She opened the door and looked at the two of them.
Akira Fujimiya walked in first, while Hikigaya Hachiman's expression showed clear confusion.
He already knew that if Hiratsuka Shizuka had called for him, it couldn't be for anything good. But since the other person was a teacher, refusing wasn't an option.
Reluctantly, Hikigaya Hachiman also stepped into the counseling room.
Hiratsuka Shizuka entered last, closing the door behind her with a soft click.
Akira sat comfortably on the sofa, already guessing the reason behind Hiratsuka's summons. But he chose not to say anything.
Hikigaya, on the other hand, remained standing awkwardly to the side, refusing to sit down.
"Hikigaya," Hiratsuka began, fixing her sharp eyes on him, "do you know why I asked you to come here?"
"I don't know," Hachiman replied quietly, his gaze dropping to the floor.
"What about you, Akira?" Hiratsuka turned her attention to the boy sitting calmly on the sofa.
"Do you want to entrust the Service Club with a task?" Akira asked, his tone casual.
Hiratsuka gave a satisfied nod, a faint smile tugging at her lips.
"I know Yukinoshita is busy right now, so you'll temporarily act as the head of the Service Club. My commission to you is simple: make Hikigaya change."
"Change?" Akira repeated, shifting his gaze toward Hikigaya.
"I don't need to change…" Hikigaya muttered.
"Hmm?" Hiratsuka leaned forward slightly, her expression kind on the surface but carrying a dangerous edge.
Hikigaya instantly froze, shrinking under her stare and falling silent.
"I understand," Akira finally said, breaking the silence. "I'll accept this commission."
"Good. Then I'll leave it to you. And if Hikigaya refuses your kindness, just tell me. I'll let him experience my iron fist," Hiratsuka added, cracking her knuckles playfully.
"..." Hikigaya could only sigh helplessly.
....
On the way back to class,
Akira looked out the window as they walked down the corridor.
The rain had stopped, and warm sunlight spilled across the ground, brightening the schoolyard.
"Tell me, Hikigaya," Akira suddenly asked, his eyes fixed outside. "Do you think I'm a real person… or just someone outside the circle like you?"
The question caught Hachiman off guard.
When he left with Akira earlier, he had been expecting the worst—some overly enthusiastic helper who would make him do something embarrassing.
But instead, Akira's first words were unexpectedly thoughtful.
"I won't force you to make new friends," Akira continued. "I don't have many myself. But changing… well, it's easier if you change how you deal with people."
"....I don't want to change my relationships," Hikigaya answered after a pause, his tone firm.
"That's only because you haven't met someone who makes your heart skip a beat," Akira replied, a faint smile on his lips. "I don't plan on deceiving Hiratsuka-sensei. So instead, I'll find someone willing to help—and someone who might change you naturally."
"I-I'm...not good at dealing with girls," Hikigaya muttered, frowning.
"I never said it would be a girl."
"…Huh?" Hikigaya blinked in confusion.
.....
Lunch break,
Hachiman sat quietly at his desk, eating his lunch while stealing glances in Akira's direction.
Akira, instead of joining Yuigahama Yui like usual, waved her off lightly and focused on his own bento. Yui tilted her head, clearly puzzled, but didn't press further.
Akira ate quickly, and after closing his lunch box. He stood and walked out.
Hachiman groaned internally but stood up anyway, following Akira out of the classroom.
The two of them walked together to the first floor. As they passed a vending machine, Akira stopped, fishing out coins and pressing a few buttons.
He came back holding two cans — One was a familiar brand of canned coffee—the same type Hachiman often bought.
"Here," Akira said, handing it over.
"Thanks," Hikigaya replied, momentarily surprised. He accepted the coffee and cracked it open.
"I spent the whole morning learning about you," Akira explained while sipping his own drink. "My memory's good, so I remembered you often bought this kind of coffee. I also learned you have a younger sister."
Hikigaya stiffened, surprised. 'This guy… how much does he know?'
