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[-Continuation-]
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[-Hachiman's POV-]
"Oh, Hikigaya?"
I was caught off guard when someone called my name, a voice I had expected but hoped not to listen.
"Yes…?" I manage, turning slowly in my seat.
There she stands, Orimoto, looking as carefree as ever. Her presence feels like an unwelcome blast from the past.
"Hikigaya, you are in the student council?" She asked, her tone light and casual, as if our last encounter hadn't been a complete disaster.
I don't bother standing up. "No." I reply flatly.
"Haaa… Ah, I see." She nodded, that irritatingly bright smile threatening to make a comeback.
I can't help but think. 'She hasn't changed a bit. No lessons learned, huh?'
But of course, it flies right over her head. Instead, she leans forward, peering around me as if searching for something. Or someone.
"Hikigaya, are you alone?" She asked, her voice way too casual for my taste.
I glance pointedly at the people beside me, then back at her. My eyebrows raise slightly, silently asking, 'Are you blind?'
"Hah, I see..." She laughs, as if I had just told a particularly amusing joke. "Hello there, are you Hikigaya's friends?"
I resist the urge to roll my eyes.
Thick-skinned doesn't even begin to describe her. I couldn't have been more obvious if I had held up a sign saying 'go away.'
Asano decided to jump in. "Kind of. We three are from the student council and worked under Hikigaya during the Cultural Festival and Sports Festival."
"Oh, I see." Orimoto responds, her face falling slightly at the information.
Asano turns to her, curiosity evident in his voice. "What about you? Are you from the Kaihin Sogo High student council?"
…the guy is literally trying to poke her.
"Nope, I am just here because a friend invited me." She replied, her tone carefree as ever.
"Hum-uhm, thought so." I muttered under my breath, lacing my words with enough sarcasm to fill the room.
Asano's gaze flicks between us, a question forming on his lips. "Hikigaya, it seems you know her quite well."
The way he says it, it's clear he's hoping for a specific answer. His voice practically screams. 'Please tell me you are not...'
Before I can set the record straight, Orimoto bursts into laughter. She clutches her stomach, doubling over as if the very notion of us being friends is the punchline to the world's funniest joke.
"What the heck, that's super hilarious!" She wheezed, her voice rising in pitch as if the absurdity of the idea was too much to bear.
"Hey, Orimoto..." My voice cuts through her laughter like a cold wind, sharp but restrained. The last remnants of my control are barely holding.
She turns towards me, still grinning like an oblivious fool, completely unaware of the shift in the atmosphere around us.
"Do me a favor. Don't laugh." My voice remained, but the disgust behind my words is clear enough that even she can't miss it.
Her grin faltered, just for a moment. A flicker of uncertainty crosses her face.
Like - Finally.
She opened her mouth to respond, to keep the ridiculous charade going. "What wa-"
I didn't bother letting her finish. I am not interested in whatever half-baked excuse she's about to serve up. Instead, I turn to the group, effectively cutting her out of the conversation.
"You heard her, Asano. Just a classmate from middle school." My words were clipped, final, as if the entire interaction wasn't even worth the time it had already wasted.
Orimoto blinked, standing there like a deer caught in headlights. The grin that once oozed confidence now faltered, her cocky demeanor slipping away as if she'd suddenly realized she wasn't in on the joke this time.
It was almost amusing how quickly her facade fell apart when faced with a truth she couldn't laugh off.
She wanted to laugh, to shrug it off like everything was still some kind of game, but there was no laugh left in her throat.
Not this time.
And frankly, I wasn't here to entertain her delusions.
"Got it." Asano nodded, sensing the mood shift as well, keeping things professional.
Professional and efficient, he wasn't about to dig further into whatever awkward mess this was turning into.
Beside him, Sakamoto and Fujikura, the secretary, followed suit, both nodding in understanding.
Orimoto opened her mouth to respond, probably to add another ill-timed quip, but I wasn't in the mood for any more of this.
"If that's all, maybe you should go find that friend you came for. I am sure they are waiting."
My voice is flat, leaving no room for further banter. It's not a suggestion; it's an order disguised as a neutral statement.
There's no room for her to squeeze in another laugh, another word. And this time, she doesn't try
The silence that followed was suffocating, but I let it hang there, refusing to break eye contact until she finally looked away.
"Hachiman, I know you mentioned your terrible [Luck] stats before, but this is beyond my comprehension." A voice remarked dryly, coming from beside me like a reminder that the situation had spiraled way past ridiculous.
Yeah. There she was.
Took her long enough.
When I turned around, Yukino stood at the forefront, flanked by Isshiki and Yuigahama, their presence like a breath of fresh air against the thick atmosphere.
"I told you." I replied, annoyance creeping into my tone.
Yukino raised an eyebrow at my response. "What are you so proud of?"
I shrugged. It wasn't pride, more like resignation at this point.
She turned her attention toward the trio standing off to the side, her gaze landing on each of them with a cool, calculated look, before finally settling on Orimoto, who was still standing there with that faintly nervous smile on her face.
"You are here again…" Yukino's tone was flat, but there was no mistaking the underlying edge in her words.
"Hay…" Orimoto replied with a nervous smile, the sudden appearance of familiar and unfamiliar faces clearly throwing her off balance.
The shift in the room's dynamics didn't go unnoticed.
