15: I Got My Confession Rejected by Yukinoshita Right Out of the Gate!
[15] 15: I Got My Confession Rejected by Yukinoshita Right Out of the Gate!
[15] “So then, what is it you came here for?” Yukinoshita asked.
She gave Tadayana a glance.
That girl did not look remotely like someone with a request.
“Oh, Totsuka-san has something he wants to ask of you.” At that, Totsuka stepped forward and explained what had happened.
In simple terms, following Tadayana’s advice, he wanted the Service Club to help investigate why the Tennis Club members had been so lax about practice lately, and then find a workable long-term solution.
“In other words, you need help investigating the matter and testing ways to manage people’s attitudes.
Is that correct?” Yukinoshita summed it up crisply.
“Scary, so scary.
It was a perfectly normal thing, but once Yukinon says it, it suddenly sounds totally different.” Yuigahama complained.
Though that was also one of the things that made Yukinoshita seem so impressive to her.
“Right.
Originally, Totsuka-san wanted to ask the two of us to handle it, but Tadayana and I are both just way too busy.” Isshiki threw in that completely unnecessary, troublemaking remark, earning a glare from Tadayana.
Then Tadayana moved behind her and gave the soft flesh at her waist a sharp little pinch.
Tears immediately sprang to Iroha’s eyes.
“That’s basically the situation.
I hope you’ll help me with this request.
Please.” Totsuka promptly drew everyone’s attention back.
“Mm.
Understood.
Then provide us with a list of your club members first.
We’ll go investigate them one by one.
You don’t need to come.
If you’re there as the club president, you might get protective and interfere with our work.” She really was gentle.
Tadayana naturally understood why Yukinoshita did not want Totsuka present.
Was there something you couldn’t just ask directly?
And only if the captain was absent could they speak honestly, from the perspective of a neutral investigation group.
Just as Yukinoshita finished speaking, the Service Club door slid open again, and Hikigaya walked in.
He visibly froze for a moment at the number of people inside.
“Good afternoon, gloomy guy.” “Oh.
Good afternoon.
Also, who are you calling gloomy guy…?” “Oh~ I see.
So this is where you got to know dead-fish-eyes too.” Isshiki looked at this vaguely familiar yet still unfamiliar person, connected that with what Tadayana had said before, and spoke up.
“Dead…
dead-fish-eyes…
pfft—” Yuigahama could not hold it in and burst out laughing.
“Shut up…
bitch.” “Who are you calling a bitch…?
You really do nothing but call me a bitch…” Yui Yuigahama said, a little annoyed.
“Oh~ Senpai, I underestimated you.
Looks like you and I have exactly the same attitude toward Yui-senpai.” Isshiki sighed in admiration.
She had not expected to find someone else in the world who thought the same way she did.
“Hey, hey, hey…
who has the same attitude as you?
You look like a woman who’d be a pain in the ass to deal with…” “Wh— who are you calling—” Just as Isshiki was about to throw herself into battle with Hikigaya, Tadayana grabbed hold of her.
“All right, all right, that’s enough.
Yui, don’t be upset either.
I’ll make you something to eat again later.” “Okay All hail Tadayanan~” Hearing that, Yui Yuigahama cheered right up.
Hearing that, Isshiki did not.
“When…
when did you make food for her??
So tell me this—am I even human to you?” That one sentence from Tadayana hit Isshiki harder than anything Hikigaya had said.
It was no less than a stab in the back.
“You’re such a hassle.
I’ll make it up to you somewhere else later.” With that, Tadayana flicked her lightly on the forehead, then gently patted her head as she spoke.
“Mm-hm, if you put it that way, then all right~ But it’d better be soon, before my anger cools off~” With Tadayana’s hand petting her just right, Isshiki let out a series of satisfied little grunts like a happy piglet.
“Uh…” Seeing the two of them act with such effortless intimacy, everyone else present was shaken to varying degrees.
Yuigahama simply felt that the two of them were so close it was almost enough to make her jealous, while Yukinoshita found it novel to see another side of Tadayana.
As for Hikigaya, he had finally fully sensed that strange, off note in the air.
“This is too weird…” He had never in his life seen a “best-friends” dynamic that felt like this.
He had spent years observing humanity, but this kind of natural intimacy left him unable to get a handle on it.
That was…
the overwhelmingly extroverted aura he had only ever felt from couples.
Terrifying…
far too terrifying.
Were these two women out here inventing some new trend?
“Have you finished?
Then, Hikigaya-kun, let us explain the work you’ll need to do, along with the background of this request.” Only after the room had quieted down again did Yukino Yukinoshita begin explaining things to Hachiman Hikigaya.
However, the moment he heard that Totsuka was actually a boy, Hikigaya stared at him deeply and proceeded to ask a truly appalling question: “What class are you in, and do you have time to be friends with me?” That immediately earned him Yuigahama’s retort: “Hikki, honestly.
He’s a boy from our class.” After a series of explanations, Hikigaya finally understood the whole situation.
“I understand the details now.
But why not just create the role of ‘everyone’s common enemy’ directly?
Wouldn’t that be more efficient?” Hikigaya said.
“What do you mean?” “It means, instead of doing all kinds of investigations and analyzing things from every angle—which is a lot of time and effort—why not just use hostility toward one person as fuel for training?
Put simply, while they’re practicing, you go say something like, ‘Is this really all you’ve got?’ Then you pick the strongest one from the front door, beat him down, and run.
If you do it that way, it probably wouldn’t even take twenty minutes.” “…You’re so rigid.” Hearing him say that as if it were the most natural thing in the world, Tadayana shot back.
“Wh…” In all his years, this was the first time Hikigaya had ever been told he was no good.
“So what, then?
You have a better idea?”