Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatte Iru - Volume 11 - Chapter 4

4

And so begins the boys’ emotional roller coaster (with girls, too).

A few days had passed since the surge of consults had hit us.

The Service Club hadn’t done anything resembling work during that time, just giving Isshiki tidbits of advice when she occasionally came in to check things with us.

On the other hand, Isshiki was taking care of her job, as far as I could tell, and I caught sight of her after school many times in a continuous flurry of activity.

By the way, I also frequently sighted the vice president carrying a huge stack of documents while hanging his head and sighing, and Miss Secretary encouraging him.

You screwing around? Do your job, Vice Prez. Having a reputation for generally looking at guys with a harsh eye, hello, that’s me.

Anyway, it seemed the whole student council was busy with work on the day of, too. It was quite a bit different from that Christmas event.

The community center near the station was filled with young chattering voices. This was earlier than the arrival time on the schedule, but we were helping out with the event that day anyway—well, Yukinoshita was at least.

And so I’d trudged my way over to the community center. I actually hadn’t been there since Christmas, but nothing was going to change over such a short span of time. I parked my bicycle on the racks, and then three of us just strolled right into the community center like a trio of pros.

Inside, Isshiki and the other members of the student council were hard at work, bustling all over in preparation for the event.

As I was observing from the entrance, Isshiki noticed us and ambled on over. She was carrying a stack of papers in her arms. “Oh, heeey, it’s you guys! You’re early.”

“Uh-huh,” I replied casually instead of a proper greeting, and then Yukinoshita and Yuigahama behind me also popped their heads out.

“Hello, Isshiki.”

“Yahallooo! I was wondering if there was something we could help out with,” Yuigahama said.

Isshiki cocked her head. “Hmm. What can you help with…? Oh. Then here, please help me put these around. You can just stick them up by the entrance, so it’s, like, the details are basically up to you,” she said and handed over some hastily made B2-sized posters.

Well, I call them “posters,” but they were just handwritten notices scratched out in various colors of fat marker. Aside from the text announcing the event, someone had drawn graffiti-esque illustrations on them, things like hearts and chocolates and emotes. It’d be more accurate to call them jumbo-sized hand-drawn pop signs.

But the shabby, slapdash work wasn’t the problem.

The problem was the words written on them.

No experience necessary! No quotas! At-home atmosphere! Get the know-how and experience to become independent in the future!

This was not just a company run by black-hearted executives, but Black Company RX… An “at-home atmosphere” just means you’re extra brutal on anyone but your own cronies.

“I wouldn’t mind, if it’s just putting up some posters, but…,” Yukinoshita said anxiously.

Isshiki lifted her head to look into thin air as she touched her chin, pausing to think a bit. “Ahhh… Oh no, it’s kinda crazy in there right now, so I’ll put up posters, too.”

She had to think to come up with that? She just wants to slack off, doesn’t she…? I was thinking, when of course, my other two associates were of exactly the same mind.

“…Ah, ah-ha-ha. Th-that’s kinda a sketchy reason.”

“We don’t mind if you go back in, Isshiki.”

Yuigahama had her forced smile on full power, while Yukinoshita’s icy smile was downright arctic.

“I-it’s not like that; I’m not slacking, okay? And, like, there isn’t much work to do for this event anyway…”

When I gave her a questioning look like, Why not…? Isshiki blew out a tired phew.

“The boy-girl ratio in the student council is about fifty-fifty? And Miss Secretary and Vice Prez are kinda close, right? And then there’s also, um… Uh, well, just a ton of reasons!  ” Isshiki equivocated for a while, then smiled cutely to get out of everything. It’s the most irritating thing in the world when someone drops what they were saying halfway through, but that was adorable, so she’s in the clear!

“…?” Yukinoshita tilted her head with a questioning look.

But the info Isshiki had just provided was enough to tell Yuigahama the general situation. “Ah, ahhh…I get it.”

I basically got it, too.

