"I never thought the day would come, Hikigaya-san, when you would become a weapon for my mother to use against me. I wonder, how does that make you feel?"
After confirming that Mrs. Yukinoshita had indeed left the house by car, Yukinoshita Yukino settled back into her "duck-style" sit, with her legs folded back on either side of her, and posed the question to Hachiman with a hint of self-mockery.
"To be honest, if you two weren't looking at me like that, I'd be enjoying it," Hachiman said honestly. It would be great to become the role model other parents use to lecture their children. As a student, wouldn't that bring a profound sense of accomplishment?
"Yukino, this man has a truly awful character," Yukinoshita Haruno declared, pointing at Hachiman. "To protect yourself, I advise you to have less contact with him in the future, or you might get infected."
"Hmph. The worse his personality is, the more he needs someone like me to come and heal him," Yukino retorted, her eyes fixed on her sister. "You should look forward to our three years of high school, Hikigaya-san."
Hachiman didn't dare to speak. He picked up his empty cup and pretended to drink his tea, glancing at the Yukinoshita sisters out of the corner of his eye.
"I say," Haruno reminded them, "it's almost ten o'clock. Let's not forget the main purpose of today." The three of them had gathered primarily to celebrate their successful entrance exams (in truth, the results weren't out yet, but they were opening the champagne with confidence).
"Right, let's go," Hachiman said, getting to his feet. Haruno and Yukino followed his lead. "It's not that close to my apartment from here, and we have to cook for ourselves, so we need to hurry." Before heading to the apartment, they naturally had to stop by the supermarket to buy some food and drinks.
Hachiman enjoyed cooking, and grocery shopping was a common activity for him. The only difference this time was the presence of two beautiful girls, but he didn't think it was anything special. If he were alone, he'd be lonely; with three people, things were lively. That was all.
"A single steak costs nearly forty thousand yen?" Yukinoshita Yukino asked in disbelief. "Hikigaya-san, what kind of supermarket did you bring us to?" The more she shopped, the more she felt the prices were beyond her imagination.
"Oh, this is a boutique supermarket," Hachiman answered, picking up a small box of strawberries priced at nearly ten thousand yen and placing it in the shopping cart. "I rarely come here myself. Only when there's something to celebrate."
"Yukino, you don't usually shop, so you wouldn't understand," Haruno explained to her sister. "In fact, our family often buys ingredients from supermarkets like this, especially when we're entertaining guests or for holidays. You've eaten them many times."
"But..." Yukino started to say something, then stopped herself. "Never mind. I probably can't understand it for now. I'll need to get used to it slowly." During her three years studying abroad, she hadn't deliberately pursued a high-end lifestyle, with the exception of riding at a luxury horse club.
"It's fine to indulge occasionally, but don't get too used to it," Hachiman sighed, looking at the astronomical total on the shopping receipt. "Otherwise, no matter how much money you have, it won't be enough to spend like this."
"Now I'm feeling stressed about cooking lunch," Haruno muttered to herself as she watched their items being bagged. "If I mess up such expensive ingredients, it would be a crime, wouldn't it?"
"Hikigaya-san, I feel it's inappropriate for you to pay for all of this by yourself," Yukino said, carefully reading the price on the receipt again.
"It's nothing," Hachiman said nonchalantly, handing his credit card to the salesperson. "We usually treat each other to dinner. You can just treat me back next time." Going Dutch was never a concept between him and the Yukinoshita sisters.
"I've never been a male chauvinist, but the objective situation is that among the three of us, I'm the only one earning money right now. So it's normal for me to cover a few more expenses. There's no need to dwell on it. Let's think about how to tackle these ingredients when we get to the apartment."
Hachiman didn't want to get stuck on the topic, so he decisively ended the conversation. Yukino looked as if she wanted to say something more, but ultimately held her tongue.
Upon arriving at the apartment, Haruno and Yukino playfully pushed Hikigaya Hachiman down onto the sofa.
"From now on, you are not allowed to set foot in the kitchen," Yukino announced, her voice soft but firm and unquestionable. "Just wait here for dinner."
Helpless, Hachiman sat on the sofa and began typing on his phone. The work he was creating was, naturally, The Newcomer. The process of writing this piece was relaxed and enjoyable, forming a sharp contrast with the mentally taxing creation of The Clockwork Museum Incident.
He had already finished the first two chapters. After sending them to Editor Imamura for review, she had called to tell him the story was very heartwarming and healing, and had the potential to become a hit. Hachiman had no doubt about that.
In addition, there was another urgent matter. It was already March. Once the serialization of Disintegration of Various Causes concluded in All Readings this month, the work related to its publication would begin immediately, including Hikigaya Hachiman's first-ever book signing event. This would be the first time the mysterious writer "Mr. Hachiman" appeared before the public.
Sakuraba Publishing House had specially rented a large exhibition hall for the occasion and arranged a series of supporting activities. They were determined to make his first signing event a lasting memory for everyone.
"Is it finally time for me to step out from behind the scenes and onto the stage..." Hachiman muttered to himself. When he first decided to become a writer, this day had always felt so distant. Now, almost two years had passed.
In those two years, Hachiman felt that not much had changed around him. If he had to name something, though... he glanced towards the kitchen, where the two Yukinoshita sisters were wearing aprons, carefully preparing the precious ingredients.
He raised his phone, took a picture of Haruno and Yukino cooking together, and set it as his wallpaper.
"You two," Hikigaya Hachiman muttered to himself, "are my greatest gains in the past two years."
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