"Give me your sister's contact information. Or I can just show up at your house and say I'm your friend. I'm sure she'd be happy to entertain me," Akira said smoothly, already pulling out his phone.
"What do you even want Komachi's contact for?" Hikigaya asked warily, narrowing his eyes.
"Only by understanding you can I help you properly. Believe me, I don't particularly want to know so much about another guy, but I'm serious about this commission." Akira's voice was calm and steady.
"…Why?" Hikigaya muttered, genuinely confused.
"Because I want my club president to focus on her duties without being distracted."
"Your president… is a girl?"
"You really don't know Yukinoshita Yukino?"
"Oh." Hikigaya's eyes widened slightly in recognition. "So it's her."
Naturally, he knew Yukinoshita's reputation, but he hadn't realized she was leading the Service Club.
"Come on, give me Komachi's number. Then we can move on to the next step." Akira said as he passed his phone to Hikigaya.
After a long pause, Hikigaya reluctantly took Akira's phone, typed in Hikigaya Komachi's contact information, and handed it back to him.
"Mind if we take a picture?" Akira asked.
"…I guess this is for Komachi? ." Hachiman sighed, realizing.
Akira snapped a quick picture of Hikigaya and immediately sent it to Komachi.
Then, without a word, he started walking down the hall.
Hachiman followed, silently resigned.
...
Ten minutes later,
They arrived at Sobu High's tennis court.
"Totsuka Saika," Akira greeted warmly, "this is Hikigaya—the one I mentioned earlier who's good at tennis. I'd also like to learn a bit myself."
"No problem. I'll teach you," Saika said with a bright, gentle smile.
Hachiman froze for a moment. That smile was almost blinding. His heartbeat picked up against his will.
Akira glanced sideways at him, suppressing a knowing grin. 'Looks like Hachiman's love story is about to begin.'
Just then, Akira's phone buzzed. A new message. He glanced at the screen and couldn't help but smirk.
It was Komachi, replying with curious excitement about the photo he'd just sent. She was already asking about Akira's relationship with her brother.
Akira chuckled softly, typing a quick reply as he looked back at the tennis court.
...
Akira had never played tennis before. He wasn't particularly fond of sports.
But with his enhanced memory, he could quickly memorize Saika's movements just by watching.
Saika was a skilled player, a dedicated member of the tennis club. Among the people Akira knew, only Yukinoshita Yukino and Miura Yumiko could give him a real challenge.
Still, Akira knew he lacked Yukino's precision, Yumiko's stamina, and Saika's passion for tennis.
He was simply average.
So instead, he watched from the sidelines.
Hachiman and Saika played a few rounds, trading shots back and forth. To Akira's surprise, Hachiman was actually pretty decent. But the real problem was Saika's dazzling smile—every time he saw it, Hachiman's composure wavered.
Half an hour later, the match came to a pause.
"Hikigaya-kun, you're really good," Saika praised, smiling brightly. "Your form is clean, and your rallies are fun. If you joined the tennis club, we could practice together every day."
Hachiman's face turned awkward. He couldn't bring himself to meet Saika's eyes, his heartbeat hammering in his chest.
Akira walked over, grinning. "So, Hikigaya, why not join the tennis club? I'm sure you'd get along well with Saika."
"I…" Hikigaya hesitated.
"Hikigaya-kun," Saika said again, this time more softly, with a hopeful look.
"…I'll think about it," Hikigaya finally answered, unable to refuse him outright.
"Great! Then, how about this afternoon? We can train together again," Saika offered eagerly, clutching his racket.
"I… I understand," Hikigaya stammered, giving in instantly to Saika's hopeful gaze.
Akira chuckled to himself, watching silently.
...
That afternoon, after school,
Hikigaya was still packing his commuter bag when he noticed Saika standing at the classroom door.
His hands fumbled slightly as he shoved books inside, his pace noticeably quicker.
Once he was finished, he hurried out.
Saika smiled and waved at Akira before following close behind Hikigaya.
Akira leaned back against the doorframe, watching them go with an amused smile.
'Well… this is going to be interesting.'
...
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