Chapter 184: Care for a Drink? (Very Long Chapter)
"Tobe is actually a decent guy, even if there are plenty of flaws I'd like to comment on." Hachiman drank his coffee, tasting that unique blend of sweet and bitter, then thought for a moment and said, "He thanked me multiple times today. Thanked us for helping him find the courage to get ready for the confession. I told him it was Yui's doing, but he thanked me anyway—not because of my status."
"Because he knows you guys are being sincere with him, whereas his other friends are mostly just meddling and waiting to watch a joke." Akishin laughed softly, taking a sip of beer as a small tingle spread through his mouth.
People who look incredibly happy all day are, for the most part, not happy at all. A man who looks like a fool often hides a sharp intellect. The person who truly thinks others are fools—he's the one who's actually an idiot.
"Maybe those friends of his are actually hoping he fails; that's why he reached out to you." Akishin added a cynical remark.
Hachiman nodded. He had seen through these things long ago. He knew Akishin wasn't lecturing him, but merely engaging in idle chatter to find a topic.
And at that moment, a familiar shadow appeared in the corner.
Yukinoshita Yukino.
She had likely just finished her bath, wearing casual white tops and blue pants, her hair tied up. She walked through the lobby at a leisurely pace, heading straight for the souvenir shop located within the inn's facilities.
No, she was probably too focused and hadn't noticed them.
Yukinoshita Yukino was staring at a Kyoto-limited edition Pan-san plushie in the souvenir shop with a dead-serious expression.
She looked up while stroking her chin, thinking for a moment, and finally decided to reach for the item. However, the moment she extended her hand, she finally noticed the figures at the edge of her vision.
Yukino turned her head, meeting Hachiman's gaze. She pulled her hand back in silence, pretending nothing had happened as she began walking back the way she came.
Akishin looked at Hachiman with curiosity, asking, "Are you two fighting?" Why did she leave after just one glance? She didn't even say hello.
"How is that possible? I haven't even said a single word to her today."
Whether or not she heard the conversation between Akishin and Hachiman, Yukino paused for a moment, then walked over with crisp footsteps.
"Good evening, Chishima-sensei."
Yukino greeted Akishin first, then looked at Hachiman, the corners of her mouth curling slightly with a touch of arrogance. "What a coincidence, seeing you here."
"... Saying that now seems a bit off, doesn't it?" Hachiman nodded. He was also wondering if he had offended her somewhere.
On second thought, this was indeed Yukinoshita's normal mode. That reliable, serious, and patient figure only appeared when she was working.
Maybe it was because he'd caught her about to buy a Pan-san?
Hachiman felt he had grasped the key point.
"What is it? Couldn't stand being in your room alone, so you were forced to escape here?"
Sure enough, it was because she'd seen him catch her wanting the doll.
Buying a doll wasn't an issue, but the timing was poor. At this hour, still obsessing over something like that might carry a bit of a 'creepy' vibe.
Hachiman shook his head. "I just handed the next task over to the younger generation. What about you?"
"Haa..." Yukino sat down beside Hachiman, letting out a sigh. "My classmates kept shifting the conversation to me. Why are they so fond of talking about those things..."
"If they're asking you, it means they're interested in you. Isn't that a good thing?"
"It's not good at all..."
Yukino put on a sharp gaze, glaring at Hachiman for a moment.
"Yukinoshita-san, catch."
Akishin tossed the coffee in his hand to Yukino. Being unprepared, Yukino caught it with a bit of a scramble.
"Sensei, this..."
"Hikigaya bought it. I couldn't finish it, and I have this." Akishin laughed while shaking the beer in his hand.
Hearing that, Yukino hesitated for a moment, said "thank you," and accepted the coffee. She opened it and took a small sip, then brought up another topic. "By the way, Hikigaya-kun, what are you and Sensei doing here?"
"Resting after being tired out from playing. What about you? Weren't you going to buy a souvenir?"
"I don't intend to buy anything. I was just a little curious." She turned her face away, her cheeks slightly flushed.
—Tsundere!
Really? You were clearly looking at it with intense focus! I thought for sure you'd buy it; it is a Kyoto Limited Edition Pan-san, after all...
