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[-Continuation-]
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[Hachiman's POV]
Eventually, a blindingly brilliant smile came over Haruno's face, and she did a little wave to say bye-bye. "Take care, you two. And remember, life's too short for secrets!"
She 'generously' offered us one of her free pieces of advice, and with that, she skipped off into the distance.
I observed her until she disappeared from sight, and I found myself involuntarily releasing a heavy sigh.
"Offuuff…." A long breath escaped my mouth.
"I feel tired…" My body continued to buzz with adrenaline as I stretched my arms upward, attempting to dispel the tension that had built up around us.
"..." From the corner, Yukinoshita's eyes bore into me, their intensity was enough to consume me whole if it were any other time, but not now.
On the contrary, I felt it was cute…
It felt akin to facing off against a tiger and then encountering its little and adorable cub. They may be part of the same family, but they existed at completely different levels of threat.
Now, that's an interesting analogy, isn't it?
"You seem to be having a lot of fun talking to her." Yukinoshita's tone was that of demanding an explanation.
But, as I mentioned, the adrenaline rush I had until now still hadn't left my body completely, so that didn't affect me one bit.
However, I was too tired to banter around, so I answered honestly. "I can't say I didn't enjoy it. It was…-"
After a brief pause, I continued. "An exhilarating experience. Always having to be on my toes and carefully choose my words to avoid playing into her meticulous nature."
"But definitely not my cup of coffee."
Yeah, sure, it was fun, but there was no way on earth my eyes could handle such an excessively vibrant personality. No, not even for a day.
"Your sister is really something… Yukinoshita." I said acknowledging her powers.
Yukinoshita nodded in recognition, too. "Everyone says that when they meet her."
Her tone held a blend of admiration and competitiveness.
"Yeah, I could see that." I agreed, giving a quick glance at the now-empty chair her sister had occupied just a moment ago.
"I suppose it's rare to find someone as perfect as she. Everyone likes to sing her praises."
For a moment, I didn't understand or believe what I was seeing or hearing. In her tone, Yukinoshita's voice had a slight hint of acceptance.
…an acceptance of defeat.
"Why does it sound like you're putting her on a pedestal? Doesn't that sound a lot like you, just in a different way?" I asked, trying to make sense of it all.
I continued. "Or is that a roundabout brag?"
"…huh?" Yukinoshita looked up at me, stunned.
"When I said she was something… I meant it, uum, …how do you say it? Almost like she is wearing a powered exoskeleton of a façade."
A reinforced exoskeleton. No, you could call it a mobile suit.
"She's got it all, you know? Friendly personality, always smiling, the kind of person everyone likes. Basically, every guy's dream girl." I explained, but my words didn't match how I felt.
Instead of sounding impressed, I sounded disappointed.
"But - Ideals are ideals. They're not reality. That's why something about her seems fake."
"And…" I pondered whether to continue or not.
Yukinoshita, having absorbed my varied tones, made a puzzled look and questioned. "Is something the matter?"
But amid her confused look, I could sense a spark of curiosity flickering in her eyes.
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "You see, I have dealt with my share of eccentric folks, but I gotta admit she was in a whole different league. I was completely exhausted trying to keep up with her."
Yeah, she is definitely a [Pro]. No, I bet she is a Hacker. Yeah, she has to be. Otherwise, it makes no sense.
"Yeah, I can tell." Yukinoshita mused.
"I bet you could." I joined her in amusement and added. "For sure. She wears a mask, but unlike typical noobs, she's unique."
"How?"
"People like her usually know they're acting, showing their true selves when alone or with close ones." I trailed off.
"But your sister is different. She has wholeheartedly embraced both sides of herself. Even the masked side."
"It's like the masked side is what makes her who she really is. Without that, she is incomplete as a person."
"Making her even more formidable."
It is to the point where you can say she is actually not acting anymore. It is her true self.
"..." Yukinoshita looked at me with a straight face.
