1
Yet again, Shizuka Hiratsuka gives new orders.
As the cultural festival came to a close, we moved deeper into fall.
The skies were clear, and the wind against my cheeks was cooler than it had been.
The hallway that led to the special-use building was empty. It was chilly enough to be unpleasant, so I put on my blazer again. In the silence, the only sound was my slow footsteps.
Fall passed quickly in this school.
Coming up after the cultural festival was the sports festival, and then there would be the school field trip. The fall schedule was particularly jam-packed for those of us in our second year of high school, and the succession of these three events would probably be a peak teen experience.
Maybe that was why our class—our grade year, even the whole school—seemed almost silly and giddy.
And teenagers already come off as pretty silly and giddy to begin with. Now they were even more worked up. During the cultural festival, the whole school (minus me) comes together, while for the sports festival, enemies and friends all mingle (minus me), and for the school field trip, friends will gather (minus me) to illustrate another glittering page of their youth. Ugh, what’s me minus me? I guess zero, which also just so happens to be the number of school events where I’ve been part of the group. Incredible.
When I opened the door to the clubroom, a sweet smell wafted out, although that wasn’t what drew me here.
“Oh, Hikki. Yahallo!” Noticing me come in, the girl cheerfully raised her hand, and her hair bun bobbed a little on her head.
Yui Yuigahama. She’s in my class and in the same club as me. She looks like such a modern high school girl, you wouldn’t expect her to be casually talking to me, but she wound up settling down here at some point. She’s puppylike—or more of a tanuki, really, in terms of how she acts.
The desk in front of Yuigahama was crowded with an array of snacks. It looked like she was in the middle of after-school teatime.
Steam was rising from her mug, and a girl was about to pour black tea into the plain teacup set beside it.
The girl holding the teapot swept back her long, glossy black hair with her slim fingers. Her composed profile was like white porcelain, and the slanting rays of the setting sun colored her in a faint crimson, like the tea.
I don’t really know anything about etiquette, but Yukino Yukinoshita’s gestures gave me a sense of the quality of her upbringing. I could even be convinced if someone told me she was descended from aristocracy.
Once she was done pouring, Yukinoshita sat down gracefully. “Well then, let’s enjoy the tea,” she said, and Yuigahama put her hands together.
“Thanks!”
“You’re welcome.”
There was something about their exchange that was like playing house, but together they made a picture too elegant for me to tease them about it, so I refrained. If there was one thing that didn’t belong in the clubroom at that moment, it would definitely be me.
Guess that’s why there’s no tea set out for me? Could you not subtract me from this equation, too? This was just like that temporary job I did not too long ago as concert staff, where my lunch had been the only one missing chopsticks. I had worried I’d be forced to eat the meal Indian-style. Luckily, there had been a convenience store nearby, so it all worked out in the end, but… Damn you, administrative staff.
“Oh, some for Hikki…,” Yuigahama said after bringing the cup to her lips and taking a bite of a homemade-looking muffin.
Yukinoshita must have noticed then, too, as she gently set her cup down on her saucer. Her gaze darted around, checking over the desk. But of course there was no convenient extra cup.
I didn’t need their worry or concern, though. A loner is prepared at all times—since generally speaking, nobody’ll help them. “Oh, I’ve got my own.”
I yoinked a drink out of my bag decorated in the signature black and yellow of warning tape. It’s already at climax from the moment you start drinking it—yes, it’s MAX Coffee. But after every max must come a fall—people like me falling over themselves get more.
I sat in my usual seat and popped open a Max can (a can of MAX Coffee, of course). When it’s gone perfectly lukewarm like this, the sweetness of the condensed milk has a real punch to it, and connoisseurs prefer it like this. And considering the high sugar content, I wouldn’t be surprised if the SDF were to adopt it as official rations, someday.
If you’re ever stranded—MAX Coffee. You should take it with you whenever you head out into the wilderness.
Once we all had our drinks in hand, Yukinoshita suddenly pulled out a laptop.
I’d understand if we were still on the Cultural Festival Committee, but I couldn’t really guess why Yukinoshita would have to carry around that laptop now, and I gave her a questioning look.
