Chapter 212: Complimenting Yukinoshita? Impossible!

It had been a while since he last visited the Service Club, yet it remained just the same.

The simple, plain setting hadn’t changed.

Yukinoshita and Hikigaya quietly held their Bunko editions.

Yuigahama fiddled with her phone, occasionally glancing toward the entrance.

It seemed like she was checking if Himekoji would show up?

After all, they’d stood her up several times already.

Luckily, this time, he kept his promise.

…

“A rare guest.”

Seemingly able to tell who it was just from footsteps, Yukinoshita spoke without looking up.

“Akito hasn’t come for so long!”

Yuigahama puffed out her cheeks as she complained.

“Huh? That long? It hasn’t been that long, I was just here last week.”

Yuigahama stared fixedly at him.

Himekoji suddenly felt a strange pang of guilt.

Flinching, he quickly averted his eyes, muttering.

Actually…

He had skipped quite a few days over the past two weeks.

Mainly because a lot happened: Mashiro, his Imouto, and stuff…

“Would you like some tea?”

Probably sensing Himekoji’s awkwardness, Hikigaya stood up to help defuse the situation.

“Thanks, I have… Huh?!”

There wasn’t a teacup for him in the Service Club, so Himekoji always brought his own drink.

But after missing days, he’d forgotten even that.

He rummaged in his schoolbag and found nothing.

His cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

Hikigaya ignored his exaggerated reaction.

The girl with Dead Fish Eyes calmly took out a brand-new mug from the cabinet.

She filled it with barley tea and handed it to him.

“Here.”

“This cup…”

Had they prepared one for him too?

This sudden warmth in his heart felt strange.

“Don’t worry about it. It was just a free gift from a buy-one-get-one offer.”

Hikigaya said expressionlessly, then took a small sip from her own cup.

Her mug looked identical to the one she gave Himekoji…

Was it really just part of a buy-one-get-one deal?

…

Before this, having a personal cup in the Service Club was as rare as phoenix feathers.

Only Yukinoshita and Yuigahama enjoyed that privilege.

Now, surprisingly, everyone had one.

It seemed many things had changed in the Service Club during the days Himekoji was away.

…

After taking a small sip, Hikigaya settled back in her seat.

She lifted her Bunko edition and buried her nose in it once more.

Casually, Himekoji glimpsed the cover of the book Hikigaya was reading…

Hmm… ‘Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai’…

Spurt!—

He’d only just taken a sip, before swallowing!

The tea sprayed everywhere!

“A-Akito, are you okay?”

Yuigahama barely dodged Himekoji’s spray attack.

Sadly, Yukinoshita, sitting beside Yuigahama, didn’t react in time.

She got a direct hit—tea soaked her hair and face…

“S-Sorry… Uh, the tea was hot… It was hot,”

He stammered out an excuse, his heart sinking.

Oh no!

This is bad, Himekoji thought despairingly.

He hadn’t come for so long, and now caused trouble right after arriving…

His old grudges plus this new offense with Yukinoshita… he would need ages to make up for it!

…

“You had better not have done that on purpose.”

Yukinoshita’s voice sounded strangled through gritted teeth.

So cold!

Flustered, Himekoji quickly took another gulp of tea.

He tried to use its warmth to calm his nerves.

Yukinoshita gave him a death glare.

Then, only then, did she set her Bunko edition down on the table.

She took out tissues.

Her face looked icy.

She began stiffly wiping off the drops of tea.

…

By the way, what kind of books did Yukinoshita usually read?

While sipping his tea, curiosity got the better of him.

He stole a quick glance.

Oh.

She was reading ‘Shimoneta: A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn’t Exist’.

Truly fitting for Yukinoshita, reading serious literary classics and whatnot…

Wait a minute!

‘Shimoneta: A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn’t Exist’?!

Spurt!—

Caught completely off guard!

Himekoji sprayed tea again!

Himekoji unleashed a “Double Strike”!

Yuigahama scored a “MISS”!

Yukinoshita took a direct “HIT”!

…

Dammit, why her again?

Can’t you just get out of the way?!

Himekoji cursed furiously inside his head!

“Do you have a death wish?”

It was May, yet the temperature around them suddenly seemed to drop below freezing.

Himekoji must have been seeing things, because beside Yukinoshita… there actually appeared… an illusion of falling snow!

So scary!

No, screw scary! Scary my a!

Don’t think this level of posturing can scare anyone, okay?!

Your act is way too cliché!

The Sacred Pervert won’t be intimidated by the same trick twice!

After steeling himself, he looked back at Yukinoshita—

As expected, a girl with a stern face, soaking wet, wasn’t fierce at all.

No, she was beyond cute!

Just thinking that such a cute face belonged to Yukinoshita made Himekoji feel deeply disheartened.

“Ah!”

He sighed without thinking.

Little did he know, this sigh was about to cause trouble!

[Ding!]

[Please choose!]

[A: Praise Yukinoshita for being cute!]

[B: Strip to the waist and sprint around the track field!]

[Reward for completion—]

[Option A reward: One ‘Yukinoshita Hatchet Immunity Ticket’!]

[Option B reward: Rare skill—‘Naked Dash into Light♂’!]

[Failure penalty: Turn into a green light, illuminating the world.]

To pick A, or to pick B?

That was the question.

Himekoji instantly fell deep into thought.

In terms of difficulty, he should definitely pick A. But…

Actually praising Yukinoshita out loud for being cute?

Impossible!

He just couldn’t do it!

Even if he died!

No, not even death could make him do it!

Freakin’ hell, he’d choose B!

This wasn’t acting impulsively!

This was the carefully thought-out decision of Himekoji!

After all, the reward for Option A—

One ‘Yukinoshita Hatchet Immunity Ticket’?

???

Himekoji’s head filled with question marks.

What even was this?

What kind of thing?

Totally useless! Definitely unusable!

So, for maximum gain—

Choosing B was flawless reasoning!

Scissors, chairs, a teapot, craft knives…

Yukinoshita carefully picked through her tools.

No!

Not picking, just take them all!

Already endured two face-fulls.

Yukinoshita Yukino’s murderous intent was now absolute!

However, just as she prepared to act—

Rip!

Himekoji suddenly, for no apparent reason, ripped off his entire top half!

Revealing a chest that was just as flat, and in no way inferior, to Yukinoshita’s.

Not merely ‘not inferior’— actually, Himekoji might even have been winning!

Yukinoshita instinctively raised her hand to touch her own modest chest for comparison.

Luckily, halfway up, she realized how utterly shameful and absurd that action was. Her face flushed crimson, and she hastily lowered her arm.

…

However, this entire sequence didn’t escape the notice of someone watching nearby.

Hikigaya had, at some unknown time, appeared beside Yukinoshita.

He meaningfully glanced at Yukinoshita’s politely modest chest, his Dead Fish Eyes uncharacteristically soft. Then, he gently patted the girl’s shoulder.

“Yukinoshita,” he said quietly, “It’s not time to give up yet, you know.”

“Yukino-chan! Because Yukino-chan is super pretty, it’s perfectly fine not to care about this sort of thing!” Yuigahama hurriedly added her words of comfort.

“W-What?! I have no idea what you two are talking about!”

Caught out, Yukinoshita lifted her chin, desperately forcing an air of lofty detachment.

N-No matter what, at least…

At least she wouldn’t… lose to a guy!