Chapter 30 – Yui Yuigahama Comes to the Service Club!
Yukinoshita Akira glanced at Yukinoshita Yukino, who sat across from him—and promptly ignored her.
Without saying a word, he dragged an unused desk and chair from the back of the room, wiped them down with a cloth, and placed them neatly by the window. Then he sat down, quiet as always.
Every movement was precise, deliberate, and almost graceful. Yet both Hiratsuka Shizuka and Yukinoshita Yukino could only stare at him in silence.
This guy… he's even harder to deal with than the Ice Queen sitting right there, Shizuka thought with a bitter smile.
"Well then, I'll leave you two to your club activities. I've got work to do."
After saying that, Shizuka left the room. The door closed behind her with a loud thud.
"…I really need to find more members," she muttered as she walked down the hall, massaging her temples. "These two are both troublemakers…"
As a teacher, Shizuka was nothing if not dedicated. She genuinely cared for her students—never asking for anything in return. Having lived in the real world long enough, she knew how precious youth truly was.
Back inside the Service Club room, Yukinoshita Yukino was still watching Akira, her eyes tinged with faint irritation.
Earlier that morning, Akira had accepted Busujima Saeko's invitation—right in front of her. And not just any invitation… but one to meet her parents. What was that supposed to mean?
Wasn't Akira supposed to be her family's fiancé candidate? How could he so casually get involved with another woman?
Unconsciously, Yukino began to feel a strange sense of possessiveness toward him.
After all, she was one of the very few who knew about the hidden side of the world—and one of the even fewer who had been saved by him. To her, their connection felt… special.
"Second Lady, is there a reason you keep staring at me like that?" Akira finally asked, feeling the sharp gaze on him. Even for someone like him, being silently glared at by the Ice Princess herself was a little uncomfortable.
"How do you even know I'm staring at you? Don't flatter yourself so much, Yukinoshita Akira-kun~"
"Wait, did you just call me -kun?"
"You must've misheard, Yukinoshita Akira-kun~"
"…You definitely said it."
Akira sighed. So much for Yukinoshita Yukino's perfect "Ice Queen" image—it was starting to melt away, piece by piece.
Dealing with her stubborn personality was… exhausting.
Choosing not to argue further, Akira took out his phone and began scrolling through the news.
Most of the headlines that caught his eye were about murders, suicides, and missing persons.
As he browsed through the reports, something strange stood out to him.
Japan's suicide rate was, as always, disturbingly high—about 18.5 cases per 100,000 people, nearly twice the global average. Causes ranged from overwork and academic pressure to social isolation and deeply ingrained shame culture.
But this time, the numbers told a different story.
In the past three months, while suicide rates in Chiba City hadn't risen significantly, the number of missing persons had nearly tripled. It was subtle—but deeply wrong.
The data started exactly three months ago… and the trend had been steadily rising since.
Even in Japan, that kind of spike was unheard of.
And this wasn't gossip or rumor—it was cold, official statistics.
"The past three months… don't tell me—"
A possibility began to form in Akira's mind.
Could it be that these demons—the ones he'd fought—had only recently appeared in this world? Not remnants from the past, but new entities, manifested into existence just like him?
If so… maybe his presence here wasn't a coincidence either.
"System," he muttered quietly. "Why did you give me an identity this time? In the previous worlds, I didn't have one. The first time, I only got an ID card from the 'Starter Pack.' But now… everything's been perfectly set up from the start."
[Ding! This is to help the Host integrate more easily into this world.]
"…That's a terrible excuse. Even you wouldn't believe that."
[...]
No response. Which, ironically, was a response.
He didn't know what the system was hiding—but one thing was clear: the sudden appearance of demons was no random event.
Meanwhile, Yukinoshita Yukino, noticing the subtle shift in his expression, began to worry.
What's wrong with him? Why does he look so tense? Did something happen again?
"Ak—"
A soft knock interrupted her.
Both turned their attention to the door.
"Come in," Yukino said calmly. Her voice was elegant, but there was a faint note of surprise in it. After all, no one had ever visited this club before—not once in an entire semester.
The door opened slowly.
A head with orange-pink "dango" hair peeked in through the gap.
"U-um… excuse me…"
The voice was small and hesitant—clearly nervous, unsure of how to act.
The sudden intrusion snapped Akira out of his thoughts. He turned toward the door… and froze when he saw who it was.
No way… why is she here?
"Akki-kun?! What are you doing here?!"
The moment she stepped in and spotted Akira by the window, her eyes went wide in shock.
"Wait—did you just call me Akki-kun?"
"Yeah, what about it?"
"Why are you calling me that?"
"Because it sounds cute! And we're friends, right~?"
The pink-haired girl—Yui Yuigahama—answered cheerfully, her tone bright and innocent. To her, this was completely normal.
But Yukinoshita Yukino's gaze immediately sharpened. Another girl…?
How many of them has this man managed to attract already?
"Don't call me that. Just… Akira is fine."
"Ehh~ why not? It's cute!"
"No reason."
"Mou~!"
Yuigahama puffed her cheeks like a pouting goldfish.
"Yuigahama Yui, right?" Yukino suddenly spoke.
"Eh? You know me?"
"Not personally. I just memorized the entire student roster. So I know everyone's name."
"Waaah~ that's amazing!"
Yuigahama's eyes sparkled with genuine admiration, completely forgetting that she'd just been scolded.
Akira could only sigh, glancing at the two of them.
Great… the 'dango girl' showed up before Hikigaya Hachiman did. Don't tell me I've actually taken his place in this story…
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