Chapter 118: The Passionate Mrs. Yuigahama
"This place really doesn't have a good atmosphere for studying. Let's go somewhere else," Yukinoshita said with a frosty expression as she stood up, picked up her bag, and headed out of the bubble tea shop.
"Eh? Yukinon, wait for me…!" Yuigahama Yui, though not quite sure what was happening, hurriedly packed up her things and followed, carrying both her and Yukinoshita's bubble teas.
Hikigaya Hachiman: ...… All I did was order a bubble tea.
With a hint of helplessness on his face, Hikigaya sighed and stood up as well, leaving behind the barely touched drink.
"Please come again~" The voice of the shop manager rang out behind him.
He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but Hachiman could have sworn he heard a trace of schadenfreude and "revenge accomplished" in her tone.
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"Everyone, dig in! If you finish, I'll bring out more~" Inside Yuigahama Yui's room, her mother was enthusiastically bringing out plate after plate of fruit and snacks, piling them in front of Hachiman and Yukinoshita.
"Thank you, ma'am… but we're actually here for a study session…"
Faced with Yuigahama's mother's boundless enthusiasm, Yukinoshita politely nodded while glancing uncomfortably at the table already covered in snacks.
"It's fine! You have to be well-fed to study properly, right?" Mrs. Yuigahama's smile didn't waver. Instead, she quietly slid over next to Hachiman.
The snacks she had intended for Yukinoshita now ended up stacked in front of him.
"Thank you, ma'am, but I really can't eat this much…"
Looking at the mountain of snacks before him, Hachiman's scalp tingled. Even if it's normal for parents to be happy their kid brought friends home, this level of excitement was too much!
What Hachiman didn't know was that he and Yukinoshita were the first friends Yuigahama had ever brought home.
"My little girl's really grown up..."
Standing at the door, Mrs. Yuigahama supported her chin with one hand and looked on with a warm, motherly smile.
Especially seeing her daughter bring a boy home—it gave her great peace of mind.
If she's already making such big strides, even getting married tomorrow wouldn't be a problem. After all, with a daughter this airheaded, it'd be better to secure a reliable husband early on...
"Uh… Yuigahama-san, why is your mom staring at me like that?" Unable to endure the burning gaze of Mrs. Yuigahama any longer, Hachiman scooted closer to Yui and whispered.
"Eh? Really?" Yuigahama, still munching on snacks happily, turned to look. All she saw was her usual gentle, doting mother—not the intense stare Hachiman had described.
"It's probably just your imagination. Even if you're the first boy I've brought home, she wouldn't stare at you like that~"
"Is that so…" Hachiman looked doubtful. Was he just nervous from being invited to a female classmate's home for the first time and imagining things? That kind of thought only made him feel more pathetic...
"Yuigahama-san, have you forgotten why we're here?" Yukinoshita's voice suddenly cut through the air like a cold wind, her gaze sharp. The temperature in the room dropped instantly.
"O-of course I haven't…" Yuigahama awkwardly smiled and pulled her hand back from the snack table.
They moved the snacks to the floor, cleared the table, and the three took out their textbooks to begin their study session.
According to Yukinoshita's plan, they would focus on science today. The reason was obvious—Hikigaya's humanities were solid, so if they could push through the science subjects now, then both he and Yukinoshita could help tutor Yuigahama in the humanities later. That way, their study efficiency would be much higher.
However, the study session had barely begun when Hachiman's phone rang.
"She's here already?" As Hachiman's phone vibrated on the table, both Yukinoshita and Yuigahama curiously glanced at the cute girl's avatar on the screen.
"Yeah, I'll go get her." Hachiman nodded and stood up to go fetch Komachi.
"Ah, wait! I want to come too~" Yuigahama, curious to finally meet Hachiman's little sister, also stood up.
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"Onii-chan, what's with the two big sisters behind you?" Komachi had dressed up a bit more than usual before coming—since this was her brother's friend's house.
She had originally planned to interrogate Hachiman a bit when she arrived, wondering why he suddenly invited her to dinner. But after seeing the two girls behind him, she fell silent and immediately switched to "adorable little sister mode."
"Hi there! I'm Yuigahama Yui~" Yuigahama, seeing the cute Komachi clinging to Hachiman, cheerfully greeted her.
"Mm, hello big sis. I'm Komachi."
After just a quick glance, Komachi mentally classified Yuigahama as "non-threatening." She returned the greeting politely and then shifted her gaze to the other girl who had yet to speak—Yukinoshita Yukino.
Just one glance, and Komachi's mind went into full alert. That woman is dangerous. But...
As her gaze traveled slowly down Yukinoshita's body, Komachi's expression gradually softened. In her mind, she downgraded the threat level and even started to pity her a little.
She's already in high school, and that area is flatter than mine… poor thing...
"…Hello. I'm Yukinoshita Yukino."
Yukinoshita, after making eye contact with Komachi and sensing something impolite in her gaze, frowned. She gave her name with a short nod and said nothing further.
With Komachi now with them, the four quickly returned to the Yuigahama household.
Komachi soon experienced the full power of Mrs. Yuigahama's overwhelming hospitality.
Seeing how thoroughly Mrs. Yuigahama had Komachi occupied, Hachiman decisively offered his sister as a sacrifice to buy time for the study session.