Chapter 425: I Slept With Your Wife!

After P.E. class, the bell rang for school dismissal.

Himekoji decided to visit the Service Club today.

Because there was still one last bento to deliver.

It was for Yukinoshita.

Though prepared early that morning, its edibility by this hour of the afternoon was highly doubtful.

But so what?

It wasn’t like he expected Yukinoshita to actually eat it…

But first, actually giving her the bento was a problem needing immediate solving.

At the very least, it required great courage.

Just kidding!

Did everyone forget who Himekoji was?

He casually pulled the lunchbox out of his bag and slid it right in front of Yukinoshita.

Himekoji said nothing. Yukinoshita didn’t either, like some unspoken understanding had passed between them.

Sometimes, this was what understanding meant—no words needed, just a confirming look…

“Hey! Wait! Don’t throw it away!”

Watching Yukinoshita pick up the lunchbox expressionlessly and head straight for the trash can, Himekoji couldn’t stay calm any longer. He jumped up and rushed to stop her.

This bento mission offered great rewards!

It was fine if she didn’t eat it, but she couldn’t just toss it!

“Hmm?”

Her pale hand holding the bento paused mid-air above the trash bin. With her other hand, she lightly brushed aside her hair. Yukinoshita turned slightly, her gaze cool and distant as it landed on Himekoji.

As if waiting for Himekoji to give her a reason not to throw it away.

“I swear it’s delicious! Everyone who’s tried it says so!”

Himekoji wasn’t lying.

But that alone wouldn’t convince Yukinoshita.

The girl’s delicate wrist moved down silently another inch.

The bento edged closer to the bin.

“Don’t worry! Absolutely no poison! Or any weird stuff added!”

It descended again!

Another inch down!

Himekoji racked his brain for solutions, but Yukinoshita remained unmoved.

“Yuigahama and Hikigaya ate some too!”

“Hey, you two! Back me up here!”

They say it’s hard to refuse after eating someone’s food, right?

But these two? Totally lacked eyesight!

“What’s that got to do with me.”

To Himekoji’s surprise, Hikigaya instantly distanced himself.

Fine! Ungrateful jerk!

No more bento for you ever again!

Fuming, Himekoji pinned his hopes on Yuigahama.

Surely Yukinoshita would listen to her?

After all, that ice queen, resistant to reason and pressure, but never to Yuigahama’s persistence and pleading. That’s the Yukinoshita Himekoji knew.

“Yuigahama!”

Deciding this girl was his key, Himekoji shot her a pleading look.

“What’s that got to do with me.”

“Eh?!”

Yet from her mouth came the exact same reply as Hikigaya’s.

He was stunned, doubting his own ears at first. Surely he’d misheard?

“What’s that got to do with me.”

Only when Yuigahama repeated it a second time.

“W-wait, Yuigahama, you…”

That didn’t sound like something your character would say!

Did you grab the wrong script?

“What’s that got to do with me.”

“Okay! Twice is enough!”

Himekoji felt targeted.

He’d thought Yuigahama was the only one in the Service Club willing to help him.

Apparently, that kindness wasn’t an everyday thing…

Just as Himekoji felt annoyed, he noticed Yuigahama grinning foolishly like she’d made a fantastic discovery, bursting out joyfully—

“Hey-hey-hey! I just found out! You can perfectly respond to any conversation with just ‘What’s that got to do with me’!”

“Hah?”

Got it. Yuigahama wasn’t acting like an idiot—she was one!

So that’s where those earlier “What’s that got to do with me” came from?

“Well? Akito, isn’t it cool?”

She actually had the nerve to ask his opinion…

“Cool nothing! It’s just stupid!”

Seriously… He’d been stupid himself, asking an idiot for help…

“Why not? Give me one example where it doesn’t work?”

“I slept with your wife!”

Contradictions were easy! Himekoji fired back instantly.

“What’s that got to do with me… Huh?”

“See? Your little trick falls apart! Dummy!”

Himekoji smirked dismissively.

Playing that trick on me?

Hmph!

Though there was no joy in defeating a fool, Himekoji still turned to Yuigahama with the triumphant air of someone who’d vented their frustration.

But he found she wasn’t even looking at him. She was staring at Yukinoshita instead, face etched with shock, surprise, and disbelief.

On Yukinoshita’s face, surprisingly, flickered a rare trace of fluster. She actually avoided Yuigahama’s gaze, her eyelids lowering with strange delicacy.

A moment later, Yukinoshita seemed to snap out of it, her eyebrows suddenly shooting up fiercely. She spun back to glare daggers at Himekoji, radiating intimidating coldness.

“Pervert-kun, could you please stop spouting nonsense?”

“What? What nonsense am I spouting?”

Himekoji was utterly confused.

What the hell?

He distinctly felt the atmosphere inside the Service Club shift dramatically, becoming intensely weird, the instant after he’d said, “I messed with your wife.”

Wait, no! He was just giving an example! An example!

He hadn’t actually messed with anyone.

Plus… Yuigahama was a girl. How could she have a wife?

Huh?

Just a sec…

Himekoji suddenly felt like he’d grasped a crucial point…

“You… you didn’t spout nonsense?”

Hearing his words, Yuigahama’s gaze instantly became impossibly complex, flickering rapidly between Himekoji and Yukinoshita.

“D-don’t listen to his lies! How could anything like that be true? It’s impossible! It wouldn’t happen…”

As Yukinoshita blurted out this flustered, self-contradictory explanation, the puzzle pieces finally clicked into place for Himekoji.

…

So, Miss Yukinoshita… why did you get so worked up when I said I messed with Yuigahama’s wife?

Are you… putting yourself in that role?

In that case—

Are you already acknowledging the pairing between you and Yuigahama yourself? Or perhaps…

You actually want me to mess with you?

Okay, that second reason? Himekoji would just keep that fantasy in his own head.

Then, there was Yuigahama.

Why was she so… practiced?

The moment he mentioned her “wife,” her first reaction was actually to look straight at Yukinoshita…

Seriously, wake up! Yukinoshita isn’t your wife!

Did you even ask us readers for our opinion?

I formally object to this match!

No, to be honest, Himekoji was actually quite supportive deep down.

After all, the System also wanted him to bring them together, didn’t it?

These two girls… they were both beautiful… No, saying both were beautiful wasn’t enough. They were both pretty like flowers and fair like the moon. If they didn’t become lovers, what a waste!

The situation was looking very good!

Himekoji was already starting to fantasize about a BL manga featuring Yukinoshita and Yuigahama when—

Clang!

Suddenly, that harsh metallic crash jerked him violently out of his extremely vivid, full-color fantasy scene.

“Hey! Seriously? You actually threw away the bento I gave you?!”

Yukinoshita simply ignored Himekoji. She turned to head back to her seat.

But she had only taken one small step when she froze suddenly, her footsteps halting abruptly. Something from inside the garbage bin had made a strange sound.

“Meow~~”

That sound… it was a cat’s meow coming from inside the bin?

Lovely. Baby-like.

So cute…

……