A little before Hiyori goes to Hachiman's room.
"Um, Ryuuen-kun, do you have a moment?"
"Hah? What do you want, Hiyori?"
Just as I was about to leave the classroom, Hiyori calls out to me.
"I have something I'd like to discuss with you."
"Discuss with me? Like hell I care. Go talk to Hikigaya or something."
That bastard would be more than happy to listen to whatever Hiyori has to say.
I spit out the words and start walking down the hallway, but she grabs my arm firmly from behind.
"It's something I can't discuss with Hachiman-kun. Could you please hear me out?"
...If this were some idiot like Ishizaki, I'd just kick him and he'd back off on his own.
But Hiyori is an asset to the class. If I go too hard on her, she might stop cooperating. Guess I'll just write this off as a necessary expense.
"Tch, fine. What is it?"
"Well... I was wondering what kinds of things make guys happy?"
"...Hah?"
"S-so, what can I do to catch a guy's attention?"
"..."
For a second, I'm left speechless—completely caught off guard.
Yeah, now I get why she can't talk to Hikigaya about this. Come to think of it, she mentioned earlier that she's staying over at his place today.
"First, tell me—why come to me for advice?"
"At first, I was going to ask Ishizaki-kun for his opinion, but he seemed flustered and said you'd definitely know more about this kind of thing."
So Ishizaki knew he was useless for this and passed it off to me, huh?
"Tch. That damn Ishizaki... Whatever. So you want advice on how to turn a guy on, is that it?"
"T-that's not what I said! I just want to know how to get a guy's attention!"
"Same difference. Either way, you're trying to get Hikigaya to sleep with you, right?"
"W-w-w-w-w-w-wait, with Hachiman-kun?! That's...!"
This girl's something else. Back when we first met, she never showed any emotion, but the second Hikigaya's involved, she completely loses it.
Kind of entertaining to watch, honestly.
"Just make sure he notices you."
"Notices me...?"
"Basically, seduce him with your body or whatever."
"?!"
Hikigaya might be lacking in human warmth, but he's not completely numb.
"S-seduce him...?!"
"I'm not telling you to strip naked or anything. Just increase physical contact."
Simple as that.
Most guys are easy—that'd be enough. But that bastard's not normal, so who knows?
"Like... what exactly should I do?"
"..."
...Now that I think about it, why am I seriously considering this? What a waste of time.
"Figure it out yourself. There's gotta be crap online about it."
"I see... Thank you, Ryuuen-kun."
I gave her a half-assed answer just to end the conversation, but she seems satisfied.
Tch. Dragging me into this stupid crap... I'll make sure that bastard pays for this.
....
"Are you okay?"
"Uuuh..."
We're eating the dinner Hiyori made together, but she's still so embarrassed about what happened earlier that she can't keep up a conversation.
"...!"
Every time our eyes meet, she quickly looks away.
*"W-welcome home, Hachiman-kun! Would you like dinner? A bath? Or... m-m-m-me?"*
That was the first time in my life anyone had suddenly said something like that to me.
I've seen this kind of scenario in manga before. Honestly, the first time I saw it, I didn't get what was supposed to be appealing about it... but when a beauty like Hiyori does the same thing, there's no way I wouldn't feel something.
"Hey, Hiyori, can I ask you something?"
Her chopsticks, which had been picking at the simmered dish, freeze mid-air. She flinches slightly, her gaze darting around nervously.
"What exactly was the meaning behind what you did earlier?"
"...Huh?"
"I mean, I understood the part where you were asking me to choose between dinner or a bath, but I don't really get why you included yourself as an option."
"Ehh!?"
"Wait, was picking you supposed to be the right answer?"
If that was the case, then I messed up. I really should've brushed up on common sense.
"W-well... um... For me, that would've been the right answer."
Since she said *for her*, I guess there were other possible choices too. Looks like I made the wrong one.
"Oh, I see. Sorry about that, Hiyori. Guess I'm lacking in common sense."
"N-no! It was my own fault for springing that on you!"
Somehow, just talking about it seems to have eased the awkward tension between us.
At least now I can finally eat dinner in peace. Hiyori's brought me lunch a few times before, but this is the first time she's ever made a proper meal for me like this.
.....
By the time we finished dinner and took our baths, it was already past 7 PM.
When I'm alone in my room, time never seems to pass this quickly, but when I'm with Hachiman-kun, I can't help but feel like every second is precious.
"Hey, Hiyori, can I ask you something?"
"Yes. What is it, Hachiman-kun?"
"I don't mind reading the novel you brought, but… this position is a little weird, isn't it? It's actually harder to read like this."
Hachiman-kun hesitantly points it out.
The position he's referring to is me sitting between his legs, leaning my back against his chest. Our bodies are pressed so close together… I'm worried he might hear how fast my heart is beating.
