Chapter 186: The Reverse Confession (Long Chapter)
Ebina passed the evenly spaced lanterns one by one, drawing closer.
Tobe stood in his original spot, waiting nervously.
Until Ebina reached him, he first spoke up. "That..." but his mouth only hung open.
"Hmm..."
Ebina answered flatly, her expression not changing one bit.
Just by looking from a distance, everyone basically understood: Tobe's confession was destined to be rejected.
Without a doubt.
Faced with a confession, a girl who truly cared for the other party would not give this kind of reaction.
They had all already imagined the scene in the future. Tobe and Ebina would no longer interact normally in class; a sense of awkwardness would emerge. Even if they caught each other's eyes, they would only share a few forced laughs before slowly drifting apart...
In the end, there would naturally be no more interaction, and even after they changed classes, they wouldn't return to the relationship they had now.
Do people who say they want to stay friends after a failed confession actually do it?
In any case, they had never seen it, let alone heard of it.
But if they fell down first now, maybe variables would emerge in the future.
Tobe should have understood that possibility, as well as the chance of letting go of their current relationship. Yet he did it anyway, likely already having the resolve to bear the consequences.
However, what about the others?
Tobe wasn't the only one who valued the small group. In a distorted country like Japan, having a small group is what provides a sense of security; strong loners are ostracized—they only wanted to maintain that sense of security, whether it was good or bad.
Ignore this Hayama guy, he's an idiot; Ooka and Yamato don't count either, they're just bystanders; one of them even once framed the other two.
What about Miura Yumiko? Speaking of which, due to the teacher's intervention, one could say she had also accepted Miura Yumiko's request; then there was Ebina herself, and then Yui... if that small group disappeared, Yui would surely be sad. She definitely would be.
The people gathered around those two were in the same boat.
They were afraid this little boat would capsize.
Therefore, Ebina had submitted a request for help to the Service Club.
Therefore, Miura felt utterly conflicted.
And wasn't the original purpose of the Service Club to solve problems like this?
This was a problem for Yukino.
"That, I..."
Tobe still hadn't uttered a complete sentence. He stopped and hesitated before jumping into the abyss.
"..."
Ebina didn't speak. She stood quietly, both hands resting politely in front of her body. Her aura was elegant and calm, not looking like her usual self at all; on her face was a fake smile devoid of warmth.
Hachiman clenched his palm. At this stage, if he wanted to fulfill that request for help, the only way was to use his method.
By letting Tobe avoid being rejected, it would simultaneously maintain the friendship within the boys' group and keep a good relationship with Ebina and the others...
This... what kind of problem is this! From the start, there was no perfect solution. To achieve it, one must offer a sacrifice to an Evil God, pay a price, an equivalent exchange...
But why did he have to do this?
He was just a high school student!
Was his relationship with Tobe good?
Clearly not!
He could talk with Ebina, but they weren't even at the level of friends...
So, why did he have to go this far?
For whom? For what?
Finally, he thought for a moment and concluded that he just had too much time on his hands. Like a student in school who only tends to chase grades purely for the sake of it, but lacks an understanding of the value represented behind those numbers...
"Ac-actually, you see..."
Tobe finally summoned the courage to speak.
At the same time, Hachiman waved a hand behind him, laughing softly. "Sensei, I'm heading over."
Akishin smiled and nodded.
Shizuka opened her eyes, looking at Hachiman with feelings that were complicated yet approving.
Hachiman stepped forward.
Yukino, Yui, Yumiko—the pupils of all three girls trembled for a moment. Simultaneously, they reached out, but only managed to brush the hem of Hachiman's jacket...
On the other side, Ebina heard Tobe start to speak, and her shoulders shook slightly.
Tobe paused for a moment, staring straight at Ebina, taking one last deep breath.
Ebina shifted her gaze to the lantern near her feet, wanting to avoid it.
Hachiman walked three-two steps until he was beside Tobe, then spoke loudly to Ebina. "Hina! I've liked you for a long time. Please go out with me."
Ebina's eyes bugged out.
