The air in the clubroom had completely solidified because of that thoughtless blurt—”The Little Prince.”
‘Terrible.
Absolutely terrible.’ Hikigaya cursed himself inwardly as an incurable idiot.
The rims of his ears burned uncontrollably, so he could only stare fixedly at the desk, pretending the wood grain had suddenly become one of the world’s most fascinating phenomena.
Across from him, Yukinoshita had also fallen silent, but her silence was different from usual—more like she had been put on pause.
‘It’s over.
She definitely thinks I’m some gross guy wallowing in the past and bringing up shared memories without permission…’ he thought.
Just as his self-loathing was about to drown him completely, that familiar, icy mechanical voice detonated inside his head once again.
[Key Dialogue Node Detected: Fog of the Past.]
[Generating Options…]
[Option 1: Look directly at Yukinoshita Yukino and ask outright: “Yukinoshita, during those three years of middle school, why did you suddenly disappear?
Where did you go?” (Reward: Fragment of Yukinoshita Yukino’s Secret & Significant Increase in Relationship Uncertainty)]
[Option 2: Continue to remain silent, treat the previous slip of the tongue as if nothing happened, and wait for time to naturally cool the awkwardness.
(Reward: Skill “Playing Dumb (Basic)” — Slightly increases the chance of bluffing through when questioned)]
Here it comes again!
This damned system!
‘Option 2!
It’s definitely Option 2!
Playing dumb is my way of survival!’ He was almost ready to choose silence purely on instinct.
And yet, his heart hammered fiercely, beyond his control.
That question that had troubled him for so many years lodged itself like a tiny fish bone stuck deep in his throat.
Why did she…
just vanish like that?
As if possessed, he raised his head.
His gaze crashed straight into Yukinoshita’s ice-blue eyes, within which still lingered a trace of surprise she hadn’t managed to fully retract.
“Um…
Yukinoshita.”
Yukinoshita’s lashes fluttered faintly, as if waiting for him to continue.
Whether it was his imagination or not, her posture seemed to have straightened just a little compared to before.
‘Why is he suddenly speaking now?’ A flicker of confusion passed through her heart, but what stirred even more was an indescribable flutter.
Hikigaya drew a deep breath, as if marching to the execution grounds.
“During those three years of middle school…
why did you suddenly disappear?
Where did you go?”
He’d asked it.
‘It’s over.
Completely over now.’ He watched her nervously, bracing for the worst possible reaction.
However, Yukinoshita only gazed at him quietly.
The surprise in her eyes slowly faded, replaced by an emotion far more complex.
She tilted her head slightly, her gaze drifting toward the sunlight outside the window, her profile appearing almost unreal in the halo of light.
‘He actually still remembered this?’ The realization made her heart skip a beat.
A few seconds of silence stretched on like an eternity.
When she turned her head back, her voice was softer than usual.
“…It was my mother’s decision.”
Mother?
“She believed that education in Japan…
was lacking in certain respects.
So, she arranged for me to study in England for three years of middle school.” Her tone was very calm, but her fingers unconsciously traced the edge of the book’s pages.
“That kind of decision…
I was in no position to refuse.”
In no position to refuse.
Those five simple words made all his previous speculations seem utterly ridiculous.
So that was it.
Not a departure without a farewell, but an arrangement she could not refuse.
“I see…” he murmured, at a loss for what to say for a moment.
That taut, strained feeling in the air seemed to quietly loosen a degree.
Yukinoshita nodded gently, her gaze lingering on his face for a moment, as if resolving herself to something.
Then, in a tone just slightly gentler than before, she tentatively spoke.
“Hikigaya…-kun?”
“Huh?” Hikigaya froze.
The form of address changed?
“Since you are already a club member,” her explanation carried her usual rationality, but the tail end of her words was just a shade softer than usual, “continuing to use ‘san’ might seem strange in Hiratsuka-sensei’s eyes.”
Having said this, her gaze dropped slightly, settling on some point on the desk as if there was something there worthy of study.
This shift in how she addressed him stirred a trace of inexplicable nervousness within her, yet it was also tinged with a hint of anticipation.
“…Oh, that makes sense.” He scratched his head.
“Then…
Yukinoshita?”
“Mm.” She nodded lightly, and what seemed to be an extremely faint curve flickered across her lips—so brief it could easily have been an illusion.
Hearing him call her so naturally, a subtle, quiet delight rippled through her heart.
The air in the clubroom was finally no longer so suffocating.
It still couldn’t be called harmonious, but at least they could breathe normally now.
By unspoken agreement, neither of them brought up The Little Prince again, nor did they delve further into the topic of middle school.
But something, in that casual question and answer and the shift in how they addressed each other, had quietly changed.
Outside the Service Club door.
Hiratsuka Shizuka leaned her back against the wall, arms folded across her chest, a satisfied smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
“England…
so that’s how it was.” She murmured to herself.
Listening to the two inside, their conversation still somewhat awkward but clearly thawing, along with that natural “Hikigaya-kun” and “Yukinoshita,” the smile on her face deepened.
She straightened up gently, adjusted the collar of her lab coat, and turned to leave.
“Well, aren’t they getting along just fine.”
Tossing out this remark under her breath, she ambled leisurely toward the faculty office.
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