Hachiman thought in silence, not voicing his inner thoughts.
"You're really not buying any souvenirs?"
"Buying them now would only be a burden. I'll wait until right before we head home to buy them. So, have you decided what you're going to get?" Yukino asked in return.
"It's decided. Mostly things Komachi asked for... while I'm at it, do you know where there's a place to pray for academic success?"
Hachiman's eyes held a spark of enthusiasm. 'Yukipedia' wasn't just a nickname.
Yukino blinked, tilting her head to one side. "You want to pray that Komachi passes her exams with her name at the top of the board?"
"Yeah."
Yukino showed a smile; she liked Komachi too. "Let me think... Kitano Tenmangu is quite famous."
"Tenmangu? I see, thank you."
He had seen it in the travel guidebook.
He could use the free time on the third day to go see it. Hachiman made up his mind.
"... I can understand your worry for Komachi, but her grades are quite good. There won't be any problems, don't worry." Yukino knew Komachi also wanted to attend Sobu High and had been working hard for it; the results were already showing. Getting into Sobu High wouldn't be a major issue.
Actually, as long as Akishin or Shizuka were at the school, even if Komachi ranked last, they could still get her into Sobu High.
Of course, those weren't words fit to be spoken to a student.
"How is the progress on Tobe-kun's request?" Yukino asked about the club duty.
Hachiman set down his empty can, shaking his head. "Not very smooth. Even though there seems to be progress, the reality is that Ebina is still exactly the same."
"Sorry. Being in a different class from you guys, it's difficult for me to help." Yukino lowered her gaze with a bit of guilt.
"Don't take it to heart. Even being in the same class as her, I haven't been able to help."
Seeing Yukino like this, Hachiman had a strong urge to reach out and pat her head—Yukino looked like a sad kitten~
"Please take it to heart at least a little, so that I can feel better. I was the one who accepted this task, after all..."
"..."
Akishin drank his beer, watching his two students interacting in silence. The atmosphere between them was very peaceful, devoid of distance or awkwardness. Everything was incredibly natural, showing how long they had been together.
The small bickering that happened occasionally only proved how good their relationship actually was.
Before long, noting the time, Yukino headed back to her room. As she was leaving, her face was still slightly red, but she seriously picked up a Pan-san, giving Hachiman one last glare as she did.
Hachiman and Akishin didn't stay long either, leaving soon after, leaving the lobby empty with the lights still glowing.
...
The second day of the School Trip.
Today was group activity day. Akishin and Shizuka moved along with Hachiman's group and the others, visiting from Uzumasa to the Rakusai area.
The first stop was the period drama theme park and actual filming location: Toei Kyoto Studio Park.
The sets here were incredibly well-made, featuring street views of Yoshiwara Yukwaku, Ikedaya, and more. Tourists could also change into period clothing, experiencing the atmosphere firsthand while taking commemorative photos. Additionally, there were rich entertainment facilities like a haunted house and a ninja building, making it a highly popular tourist spot.
The group played for a while and had a great time.
During that time, Yui and Hachiman kept creating opportunities for Tobe and Ebina to be alone. Unfortunately, Tobe was useless, and Ebina's level was too high, resulting in zero progress.
The next agenda item was taking a vehicle from Uzumasa to Rakusai.
Led by Kinkaku-ji, Rakusai had many popular tourist spots. Plus, since the maple season wasn't over, the crowds were massive. The city buses were packed, and after waiting for a long time, they still couldn't board.
Finally, based on a suggestion from Hachiman, eight students took taxis there. The fare was split among them, and the problem was solved.
Akishin and Shizuka separately called a car; the cost naturally wasn't a concern for them.
Ninna-ji wasn't as fun as the previous haunted house. While it was beautiful and many photos were taken, some of the students didn't seem particularly energized.
Akishin and Shizuka, however, loved the place, hugging each other while taking many photos, making the students following them feel quite envious...
Third stop: Ryoan-ji.
They met Yukino here, and the three members interacted regarding the progress of their task in front of the two teachers.
