Chapter 483: Hachiman Is Truly a Troublemaker
That evening, in the boys' room.
Hachiman was ready to put his plan into action, so he turned to Tobe and said, "Tobe, are you still planning to confess to Ebina? You should have noticed over the past couple of days that she's not interested in you."
Though persuading Tobe might not work, Hachiman decided to give it a shot.
To his surprise, Tobe ran his fingers through his hair, looking puzzled. "Really? I actually think things are going pretty well between us."
Hachiman twitched his mouth in disbelief.
How can someone be so self-assured?
With how you've been acting these past two days, how can you think you're getting along well with her?
Ebina wouldn't openly show her disinterest; she still wants to maintain the friendship. If she were direct, it would ruin the relationship they've built over time.
Sighing, Hachiman asked, "So, you still plan to confess to her?"
"Of course."
Tobe struck a pose, thinking he looked cool.
Seeing this, Hachiman wasn't the only one exasperated; even Hayama looked helpless.
Hayama glanced at Tobe and couldn't help but try to persuade him again, "Tobe, maybe you should reconsider. If your confession fails, your relationship with Ebina will become awkward."
Tobe fell silent at this.
But after a moment, he lifted his head again, maintaining his optimistic demeanor.
"Well, no matter what, I have to try. Who knows, it might work out."
At this point, Hayama was out of options and turned his gaze to Hachiman.
Hachiman nodded and then said to Tobe, "Tobe, how about we go eavesdrop on the girls tonight? Maybe we can find out what Ebina really thinks about you."
Tobe's eyes lit up, and he nodded enthusiastically.
"Sure, that sounds great!"
Seeing Tobe take the bait, Hachiman's lips curled into a smile.
"We have to be careful though. If the teachers catch us, we'll be in trouble."
"Got it, got it." Tobe nodded repeatedly, then turned to Hayama.
"Hayama, do you want to join us?"
"I'll pass. You two go ahead."
"Alright, but if the teachers ask about us, remember to cover for me and Hikigaya." Tobe winked at Hayama.
Seeing Tobe's enthusiasm, Hayama could only sigh and say, "I got it."
"Thanks a lot." Tobe smiled, then left the room with Hachiman.
Watching them leave, Hayama could only smile wryly.
"Hope everything goes smoothly."
....
Before long, Hachiman and Tobe arrived at the door to Yumiko's room.
Yumiko, having received Hachiman's message, began to put the plan into action. She left the door slightly ajar to ensure their conversation could be heard by Hachiman and Tobe outside.
Watching Ebina once again share her "fujoshi" knowledge with Saki Kawasaki, Yumiko asked, "Hina, it seems like Tobe has been getting quite close to you these past few days. Maybe he has feelings for you?"
Hearing her friend bring this up, Ebina didn't suspect anything, but her face showed a bit of exasperation.
"Yumiko, don't mention it. It's been really weird."
"So, Hina, do you have any special feelings for Tobe?" Yumiko pressed on.
"Ah, Yumiko, don't ask Hina so directly. She'll get embarrassed." Yui tried to change the subject, thinking Yumiko was unaware of the whole situation.
If Ebina were to outright say she didn't like Tobe, it would be problematic.
"What's the big deal? We're all friends here. Discussing these things in private is normal." Yumiko waved off the concern. "I tried setting Hina up with some guys before, but she rejected them all. So, I'm curious about what kind of guy she likes."
"Well… that…"
Yui hesitated, as she also wanted to know.
Not only her, but Saki Kawasaki also showed interest.
After all, gossip is a natural human instinct.
"You guys…"
Seeing the three of them so eager, Ebina looked a bit helpless.
"Yumiko, don't waste your efforts. I'm not interested in dating anyone right now. It's not just Tobe; even if you introduced Hayama to me, it wouldn't matter."
Yes!
Hearing Ebina's response, Yumiko celebrated internally, but she didn't stop there. She was genuinely curious about her friend's feelings.
"Hina, are you really not interested in romance at all?"
"I'm serious," Ebina smiled. "Whether it's Hayama or Tobe, they're just good friends to me. I have no other feelings for them."
