The confession they want is wrong as expected - Season 2 (Kaguya-sama/Oregairu)
- Thread starter ZeroXSEED
- Start date
- Crossover
TriGayatri
Butter Cookies Villainess
- Location
- Indonesia
- Pronouns
- She
Otterbros unite!
*chirping crickets*🦗
*chirping crickets*🦗
- Pronouns
- He
Holy shit, Zero cooking more for Kaguya.
Man, in this fic, I wish to see more of the Shijo vs Shinomiya cuz the one in Canon got offscreened to hell.
Man, in this fic, I wish to see more of the Shijo vs Shinomiya cuz the one in Canon got offscreened to hell.
Chapter 29 - Kaguya-sama wants to Duel, Part 2
ZeroXSEED
Economic Authoritarian Muslim Leftist
- Location
- In the name of orange!
- Pronouns
- He
Ishigami Yuu rushed out of the Home EC room and immediately approached Hachiman. He looked at Hachiman, who briefed the other people about where the next competition will be held.
Hachiman stood outside the Home EC room with some personnel from the disciplinary committee. They were present to ensure no intrusion from other students, whether they were curious or malicious.
Ishigami Yuu made sure there was no one else close before he whispered. "Just to make sure I wasn't mistaken, you gave the recipe to her, Senpai?"
"What was that about?"
"Beef tallow fried rice," Ishigami said. "If I wasn't mistaken, she used bone marrow. It was delicious, and she won against Vice President's Michelin-star seafood fried rice!"
"She brought the beef tallow fried rice, huh." Hachiman scoffed. "I'll get you back on this later, snowwoman."
Ah, he's not even denying it. Ishigami thought. And the people distant from them began whispering among each other.
"Yukinoshita might look straightforward and honest, but she never comes into a fight unprepared." Hachiman laughed. "Smart women always have a bag of tricks with them."
"Who do you think would win?" Ishigami asked.
"It's a complete tossup." Hachiman shrugged. "I know both of them just enough to know they're too comparable to easily deduct who will win. It depends on luck."
Before Ishigami could ask to clarify, Hachiman pulled a gun from his back pocket and began shooting in some direction, and this scared the rest of the committee members.
Of course, it wasn't loud. After all, it was just a gas-powered toy. The problem was how realistic it looked!
"Senpai! Don't scare people like that!" Miko chastised him. "Warn us before shooting, won't you?!"
Eh?
"If I warn you, the idiot behind the camera will be alerted," Hachiman said. A spider-shaped drone fell behind him. "This is Shuuchin High, after all."
Iino Miko grumbled as she gathered the drone pieces and threw them into a designated trash bin. "You're always prepared for the craziest scenario, and I hate that you're right. This is so stupid."
Ah, so he was taking out spy drones. Also, it was an airsoft gun, albeit exceptionally high-powered.
"See? He is that kind of person," Ishigami mumbled. "I might not have known him well, but I don't think he's the type who leaves things to luck."
As far as Ishigami knew, Hachiman didn't believe in coincidence. At least when it comes to competition. He correctly deduced whose grades would improve and whose grades would decline based on their behavior before the exam.
Hachiman always told Ishigami: "To work is to lose, but hard work will betray no one."
"It depends on what kind of competition is drawn from the gacha pool." A bespectacled girl remarked. "Since there are some things that Vice President Shinomiya does better and things that Yukinoshita-senpai does better."
"Osaragi!" Ishigami Yuu was spooked. "Don't just show up so close like that."
The bespectacled girl grinned. Which was uncharacteristic for her. This girl almost always sports an unchanging poker face. So when she smiled ever slightly like that, it was unnerving!
Since Ishigami spent the last three months interacting with Miko, it was inevitable that he had to deal with this enigmatic girl all the time.
"But I guess you're right." Ishigami winced. "Unless the gachapon is tampered with, it is up to fate which one of them got an advantage."
And even if someone has an advantage, it is not a guaranteed win. This is why the competition is exciting. If someone like Hachiman doesn't know who will be the winner, then everyone else is about as clueless.
"Carefu!" Ishigami covered a girl when another spy drone fell.
The girl looked spooked but also a bit embarrassed as she walked away. "Uh, thanks?"
"Do you need any help? Honestly. Watching the fight up close is a little too intense for me." Ishigami unbuttoned his gakuran as he talked to Miko. "But if I'm absent, I feel I'd miss too much."
"We're not shorthanded, but..." Iino Miko rolled her eyes. "If you're serious, any help is appreciated."
"Well, honestly, I feel like it was a hassle. But at the moment, I have nothing better to do."
Iino knows this is very in character for him to say. Above all else, Ishigami Yuu is a lazy person. Nevertheless, she felt annoyed and kicked his shin.
"Why do you always ruin such a good impression by opening your mouth?" Osaragi bluntly asked before she followed Miko.
"What the fuck did I do?" Ishigami asked inwardly.
"Ishigami!"
Ishigami honestly thinks that all his meetings with girls had been troublesome, so he ended up glaring. And his face met the scaredly Onodera Rei.
"W-w-what is that? Did I do something wrong?" Rei asked.
"Ah, it was Onodera, my bad." Ishigami sighed. "I'm just on edge right now because of the atmosphere."
To be honest? Of all the girls he is on talking terms with outside Iino Miko? Onodera Rei is probably the most troublesome. Their first meeting was hostile since Onodera openly hated Ishigami for what he did in middle school to Ogino.
Nevertheless, Onodera was also the first girl in class 1-B willing to hear his side. For this alone, Ishigami couldn't help but feel somewhat grateful. Despite their rough start, Onodera had been the friendliest girl he knew.
The fact that they even shared lunchtime last week was the proof.
"Was the competition that intense? The senpai from the newspaper club is bawling because they couldn't make a live report on it." Onodera pointed at crying, Kino Karen, and Kose Erika.
"It is super intense, as expected of two prized flowers of Shuchiin." Yuu nodded. "Hikigaya-senpai said the outcome is totally unpredictable."
"He said that?" Onodera raised her eyebrows, curious.
"Osaragi explained because the competitions are decided by gacha." He nodded. "There are things that Shinomiya-senpai does better, and there are things that Yukinoshita-senpai does better."
"It's up to God of gacha, huh." Onodera laughed. "What a twisted situation."
"Tell me about it," Ishigami smirked. "So, you want to watch? Even if you want, you can't."
"I wish I could, but following the trails would be good enough. Can I at least follow them to the site?"
"I'm sure you could, as long as you don't try to intrude," Ishigami assured her. "The Disciplinary Committee don't fuck around, I'm afraid."
"What's the result so far?"
"Shinomiya-senpai won the violin battle, while Yukinoshita-san won the cooking battle."
"I see." Onodera nodded and then rummaged through the pocket of her jacket. "Also, I'm returning this."
It was none other than the handkerchief that Ishigami gave her. Technically, he only lent it so she could have a clean place to sit when they had lunch together behind the main building.
"...I totally forgot." He grimaced. "You could have thrown it away. But..."
It was awkward to say this, but he said it anyway. "Thank you."
"...Why are you so embarrassed? Do you think I'm hitting on you or something?" Onodera sharpened her eyes.
"Not in a million years." Ishigami jibed.
Onodera popped a vein. "Now that was rude."
"That's not what I mean." He grimaced again. "If you're being too nice to me, people will start talking about stupid shit about you."
"Who cares." Onodera stuck out her tongue. "Here's your punishment."
She slipped a clip on Ishigami's bang, clipping it to his upper head and exposing his usually hidden eye. This, of course, made him flustered and flailed.
"If I see your bangs down, I'm using a roll hairpin." She smiled.
"That's scary. Please don't do that."
Ishigami Yuu couldn't help but feel his heart beating fast. This girl sure has zero sense of personal space!
"It was a joke." Onodera laughed. "You can remove it if you feel uncomfortable."
Normie girls are way too scary!
(Ishigami kept the hairclip on for the rest of the day.)
やはり, 彼らが望む告白は間違っている. S2
As expected, the Confession they want is wrong S2
Original Story by: Watari Wataru and Akasaka Aka
Written by: @ZeroXSEED, Co-written by: @GoukaRyuu
Chapter 29 - Kaguya-sama Wants to Duel, Part 2
"Crushing her won't be easy." Kaguya thought, half anxious. "I'm not the kind of person who relies on luck, but I have no choice."
Kaguya isn't the type to play fair, either. She tried to rig the gacha in her favor, but someone laid all contingencies.
Right after Kaguya had Hayasaka switch the gacha capsule tank, Hachiman inspected the machine and replaced it with a new one, knowing it had been tampered with. Kaguya doesn't know if Hachiman knows who did it, but it spooked both her and Hayasaka from trying again.
Not to mention the drone hunt. Hachiman turned into a demon in that regard, being so trigger-happy that he took down the lunch delivery drone from Shinomiya's house as well.
Hachiman doesn't fuck around. Not today. He is more than committed to removing any form of interference. Violently.
Kaguya had no other way except to face this competition fairly and rely on her abilities.
It wasn't like Kaguya was a stranger to competition, and she wasn't a stranger to losing, either.
However, she hasn't been this pressured since the bet with Shirogane Miyuki last year. The more time passed, the more she wanted to win.
"Next match! 50-meter sprint and 100-meter sprint!"
The match took place outdoors. It is impossible to secure it from the watchful gaze of interested students and even teachers. Nevertheless, the two races shouldn't take much time at all.
Both Yukino and Kaguya were seen stretching as they prepared for the race. Showing off their slender build for all the boys to gaze at. Even though Shuchiin had long since abandoned bloomers in favor of short jerseys, some things cannot be hidden.
"Or lack of things, if I should say." Hachiman snarked.
Chika and Hayasaka looked at him as if they saw a walking garbage.
"Hahaha, see! That's funny!" Momo also laughed. "Right, Hachiman?"
Hachiman ignored her, which made her freeze from sadness and embarrassment. It was clear that yes. He was still mad about the whole ordeal.
"Who do you think would win, Hachiman?" Miyuki asked.
"Shinomiya will win the 50-meter sprint, and Yukinoshita will win the 100-meter sprint," Hachiman said.
"I see." Miyuki furrowed his eyebrows.
Hayasaka was quiet as she recalled the fitness test results of Kaguya and Yukino. From what was there, Hachiman's guesses were off the mark.
"Hmm, really? Hikigaya-san, is it because you know the two girls well?" Hayasaka poked him.
"Just enough to make an educated guess." Hachiman was phased. "Want to make a different bet?"
"Sure enough," Hayasaka pointed. "The loser had to do something that the others ordered."
Hayasaka didn't make this challenge willy-nilly. Kaguya had told her that Hachiman got distracted as much as possible. And if Hayasaka can find an advantage, she'll happily take it.
Were Hachiman any other boy, they'd be flustered as they imagined what they could order Hayasaka to do. And Hayasaka could tease them back about having perverted thoughts.
But Hachiman isn't any other boy. Within 100% confidence, Hayasaka thought Hachiman would choose something more humiliating than perverted.
"Sure," Hachiman said. "What's your wager?"
"Shinomiya-san will win both."
Kaguya had focused on physical contests enough that Hayasaka had confidence. Besides, she had done a little investigation on Yukino before. And found her greatest weakness and told Kaguya such.
Yukinoshita Yukino isn't a very athletic person.
Hachiman smiled.
"Bet."
Hayasaka doesn't like that smile. It was only something Hachiman showed up when he got the upper hand. Did Hayasaka get the wrong information? Or did someone purposely spread a rumor that Yukinoshita Yukino is bad at sports?
Did HACHIMAN do it?
Though confident, Kaguya decided to keep up her guard. No matter her chances of victory, if the chances of defeat aren't 0%, Kaguya can't afford to take this competition lightly.
"At ease, be ready!"
Kaguya and Yukino kneeled.
"3, 2, 1."
The gunpowder pistol went with a bang, throwing a small amount of smoke up. And the two girls launched themselves.
Kaguya felt like time slowed down as her brain went into high gear, ensuring her running posture was perfect with no inefficiencies. Other than the baggy jersey pants, the air resistance on the shirt is also present.
She also felt every inch of her soles and how the shoe connected to the sandy track.
"Don't get distracted!" Kaguya thought. "Focus on the track!"
"Shinomiya, win!"
The crowd exploded into cheer. Kaguya won the race, and it wasn't even close! Using a radio-based identification and timer proved that Kaguya was second faster than Yukino!
"I know it! Of course, the Vice President will win!"
"Yukinoshita? Who is that? Pfft. Bitch doesn't know her place at all."
"Outsider should remain an outsider."
The combined excitement and desperation were unreal. It isn't hard to see where most of the crowds leaned in favor of. On the other hand, the support for Yukinoshita Yukino is hardly few.
"Stop sucking Zaibatsu cocks!"
"This is why Shuuchin students are hated by the public right now."
Many wanted Kaguya to be taken down a peg due to her perceived aloofness and invincibility.
"Let alone fostering peace and friendships," Hachiman said. "It is as peaceful as a British soccer match right now."
Without a doubt, his words were said to guilt trip Momo, who clammed up out of annoyance. But also the fact that she couldn't argue back. The rivalry between Kaguya and Yukino will only heighten the tension and rift between students at school.
After a two-minute break, Kaguya and Yukino resumed their kneeling position. This time for the 100-meter dash. Kaguya gleefully looked at Yukino, only to notice her glowing blue eyes.
Yukino was dead focused in a trance.
In that case, Kaguya needs to be serious, too!