"How is the progress on the request?"
"... Extremely difficult."
Yui explained the task's lack of progress to Yukino.
After hearing it, Yukino felt deeply responsible. "Sorry, everything has been burdened upon you two this time."
"It's totally fine! Yukinon, don't take it to heart. I haven't really done much either, mostly just playing around with Hachiman..."
"Hold this. I've made a few routes myself."
"What routes?"
"Kyoto sightseeing spots that girls might like. You can give them to the others as a reference for tomorrow's free time." Yukino pulled out a Kyoto travel guide filled with black markings.
"Ho~ As expected of Yukinon! Let's go together tomorrow!"
"With Tobe and the rest?"
Hachiman spoke up. He didn't think those two would undergo any change just by being in a different location.
"Not quite. We can follow from behind and see if there's anything we can do to help." Yui tilted her small face up, wagging her finger with total confidence.
"That doesn't sound like a good thing..."
Hachiman didn't know what to say. Wasn't this just called stalking? What a pain. Why did they have to worry about someone else's love life when he didn't even have a girlfriend himself!
"As long as we recommend those spots to Tobe, they're sure to follow. If something happens later, we'll join up with Yukinon." Yui made the decision for the club, even nodding to herself in confirmation.
Yukino let out a soft sigh and said, "While I can't guarantee a big opportunity, there isn't any other way."
This meant the club president had accepted the decision.
Akishin had remained silent the whole time. Waiting until it was time to part ways, he finally smiled and said, "It's fine for you to carry out your duties, but don't forget the primary reason for coming to Kyoto. This is your School Trip, students. This is a unique 'festival' of your school years; enjoying it properly is the main goal."
The three students were stunned, looking at each other. Yui was the first to laugh...
Akishin and Shizuka walked off together toward another spot so as not to disturb the three students.
This guy Hachiman's romantic luck seemed to be improving. Earlier, while with Yukino, several beautiful girls from Class J had been looking at him with curiosity, admiration, and respect...
Last stop: Kinkaku-ji.
They continued their visit inside until closing time, then returned to the inn.
...
After finishing his bath, Akishin did the same as yesterday: he left the room, went to the vending machine to buy a can of beer, then sat in the lobby chair, sipping it bit by bit.
Shizuka was in her room playing mahjong with the other female teachers, sending a message saying she was winning by a landslide.
Originally, he had wanted to take Shizuka out to enjoy the Kyoto night view today.
However...
Looking out the window, a thin drizzle of rain was passing by, once again carrying away whatever summer heat was left. The sound of raindrops falling from leaves was clear and melodious—tick-tock, tick-tock—occasionally mixed with the sound of vehicles traversing the rain-slicked road at night.
"Sensei, you're here again!"
Hachiman also emerged, buying two cans of coffee as usual. He held one out to Akishin, then sat beside him, drinking it slowly.
It was very similar to the scene from the night before.
Except, he didn't know if Yukino would come out again.
"Sensei, I think I have to step down and take action."
"Tch. If you like Ebina, just say so. For a girl as smart and cute as her, Sensei will still support you guys together."
"!!! I don't..."
"Hikigaya! When helping others, remember to consider yourself as well."
"... I guess I can be called a famous person in school now."
In the end, Yukinoshita Yukino didn't show up, but another figure did.
The inn's automatic sensor doors slid open. A blonde-haired figure entered, bringing with her the scent of rain, her beautiful face carrying an air of authority. The umbrella she closed in her right hand was still dripping water. Her left hand carried a bag of snacks with several magazines tucked inside.
It seemed she had just returned from a convenience store.
Surprisingly, Miura Yumiko actually had times when she was alone, especially this late! Though, her true female friends seemed to only be Ebina and Yui.
Akishin and Hachiman glanced over briefly but didn't pay much attention, assuming the other party would head straight back. However, Miura Yumiko actually turned toward them and walked over.
Approaching the two, she greeted them with proper decorum. "Chishima-sensei, Hikigaya-kun, good evening."
"Miura-san, good evening."
"Ah... oh, good evening."
Akishin replied with a smile. Hachiman's face was full of surprise because he hadn't had time to react yet.
