"I-I'll do it."
Yuigahama Yui raised her hand under everyone's gaze.
"Yui, are you serious?"
The class rep on the podium had just shown a hint of relief when an unhappy voice interrupted.
Miura Yumiko, sitting behind Yuigahama Yui, frowned.
"Aren't we supposed to be working together to attract customers?"
"Huh!?"
The pink-haired girl turned around in shock.
"Wait, I was in charge of attracting customers?"
"Well, Yuigahama would be a great committee member. She's popular and knows a lot of people. I think it's a good choice."
Just as Yuigahama Yui was struggling with the decision, Hayama Hayato stepped in.
Miura Yumiko, who had been against it a second ago, immediately quieted down like a well-behaved kitten.
"If Hayato says so…"
Her tone softened, but the moment she finished speaking, she turned back into a fierce lioness, ready to protect her own.
She glared across the room at Hikigaya Hachiman, who was slumped over his desk, pretending to be dead.
"Hey! Hikigaya! If you dare bully Yui, you're dead! You hear me!?"
Hikigaya Hachiman quickly raised both hands in surrender, giving a mock French salute while forcing an awkward smile to show he meant no harm.
Miura Yumiko finally backed off.
The class rep let out a relieved sigh and wrote Yuigahama Yui's name under "Female Committee Member" on the board.
"Alright, it's decided. Dismissed."
After the announcement, Hikigaya Hachiman stayed in his seat for a while.
Only when others started packing up and leaving did he slowly gather his things and head toward the Service Club.
He glanced back at the pink-haired girl, who was busy dealing with her friends' teasing.
Scratching his head, he left the classroom.
To be honest, Hikigaya Hachiman had no idea why Yuigahama had volunteered for the role.
She had no reason to do it.
It couldn't possibly be because of him… right?
Stop overthinking, Hachiman.
After picking up the Service Club key from Hiratsuka Shizuka, the dead-eyed boy arrived at the clubroom in the special building.
Just as he reached the door, Yuigahama Yui came running up, slightly out of breath.
"Hah… hah… Sorry, I'm not late, right?"
She panted lightly, flashing a goofy smile.
"Even if you were late, does it really matter? It's not like we have a fixed meeting time."
Hikigaya Hachiman sighed.
Lately, Yuigahama had been acting a little strange.
First, she volunteered for the cultural festival committee, and now she was oddly fixated on showing up to the club on time.
"No way, no way. Didn't we agree to come to the club together after school?"
The bun-haired girl shook her head.
"…When did we agree on that? I don't remember."
Hikigaya Hachiman paused, going through his memories.
He was sure he had never made such a promise with Yuigahama Yui.
"Hmm!"
"Besides, I had to go to Hiratsuka-sensei's office to get the key first."
Yuigahama Yui didn't reply.
She just puffed up her cheeks and stared at him stubbornly.
The other person had no choice but to raise their hands in surrender. "Alright, alright, next time I'll wait for you."
Might as well keep this key for myself. Hiratsuka-sensei probably wouldn't mind.
The girl with the bun finally smiled again and nodded enthusiastically. "Mhm!"
Hikigaya Hachiman opened the door, and the two walked into the clubroom one after the other, taking their usual seats.
The long table still had four chairs. The one facing away from the podium was for guests. The seat by the window belonged to Yukinoshita Yukino, but it was empty, the curtain behind it swaying slightly.
Hikigaya Hachiman's seat was still across from Yukino's, while Yuigahama Yui sat opposite where guests would usually sit. She used to sit closer to Yukino's side, but lately, her chair had been shifting further away.
"By the way, why did you decide to run for the executive committee? That really doesn't seem like something you'd do."
Hikigaya casually brought up the topic as he pulled a paperback novel from his bag and started reading.
Yuigahama Yui froze for a second. As she looked at the dead-fish-eyed boy's profile, fragmented images flashed through her mind.
Ooka—who was already dead but had turned into some kind of monster in those visions.
Hikigaya Hachiman—getting punched through a window by Ooka.
Ever since the semester started—before Yukinoshita Yukino left to be an exchange student at Jujutsu High—these images would occasionally surface in her mind.
It all started when they were cleaning the Service Club's clubroom together, and she got scared by a spider.
Yuigahama had no idea why these terrifying images kept appearing in her head. It made her uneasy, but she never told anyone.
For some reason, she just knew they were real—memories she had somehow forgotten.
Maybe it had something to do with Yukino transferring schools.
I'm really scared…
The words almost slipped out, but instead, they turned into an awkward laugh.
"Well, since the male representative is Hikki, I figured no girl would want to partner with him, so I volunteered."
"Sorry for being the guy rep." Hachiman tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"I-I didn't mean it like that! It's just, you know… given the way you are… ahh, no, that's not what I meant either! What I mean is—"
The bun-haired girl flailed, trying to explain herself, afraid Hachiman might take it the wrong way. But the more she talked, the more tangled up she got, until she could barely form a sentence.
"…We're friends, so I didn't want to see you get completely left out by everyone." Yuigahama mumbled. "Besides… Yukino isn't here anymore. It's just the two of us left in the Service Club…"
Her voice was barely above a whisper, but to Hikigaya Hachiman, it rang loud and clear.
For some reason, he felt uneasy. He deflected.
"Yukinoshita's just an exchange student. She'll be back in a year."
"I know. I know that."
Yuigahama nodded softly, her voice fading, a hint of loneliness in her expression.
Even when Yukino was still here, she sometimes felt out of place—like she and the other two existed in different worlds.
Just like now, as the setting sun streamed through the window, casting a line of light that separated the pink-haired girl and the dead-fish-eyed boy into two different realms.
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(End of Chapter)
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