Just like before, the situation was perfectly identical. Kaguya leaped ahead of Yukino and dominated the race. With the same gap, too. Many were convinced that Kaguya's victory was secured!
Not!
In fact, Yukino caught up with Kaguya halfway through the race. Kaguya herself was absolutely shocked! How could Yukino catch up with her like that?! Yukino's acceleration was explosive! Throwing dust as if she had wings on her back!
"No way!"
"Yukinoshita, win!"
The crowd became silent.
And then exploded again in pure disbelief.
"You owe me one, Hayasaka," Hachiman whispered as she put a hand on her shoulder. She could feel his breath brushing her ears and cheeks.
Normally? Hayasaka would be excited. Hachiman isn't the one to act flirty like that, especially in public like this, in response to her teasing. Even some of the audience caught up on this and began whispering among each other.
He looked exactly like the charming bastard boyfriend from typical shoujo manga!
"PR Manager Hikigaya-san and General Affairs Hayasaka-san?"
"So the rumor must be true!"
Dread! All Hayasaka felt was dread right now!
"Eh?! It's tied again!" Chika gasped, unaware of the hostilities in the atmosphere. "How could you know, Hikki-san?"
"How tall do you reckon Yukinoshita is?" Hachiman asked.
"If I have to guess, maybe around 170cm?" Chika guessed. "I think she's the tallest Shuchiin girl I've met directly! That's pretty tall, isn't it?"
"She's 171 cm, and her legs are 11 cm longer than Shinomiya," Hachiman said. "In 100 m dash, it's not even a contest who will win."
Chika became pale and took a step back. "I wonder how you know that information, Hikki-san. You're not collecting weird information about Shuchiin girls, do you? Hentai."
Hachiman was about to poke Chika's eyeballs until Miyuki stopped him.
"In fairness, just eyeballing them both makes it easy to see the difference," Miyuki said as he gripped Hachiman's wrist. "The rest are just Hachiman's logical reasoning at work."
Kaguya had a huge acceleration advantage in the 50-meter dash. That was why Hachiman was confident she would win. In the 100-meter dash, stride length matters!
Kaguya wasn't disheartened. Even though Hayasaka made a mistake and the information about Yukinoshita's lack of athleticism was fake, Kaguya faced her earnestly with all her strength. Therefore, she couldn't blame this on her valet.
Kaguya wasn't fast enough. This is a fact. Now that she let go of her hatred, frustration, jealousy, and prejudice, her mind became clear.
"Just to be sure, I want to ask." Kaguya approached Yukino. "Everyone thought you were bad at sports, yet you prove them all wrong. Why today of all times? Was it deliberate?"
"Everyone is mistaken. In fact, I'm very good at many sports." Yukino said calmly. "But the fact that I'm unathletic is correct. If this were 400m dash, I would have no chance of winning."
Kaguya widened her eyes in realization. Does Yukinoshita-san have weak stamina?
"So you let the rumor run its course to surprise everyone." Kaguya smiled.
"Information warfare in Shuchiin is important," Yukino said. "I'm not one to believe rumors. But if it means I can have the upper hand, I have no reason to rectify the rumor surrounding me. Especially if it was partly true."
"I see." Kaguya sighed.
Indeed. Yukino dismissed a lot of demotivational speeches and rumors surrounding the exam and instead made a closed-room group study with her club. Three out of three members placed in the top ten of the second-year exam ranks!
As for rumors surrounding Yukino? Yukino only cares about rumor if it gets in the way. She would happily use negative rumors if it protects her interest.
Kaguya could only see Hachiman's back juxtaposed with Yukino's. Hachiman also has a negative reputation among some of the students. However, those negative rumors strengthened his position as a member of the Student Council and protected him from harm.
These two really are peas in a pod.
It made Kaguya even more excited! Because it means defeating Yukino would feel the same as her beating Hachiman!
"Are you so confident about winning that you disclosed this truth to me?" Kaguya taunted. "Won't you regret it in the slightest?"
"No. You're going to find it out eventually." Yukino knowingly smiled. "Just like I did."
Kaguya didn't like that smile. It was too pure and free of worry.
...
In the end, one competition after another was done. Dozens of matches, from Go to silly competitions like airsoft shooting. Though each competition was short, there were so many of them. In the end, it was dusk.
Kaguya led the competition by three victories. Even if Yukino wins the last game, she'll still lose the overall score.
"Next match, Poetry Karuta!"
Poetry Karuta!
Poetry Karuta (Uta-garuta) is one of the indigenous card games developed in pre-modern Japan! Inspired by the Portuguese, Uta-Garuta was made based on the famous classic [100 people, one poem each].
To match the reading of the poem and the card is how you play it. Those who seized the correct card the fastest won a score!
Kaguya sharpened her eyes.
Kaguya... isn't the person to play games in general. But she learned to play Karuta as part of Japanese culture. So she knew how to play it. Additionally, she's confident with her coordination and reflexes.
The question is, how good is Yukino? The fact that she accepted this challenge means she's also confident in her skills.
After all, Kaguya was beaten in the Go match. So Kaguya wouldn't underestimate Yukino in this regard.
Part of Kaguya, the vindictive and cold-hearted girl, wanted to crush Yukino, denying her last victory and ensuring uncontested defeat. However, another part of Kaguya thinks differently.
"This is fun." The little Kaguya said. "It would be a shame to throw the match. Let's fight her to the end."
Fun? Since when did Kaguya come here to have fun?
At the same time, though Yukino's defeat is already assured, Yukino shows no sign of crumbling. In fact, she looked like she had the time of her life.
Her posture was elegant, and her face was dignified. Like a Samurai facing imminent death on the battlefield but had no fear and refused to retreat.
Defiant to the end.
Kaguya began to understand why the VIP student body respected her. And how Yukino became an honorary member even though her family background wasn't high enough to qualify for that position.
Like Hachiman, Yukino symbolizes an ideal student's purity, self-respect, and determination. The proof is that they don't need foul play to gain influence and power but simply by being honest with themselves.
In the Shinomiya family, such values would be thoroughly mocked and trampled to death. In fact, these values might have no place in High Society as a whole.
It was rotten to the core.
However, these kids from elite families haven't been fully consumed by the darkness of their blood and upbringing. There is a chance, a ray of hope.
They can be a better person than their parents and grandparents were.
That is the purpose of the Public Service Club, as Kaguya found out via Hayasaka. To reform the society from the top to bottom, Yukino would either accomplish that... or die trying.
"This is the last match," Kaguya said softly. "Do you still want to go all out?"
"I always told that person that if you don't change, your problem will never leave." Yukino cracked her slender fingers as she gently massaged them. "He always told me something important to remember."
"Hard work betrays no one." Yukino smiled brightly. "You have no chance of winning this one."
What was that? Did Yukinoshita-san waste her time practicing Karuta or something? Foolish! How foolish of her!
Also, those quotes were awfully familiar. Kaguya chuckled inwardly.
The narrator of the poem began reciting the poem from the drawn card.
"Nanimo-"
Sleigh of hands!
Both in martial arts and general sports, it is known that many people have difficulty dealing with southpaws. Because the vast majority of people are right-handed, left-handed people have the advantage of surprise.
Even in Karuta, it is no different!
Though I was born different from others, I trained my right hand to be as agile. As such, many people didn't realize I was a left-hander.
Kaguya had won several competitions through this deception. This time, too! She will win against Yukinoshita!
As her brain and nerve system went into high gear, Kaguya's left hand moved at a speed indiscernible to the audience, heading for the card in question.
However, Kaguya's confidence shattered when a pale white blur seized the card right before she touched it.
When she raised her face, the poem card was in Yukino's hand. Her smile was wide. And dare Kaguya to say, it was oddly creepy.
"EH?!" Chika gawked. "Did you see that?!"
"I didn't see anything! Did her hand even move?!" Ishigami was freaked out as well. No matter how you look at it, Yukino's hand speed is inhuman!
"..." Momo took a deep breath. "Shinomiya can't win this."
"We won't know unless we see to the end," Miyuki said. "Shinomiya will find a way."
Hayasaka clammed up in shock. In fact, Yukino's hand was always slower than Kaguya's in the beginning. However, it accelerated midway so quickly that her hand seemed to disappear into thin air.
Hayasaka truly wanted Kaguya to win, but rationally, she knew she and Miyuki were coping.
This hand-speed difference is too staggering!
Another card, another card, and yet another card. Yukino was able to destroy Kaguya and seized four victories.
"How could this be?" Kaguya mumbled.
"Your mistake is assuming I don't know you're a left-handed person," Yukino whispered. "I knew this all along since our violin battle."
Kaguya widened her eyes.
In Karuta, one could not switch hands after the first card battle. Kaguya switching to her right hand would be an illegal move.
Still, with that hand speed difference, could Kaguya win using her right hand? She doubted it. Nevertheless, she refuses to give up.
She took out the glucose tablet from her pocket and chewed on it. Yukino seemed to do something similar... except she did it with sugar cubes!
Overdrive!
Despite people thinking it was a simple card game, Karuta is legitimately a sport. People who attended a Karuta competition have been known to suffer severe dehydration and hypoglycemia! As such, people have been observed snacking and drinking mid-game. This is perfectly acceptable as long as it isn't disruptive to others!
Kaguya was able to see through Yukino's veil of invincibility.
Despite her zen-like calmness and clarity, Yukinoshita Yukino was exhausted. They spend a few hours competing with each other. And even though they rested between competitions, the fatigue will creep up eventually.
Her white skin became deathly pale, and her aqua-blue eyes dimly shone with desperation. Yukino was in much, much worse condition than Kaguya was.
She was on her last legs.
Opportunity! If Kaguya missed this, then she's a Shinomiya no more!
With a newfound battle spirit, Kaguya's eyes set ablaze as she pushed her body to its limit. No matter if Yukino is faster than her, eventually, she will slow down.
Another loss.
Another loss.
Another loss.
The final card, seize it!
Kaguya was able to swipe the last poem card right before Yukino was able to touch it. The card spun midair and headed to the audience, into the hands of Shirogane Miyuki.
Miyuki flipped it to show the content.
"You got the last card," Miyuki remarked. "Vice President."
"Winner, Yukinoshita Yukino." Momo announced.
In the end, it was nothing more than a brief victory. Kaguya may have won that last exchange. But she still lost the game.
Even so, Miyuki wondered.
How is it that Kaguya laughed so openly?
"It is my loss." Kaguya finally composed herself and bowed slightly.
"No, it is my loss." Yukino smiled and politely bowed back. "In the end, you still won more games than I did."
Kaguya won the whole competition day with two scores advantage.
Both participants stood up and exchanged a brief handshake, and the audience clapped in collective euphoria. No matter who won. And no matter who they rooted for. Today's showdown was a treat for sore eyes.
"To be honest, there were things I wanted to say." Kaguya closed her eyes in resignation. "But sadly, we don't have the time."
"You're always welcome in the Public Service Club, Vice President Shinomiya," Yukino responded. "We always receive those who come in good faith."
"Then I will surely give a visit." Kaguya grinned. "Please excuse me."
Yukino and Kaguya left the tatami-clad traditional art room from the opposite doors. Everyone else shortly follows and disappears through the main entrance.
Miyuki waited for Kaguya to come out from the changing room and then gave her a small bouquet of flowers.
"What's the occasion, President?" Kaguya asked. "Are you, perhaps, hitting on me?"
It was odd for Kaguya to tease him so bluntly. Usually, she would say something in a more roundabout manner. But Miyuki understood that Kaguya was riding the highs of adrenaline and the sweet victory, so he took the L and let it slide.
"It is to celebrate your victory." Miyuki confidently smiled.
"But my victory is not guaranteed," Kaguya said. "Had you bought this, and I lost, it would be a waste of your hard-earned money."
"Then consider it a consolation." Miyuki scoffed. "And even then, I know you would win anyway."
"Why is that? Isn't it irrational for you to say that?" Kaguya curiously pondered. "From a certain point of view, we were evenly matched. I was lucky that the gachas were slightly in my favor."
"Because I have faith." Miyuki earnestly told her. "It would be a lie if I wasn't concerned, but I have faith that Shinomiya Kaguya would win."
Kaguya was taken aback, and blood began to rush from her heart straight to her face. Even though the lights were dim, even Miyuki could see it clearly.
She was flustered beyond belief! So she rushed to walk past him, just in case she made herself even more vulnerable.
Yet, she decided to stop and looked back at him with an earnest and confident smile.
"Thank you for believing in me." She said. "Shirogane Miyuki."
Miyuki could feel his heart thump harder before he coughed to calm himself. "Ahem. See you next week."
"Yes. See you next week." Kaguya replied and left with the bouquet in her hand.
Miyuki was glad that the cloud around Kaguya seemed to disappear, and she was happy to accept the gift without teasing Miyuki too much about it. Miyuki could consider it a success, and things should return to normal shortly.
But for some reason, he could feel a sense of uneasiness in the corner of his heart.
...
Elsewhere at school...
"Put me down, Hikigaya-kun, or I'll scream and call you a rapist kidnapper."
"Look, you have three options, you snow-tempered bitch of a woman." Hachiman rambled. "Either I haul your ass to the infirmary for everyone to see. Or carry you to the Public Service Clubroom and wait for your friends to come and help. Or, I put you down in the nearest dumpster so you can be left to rot and forgotten."
"...I pick the second option," Yukino said. "Honestly, I am thankful you didn't give me the so-called Princess Carry treatment. I'll have to transfer out of shame."