Tobe froze, Hayama and the others froze, Yukino and Yumiko clenched their fists, Yui felt confused, Akishin laughed, and Shizuka sighed...
Time seemed to stretch out infinitely.
One second, two seconds—it felt as if an entire century had passed. Finally, Ebina reacted.
She raised both hands, cupping her own face. Her face turned bright red, her gaze held a kind of overwhelming shock that brought incredible joy. She said happily, "Really! Hikigaya-kun, you like me? Thank goodness! I like you too. I accept. I'm willing to go out with you."
Hachiman: "???"
Hayama: "!!!"
Yumiko, Yukino, Yui: "!!?"
Akishin's smile slowly turned delightful, while Shizuka's eyes were filled with astonishment. Ebina was still talking excitedly, stars seemingly lighting up in her eyes.
"I've liked Hikigaya-kun for a long time, too. Ah~, did Enmusubi-no-Kami hear my prayer yesterday? Today I actually got to hear Hikigaya-kun's confession! I'm so happy~~"
Hachiman still didn't know how to react; subconsciously, he took a step back.
Tobe's mouth hung open, his body unable to move. He had lost the golden moment to speak. Faced with this situation, his mind went completely blank. He could only stare at Hachiman with a hollow gaze...
"Wait, what exactly are you two doing!!"
Miura Yumiko finally couldn't take it anymore. She walked quickly to Hachiman's side, directly pulling him back two steps. she glared angrily at the excited Ebina, then asked loudly, "Hina, how can you like Hikigaya Hachiman!?" Usually, she just called her 'Ebina'.
"Eh? Yumiko, is it not allowed? Hikigaya-kun is great, lots of girls like him. It's only natural that I like him too!"
"I..." Miura Yumiko fell silent. It was true—the current Hachiman was quite impressive, admired by many girls, so it was only natural. But she knew Ebina couldn't possibly like Hachiman. It had to be a lie (probably). She asked back, "A-a-aren't you a Fujoshi? How can you look for a man!?"
She didn't want to speak like that—it was demeaning to Ebina—and she said it very hesitantly, but she didn't know what else to say.
"That's not it, Yumiko. You've got it wrong." Ebina wagged her finger, adjusting her glasses so people couldn't see the look in her eyes. "Even though I'm a Fujoshi, I still have to consider the future... in the future, it's not like I can actually look for a woman to marry, right? Being a Fujoshi is actually just a hobby, you know~"
Ebina nodded convincingly, then looked at Hachiman. "Ah~ Hikigaya-kun has already confessed to me. Please take care of me from now on..." She cupped both hands in front of her body with a sweet smile, preparing to bow in greeting.
Yumiko exploded. She stopped her with a loud voice. "No! Absolutely not! Ebina, don't you have anyone else you like..."
She looked at Tobe, a look of sympathy appearing in her eyes. Tobe's entire body had turned pale, and upon hearing these words, the color seemed to return slightly to his eyes as he looked at Ebina.
Ebina shook her head slowly. "Hmm~ Yumiko, I don't have anyone else I like, and I don't want to go out with anyone else. Besides... if it weren't for Hikigaya-kun suddenly appearing, I wouldn't have even thought about finding a boyfriend throughout my three years of high school..."
Crack!
It sounded like something had fractured. Yumiko had provided the wrong kind of help; she felt dazed, her hand still holding Hachiman.
Yumiko didn't speak again, but Ebina began to attack actively. "Eh eh! Could it be that Yumiko likes Hikigaya-kun, too?"
"O-o-of course that's impossible! Don't talk nonsense. What are you saying? I'll get mad, you know..."
Ebina's face took on a mocking look. As soon as Miura Yumiko heard this, she immediately denied it loudly and passionately.
"Good, then. I don't want to fight over a boyfriend with Yumiko~"
Patting her chest as it rose, then letting out a sigh of relief, Ebina turned back to Hachiman, cupped her hands in front of her, and said sweetly, "Then, Hikigaya-kun, please take care of..."
As she spoke, she was about to bow toward Hachiman again.
