Yukino's cold voice broke the silence as she shot Oikawa a warning look. "We should get to work."
Oikawa felt a headache coming on.
He actually looked forward to coming to school.
The problem was the work. That was something he wanted to reject from the bottom of his heart.
What he really wanted was to spend his time at school doing absolutely nothing, simply letting the hours pass.
Unfortunately, the old hag clearly had no intention of letting him slack off forever.
Yukino opened the laptop. She logged into the long-abandoned Chiba Worry Consultation Mailbox and began checking the emails.
The laptop Shizuka Hiratsuka had brought over was an ancient relic that looked almost as old as Oikawa himself. It took a full two minutes just to boot up.
While they waited, Yukino rummaged through her schoolbag for a moment. Then she pulled out a glasses case and took out the pair of half-rimmed glasses inside.
Isshiki and Yui were still chatting about the development of certain parts of the female anatomy.
Meanwhile, Oikawa happened to meet Yukino's eyes.
He smiled.
After holding his gaze for a few seconds, Yukino quietly lowered her eyes.
"Yukino, those glasses really suit you," Oikawa said with a warm smile.
"Do you think so?"
Her reply came out slightly hesitant. She lightly touched the frame, and despite herself, a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
"They suit you because you're the one wearing them."
At Oikawa's words, a rare blush spread across Yukino's pretty face. She quickly lowered her gaze again, but the faint smile on her lips refused to disappear.
She quickly turned her attention back to the computer screen.
Isshiki's eyes darted between the two of them. "Yukino-senpai, are those the birthday glasses Oikawa-senpai gave you?"
"Yeah," Yukino replied softly, without turning her head.
Isshiki turned toward Oikawa, smiling brightly. "Senpai, when it's my birthday, could you give me a pair like those, too?"
"You don't even use a computer. And you're not exactly the most serious student when it comes to studying, either." Oikawa took a sip of tea and flatly rejected her request.
"Tch. I've decided I'm going to start studying hard once I become a second-year. You're so biased, Senpai." She pouted.
Oikawa rolled his eyes.
Biased? She was talking as if the two of them were close.
"Senpai, pleeease~" Isshiki began putting on her best cute, pleading act.
Oikawa let out a long, weary sigh. "We'll talk about it when the time comes. You haven't even had your birthday yet."
Isshiki was starting to get on his nerves.
Fortunately, Yui interrupted them before the conversation could continue. "There's an email from Miura-san. She seems really worried about choosing between the humanities and science tracks for her third year. She also says she'd like us to help her figure out which university she should apply to for graduate school."
'She'd like us to?'
Oikawa found it hard to imagine someone as proud as Miura actually asking anyone for help, let alone saying "please."
Sure enough, when he leaned over to look at the email, the entire thing was perfectly in character with Miura's usual arrogant attitude. Yui had definitely softened the wording.
"Choosing a track for third year? A lot of people on the student council have been worrying about that lately, too." Isshiki rested her fork against her lips as she tilted her head toward Oikawa. "Senpai, you're probably choosing science, right? Your science grades are so good."
"I'm choosing humanities."
Oikawa's answer left Isshiki staring at him in confusion.
"Senpai, I thought your humanities grades were just average. Why would you choose humanities?"
"I want to apply to the University of Tokyo's literature program."
For someone like Isshiki, who didn't know the circumstances behind his decision, Oikawa's answer had a very strong 'I'm good at studying, so I'll do whatever I want' kind of vibe.
Yui, however, immediately started connecting the dots in her head.
'Could Oikawa-kun be choosing humanities because of me?'
The thought made her cheeks feel warm.
Yukino was the only one who had known from the very beginning that Oikawa would choose humanities.
"Wow... the University of Tokyo. I guess this is what the world of top students is like. It sounds like getting into Tokyo University is practically a done deal for you, Senpai." Isshiki looked at Oikawa with obvious envy.
Yui, who was just as hopeless academically, puffed out her cheeks and looked a little troubled.
"Tokyo University? It's really not that big a deal." Yukino casually brushed her hair back.
Her attitude was so smug it was almost infuriating. Still, when you actually had the ability to back it up, you could apparently get away with anything.
The strong really could afford to humiliate the weak.
"..."
The atmosphere in the Service Club became a little strange. Apparently, the saying about three women making a drama really did have some truth to it.
Oikawa quickly changed the subject. "It's pretty surprising. This morning, Miura looked like she had her entire future planned out. I didn't expect her to have worries like this, too."
"Miura is actually pretty sensitive underneath it all," Yui said, her expression softening. "It's only natural that she'd have things she worries about. I've heard her mention it before, too. She said she's a little scared of going overseas for graduate school."
Oikawa nodded thoughtfully at Yui's words.
Going from a familiar place to somewhere completely foreign, where you had to rely entirely on yourself, could definitely be overwhelming.
Besides, Miura might look tough on the outside, but deep down she was still just a girl.
Otherwise, she never would have lost to Yukino at the camping trip and run out of the woods in tears.
Yui continued, her expression turning slightly sad. "And after we choose our tracks, everyone's going to split up. We probably won't be as close as we are now."
That was simply the truth.
Whether it was friendship or romance, there was no such thing as distance making the heart grow fonder.
The only thing distance really did was slowly weaken a relationship as people saw each other less and less.
Some people clung to old memories, thinking about how they had practically been inseparable with a certain classmate back in school.
Then, years after entering society, they might suddenly feel nostalgic and send that person a casual Happy New Year!
..