"Because being carried like a sack of rice is much better." Hachiman snarked. "Now shut up and save your strenght. You almost fainted while walking."
To be clear, Hachiman carried Yukino correctly based on various emergency first aid and rescue guidelines.
The method he used was the firefighter carry. Hachiman hauled her over his left shoulder while holding her left wrist over his neck to secure it. This method could lift someone over a long distance but requires strength and skill on the rescuer's part.
This way, he could avoid touching her nonexistent chest in any way, saving her dignity.
Meanwhile, Chika, Momo, and Hayasaka hid in the bush as Hachiman walked past it.
"What the heck are we looking at?" They collectively thought. Part of them were jealous, but also weirded out.
...
Today's Result of Battle: Yukinoshita Yukino's loss!
Hachiman stood outside the Home EC room with some personnel from the disciplinary committee. They were present to ensure no intrusion from other students, whether they were curious or malicious.
Ishigami Yuu made sure there was no one else close before he whispered. "Just to make sure I wasn't mistaken, you gave the recipe to her, Senpai?"
"What was that about?"
"Beef tallow fried rice," Ishigami said. "If I wasn't mistaken, she used bone marrow. It was delicious, and she won against Vice President's Michelin-star seafood fried rice!"
"She brought the beef tallow fried rice, huh." Hachiman scoffed. "I'll get you back on this later, snowwoman."
Ah, he's not even denying it. Ishigami thought. And the people distant from them began whispering among each other.
"Yukinoshita might look straightforward and honest, but she never comes into a fight unprepared." Hachiman laughed. "Smart women always have a bag of tricks with them."
"Who do you think would win?" Ishigami asked.
"It's a complete tossup." Hachiman shrugged. "I know both of them just enough to know they're too comparable to easily deduct who will win. It depends on luck."
Before Ishigami could ask to clarify, Hachiman pulled a gun from his back pocket and began shooting in some direction, and this scared the rest of the committee members.
Of course, it wasn't loud. After all, it was just a gas-powered toy. The problem was how realistic it looked!
"Senpai! Don't scare people like that!" Miko chastised him. "Warn us before shooting, won't you?!"
Eh?
"If I warn you, the idiot behind the camera will be alerted," Hachiman said. A spider-shaped drone fell behind him. "This is Shuuchin High, after all."
Iino Miko grumbled as she gathered the drone pieces and threw them into a designated trash bin. "You're always prepared for the craziest scenario, and I hate that you're right. This is so stupid."
Ah, so he was taking out spy drones. Also, it was an airsoft gun, albeit exceptionally high-powered.
"See? He is that kind of person," Ishigami mumbled. "I might not have known him well, but I don't think he's the type who leaves things to luck."
As far as Ishigami knew, Hachiman didn't believe in coincidence. At least when it comes to competition. He correctly deduced whose grades would improve and whose grades would decline based on their behavior before the exam.
Hachiman always told Ishigami: "To work is to lose, but hard work will betray no one."
"It depends on what kind of competition is drawn from the gacha pool." A bespectacled girl remarked. "Since there are some things that Vice President Shinomiya does better and things that Yukinoshita-senpai does better."
"Osaragi!" Ishigami Yuu was spooked. "Don't just show up so close like that."
The bespectacled girl grinned. Which was uncharacteristic for her. This girl almost always sports an unchanging poker face. So when she smiled ever slightly like that, it was unnerving!
Since Ishigami spent the last three months interacting with Miko, it was inevitable that he had to deal with this enigmatic girl all the time.
"But I guess you're right." Ishigami winced. "Unless the gachapon is tampered with, it is up to fate which one of them got an advantage."
And even if someone has an advantage, it is not a guaranteed win. This is why the competition is exciting. If someone like Hachiman doesn't know who will be the winner, then everyone else is about as clueless.
"Carefu!" Ishigami covered a girl when another spy drone fell.
The girl looked spooked but also a bit embarrassed as she walked away. "Uh, thanks?"
"Do you need any help? Honestly. Watching the fight up close is a little too intense for me." Ishigami unbuttoned his gakuran as he talked to Miko. "But if I'm absent, I feel I'd miss too much."
"We're not shorthanded, but..." Iino Miko rolled her eyes. "If you're serious, any help is appreciated."
"Well, honestly, I feel like it was a hassle. But at the moment, I have nothing better to do."
Iino knows this is very in character for him to say. Above all else, Ishigami Yuu is a lazy person. Nevertheless, she felt annoyed and kicked his shin.
"Why do you always ruin such a good impression by opening your mouth?" Osaragi bluntly asked before she followed Miko.
"What the fuck did I do?" Ishigami asked inwardly.
"Ishigami!"
Ishigami honestly thinks that all his meetings with girls had been troublesome, so he ended up glaring. And his face met the scaredly Onodera Rei.
"W-w-what is that? Did I do something wrong?" Rei asked.
"Ah, it was Onodera, my bad." Ishigami sighed. "I'm just on edge right now because of the atmosphere."
To be honest? Of all the girls he is on talking terms with outside Iino Miko? Onodera Rei is probably the most troublesome. Their first meeting was hostile since Onodera openly hated Ishigami for what he did in middle school to Ogino.
Nevertheless, Onodera was also the first girl in class 1-B willing to hear his side. For this alone, Ishigami couldn't help but feel somewhat grateful. Despite their rough start, Onodera had been the friendliest girl he knew.
The fact that they even shared lunchtime last week was the proof.
"Was the competition that intense? The senpai from the newspaper club is bawling because they couldn't make a live report on it." Onodera pointed at crying, Kino Karen, and Kose Erika.
"It is super intense, as expected of two prized flowers of Shuchiin." Yuu nodded. "Hikigaya-senpai said the outcome is totally unpredictable."
"He said that?" Onodera raised her eyebrows, curious.
"Osaragi explained because the competitions are decided by gacha." He nodded. "There are things that Shinomiya-senpai does better, and there are things that Yukinoshita-senpai does better."
"It's up to God of gacha, huh." Onodera laughed. "What a twisted situation."
"Tell me about it," Ishigami smirked. "So, you want to watch? Even if you want, you can't."
"I wish I could, but following the trails would be good enough. Can I at least follow them to the site?"
"I'm sure you could, as long as you don't try to intrude," Ishigami assured her. "The Disciplinary Committee don't fuck around, I'm afraid."
"What's the result so far?"
"Shinomiya-senpai won the violin battle, while Yukinoshita-san won the cooking battle."
"I see." Onodera nodded and then rummaged through the pocket of her jacket. "Also, I'm returning this."
It was none other than the handkerchief that Ishigami gave her. Technically, he only lent it so she could have a clean place to sit when they had lunch together behind the main building.
"...I totally forgot." He grimaced. "You could have thrown it away. But..."
It was awkward to say this, but he said it anyway. "Thank you."
"...Why are you so embarrassed? Do you think I'm hitting on you or something?" Onodera sharpened her eyes.
"Not in a million years." Ishigami jibed.
Onodera popped a vein. "Now that was rude."
"That's not what I mean." He grimaced again. "If you're being too nice to me, people will start talking about stupid shit about you."
"Who cares." Onodera stuck out her tongue. "Here's your punishment."
She slipped a clip on Ishigami's bang, clipping it to his upper head and exposing his usually hidden eye. This, of course, made him flustered and flailed.
"If I see your bangs down, I'm using a roll hairpin." She smiled.
"That's scary. Please don't do that."
Ishigami Yuu couldn't help but feel his heart beating fast. This girl sure has zero sense of personal space!
"It was a joke." Onodera laughed. "You can remove it if you feel uncomfortable."
Normie girls are way too scary!
(Ishigami kept the hairclip on for the rest of the day.)
やはり, 彼らが望む告白は間違っている. S2
As expected, the Confession they want is wrong S2
Original Story by: Watari Wataru and Akasaka Aka
Written by: @ZeroXSEED, Co-written by: @GoukaRyuu
Chapter 29 - Kaguya-sama Wants to Duel, Part 2
"Crushing her won't be easy." Kaguya thought, half anxious. "I'm not the kind of person who relies on luck, but I have no choice."
Kaguya isn't the type to play fair, either. She tried to rig the gacha in her favor, but someone laid all contingencies.
Right after Kaguya had Hayasaka switch the gacha capsule tank, Hachiman inspected the machine and replaced it with a new one, knowing it had been tampered with. Kaguya doesn't know if Hachiman knows who did it, but it spooked both her and Hayasaka from trying again.
Not to mention the drone hunt. Hachiman turned into a demon in that regard, being so trigger-happy that he took down the lunch delivery drone from Shinomiya's house as well.
Hachiman doesn't fuck around. Not today. He is more than committed to removing any form of interference. Violently.
Kaguya had no other way except to face this competition fairly and rely on her abilities.
It wasn't like Kaguya was a stranger to competition, and she wasn't a stranger to losing, either.
However, she hasn't been this pressured since the bet with Shirogane Miyuki last year. The more time passed, the more she wanted to win.
"Next match! 50-meter sprint and 100-meter sprint!"
The match took place outdoors. It is impossible to secure it from the watchful gaze of interested students and even teachers. Nevertheless, the two races shouldn't take much time at all.
Both Yukino and Kaguya were seen stretching as they prepared for the race. Showing off their slender build for all the boys to gaze at. Even though Shuchiin had long since abandoned bloomers in favor of short jerseys, some things cannot be hidden.
"Or lack of things, if I should say." Hachiman snarked.
Chika and Hayasaka looked at him as if they saw a walking garbage.
"Hahaha, see! That's funny!" Momo also laughed. "Right, Hachiman?"
Hachiman ignored her, which made her freeze from sadness and embarrassment. It was clear that yes. He was still mad about the whole ordeal.
"Who do you think would win, Hachiman?" Miyuki asked.
"Shinomiya will win the 50-meter sprint, and Yukinoshita will win the 100-meter sprint," Hachiman said.
"I see." Miyuki furrowed his eyebrows.
Hayasaka was quiet as she recalled the fitness test results of Kaguya and Yukino. From what was there, Hachiman's guesses were off the mark.
"Hmm, really? Hikigaya-san, is it because you know the two girls well?" Hayasaka poked him.
"Just enough to make an educated guess." Hachiman was phased. "Want to make a different bet?"
"Sure enough," Hayasaka pointed. "The loser had to do something that the others ordered."
Hayasaka didn't make this challenge willy-nilly. Kaguya had told her that Hachiman got distracted as much as possible. And if Hayasaka can find an advantage, she'll happily take it.
Were Hachiman any other boy, they'd be flustered as they imagined what they could order Hayasaka to do. And Hayasaka could tease them back about having perverted thoughts.
But Hachiman isn't any other boy. Within 100% confidence, Hayasaka thought Hachiman would choose something more humiliating than perverted.
"Sure," Hachiman said. "What's your wager?"
"Shinomiya-san will win both."
Kaguya had focused on physical contests enough that Hayasaka had confidence. Besides, she had done a little investigation on Yukino before. And found her greatest weakness and told Kaguya such.
Yukinoshita Yukino isn't a very athletic person.
Hachiman smiled.
"Bet."
Hayasaka doesn't like that smile. It was only something Hachiman showed up when he got the upper hand. Did Hayasaka get the wrong information? Or did someone purposely spread a rumor that Yukinoshita Yukino is bad at sports?
Did HACHIMAN do it?
Though confident, Kaguya decided to keep up her guard. No matter her chances of victory, if the chances of defeat aren't 0%, Kaguya can't afford to take this competition lightly.
"At ease, be ready!"
Kaguya and Yukino kneeled.
"3, 2, 1."
The gunpowder pistol went with a bang, throwing a small amount of smoke up. And the two girls launched themselves.
Kaguya felt like time slowed down as her brain went into high gear, ensuring her running posture was perfect with no inefficiencies. Other than the baggy jersey pants, the air resistance on the shirt is also present.
She also felt every inch of her soles and how the shoe connected to the sandy track.
"Don't get distracted!" Kaguya thought. "Focus on the track!"
"Shinomiya, win!"
The crowd exploded into cheer. Kaguya won the race, and it wasn't even close! Using a radio-based identification and timer proved that Kaguya was second faster than Yukino!
"I know it! Of course, the Vice President will win!"
"Yukinoshita? Who is that? Pfft. Bitch doesn't know her place at all."
"Outsider should remain an outsider."
The combined excitement and desperation were unreal. It isn't hard to see where most of the crowds leaned in favor of. On the other hand, the support for Yukinoshita Yukino is hardly few.
"Stop sucking Zaibatsu cocks!"
"This is why Shuuchin students are hated by the public right now."
Many wanted Kaguya to be taken down a peg due to her perceived aloofness and invincibility.
"Let alone fostering peace and friendships," Hachiman said. "It is as peaceful as a British soccer match right now."
Without a doubt, his words were said to guilt trip Momo, who clammed up out of annoyance. But also the fact that she couldn't argue back. The rivalry between Kaguya and Yukino will only heighten the tension and rift between students at school.
After a two-minute break, Kaguya and Yukino resumed their kneeling position. This time for the 100-meter dash. Kaguya gleefully looked at Yukino, only to notice her glowing blue eyes.
Yukino was dead focused in a trance.
In that case, Kaguya needs to be serious, too!
Just like before, the situation was perfectly identical. Kaguya leaped ahead of Yukino and dominated the race. With the same gap, too. Many were convinced that Kaguya's victory was secured!
Not!
