Having not eaten for a long time, his body was still very weak. Hikigaya Hachiman was practically carried to the living room by the two sisters, one on each side. The blush on Yukino's face hadn't faded; after Hachiman's teasing earlier, her brain felt a little scrambled.
Holding onto the soft, smooth shoulders of the two beautiful girls and feeling the warm touch on both sides of his body, Hachiman felt a certain stirring he couldn't quite control, forcing him to arch his body slightly. To be honest, although he usually claimed not to be interested in women, he was an adolescent boy. How could he remain calm when surrounded by the Yukinoshita sisters in such an intimate posture all day long?
"I say, you guys are taking too much care of me," he said, a little embarrassed. "I'm just a little tired, not incapable of moving. There's no need for this..."
"No, Hikigaya-kun," Yukinoshita Haruno said solemnly. "We are not only taking care of you but also protecting the future of Japanese literature. You cannot let your health collapse again. You must realize this, junior."
"I just hope Hikigaya-kun won't have any more accidents," Yukino added, serving him rice. She had made up her mind to take care of him until he fully recovered. "By the way, I think it's necessary for me to stay here tonight so I can take better care of you."
Moreover, Yukino had a vague worry. She was afraid her mother would be displeased with her after learning that Hachiman had fainted due to overwork. Mrs. Yukinoshita adored the great writer Hikigaya Hachiman now. In the past, she had only treated him as a potential future son-in-law, but now they had gradually developed a friendship that transcended age. This was a path Yukino had never imagined—that Hachiman could actually become a friend to her mother. The feeling was very strange, always making her feel like there was a generation gap between herself and him.
"Excuse me, Yukino," Haruno retorted, though in reality, that was all she could do. "All Hikigaya-kun needs right now is to finish his meal and sleep until tomorrow morning. I'm afraid he doesn't need your so-called 'care.' That might actually make it harder for him to rest."
"If you're worried," Yukino said calmly, though this time without any ulterior motive, "you can stay here overnight too. After all, you must be worried about his health, so why not?"
"Well, to tell you the truth, I really want to stay," Haruno admitted. "But you know that's impossible. I really can't spend every day as leisurely as you, Yukino."
"Well then, my busy sister," Yukino replied, seemingly irritated by Haruno's pretense, her words laced with sarcasm, "in order not to delay your important work, please go home as soon as you finish your meal. Without you, the family truly can't function for a day."
"I have a very important task in my job," Haruno shot back, playing her trump card: Mrs. Yukinoshita. "Which is to help Hikigaya-kun manage the studio's accounts. That's why I came today. Unfortunately, his body has finally collapsed under your 'care' day after day, Yukino. I can only report my work another day. This is something Mother takes very seriously."
Yukino stopped talking. Even though she was very dissatisfied, she couldn't find a reason to refute her sister.
Hachiman, at the center of the storm, ate quietly. To him, the bickering between the sisters was like pleasant background music, making him feel happy and whetting his appetite.
After enjoying the sumptuous dinner, Hachiman felt his body had fully recovered, but to reassure Yukino, he still prepared to go back to his room and lie down.
"Then Hikigaya-kun, I won't keep you company today," Haruno said at the door as he saw her off. "Let Yukino take good care of you from now on. Oh, I really envy her."
"...What's there to be envious of, Senior?" Hachiman was speechless about the inexplicable competitive dynamic between the sisters.
"Well, let's not talk about this anymore," Haruno said, changing the subject. "Summer vacation is almost here anyway, so I'll report back to you then. Goodbye, Hikigaya-kun." Then, she did something she had never done before: she gently kissed him on the cheek.
"Please be quiet! Summer vacation starts tomorrow!" Shizuka Hiratsuka announced on July 17th, the last school day before the break. "I know you're all anxious, but as your homeroom teacher, I still have a few important things to say."
"We've always had a rule here at Sobu High," she continued, standing on the podium. "Some of you may have heard of it. After the summer vacation, the school will organize a test—not very difficult—in the first week back to see if you've been having too much fun. Don't whine; you can ask the upperclassmen. This has always been the rule."
"In addition," Hiratsuka said with a deceptively friendly look, "to help those students who did not perform well in some subjects on the final exams, Sobu High has kindly prepared a summer tutoring session. The advantage is that it's free and very targeted. The disadvantage is... it's mandatory. All students whose scores in a single subject fall below the school's passing line must participate." In a school of Sobu High's level, the passing line was indeed not a low number.
"Of course, everyone must not forget their summer homework. If anyone is perfunctory about it, please believe that your learning process next semester will be very painful. When we teach, we will assume that everyone has done sufficient preparation according to the preview schedule assigned in the summer homework."
"Okay, that's all the important stuff. If anyone is interested in participating in other summer activities held by the school, you can browse the official website. I recommend signing up for the English training class; it can greatly improve your spoken English. Finally, I wish you all a happy summer vacation."
With that, Teacher Shizuka Hiratsuka left the now-silent classroom, humming a little tune.
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