Chapter 169 - Gabriel- I'm Out Of Money
After school in the Service Club room.
The spacious room remained occupied by only Hachiman and Yukino.
"Do you think Yuigahama-san will eventually make delicious cookies?" The girl, who had been quietly reading, suddenly spoke.
Hearing her question, Hachiman also set aside his reading.
"Whether or not she can make delicious cookies isn't important. What matters is Yui's sincerity, and she has already put in a lot of effort, hasn't she?"
"Effort won't betray oneself, but it might betray one's dreams. Even though many things don't lead to success just by trying hard, at least by trying, you won't have regrets."
Yukino, a perfectionist by nature, naturally wasn't satisfied with this answer and furrowed her brows slightly.
"It's just self-consolation. I didn't expect you to have such naive thoughts. How disgusting."
"Huh?"
Taken aback by the sudden harsh reprimand from the girl, Hachiman paused for a moment.
But at that moment, the door to the clubroom swung open once again, and a cheerful voice filled the room.
"Yahallo!"
It was none other than the pink-haired bundle of energy, Yui.
Seeing her lively entrance, the entire room fell silent for a moment, and both Hachiman and Yukino paused, unsure of what to say. Eventually, Yukino, as the club president, broke the silence with a composed tone.
"What's the matter?"
Confronted with her cool demeanor, Yui couldn't help but feel a bit awkward.
"Oh, it seems like I'm not very welcome here."
"Is it that you dislike me, Yukinoshita-san?" Her expression turned a little despondent by the end.
"It's not that we dislike you; it's just that we don't want to see you right now." Yukino's tone remained somewhat unusual.
Although the last request she had entrusted to Yui had eventually turned out well, the process had been too agonizing. Yui's culinary skills, in particular, appeared prone to mishaps even when following instructions, leaving a lasting impression on Yukino.
"That's pretty much the same thing!" Yui pouted a little.
Unable to tolerate the silliness any longer, Hachiman stepped in and interrupted her antics.
"Alright, alright, Yui, no need to act silly. Why did you come here today?"
"Yes, Yuigahama-san, your previous request was already completed. Is there another problem?" Yukino also spoke with a hint of curiosity.
"Stingy little twerp, you're the one acting silly!" In response to Hachiman's comment, Yui stuck out her tongue and then turned to address Yukino.
"I actually came here to thank you. It's a token of my appreciation, homemade cookies." As Yui spoke, she took out a neatly wrapped bag of cookies from her bag.
"Um... I don't have much of an appetite right now," Yukino hesitated as she looked at the bag with a butterfly bow.
Considering the package, Yukino felt a bit reluctant. However, since it was a gesture from Yui, she eventually accepted it.
Seeing Yukino accept the cookies, Yui smiled and took out another bag of cookies from her bag, offering it to Hachiman.
"Even though you didn't help much yesterday, Hikki, at least you tasted them and gave some suggestions. So, I made this for you too."
Although she said this, the package of cookies was adorned with heart-shaped stickers, and even the bow tying the package was heart-shaped.
Seeing Yui's playful behavior, Hachiman couldn't help but find it a bit amusing and accepted the cookies.
After receiving the cookies, Yukino spoke once more, "You've expressed your gratitude. Is there something else on your mind?"
Hearing her words, Yui seemed somewhat hesitant.
"Well... actually... I heard from Hiratsuka-sensei that the Service Club was just established, and you might still need more members. So, I was thinking of joining your club."
"May I?"
In her usual fashion, this spirited girl concluded her speech by gazing at them with teary eyes.
Yukino, despite her outwardly cold demeanor, had a compassionate heart, evident from her founding of the Service Club, an organization dedicated to helping others without expecting anything in return.
"Sure, you can join. But..."
"Great! Thank you, Yukino-chan."
Before Yukino could finish her sentence, Yui enthusiastically hugged her.
"Hey, how about we have lunch together in the clubroom next time?"
"Also, let's redecorate the clubroom together."
Yui's sudden burst of warmth caught the typically reserved Yukino off guard. She gently pushed away Yui's hug, her expression slightly awkward.
"Eating together is not necessary. I'm used to being alone."
"Also, please don't call me Yukino-chan; it's disgusting."
But Yui was undeterred by Yukino's response and stuck to her.
"Oh, it's not a big deal. I think calling you Yukino-chan is cute."
"I said not to call me..."
"..."
"I'll go get some drinks. What do you want?"
Observing the close interaction between the two girls, Hachiman felt like an outsider. Helplessly, he stood up, preparing to buy some drinks.
"I'll have juice."
"I want juice too, just like Yukino-chan."
"I told you not to call me Yukino-chan..."
Hachiman acknowledged their beverage preferences and headed to the vending machine.
At the vending machine, he spotted a familiar figure. A petite stature, slightly tousled golden hair – it was none other than Gabriel.
This surprised Hachiman. Typically, this fallen angel, Gabriel, had become a gaming otaku, and she should have headed home after school to play games. So, encountering her at school at this hour was rather unexpected.
Nonetheless, since they crossed paths, it wouldn't hurt to offer a greeting.
"Good afternoon, Tenma-san."
Hearing someone call her name, Gabriel turned around and, in a somewhat lethargic manner, greeted Hachiman.
"Oh, it's Hikigaya-kun. Good afternoon."
"Tenma-san, haven't you gone home yet?" Hachiman approached the girl and inquired with a smile.
"It's because of Vigne. We were supposed to go shopping this afternoon, but it's her turn for duty today, so I'm just waiting for her."
Gabriel wore a somewhat reluctant expression as she spoke and reached into her pocket, presumably to retrieve money for a drink. However, after fumbling around for a while, she couldn't find a single coin and withdrew her hand, clicking her tongue.
"Ugh... I'm out of money."
Seeing this, Hachiman inwardly chuckled, recognizing that this fallen angel had likely succumbed to the temptation of spending money on games. This might be a good opportunity.
"I'll treat you to a drink, Gabriel-san. What would you like?"
"Uh... just juice will do."
After hesitating for a moment, Gabriel nodded, feeling genuinely thirsty.
"Sure thing."
With that, Hachiman purchased a can of juice from the vending machine and handed it to her.
"Thank you, Hikigaya-kun."
Gabriel expressed her gratitude, accepted the juice, and pulled the tab open. She took a couple of refreshing sips and then let out a contented sigh.
At that instant, a figure rushed in from the distance.
With her short, purple bobbed hair, and a small bun at the back, it was none other than the true angel, Vignette.