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[-Continuation-]
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[Third Person View]
It was at this precise moment that Hachiman's eyes fluttered open.
?...? For a second, he thought he was still dreaming.
There, bathed in the soft light filtering through the café windows, was Yukinoshita Yukino, the Ice Queen herself, crawling on the floor like a cat, her long black hair cascading over her shoulders and her blue eyes wide with surprise.
A cat sat beside her, mirroring her pose, creating an image so surreal that Hachiman had to blink several times to assure himself he was awake.
"Yu-Yukinoshita?" He stammered, his voice husky from sleep, his eyes widening in disbelief.
?!!Yukino froze, her body tensing like a startled cat, and suddenly became aware of how she must look.
A deep blush bloomed across her cheeks, spreading to the tips of her ears. In a flurry of movement, she sat up, smoothing her clothes with trembling hands.
"H-Hikigaya!" She exclaimed, her usual composure shattered.
"I was just... I mean... You shouldn't sleep in such places! It's highly inappropriate!"
Hachiman's mind raced, trying to process the scene before him. His usual deadpan expression gave way to open amazement, a rare sight indeed.
"Were you... crawling?" He asked, unable to keep the incredulity from his voice.
Yukino's blush deepened impossibly further. Her eyes darted around, refusing to meet Hachiman's gaze.
"Don't be ridiculous." She snapped, but her voice lacked its usual bite.
"I was simply... inspecting the floor. For cleanliness. This is a food establishment, after all."
"Right." Hachiman drawled, a smirk slowly spreading across his face.
His eyes sparkled with mischief, a look that Yukinoshita found both infuriating and oddly captivating. "And I suppose the cat was your cleaning assistant?"
At that moment, the tabby cat, Yukino's 'accomplice,' decided to make its presence known again.
It meowed loudly, as if to confirm Hachiman's playful accusation.
Yukino shot the cat a look of utter betrayal, her lips pursing into a small pout.
The tabby then sauntered over to Hachiman, rubbing against his leg before curling up in his lap.
Hachiman looked down at the cat, then back at Yukino, a smirk playing on his lips. "Looks like I have been chosen."
Yukino's eyes narrowed.
"Traitor." She muttered, though it was unclear whether she was addressing the cat or Hachiman.
Hesitantly, Hikigaya began to pet the cat, his movements awkward at first but gradually becoming more natural. Yukinoshita watched, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
Hachiman couldn't help but chuckle at her expression. It was so different from her usual cool demeanor - flustered, embarrassed, and utterly human.
He found himself committing every detail to memory- the way her hair fell messily around her face, the lingering pink in her cheeks, the nervous fidgeting of her hands.
Yukino, sensing his amusement, squared her shoulders and attempted to regain her composure.
"If you must know." She said, her voice steadier now.
"I was here to wake you up. Your snoring disturbed the cats."
"I don't snore." Hachiman protested automatically.
"How would you know? You were asleep." Yukino retorted, a hint of her usual sharpness returning to her voice.
"Actually, I wasn't even sleeping." Hachiman murmured. "Just... resting my eyes..."
As he spoke, Hachiman noticed the look on Yukino's face, it was both frightening and cute, or maybe the latter a little more.
"Okay, I believe you."
Hachiman said, deciding to let her off the hook... for now.
He added with a smirk. "Thanks for the wake-up call, even if it was more of a wake-up crawl."
But he couldn't help but chuckle at the end, the sound was warm and genuine.
It was not supposed to be a rare occurrence, but even that made Yukino's heart skip a beat, though she would never admit it.
Hachiman found himself stealing glances at Yukino, noticing how relaxed she seemed in this environment.
"You know." He began, his voice quieter than usual. "I never thought I would see the day when Yukinoshita Yukino would be sitting on the floor, covered in cat hair."
Yukino looked down at her clothes, noticing the fine layer of fur that had accumulated.
To Hachiman's surprise, she let out a small laugh. "Ah, well. It's a small price to pay for... this." She gestured vaguely around them, not quite meeting his eyes.
She then proceeded to dust off the fur from her skirt, though with little success. But she didn't mind. The distraction was welcome after her previous embarrassing moment.
Under Hachiman's watchful eyes, she continued to fuss with the fur.
"Are you quite finished?" Hikigaya finally asked, his tone lacking its usual bite.
Yukino took a deep breath, composing herself.
"I suppose so." She replied, smoothing her skirt one last time.
Then her face took on a more serious tone. "Hikigaya, if you value your life, you will never speak of this again."
