Chapter 40: Yuigahama Had Been Changing All Along
Chapter 40: Yuigahama Had Been Changing All Along
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“Tremble, despair, you mortals! The end of this world has arrived!”
At the story’s end, Takanashi Rikka—both the heroine of Himekoji’s tale and Her Highness the Evil Eye of the Wicked Lord—struck a strange pose. In an odd tone, she threw out those strange words. Then… she slipped away down the rope attached to the balcony and dashed off…
Her small figure gradually vanished into the night.
Hey! Don’t run away! Please, let me win your route just one more time! I’ll properly wear my pants again—can’t that work?!
Only Himekoji remained, alone on the empty, silent balcony as the bleak night wind blew around him.
Hmm… the wind truly felt loud today…
Saturday.
For second-year students of Toyonoshi Academy, this day didn’t count as rest.
After all, the urban legend of a “two-day weekend” probably only existed for first-year middle schoolers, first-year high schoolers, and in all those movies and TV shows.
Six days of classes per week. Not just that—after becoming a second-year, even exams grew more frequent.
Fortunately, the Saturday schedule remained comparatively light. The third and fourth periods in the morning were back-to-back P.E. classes. It was somewhat reassuring… at least for students who’d just advanced to second year and hated extra classes.
Wait—did I really think “fortunately”?
“Fortunately”? “Fortunately” nothing!
Compared to the chaotic noise of P.E., Himekoji Akito much preferred the quiet of regular classes, where he progressed smoothly without needing to talk to anyone.
Surely, most people would agree with that?
At Toyonoshi Academy, P.E. classes combined three groups. All sixty boys split into two teams—tennis and soccer.
Back in first year, Akito had chosen soccer. But after climbing to second year, for various reasons, he’d ended up signing up for tennis.
Well, because compared to teamwork… he now focused more on personal skills.
Soccer required eleven people. A lonely person foolishly tagging along just stood out awkwardly.
Nobody passed the ball to you. Nobody matched your movements toward open spaces. Even when you seized the perfect moment to create space, when you stood unguarded within easy scoring distance—nobody sent it your way.
In middle school, soccer-loving Himekoji Akito had pushed hard with teammates, entering the finals of their league. But by first year high school, relegated to sitting along the sidelines during P.E., just yawning while guarding the water bottles… that passion had almost faded away.
Look—here, in this place, one fierce contender for the Ballon d’Or decades into the future got cruelly snuffed out!
Maybe it’s the heaviest loss the soccer world has suffered since the 21st century!
“The Toyosaki Soccer Tragedy”—no name better fit. Or should it be “The Fallen King”? Or “The Vanished Prodigy”?
Fine—whatever. Enough bragging. Because… tennis class was starting…
After warming up properly, came free practice time. Students scattered about pairings off in small clusters.
Who should he partner with?
As Akito thought this… he subconsciously scanned around him.
Huh? Wait—why did everyone pair up that quickly?! Hey! Are we playing matching-tiles?! How is everyone so smooth?! Just a blink!—and everyone paired off in twos!
Meaning…
Even though switching from soccer to tennis… Akito’s isolating situation didn’t change.
One slightly good thing, though—tennis could work okay playing solo.
Yep—simply choose Mr. Wall as an opponent…
Facing the wall is just an inseparable part of youth, he reassured himself. Then robotically—numbly—he swung his racket over and over. He drifted through both tennis periods that way.
Things perked up a little after lunch break began, though.
Because in game terms… what came next was Totsuka’s story path.
However opposed he felt toward winning over boys… huge rewards stared him right in the face now, right?
An Amazing 10-Draw Gacha! 2,000 2D Points!
So then…
This play paid off!
…
Following the game plot exactly, Himekoji bought sausage rolls, tuna rice balls, and Neapolitan rolls from the shop… then returned to his regular lunch spot.
Beside the Nurse’s Office on the first floor of the Special Building—diagonal from the shop—was his fixed seat.
That spot gave an open view: he could see over toward the tennis courts.
Lunch break was when the girls’ tennis club held voluntary practice. Everyone kept hitting balls against walls… retrieving them… then hitting again.
Listening to that steady thump… thump… of balls hitting walls felt relaxed. Peaceful.