In fact, Yukino caught up with Kaguya halfway through the race. Kaguya herself was absolutely shocked! How could Yukino catch up with her like that?! Yukino's acceleration was explosive! Throwing dust as if she had wings on her back!
"No way!"
"Yukinoshita, win!"
The crowd became silent.
And then exploded again in pure disbelief.
"You owe me one, Hayasaka," Hachiman whispered as she put a hand on her shoulder. She could feel his breath brushing her ears and cheeks.
Normally? Hayasaka would be excited. Hachiman isn't the one to act flirty like that, especially in public like this, in response to her teasing. Even some of the audience caught up on this and began whispering among each other.
He looked exactly like the charming bastard boyfriend from typical shoujo manga!
"PR Manager Hikigaya-san and General Affairs Hayasaka-san?"
"So the rumor must be true!"
Dread! All Hayasaka felt was dread right now!
"Eh?! It's tied again!" Chika gasped, unaware of the hostilities in the atmosphere. "How could you know, Hikki-san?"
"How tall do you reckon Yukinoshita is?" Hachiman asked.
"If I have to guess, maybe around 170cm?" Chika guessed. "I think she's the tallest Shuchiin girl I've met directly! That's pretty tall, isn't it?"
"She's 171 cm, and her legs are 11 cm longer than Shinomiya," Hachiman said. "In 100 m dash, it's not even a contest who will win."
Chika became pale and took a step back. "I wonder how you know that information, Hikki-san. You're not collecting weird information about Shuchiin girls, do you? Hentai."
Hachiman was about to poke Chika's eyeballs until Miyuki stopped him.
"In fairness, just eyeballing them both makes it easy to see the difference," Miyuki said as he gripped Hachiman's wrist. "The rest are just Hachiman's logical reasoning at work."
Kaguya had a huge acceleration advantage in the 50-meter dash. That was why Hachiman was confident she would win. In the 100-meter dash, stride length matters!
Kaguya wasn't disheartened. Even though Hayasaka made a mistake and the information about Yukinoshita's lack of athleticism was fake, Kaguya faced her earnestly with all her strength. Therefore, she couldn't blame this on her valet.
Kaguya wasn't fast enough. This is a fact. Now that she let go of her hatred, frustration, jealousy, and prejudice, her mind became clear.
"Just to be sure, I want to ask." Kaguya approached Yukino. "Everyone thought you were bad at sports, yet you prove them all wrong. Why today of all times? Was it deliberate?"
"Everyone is mistaken. In fact, I'm very good at many sports." Yukino said calmly. "But the fact that I'm unathletic is correct. If this were 400m dash, I would have no chance of winning."
Kaguya widened her eyes in realization. Does Yukinoshita-san have weak stamina?
"So you let the rumor run its course to surprise everyone." Kaguya smiled.
"Information warfare in Shuchiin is important," Yukino said. "I'm not one to believe rumors. But if it means I can have the upper hand, I have no reason to rectify the rumor surrounding me. Especially if it was partly true."
"I see." Kaguya sighed.
Indeed. Yukino dismissed a lot of demotivational speeches and rumors surrounding the exam and instead made a closed-room group study with her club. Three out of three members placed in the top ten of the second-year exam ranks!
As for rumors surrounding Yukino? Yukino only cares about rumor if it gets in the way. She would happily use negative rumors if it protects her interest.
Kaguya could only see Hachiman's back juxtaposed with Yukino's. Hachiman also has a negative reputation among some of the students. However, those negative rumors strengthened his position as a member of the Student Council and protected him from harm.
These two really are peas in a pod.
It made Kaguya even more excited! Because it means defeating Yukino would feel the same as her beating Hachiman!
"Are you so confident about winning that you disclosed this truth to me?" Kaguya taunted. "Won't you regret it in the slightest?"
"No. You're going to find it out eventually." Yukino knowingly smiled. "Just like I did."
Kaguya didn't like that smile. It was too pure and free of worry.
...
In the end, one competition after another was done. Dozens of matches, from Go to silly competitions like airsoft shooting. Though each competition was short, there were so many of them. In the end, it was dusk.
Kaguya led the competition by three victories. Even if Yukino wins the last game, she'll still lose the overall score.
"Next match, Poetry Karuta!"
Poetry Karuta!
Poetry Karuta (Uta-garuta) is one of the indigenous card games developed in pre-modern Japan! Inspired by the Portuguese, Uta-Garuta was made based on the famous classic [100 people, one poem each].
To match the reading of the poem and the card is how you play it. Those who seized the correct card the fastest won a score!
Kaguya sharpened her eyes.
Kaguya... isn't the person to play games in general. But she learned to play Karuta as part of Japanese culture. So she knew how to play it. Additionally, she's confident with her coordination and reflexes.
The question is, how good is Yukino? The fact that she accepted this challenge means she's also confident in her skills.
After all, Kaguya was beaten in the Go match. So Kaguya wouldn't underestimate Yukino in this regard.
Part of Kaguya, the vindictive and cold-hearted girl, wanted to crush Yukino, denying her last victory and ensuring uncontested defeat. However, another part of Kaguya thinks differently.
"This is fun." The little Kaguya said. "It would be a shame to throw the match. Let's fight her to the end."
Fun? Since when did Kaguya come here to have fun?
At the same time, though Yukino's defeat is already assured, Yukino shows no sign of crumbling. In fact, she looked like she had the time of her life.
Her posture was elegant, and her face was dignified. Like a Samurai facing imminent death on the battlefield but had no fear and refused to retreat.
Defiant to the end.
Kaguya began to understand why the VIP student body respected her. And how Yukino became an honorary member even though her family background wasn't high enough to qualify for that position.
Like Hachiman, Yukino symbolizes an ideal student's purity, self-respect, and determination. The proof is that they don't need foul play to gain influence and power but simply by being honest with themselves.
In the Shinomiya family, such values would be thoroughly mocked and trampled to death. In fact, these values might have no place in High Society as a whole.
It was rotten to the core.
However, these kids from elite families haven't been fully consumed by the darkness of their blood and upbringing. There is a chance, a ray of hope.
They can be a better person than their parents and grandparents were.
That is the purpose of the Public Service Club, as Kaguya found out via Hayasaka. To reform the society from the top to bottom, Yukino would either accomplish that... or die trying.
"This is the last match," Kaguya said softly. "Do you still want to go all out?"
"I always told that person that if you don't change, your problem will never leave." Yukino cracked her slender fingers as she gently massaged them. "He always told me something important to remember."
"Hard work betrays no one." Yukino smiled brightly. "You have no chance of winning this one."
What was that? Did Yukinoshita-san waste her time practicing Karuta or something? Foolish! How foolish of her!
Also, those quotes were awfully familiar. Kaguya chuckled inwardly.
The narrator of the poem began reciting the poem from the drawn card.
"Nanimo-"
Sleigh of hands!
Both in martial arts and general sports, it is known that many people have difficulty dealing with southpaws. Because the vast majority of people are right-handed, left-handed people have the advantage of surprise.
Even in Karuta, it is no different!
Though I was born different from others, I trained my right hand to be as agile. As such, many people didn't realize I was a left-hander.
Kaguya had won several competitions through this deception. This time, too! She will win against Yukinoshita!
As her brain and nerve system went into high gear, Kaguya's left hand moved at a speed indiscernible to the audience, heading for the card in question.
However, Kaguya's confidence shattered when a pale white blur seized the card right before she touched it.
When she raised her face, the poem card was in Yukino's hand. Her smile was wide. And dare Kaguya to say, it was oddly creepy.
"EH?!" Chika gawked. "Did you see that?!"
"I didn't see anything! Did her hand even move?!" Ishigami was freaked out as well. No matter how you look at it, Yukino's hand speed is inhuman!
"..." Momo took a deep breath. "Shinomiya can't win this."
"We won't know unless we see to the end," Miyuki said. "Shinomiya will find a way."
Hayasaka clammed up in shock. In fact, Yukino's hand was always slower than Kaguya's in the beginning. However, it accelerated midway so quickly that her hand seemed to disappear into thin air.
Hayasaka truly wanted Kaguya to win, but rationally, she knew she and Miyuki were coping.
This hand-speed difference is too staggering!
Another card, another card, and yet another card. Yukino was able to destroy Kaguya and seized four victories.
"How could this be?" Kaguya mumbled.
"Your mistake is assuming I don't know you're a left-handed person," Yukino whispered. "I knew this all along since our violin battle."
Kaguya widened her eyes.
In Karuta, one could not switch hands after the first card battle. Kaguya switching to her right hand would be an illegal move.
Still, with that hand speed difference, could Kaguya win using her right hand? She doubted it. Nevertheless, she refuses to give up.
She took out the glucose tablet from her pocket and chewed on it. Yukino seemed to do something similar... except she did it with sugar cubes!
Overdrive!
Despite people thinking it was a simple card game, Karuta is legitimately a sport. People who attended a Karuta competition have been known to suffer severe dehydration and hypoglycemia! As such, people have been observed snacking and drinking mid-game. This is perfectly acceptable as long as it isn't disruptive to others!
Kaguya was able to see through Yukino's veil of invincibility.
Despite her zen-like calmness and clarity, Yukinoshita Yukino was exhausted. They spend a few hours competing with each other. And even though they rested between competitions, the fatigue will creep up eventually.
Her white skin became deathly pale, and her aqua-blue eyes dimly shone with desperation. Yukino was in much, much worse condition than Kaguya was.
She was on her last legs.
Opportunity! If Kaguya missed this, then she's a Shinomiya no more!
With a newfound battle spirit, Kaguya's eyes set ablaze as she pushed her body to its limit. No matter if Yukino is faster than her, eventually, she will slow down.
Another loss.
Another loss.
Another loss.
The final card, seize it!
Kaguya was able to swipe the last poem card right before Yukino was able to touch it. The card spun midair and headed to the audience, into the hands of Shirogane Miyuki.
Miyuki flipped it to show the content.
"You got the last card," Miyuki remarked. "Vice President."
"Winner, Yukinoshita Yukino." Momo announced.
In the end, it was nothing more than a brief victory. Kaguya may have won that last exchange. But she still lost the game.
Even so, Miyuki wondered.
How is it that Kaguya laughed so openly?
"It is my loss." Kaguya finally composed herself and bowed slightly.
"No, it is my loss." Yukino smiled and politely bowed back. "In the end, you still won more games than I did."
Kaguya won the whole competition day with two scores advantage.
Both participants stood up and exchanged a brief handshake, and the audience clapped in collective euphoria. No matter who won. And no matter who they rooted for. Today's showdown was a treat for sore eyes.
"To be honest, there were things I wanted to say." Kaguya closed her eyes in resignation. "But sadly, we don't have the time."
"You're always welcome in the Public Service Club, Vice President Shinomiya," Yukino responded. "We always receive those who come in good faith."
"Then I will surely give a visit." Kaguya grinned. "Please excuse me."
Yukino and Kaguya left the tatami-clad traditional art room from the opposite doors. Everyone else shortly follows and disappears through the main entrance.
Miyuki waited for Kaguya to come out from the changing room and then gave her a small bouquet of flowers.
"What's the occasion, President?" Kaguya asked. "Are you, perhaps, hitting on me?"
It was odd for Kaguya to tease him so bluntly. Usually, she would say something in a more roundabout manner. But Miyuki understood that Kaguya was riding the highs of adrenaline and the sweet victory, so he took the L and let it slide.
"It is to celebrate your victory." Miyuki confidently smiled.
"But my victory is not guaranteed," Kaguya said. "Had you bought this, and I lost, it would be a waste of your hard-earned money."
"Then consider it a consolation." Miyuki scoffed. "And even then, I know you would win anyway."
"Why is that? Isn't it irrational for you to say that?" Kaguya curiously pondered. "From a certain point of view, we were evenly matched. I was lucky that the gachas were slightly in my favor."
"Because I have faith." Miyuki earnestly told her. "It would be a lie if I wasn't concerned, but I have faith that Shinomiya Kaguya would win."
Kaguya was taken aback, and blood began to rush from her heart straight to her face. Even though the lights were dim, even Miyuki could see it clearly.
She was flustered beyond belief! So she rushed to walk past him, just in case she made herself even more vulnerable.
Yet, she decided to stop and looked back at him with an earnest and confident smile.
"Thank you for believing in me." She said. "Shirogane Miyuki."
Miyuki could feel his heart thump harder before he coughed to calm himself. "Ahem. See you next week."
"Yes. See you next week." Kaguya replied and left with the bouquet in her hand.
Miyuki was glad that the cloud around Kaguya seemed to disappear, and she was happy to accept the gift without teasing Miyuki too much about it. Miyuki could consider it a success, and things should return to normal shortly.
But for some reason, he could feel a sense of uneasiness in the corner of his heart.
...
Elsewhere at school...
"Put me down, Hikigaya-kun, or I'll scream and call you a rapist kidnapper."
"Look, you have three options, you snow-tempered bitch of a woman." Hachiman rambled. "Either I haul your ass to the infirmary for everyone to see. Or carry you to the Public Service Clubroom and wait for your friends to come and help. Or, I put you down in the nearest dumpster so you can be left to rot and forgotten."
"...I pick the second option," Yukino said. "Honestly, I am thankful you didn't give me the so-called Princess Carry treatment. I'll have to transfer out of shame."
"Because being carried like a sack of rice is much better." Hachiman snarked. "Now shut up and save your strenght. You almost fainted while walking."
To be clear, Hachiman carried Yukino correctly based on various emergency first aid and rescue guidelines.