"Speak of what?" Hachiman said innocently, but there was a mischievous glint in his eyes. "I didn't see anything... Yukitty."
Yukino's eyes narrowed dangerously, but the effect was somewhat ruined by the lingering blush on her cheeks.
"Hiki-gaya." She growled, emphasizing each syllable in a way that was both threatening and oddly cute.
As Yukino launched into a tirade about proper behavior and respecting others' dignity, Hachiman couldn't help but smile.
The moment was broken by a cheerful voice. "Would you like any refills?" the café staff asked, appearing beside their table.
Both Hachiman and Yukino startled slightly. They ordered their refills, stealing glances at each other when they thought the other wasn't looking.
As the staff member walked away, Hachiman cleared his throat.
"So, Yukinoshita." He began with a hint of nervousness in his voice.
"What do you say we do this again sometime? Maybe without the napping and the floor inspection."
Yukino's cheeks colored slightly, but she didn't look away. "Indeed. Thank you for suggesting this place, Hikigaya. It's... nice."
"Yeah." Hachiman agreed, surprised at how genuinely he meant it. "It is."
…..
.
Hachiman and Yukino were walking to the bus stop after spending time at the Cat Parlour and having lunch together. It was getting late, already past [03:00]. The air felt heavy between them, like something needed to be said.
Hachiman broke the silence, his voice carrying a hint of dry humor.
"Well, looks like the Sports Festival's gonna eat up our free time for a while." He glanced at Yukino, half-expecting her usual sharp retort.
Contrary to his expectation, Yukino's face lumped down a little as she answered quietly.
"...yeah." She stopped walking and turned to face Hachiman, her eyes full of concern.
"Hikigaya, I apologize for pushing you to play the role of Sports Festival president. If you would prefer, I could take over. I am sure Senior Meguri would understand."
Hachiman blinked, as if suddenly remembering. "Ah... right. That bothersome thing. It almost slipped my mind."
At this, Yukino's resolve seemed to strengthen. "You know what, I have decided. I will apply for the position myself tomorrow."
Yukino studied Hachiman closely, noting the not so visible dark circles under his eyes, unless up close.
She had by now seen him doze off twice - once during the Cultural Festival and again today. Yukino could tell the difference between someone falling asleep from boredom and from exhaustion, especially when it came to Hachiman.
Even though the information was nowhere near full, she is aware that Hachiman was working as an intern at a company, which was pretty impressive for a high school student.
And this is exactly why, now she felt bad for making that bet on him, even if she needed to know 'something'.
Oblivious to Yukino's internal struggle, Hachiman shrugged nonchalantly, his hands in his pockets. "Don't bother."
"We might as well stick to the plan. It's not like I am alone in this. Plus, organizing a Sports Festival is mostly background work. No mess-ups like finishing speeches to be afraid about." He added, his voice softer than usual.
Yukino's eyebrows knitted together.
Her hands clasped tightly in front of her, a habit she has when feeling guilty. "I mean it, Hikigaya. I feel responsible for putting this extra burden on you."
Hachiman sighed, his shoulders sagging a bit. "Slow down, Yukinoshita, it's fine. Really. I said I would do it, so I will do it. Besides…."
He paused, a hint of a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"You asked me to, remember?" His tone was teasing, but there was an undercurrent of warmth that he rarely allowed others to hear.
"If you insist..." Yukino said, looking away with a displeased expression.
"You know…." Hachiman continued, a knowing glint in his eye. He leaned in slightly, as if sharing a secret.
"It's unlike you to make bets you're likely to lose. Almost seems like you wanted to lose this one."
Hachiman had pieced it together - Yukino had been roped into this by Haruno. Her excitement over winning was so great that she'd even texted him about it. That's how he had figured out the real reason behind her actions.
Yukino's cheeks turned slightly pink. She reached out and touched his arm gently. Her fingers trembled slightly against the fabric of his sleeve. "I am sorry. I won't put you in this kind of position again."
Hachiman looked at her hand on his arm, then back at her face.
His expression softened a bit. "Hey, don't go getting all mushy on me now. Just... don't push me away, alright?"
Yukino's eyes narrowed playfully. Her hand remained on his arm, her touch becoming more confident. "Hardly. I am simply following proper date etiquette. Since you seem incapable of taking the lead, I had to step in."
Hachiman's eyebrows shot up. "Date etiquette? Well, excuse me for being a novice. Maybe you should be in charge from now on."
"...no, maybe you should have done that from the start." He continued.
….
[To be continued…]
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