The morning sunlight streamed through the gap in the curtains, falling across Hikigaya Hachiman’s face.
He pried open his bleary eyes with some difficulty and habitually reached for his phone on the nightstand.
As his arm moved, the faint tugging sensation from his left forearm reminded him of yesterday’s ordeal.
He unlocked the screen.
An unread Line message sat prominently in the pinned chat at the top.
The contact was—Yukinoshita Yukino.
Her profile picture was that signature, adorably goofy panda plushie—Pan-san.
The faintly cute profile picture, creating such a subtle mismatch with her cool, composed real-life presence—it always struck Hikigaya as a bit…
out of place?
The message had been sent half an hour ago.
Yukinoshita Yukino: Good morning, Hikigaya-kun.
Regarding the follow-up on the Aikawa Ren incident, Hiratsuka-sensei has already contacted me.
She and the school will coordinate to handle the police procedures and statements.
We will not need to make an additional trip there ourselves.
Hikigaya blinked and typed his reply.
Hikigaya Hachiman: Noted.
Okay.
Concise and to the point.
It fit his usual style, and also…
seemed to fit the conversation-ending pattern the other party likely expected.
However, just as he set his phone down and prepared to get up, the notification chime sounded again.
Yukinoshita Yukino: Additionally, do you have any other plans for lunch today?
Hikigaya froze for a second and replied instinctively.
Hikigaya Hachiman: No.
Same as usual.
His usual lunchtimes consisted of either grabbing whatever bread or set meal from the cafeteria, or racing to the school store for the limited-edition yakisoba bread, then finding some deserted spot or heading back to the classroom to wolf it down quickly.
A textbook example of the efficient, energy-saving solitary lunch.
The message showed as read.
There was a pause of a few seconds on the other end, as if she were weighing her words.
Then, a new message popped up.
Yukinoshita Yukino: In that case…
if you don’t mind, could you come to the Service Club room at noon today?
I…
have prepared some lunch.
Hikigaya stared at this message, his finger hovering over the screen, momentarily at a loss for how to reply.
Yukinoshita…
was inviting him to lunch?
Lunch she had made herself?
Wasn’t this…
wasn’t this development a little off?
Could it be that yesterday’s impact had not only injured his arm but also affected his optic nerves, causing strange hallucinations?
He blinked forcefully.
The message still sat there, clear as day.
Pan-san’s panda face seemed to gaze at him silently.
Yukinoshita Yukino: It is merely…
as thanks for what you did yesterday…
well…
and for certain things before.
There is no other meaning.
Another message quickly followed, as if to cover something up.
Hikigaya looked at this explanation that seemed to protest just a little too much.
Unbidden, the image of that brief embrace outside her apartment door yesterday evening flashed through his mind—along with her thoroughly reddened ears.
His own cheeks couldn’t help warming slightly.
‘Damn it…
what is this?
Some kind of bonus perk for heroically rescuing a damsel?
And isn’t this perk a little too…
over-the-top?’ He complained frantically in his head, but his fingers moved beyond his control.
Hikigaya Hachiman: …Alright.
Understood.
See you at noon.
After sending that message, as if he had just completed a mission of great importance, he tossed his phone aside and buried his face in his pillow.
‘Hikigaya Hachiman, you of all people know perfectly well that once trouble starts, it never ends easily…
You’re practically flooring the accelerator on the road straight into the abyss of endless headache!’
…
Yukinoshita Residence
Yukinoshita Yukino looked at that brief “Alright” on her phone screen and let out an almost imperceptible breath of relief.
But immediately, a more distinct blush quietly crept up her fair cheeks.
She locked the screen.
Pan-san’s good-natured smile seemed to take on a hint of deeper meaning.
She set her phone down and turned her gaze toward the dining table.
On it sat two neatly arranged bento boxes.
One was deep blue with clean lines—the one she usually used.
The other was newly purchased, with a wood-grain texture that looked simple yet warm.
She opened the wooden bento box.
Inside were carefully arranged dishes: tamagoyaki fried to just the right degree, retaining a tender golden hue; a few carrot pieces cut into little flower shapes using a mold; neatly laid-out seaweed rolls and shrimp tempura; and, occupying one corner, butter cookies baked to a lightly browned color—the very kind he had once said he liked.
Every portion was just right, the colors harmoniously matched.
It was clear considerable care had gone into it.
Yukinoshita reached out a finger and gently touched the still-warm edge of the bento box.
A softness—and a shyness she herself didn’t fully understand—flickered through her ice-blue eyes.
She murmured to herself, as if trying to convince herself.
“This is merely…
an ordinary expression of thanks.
Yes.
Nothing more.”
She carefully closed the bento box, wrapped it in a clean cloth, and then placed it solemnly into her school bag.
Having done all this, she felt as if her heartbeat was just a little faster than usual.
…
Hikigaya walked into the classroom with a nuanced and complicated feeling, stepping in just as the warning bell rang.
He had originally planned, as always, to slip unnoticed into his corner seat and begin his day of “human observation” and “energy-saving mode” standby.
However, the moment he stepped through the back door, his gaze fixed upon his own seat.
Yuigahama Yui was sitting in the seat next to his, her chin propped in her hands, looking as though she had been waiting for a while.