"Well, that's that, then. I didn't expect you to be so picky, Hina, not even considering Hayama," Yumiko sighed.
She had thought about her friend's love life many times, but it always ended inconclusively. Since Ebina had made her feelings clear today, Yumiko decided to let it go for now.
…
Outside the room, Hachiman and Tobe overheard the girls' conversation.
"So, what now? Do you still want to confess?" Hachiman asked Tobe.
Tobe fell silent, his previous confidence waning. Hearing Ebina's words firsthand made it hard to ignore reality.
Finally, Tobe sighed, looking dejected. "I guess I'll pass. Ebina just said she wouldn't accept anyone's confession right now, not even Hayama's. So there's no way she'd accept mine."
"Like you said earlier, Hikigaya, if I don't confess, at least we can stay friends. But if I confess and fail, we might not even be able to stay that way."
"So, I'll just maintain the status quo."
Though Tobe had confidence in himself, he wasn't delusional enough to think he could surpass Hayama.
Seeing Tobe finally understand, Hachiman felt relieved. He had been worried Tobe might stubbornly persist, even knowing he'd be rejected, which would make things much more complicated.
He patted Tobe on the shoulder and offered some comfort. "Don't be too upset. Relationships can't be forced. Maybe you'll meet someone better in the future."
While Hachiman was trying to console him, it was hard to tell how sincere he was.
But Tobe, ever the optimist, quickly bounced back. "You're right. Maybe I'll find someone better later."
Seeing Tobe's quick recovery, Hachiman couldn't help but smile wryly.
Hey, you bounced back too quickly. It hasn't even been five minutes.
It seemed that Tobe's interest in Ebina was more of a passing fancy.
But since Tobe had already bounced back, Hachiman didn't bother saying anything else.
Just as the two were about to leave, they heard Ebina's voice from the room again.
"Instead of worrying about my love life, Yumiko, you should think more about your own."
"Me? What do you mean by that?" Yumiko asked, puzzled.
"You said it yourself, right? It's normal for close friends to discuss these things. So, I won't hold back," Ebina said with a mischievous smile.
"Don't think I haven't noticed. Yumiko, you actually like Hachiman, don't you?"
"Who likes him? Stop saying nonsense, Hina," Yumiko quickly denied, glancing discreetly at Yui.
Seeing no reaction from Yui, Yumiko felt relieved. She didn't want her relationship with Yui to be strained.
Humph, it's all because of that indecisive jerk, she thought to herself.
As Yumiko silently blamed Hachiman, Ebina spoke again.
"Well, denying it won't change anything. I've been observing everything clearly."
Then, she turned her gaze to Saki Kawasaki, with a sly smile.
Seeing that smile, Saki tensed up, but before she could say anything, Ebina continued.
"And if I'm not mistaken, Saki, you also have feelings for Hachiman, right?"
"Along with Yui, that means all three of you like Hachiman, except for me."
"So maybe I should join in too. I think I'd get along well with Hachiman."
"…"
Outside the room, Tobe couldn't help but look at Hachiman with a hint of jealousy.
Why is it that the girl I can't win over is willing to chase after you?
Hachiman also felt a bit exasperated, sensing that Ebina was deliberately stirring things up.
Sure enough, after Ebina finished speaking, the other three girls immediately began to protest.
Yumiko: "What?! Hina, you like that jerk Hachiman too?!"
Yui: "Hina, don't joke about stuff like this."
Saki: "Ebina, what nonsense are you talking about? Who… who likes Hachiman?"
Seeing her two friends' reactions, Ebina shrugged.
"I'm just joking, don't get so worked up. I already said I have no interest in romance right now, so you don't have to worry about me stealing Hachiman from you."
After saying that, Ebina turned her gaze to Saki Kawasaki again.
"But Saki, you should know best whether I'm joking or not."
Hearing this, Saki fell silent.
Seeing this, Yumiko and Yui exchanged glances.
Could Kawasaki really like Hachiman?!
With this thought in mind, both girls were struck by the same realization.
Hachiman really is a troublemaker.
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