The method he used was the firefighter carry. Hachiman hauled her over his left shoulder while holding her left wrist over his neck to secure it. This method could lift someone over a long distance but requires strength and skill on the rescuer's part.
This way, he could avoid touching her nonexistent chest in any way, saving her dignity.
Meanwhile, Chika, Momo, and Hayasaka hid in the bush as Hachiman walked past it.
"What the heck are we looking at?" They collectively thought. Part of them were jealous, but also weirded out.
...
Today's Result of Battle: Yukinoshita Yukino's loss!
TriGayatri
Butter Cookies Villainess
- Location
- Indonesia
- Pronouns
- She
The consistently inconsistent sexual tension between 8chad and Yukino will be a running gag, won't it? You somehow managed to please both Yukino fans and haters with this chapter because so much kek moment despite Yukino being portrayed as a badass.
Also
Of course you would, I mean, you only have one bullheaded approach... Miyuki Dumbo.
Yukino will NTR you soon enough.
taovkool
Forever Gone
- Location
- The Library, Department of General Works
Hold up, what's the count here? I thought Yukino won but she actually lost?
ZeroXSEED
Economic Authoritarian Muslim Leftist
- Location
- In the name of orange!
- Pronouns
- He
For Karuta game, it's traditional 12 round, so it's 11 to Yukino and 1 to Kaguya
There were multiple competitions (more than a dozen actually) and Kaguya won most of them, with 2 victories over Yukino
Last edited:
ZeroXSEED
Economic Authoritarian Muslim Leftist
- Location
- In the name of orange!
- Pronouns
- He
Next chapter would be the last Yukino-centric chapter for a while
The one after that is Hayasaka arc
When I have spare time I will write the Chika arc (which is a series of short chapters taking place before the exam)
The one after that is Hayasaka arc
When I have spare time I will write the Chika arc (which is a series of short chapters taking place before the exam)
Last edited:
- Pronouns
- Reader
This is brilliant. The competition was intense but the competitors at least never lost respect for each other.
Momo still being in the Dog house is totes hilarious and Hachiman potato sack carrying Yukino is the stuff of dreams.
The fact that hachiman's drone shooting will likely increase his rep is amusing. I also like the fact that getting one over on Hachiman is significant enough to Kaguya that it adds to the excitement of a normal win. Really shows how much she respects him as an opponent
Momo still being in the Dog house is totes hilarious and Hachiman potato sack carrying Yukino is the stuff of dreams.
The fact that hachiman's drone shooting will likely increase his rep is amusing. I also like the fact that getting one over on Hachiman is significant enough to Kaguya that it adds to the excitement of a normal win. Really shows how much she respects him as an opponent
TriGayatri
Butter Cookies Villainess
- Location
- Indonesia
- Pronouns
- She
Low key people missed the absolute huge parallel drawn between Ishigami and Hachiman lol. Instead of Tsubame, it seems that Onodera is filling the seat, but otherwise Ishigami still get his own harem.
Obliviously.
The development took place early because Hachiman, Kaguya, and Miyuki engineered the Ogino reconciliation. Meaning Ishigami's reputation healed. From there, it's only a matter of whether they like his personality or not.
I wonder if we ever get a "nice girl speech" again, though.
Obliviously.
The development took place early because Hachiman, Kaguya, and Miyuki engineered the Ogino reconciliation. Meaning Ishigami's reputation healed. From there, it's only a matter of whether they like his personality or not.
I wonder if we ever get a "nice girl speech" again, though.
ZeroXSEED
Economic Authoritarian Muslim Leftist
- Location
- In the name of orange!
- Pronouns
- He
Onodera is hardly a run-of-the-mill nice girl, she's a mean bitch when it comes to gossips in the past and therefore partly responsible for Ishigami's isolation too.
You can draw more parallel between Yui-Hachiman than Tsubame-Ishigami when it comes to Onodera, in that her motivation was partly driven by guilt. But she ended up liking Ishigami for being himself.
Nice girl speech will take place in Yukino arc 2, when Tsubasa show up again.
You can draw more parallel between Yui-Hachiman than Tsubame-Ishigami when it comes to Onodera, in that her motivation was partly driven by guilt. But she ended up liking Ishigami for being himself.
Nice girl speech will take place in Yukino arc 2, when Tsubasa show up again.
- Pronouns
- He
I don't want poor Ishi to go through Tsubame like in Canon so it's a nice touch.
SlyGuy2895
Victims, aren’t we all?
- Location
- Parts Unknown
So Kaguya manages to pull out the overall victory though Yukino made her work for it every step of the way. The two built some mutual trust in this event though I'm not sure how well Kaguya would've taken it if she had lost. Meanwhile the relationship between Hachiman and Yukino is certainly a sight to behold. Like Zero said, she's the wake-up call for Momo, Chika, and Ai so if they're serious about wanting Hachiman they'll have to put in actual effort and actively pursue him which should lead to some hilarious romcom shenanigans. Looking forward to the Ai arc.
Chapter 30 - Hayasaka Wants to Deal with
ZeroXSEED
Economic Authoritarian Muslim Leftist
- Location
- In the name of orange!
- Pronouns
- He
When Hayasaka reunited with her Mistress, she was dumbfounded to find someone seemingly refreshed and having the time of her life, with a bouquet and a weird smile.
"You look happy, Kaguya-sama."
"How could I not?" Kaguya grinned. "Not only did I win a hard-fought battle splendidly, but the President was also willing to be the subservient one and made the first move."
"Ah." Hayasaka realized. "He gave it to you, I suppose?"
"He said it was a congratulatory gift for my victory. But when I asked how could he be so sure I was going to win, he said-"
Kaguya snickered hard.
"He said it was because of his faith in me!" Kaguya cheerfully pointed. "Isn't that basically admitting his devotion to me?"
"That is true." Hayasaka nodded.
"Then it is just a little more until he confessed to me." Kaguya boasted. "Because if he's that devoted to me, then that means he loved me!"
"I wouldn't say that." Hayasaka waved her hand. "Faith and devotion could also mean friendships, comradeships, familial, and in my case, servitude."
Faith! The word faith itself is not necessarily religious. However, it means absolute belief in something, even if people call it unreasonable.
"Having faith in someone means burdening them with unreasonable expectations, or so Hikigaya-san would say." Hayasaka rolled her eyes. "Nevertheless, it is not necessarily romantic on the President's part."
Kaguya popped a vein, knowing that Hayasaka was right and that she couldn't argue. And that was the reason why she felt mad now! Her mood is ruined!
"I think you missed the most crucial part of the whole ordeal. The reason behind these flowers, and why President gave it." Hayasaka smiled knowingly. "Rather than selfishly thinking it is about the confession you waited for so long, should you not think about the deeper meaning behind that gesture?"
Kaguya was agape.
"True. If it was the usual President, he would do this to fish for a compliment or try to seduce me into confessing instead." Kaguya sadly smiled. "Did he purposely show his weakness to cheer me up?"
Kaguya understood how prideful Shirogane Miyuki can be. So for him to openly show care and affection like that, regardless of how it makes him look...
"He has been doing that for an entire week to cheer you up, but you were too obsessed with Yukinoshita and the exam ranks." Hayasaka pointed. "I will be frank. You're a terrible woman for ignoring him because you were jealous of someone completely unrelated. You were, literally, missing the forest for the trees."
Kaguya felt harpooned by each of Hayasaka's statements. It was true that hatred and envy clouded her eyes for a week straight. To the point of ignoring Miyuki entirely!
"It was a great opportunity to nurture his feelings so he could be more open too." Hayasaka scoffed.
"...Aren't you as rotten as I am for thinking that way?" Kaguya twitched.
"I'm just saying," Hayasaka said. "Maybe you should extend him an olive branch in return."
"Hmm." Kaguya gave a non-committal answer, which worried Hayasaka somewhat.
"Also, I made a mistake in many ways, which was disheartening. I'm sorry I wasn't able to do my duty properly."
"Was it about the intel on Yukinoshita-san? You can brush that off just fine." Kaguya said. "She let that rumor spread to play possum and made people underestimate her."
"Appear weak when you are strong! And appear strong when you're weak!" - Sun Tzu (paraphrased).
"The intel is one thing, but there was this thing," Hayasaka explained the bet she made with Hachiman and how it backfired horribly. All because she believed Kaguya could dominate the race.
"It isn't like you to believe in something like faith, Hayasaka." Kaguya blushed. "I mean, I appreciate it, but still."
"I won't repeat that mistake," Hayasaka remarked, which annoyed Kaguya a bit. Needless to say, Kaguya is an emotionally unstable girl.
"You better start writing your will." Kaguya smiled in dejection.
That bad?!
"Don't worry. I know just enough to say that Hikigaya-san is actually the least perverted guy in the student council, so be assured your purity will be preserved." Kaguya sighed heavily. "But he is extremely petty."
"I know he is," Hayasaka said. "But how petty are we talking about?"
"One time Fujiwara-san stole his irreplaceable seasonal candies, he asked her to buy him dagashi, 100 yen worth every day for a week," Kaguya explained. "And she's not allowed to buy the dagashi in bulk. She HAD to go to grandma's store and buy 100 yen of dagashi daily. Hikigaya-san will snitch her to her father about her school mischiefs should she refuse."
Let alone someone born into an elite family. Doing that would be humiliating for any high school student, period. And Hayasaka is aware of how strict Minister Fujiwara is. The threat of snitching, for Chika, is a fate worse than death!
Now granted, Fujiwara Chika is innocent and casual enough to do that alone. However, she is also lazy, and the enforced routine will ruin her fun.
That was why Hikigaya Hachiman is evil. He gave Chika the lightest possible punishment under the threat of something legitimately grave!
"And I also know he had been ignoring Ryuju Momo-san for instigating the competition in public, dragging his name under the mud on accident." Kaguya raised her hand. "I couldn't personally blame him."
"Well, at least his demand is relatively reasonable," Hayasaka remarked. "If it was something petty and tedious, I'd be relieved."
Dealing with Kaguya's shenanigans and pettiness is already tedious as it is. Not that Hayasaka would say it aloud...
Kaguya shrugged. "I won't chastise you or anything since it was partly my fault. But when he gives his demand, you better deliver. He hasn't been awfully disruptive recently, so I have no ill will about him. Make sure he remains as unproblematic as possible."
Of course, that was because Hayasaka conspired with Hachiman to not interfere with her plans. Having Hachiman snitch Hayasaka to Kaguya would be the worst-case scenario, so Hayasaka better be obedient.
"If you say so, Kaguya-sama." Hayasaka bowed in gratitude. "Thank you for the lenience."
"Speaking of Yukinoshita-san, I wonder how she felt about the ordeal," Kaguya said.
"I don't know about how she feels about the defeat." Hayasaka gave a tablet with a picture of Hachiman hauling Yukino's weakened body.
"He wanted to ravish her in secret?!" Kaguya gawked and flailed. "Maybe Hikigaya-san isn't as celibate as he appeared to us, after all! Should we call the Police?!"
"ARE YOU AN IDIOT?!" Hayasaka screamed.
Hayasaka explained to Kaguya that Hachiman said Yukino almost fainted when she walked out of the Traditional Arts room. Slowly, Kaguya's panic attack turned into a genuine concern.
Which Hayasaka found strange.
"In fairness, I was also quite tired when we were done. But fainting is a bit too much. I wonder if Yukinoshita-san had a condition."
Kaguya hardly has a robust physique to begin with. But it seemed that Yukino was so much worse in that regard.
"We did have her medical records, and they showed no anomalies." Hayasaka refuted. "But she lived a sedentary life, so her stamina is less than average teenage girls."
Ah, so Yukino have a geek physique!
"It is relieving to hear that," Kaguya said. "I mean? It would be bad optics if she suffered something major after our fight today."
What Kaguya said was perfectly rational and sensible. However, Hayasaka noticed the oddity in her delivery. Hayasaka had seen it before, and calling it a Deja Vu is an apt comparison.
Could it be... she...
"Kaguya-sama," Hayasaka muttered. "Could it be that you fancied Yukinoshita Yukino now?"
Kaguya grimaced, and her face was flushed.
"For the record, I am completely straight," Kaguya said defensively.
"Then why did your reaction to her feel like when you started opening up to President?"
"Maybe it is." Kaguya rubbed her chin, thoughtful. "Though. It was more like... something different yet familiar."
Hayasaka pondered for a moment. But her train of thought got stopped when Kaguya called her out. "And what about you? Don't tell me you lost the plot and fell for Hikigaya-san for real?"
"If I have to be honest, it is a possibility." Hayasaka kept her poker face as she truthfully explained. "Objectively speaking, he may not be a perfect man, but he is ideal for many. It is too easy to fall for his oblivious charm and fall in love."
Kaguya gagged as if she wanted to vomit. "You sure have a poor taste in men."
"Are you SURE you want to say that to me, Kaguya-sama?" Hayasaka popped a vein. "Let me remind you of the person you fell in love with."
"AH!!!" Kaguya lost her cool and screamed as she hid her face in the bouquet. "I don't want to hear it."
Hayasaka got closer and whispered to Kaguya's ears. "You are in love with the President of Shuuchin High, far from the perfect man. In fact, he is the worst possible match for you. He is destitute, has zero talent, and achieves everything through painstaking effort. Most Shinomiya members would call him a loser."
"Shut up, Hayasaka." Kaguya bit her lips and started crying. "Don't make me verbally admit it! And don't you dare to insult him and his effort!"