The hard thing was not the work itself; it was the social relationships. There’s lots of workplaces like that out there. I’ve quit part-time jobs for those reasons. I mean, it’s really too much. When the store manager is dating a high school girl, and then she cheats on him with the pretty-boy university kid they just hired, and then the manager starts bullying him for it—that kind of workplace environment is just brutal…

…Well, you get that stuff in any community. It’s basically everywhere.

It’s so common, and everyone knows it.

But still, nobody knows the best answer.

I was about to start thinking about the problem I wasn’t looking at and the answers that wouldn’t come—when I felt a prod at my back.

“So let’s hurry and put them up! Slowly, if possible!” said Isshiki.

“You’re one hundred percent just trying to buy time here, aren’t you? Whatever. But it’s cold outside, so I wanna get this done fast.” When I looked through the single glass door that separated us from the outside, the cold air came to surround me, and I did a full-body shiver.

I looked up at the sky; the light of day still remained, telling me there was still some time until nightfall.

When I sighed, my breath rose white in the air, and my eyes followed it up until it vanished.

We spread out the posters flat and came up with the general area of where to stick them. The wind had died down, compared with the past few days, and that kept the thin papers from flipping up.

As we were doing that, Isshiki, who’d gone over to the convenience store across the street to buy some Scotch tape, came back with a plastic bag hanging from one hand.

“It really is cold, huh? Here you go.” What she pulled out from the bag was black tea in a plastic bottle. She must have bought it while she was at the store. She handed one each to Yukinoshita and Yuigahama.

“Thanks.”

“Oh, it’s warm!”

Accepting the drinks, Yukinoshita wrapped both hands around her bottle to hold it, while Yuigahama touched hers to her cheek to capture the meager warmth from it.

“Here, and you too.”

“Oh.” What she gave me was a Max can. …She actually gets it.

I popped the tab, took a gulp, and instinctively let out a deep sigh.

The sky was utterly clear and bright, with nothing moving in it. With the weather like this, the night was gonna get a lot colder.

Now that I thought about it, it seemed strange that it got colder on sunny days. But maybe it’s not so strange.

If you know about radiative cooling, the idea is easier to accept. Or maybe, if you’ve already accepted the more nebulous idea that winter is just cold, you probably wouldn’t even find it strange in the first place.

Human intuition is unreliable; intuition is just perception, memory, and delusion put together.

But whether the sky was sunny or cloudy, it was still cold. So I squeezed the Max can tight to warm my hands and went to work.

First, we stuck a poster up on the glass at the entrance of the community center.

“Here.”

“Thanks.” I took a poster from Yuigahama. There was Scotch tape stuck on the four corners, so I just had to press this against the wall and smack the taped parts to make it stick. Done and done.

Let’s put it a little higher so you can see it… I stretched a little with a hup and stuck it on. “This good?” I turned back to ask.

Yukinoshita, watching me from a few steps farther away, gave a little shake of her head. “It’s askew.”

“It is? Isn’t this right?” I examined the poster I’d just put up again, but it didn’t really seem crooked. When I cocked my head with a dubious expression, Yukinoshita breathed a short sigh.

“Perhaps it looks fine to you, given your skewed perspectives on things.”

“Oh, I can definitely believe that… Hey, but you’re not exactly unskewed yourself. And if it’s all a matter of perspective, how do you know which is which?” I asked as I glanced her way again.

Yukinoshita swept the hair off her shoulders and gave me a look. “There is no absolute standard of righteousness—only what someone has decided is right. Here and now, that would be what I say. So just listen to me and tilt it slightly to the left.”

“Speaking of twisted perspectives… So is this good?”

“Well, good enough.”

After getting the all clear from Yukinoshita, I went to do the same with another sheet, carrying the posters to tack one on the bulletin board that faced the street, and once again figured out a position for it.

So Yukinoshita accompanied me, and this time Yuigahama trotted over, too, coming to stand beside her. For some reason, Isshiki joined us, lining up beside the other girls.