You know, there’s something lewd about the word laptop. Sounds like something that would go on at a shady cabaret club. Fun fact: Pulling out your laptop even when you’re at a shady cabaret club is one of the top ten signs of overwork. I don’t wanna get a job…
While my mind was off somewhere else, Yuigahama was munching away on a muffin and curiously watching what Yukino was doing.
“Why d’you have that, Yukinon?” Yuigahama asked.
Yukinoshita turned on the laptop, and as she waited for it to boot up, she replied briefly, “Miss Hiratsuka made me take it. She said it’s for our new activity…” Apparently, there had been no mention of what that activity would be.
The computer seemed rather old, considering how long it was taking to warm up. While she waited, Yukinoshita put her hand to her jaw, patiently watching the screen in her usual thinking pose.
Yuigahama and I peered at the computer from behind her to see that the only thing on the bland, default wallpaper was a text file labeled Read me!
I didn’t see any other documents that seemed to have anything to do with our task. With a swipe and tap of her finger, Yukinoshita clicked the file.
To the members of the Service Club:
Your new activity as the Service Club will be to offer consultation through e-mail, titled:
The Chiba Prefecture–Wide Advice E-mail
I ask that all members invest their most sincere efforts in resolving the issues of consultees.
From the Service Club advisor,
Shizuka Hiratsuka
We all had our various reactions to this basic message.
“…I see. I understand the gist of it. Essentially, we need only reply to consultation e-mails we receive with the appropriate advice. But would we even get much of anything…?” Yukinoshita seemed more concerned with the system than the content, scrutinizing the text repeatedly.
Yuigahama, on the other hand, went wide-eyed. “Whoa, was Miss Hiratsuka ever this proper…?”
That’s what surprised her? Well, I guess that’s typical Yuigahama—or for short, Typicalhama.
“Oh, she’s always like that over e-mail,” I said. “It’s shocking, though, considering what she’s normally like.”
“Is that ri… Huh?” After a contemplative pause, Yuigahama did a double take.
Well, I could understand her reaction. Normally, Miss Hiratsuka is kind of blunt, or, like, bludgeoning, blasting, or a Blastasaur… At the very least, you get absolutely no sense that she can be mannerly, wholesome, or sincere.
“I guess this means she’s actually a proper adult,” I said, and Yuigahama and Yukinoshita both gave me questioning looks.
“…You’re talking as if you exchange messages with Miss Hiratsuka regularly,” Yukinoshita said, her tone chilly. Quietly folding her arms, she impaled me with her sharp, piercing gaze.
But it really wasn’t anything worth getting suspicious over. “I wouldn’t say we’re exchanging messages. It’s more accurate to say, like, she sends me e-mails. Like spam from a mailing list, or notifications from Amazon or McDonald’s and stuff like that. Sometimes she sends me these really long things.”
“…Noted. Not that I care,” Yukinoshita replied briefly before turning back to her laptop. The sound of her clacking on the keyboard seemed particularly loud.
From behind that sound came a quiet voice. “Long e-mails… I think maybe I just came up with something to consult about…”
Miss Yuigahama there muttering to herself all alone is a little scary… Oh, I’d like to know a way to avoid those superlong e-mails, too, you know? If I don’t reply, she actually calls me…
While I was thinking about writing an e-mail to ask for advice, too, the sound of Yukinoshita’s typing stopped. “We’ve received one already,” she said.
“Oh, we actually got something? Lemme see.” Yuigahama circled around behind Yukinoshita and draped herself over the other girl’s shoulders. She’s so unperturbed by physical contact—truly a member of the queen bee’s posse.
“…You’re heavy,” Yukinoshita muttered.
What exactly was adding that weight, I wonder? Well, though I have boundless interest in the topic, I got the feeling inquiry into the matter would lead to bad things happening to me, so I chose to ignore that statement and asked, “What’d we get?”
“Um…from someone with the alias Homoo… That’s a weird emote.”
Oh. I know who sent that.
“You don’t have to read that,” I said.
Yukinoshita, sitting in front of the computer, must also have been of the same mind, as she put her hand to her temple as if she had a headache and gave a little sigh. “Yes, I think I know what this is…”
“J-just give it a look! Come on, I’ll read it out loud!” Yuigahama tugged on Yukinoshita’s sleeve.
