Chapter 438: The Girl’s Entrustment

“Oh no! Eriri’s coming out! Fast!”

“Fast what?”

Yuigahama, half-leaning on Himekoji’s back, seemed a step slow to react.

“Hide, of course!”

Otherwise, if they bumped into each other, both Eriri and Himekoji would feel so awkward they’d want to die!

One said those things, and the other happened to hear them…

Anyway—

Time to bolt!

Himekoji instinctively tried to stand up, but his whole back was weighed down. The emergency left no room for hesitation. He pushed hard. Then—thunk!—his forehead bumped into Yuigahama’s chin.

“Ouch ouch ouch…”

“Sorry, you okay?”

Flustered by the blunder, Himekoji scrambled to apologize.

But that tiny delay was all it took. The Service Club door was already opening from the inside.

“A-Akito?”

Eriri, who’d opened the door, looked startled.

Himekoji felt the same.

Why so fast?

Luckily, he’d slipped out from under Yuigahama just a second earlier. Otherwise… that suspicious stacked position would’ve been impossible to explain.

“E-Eriri? S-such a coincidence, haha…”

Instantly switching to awkward small talk mode.

“Y-yeah, huge coincidence, haha…”

Eriri seemed equally eager to play along.

Their cringy forced laughter made Yuigahama beside them squirm.

Unaware, Himekoji and Eriri kept up the act.

“Uh, I just got here. Eriri, why are you here?”

Himekoji stressed “just got here,” hinting he hadn’t heard anything Eriri said inside earlier.

Did she believe him or not? Either way, her face flushed red as she gave a clumsy, exaggerated excuse:

“Passing by… I was passing by…”

Passing by?

How do you “pass by” inside the Service Club? Passing the door might make sense, but you came out from inside!

Of course, Himekoji had to…

Pretend he bought it!

“Oh? Wanna come in and sit?”

“Ahh… better not! Art club has activities. Gotta run.”

“Okay, sure. Next time, then.”

“Mm, next time. I… I’ll head out first!”

Eriri babbled hastily before fleeing.

She managed a few steps of forced calm and grace. But soon, hot shame erupted uncontrollably.

He heard. He definitely heard!

So embarrassing!

Want to die…

“Unh… wah…” A pained whimper escaped.

Just had to escape somewhere far—anywhere alone—to calm down.

So, she abandoned her last shred of dignity.

Covering her face, she bolted.

So humiliating!

“Ahem…”

Only Himekoji and Yuigahama remained, staring awkwardly at each other.

And that’s why they needed to hide earlier!

Regret flooded Himekoji. If only he’d been just a little faster…

…

“Why just freeze at the door?”

Just then, Yukinoshita’s voice came from inside the club room.

Eek! So cold!

A chill seemed to rush out with her words.

Not an illusion.

Because Himekoji shivered and hugged his arms the next second.

“Close the door. You’re wasting electricity.”

Ah. The AC was on.

Himekoji almost thought that cold air came from Yukinoshita herself…

He hurried inside as ordered and shut the door.

“Hiss…”

Instantly, icy air made him gasp.

Inside and outside were two different worlds!

One a scorching oven, one an icy cave.

“Is the temperature… maybe set too low?”

With little weight in the Service Club, Himekoji treaded carefully, voicing his small concern while eyeing Yukinoshita’s reaction.

“The AC’s broken.”

This answer came from Hikigaya.

Himekoji turned toward Dead Fish Eyes. There she sat: swathed in a winter coat, blank-faced in her corner reading a Bunko edition. She spoke without lifting her head.

So… where’d you even get that coat?

Seriously?

Wearing that in summer heat? Fool much?

Hmm, well…

Could he share the cotton coat?

……

Never mind, it was probably impossible anyway.

Himekoji sensibly gave up on that idea, hugging his arms as he sat shivering on the seat.

Hey, wasn’t Yuigahama cold?

Normally, she should be the first one making a fuss, right?

Himekoji looked up to find Yuigahama.

Instead, he saw her clinging happily to Yukinoshita, snuggling up to share warmth.

Yukinoshita wore a slightly reluctant expression, weakly protesting things like “Don’t hug me” and “I can’t move,” but Himekoji—seeing this as nothing new—knew better. Yukinoshita could never refuse Yuigahama.

Ahh, so jealous!

Did that mean he was the only one suffering in the cold?

Hey, could they maybe discuss something?

What about adding him into the mix!

Three people huddling together would definitely be warmer than two, right?

Of course, such thoughts could only stay buried in his heart.

If he actually said it aloud, Yukinoshita would surely tell him—

Dead people don’t need warmth…

……

Cold cold cold cold cold!

Endure endure endure endure!

Himekoji rubbed his hands and blew hot air into his palms.

Cold cold cold!

Couldn’t endure it anymore!

“Err, I have a small, modest suggestion… Since the temperature control’s broken, why not just turn off the AC?”

“No! It’s this hot—we’d sweat!”

“Sticky. Disgusting.”

Himekoji’s words were instantly shot down by Yuigahama and then Hikigaya.

He really wanted to ask if Hikigaya’s line delivery matched her character, but right now that wasn’t the point.

“Then you could at least share Yukinoshita with—”

Never mind, that wasn’t negotiable. Halfway through, Himekoji realized his mistake and quickly turned his words towards Hikigaya.

“Then you could at least share your cotton coat!”

The well-fed can never understand the hunger of the starving!

“Say what?”

Hikigaya pretended not to hear, lazily lifting an eyelid to glance at Himekoji before sinking back into her Bunko edition.

How annoying! Just you wait!

Himekoji was furious.

Fine, he didn’t dare provoke Yukinoshita, but little Hikigaya? He could handle her!

Just as he was about to make a symbolic show of anger and save face, he was interrupted by a knock at the door.

“Knock knock knock!”

“Come in.”

Yukinoshita looked up. This knock reminded her of Eriri from earlier.

So… was it another one of that pervert’s acquaintances?

Last time it was the childhood friend, and this time?

Thinking this, Yukinoshita unconsciously frowned, shooting a glare at Himekoji.

The latter, clueless why he was being glared at, was utterly bewildered.

No, he, he, he…

What had he done now?

The moment the door opened, everyone in the Service Club turned their eyes toward the entrance.

The person who walked in…

Could it really be her?

So unexpected!

……