"Does Miura-san have business with us?"
"Well... there is something I want to discuss with Hikigaya-kun."
"I see. Have a seat first."
Akishin nudged Hachiman to make some room. Miura Yumiko hesitated for a moment, then sat beside Hachiman, in the exact spot Yukino had occupied yesterday.
"Miura-san, catch."
Akishin tossed the coffee in his hand to Miura Yumiko.
Hachiman: "..." Why does this feel like déjà vu?
Miura Yumiko briefly declined a few times but eventually accepted the coffee; she was indeed feeling thirsty.
She opened it and took a small sip, then looked at Hachiman, her tone carrying a hint of interrogation as she spoke. "Hikigaya-kun, can you guys stop bothering Hina?"
After Hachiman's identity had changed, almost everyone's attitude toward him had shifted, including Miura Yumiko's. However, her change wasn't drastic; at most, she went from calling him 'the antisocial guy' to 'Hikigaya-kun'.
Actually, that 'antisocial guy' label from before hadn't really carried any malicious intent.
Of course, it hadn't carried any good intentions either.
"... We aren't bothering her."
Hachiman didn't quite dare to lock eyes with Miura. This woman used to... no, even now, she was the queen of the class in his eyes. Talking to her brought a certain pressure.
"It's obvious you are. Anyone with eyes can see it." Miura Yumiko gripped her coffee tightly. "I'm not blind. What you're doing is just causing trouble for people."
"Causing trouble? But there are also people who hope we do this. Besides, you aren't suffering any direct loss yourself."
"Huh?"
Miura Yumiko's eyes carried hostility. "If this keeps up, I'm the one who'll end up as the victim."
Even though Hachiman was quite impressive, and even though his even more impressive teacher was right there, she still showed a fair amount of firmness.
One only wondered if she would regret it later.
"..."
Faced with these unexpected words, Hachiman faltered. He had initially thought Yumiko would complain about how much annoyance she was currently receiving, which would have allowed him to refute her with strong arguments...
As it turned out, his guess was wrong.
In truth, if you thought about it, Miura Yumiko wasn't as tough as she appeared—at the very least, the fact that she was prone to crying had been proven by reality.
In Hachiman's memory, Miura Yumiko had cried at least twice.
The first time was during the summer camp, having an argument with Yukino, then being made to cry by her so that Yukino was forced to go out and look at the moon.
The second time was what Yui and the others discussed in the taxi today; last night they'd been playing a pillow fight, and Miura was made to cry by Saki with a pillow strike.
And these were just the times known to him as a 'side character.' The unknown times, based on the data pattern, were surely more frequent...
Yumiko stared straight at Hachiman and continued speaking. "You've been with Yui for a long time; you should understand Ebina's situation too, right?"
"I'm not dating her..."
Hachiman felt a bit guilty.
"Did you mishear? But I actually hope you do date Yui. You're actually a... whatever. My point is, you've talked a lot with Yui, so you should have a good understanding of Ebina as well."
Alright, it was indeed Hachiman who had misunderstood.
Looking toward the souvenir shop across from them, Yumiko said in a reminiscent tone, "When Ebina isn't talking, she's quite popular with the guys. There have been many boys who asked me to help introduce them. But every time I try to help, she rejects them very gently. At first, I thought she was just shy, so I kept pushing her. Can you guess what she said?"
"I can't guess." Hachiman said honestly.
Akishin became interested, watching closely as he drank his beer. His impression of Miura Yumiko was changing significantly; she was also a good kid with her own story.
Miura lowered her head in silence, showing a sad expression, answering her own question. "With an attitude as if it were none of her business, she smiled and told me: 『If you discuss things like this again, let's just break off our relationship.』 A tone that truly treated me like a stranger."
Hachiman drank his coffee, his gaze no longer flat. This was the first time he'd seen Miura Yumiko show an expression like this.
An expression so fragile.
And based on those words, Hachiman could also imagine Ebina's face as she said that—her voice, her smile, and her gaze would have been incredibly cold, letting no one get close.
That woman wrapped herself up far too tightly.