I tried following Ryuuen-kun's advice—just a little, no, a *lot*—and increased our physical contact, but judging by this, it seems like I'm the only one whose heart is racing…
"...I like this position, but… is it bothering you?"
"Nah, if you're fine with it, I don't mind."
...For just a moment, I felt something unreasonable.
My heart is pounding so hard for you, yet Hachiman-kun's expression hasn't changed at all. Am I not even seen as a woman in his eyes?
"This novel you picked is really good. Interesting."
I can't help but glance at his face as he focuses on reading. The contents of the novel I was reading vanish from my mind, and I'm completely captivated by his expression.
When did I start feeling this way about him?
I remember how happy I was when we first met after entering school and became friends. I wanted to grow closer to him as reading buddies, the first friends I ever made who shared my hobby.
But little by little, that relationship stopped being enough. I didn't want to be confined to just *friends*.
And it wasn't just me—there are so many attractive girls around him. Just the thought of another girl standing by his side makes me unbearably frustrated.
"...I must have a terrible personality."
I don't want him to be drawn to anyone but me. I want to be the only one by his side. I want to be the closest to him.
I want a special relationship between just the two of us—one that no one else can interfere with.
"Something on my face?"
Our eyes meet as he looks at me curiously, and I realize I've been unconsciously staring at him.
"N-no, it's nothing!"
I force a smile and quickly avert the topic.
"You sure?"
E-even though I'm embarrassed…
Just how long was I looking at him? I didn't even realize I was doing it.
"Is this novel yours? I don't think I've seen this title in the library."
"Yes, I bought it at the bookstore in Keyaki Mall. The school library is big, but there are still so many novels I don't know about. If you'd like, I can lend you some others next time?"
"Definitely. Your picks never disappoint."
Being with him really warms my heart. My cheeks relax on their own.
Time passes too quickly—I want to stay with him longer.
"Fufu, sleepovers are fun, aren't they?"
"Yeah. Way more fulfilling than usual."
"Hachiman-kun, have you… had sleepovers before?"
"A few times with Ishizaki and the others. Though it's nothing like the peaceful time I'm spending with you—they're *really* loud."
What should I do? I can kind of imagine it.
"Ah—"
Talking about sleepovers reminds me of something.
I know this might be pushing it, but I can't help but wonder.
"Have you… ever had a sleepover with Sakayanagi-san?"
The moment I bring it up, Hachiman-kun's expression shifts slightly in surprise.
"Ah—well, yeah. Once. I let Arisu stay over."
He answers awkwardly but honestly. While I'm glad he didn't lie, my chest feels uncomfortably tight.
"I see…"
I thought… it was just me.
But I guess not.
"How did that happen?"
"How, huh… Well, that day, Arisu was in a bad mood, so she came to my room to cheer herself up. Things just kinda happened from there."
"..."
I can tell my own mood is worsening.
The way Hachiman-kun says it makes it sound like they're so close that sleepovers just *happen*.
It feels like Sakayanagi-san is always one step ahead of me when it comes to Hachiman-kun. No matter what I do, I'm always…
...a little too late.
And it's…
...*really* frustrating.
"Huh? It's already this late?"
Hachiman-kun checks the clock, and when I look too, it's somehow past 11 PM. Time really does fly.
"Alright, I'll set up the futon down here. Hiyori, you can take the bed, okay?"
He starts busily preparing the futon.
What about when Sakayanagi-san stayed over?
Did they sleep separately?
Or did they… go to bed together?
No matter how much I don't want to, the image forces its way into my mind.
"Um… when Sakayanagi-san stayed over, did you… sleep in separate beds?"
"...Nah. Not exactly. To put it bluntly, we shared the bed."
"––––––!"
I'm always too late.
If this keeps up, Hachiman-kun will eventually…
"Don't get the wrong idea—it wasn't my choice. Arisu just—––––––!"
The moment that thought crosses my mind, I throw myself at Hachiman-kun, pushing him down onto the bed and clinging to him.
"Hiyori…? What's—––––––"
"Am I… not good enough?"
I bury my face in his chest.
I don't want him to see me. I don't want him to see the expression I'm making right now.
"I know you're close with Sakayanagi-san, but… but I've been getting closer to you too! Why am I not allowed!?"
"Listen, Hiyori. That was just Arisu—"
"It feels like… she's always one step ahead of me! If things keep going like this… I feel like you'll slip away…!"
"Please, calm down."
I tighten my grip, refusing to let go. I don't want to. I want to stay like this forever.
He could easily push me away if he wanted to—the only reason he doesn't is because he's kind.
"It's not fair… It's not fair! I'm your friend too! I've felt this way for so long! I—––––––!"
If I say what comes next, we might never go back to how we were. But if I don't, if I don't get these feelings across, I'll never reach the relationship I want.
"––––––I love you, Hachiman-kun."
My first confession… ended up happening on a bed.
=================================
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