Yawning, Hachiman trudged into the classroom. After spending the entire day out with Yukino yesterday, he'd ended up being dragged into an extended card game session by Komachi that lasted well into the night.
By the time Komachi herself finally started yawning and announced she was heading to bed, it was already past 1 a.m. Hachiman had tried to sleep, but every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was Yukino's flushed, smiling face and the image of her standing before him in just her underwear.
And so, the self-proclaimed philosopher of solitude, Hikigaya Hachiman, found himself suffering from a rare bout of insomnia.
When he finally did doze off, he woke in the morning to a shameful discovery: his underwear was damp, courtesy of a certain indescribable dream and the uninvited visit of some DNA.
"Yahallo, Hikki! How was your weekend?"
Just as Hachiman was setting down his bag, Yui came bouncing over, waving cheerfully.
"Hey. Weekend was... same as always, I guess."
"What about you? Did you have fun?"
Hachiman, unsure of how to handle Yui now especially since she had no clue about his date with Yukino chose not to mention it at all.
"Same as always? You mean you just stayed home the whole time?"
Yui tapped her cheek thoughtfully, grinning as she chatted away.
"Me? The usual! Walked my dog, hit up karaoke with some friends, you know. You should really get out more, Hikki. You're starting to feel kind of gloomy."
She poked his cheek with a playful finger, her pink-painted nail catching the light. Thanks to her soft, curvy fingers, the gesture felt less like a jab and more like a gentle squish.
Hachiman didn't bother replying. Instead, he silently pulled out the pair of non-prescription glasses Yukino had given him and slid them on.
Yui's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Wait, what?! That can't be real. Am I dreaming right now? No way Hikki could ever look that bright!"
Shrugging, Hachiman took the glasses off.
"Who knows? Maybe you are dreaming. By the way, are you heading to the Service Club after school?"
He raised his eyes and looked directly into her crimson irises.
"Eh? Why? Did something happen? Am I not supposed to know?"
"Nothing major. Just wondering if you're going. Also... Yukinoshita mentioned you the other day while we were chatting."
Hachiman leaned sideways in his seat, resting one arm on the chair and the other propping up his chin.
"Huh? She did? What'd she say about me?"
Yui's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"She said you're a little too friendly."
Hachiman didn't even try to sugarcoat it.
"Aww, that's so mean! Yukinon's the worst," Yui puffed up her cheeks like a hamster. But even as she pouted, there was no trace of anger on her face. In fact, she looked... oddly happy.
"Well, that probably means she sees you as a friend."
Hachiman shamelessly fed her the line, fully exploiting her sweet nature.
"Really? Somehow, you sound like you understand Yukinon really well..."
Yui narrowed her eyes, studying him.
"Eh... do I? Maybe it's just that similar people tend to gravitate toward each other."
Waving his hand dismissively, Hachiman kept his expression perfectly neutral, his years of mental training shielding him from giving anything away.
Yui, clearly not satisfied with that vague answer, was about to press further but the bell rang, cutting her off. She shot Hachiman a half-playful glare and returned to her seat.
PE class at Soubu High was shared by three classes at once. Around sixty boys were split between soccer and tennis. Hachiman, however, had no interest in either. After all, thanks to being hit by Yukino's family's luxury car on the first day of high school, his left leg had been fractured, and he'd missed three weeks of class.
There was no way someone like him who couldn't even find a tennis partner would want to join in on some sweaty, testosterone-fueled soccer match.
Claiming he was unwell and didn't want to burden others, Hachiman secured a solo tennis practice spot against the wall. He was preparing for yet another aimless PE session when he noticed Hayama and his usual group over at the tennis court.
Surrounded by shouting and laughter, Hachiman sighed.
"Do these guys seriously not realize how disruptive they are?"
Just as he thought that, one of Hayama's poorly angled returns sent a ball skidding to Hachiman's feet.
"Hikigaya-kun, mind tossing that back?"
Hachiman couldn't even be bothered to correct Hayama's pronunciation of his name. He lazily picked up the ball and tossed it backward without looking.
Ignoring Hayama's thanks, he went right back to smacking the ball against the wall.
When the bell finally rang, Hachiman's long-awaited lunch break arrived. After grabbing his usual bread from the school store, he made his way to the slope behind the building. To his surprise, he found Yui standing nearby, watching the tennis court.
Sensing his gaze, she turned and waved.
"Ah! Hikki! What a coincidence!"
She ran over with a beaming smile and, once again, her, uh, assets bounced emphatically with every step.
"What brings you here?"
"This or the rooftop. They're the only places without weirdos."
"Wait... are you calling me a weirdo?"
Yui's large, misty red eyes shimmered with a hurt look.
"Nope, not even close."
Munching on a mouthful of bread, Hachiman asked around a bite, "What about you? What are you doing here?"
"Oh, Yukinon asked me to grab some juice for her."
Figures... she's never been great with vending machines, Hachiman mused.
"You've got something to say. Just spit it out. Keeping it bottled up'll only make it worse."
"...Hikki, back in first year... you missed about three weeks of school, right?"
"Yeah. Why?"
Already guessing what she was trying to ask, Hachiman sighed inwardly.
"You mean the time I got hit by a car while saving a dog that broke free from its leash? Yeah, Yukinoshita's family's car, to be precise. Broke my leg. Spent three weeks in the hospital."
"Huh? Yukinon's family's car?"
Yui looked shocked.
"Yep. Found out when we were talking. Why? Something wrong?"
"That's... such a coincidence," Yui fidgeted with the hem of her skirt.
"So... that dog was yours, wasn't it?"
"I figured as much. You're not exactly subtle, you know."
Yui visibly relaxed, as if she'd been holding her breath.
"Yeah... you're too smart not to figure it out."
"I've known for a while."
"You knew... and still treated me the same all this time?"
"So what? I made that choice on my own. You don't have to feel guilty."
He smiled gently at her.
"But I still feel like it's my fault you don't have any friends now..."
"Don't be ridiculous. I've got you and Yukinoshita, haven't I?"
"Hmm... now that you mention it, my friends are total babes, huh?"
"Pfft. Hikki, you're so shameless. Who said I was your friend anyway?"
She laughed through her words, her mood lifting.
"See? No point in dwelling on stuff like that. I made my own choices back then. Can't blame you or anyone else. If anything, maybe all of this... was fate."
He reached out and gently patted the bun on top of her head.
"I mean, look at me and Yukinoshita. We hang out every day, and I don't get the sense she feels guilty. So neither should you."
"If you really want to make it up to me... then just keep things the way they are now."
"You mean... I can keep being friends with you and Yukinon?"
As Hachiman nodded, Yui wiped the tears that had begun to well up in her eyes and smiled, her expression sincere and full of warmth.