"Ebina doesn't really talk about herself, and I don't go out of my way to ask. She probably doesn't like topics like that..."
Hachiman looked at Miura Yumiko with complicated feelings. Those words were wrong; rather than continuing to sacrifice everything to protect something, people choose to give up early, even on human relationships that already exist...
Miura Yumiko lowered her eyelids slightly, continuing in a longing tone, "I feel very happy right now. If Ebina leaves, we might not be able to play together cheerfully and foolishly like we do now. Those things will never come back, forever..."
At this point, Miura Yumiko's voice began to tremble. She looked up, her sparkling gold eyes staring at Hachiman. "So, don't meddle in other people's business, okay?"
Her body trembled slightly, and the coffee can in her hand was crushed from her grip, completely losing any semblance of her usual queenly persona.
She turned toward Akishin behind her and asked, "Chishima-sensei, what do you think?"
"Miura-san, you've misunderstood. The root of this problem doesn't lie with Hachiman and the others." Akishin shook his head with a smile. "You should know that Tobe wants to confess to Ebina, right?"
"I know..."
"Then why still ask Hachiman and the others not to meddle?"
"But if it weren't for Hachiman and the others, Tobe wouldn't have thought to..."
"Are you sure? Have you ever seen Tobe do anything this seriously before? Even without Hachiman and his group, would Tobe have given up?"
Akishin cut off Miura Yumiko's words, observing her reaction.
"..."
Miura Yumiko lowered her head again, staring intently at the coffee can in her hand. This time, actual tears appeared in her eyes.
Right. This time, that 'delinquent' Tobe was truly serious. She knew it. Before he got an answer from Ebina, Tobe likely wouldn't stop.
But after getting that answer, what would become of the relationship within their small circle?
"Actually, there's no need to worry..."
Hachiman knew how a single sentence could calm Miura, but the moment he opened his mouth, he was cut off by Akishin. "Actually, there's no need to worry, Miura-san. Hikigaya has already accepted a request from Ebina-san. Ebina hopes everyone's relationship stays exactly as it is..."
Miura Yumiko's tear-filled eyes looked at Akishin. She was very smart and immediately understood the meaning behind those words, then shifted her gaze to a stunned Hachiman.
Akishin patted Hachiman's shoulder, like a salesman promoting a product. "Besides, Hikigaya has already thought of a solution. You're willing to trust him just this once, right? He is at least my student; he's still quite capable."
"What solution?"
A glint of light flashed in Akishin's eyes; the bait had been taken. He smiled even more enthusiastically, pinning Hachiman down with one hand as he recounted Hachiman's self-sacrificial method—Hachiman hadn't actually specified how he'd do it, but Akishin automatically filled in the details for him. (Laughs)
After Miura Yumiko finished listening, she looked at Hachiman, who was trying to escape the pressure, with a complicated gaze (gratitude, hope, doubt).
"Hikigaya, you... sacrificing yourself, huh?"
"Yeah!" Akishin looked at Miura Yumiko with a wide grin. "But it's very effective, isn't it?"
"Then, what if Ebina accepts it?"
"Impossible. Absolutely impossible."
Miura Yumiko didn't even know why she asked that. Hachiman firmly stated it was impossible.
She thought about Ebina's personality; indeed, it was impossible.
But...
Miura Yumiko stood up, bowing solemnly to Hachiman. "Sorry, Hikigaya-kun. And... thank you. I'm truly sorry. After this matter is resolved, I'll find a way to repay you..."
"..."
Miura Yumiko was gone. She finished the can of coffee and didn't reject the help from Hachiman.
"Sensei, can you please not resist and let me hit you just once?"
"I can't do that. I helped you, didn't I? Look, this hasn't only changed Miura-san's view of you significantly, but she even owes you a favor now."
"This whole thing could have been much simpler! Besides, what use is a favor from her?"
"It's very useful. That way you can be friends in the future. The future possibilities will increase drastically; she's a good kid too..."
"What future possibilities?"
"Haha, you know. Don't go playing riddles with Sensei now..."
"..."
"Want a drink? My treat."
"... I'm an underaged!"
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