Her hair was done up in her signature bun today.
She looked to be in good spirits, though a faint, lingering trace of worry still remained in the depths of her eyes.
The instant she spotted Hikigaya, her eyes lit up like a puppy spotting its owner—she practically sprang up from her seat.
“Hikki!
Good morning!” She greeted him in a bright, clear voice, her gaze immediately falling on the gauze on his left arm.
Her brow furrowed with concern at once.
“How’s your wound?
Does it still hurt?
Did you get good rest last night?
Have you changed the bandages yet?”
A barrage of questions sprayed at him like machine-gun fire, brimming with undisguised concern.
Hikigaya was caught somewhat off guard by this enthusiastic “greeting.” He instinctively took half a step back before barely managing to maintain his poker face and answer, “…Morning.
It’s fine now.
Doesn’t hurt.
I rested.
The bandage…
I’ll change it later.”
“Really?
Don’t push yourself, okay!” Yuigahama leaned in closer, as if she wanted to inspect it more carefully.
A faint, sweet fragrance—somehow reminiscent of sunshine—wafted from her.
“Really.” Hikigaya discreetly created a bit more distance between them.
This kind of overly close social proximity made him instinctively uncomfortable.
“That’s good…” Yuigahama seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
A smile bloomed on her face once more, and she began chattering away about other topics.
“Oh, right, Hikki, did you know?
That Aikawa kid from yesterday—Hiratsuka-sensei said he’s been temporarily placed in a welfare facility, and his scumbag father’s been detained too!
Isn’t that great!”
“Mm.
I heard.”
“Also, also, Miura-san and the others were talking about new nail polish colors today…”
“Oh.”
“Hikki, your tie looks a little crooked today…”
“…I’ll fix it myself.”
As Hikigaya half-heartedly entertained Yuigahama’s lively chatter, he silently calculated how many minutes remained until class started, wanting only to get through this attention-grabbing “morning concern session” as quickly as possible.
However, Yuigahama’s tone suddenly shifted.
Her voice dropped slightly, tinged with hesitation, yet also as if she had steeled herself with some resolve.
“Um…
Hikki,” she pulled out a square box carefully wrapped in cute, cartoon-patterned wrapping paper from behind her.
She held it out to Hikigaya with both hands, her cheeks faintly flushed, her eyes somewhat evasive yet bravely fixed on him.
“This…
is for you!”
Hikigaya looked at the object—clearly a bento box—and the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.
“This is…?”
“I-It’s a bento I woke up extra early this morning to make!” Yuigahama’s voice carried a hint of pride and a touch of shyness.
“It’s a reward for you, Hikki!
You were so brave protecting that kid yesterday, and you even got hurt…
so…
um…
please take it!”
Looking at this “thank-you gift” positively brimming with girlish sentiment before him, and recalling that “invitation” from Yukinoshita on Line, Hikigaya felt his stomach already starting to ache faintly in advance.
He couldn’t help complaining inwardly in full force.
‘Did I trigger some kind of “Bento Collector” hidden achievement today or something?
Or is this some new type of punishment game targeting my fragile digestive system?’
His instinct was to deflect with one of his usual self-deprecating, distancing remarks—something like, ‘Yuigahama-san, your cooking skills…
surely you haven’t reached the ‘inedible to carbon-based life’ level again?’
But the words reached the tip of his tongue, and then he saw Yuigahama’s large eyes, brimming with expectation and even a touch of unease.
He swallowed them back down forcefully.
He merely tugged at the corner of his mouth and said dryly, “…You didn’t need to go to all this trouble.”
“Ehhh—!” Yuigahama immediately puffed out her cheeks, as if she had suffered some monumental grievance.
In a tone laced with playful reproach, she said, “Hikki!
This is a token of my heartfelt gratitude!
I practiced for so long!
At least…
at least try a bite!”
That look—it practically declared that if he dared refuse, she would burst into tears right then and there.
“…Fine.” Hikigaya sighed inwardly and, as if resigning himself to fate, accepted the weighty (both physically and psychologically) bento box.
“…Thanks.”
“Hehe, you’re welcome!” Yuigahama’s expression instantly cleared like sunshine after rain, a brilliant smile spreading across her face.
“Then you have to finish it all, Hikki!
I’ll come find you at lunch so we can—”
The class bell rang right on cue, saving Hikigaya.
“Class is starting.
Hurry back to your seat.” Hikigaya, as if granted amnesty, quickly said.
“Ah, okay!
See you at noon, Hikki!” Only then did Yuigahama reluctantly rise and return to her own seat.
Hikigaya sat back down at his desk.
Looking at the bento box radiating a cute aura tucked inside his desk, and thinking about the other “sentiment” that likely awaited him in the Service Club room, he felt his head swelling to twice its size.
‘Thank goodness…’ He tried to console himself.
‘Normally at lunch I just grab something quick from the cafeteria.
I don’t have much of an appetite.
These two bentos…
at worst, I’ll just eat a little from each, and the rest…
well, I’ll figure something out.’
He naively believed this was simply a sweet, minor burden.
He had no idea that the gears of fate had long since begun to turn.
What awaited him in the Service Club room at noon would not be a quiet lunch hour, but an impending battlefield—one named “Feelings.”
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