“Hikki, a little higher! Higher!”

“That’s too far up. Bring it down a little.”

“Huh? But shouldn’t you do something about the left side first?”

…Okay, guys, one person to give instructions is enough.

With people telling me to go up and down and left, right, left, right and stuff to put up the poster, I was suddenly remembering the Konami code, like I was back in elementary school. Although I guess that’s forgotten knowledge on the playground these days.

“Looks good. Guess I’ll put up one more.” I gave the poster a couple of little smacks, pushing it in firmly as I turned around and saw Isshiki, canned cocoa in her hands covered by overlong sleeves, shaking her head.

“Well, I guess that’s good enough. It’s not like that many people are coming, so this is just, like, a landmark, or just in case.”

Is that how it is…? Well, maybe this is enough when it’s just a small gathering of friends and acquaintances. Besides, landmarks are actually pretty important. The world is more convenient these days, and you can just search wherever you want to go on your phone, but you do still sometimes wonder if you’re in the right place and then just go home out of fear of embarrassment… Landmarks are important! This is one of the reasons I often abandoned interviews for part-time jobs!

Anyway, I wonder what sort of people will come to this… This time around, I honestly hadn’t been involved with anything aside from helping out that day, so I didn’t know what the plan was.

Miura and Ebina came to consult with us, and Kawasaki, too, so they’ll come for sure, and they should be bringing Hayama to taste-test… As I was thinking this, some familiar figures approached from the other side of the street.

Noticing them, Yuigahama waved widely. “Oh, it’s them. Yahallooo!”

After waiting for the light to change, Ebina trotted over. “Hello, hellooo! Thanks for today.”

Running up by her side was Tobe. “Yo, yoooo!”

What’s with that greeting? Is he gonna show off his Walk the Dog like we’re in elementary school? Maybe he always got like this for events, but he was even more excitable than usual. He went straight into a loud conversation with Ebina and Yuigahama.

He’s obnoxious, but that’s nothing new, I thought. Meanwhile, Miura, following behind him, seemed comparatively quiet. She was constantly glancing over at the person beside her, reshouldering her bag, and fiddling with her hair, and she seemed nervous.

Well, no wonder. She was about to make chocolate and give it to him.

I don’t know what she’d said to invite him, but it seemed she’d convinced Hayama to come.

Anyway, we’d made it past hurdle number one. Next, if Miura did a good job with her cooking, then her request would be no problem. Relieved for the moment, I picked up the Max can I’d left on the stairs at my feet and took a sip.

That was when I heard the patter of footsteps. In a heartbeat, Iroha Isshiki was right there in front of us.

“Ohhh, Hayama! Thanks so much for coming today!” she said, immediately coming up by his side. Miura glared death at her over Hayama’s shoulder, but Isshiki smiled brightly and ignored her.

Ah, a new hurdle has appeared for Miura…

“Hey, Iroha. Oh…was it okay for me to come, too? I’ve never done any baking or anything, so I don’t feel like I’ll be all that useful.” Caught between Miura and Isshiki, Hayama had this uncomfortable, confused smile on his face as he scratched his cheek.

Miura gave his shoulder a little bump. “It’s not like you have to worry about that stuff? I mean, like, if you let us know what you think, that’s enough…,” she said shyly to keep him where he was, while Isshiki spoke sweetly to drag him in.

“Yeah! We’ll be counting on you for taste-testing!”

Hayama had his trademark breezy smile. “Okay, then might as well go in.”

“Yes, we have to start getting ready,” said Yukinoshita. She and Yuigahama nodded to each other, and Ebina and Tobe followed after them into the community center.

With Miura and Isshiki guarding either side, Hayama went after them.

Looks like he’s in for a bad time, ah-ha-ha-ha, I thought, watching it in a detached manner. Not my problem. I was taking another sip of my Max can, when my eyes happened to meet with Hayama’s.