The Service Club fell silent. Perhaps everyone had started thinking a little further ahead because of what Yui had said.
What would happen after high school? Everyone would go to different universities. Would they still be able to maintain the kind of relationships they had now?
A year from now, maybe.
But ten years?
Perhaps the saddest thing about meeting and parting wasn't the separation itself.
It was the fact that human relationships had a limit.
Once a relationship reached its peak, it would eventually begin to fade.
"This can be dealt with in two parts," Yukino spoke up. "Oikawa, you can help Miura decide between the humanities and science tracks. Yui and I will look into some universities overseas and help her make a plan for the future."
With that, Yukino settled the matter. And Oikawa indicated that he had no objections.
"That's all for today, then."
The sun had already begun to set.
The entire Service Club was bathed in a warm red glow, making the room look almost like something out of a novel.
"Well... see you tomorrow." Yukino shut down the computer, put it back where it belonged, slung her schoolbag over her shoulder, and left the clubroom.
"Yukinon, wait for me! There's a dessert shop nearby with really good cream puffs. Let's go together!" Yui hurried after her.
Their voices gradually faded down the hallway.
Meanwhile, Oikawa was left behind to clean the Service Club.
Technically, he was the one assigned to clean today anyway. Still, having to work and clean on the very first day of the new term was already starting to annoy him.
"Senpai, I'll help."
"No, you don't have to. And I'm worried that if I help you clean, you'll take advantage of the opportunity and demand something outrageous from me."
Isshiki eagerly rolled up her sleeves, apparently determined to show Oikawa her hardworking side. But Oikawa rejected her without hesitation.
"What? Your adorable kohai is offering nothing but pure sincerity," Isshiki said, putting on an exaggeratedly innocent expression.
"Really? There are no strings attached?" Oikawa asked suspiciously.
Isshiki flashed a dazzling smile and made a tiny finger-heart gesture. "Just one little condition."
"No," Oikawa replied without hesitation.
"Senpai, at least hear me out!" Isshiki moved closer to Oikawa and lowered her voice. "I just want you to find out whether Hayama-senpai is going to choose the humanities or science track."
"Why do you want to know? You and Hayama aren't even in the same year. If you wait a while, you'll find out naturally whether he chooses humanities or science."
Oikawa didn't understand.
If Miura had asked about this, it would have made sense. But Isshiki had no real reason to care.
"I just want to know! If you agree, I'll not only help you clean, but... I can also get you a copy of Clannad signed personally by Copycat-sensei. How about that? Pretty generous of me, right?" Isshiki looked a little pained.
The autographed copy of Clannad had taken her a lot of effort to get. But compared with having an excuse to spend more time around Oikawa, she had no hesitation about choosing the latter.
As for Oikawa, he found the offer rather amusing.
A copy of Clannad signed by copycat-sensei? He could get as many of those as he wanted.
"I'll think about it."
Oikawa neither accepted nor rejected her offer.
And Isshiki clearly wasn't satisfied with that answer. She puffed out her cheeks and looked at him with an adorably annoyed expression.
And then, despite everything, she started cleaning the Service Club.
It had been more than ten days since anyone had properly cleaned the room, so dust had accumulated in all the corners and neglected little spaces.
Oikawa had assumed Isshiki was the sort of sheltered rich girl who had never lifted a finger around the house. Instead, she turned out to be surprisingly good at cleaning.
With the two of them working together, the Service Club was spotless in no time.
"Senpai, don't take too long deciding. A copy of Clannad signed by copycar-sensei is really valuable. I might change my mind at any moment." Isshiki smiled at Oikawa.
Then she picked up the large cardboard box that had been sitting in the corner of the clubroom.
It contained some of the props they'd used for the Christmas party.
Isshiki staggered under the box. Every few steps, she looked like she was about to topple over.
Oikawa genuinely worried that she'd go tumbling down the stairs.
He sighed and walked over.
Taking the box from her, he said, "You carry my schoolbag. I'll take this. We're bringing it to the student council room, right?"
"Yeah. Thanks, Senpai. You really are the coolest guy in the world, Senpai!" Isshiki beamed.
She returned to the Service Club, slung Oikawa's bag over her shoulder, and followed behind him with her hands clasped behind her back.
The cardboard box wasn't particularly heavy for Oikawa. His regular workouts were finally starting to pay off.
Isshiki suddenly laughed. "It's a shame you're such a player, Senpai. Otherwise, if I had to choose between you and Hayama-senpai, I'd definitely choose you!"
"You really don't have to. I have a thing for girls who are, you know, more traditionally feminine, and I like girls with bigger chests, too. So don't worry, kohai. You're definitely not going to end up on my list." Oikawa sneered.
Isshiki puffed out her cheeks and muttered under her breath, "What a jerk. Senpai really is the worst. And seriously, what century are you living in? You're such an old-fashioned guy."
The hallway of the activity building was empty except for Oikawa and Isshiki.
Outside, darkness had completely settled in. Under the dim lights, their shadows stretched across the floor and overlapped.
Isshiki subtly adjusted her position. Then she spread her arms wide, making it look as though her shadow was embracing Oikawa's.
She stared at the scene, and a delighted smile spread across her face.
Tonight, she was definitely going to have a wonderful dream.
In her dream, Isshiki wouldn't be nearly this pathetic. Instead, Oikawa-senpai would be desperately chasing after her, while she got to play hard to get and act completely indifferent.
Sadly for her, a relationship between them was impossible. It was never meant to be, not even for a fleeting moment.
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