After a moment of thought, she said. "Coming from you… It's not surprising you can actually see through all that."
When she said that, she seemed rather mysterious as she folded her arms, a somewhat faraway look in her eyes.
"Are you praising me?"
"I am. That's high praise."
"Oh, that was new. You actually accepted it. Anyway, I thank you."
"But you are still the same, without a hint of modesty." She chuckled, smiling a little.
Yep, Yukinoshita might have been less than impressed by my obvious bragging.
Her response made me remember that what I had said wasn't the only reason I thought the way I did. "While we are at it, your faces might look similar, but when you smile, you look completely different."
I knew what a real smile looked like. Not a flirtatious smile, nor a smile for tricking people or diverting their attention – a real, honest-to-god smile.
When I said that, Yukinoshita suddenly stood up from her seat. "Hmph… an idiotic reason."
Then she looked back at me over her shoulder. I saw her usual cold, unchanging expression.
"…let's go home." She said softly.
"...Hm-uhm." I nodded.
Following that, not a single word passed between us as we started our journey home.
I had no inquiries for Yukinoshita, and she didn't seem inclined to share anything with me either. It was a moment where questions and conversation could have bridged the gap between us.
But, instead of stepping on each other's toes, we chose to embrace the sense of distance that was all too familiar to us now. And because of that, we spent the time without any human warmth, as fellow strangers sitting next to each other on the train.
As our stop at the train station neared, Yukinoshita stood up ahead of me, and I followed suit.
Once we got past the ticket barrier, Yukinoshita instantly stopped in her tracks.
"I am going this way." She declared, pointing to the south exit.
Way to put a damper on the moment, girl.
"Sure thing. Catch you later, 'girlfriend.'" I teased with a sly smile, turning toward the north exit.
It took a moment for her to process my words, and when she did, she immediately turned around.
"Hikigaya..." Yukinoshita pronounced my name, devoid of anger but tinged with a hint of annoyance and exhaustion.
For an instant, we resembled a 'real couple' in the aftermath of an argument.
I, too, turned around to face her again.
But I have to admit, there's nothing sweeter than hearing a girl say your name… especially when it's a special someone.
Observing Yukinoshita, she didn't utter a word, but her expression suggested she was expecting an explanation from me.
"What? Forget already? The day still hasn't ended yet." I said, pointing at my wristwatch.
Which shows- [05 : 35. PM]. But, of course, we never set a specific time limit. We have only agreed for today.
"..." So she just stared at me, unamused by what she considered my humorless 'joke.'
Then, releasing a soft sigh, she looked away from me.
"I will be going then." She stated firmly, repeating herself once more.
"What, just like that? No goodbye kiss or anything." I remarked, disappointment evident in my voice.
"..." - "..." This time, she shot me an angry look, and a brief moment of silence hanging between us as we both stood our ground.
But that didn't last long. Her stern and angry expression began to crumble, and soon it completely melted away.
"...*chuckle, hah." A small chuckle escaped her mouth, which she tried to conceal with her right hand, failing in the process.
"..." And alas, she did regain her composure after a short-lived moment of amusement.
Without saying a word, she turned around, facing the direction toward her house, ready to walk away.
Deciding not to push further, I watched silently as she was about to walk away.
"Today was fun. See you later." her voice, soft and unexpected, reached my ears.
My initial instinct was to doubt my own ears.
Before I realized it wasn't, Yukinoshita had already started walking off, not even waiting for my response.
She showed no sign of looking back at me.
"Yeah, see you later, girlfriend. Oh, by the way, I've put a letter in your bag. Open it after reaching home. And don't worry, it's not what you're thinking," I shouted loud enough for her to hear, though the volume decreased for the latter part.
It wasn't too low either, just enough, I think.
The 'girlfriend' part seemed to register, and I noticed her picking up her pace after that.
But, no, I didn't receive any response.
In the end, I watched Yukinoshita until she was completely out of sight.
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[To be continued….]
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