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[-Continuation-]
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[-Hachiman's POV-]
Yeah, this was going exactly as I expected.
But little did I know, at that moment, nothing was going to follow the script I had in mind.
Unbeknownst to me, I had already set off a chain of events, one disaster after another, that would turn this evening into something far more complicated than I had anticipated.
Haruno picked up the bracelet, her eyes gleaming as she examined it over in her hands.
The light caught on the shiny surface, making it sparkle. She tapped her chin with one finger, a mischievous glint in her eye.
"Well, well…" She mused, her voice dripping with amusement. "What do we have here?" Her lips curled into that infamous smile – the one that always made me feel like I was standing on quicksand.
"Hachiman, are you really, really sure I was wrong about not wanting to 'talk' with our parents? Because to me." She continued, twirling the bracelet between her fingers like a magician with a coin. "This looks exactly like you are trying to bribe me."
One glance was all it took for her to figure out that the bracelet wasn't some run-of-the-mill piece you would find at a roadside stall. Not that there's anything wrong with those, mind you.
I shook my head, forcing my voice to remain steady. "It's not what you think."
Crossing my arms, I tried to project an air of nonchalance, even as I felt my defenses rising.
I took a deep breath, meeting Haruno's piercing gaze head-on. It felt like she was trying to peel back the layers of my mind with just a look.
"Besides." I continued, my lips quivering into a half-smirk. "If I were really trying to bribe you, I would have brought something far more appetizing bait." I paused, weighing my next words carefully.
"Because let's be real here." I said, gesturing towards the bracelet with a casual flick of my wrist. "This little 'metal ring' isn't nearly enough to fill that bottomless pit of hunger you have for teasing us. It won't stop you from bugging us to death, long before we ever get to the actual 'talking' part."
"...." - "...."
Silence.
As soon as the words left my mouth, I felt a twinge of regret. Had I pushed too far?
But to my surprise, Haruno soon let out a genuine laugh. "Haahhh…"
The sound was rich and warm, so different from her usual calculated chuckles.
The corners of her eyes crinkled as a real smile – not one of her trademark smirks – it was a real smile spread across her face.
"Oh, you wound me, Hachiman." She said, her voice laced with mirth. "But I must admit, it warms my heart to know my soon-to-be 'little brother' understands me so well."
There was a teasing lilt to her words, but underneath, I caught a hint of something almost... affectionate?
Throughout this exchange, Yukinoshita had remained characteristically silent.
But now, as the conversation shifted, she turned to face me, her delicate features marred by a frown of concern. Her eyes, usually so clear and confident, seemed clouded with worry.
"Hikigaya." She said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "Where did you get the money for this...?"
??Her question caught me off guard.
I opened my mouth to respond, then closed it again, words failing me.
I still didn't tell her about my 'side-business' right? I thought to myself, feeling a bit panicky.
While I was struggling for a response, Haruno's face suddenly lit up.
Her eyes sparkled with wicked gleam, and a sneaky grin spread across her face. She looked like a cat that just caught a mouse.
"Oh my!" Haruno cooed, her sing-song voice carrying excessive sweetness. "Is someone already worried over their boyfriend's finances? How utterly adorable." She clasped her hands together, looking far too pleased with herself.
Usually, this would have triggered immediate and passionate denials from both of us.
Our voices would have overlapped with something along the lines of -
"He is not my boyfriend."
"She is not my girlfriend."
But this time, no such protests came, leading to Haruno's visible surprise.
Instead, Yukinoshita just looked away shyly, her cheeks tinged a delicate pink.
I, on the other hand, met Haruno's gaze with my impassive eyes, as if she hadn't said anything out of the ordinary and stated the obvious.
?....?Haruno's smile began to waver.
…she looked confused…
Wow, if I wasn't worried about my own impending doom, I might have savored this rare moment of seeing the unflappable Haruno Yukinoshita caught off-guard.
However, I can't.
Anyway, judging by her expression, she definitely expected at least one of us to say something back.
Perhaps she had expected me to counter with a snarky - Not a boyfriend yet - or for Yukinoshita to launch into one of her eloquent rebuttals.
But we remained steadfastly, stubbornly silent.
The shift was so sudden, it took a few heartbeats for my own brain to catch up with the gravity of the situation.
When realization finally dawned, I felt my heart quicken fractionally.
The weight of what I had done – or rather, what I hadn't done – hit me like a ton of bricks.
I didn't deny Haruno's teasing about Yukinoshita being my girlfriend.
Cautiously, I snuck a glance at Yukinoshita from the corner of my eye.
She was still determinedly avoiding eye contact, the blush on her cheeks deepening to the color of ripe strawberries.
One thing was crystal clear- neither Yukinoshita nor I had any intention of lying to Haruno.
I wasn't sure about her reasons, but for me?
I just didn't want to.
It really was that simple. Unsurprisingly.
So, I fixed Haruno with my patented blank stare, silently conveying - 'There you have it.'
There was no point trying to deny it now. We(:I) had already said it, intentionally or not.
The silence in the surroundings was so profound you could have heard a feather drop.