Ah, so you really had fallen for him.
"But as I said, Hikigaya Hachiman might be a heavily flawed person, but he also had a lot of charming points," Hayasaka said. "I'm sure you're not dense enough to not realize why I said this."
"Hrm." Kaguya scrunched up her face. "Certainly, what you said isn't objectively wrong. The President is definitely far more likable in public. But when women are involved, I think Hikigaya-san has a slight edge."
"You seem happy about that." Hayasaka drily commented.
Kaguya decided to ignore that blatant teasing. Kaguya might deny it, but she is unhappy whenever other girls display interest in Shirogane Miyuki.
"Fujiwara-san is banned from dating, so she used him for the so-called boyfriend play. She acts like a needy girlfriend to him and tries to spoil him with kindness in return. However, I think Hikigaya-san is either oblivious or denies the whole ordeal and thinks of her as a close friend."
"That is indeed correct."
"As for Ryuju-san, he more or less becomes her moral compass. Their relationships are significantly deeper, complex, and, dare I say, more intimate. At first, their relationships were more like two brothers." Kaguya explained. "I think he's more conscious of her as a girl recently, and she's putting effort into getting more feminine too. Thus, the rift in their relationships grows."
In fact, Kaguya noticed that Momo started to grow her hair again after keeping it short since she quit the Student Council. Kaguya thought something had happened in the Spring Vacation two months ago.
"That is also correct."
"How can Kaguya-sama be so perceptive and understanding of women and Hikigaya-san yet completely and utterly fooled about herself or the President?" Hayasaka wondered. "Love truly makes you blind."
"What about you, Hayasaka?" Kaguya sharpened her eyes. "No lies allowed."
"I think I might fall for him if I don't keep my guard up," Hayasaka said, half-truth and half-lie. "Hikigaya-san will be able to see and accept me for what I am. And that scared me the most. He made me feel weak and exposed, and I despised him. With him around, it is hard to do my job."
Hayasaka prized her ability to lie and deceive to fulfill her duties, but Hachiman? He could dismantle her efforts with a glance.
"If I have to be honest with you, I am not confident I can hold him for long." Hayasaka sighed. "I won't make excuses for my incompetence and accept my punishment, no matter what you decide. But I can say you don't have leisure time left."
"So even YOU were driven into a corner." Kaguya frowned. "Hikigaya-san really is a menace."
Kaguya understood the most how dangerously intrusive Hachiman could be. So, it is not a matter of Hayasaka failing out of incompetence. Hachiman bested the best just fine by being a proverbial sledgehammer.
"He is, indeed, scary." Kaguya frowned. "But never mind about that, just continue your job."
Hayasaka wondered how Kaguya could be so tolerant these days. She grows softer thanks to her love for the President. As a Shinomiya, nurturing this would be a mistake.
But as a person, Hayasaka couldn't feel more thankful.
"Anyway! While your appearance altered the balance, Yukinoshita Yukino shook it upside down." Kaguya said. "Perhaps Hikigaya-san really loves her. What do you think, as one of his potential suitors?"
Hayasaka couldn't tell if Kaguya was joking, which worried her. Nevertheless, Hayasaka decided to use her objective assessment.
"We have no clue unless we ask," Hayasaka said. "Either them or their former classmates."
It was a pointless answer but also a correct one.
"Well, get on it, then." Kaguya smiled in a sinister manner. "We could always use Yukinoshita-san to distract him, should there be an opportunity."
That would be effective. But somehow, Hayasaka felt unsettled.
Chapter 30 - Hayasaka Wants to Deal with
"The other two can stay, but you, please go away." Yukino coldly said as she slammed the door shut in Momo's face.
"I said I'm sorry, hey!" Momo banged the door angrily.
"You have the worst timing and manner, Momo-chan," Chika remarked. "Maybe starts with apologizing properly and then goes from there."
"You bitches have a better idea. I am listening." Momo deadpanned.
"I literally just said it." Chika shrugged. "Apologize properly."
Momo pretended to ignore that one, which made Chika sigh.
"We've been telling you about this, Ryuju-san, but you acted like you were the one getting wronged. Or something equally as stupid." Hayasaka jibed exaggeratedly to style with her gal persona. "That is not how you approach a rumor victim, after all."
"Victim, right." Chika frowned. "I mean? People gossip about us, too, but I don't necessarily mind. But the thing is, it is different when it comes to Hikigaya-san and Yukinoshita-san. People would paint the rumor maliciously because they're external students."
In other words, the rumor between Hachiman and Yukino was excessively negative.
"The rumor had died for six months until it resurfaced recently." Momo nodded. "Although the trigger was Miyuki and later Shinomiya, Yukinoshita and Hachiman were the main targets. It was mainly the reason I provoked the fight in the first place. Otherwise, the tension will brew higher."
"You don't fix overpressure by slamming a sledgehammer on the pipe, though." Hayasaka grinned. "The President and Hikigaya-san were called the school safety valves for good reason. Although he's blunt, he always gives measured responses to resolve problems. And President can balance it out with his polite, professional approach."
Momo's actions were far from measured. Everything she has done has always been on impulse.
"What are you guys doing here?" Nagisa asked when she found the three hanging around the Public Service clubroom. "Do you want to have a consultation?"
"No, no, no. We were bothering Yukinoshita-san about something." Hayasaka waved her hands. "Too bad we were starting with such a rough patch! Please tell her we were sorry."
"Although she looked calm, her mood has been rough since yesterday." Nagisa sadly smiled. "Yukino-san might not show it well, but deep inside, she is fiercely competitive."
"We could tell, actually," Chika said. "I have never seen someone who pressured Kaguya-san to such a degree. Besides, if she wasn't competitive, she wouldn't get provoked by idiotic trash talk."
"Oh. Trash talk nothing. Insulting a girl about their physical appearance is the highest form of humiliation." Hayasaka gleefully pointed. "What was that again, Ryuju-san? Something about her lacking figure?"
Hayasaka did this as she mimicked what Momo did before. Slapping her own chest.
Momo felt like Chika and Hayasaka dropped an anvil on her. Right, there was that one. Momo literally insulted Yukino in public about her flat chest.
Understandably, Yukino was still upset. Why would she help someone so rude, hostile, and going out of her way to put you in an unfavorable situation?
Hachiman and Yukino are both frank and sometimes crass, but they are always ready to extend their hand to help people around them.
"Yukino-san can be petty, but she is not that petty." Nagisa smiled. "I'm sure there is something else that you missed. Something important you overlooked, and she wanted you to realize it."
"Something important that I overlooked," Momo mumbled.
"How do you feel about the whole ordeal?" Nagisa gave an angelic smile as she patted Momo's shoulder. "I'm sure you're frustrated, but so is everyone else."
"Hachiman said the same thing," Momo said. "He asked what I felt seeing everything unfold, and when I said I was amused at first, but... then I feel frustrated because he was so angry."
"Well, what else do you feel, other than amusement? And why do you think he is angry? What did you feel when he was angry?" Nagisa continued her string of questions. "Do you even care that he is angry?"
That last question was what finally shattered the confusion.
Momo rubbed her tears off. Recently, she had been developing a habit of crying for no reason. Which seemed cute. Until you realize this is the heiress to a dominant organized crime group in Kanto.
Do I even care?
With this in mind, Momo decided to knock on the door again.
"What is it?" Yukino opened it halfway.
Momo bowed deeply.
"I'm really sorry about what happened," Momo said. "I can't say with honesty that I care about what happened with you, but when I think about what Hachiman feels, now I realize that it was hurting me as well. And I feel bad for inflicting it on you both."
"Good." Yukino fully opened the door. "We're off to a good start."
Hayasaka and Chika looked at each other. Both were somewhat confused. However, they entered the room without much fuss now that Yukino allowed Momo to enter.
"Welcome to Public Service Club," Yukino said. "Although we've done a lot of social services and charities, our original purpose was to lend a hand to students who have unsolvable problems in their hands."
"But the way we do it is not through direct intervention." Yukino sat down and smiled. "You give a man a fish? He's set for a day. You teach a man to fish? He's set for life. Congratulations, Ryuju-san, you finally developed a sense of empathy and remorse."
Hayasaka and Chika both twitched. They always know that Momo isn't exactly like the average girl. But for Yukino to dig so deep, this girl is batshit insane. Dangerously clever, too.
No wonder she became so influential at Shuchiin.
"So it is called empathy," Momo mumbled. "Being upset about someone's problem, huh? Admittedly, it is a new thing for me. My family would've considered it a weakness."
"If humans were entirely rational, that would have been a weakness. Fortunately, we are not. The only reason why the human population survived countless disasters is because people cared for the sick and the disabled." Yukino said. "If humans have no empathy, we won't be here. We'd perish a long time ago."
Hayasaka thought what Yukino said sounded laughably naive, but it was far from it. The reality is that humans are complicated beings.
"I hate selfish and demanding people like you the most, Ryuju-san," Yukino said. "But at the end of the day, I can't selfishly turn down people willing to take a step forward."
Momo can't catch a break today!
"If you don't change yourself, your problem will never leave." Nagisa smiled as she brewed a pot of tea. "This is the motto of the Public Service Club."
"It is an interesting concept for a club, I admit." Chika smiled.
"You know why I came here, right?" Momo said. "I know it is bothersome, so I will keep it short. What is your relationship with Hikigaya Hachiman, really?"
"We're neither friends nor lovers," Yukino said. "I know that is hard to believe, but that is how it is."
"We don't believe it because Hikigaya-san is far more comfortable with you than strangers." Hayasaka shrugged.
"Ah, that's where you're mistaken," Yukino said. "We're not strangers. In fact, I'd hate to say we're uncomfortably close to each other."
Chika widened her eyes in confusion. "What do you mean by that, Yukinoshita-san? You're close, but you're neither friends nor lovers?"
"Being friends would require us to hang out regularly. And being lovers means we're committed to each other romantically." Yukino smiled eerily. "We barely met each other what, twice a month?"
"But we are close because we understand each other." Yukino gently took a sip of the tea from the cup Nagisa served. "Thank you, Kashiwagi-san."
"In other words, while they're physically distant, they have a strong emotional bond with each other." Nagisa laughed as she served red tea to the other girls. "Personally, I think the idea is quite romantic."
The story began last year.
Shirogane Miyuki was recruited into the student council, but Hikigaya Hachiman had no interest in joining. Though they remain friends outside, they're no longer as close at school!
Within this time filled with an emotional void, a lonely boy stumbled upon the presence of a lonely girl.
That was when Hikigaya Hachiman met Yukinoshita Yukino.
"We met a lot, we talked a lot. Most of the time, it was around lunchtime." Yukino said. "I was isolated at the time. People either looked down on me or were afraid of my cold attitude. I don't mind the loneliness. For me, that is just a fact of life."
"But since I met him, things around me have changed," Yukino said. "We have a lot of clashing opinions, yet we understood each other. We were loners, yet we disliked loneliness. And we hate to admit it, but we enjoyed each other's company."
"It was around the time when Yukino-san started to open up to her classmates," Nagisa said. "It is how I get to know her well."
"But while I started to get friends, he had no one but me. To be honest, I was concerned. And I think Hikigaya-kun also started to get uncomfortable because he felt like a burden."
"In that kind of situation, our relationships, or the nonexistence of it, became a sore point," Yukino said. "I could confidently say that he liked me, just like I was attracted to him."
"We were too stubborn, immature, and unwilling to admit our true feelings. With Summer vacation coming, it should be a good chance for us to mend our distance and get closer, but nothing ever comes out of it."
"Doesn't Hikigaya-san spend most of his time with the President around?" Chika asked. "I distinctly remember this."
"It was indeed like that," Momo said. "I know for sure because we become close after this. And Hachiman told his misadventures in Chiba involving the President."
"That is correct. After the election, Hikigaya-kun joined the Student Council. We met again for the first time within six weeks of separation and have changed as people." Yukino said. "It is ridiculous. Even though we're neither friends nor ever dated, my close friends said we behaved like a divorced couple."
"We did say that." Nagisa openly laughed. "Maki-san was this close to trapping you two in a closet because she was annoyed."
Ah, so you're super self-aware about it. Hayasaka remarked.
"Do you... still like Hikigaya-san?" Chika asked somewhat awkwardly. "Given the chance, would you like to go on a date with him?"
"If he was here, I'd say I'd rather die. But since he isn't here, I'd say the chances of it happening isn't zero." Yukino calmly answered.
This bitch. Momo popped a vein. "Your confidence is grating, you know?"
"Cry about it." Yukino straight-up told her off.
Hayasaka and Chika, too, understood that when Yukino said the chances aren't zero, it might as well be a hundred percent assured. If they get closer again, then it is not a matter of if, but when.
The old rumor resurfacing wasn't a coincidence. It was because Hachiman and Yukino met each other more regularly than before. In other words, any other girls romantically interested in him are on borrowed time.
Either they need to take action now or never.
However, while close to Hikigaya Hachiman, the three girls aren't necessarily attracted to him romantically. They were curious and wanted to get closer to him as a friend. Each has their own reasons why.
...Or so they would try to convince themselves.
"Also, when it comes to Hikigaya-kun, sure enough, big breasts are an advantage. Because he likes them just like most boys do." Yukino siddenly said. "But I am not too concerned about it."
"...Why?"
"Because he is obsessed with these."
Yukino's face suddenly turned devilish as she slid her chair behind... and crossed her legs. Uncharacteristically, she began showing off her immaculate, smooth, slender, and long legs for everyone to see.