Yukinoshita seemed a bit annoyed but apparently couldn’t resist her puppy dog–style begging. She took Yuigahama’s hand and pushed it away as she said, “All right, all right, stop tugging. I’ll give it a listen, but I make no promises beyond that.”
“Okay! Here we go!” With a little um, Yuigahama read out the rest of the e-mail, and Yukinoshita reluctantly adopted an attentive pose.
She’s so soft on Yuigahama. What is this, Comic Yuri Hime? While I was zoning out in a rather pleasant mood, watching their YuruYuri relationship, Yuigahama continued to read aloud.
Request for advice from alias Homoo:
Since the cultural festival, the relationship between two boys in my class (H. and H.) has piqued my interest.
They’re both so hyperaware of each other, it’s too shippable! HxH is just filthy! So filthy! Ngh, don’t ever stop.
I hope their relationship deepens, but the place they’re at with each other now is really doing it for me, so I can’t make up my mind. Which way should they take this?
Shippable? Is she going to send us somewhere?
And, like, just what can’t she make up her mind about here…? And why’d she bring up HxH? What does Hunter X Hunter have to do with this?
While I was dragging my hands down my face, Yuigahama was smiling awkwardly. Yukinoshita, for her part, was no longer even listening to this query and had returned her full attention to the paperback in her hands. I understand not wanting to get involved in this, but maybe that reaction is a bit much.
Meanwhile, as Yukinoshita committed herself to ignoring this, Yuigahama looked at the computer screen, my face, and back again, seeking my opinion. “Wh-what do we do about this…?”
Don’t ask me. Talk about a certain sudden plot twist for these boys…
“Uh, don’t ask me… Whatever you do, it’s like this is basically a damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation…”
“And we’re all damned to listen to this, aren’t we…?”
That was a pretty good one, Yukinoshita…
Yukinoshita turned a page of her book and focused a direct stare at both of us. “Does a way to resolve this even exist?” she asked.
Yuigahama hmm’d and considered, but after a moment, she said, “…No. Sorry, Hikki,” apologizing with genuine sincerity.
What’s with this serious vibe? Don’t apologize for this! “Hey, could you guys stop assuming Mr. H. is me?” I knew it was, but I couldn’t publicly acknowledge that. I had to protest.
That didn’t seem to be enough for Yuigahama, though. “But Hina’s always talking about it…”
She’s always talking about it, huh…? They say that being the subject of conversation when you’re not around is proof of popularity, but I was not glad at all—in fact, isn’t this a form of backbiting? And I’m very familiar with that. Regular backbiting would actually be preferable.
Yukinoshita tucked a bookmark into her paperback and closed the book. “But there’s no way Hikigaya could have a close relationship with anyone, so the issue here is basically nonexistent.”
“Ohhh!” cried Yuigahama. “Okay, then let’s call that resolved!”
The both of them went for their teas again as if to say, Well, that’s over and done with.
What the hell? It’s nice that you’re rejecting the HxH theory, but you’re also rejecting who I am as a person.
“…So you’ve resolved it, fine, but what now? Shouldn’t you reply to the e-mail?” I asked, and both of them put a knuckle to their lips and considered.
“Oh, right…,” said Yuigahama. “She’s asking for advice, so we’ve got to reply.”
“Well then, Hikigaya. Go ahead.”
“Why me…?” It was true that I was closest to the computer, but was it, like, one of those rules? Like whoever gets out of the kotatsu has to be the one to get oranges? What is this, my house?
I glared at the two girls with the rotten eyes of a man as grumpy as he can get, and Yuigahama scrambled to find a reason. “I—I mean, you’re good in Japanese class, Hikki!”
“Yukinoshita gets better grades than me, though…”
Ultimately, I’m third in our grade level. First place is Yukinoshita. And she’s above me in all the other subjects as well, so I can’t even be frustrated about it; it’s more like I’m impressed. Like, whoa. Amazing.
But the fact that I don’t get frustrated about it means I will get mad about it—because when it comes to grades and competition, she’ll give me these smug, triumphant looks.
Even now, her eyes were closed, and she was smiling slightly. Though her expression was peaceful, the way she brushed back her hair was full of confidence. “Hikigaya, the important thing isn’t grades.”
