The next day after school, when Mori Shinra arrived at the Service Club activity room, Yukinoshita Yukino was already sitting in her seat, reading a book.
Seeing him arrive, Yukinoshita showed no particular emotion, simply saying a faint "Come in," with nothing more to follow.
Oh, that wasn't quite the end of it. After Shinra sat down, a paper cup of hot tea was placed in front of him.
By the time he looked toward Yukinoshita, the girl had already sat back down and resumed reading her book.
However, while Yukinoshita Yukino appeared to be reading, her mind wasn't on the book at all. Her gaze seemed to be fixed on the page, but she was secretly observing Mori Shinra out of the corner of her eye.
Upon noticing Shinra looking at her, Yukinoshita's face tensed, and she subtly shifted her focus from her peripheral vision to the text in the book, as if she had been completely absorbed in it from the very beginning.
"You haven't turned the page for nearly two minutes, you know," Mori Shinra kindly reminded her.
Yukinoshita took a deep breath. Just as Shinra thought she was about to respond to him, she... turned the page.
"Pfft..."
"(Inhale)..."
Hearing Shinra's faint chuckle, Yukinoshita could no longer maintain her composure, even with deep breaths.
"Mori Shinra-san."
"I'm here."
"Has anyone ever told you to be as quiet as possible when others are reading?"
"My apologies, my apologies. But are you really reading, Yukinoshita-san?"
Seeing Shinra looking at her with a half-smile, Yukinoshita really wanted to say 'of course,' but when the word reached her lips, it involuntarily changed to another topic.
"Hiratsuka-sensei will be bringing someone over later. It's about what I told you yesterday." Yukinoshita Yukino chose not to answer his previous question, yet it also felt like she had.
Faced with the girl's clumsy attempt to change the subject, Shinra didn't press the issue. Teasing her occasionally was fine, but if he actually angered her, it wouldn't be fun anymore.
What's the most important thing in life?
It's timing. It's knowing the limits.
Knowing what jokes you can make, what jokes you can't, what is appropriate to do, and what isn't—these things represent a person's intelligence and emotional quotient.
Some people always use 'joking' as an excuse to be obnoxious, making fun of others without any sense of propriety. Once you get angry, they blame you for not being able to take a joke.
There's only one word for such people: shameless.
However, appropriate jokes can help deepen a relationship. But it's not recommended for the average person to try, especially when facing a high-level boss like Yukinoshita; it's very easy to mess up. It's only because Shinra had his cheat ability, allowing him to perceive her emotions in real-time and adjust accordingly, that he dared to be so cheeky.
He just didn't know to what extent their emotional bond needed to deepen before Yukinoshita would be willing to voice her wish.
Shinra was practically drooling over that golden wish request. If a gray one gave one Wish Point, wouldn't a golden one let him soar?
"When are they coming?" Shinra asked.
Yukinoshita shook her head. "I don't know, but it should be soon. And it's unlikely they'll knock."
As soon as her voice fell, the classroom door was pushed open.
"Yukinoshita, I'm coming in~" x2
A familiar voice rang out, only this time it was in harmony.
Yukinoshita Yukino glanced at Mori Shinra, who was mimicking her like a parrot, and saw him grinning cheekily at her. She couldn't stop the corners of her lips from twitching up, but she quickly pressed them back down.
"Ossu, you're here too." Hiratsuka Shizuka waved her hand, greeting Shinra.
"Good afternoon, Hiratsuka-sensei, who doesn't like to knock," Shinra said, mimicking Yukinoshita's serious expression as he looked at the teacher, though the words themselves were anything but serious.
"You little..." Hiratsuka knew he was joking, so she didn't make a big deal of it. She turned to the person behind her. "What are you standing there dazed for? Get in here."
Yukinoshita and Shinra simultaneously shifted their gazes to the classroom doorway, where a boy in a school uniform with dead-fish eyes walked in reluctantly.
Thanks to those iconic dead-fish eyes, Shinra easily recognized him: Hikigaya Hachiman, his classmate, and very likely one of the culprits who had put him on lockdown at home for two weeks.
It was worth noting that Shinra noticed a flash of surprise in Yukinoshita's eyes when she saw Hikigaya Hachiman (observed through Emotion Perception, of course), and she quickly averted her gaze, just in time to meet Shinra's, who was secretly watching her.
Well, then. Based on Yukinoshita's reaction, Shinra knew that he was probably also involved in that car accident.
Why is Japan so small?
Meanwhile, Hikigaya Hachiman hadn't planned on joining any club in the first place. The only reason he was here today was due to the pressure of the Iron Fist. He figured he'd just go through the motions and then continue with his quiet life.
Especially after seeing his classmate, Mori Shinra, in this club, Hikigaya became even more resolute in his decision: he absolutely could not join this club!
He would rather join the soccer club than this club!
Hikigaya didn't dare to imagine how awkward their relationship would become once the other party found out he was the reason he'd suffered that senseless disaster, all to save a dog.
In other words, by not joining this club, he was actually saving this club!
Gulp. If only I had chased after him with Yuigahama yesterday and explained things. Is it too late to apologize now?
Hikigaya Hachiman's mind raced, and he finally came to a conclusion: maybe he should just get it over with?
Whether it's a scolding or the silent treatment, as they say, it's better to get the pain over with quickly. While they're still strangers, it's better to clear the air now than to get to know each other and be unable to speak up because of their relationship, only to have a huge, dramatic blow-up after all sorts of cringeworthy drama.
What kind of third-rate romance novel plot is this?
Just be decisive. Commit seppuku!
In short, the first moment he saw Mori Shinra, Hikigaya Hachiman had already thought of how he would die.
Shinra, of course, had no idea what was going through Hikigaya Hachiman's mind, but seeing the constantly changing colors of emotion around him, he knew the guy was far from calm.
And when he saw the will to die radiating from him, Shinra completely lost it.
Dude, no. It's not necessary, really.
To prevent his classmate from committing ritual suicide in front of him, Shinra quickly spoke up. "Sensei, this is..."
"His name is Hikigaya Hachiman. He wants to join the club. Oh, right, he's also your classmate." Hiratsuka had no idea that in that short span of time, the student beside her had already prepared himself for death.
However, given her personality, if she knew what Hikigaya was thinking, she probably wouldn't try to dissuade him with words, but would instead correct him with her fists.
Yes, suicide becomes homicide.