Chapter 129: The Conductor

No way!

The sudden System sound startled Himekoji.

Was it… about to assign another perverted task?!

Like stuffing his own underwear into Yukinoshita’s mouth to stop her hiccups, just like Danmaku suggested?

How on earth could he do that?!

The entire Service Club was watching. Was he supposed to die after this last job?

No way, impossible, absolutely not…

Himekoji shook his head, yet his hand moved disobediently toward his belt.

As the saying goes, every man must die—some deaths weigh like mountains, others as light as feathers…

[Ding!]

[Attribute “Evaporation” activated for “Holy Grail”!]

Huh? Not a task?

Damn it, he got excited for nothing… Wait, worried for nothing!

Himekoji quickly refastened his undone belt.

Close call! He almost fell for Danmaku’s evil advice.

What a mess!

False alarm, but what was “Evaporation”?

First “Permeation” tricked him, now “Evaporation”? Endless tricks?

Himekoji glanced at the “Holy Grail” on the table.

Steam curled softly upward.

Seemed… normal?

Yukinoshita, mocked by Hikigaya, wanted to retort. But as soon as she opened her mouth, hiccups erupted again.

Blushing, she tightly sealed her lips.

“Yukino-chan, take deep breaths! Deep breaths!”

Yuigahama followed advice from… wait, Yuigahama lacked common sense!

She read aloud from her phone search.

“Says here: breathe into your lungs until full, exhale until empty. Repeat. Hiccups stop.”

Yukinoshita tried.

“Whooo—”

“Hic!”

“Whooo—”

“Hic! Hic! Hic!…”

No good! Deep breaths were impossible!

One sip of air, interrupted by a hiccup. Exhaling only brought more hiccups.

Covering her mouth, Yukinoshita blinked sadly at Yuigahama, clearly frustrated.

“Breathing didn’t help?”

Yuigahama stared blankly at her phone.

“Oh! Water! Big gulps of water! Says a full glass stops hiccups!”

Another promising-sounding method from her phone.

Yukinoshita trusted her. She grabbed the “Holy Grail” and downed it.

“Well?”

Yuigahama watched eagerly.

Yukinoshita opened her mouth, waited.

Her face, blank and slightly dazed, looked unexpectedly cute.

“See… I think— Hic!”

As if!

From hopeful to pouting in one second.

Himekoji had never seen such expressive faces.

Way too adorable!

“Eh? Still no?”

Yuigahama scratched her head, out of ideas. Only two online fixes existed.

“Yu-Yuki— Hic!”

Yuigahama started hiccupping too.

“Wha? Me… me too? Hic! Hic! Hic!…”

Eyes wide, hand over mouth.

Yep. Her hiccups were louder than Yukinoshita’s.

Cough… Each hiccup made her chest bounce. Only Service Club produced such spectacle.

Himekoji silently answered her.

He also understood “Evaporation” now.

Would Hikigaya be next?

Right on cue—

“Yukinoshita! You carry hiccups germs? Yuigahama helps, you infect her? Spare her! She’s all chest and no brain!”

Lonely warrior Hikigaya stood, fighting for justice.

Well said!

Himekoji cheered mentally.

So Yuigahama being airheaded was common knowledge.

Relieving.

“Hi—… Hic!”

Bingo. The inevitable came.

Hikigaya, justice knight, caught hiccups mid-battle cry.

Himekoji mourned her silently.

“Me… too? Hic!”

She froze in disbelief for half a second. Accepted fate—

“Hic! Yu-Yukino— Hic!—shita, you… hic!—toxic!”

Hiccup knights never shut up. Hikigaya kept fighting.

Yukinoshita pinched her lips, silent and elegant like “Snow-duck”.

But as hiccup-insults piled up, “Snow-duck” had enough—

“Mock me again, and this duck bites!”

Her icy glare screamed it.

The Ice Queen’s limit was reached.

…

It seemed Hikigaya threw away survival too.

Perfect!

Time to end Yukinoshita’s tyranny! Show her people’s power!

Himekoji happily watched the fireworks.

Turned out “Evaporation” was brilliant.

Perhaps it spread magic through black tea steam across the Service Club classroom.

That’s why Yuigahama caught it, then Hikigaya.

Luckily, “Genius Hiccup Girl” only affected females.

He was safe.

Wait—so Yukinoshita’s endless hiccups confirmed she was female.

Damn. Flat-chested girls existed?

Small but fierce?

…

“You— Hic!—dead fish eyes! Craving to become sashimi? Hic!”

Since Hikigaya hiccupped proudly, Yukinoshita fired back freely.

“Hic! Yuki-chan… she’s joking— Hic! Hic!”

Hikigaya: “Hic! Hic! Hic!”

…

The Service Club drowned in hiccup symphony—rising, falling, unstoppable.

He should do something.

Himekoji randomly thought.

[Ding!]

[Mission triggered—]

[Hiccup Conductor: Become a conductor! Lead members in rhythmic hiccups to perform beautiful music.]

[Time: 5 minutes]

[Item: Hiccup Baton]

[Reward: Permanent skill “Music Master”]

[Penalty: Permanent skill “Hiccup Maniac”]