“So then what is it?”
“Earnestness…though that’s not something we can ask from you, is it…?” Yukinoshita replied immediately to my question, but as she approached the end of the sentence, each word grew more doubtful, and creases formed between her eyebrows.
What’s more, even Yuigahama folded her arms and thoughtfully considered with a hmm. “Eagerness? …Doesn’t have that, either.”
“And communication skills are also a no… Say, Hikigaya, what are your redeeming qualities?”
“Don’t ask me like you’re confused.” And what really gets my goat is that her confusion makes her really cute…
I’ve got tons and tons of redeeming qualities, like, you know, um, well…being full of familial love and stuff. If I said that, though, they’d accuse me of having a sister complex again, so I wouldn’t… Oh, there it is. My redeeming quality is my ability to learn these lessons. Though it’s a negative growth ability that progressively increases my social withdrawal…
As I was hanging my head a little over my admittedly high levels of misery, Yuigahama attempted to backpedal. “Oh, but, but you seem like you’d be fast at writing essays!”
Yukinoshita also nodded. “Indeed. Not engaging with it seriously may mean it requires less time for you. Your hands are fast, Hikigaya. Isn’t that nice—we’ve found something good about you.”
If she was gonna say that to me with such a bright smile, I had nothing to say in reply. I decided to sigh and obediently do as told. “…Fine. I’ll reply to the e-mail.”
Well, of the three of us, it actually made the most sense for me to be the one to respond. Yukinoshita would probably write something harsh, and with Yuigahama, I think she’d wind up saying something silly.
I pulled the computer close to me and began typing a message.
Response from the Service Club:
We wonder if by some chance this HxH is entirely a figment of your imagination?
We could be entirely wrong, but please consider the possibility. The Chiba Prefecture–Wide Advice E-mail can only convey information via text, so please consider this the limits of the medium.
I slammed the Enter key with a SMASH, sending off such a great reply, you’d think I was a pro psychiatrist. Maybe it was the sense of satisfaction there that made my lukewarm MAX Coffee taste so good.
As I was thinking, One job down, there was a ding as another window popped up.
“We got another one,” I called out to the girls, who were at that moment refilling their cups.
“Then you read it to us, Hikki.”
The laptop wasn’t very big. Instead of moving it over to them, it’d be easier for me to just read the message aloud. “Sure. It’s from the alias It’s your big sister.”
The moment I said that, Yukinoshita’s hands froze, the teapot hovering over her cup. “…I think there may be no need to read that.”
Her reaction also led me to infer who had sent the e-mail. Yeah, that seems like something she’d do…
“Wait, so we’re taking e-mails from outside the school?” I asked. How the heck were people getting notified about this?
While I shuddered, Yuigahama’s head turned back and forth as she looked over at me, then Yukinoshita. It seemed she still didn’t get who’d sent it. She tilted her head, making thinking noises, then clapped her hands. “Ohhh! It’s Haruno!”
Correct.
“Well, this is what she does. If you really think about it, we shouldn’t be surprised at all by this point…”
So Yukinoshita said, but that was just scary. Exactly how involved is Haruno with her little sister—hell, how much time does she have on her hands?
“…Guess I’ll read it anyway,” I said.
Request for advice from alias It’s your big sister:
Yahallooo! Listen, listen!
Lately, my little sister has been so cold to me. >_<
I want to be closer with her! Help me out here.
Thanks in advance, Hikigaya!
“…”
Yuigahama and I were both speechless. Haruno had even picked me out specifically, too…
After I finished reading, Yukinoshita seemed very testy as she turned the page of the paperback in her hands. “We can’t be close as long as she’s sending e-mails like this. Perhaps she should amend such behavior, first.”
That was coming straight from a concerned party, so I figured I could take that as the answer.
I typed in what she said, but I also translated Yukinoshita’s rather harsh wording into common parlance. It’d be a real hassle if this brought up further quarrels. Listen, this is Service Club work, okay? Do that kind of thing at home.
“Guess it’s something like this…,” I muttered to myself (my special skill) and looked at the text I’d composed.
Response from the Service Club:
It seems that your knowing every single thing your sister is doing and meddling in her business is the primary reason for her distaste. We suggest reflecting on your own behavior again.