Orimoto's classmates, or the friends she had dragged along, began to approach, curiosity evident in their expressions.
Isshiki, quick to assess the situation, stepped in.
"It's getting late for the meeting. Come on, hurry up, and take your seats…" She moved toward Orimoto, her tone friendly and charming, a stark contrast to the earlier tension.
"You are a senior too, right? I am Isshiki, a first-year student and the student council president of Sobu High." Her smile was bright and inviting, a seamless attempt to diffuse the situation.
Orimoto blinked, clearly taken aback by the sudden shift in attention. The nervous smile on her face wavered as Isshiki's overwhelming friendliness bore down on her.
"...and I also overheard you were a classmate of a senior Hachiman from middle school. Wow, so lucky…" Isshiki's words were casual, but the implication behind them was clear.
With that subtle, strategic line, she had managed to refocus the conversation without making it seem forced.
She continued to babble in her own way while gently steering Orimoto away, seamlessly leading her to the side.
Orimoto, likely feeling too disoriented to protest, allowed herself to be dragged along, her friends trailing behind her in a quiet, confused cluster.
With that, the problem was, for now, neatly sidestepped.
The atmosphere began to shift back to normal, but I could still feel the lingering tension in the air, a reminder of how quickly things could spiral out of control.
"Was it her?" Yuigahama's tone was light, but even at that low frequency, there was a clear hint of annoyance laced within.
The kind she tried to bury but couldn't quite manage.
Yukino and I both gave her a nod of confirmation.
No need for words.
I turned to my side, catching a glimpse of the stunned expressions on the faces of the other student council members.
It was a mix of disbelief and amusement.
I turned my attention back to Asano, who looked like he was trying to suppress laughter.
"Nice work there, Hikkigaya." He said, genuine admiration in his eyes.
I shrugged it off. But it was nice to remind everyone, including myself, that I wasn't just a punching bag for laughter.
After a few seconds, Isshiki returned as if she had tagged back in, her eyes fixed intently on Orimoto for just a second, almost as if silently sizing her up.
"I don't like her senior." She muttered barely, but everyone heard that, including the trio.
"We couldn't agree more, President." Asano and the two nodded their heads.
Without missing a beat, Isshiki broke the tension by sitting down and spreading out the snacks she had brought, her cheerful facade slipping back into place effortlessly.
Seeing that, the people from Kaihin Sogo High began preparing their snacks and drinks as well.
It looked like the meeting was going to start any minute now.
Both the Kaihin Sogo and Sobu sides went to their designated seats.
Everyone sat in their seats lined up around the C-shaped desk.
Although it was a C-shaped desk, directly in the middle was the birthday seat occupied by the Kaihin Sogo High student council president, Tamanawa.
We, Sobu High, were sitting in the right half of the desk.
When the president of the other side, Tamanawa, confirmed that everyone had taken their seats, he clapped his hands.
"Eeerm, we will now begin the conference. I look forward to working with you all." He spoke, looking like he was used to it, and everyone bowed their heads.
Finally, the conference had begun.
Tamanawa called to one person in his group of teammates who moved to the front of the whiteboard.
As the sound of the pen pushing down echoed, Tamanawa opened his mouth and watched with a sidelong glance.
"Similarly to last time, let's do some BRAINSTORMING."
Eh, what the heck?
"The topic of discussion will continue from last time and we would like some IDEAS regarding the CONCEPT and content of the event…"
As Tamanawa continued on with the business, the Kaihin Sogo High side began raising their hands one by one, respectively, giving their thoughts on the matter.
I observed them for a while.
I mean, see, it's basically that.
Where did we come from, and where were we going?
It was a conference where that thought suddenly came to mind.
Where in the world did this conference come from, and where was it heading?
The answers? Nowhere fast.
If this continues, the conference will come to an end with no decision resembling a conclusion.
It is a disaster.
A complete and utter disaster.
When I glanced at Yukino, she was already looking straight at me, her dark eyes saying exactly what I was thinking.
This wasn't going to work. Not even close.
Then, without a word, she began to slowly shake her head, the movement so subtle you would miss it if you weren't paying attention.
But I was.
A lot.
The message was clear- 'Don't you dare.'
Me?
What did I do?
…I wasn't thinking of stepping in.
No way. Not at all.
I had already promised myself I was staying on the sidelines for this one.
I was serious about it, too.
But Yukino kept shaking her head, her expression hard to read, as if she saw something coming that I didn't.
Why was her face starting to blur?
Wait... was it just me, or was the room getting darker?
Did someone turn off the lights?
And why did it feel like the whole room was tilting?
And then, a second later, everything went black.
Blank.
Nothing.
Had I... died?
Nah, that would have been too dramatic, even for me.
It seemed I had just fallen asleep.
Guess that's what 'BRAINSTORMING' does to me.
Or maybe I was just too comfortable leaning against Yukino's shoulder.
The last thing I remembered before drifting off was the sensation of something soft and warm pressing against the side of my face.
Yukino's shoulder, no doubt.
And the last thing I saw was her expression, twisted into one of mild annoyance.
Or maybe it was resignation?
And yet, here I was, using her as my personal pillow.
Either way, it wasn't a bad way to check out for a while.
Pretty cozy, actually.
.
….
[To be continued…]
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