Chapter 476: Actually, You Are a Nice Guy
"Huh? I didn't realize there was so much to consider."
After hearing Hachiman's explanation, Yui's face showed some surprise. She never thought that just confessing would involve so many considerations.
At that moment, Hayama suddenly spoke up, "We'll carefully think about these risks."
He then looked over at Tobe.
"I need to head to the club now. Tobe, are you staying here?"
Tobe nodded repeatedly.
Seeing this, Hayama didn't hesitate any longer and turned to leave the Service Club room.
Watching Hayama's departing figure, Hachiman's eyes flickered with suspicion.
Recalling the morning when he saw Hayama and Ebina walking in together, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
In the original story, there was indeed a similar scenario where Tobe wanted to confess to Ebina. However, Ebina didn't like him and later came to the Service Club to ask Hachiman and the others to dissuade Tobe from confessing, to avoid awkwardness within their friend group.
Hachiman remembered that the outcome was him impulsively confessing to Ebina himself. While this did prevent awkwardness between Tobe and Ebina, it also led to discontent from Yui and Yukino, making it a lose-lose situation.
If it were him now, he wouldn't make such a foolish move as he did in the original story.
As Hachiman was lost in thought, Yukino spoke up.
"So, let's start by talking about your strengths, Tobe."
Tobe blinked, unsure. "Um, knowing Hayato, does that count?"
"We're asking about your own strengths, not someone else's..." Yui responded, exasperated.
"Hikki, what do you think?"
"Well, I don't interact with Tobe much," Hachiman shrugged and tossed the question back. "I remember you and Yumiko interact with him quite a bit, right, Yui?"
"Not really that much."
Worried Hachiman might misunderstand, Yui quickly corrected herself, then scratched her cheek and hesitantly added, "Um, being cheerful, maybe?"
"There are plenty of cheerful people, and not all of them have girlfriends," Hachiman retorted, then turned to Yukino.
"Yukino, what do you think?"
"Actually, I don't know him well either. Let me think..." Yukino pondered for a moment before replying. "Loud... I mean, lively, able to lift the mood or something..."
Yui gave an awkward laugh at Yukino's comment.
"Yukinon, that doesn't really sound like a compliment..."
Despite their efforts, the three couldn't come up with a single solid strength for Tobe.
Seeing this, Tobe grew anxious and turned his gaze toward Hachiman.
After all, Hachiman was the one who could handle even Yukino, so he must have plenty of ideas, right?
With that thought, Tobe clasped his hands together and pleaded, "Please, Hikigaya, help me think of a plan."
Sighing, Hachiman replied, "Let's try a different approach. Instead of focusing on Tobe's strengths, let's consider Ebina's preferences."
Tobe quickly agreed, "That's a good idea. This is called... catering to her tastes. If I can understand Ebina's interests, I can get closer to her."
However, Yui felt a bit awkward hearing this. "Ahaha, Hina's interests..."
Ebina's interest? Naturally, it was yaoi.
Yukino, also aware of Ebina's interests, decided to steer the conversation away. "But that aside, how does Ebina view Tobe?"
"How does Hina see Tobe..."
This question also made Yui uncomfortable, suggesting she knew the answer.
But Tobe, intrigued, pressed on, "Come on, that's such an important question! Yui, do you know? What's Ebina's opinion of me?"
"Hold on, do you really want to know? This could be the final verdict. If Ebina doesn't have a good impression of you, you're doomed," Hachiman warned.
Still, Tobe wouldn't give up. "But if I don't ask, how can we move forward?"
Seeing Tobe's enthusiasm, kind-hearted Yui didn't want to crush his hopes, so she struggled to find the right words.
After thinking for a while, she diverted her gaze and sheepishly said, "Um... Hina probably thinks you're a nice guy..."
Whoa, starting with the friend zone?
That's pretty much game over.
Hearing Yui's words, Hachiman's mouth twitched slightly.
Unfortunately, Tobe didn't seem to get it and even looked somewhat proud. "Great, it seems Ebina has a good opinion of me!"
Seeing his obliviousness, Hachiman, Yukino, and Yui were left speechless.
Unable to deal with such a dense person, they couldn't come to a conclusion, and Tobe left early to attend his club activities.
After he left, the Service Club was once again left with just the three of them.
At this moment, Yui, no longer enthusiastic, lay on the table feeling a bit drained.
"We can't do anything. We'll just have to try and let Tobe and Ebina spend more time together during the Kyoto trip."
However, her tone didn't carry much confidence, clearly not optimistic about the situation.
Hachiman felt the same. From their earlier conversation, he had a pretty good grasp of what kind of person Tobe was. Simply put, Tobe was an impulsive guy who easily got carried away.
In contrast, there was Ebina. Although she was a fujoshi, she was also cute. In today's world, people's values followed their looks; as long as you were good-looking, you'd receive positive attention.
Moreover, Ebina had a cheerful personality and left a good impression on others, being approachable and able to get along with anyone. Apart from her fujoshi side, she was quite an appealing romantic prospect.
Being part of the top social circle in school, centered around Yumiko, also made Ebina highly attractive to many guys. Yumiko often came across as aloof and cold, which made her seem unapproachable.
Naturally, many boys shifted their attention to the relatively quiet and cute Ebina.
"Maybe I have a chance to date her," was a thought likely shared by many.
Tobe was one of those guys.
"Let's just try to get Ebina and Tobe to spend more time together during the trip," Yui suggested, albeit without much hope.
"You mean creating opportunities for them to be alone together?" Yukino asked.
Yui nodded repeatedly. "Yes, exactly."
At that moment, the clubroom door slid open again, and a familiar voice rang out.
"Hello, hello! Were you talking about me?"
With her black, shoulder-length hair and red half-frame glasses, it was none other than Ebina.
Seeing her friend, Yui was surprised. "Hina, what are you doing here?"
"Yahallo, Yui," Ebina greeted with a smile.
Yui returned the greeting, "Yahallo, Hina."
Ebina nodded and then greeted Hachiman and Yukino. "Yahallo, Hachiman, Yukinoshita."
"Good afternoon, Hina," Hachiman replied with a smile, while Yukino, as the host, invited her in.
"Please, have a seat, Ebina-san."
Upon hearing this, Ebina took a seat.
Yui asked, "Hina, is there something you need today?"
"Yes, I have a request for you all," Ebina began after gathering her thoughts. "It's actually about Tobe..."
"About Tobe?!" Yui's eyes lit up.
Could it be that Hina also had feelings for Tobe? If so, this would be much simpler.
However, just as Yui's heart filled with hope, Ebina continued.
"I know he wants to confess to me, so I hope you can find a way to help me reject him."
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