As I was reviewing it, Yuigahama silently stood and sneaked over to me.
You need something? I asked with a look, but she put her index finger to her lips with a little wink to let me know this was a secret.
Standing beside me, she bent over a bit to reach out and tap on the keyboard. With every letter she typed, her pinkish-brown hair swayed and sent a whiff of her floral perfume toward me.
Wahhh… She’s so close…
I automatically leaned slightly away. Even if Chiba is famous for its melons, I think those melons are a little dangerous…
As I remained frozen there, wondering what she meant to do, it turned out she was adding more to that e-mail.
…That’s what Yukinon says, but I think she’s softened up, compared to before. I think you should try waiting a little bit.
Reading that addition at the end, I couldn’t help but smile. It was so very like Yuigahama to write that. Although, I wasn’t confident it would persuade Haruno to give Yukinoshita some space for the time being.
But still, through the course of the cultural festival, I think there’s been some progress in the relationship between the Yukinoshita sisters—even if it was only a little. I’m sure Yukinoshita felt the same way.
I don’t know in what direction that progress is taking them. I still don’t know what’s actually between the two of them, and I’ll probably never know. That’s why this was all we could say right now.
Once she finished reading it over again and checking it, Yuigahama laid a gentle hand on my shoulder.
Taking that as my signal, I sent the e-mail.
Just as the number in the sending queue turned to zero, a 1 appeared by the in-box. It seemed another e-mail had come. I clicked straight to it, opening the unread message.
Then Yuigahama said, “Oh, it’s from Yumiko.”
Indeed, under Sender was written yumiko . The star aside, if you were talking about any yumiko in this school, the first to come to mind was Miura.
“Going with her real name, even here, huh?”
“Yumiko’s pretty bold… Ah-ha-ha.” Yuigahama smiled with some chagrin.
She is the queen, after all. As the apex predator of the school food chain, she lacks any defensive instincts. Well, that’s no problem, since at this school, about the only thing likely to harm Miura is an irregular presence such as Yukinoshita.
But this was pretty dangerous. This was just within the school, so it was fine, but in our information-reliant society and on the Internet, exposure of personal data is risky business. Once, when I was in middle school, my e-mail address and cell phone number were posted on some kind of dating site, and I made lots of Internet relationships and got freaked out by fake bills. That was really scary.
Though I didn’t have to fuss over it, I figured I might as well inform her of that danger. “Yuigahama, writing your real name online often doesn’t end well, so you should let her know that.”
“Huh? It’s fine for this kinda thing, isn’t it?”
“Well, this isn’t so bad. But she’s got to keep it in mind, or it’ll escalate.”
It’s just my name; it’s just one photo; it’s just one thing that happened today. But even if each one of those things isn’t a big deal, if you put them all together, it’s easy to identify you.
When I explained this sort of thing simply to Yuigahama, Yukinoshita closed her book and nodded appreciatively. “You really are an expert in the realm of risk management… You don’t even use your real name in class. Credit where credit is due.”
“It’s just that they don’t remember my name, though,” I shot back, and Yukinoshita gave me a chastened, apologetic expression.
“Oh my, really…? I’m sorry, Hickory Stick.”
“Yukinon, I don’t think anyone would mess it up that bad!”
“That’s right.” I nodded. “I’m nowhere near as pleasant as Hickory Sticks.”
“Even your comeback is sad!”
Oh, I’m not hurt at all, really. I really am used to it at this point, I guess.
“More importantly, what does Miura’s e-mail say?” Yukinoshita straightened in her seat, facing us once more.
Oh, you suddenly care?
But Yuigahama didn’t seem particularly bothered, as she popped over to peek at the computer and read it out loud. “Um…”
Request for advice from alias yumiko :
Sagami’s being kinda annoying.
Now that’s straight talk! A straight one-game match! Producer! Geez, talk about a head-on fight—are you Cure March or something?
Yuigahama smiled awkwardly at it, too. “Ah, ah-ha-ha… But this is kinda sorta not like Yumiko.”
“You think? Seems typical for her.” In fact, I get the impression she’d be fine with saying far worse.