Suddenly, Haruno's expression transformed.
Her eyes widened to saucers, her mouth forming a perfect 'o' of surprise.
And then, as quickly as it had appeared, the shock melted away, replaced by a grin so wide it threatened to split her face in two.
With a suddenness that made me flinch, her chair screeched against the floor, as she leapt to her feet and hit the table with her palms.
–thud!
…gulp, glad I was not near her, or else the hit would have been on my back.
"When?! Where?! How?!" She asked, her voice a mix of shock and excitement.
Her gaze ping-ponged between Yukinoshita and me, hungry for answers. The excitement in her voice was palpable, like static electricity in the air before a lightning strike.
"Lower your voice, Big Sis." Yukinoshita murmured, a note of exasperation coloring her tone.
Her eyes darted around the room, noting the curious glances being thrown our way. A slight crease appeared between her brows, betraying her discomfort at being the center of attention.
"During the field trip." I stated, my voice as flat and emotionless as if I were reciting a grocery list.
Still, the words hung in the air, heavy with implication.
Haruno, for again, went silent.
She sank back into her chair, likely trying to process this unexpected turn of events.
But just as she opened her mouth, no doubt to unleash a barrage of questions, fate intervened.
–buzz!buzz!
The sudden vibration of her phone cut through the air from her hand bag.
A flash of annoyance crossed Haruno's face at the ill-timed interruption, but she reached for her bag nonetheless.
As she was about to glance at the caller, I pitied whoever was on the other end of that call – they were about to face the wrath of a thwarted Haruno.
ID, her expression soured further.
But then, just as she checked, like storm clouds parting to reveal a sunny sky, her irritation melted away.
A soft smile, one I had rarely seen on her face, took its place.
"It's Emiko." Haruno announced, glancing up from her phone.
Her tone was almost... tender?
Ah, Emiko.
The name explained Haruno's sudden change in demeanour.
I guess those two were close - closer than I cared to think about sometimes.
As Haruno's finger hovered over the 'accept' button, I found myself blurting out.
"Hey, could you ask about Emiko and her dad?" I paused, then added with a casual shrug. "And, uh, let her know I am doing fine. No - great. My old man too."
As I said it, I realized I didn't have Emiko's number.
And to be honest, I probably wouldn't ever try to get it. Some people come into your life for a short time, and that's okay. I thought it was better to leave things as they were.
Haruno's lips quirked into that familiar smirk of hers.
"You two really hit it off, huh? Well, I will pass along your heartfelt message." She quipped, her thumb finally tapping the screen.
"Hello, Emiko~" She greeted her sweetly, her usual charm leaking through.
As their conversation unfolded, I shifted my gaze away, trying not to listen in too much, it felt weird to eavesdrop.
Not that I could hear much anyway, the café had enough noise to drown out most of their chatter.
But just as I was zoning out, a flash of movement caught my eye.
There, standing somewhat lost amidst the sea of tables and chairs on the ground floor was - Ryota - who had just entered the café.
"Yo! Over here!" I called out in a low voice, just loud enough to carry across the bustling cafe. My hand rose slightly, and my fingers spread in a half-wave.
Ryota's head snapped up, his eyes scanning the room before landing on our table.
A grin spread across his face as he raised a hand in acknowledgment.
"Hachiman!" He shouted back, matching my volume perfectly, already making his way towards the staircase.
As Ryota navigated the maze of tables, I couldn't help but note his effortless style.
Clad in a baggy black T-shirt that somehow managed to hint at his athletic build and knee-length shorts that screamed casual comfort, he looked frustratingly handsome despite the unpolished ensemble.
…tsk, some guys just had all the luck.
Haruno was still engrossed in her phone call, her voice dropping to a more serious tone as she wrapped up.
"Thanks for the info…. Emiko."
She murmured, a hint of something I couldn't quite place coloring her words.
In a move that would have made any action movie proud, Ryota arrived at our table, yanked out a chair, and plonked himself down in one fluid motion, without so much as a greeting or acknowledgment of the two women at the table.
It was as if he hadn't even registered their presence.
Meanwhile, Haruno lowered her phone, her face a canvas of emotions I rarely saw.
The usual mask of playful indifference was nowhere to be seen.
She, too, seemed oblivious to our new arrival, her mind clearly still processing whatever Emiko had dropped.
Then, as if some cosmic force had decided to inject a healthy dose of surrealism into our evening, Ryota and Haruno spoke in perfect unison.
"Hachiman, I have got some news to tell you…"
"Hachiman, I have got some news to tell you…"
Their voices overlapped with such eerie synchronicity that, for a moment, I genuinely wondered if they had rehearsed this moment before even coming here.
I blinked, caught in the middle of what felt like a weird déjà vu moment.
My brain scrambled to process what had just happened as I turned my head slowly between the two of them, trying to make sense of it.
It wasn't every day that I got hit with synchronized news announcements.
I cleared my throat, buying time as I tried to formulate a response that wouldn't sound as bewildered as I felt.
"Well…" I drawled, my voice dripping with dry humor. "Any chance one of you is about to tell me I have won the lottery?"
….
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