"I hope I will never become a love rival for Yukino-san." Nagisa winced. "When you're being competitive, you really have no chill."
"Well, I know you have an AWFUL taste in men, Kashiwagi-san." Yukino said. "Considering you're pining for that guy..."
"I'm not even going to defend myself." Nagisa shrugged. "Good thing you gave up on him, so I have a chance."
It was when Ryuuju Momo, Fujiwara Chika, and Hayasaka Ai understood.
...
"As I said, I came here with a peaceful intent," Kaguya said while carrying a basket of fruits in her hand. "You know very well it is hard for me to get impressed with someone."
"Even more reason not to believe you." Maki frowned. "Get it? If you make trouble, I'll make you pay, Auntie."
"Stop calling me Auntie, I'm not that old." Kaguya scolded her.
When they entered the clubroom, they see Hayasaka, Momo, and Chika kneeling on the floor in despair. While Yukino smugly sat on the chair in front of them.
Kaguya and Maki closed the door in confusion and fear until Nagisa opened it for them with a grimace. "I can explain, but where to begin..."
Hikigaya Hachiman is, in fact, a leg man!
...
The Results of Today's Battle: Yukinoshita Yukino's splendid victory!
"You look happy, Kaguya-sama."
"How could I not?" Kaguya grinned. "Not only did I win a hard-fought battle splendidly, but the President was also willing to be the subservient one and made the first move."
"Ah." Hayasaka realized. "He gave it to you, I suppose?"
"He said it was a congratulatory gift for my victory. But when I asked how could he be so sure I was going to win, he said-"
Kaguya snickered hard.
"He said it was because of his faith in me!" Kaguya cheerfully pointed. "Isn't that basically admitting his devotion to me?"
"That is true." Hayasaka nodded.
"Then it is just a little more until he confessed to me." Kaguya boasted. "Because if he's that devoted to me, then that means he loved me!"
"I wouldn't say that." Hayasaka waved her hand. "Faith and devotion could also mean friendships, comradeships, familial, and in my case, servitude."
Faith! The word faith itself is not necessarily religious. However, it means absolute belief in something, even if people call it unreasonable.
"Having faith in someone means burdening them with unreasonable expectations, or so Hikigaya-san would say." Hayasaka rolled her eyes. "Nevertheless, it is not necessarily romantic on the President's part."
Kaguya popped a vein, knowing that Hayasaka was right and that she couldn't argue. And that was the reason why she felt mad now! Her mood is ruined!
"I think you missed the most crucial part of the whole ordeal. The reason behind these flowers, and why President gave it." Hayasaka smiled knowingly. "Rather than selfishly thinking it is about the confession you waited for so long, should you not think about the deeper meaning behind that gesture?"
Kaguya was agape.
"True. If it was the usual President, he would do this to fish for a compliment or try to seduce me into confessing instead." Kaguya sadly smiled. "Did he purposely show his weakness to cheer me up?"
Kaguya understood how prideful Shirogane Miyuki can be. So for him to openly show care and affection like that, regardless of how it makes him look...
"He has been doing that for an entire week to cheer you up, but you were too obsessed with Yukinoshita and the exam ranks." Hayasaka pointed. "I will be frank. You're a terrible woman for ignoring him because you were jealous of someone completely unrelated. You were, literally, missing the forest for the trees."
Kaguya felt harpooned by each of Hayasaka's statements. It was true that hatred and envy clouded her eyes for a week straight. To the point of ignoring Miyuki entirely!
"It was a great opportunity to nurture his feelings so he could be more open too." Hayasaka scoffed.
"...Aren't you as rotten as I am for thinking that way?" Kaguya twitched.
"I'm just saying," Hayasaka said. "Maybe you should extend him an olive branch in return."
"Hmm." Kaguya gave a non-committal answer, which worried Hayasaka somewhat.
"Also, I made a mistake in many ways, which was disheartening. I'm sorry I wasn't able to do my duty properly."
"Was it about the intel on Yukinoshita-san? You can brush that off just fine." Kaguya said. "She let that rumor spread to play possum and made people underestimate her."
"Appear weak when you are strong! And appear strong when you're weak!" - Sun Tzu (paraphrased).
"The intel is one thing, but there was this thing," Hayasaka explained the bet she made with Hachiman and how it backfired horribly. All because she believed Kaguya could dominate the race.
"It isn't like you to believe in something like faith, Hayasaka." Kaguya blushed. "I mean, I appreciate it, but still."
"I won't repeat that mistake," Hayasaka remarked, which annoyed Kaguya a bit. Needless to say, Kaguya is an emotionally unstable girl.
"You better start writing your will." Kaguya smiled in dejection.
That bad?!
"Don't worry. I know just enough to say that Hikigaya-san is actually the least perverted guy in the student council, so be assured your purity will be preserved." Kaguya sighed heavily. "But he is extremely petty."
"I know he is," Hayasaka said. "But how petty are we talking about?"
"One time Fujiwara-san stole his irreplaceable seasonal candies, he asked her to buy him dagashi, 100 yen worth every day for a week," Kaguya explained. "And she's not allowed to buy the dagashi in bulk. She HAD to go to grandma's store and buy 100 yen of dagashi daily. Hikigaya-san will snitch her to her father about her school mischiefs should she refuse."
Let alone someone born into an elite family. Doing that would be humiliating for any high school student, period. And Hayasaka is aware of how strict Minister Fujiwara is. The threat of snitching, for Chika, is a fate worse than death!
Now granted, Fujiwara Chika is innocent and casual enough to do that alone. However, she is also lazy, and the enforced routine will ruin her fun.
That was why Hikigaya Hachiman is evil. He gave Chika the lightest possible punishment under the threat of something legitimately grave!
"And I also know he had been ignoring Ryuju Momo-san for instigating the competition in public, dragging his name under the mud on accident." Kaguya raised her hand. "I couldn't personally blame him."
"Well, at least his demand is relatively reasonable," Hayasaka remarked. "If it was something petty and tedious, I'd be relieved."
Dealing with Kaguya's shenanigans and pettiness is already tedious as it is. Not that Hayasaka would say it aloud...
Kaguya shrugged. "I won't chastise you or anything since it was partly my fault. But when he gives his demand, you better deliver. He hasn't been awfully disruptive recently, so I have no ill will about him. Make sure he remains as unproblematic as possible."
Of course, that was because Hayasaka conspired with Hachiman to not interfere with her plans. Having Hachiman snitch Hayasaka to Kaguya would be the worst-case scenario, so Hayasaka better be obedient.
"If you say so, Kaguya-sama." Hayasaka bowed in gratitude. "Thank you for the lenience."
"Speaking of Yukinoshita-san, I wonder how she felt about the ordeal," Kaguya said.
"I don't know about how she feels about the defeat." Hayasaka gave a tablet with a picture of Hachiman hauling Yukino's weakened body.
"He wanted to ravish her in secret?!" Kaguya gawked and flailed. "Maybe Hikigaya-san isn't as celibate as he appeared to us, after all! Should we call the Police?!"
"ARE YOU AN IDIOT?!" Hayasaka screamed.
Hayasaka explained to Kaguya that Hachiman said Yukino almost fainted when she walked out of the Traditional Arts room. Slowly, Kaguya's panic attack turned into a genuine concern.
Which Hayasaka found strange.
"In fairness, I was also quite tired when we were done. But fainting is a bit too much. I wonder if Yukinoshita-san had a condition."
Kaguya hardly has a robust physique to begin with. But it seemed that Yukino was so much worse in that regard.
"We did have her medical records, and they showed no anomalies." Hayasaka refuted. "But she lived a sedentary life, so her stamina is less than average teenage girls."
Ah, so Yukino have a geek physique!
"It is relieving to hear that," Kaguya said. "I mean? It would be bad optics if she suffered something major after our fight today."
What Kaguya said was perfectly rational and sensible. However, Hayasaka noticed the oddity in her delivery. Hayasaka had seen it before, and calling it a Deja Vu is an apt comparison.
Could it be... she...
"Kaguya-sama," Hayasaka muttered. "Could it be that you fancied Yukinoshita Yukino now?"
Kaguya grimaced, and her face was flushed.
"For the record, I am completely straight," Kaguya said defensively.
"Then why did your reaction to her feel like when you started opening up to President?"
"Maybe it is." Kaguya rubbed her chin, thoughtful. "Though. It was more like... something different yet familiar."
Hayasaka pondered for a moment. But her train of thought got stopped when Kaguya called her out. "And what about you? Don't tell me you lost the plot and fell for Hikigaya-san for real?"
"If I have to be honest, it is a possibility." Hayasaka kept her poker face as she truthfully explained. "Objectively speaking, he may not be a perfect man, but he is ideal for many. It is too easy to fall for his oblivious charm and fall in love."
Kaguya gagged as if she wanted to vomit. "You sure have a poor taste in men."
"Are you SURE you want to say that to me, Kaguya-sama?" Hayasaka popped a vein. "Let me remind you of the person you fell in love with."
"AH!!!" Kaguya lost her cool and screamed as she hid her face in the bouquet. "I don't want to hear it."
Hayasaka got closer and whispered to Kaguya's ears. "You are in love with the President of Shuuchin High, far from the perfect man. In fact, he is the worst possible match for you. He is destitute, has zero talent, and achieves everything through painstaking effort. Most Shinomiya members would call him a loser."
"Shut up, Hayasaka." Kaguya bit her lips and started crying. "Don't make me verbally admit it! And don't you dare to insult him and his effort!"
Ah, so you really had fallen for him.
"But as I said, Hikigaya Hachiman might be a heavily flawed person, but he also had a lot of charming points," Hayasaka said. "I'm sure you're not dense enough to not realize why I said this."
"Hrm." Kaguya scrunched up her face. "Certainly, what you said isn't objectively wrong. The President is definitely far more likable in public. But when women are involved, I think Hikigaya-san has a slight edge."
"You seem happy about that." Hayasaka drily commented.
Kaguya decided to ignore that blatant teasing. Kaguya might deny it, but she is unhappy whenever other girls display interest in Shirogane Miyuki.
"Fujiwara-san is banned from dating, so she used him for the so-called boyfriend play. She acts like a needy girlfriend to him and tries to spoil him with kindness in return. However, I think Hikigaya-san is either oblivious or denies the whole ordeal and thinks of her as a close friend."
"That is indeed correct."
"As for Ryuju-san, he more or less becomes her moral compass. Their relationships are significantly deeper, complex, and, dare I say, more intimate. At first, their relationships were more like two brothers." Kaguya explained. "I think he's more conscious of her as a girl recently, and she's putting effort into getting more feminine too. Thus, the rift in their relationships grows."
In fact, Kaguya noticed that Momo started to grow her hair again after keeping it short since she quit the Student Council. Kaguya thought something had happened in the Spring Vacation two months ago.
"That is also correct."
"How can Kaguya-sama be so perceptive and understanding of women and Hikigaya-san yet completely and utterly fooled about herself or the President?" Hayasaka wondered. "Love truly makes you blind."
"What about you, Hayasaka?" Kaguya sharpened her eyes. "No lies allowed."
"I think I might fall for him if I don't keep my guard up," Hayasaka said, half-truth and half-lie. "Hikigaya-san will be able to see and accept me for what I am. And that scared me the most. He made me feel weak and exposed, and I despised him. With him around, it is hard to do my job."
Hayasaka prized her ability to lie and deceive to fulfill her duties, but Hachiman? He could dismantle her efforts with a glance.
"If I have to be honest with you, I am not confident I can hold him for long." Hayasaka sighed. "I won't make excuses for my incompetence and accept my punishment, no matter what you decide. But I can say you don't have leisure time left."
"So even YOU were driven into a corner." Kaguya frowned. "Hikigaya-san really is a menace."
Kaguya understood the most how dangerously intrusive Hachiman could be. So, it is not a matter of Hayasaka failing out of incompetence. Hachiman bested the best just fine by being a proverbial sledgehammer.
"He is, indeed, scary." Kaguya frowned. "But never mind about that, just continue your job."
Hayasaka wondered how Kaguya could be so tolerant these days. She grows softer thanks to her love for the President. As a Shinomiya, nurturing this would be a mistake.
But as a person, Hayasaka couldn't feel more thankful.
"Anyway! While your appearance altered the balance, Yukinoshita Yukino shook it upside down." Kaguya said. "Perhaps Hikigaya-san really loves her. What do you think, as one of his potential suitors?"
Hayasaka couldn't tell if Kaguya was joking, which worried her. Nevertheless, Hayasaka decided to use her objective assessment.
"We have no clue unless we ask," Hayasaka said. "Either them or their former classmates."
It was a pointless answer but also a correct one.
"Well, get on it, then." Kaguya smiled in a sinister manner. "We could always use Yukinoshita-san to distract him, should there be an opportunity."
That would be effective. But somehow, Hayasaka felt unsettled.
やはり, 彼らが望む告白は間違っている. S2
As expected, the Confession they want is wrong S2
Original Story by: Watari Wataru and Akasaka Aka
Written by: @ZeroXSEED, Co-written by: @GoukaRyuu
As expected, the Confession they want is wrong S2
Original Story by: Watari Wataru and Akasaka Aka
Written by: @ZeroXSEED, Co-written by: @GoukaRyuu
Chapter 30 - Hayasaka Wants to Deal with
"The other two can stay, but you, please go away." Yukino coldly said as she slammed the door shut in Momo's face.
