Monday.
After school.
Yui Yuigahama stood hesitantly at the door of the Service Club.
"Why isn't Dango-chan going in?"
Ren Asakura had appeared at the door and spoke up.
Yui jumped in surprise.
"Uh… um…"
Ren opened the door.
"Anyway, come on in. Everyone's waiting for you!"
As the sun set,
The atmosphere inside the Service Club room felt a little tense.
The moment Yui stepped in, she quickly put on a smile.
"Yo! Hello!"
Yukino Yukinoshita looked up slightly.
"Hi. Come in."
Yui took her usual seat.
At this point, all five members of the Service Club were present.
"Yuigahama-san."
As soon as Yukino called her name, Yui tensed up again.
"Ah, ah! You're going to talk about you and Hikki, right? It's a surprise, but I'll give you my blessing. And also to Kato and Ren Asakura."
Ren shook his head with a helpless sigh. "Can high schoolers have just one clean thought in their heads? Romance isn't nearly as fun as causing chaos. Girls only distract me from my true mission."
Megumi Kato remained as serene as ever and quietly pulled out the gift she'd prepared. "Yuigahama-san, you've misunderstood."
Yukino didn't quite understand what Yui was talking about—her values and way of thinking were quite far from those of a typical girl. And when it came to romance… well, she was even further removed.
"Celebration. Did you already hear about it? I'm really thankful for everything you've done for me before, so I hope…"
Yukino was referring to the birthday surprise and the gifts they'd prepared for Yui.
But Yui thought they were celebrating two couples getting together.
"No need to thank me! I didn't really do anything worth thanking."
Ren could tell this misunderstanding was about to spiral out of control.
Anyone who's read a tragic love story knows misunderstandings are where all the pain begins.
"Dango-chan, look over here!"
Yui turned her head. Ren stood up from his chair and pulled a neatly wrapped gift from his bag—there was even a label on it that said "Fragile."
"Dango! This is for you."
Yui froze for a moment.
"For me?"
Ren nodded, then turned to the others. "Alright everyone, stop hiding your stuff. Let's bring out the gifts we carefully picked out the other day!"
Yukino took out the pink apron she'd wrapped.
Megumi handed over her neatly packaged bracelet.
Hachiman brought out his gift too.
Yui didn't know what to say—whether it was gratitude or simply being moved.
Ren gave a sly little grin, looking proud of himself. "Feeling super touched, aren't you? These gifts were all chosen with care. We didn't expect to run into you that day, though—we almost ruined the surprise."
Yukino also handed over her own gift.
As she received everything, realization suddenly dawned on Yui, and she blurted out in surprise:
"Wait… Yukino, Hikki—you two aren't dating?"
Yukino just looked at her, totally confused.
Hachiman Hikigaya wore his usual dead-fish expression. "Yuigahama… you totally misunderstood something."
Yukino Yukinoshita added with a very serious look, "In your eyes, is my taste really that bad?"
After some explanation, Yui Yuigahama burst out laughing.
"Sorry, sorry! My bad—I totally misunderstood."
At that moment, Ren Asakura gave Hachiman a pat on the back.
"Go on, go on! Don't forget."
Hachiman stood up, looking a little embarrassed. "Um… Yuigahama, about what I said to you before—don't take it to heart. About saving your dog, well… can we just write it off as the past? I didn't mean to help a specific person, so you don't need to thank a specific person either."
Yui looked at Hachiman with a surprised expression—an expression she had never seen on his face before. "I… I think I made things more complicated again. It was supposed to be something really simple."
Yukino stared out the window.
"One of you was the one saved, the other the savior—so there's no need for guilt between you. Everything was the fault of the one who caused it. There was never any need to argue in the first place."
Ren Asakura sighed.
These three had a complicated dynamic.
Yukino continued,
"Anyway, Yui Yuigahama, you didn't do anything wrong. There's no need to get caught up in this. Come back to the club, okay?"
Yui finally nodded, then looked around at everyone.
"Then… can I open the presents now?"
Everyone nodded.
A delicate mug, a pink apron, a bracelet, and a collar.
Nothing extravagant, but each item carried the warmth and thoughtfulness of friendship.
The cracks in their bond had been mended.
But new ones were already beginning to form.
The "offender" Yukino had spoken of—was actually herself.
"My Youth Romantic Comedy is definitely not going smoothly."
Ren Asakura shook his head helplessly.
—
Later
Yukino went to inform the teacher that Yui Yuigahama would be rejoining club activities.
Yui followed after her.
---
A new day.
Ren Asakura left the faculty office as usual.
"Ah, today's Miss Shizuka is still as cute as ever!"
Inside, the angry voice of Shizuka Hiratsuka could be heard.
"You little delinquent brat!"
Meanwhile, in another part of the school, two rather gloomy-looking students stepped out of a different office.
They were Yuuta Togashi and Rikka Takanashi.
Unlike Ren's cheerful mood, their vibes were seriously down.
"Yuuta! What do we do?! The club's going to be shut down! What should we do?!"
Yuuta silently thought: "Whose fault do you think that is?!"
Scoring only two points in math and still bragging like a genius—of course the teacher was gonna catch you.
Just then, a familiar voice rang out, full of flair: "Oh ho! Who do we have here? The Dark Flame Master and the Tyrant's Eye! Judging by your defeated expressions, it seems even you have fallen to the will of the gods. Do you understand now? The true terror of divine power?"
Yuuta turned his head.
It was that infamous second-year troublemaker—Ren Asakura.
They'd crossed paths once before.
Rikka Takanashi instantly puffed up.
"The power of the Tyrant's Eye is limitless. Not even the gods can stand in my way!"
Ren gave a wicked smile, his face full of crazed energy. "Courage and confidence are the keys to unlocking the door to victory. But without real strength, even with the key, you won't be able to push it open. Gods… are not something you can defy in your current state."
Yuuta let out a tired sigh.
"Rikka's really unbalanced academically… and Nana's way too scheming. If Rikka fails again, the new club we just formed will be disbanded."
Rikka covered one eye with a dramatic pose. "It's just math. Before the Tyrant's Eye, no secret shall remain hidden."
Ren dramatically replied, still deep in chuunibyou mode: "I look forward to your victory, Tyrant's Eye!"
°°°
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