Chapter 124: Trying to End This Relationship
"You two have P.E. next period too?"
Seeing Yotsuya Miko and Yurikawa Hana in their gym uniforms, Hachiman Hikigaya's eyelids twitched. He had a bad feeling about this…
"Yeah, we have class with Class C next."
Exchanging glances, Yotsuya and Yurikawa looked at Hachiman with confusion, not understanding why he suddenly seemed so tense.
"Class C, huh…"
Hearing it wasn't Class J, Hachiman sighed in relief. He didn't quite know why, but just knowing he wouldn't have class with them lightened his mood.
"Is there a problem?"
Hachiman's strange reaction immediately caught Yurikawa's curiosity. She clasped her hands behind her back and walked down the stairs, leaning in toward Hachiman.
"No, not at all. Also, you're standing way too close!"
He turned slightly to dodge Yurikawa's gaze, gently warning her while glancing at the pair of breasts nearly colliding with his face.
"What's the big deal? I mean, you belong to Miko anyway."
Yurikawa didn't seem to care about what was bothering him.
"What do you mean I belong to her?!"
Before she could finish, Yotsuya suddenly rushed down, grabbed Yurikawa by the collar, and yanked her aside.
"Okay, okay—not yet, I mean..."
Caught by the scruff of her fate, Yurikawa immediately surrendered with raised hands.
"Ah, there's a new horror movie out lately that looks really good. How about we see it this weekend, Hana?"
"Eh? Let's not, okay...?"
Seeing Yotsuya bring up horror movies as a threat, Yurikawa immediately put on a pitiful expression.
"I think it's very necessary. If you keep running your mouth like that, I will drag you to the theater this weekend."
Yotsuya threatened her with a stiff smile that didn't reach her eyes, sending shivers down Yurikawa's spine.
"Uuu... fine, I'll tone it down in the future..."
Only tone it down...?
Hachiman, watching from the side, didn't even know how to begin roasting Yurikawa anymore.
.
.
.
The lunch bell rang.
Hachiman was about to head to the rooftop when some noise from the back of the classroom caught his attention.
"You're not eating lunch with me today?"
Looking at Yuigahama Yui, who was bowing her head as if she'd done something wrong, Yumiko Miura crossed her arms and sat in her seat, clearly unhappy.
Though Yui didn't say where she was going or who she was eating with, after what happened that morning, Miura could easily guess—it had to be with that annoying Yukinoshita.
Just the thought that her little sidekick would ditch her to eat lunch with her arch-rival made Miura furious. Yui had only known Yukinoshita for a few weeks, and yet Yukinoshita was already getting priority over her?
"Fine."
Even though she was obviously displeased inside, Miura still nodded and agreed to Yui's request.
"Eh?"
Yui looked up in surprise, finding it odd that Miura was so agreeable today.
"Well? Are you going or not?"
Annoyed by Yui's confused stare, Miura shouted with a bit of embarrassment.
"Ah, of course I'm going! Thank you, Yumiko..."
"What're you thanking me for? I take care of you for nothing..."
Facing Yui's gratitude, Miura raised her head haughtily—only to meet Hachiman's eyes.
They stared at each other for two seconds. Seeing Hachiman still looking at her, Miura glared back fiercely.
Her eyes seemed to say, What are you looking at?!
"..."
Awkwardly scratching his nose, Hachiman watched as Yui, lunch in hand, happily ran off to find Yukinoshita.
He also left the classroom and headed to the rooftop via the end-of-hall stairwell.
After making sure no one was watching, he pushed open the rooftop door, stepped inside, and closed it behind him.
"You're so slow! I'm starving here!"
As soon as Hachiman entered, Yurikawa Hana, seated on the picnic mat in their usual spot, waved her hand in protest.
"Are you serious?"
Looking at Yurikawa with rice grains stuck to her mouth—it was obvious she'd already started eating—Hachiman couldn't understand how she could so righteously claim to be starving.
At least if Yotsuya said it, it'd be a little more convincing!
"Of course I'm serious!"
Upholding her life motto of If I'm not embarrassed, it's you who should be, Yurikawa responded with hands on hips and a serious face.
"Then before you say anything, at least wipe the rice off your mouth."
Without bothering to check Yurikawa's reaction, Hachiman sat down across from the two girls.
"Here."
Yotsuya silently handed him the extra bento she had prepared.
"Um, is this really okay?"
Unlike usual, Hachiman didn't immediately accept the lunchbox with a quick thanks and start eating silently.
By now, it had been several weeks since the three of them started eating lunch together on the rooftop. But what exactly was his relationship with Yotsuya?
Classmates? Friends? Lovers?
If they were just friends, then Yotsuya making him lunch every day was clearly abnormal behavior. But if they were lovers, Hachiman had already made his feelings clear before.
Before he met Yukinoshita, even though he had a vague sense something was off, he never gave it much thought.
But after the near run-in that morning between Yukinoshita and Yotsuya, he'd spent two periods thinking it over and decided—it was time to draw a line under this ambiguous situation.
"What's not okay about it?"
Yotsuya tensed up immediately at Hachiman's words. Having spent so much time with him, she could already guess what he was implying.
But unlike Hachiman, who wanted to end things, Yotsuya thought the way things were now was actually perfect.
"But this kind of thing can't go on forever."
Sighing lightly, Hachiman met Yotsuya's eyes and spoke firmly.
Rather than wait for the powder keg to explode in the future, it was better to be the bad guy now and let her see things clearly.
"Ah, is that so? Then at least eat today's bento. It'd be a real shame if it went to waste."
Contrary to what he expected, Yotsuya remained surprisingly calm.
After a brief pause, Hachiman nodded in agreement.
After all, wasting food really was disgraceful.
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