Akito finished his own lunch watching them move about, gulped down the last bit of carton-packaged lemon tea… and squinted as he savored gusts blowing against him.
Mid-April. With weather like this, winds near Toyonoshi Academy—close to the ocean—shifted direction all day.
Morning winds blew inland from the sea… but by evening, as though rushing back home… they flowed from land toward the sea.
Akito didn’t hate sitting alone, enjoying such breezes lightly grazing his skin.
Though technically… right now he wasn’t all alone. This comfortable nook held one other regular solo visitor—
Hikigaya Hachiman sat just meters opposite him.
Fellow lonely souls… they might share the same refined taste in isolation.
To be used to huddling somewhere quiet and empty, to quietly enjoy a meal unbothered… that seemed their key common ground.
Few campus corners matched that need for peaceful solitude amid all the noise.
That’s why, since first year, they’d grown used to sharing this muted quiet across lunches.
Today, though, it proved different. This lonely duo’s little island… its peace crumbled under two intruders.
Starting just moments ago, Hikigaya betrayed Akito right to his face—betrayed their entire Lonely Souls Club!
She—no, he—sat surrounded by two girls chatting excitedly together… wait no—one boy and one girl.
Totsuka was so cute—Akito kept mistakenly thinking she was female!
Something seemed off here!
In the game… shouldn’t Totsuka get all flustered approaching him right about now?
So preoccupied, Akito didn’t even realize his stare stayed fixed entirely across the way.
“Huh? Isn’t that Akito?”
Maybe sensing a stare from not far off, Yuigahama suddenly turned over… looking straight toward the Special Building.
Seeing who sat there, she seemed faintly shocked… then smiled as she called out, waved… and jogged over.
“You came here? Why?”
Maybe because updrafts rose… she pressed one hand lightly over skirts fluttering upward. Then walked right up close to Akito.
“Just eating lunch here. Like always.”
Akito flatly answered.
Oh—and who did Yuigahama mean calling “Akito”? Him? How gross—refused! Also—since when had their relationship ever gotten that close? Never!
“Ehh～ Really? But why eat outdoors instead of the Classroom?”
“…”
Akito’s silence drew a baffled face from Yuigahama.
Hey—why confused?! If lunch worked inside the Classrooms, why would Akito drag himself all this way?! Not realized yet?!
“Probably… same reason as that guy over there.”
Akito slipped out a vague reason.
“Actually… why are YOU here?” he shifted focus to her.
“Ah! That thing! Actually… Yukino-chan and I played a game! Loser owes punishment.”
“With Hikigaya? Talk as penalty?”
Suddenly an amused smirk lit up Akito’s face.
Haha—Hikigaya… tragic life!
Er, actually… Yukinoshita and Yuigahama overstepped badly!
After mocking another… Akito feigned righteous anger, pretending fury on Hikigaya’s behalf.
“N-No! Not that! Just… juice-buying! Seriously—why both your ideas veer so dark?!”
Yuigahama frantically waved arms denying it.
Oh well… thought it was that. Disappointing.
Smoothing her skirt… Yuigahama sat down beside him.
“Yukino-chan first responded—‘Get your own belongings. What fun’s fulfilling petty childish conquer-wishes?’”
“Mm… sounds like her style indeed.”
Though when Yuigahama spoke imitation… lacked a touch of essence.
“Yeah—but after I asked—‘Because not confident?’—Yukino-chan instantly agreed! Hehe~.”
“…That really is her.”
Facing any challenge head-on with maximum force to crash it—that’s Yukinoshita Yukino.
“Then… when Yukino-chan won… no words… just flashed the tiniest victory pose… ultra-adorable…”
“Ahhh～” sighed Yuigahama, looking thoroughly content.
Pressing wind-tossed hair down… she laughed. That expression differed now from when she sat laughing among Miura or others.
Ah… figured it out—
Only guessing… but ever since talking openly with Miura Yumiko that particular day… Yuigahama’s makeup seemed less thick. More natural now.
Could she’d begun changing far earlier?
Anyway—above all else… that Yuigahama who constantly read moods and frantically bent to others had surely altered. Even if just subtly.
Near-barefaced, Yuigahama smiling sometimes made eyes curve downward. That added extra immaturity and sweetness to her looks.
Felt now—this Yuigahama shone far more brightly than her before. Much more… yes—much more beautiful.