Hachiman was just about to stop her—he felt as though he had been counter-trapped—but at the same time, he felt a great force pulling him back.
This time, it was Yukino's voice. "No!"
Yukino gripped Hachiman's arm on the other side, faintly shielding him behind her. She stared at Ebina seriously and said, "I'm very sorry, Ebina-san. We were actually playing a game. We didn't expect it to lead to this result. We're truly sorry..."
She went straight to the point and admitted it was a game, which meant showing that what Hachiman had said was a lie.
"That's right! Hina, so that was, um..." Yui also stepped forward to speak. She herself didn't know where that courage had come from.
Ebina froze.
"Right, right. So sorry, Hina. Actually, this was a game we were playing. We didn't think... sorry..."
Hayama finally did one thing right. He hadn't expected it to end like this at all. Clearly, up until the moment Hachiman 'confessed,' everything was still according to prediction, but...
Why did it end up like this?
At this moment, he had to step out and try his hardest to save it!
—With this, it was certain that Hayama's group was dragged into the situation, preventing those two, Ooka and Yamato, from making trouble. Once Hayama admitted it, they also became 'accomplices.'
As more people gathered, the location became a chaotic mess. Tobe, who was supposed to be the protagonist, was instead pushed to the sidelines.
Akishin and Shizuka stood together, watching the bustling scene in front of them in silence.
—Poor Tobe. Let's observe three seconds of silence.
Ebina put on a sad face, still asking Hachiman, "Hikigaya-kun, is-is this true? Your confession was fake?"
"Ah! That, um, I..."
His left and right hands were held tight. The pulling force was still increasing; two people were competing through him.
Hachiman panicked, not knowing how to answer. This was different from the plan, but suddenly he noticed the cunning behind Ebina's glasses...
Hachiman: "..."
Fine, it was true he'd been counter-trapped, but fortunately, it was okay.
In an instant, the two of them completed their communication through a look.
Hachiman took a deep breath and looked down apologetically. "That's right, Ebina-san. For the trouble I've caused you, I'm sorry. I'm very happy that you like me, but for the time being, I have no plans to date."
Everyone fell silent, watching the two of them quietly.
"Eh! How can that be? How cruel. Truly cruel..."
The look of loss on Ebina's face almost turned real.
Hachiman apologized once more. "I'm truly sorry. I'll provide compensation to Ebina-san."
"But... my feelings have already been conveyed. I really do like Hikigaya-kun... then since Hikigaya-kun doesn't agree right now, may I... may I chase... chase you..."
"Of course you may. It's an honor for me..."
It's just acting anyway. Just say whatever. He'd explain it to Yukino and the others later. But man, Ebina's acting was top-notch; she could've won an Oscar! That blushing face of hers was making him flush too. He almost took it for the real deal...
If—and this is a big If—If he actually dated Ebina, what would that be like?
It probably... wouldn't be so bad!
"Well then, Ebina-san, we'll be going now. Sorry for giving you such a big problem. I hope you guys have a fun time playing..."
Since something like this had already happened, the best thing to do was to leave the scene immediately after trying to make amends, to prevent the situation from worsening again.
Bottom line: it's stupid not to run!
Easily breaking free from Miura and Yukino's grip, Hachiman turned and pulled Yui and Yukino away from the scene.
From behind came Ebina's invincible declaration: "Hikigaya-kun, remember this. I'll definitely get you and make you my boyfriend..."
Run fast, run fast.
Hachiman's speed increased by another notch.
Wuuuu, why did it turn out like this?
As he passed by Akishin's side, he heard a shameless laugh. "Haha, you truly are my student. Good work..."
...
"I really didn't expect Hina to have a side like that, huh. Hachiman, if what Hina said was true, would you... accept her?"
"I told you, right? It was acting. There's no way it was real. I personally accepted the request for help from her and Miura. You guys should understand the reason behind it too..."
