….
[-Continuation-]
.
[-Hachiman's POV-]
Unable to hold back my curiosity, or maybe just my annoyance, I called out after him. "Hey, thanks, old man… What's your name?"
He didn't even turn around.
He just gave a quick nod over his shoulder.
What the hell?
Is he trying to act cool or something?
…
Anyway, I paid for the doll and told the employees to pack it up.
…well, more like 'remove it from the display'.
I didn't want to know if they had already sold out and had none left in stock.
The reason for this is simple - there's no way I am lugging that giant thing back to my place.
So, I figured I would have it delivered straight to her apartment on her birthday.
At least that way, it would show up in style, without me having to struggle through crowded streets with a stuffed cat the size of a small sofa.
Then, I headed back.
Yuigahama and Komachi were still at the café.
Since I was also in the mood for some coffee, I walked in and scanned the seating area for them.
.…and there they were, sitting at a table in the far right corner, sipping their drinks.
But as I made my way over, my eyes accidentally collided with someone sitting diagonally across from them.
That person was lounging on a sofa with her back to the window, casually enjoying her own drink.
"Oh, little brother, you finally came."
Yeah, you heard that right.
It wasn't a 'big' brother.
There is only one person in this world who would ever refer to me as 'little' brother.
And, of course, that person was none other than Haruno Yukinoshita.
Anyway, I wasn't exactly shocked by her sudden appearance.
As I said, I had already prepared myself for today's encounters.
In fact, I was half-expecting two more people to show up.
One, obviously, was Yukino.
The other, well… if you know, you know.
Now that I think about it, Yukino still wasn't here yet?
But why was she here in the first place?
I don't remember?
"Haruno, what are you doing here?" I asked.
She glanced up from her cup of coffee, her usual playful smirk plastered on her face.
"Oh, you know, just enjoying some time out. What's it to you?" Haruno replied, her tone light and teasing, as if she hadn't just appeared out of nowhere.
I didn't get much of an explanation from her, so I shifted my attention to Yuigahama, who seemed a little less at ease.
"Hikki… you see, we kinda ran into Hayama and Yukinon's sister while ordering our drinks." Yuigahama explained, her voice trailing off slightly as she adjusted her gaze awkwardly.
I glanced toward the group and immediately saw what she meant.
Haruno wasn't alone, sitting beside her was Hayama Hayato.
There, in the middle of all of this, sat Komachi.
She was right between Haruno and Hayama.
What is she doing over there again?
Still, my eyes moved back to Hayama, and he met my gaze, offering a knowing smile in return.
"…Hey there." Hayama greeted me briefly.
I returned a slight nod as I occupied the space beside Yuigahama.
My attention briefly flickered to Haruno before returning to Hayama.
His smile remained steady, but I caught the subtle twitch at the corner of his mouth.
"Oh, what's going on between these boys?" Haruno mused out loud, catching the unspoken tension in the air.
But I didn't care.
"Noth-ing." I answered, stretching the word out just a little longer than necessary.
Haruno just shrugged her shoulders, unfazed, and seamlessly shifted the topic.
"Oh… by the way, Hachiman, can I keep 'our' little sister for myself?" She asked, leaning a little closer to Komachi, her hands playfully tugging at her.
Komachi blinked in surprise.
"W-Wait a second! I am not some kind of pet, you know!" She protested, swatting Haruno's hands away, though she still seemed a bit flustered by the attention.
"No." I said flatly, not even pausing to consider it. "My old man will kill me if I let that happen."
Komachi shot me a look of mock horror. "You would really let her take me away? I thought you cared about me, big brother!"
Haruno pouted playfully at my refusal, but her mischievous grin was still intact.
"… she is just so cute. I want her." She leaned in closer to Komachi, eyes twinkling with teasing intent.
Before the conversation could go any further, Haruno suddenly shifted gears, as if the previous exchange had been nothing more than a bit of light amusement.
"Anyway, I was gonna ask, little brother. Did you buy the present? Gahama here said you are out shopping for Yukino's birthday. Let me see!" She asked eagerly, her gaze scanning me, expecting to find the gift.
"Don't even think about it." I said, my voice flat. "Buy one yourself if you want, but don't go stealing mine."
"Hump… since you are here, let me get her too." Haruno quickly took out her cell phone and started dialing somewhere.
So that's why Yukino came here?
After two rings, three rings, and a few more, the call finally connected, and there was a small audible, voice from the other end.
["Hello…"]
"Ah, Yukino? It's me, big sis. Can you come out right now?"
["It's still not time for dinner. So no…"]
The reply came quickly, shutting down Haruno's request with ease.
Yuigahama and Hayama exchanged a brief, uncomfortable glance, both offering strained smiles.
Not time for dinner? I thought.
So they made a schedule to meet up today… probably for family dinner, I guess?
That's what I gathered from the brief exchange.
But Haruno, who was seemingly used to this reaction, didn't budge an inch and continued with a teasing tone.
"Ohhh? Are you sure you don't want to come a bit early? That way, you will leave 'him' with me for the rest of the day?"
["…What?"]
Haruno made a broad grin.
"The thing is, right now, I am actually with Hikigaya!"
["Again with your ridiculous lies… Enough al–!"]
"Here you go, Hikigaya."
Before Yukino could finish her sentence, Haruno thrust her phone into my hands.
I glanced between her and the phone, but she just looked away, pretending to be innocent, her hands hidden behind her back.
Meanwhile, Yukino was still waiting on the other end of the line.
Guess I will have to answer this… for now.
"Ahh… hello?" I spoke into the phone, unsure of how to start.
I heard her quiet, controlled breath on the other end. After a short silence, she sighed.
["Really, unbelievable… Weren't you supposed to be shopping with Komichi and Yuigahama?"]
That's what I want to ask.
We were supposed to be here just to shop…
"Well, I was actually, and that's where she kind of caught me…"
Another sigh interrupted me.
["That's fine. I will be right over there, so switch with big sis."]
"…Yes."
I handed the phone back to Haruno, who immediately exchanged a few words with Yukino about our location before hanging up.
"Looks like Yukino is coming." Haruno said, a satisfied smile spreading across her face.
Yuigahama, clearly still unsure, spoke up. "Um, why did you call Yukinon over? It sounded like she didn't want to come…"
"Hm? Oh, actually, we have a family dinner planned after this, and Yukino was supposed to join us in a couple of hours. But if Hikigaya is here, she doesn't really have much of a choice but to come a bit early?"
Family dinner, huh?
...and she agreed?
"Actually, I was pretty surprised she didn't refuse to come to the family dinner, you know… even though she might be joining late, she still agreed." Haruno added with a teasing lilt to her voice.
"....your parents are here?" I asked Haruno.
.
….
[To be continued…]
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