he'd exuded during their kendo match.
Shin didn't notice her stare. Instead, he raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"This is about Saeko Busujima? Of course I remember her. What's going on?"
He distinctly remembered turning down Saeko Busujima's final invitation to spar just a few days ago. He'd made it clear he wouldn't be joining her family's dojo for kendo training.
In the original story, Saeko Busujima had been the type to "preserve a man's last shred of dignity"—while incredibly skilled, she adhered to traditional Yamato Nadeshiko ideals when it came to men.
Logically, since she'd promised not to pressure Shin further, she should've kept her word.
Unless... this time, her reason for contacting him wasn't her own idea—nor was it about kendo training?
"Well... Saeko Busujima-san asked me to relay a message."
Yukinoshita met Shin's eyes as she delivered the news.
"She wanted you to know that the Busujima family intends to recruit you through her, but she refused. However, her family isn't giving up—they may try other methods to approach you."
"Oh? She said that?"
Shin blinked. He'd assumed Saeko Busujima had been forced by her family to reach out again.
Instead, she'd gone out of her way to warn him about their intentions. It seemed she truly intended to keep her promise not to bother him.
Or perhaps, if she did plan to interact with him, she wanted to ensure he didn't mistake her motives as familial pressure.
"So, if anyone ever contacts you claiming 'Saeko Busujima wants to see you,' don't take it seriously."
Yukinoshita added.
"If Saeko Busujima-san truly wishes to meet you, she'll come directly—no intermediaries needed. Those were her exact words."
"Got it. Thanks for passing that along."
Shin nodded, his opinion of Saeko Busujima rising slightly. He hated unnecessary trouble, and her heads-up would save him from dealing with annoying middlemen.
Of course, it'd be best if the Busujima family wisened up too. While Shin preferred not to make waves in his daily life, if someone pushed his patience too far, he wouldn't hesitate to... adjust their perspective.
"So you called me here just to relay Saeko Busujima's message? Couldn't you have texted that?"
"That was only part of it."
Yukinoshita studied him with an odd look before asking, her tone layered with something unreadable:
"The bigger question is... have you been using some special method to avoid me? Why is it that every time I try to visit the Paranormal Research Club lately, something always gets in my way?"
To be continued…