“It’s true; it doesn’t seem like something she’d do.” A dissenting opinion came from an unexpected source. When I requested an explanation with a look, Yukinoshita pushed her hair off her shoulders and replied, “She would usually say that to the person’s face, wouldn’t she?”
“Oh yeah. I guess that’s true. You’re like that, too.”
“Please don’t compare us.” Yukinoshita looked away in sullen displeasure.
I feel like there’s not much difference, but there clearly was to her. She gave me a bit of a glare—guess she was more put off by the comparison than I thought. “Besides, I haven’t been saying much lately—since certain individuals aren’t at all affected by anything I say.”
“Ah-ha-ha, Hikki’s pretty hopeless, huh?” Yuigahama agreed with an exasperated smile.
But Yukinoshita sighed a little. “You too.”
“You’ve given up on me, too?!”
…You do realize you’re still saying these things straight to our faces.
Well, I’m not a fan of insulting someone to their face, myself. But man, Miura and Yukinoshita really are alike. They’re totally opposite in type, but maybe their fundamental nature is fairly similar. That’s exactly why they clash so hard.
Girls are complicated. As I was mulling over these thoughts and fiddling around aimlessly on the computer, I noticed the e-mail from Miura was longer than I thought. “There’s more here, guys.”
“Huh? Oh, you’re right.” Yuigahama also took a good look at the screen.
Yukinoshita prompted with her gaze for Yuigahama to read the rest.
She’s, like, depressed or something. She’s being a downer and making things awkward.
It’s annoying.
After listening to Yuigahama read it aloud, Yukinoshita folded her arms casually. “…In other words, she seems unhappy, and Miura is concerned?”
“I think so. This is kinda like Yumiko.” Yuigahama smiled warmly.
That smile even made me sorta feel like Miura might almost be a good person.
It was true now that I thought back on it. Even after Miura and Yuigahama’s confrontation in the classroom a while ago, and after Yuigahama had joined the Service Club’s side during the tennis match, Miura had continued to stay friends with her. I think that would typically be impossible. A grudge based on intra-caste factional conflicts will continue in perpetuity, and if things come to a head, then afterward, whoever failed to seize power would have no choice but to leave. They’ll associate with the next rank down, and if they can’t even fit in there, then conventionally, they’ll be forced to walk the path of the loner.
Why was Yuigahama still a member of the upper crust? Her own communication skills were part of it, of course. Maybe she was also receiving quiet support from Hayama, who hates conflict. But more than that, I believe the biggest factor is Miura’s personality.
Tolerance is required of one who would be queen, particularly tolerance to avoid getting caught up in unimportant matters. From that angle, I can start to see the reason she reigns as queen.
…Which is why, actually, this e-mail was probably not out of kindness or anything—she must have her own complicated feelings about it: She finds it genuinely annoying, but she’s also concerned, but it’s annoying, and directly addressing it herself would be annoying. What the heck, that’s so convoluted and annoying.
Yukinoshita, after a span of deep reflection, suddenly unfolded her arms and asked Yuigahama, “How has Sagami actually been?”
“Hmm, um, how should I put it…?” Yuigahama was evasive.
I finished for her. “Well, she is annoying. She’s generally been acting fine, but it’s like everyone else is tiptoeing around her. Or more like she’s forcing everyone to be all careful around her…”
“That would be pretty obnoxious.” Yukinoshita’s expression was disapproving. And this was her reaction just to hearing about it. It was way more obnoxious for us, being in the same class as Sagami.
Everyone’s caution around Sagami was probably the cause of the bad atmosphere.
“…The solution—,” Yukinoshita began, but I cut her off.
“Oh, don’t worry about that. It’ll end soon enough.”
Yukinoshita shot me a questioning look. “What do you mean?”
“The cultural festival only just ended, so this is just some of the lingering effects. It’ll go back to normal eventually.”
After a moment of silence, Yukinoshita slowly began to speak, probing. “By lingering effects, you mean the incident with you during the cultural festival?”
“Probably. You can tell by the class vibe.”
Yuigahama pouted a little—she didn’t agree or disagree. She simply looked a little unhappy. That reaction made me even more certain.
Sagami’s clique really was spreading around half-truths about me—about just how nasty and cruel Hachiman Hikigaya was.
