Chapter 119: The Scent on Her
Come to think of it, why did Komachi and I end up at the Yuigahama household?
As Hikigaya Hachiman sat at the dinner table, glancing at the people around him, this question suddenly surfaced in his mind.
"What's wrong, Onii-chan?" Sitting next to him, Komachi noticed his dazed expression and quietly asked.
"No, I was just wondering why we're here…" Even if we're holding a study session, there's really no reason for us to be having dinner at Yuigahama's house, right?
"Ugh, that woman is just too scary…" Hearing Hachiman bring up the reason, Komachi glanced toward Mrs. Yuigahama, who sat at the head of the table smiling warmly at everyone, and she involuntarily shivered.
She had clearly declined the offer to eat dinner here. But somehow, after chatting with Mrs. Yuigahama for a bit, she had ended up helping with the cooking.
By the time she fully realized what was going on, she was already sitting at the dinner table with chopsticks in hand.
"Um, Hikigaya-kun, please don't hold back. Make yourself at home," Seeing Hachiman staring blankly at the food in front of him, Mrs. Yuigahama looked a little troubled. Could it be that the food didn't suit his taste?
She had clearly gotten the information about what he liked and disliked from his sister...
"Alright…" Hachiman quickly nodded, picked up his chopsticks, and after saying "Let's eat," cautiously picked up a piece of stir-fried vegetable and placed it in his mouth.
You couldn't blame him for being overly cautious—Yuigahama's previous two attempts at baking cookies had left a deep trauma.
If Yuigahama's cooking was already that terrible, then as her mother…
Unexpectedly, it was delicious!
It was just a simple vegetable stir-fry, yet it felt like it completely awakened his taste buds!
Just from one bite, a glow returned to Hachiman's eyes. Without needing any urging from Mrs. Yuigahama, he proactively reached for another bite.
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"Ugh, I'm so full..." After the hearty meal, Hachiman put down his chopsticks and sat upright in his chair, a satisfied expression on his face.
This isn't good. Even though I'm at someone else's house, I let my guard down just from eating a good meal. You've fallen far, Hikigaya!
Although he understood this in his mind, Hachiman just couldn't muster the willpower to put back on his usual stern expression.
Sitting beside him, Komachi—and even the typically icy Yukinoshita Yukino—were wearing similarly relaxed, contented expressions after Mrs. Yuigahama's dinner.
Suddenly, something occurred to Hachiman. He straightened up and looked across the table at Yuigahama Yui.
She was also rubbing her now-round belly, her face glowing with happiness. It didn't seem like she had noticed the extra pairs of eyes now on her.
"…I mean no offense, but are those two really mother and daughter?"
As he looked back and forth between Yuigahama and her mom, Hachiman covered his face with one hand.
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After dinner, the three members of the Service Club resumed their studies after a short break.
"You've been reviewing first-year science topics lately, haven't you?" After checking the questions Hachiman had just answered, Yukinoshita looked up at him with a slightly surprised expression.
"Why do you ask?" He had been studying first-year science, but Yukinoshita hadn't been monitoring him. How did she know?
"Here, and here—these formulas. You're using first-year methods, but in second-year science, there are simpler formulas you can apply..."
When it came to study sessions, Yukinoshita Yukino was all business. She pointed out a few mistakes in Hachiman's recent work and carefully began to explain them to him.
Her originally cool tone gradually softened as she focused more and more on her explanation.
By the time she had fully broken down the entire problem and walked him through the reasoning, the two of them had leaned in close together.
"I see…" Hachiman nodded as he listened attentively. As expected of Yukinoshita—the top student in their year. The science teacher had explained this part multiple times, and he still hadn't understood it. But Yukinoshita only needed one try.
Then, a sweet, milky scent typical of young girls suddenly wafted into his nose.
Hachiman glanced down at the strands of hair that lay across the table and quietly shifted his body a bit to the side.
Seeing his sudden movement, Yukinoshita paused, confused as to why he would move away like that.
When she realized what he was doing, a blush crept across her face.
"Ahem… Yuigahama, how's your problem set going?" Standing up and walking over to sit next to Yuigahama, Yukinoshita switched her attention to her other "student."
Though she tried hard to maintain a neutral expression, Yuigahama looked up and noticed the redness of her ears.
"Ugh, this question's so hard… I don't get it at all..." Completely stumped, Yuigahama blinked her eyes and then showed a pitiful expression as she turned to Yukinoshita for help.
"You really are hopeless…" Yukinoshita sighed as she looked at Yuigahama's attempt at playing the sympathy card.
Both of them had science scores near the bottom of the class—one ranked ninth from the bottom, the other thirteenth. Their scores weren't that far apart, yet the difference in how easily they could be taught was like night and day.
"Listen carefully. I'll explain it again…" Taking the scratch paper from Yuigahama's hand, Yukinoshita began explaining the problem-solving steps again.
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Hachiman twirled his pen in his fingers as he watched Yukinoshita patiently tutoring Yuigahama.
That last question had been one of the most difficult ones from the upcoming term-end exam. Since he had already mastered it, he no longer needed any more review for now.
Suddenly, he recalled the fragrance he had smelled earlier. As he looked at Yukinoshita's slightly trembling hair as she spoke, the furrow in her brow because Yuigahama didn't understand, and her delicate profile under the warm light…
"I'm stepping out for a bit." He felt he couldn't stay in that room any longer.
Hachiman stood up abruptly and fled the bedroom.
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Downstairs, Komachi was lying on Mrs. Yuigahama's lap, enjoying a massage.
When he came down, both of them looked surprised.
"Onii-chan? Aren't you guys in the middle of a study session?" Still sprawled across Mrs. Yuigahama's lap, Komachi asked, her face clearly showing just how relaxed and comfy she felt.
"I'm done studying, so I came down for some air. But you..." Hachiman frowned as he looked at Mrs. Yuigahama, who was massaging Komachi's shoulders.
"This was my idea, Hikigaya-kun," Mrs. Yuigahama smiled gently as she answered.