"Aduh! But the feelings Ebina showed were too real. Even I was fooled. Plus Miura... when did you get involved with her? Hikigaya-kun, you really are a man of great sin~~"
"Right! Hina was amazing. At that moment, I really thought it was real; I thought Hina actually liked Hachiman..."
"That's because her acting was great. Besides, it's impossible between me and her. Completely impossible. How could she ever like me..."
"Actually, I didn't expect it either. I thought Hikigaya finally found a girlfriend~"
"Hiratsuka-sensei, don't you start too. After we get back, who knows what those people will say. This is worrying..."
"True. What about Tobe?"
As soon as Yui said those words, the five of them subconsciously stopped in their tracks. Akishin, walking on the outermost edge, narrowed his eyes and turned around, looking back.
This was the path back to the inn, a quiet stone fence built within the maple forest. There were only the three from the Service Club plus the two teachers.
After a brief silence, Yukino sighed. "It's too late. Talking about it is useless. The result has already been decided. Tobe was destined to fail. The task we accepted was only to help him confess. Besides, we can also say we've fulfilled Ebina's request..."
Yui laughed. "That's true, I guess... but I feel a bit sorry for Tobe."
"There's nothing to be sorry about. Before deciding to confess, he should have been prepared to fail. They want to keep the small group together; they have to pay the price. Actually, Ebina already lowered the price as much as possible, whether it's for him or for me. It's just that he himself will have to bear some rumors." Hachiman stared at the expanse of stars in the sky.
Akishin hadn't expected Hachiman to say those words. Ebina's behavior had also been quite unexpected for Akishin.
He admired that kid more and more.
But...
Akishin frowned slightly while looking back.
"Hikigaya Hachiman, stop right there!"
From behind came an angry shout. Tobe was chasing them with a look of pure resentment, followed by Hayama with a grim expression.
"Hikigaya, you! You! Weren't you going to help me! Then what was that just now meant to be..."
Tobe grabbed Hachiman's collar, staring at him angrily, and raised a fist as if to strike.
Hachiman's expression remained cold. He wasn't preparing to fight back.
Akishin was ready to step in, but someone was faster than him.
Yukino swiftly caught the fist about to hit Hachiman, instantly twisting the opponent's arm. Her left hand pressed against the back of Tobe's neck, and both her hands pressed downward, neutralizing Tobe in an instant.
—A perfectly standard lock. If it weren't to save face, she could have pinned him straight to the floor.
"Tobe-kun, please do not take excessive action. You saw what the result was, and you understood it too, so you should be more aware that this is not Hikigaya's fault. On the contrary, he has already helped you all."
Tobe struggled. Yukino frowned and pressed down harder. Tobe instantly let out a soft groan.
Hayama walked over with a grim face, intending to push Yukino away.
Akishin called out to him. "Hayama-kun!"
"Chishima-sensei, you guys have gone too far!"
Hayama stared at Akishin, his gaze icy cold. He hadn't expected the outcome of this matter. In terms of results, the small group had indeed been maintained, the final barrier hadn't broken, yet Tobe and Ebina were the ones who got hurt...
However, Akishin's gaze was far colder—so cold it made Hayama's entire body shiver, giving rise to an unknown fear.
"Hayama-kun, please manage your human relationships properly. The Service Club is not a charity."
"..."
Hayama didn't reply. He stepped forward and took Tobe from the hands of the cold-eyed Yukino.
"Hikigaya, you, I..."
"Enough, Tobe. This isn't Hikigaya's fault. It's because of our own reasons..."
Hayama snapped at Tobe, then pulled the dazed boy away.
"Tobe, you're okay, right..."
At that moment, Ooka and Yamato finally came running up. Seeing Hayama pulling Tobe away, they immediately approached to show concern.
Akishin noticed a slight sense of schadenfreude in Ooka and Yamato's eyes as they looked at Tobe, and he frowned slightly.
"Hayama-kun. How the process unfolded, specifically how it went, and what the result was—we all know. I do not want any unpleasant rumors appearing at Sobu High after this..."
This was a warning, as well as a reminder.
Unless Hachiman was willing, no one had the right to bully Akishin's student!
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