It was like they were doing anti-Hikigaya lobbying, so to speak. I’m used to attacks of that nature, but it’s still uncomfortable. I’d have rather they ignored me completely, but when they were right where I could see them, hovering and buzzing on about me like mosquitoes within my earshot, it was a little aggravating.
But the saving grace was that Miura also found that annoying. If you’re going off my life philosophy, which is that the enemy of your enemy is your friend, that made Miura my ally in this. No way, man, Miura’s becoming my friend?! She’s such a good person! So nice! I could start liking her! Not that I ever will!
This secret gratitude toward Miura made me feel almost like her coconspirator. While I was processing that, I heard a shallow sigh next to me. “But those things feel bad, you know…? Nobody likes hearing all that mean stuff…”
Glancing over, I saw Yuigahama staring at the floor. I couldn’t see her expression—I could only see her lightly squeezing the hem of her skirt.
“Yuigahama…” Yukinoshita said her name gently, matching Yuigahama’s quiet tone.
That seemed to snap Yuigahama out of it, and she lifted her head with a jerk. “U-um! I mean, it sucks to hear people bad-mouthing anyone, you know?”
…Well, you know, she’s a nice person. I’m not. “I enjoy hearing it, though.”
“Then you’re a jerk!” Yuigahama cried.
But Yukinoshita was calm. With a smile, and a little more slowly than usual, she said, “Hikigaya doesn’t entertain himself with unkind gossip, though.”
…Oh, hey, could she be nice, too? I was surprised at her unexpected defense.
It seemed Yuigahama shared my surprise. After a pause, she nodded. “Th-that’s right. Hikki’s rotten, but he’s—”
She was swiftly cut off by an icy voice. “I mean, there’s no one for him to gossip with.”
“You’re making me sad!” Yuigahama wailed tearfully.
Hey, I’m the sad one here, though? What the heck, my heart was almost warm for a second.
“But it’s true, isn’t it?” Yukinoshita smiled at me. A smile of ice to finish me off.
“You’re basically right, so I can’t say no…” Yeah, that’s all I got. Come on, how great a Hikigaya inspector is she?
I gave her a rather exasperated look, but instead of sparing a thought for my feelings, she cleared her throat lightly and moved the conversation along without so much as a by-your-leave. “At any rate, let’s learn a little more about Sagami and her friends’ behavior, as well as the situation within Class F, before we deal with this appropriately. I could speak directly with her, but that would likely just worsen things…”
It seemed Yukinoshita meant to take some sort of specific action in order to resolve this, but I didn’t see much point. “This kind of thing resolves itself if you let it be, so I don’t think we have to do anything. It’s functionally harmless.”
In my opinion, all the tiptoeing around Sagami was temporary. This fad was still going strong only because not much time had passed since the cultural festival. She was just looking for someone else to attack, someone more pathetic, to distract herself a little from her recent embarrassment. It would be foolish to do all that work over something that would come to an end anyway.
But it seemed Yukinoshita did not agree, and she looked me straight in the eye. “…It’s not harmless.”
“Y-yeah! It does suck when the vibe is bad in your class, right?” Yuigahama also hastily agreed.
If both of them were on board, then I couldn’t do anything. If that was the majority rule, I would be forced to go along with their decisions. “…Well, whatever,” I said grudgingly.
Yukinoshita nodded in satisfaction. “Well then, first, let’s see how Sagami and the others are doing and search for a solution.”
But despite her proposal, school was already over. Sagami and the rest would have gone home long ago. “There’s nothing we can do today,” I said.
“True… It’s about time to go, so let’s call it a day.”
We all stood from our chairs, tidying up our things and getting ready to go home.
The Service Club’s activities that day had been to brush off Ebina’s fantasies, to recommend Haruno maintain the current situation, and to figure out what to do about Miura’s e-mail, but we’d have to get to it later. That’s a lot of nothing. I’m almost proud of us.
As I was thinking, Oh man, this club, Yuigahama heaved her bag over her shoulder with a spurt of enthusiasm. “Okay, let’s work hard on this tomorrow!”
Let’s work hard tomorrow. That’s a good line. I think it’s so wonderful, I’d like to say it every day.
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