"I said I'm sorry, hey!" Momo banged the door angrily.
"You have the worst timing and manner, Momo-chan," Chika remarked. "Maybe starts with apologizing properly and then goes from there."
"You bitches have a better idea. I am listening." Momo deadpanned.
"I literally just said it." Chika shrugged. "Apologize properly."
Momo pretended to ignore that one, which made Chika sigh.
"We've been telling you about this, Ryuju-san, but you acted like you were the one getting wronged. Or something equally as stupid." Hayasaka jibed exaggeratedly to style with her gal persona. "That is not how you approach a rumor victim, after all."
"Victim, right." Chika frowned. "I mean? People gossip about us, too, but I don't necessarily mind. But the thing is, it is different when it comes to Hikigaya-san and Yukinoshita-san. People would paint the rumor maliciously because they're external students."
In other words, the rumor between Hachiman and Yukino was excessively negative.
"The rumor had died for six months until it resurfaced recently." Momo nodded. "Although the trigger was Miyuki and later Shinomiya, Yukinoshita and Hachiman were the main targets. It was mainly the reason I provoked the fight in the first place. Otherwise, the tension will brew higher."
"You don't fix overpressure by slamming a sledgehammer on the pipe, though." Hayasaka grinned. "The President and Hikigaya-san were called the school safety valves for good reason. Although he's blunt, he always gives measured responses to resolve problems. And President can balance it out with his polite, professional approach."
Momo's actions were far from measured. Everything she has done has always been on impulse.
"What are you guys doing here?" Nagisa asked when she found the three hanging around the Public Service clubroom. "Do you want to have a consultation?"
"No, no, no. We were bothering Yukinoshita-san about something." Hayasaka waved her hands. "Too bad we were starting with such a rough patch! Please tell her we were sorry."
"Although she looked calm, her mood has been rough since yesterday." Nagisa sadly smiled. "Yukino-san might not show it well, but deep inside, she is fiercely competitive."
"We could tell, actually," Chika said. "I have never seen someone who pressured Kaguya-san to such a degree. Besides, if she wasn't competitive, she wouldn't get provoked by idiotic trash talk."
"Oh. Trash talk nothing. Insulting a girl about their physical appearance is the highest form of humiliation." Hayasaka gleefully pointed. "What was that again, Ryuju-san? Something about her lacking figure?"
Hayasaka did this as she mimicked what Momo did before. Slapping her own chest.
Momo felt like Chika and Hayasaka dropped an anvil on her. Right, there was that one. Momo literally insulted Yukino in public about her flat chest.
Understandably, Yukino was still upset. Why would she help someone so rude, hostile, and going out of her way to put you in an unfavorable situation?
Hachiman and Yukino are both frank and sometimes crass, but they are always ready to extend their hand to help people around them.
"Yukino-san can be petty, but she is not that petty." Nagisa smiled. "I'm sure there is something else that you missed. Something important you overlooked, and she wanted you to realize it."
"Something important that I overlooked," Momo mumbled.
"How do you feel about the whole ordeal?" Nagisa gave an angelic smile as she patted Momo's shoulder. "I'm sure you're frustrated, but so is everyone else."
"Hachiman said the same thing," Momo said. "He asked what I felt seeing everything unfold, and when I said I was amused at first, but... then I feel frustrated because he was so angry."
"Well, what else do you feel, other than amusement? And why do you think he is angry? What did you feel when he was angry?" Nagisa continued her string of questions. "Do you even care that he is angry?"
That last question was what finally shattered the confusion.
Momo rubbed her tears off. Recently, she had been developing a habit of crying for no reason. Which seemed cute. Until you realize this is the heiress to a dominant organized crime group in Kanto.
Do I even care?
With this in mind, Momo decided to knock on the door again.
"What is it?" Yukino opened it halfway.
Momo bowed deeply.
"I'm really sorry about what happened," Momo said. "I can't say with honesty that I care about what happened with you, but when I think about what Hachiman feels, now I realize that it was hurting me as well. And I feel bad for inflicting it on you both."
"Good." Yukino fully opened the door. "We're off to a good start."
Hayasaka and Chika looked at each other. Both were somewhat confused. However, they entered the room without much fuss now that Yukino allowed Momo to enter.
"Welcome to Public Service Club," Yukino said. "Although we've done a lot of social services and charities, our original purpose was to lend a hand to students who have unsolvable problems in their hands."
"But the way we do it is not through direct intervention." Yukino sat down and smiled. "You give a man a fish? He's set for a day. You teach a man to fish? He's set for life. Congratulations, Ryuju-san, you finally developed a sense of empathy and remorse."
Hayasaka and Chika both twitched. They always know that Momo isn't exactly like the average girl. But for Yukino to dig so deep, this girl is batshit insane. Dangerously clever, too.
No wonder she became so influential at Shuchiin.
"So it is called empathy," Momo mumbled. "Being upset about someone's problem, huh? Admittedly, it is a new thing for me. My family would've considered it a weakness."
"If humans were entirely rational, that would have been a weakness. Fortunately, we are not. The only reason why the human population survived countless disasters is because people cared for the sick and the disabled." Yukino said. "If humans have no empathy, we won't be here. We'd perish a long time ago."
Hayasaka thought what Yukino said sounded laughably naive, but it was far from it. The reality is that humans are complicated beings.
"I hate selfish and demanding people like you the most, Ryuju-san," Yukino said. "But at the end of the day, I can't selfishly turn down people willing to take a step forward."
Momo can't catch a break today!
"If you don't change yourself, your problem will never leave." Nagisa smiled as she brewed a pot of tea. "This is the motto of the Public Service Club."
"It is an interesting concept for a club, I admit." Chika smiled.
"You know why I came here, right?" Momo said. "I know it is bothersome, so I will keep it short. What is your relationship with Hikigaya Hachiman, really?"
"We're neither friends nor lovers," Yukino said. "I know that is hard to believe, but that is how it is."
"We don't believe it because Hikigaya-san is far more comfortable with you than strangers." Hayasaka shrugged.
"Ah, that's where you're mistaken," Yukino said. "We're not strangers. In fact, I'd hate to say we're uncomfortably close to each other."
Chika widened her eyes in confusion. "What do you mean by that, Yukinoshita-san? You're close, but you're neither friends nor lovers?"
"Being friends would require us to hang out regularly. And being lovers means we're committed to each other romantically." Yukino smiled eerily. "We barely met each other what, twice a month?"
"But we are close because we understand each other." Yukino gently took a sip of the tea from the cup Nagisa served. "Thank you, Kashiwagi-san."
"In other words, while they're physically distant, they have a strong emotional bond with each other." Nagisa laughed as she served red tea to the other girls. "Personally, I think the idea is quite romantic."
The story began last year.
Shirogane Miyuki was recruited into the student council, but Hikigaya Hachiman had no interest in joining. Though they remain friends outside, they're no longer as close at school!
Within this time filled with an emotional void, a lonely boy stumbled upon the presence of a lonely girl.
That was when Hikigaya Hachiman met Yukinoshita Yukino.
"We met a lot, we talked a lot. Most of the time, it was around lunchtime." Yukino said. "I was isolated at the time. People either looked down on me or were afraid of my cold attitude. I don't mind the loneliness. For me, that is just a fact of life."
"But since I met him, things around me have changed," Yukino said. "We have a lot of clashing opinions, yet we understood each other. We were loners, yet we disliked loneliness. And we hate to admit it, but we enjoyed each other's company."
"It was around the time when Yukino-san started to open up to her classmates," Nagisa said. "It is how I get to know her well."
"But while I started to get friends, he had no one but me. To be honest, I was concerned. And I think Hikigaya-kun also started to get uncomfortable because he felt like a burden."
"In that kind of situation, our relationships, or the nonexistence of it, became a sore point," Yukino said. "I could confidently say that he liked me, just like I was attracted to him."
"We were too stubborn, immature, and unwilling to admit our true feelings. With Summer vacation coming, it should be a good chance for us to mend our distance and get closer, but nothing ever comes out of it."
"Doesn't Hikigaya-san spend most of his time with the President around?" Chika asked. "I distinctly remember this."
"It was indeed like that," Momo said. "I know for sure because we become close after this. And Hachiman told his misadventures in Chiba involving the President."
"That is correct. After the election, Hikigaya-kun joined the Student Council. We met again for the first time within six weeks of separation and have changed as people." Yukino said. "It is ridiculous. Even though we're neither friends nor ever dated, my close friends said we behaved like a divorced couple."
"We did say that." Nagisa openly laughed. "Maki-san was this close to trapping you two in a closet because she was annoyed."
Ah, so you're super self-aware about it. Hayasaka remarked.
"Do you... still like Hikigaya-san?" Chika asked somewhat awkwardly. "Given the chance, would you like to go on a date with him?"
"If he was here, I'd say I'd rather die. But since he isn't here, I'd say the chances of it happening isn't zero." Yukino calmly answered.
This bitch. Momo popped a vein. "Your confidence is grating, you know?"
"Cry about it." Yukino straight-up told her off.
Hayasaka and Chika, too, understood that when Yukino said the chances aren't zero, it might as well be a hundred percent assured. If they get closer again, then it is not a matter of if, but when.
The old rumor resurfacing wasn't a coincidence. It was because Hachiman and Yukino met each other more regularly than before. In other words, any other girls romantically interested in him are on borrowed time.
Either they need to take action now or never.
However, while close to Hikigaya Hachiman, the three girls aren't necessarily attracted to him romantically. They were curious and wanted to get closer to him as a friend. Each has their own reasons why.
...Or so they would try to convince themselves.
"Also, when it comes to Hikigaya-kun, sure enough, big breasts are an advantage. Because he likes them just like most boys do." Yukino siddenly said. "But I am not too concerned about it."
"...Why?"
"Because he is obsessed with these."
Yukino's face suddenly turned devilish as she slid her chair behind... and crossed her legs. Uncharacteristically, she began showing off her immaculate, smooth, slender, and long legs for everyone to see.
"I hope I will never become a love rival for Yukino-san." Nagisa winced. "When you're being competitive, you really have no chill."
"Well, I know you have an AWFUL taste in men, Kashiwagi-san." Yukino said. "Considering you're pining for that guy..."
"I'm not even going to defend myself." Nagisa shrugged. "Good thing you gave up on him, so I have a chance."
It was when Ryuuju Momo, Fujiwara Chika, and Hayasaka Ai understood.
...
"As I said, I came here with a peaceful intent," Kaguya said while carrying a basket of fruits in her hand. "You know very well it is hard for me to get impressed with someone."
"Even more reason not to believe you." Maki frowned. "Get it? If you make trouble, I'll make you pay, Auntie."
"Stop calling me Auntie, I'm not that old." Kaguya scolded her.
When they entered the clubroom, they see Hayasaka, Momo, and Chika kneeling on the floor in despair. While Yukino smugly sat on the chair in front of them.
Kaguya and Maki closed the door in confusion and fear until Nagisa opened it for them with a grimace. "I can explain, but where to begin..."
Hikigaya Hachiman is, in fact, a leg man!
...
The Results of Today's Battle: Yukinoshita Yukino's splendid victory!
Last edited:
TriGayatri
Butter Cookies Villainess
- Location
- Indonesia
- Pronouns
- She
Oh god, oh fuck.
Fuck me. Yukino is becoming Haruno.
How is this even a contest?
ZeroXSEED
Economic Authoritarian Muslim Leftist
- Location
- In the name of orange!
- Pronouns
- He
Because Yukino is procrastinating mid-race.How is this even a contest?
(Really though a more deep and serious exploration of their relationships will take place in Yukino arc 2, but for now, it's Hayasaka time)
Since I came in with the expectation yukino was never gonna win/be a candidate, any yukino content is just a bonus to all the other things I enjoy in the story. Also yukino establishing dominance haruno-style is hilarious.
Also, as a jjk fan kaguya growing to like yukino bc of their competition just gives me reminds of it(if you know you know.)
Great chapter and great arc zero.
Also, as a jjk fan kaguya growing to like yukino bc of their competition just gives me reminds of it(if you know you know.)
Great chapter and great arc zero.
Isn't more filler as in the arc is the study sessions that we didn't see leading up to the exam. As it's a flashback arc, they could fill in whenever.
ZeroXSEED
Economic Authoritarian Muslim Leftist
- Location
- In the name of orange!
- Pronouns
- He
No. But Chika's family is filler content.
Chika herself is extremely instrumental to show how Hachiman become the person he is now.
That is the one I'm talking about.
Last edited:
Awww, but Chika is the best girl in the series after Yukino, I hope she has a real chance of winning 8man's love like everyone else.
ZeroXSEED
Economic Authoritarian Muslim Leftist
- Location
- In the name of orange!
- Pronouns
- He
Fking kek
People absolutely love the depiction of Yukino on FF.net because her gigachad girlboss attitude.
Which is funny because two years ago, people was apeshit about her intruding the existing dynamic by her ice-cold canon personality.
What should I tell them...
People absolutely love the depiction of Yukino on FF.net because her gigachad girlboss attitude.
Which is funny because two years ago, people was apeshit about her intruding the existing dynamic by her ice-cold canon personality.
What should I tell them...
Z000
If this is trash, then find me in the dumpster
- Location
- Viet Nam
SeedFking kek
People absolutely love the depiction of Yukino on FF.net because her gigachad girlboss attitude.
Which is funny because two years ago, people was apeshit about her intruding the existing dynamic by her ice-cold canon personality.
What should I tell them...
it have been 2 years
people taste can