“Hey,” he said, then prompted Miura and Isshiki with a look to go on ahead. Though they both seemed nonplussed, they headed toward the entrance hall.

Hayama watched them go with a gentle smile, then glanced at me. “You’re on taste-testing, too, Hikigaya?”

“Basically,” I replied bluntly.

Hayama narrowed his eyes. “…I see.” And then, as if he couldn’t hold it back, a tiny giggle slipped out of him.

“What…?”

That all-knowing look in his eyes, and that vaguely pitying smile. And the way he was talking—all of it reminded me of confronting a certain someone else. It was getting on my nerves, and I couldn’t completely hide it in my reply.

But Hayama just shrugged with a light shake of his head. His expression was gentle, and the strangely mature air of a moment ago was gone. “Oh, no. I just thought you were a good choice.”

“Huh?”

“You like sweets, right?” he teased as he pointed to the Max can in my hands.

Well, it is true that I’m often drinking these…

“That’s why,” he added quietly. With that, he started off again at a brisk pace toward the entrance hall where Miura and Isshiki were waiting.

That was close! I thought for a second I might swoon! “Oh no, Hayama knows my favorite drink! Yeek!” Yeah, that definitely wouldn’t happen.

…In fact, I didn’t feel very good at all. I had to force a lame joke in there, or I might actually think too much. Hayama was probably the same, which was why he’d deliberately teased me to avoid the issue.

I knocked back the rest of my half-drunk Max can in one go and clenched the steel can in my fist, although I knew I wasn’t strong enough to crush it.

Well, the postering was over.

I won’t know the situation inside the community center without looking, but I guess I can’t just stand out here and watch. I’ve got to pick something small to do.

And so, the next work begins…

Though I’d mentally braced myself for some kind of involuntary labor, I hadn’t anticipated it would be manual involuntary labor.

Various cardboard boxes, large and small, were sitting right there bam in the middle of the entrance hall. Inside was the baking chocolate, sugar, baking powder, and the other stuff the student council had ordered.

My job for the moment was to carry all this to the kitchen on the second floor.

It was good that they’d requested delivery from the supplier and had them carry it in, but I wished they could’ve tried a little harder and carried it up to the second floor while they were at it… Well, at least they didn’t make me go out and buy it.

“Awright, then I’ll take this right up.” Tobe rolled up the sleeves of his uniform dress shirt and hefted the cardboard box. I went next, and then the vice president. The crew choice here was clearly selected by Iroha Isshiki… Also known as: The Association of Victims of Iroha Isshiki. Hayato Hayama is of course exempted.

Carrying the boxes filled with ingredients, we heaved and hoed our way up the stairs.

“Duuude, this is actually really heavy, huh?” Tobe was perky in the lead, but as we approached the halfway point of the staircase, the weight of his box was getting to him. He adjusted his grip with a hyup.

Then the vice president, following behind me, said apologetically, “Sorry, we don’t have many boys, so this honestly helps.”

“Oh, I don’t mind, though…,” I said.

“For sure, dude. I’m used to this kinda thing.” Tobe did this wide sweep of his head in our direction, like he was getting his hair out of his face, and grinned.

God, you’re annoying. And that’s dangerous. Eyes forward, come on. You’ll fall and get hurt. And you need to cut your hair.

But Tobe’s an easy mark, getting yanked around on Isshiki’s whims. And I felt like the vice president was getting grief from her, too—maybe it was his timid-looking face. So this was like, you know—the three of us combined made the Worldly Sufferer Series. Seems like we could become a weapon for defeating vampires.

With some straining and groaning, the three of us finally arrived at our goal, the kitchen. Still carrying his box, Tobe skillfully opened the sliding door with his elbow.

Yuigahama and Yukinoshita were inside, having laid out the cooking implements and set up each table. The student council was directing Miura, Ebina, and Hayama to help with the other tables.

First, I went over to Isshiki, Yuigahama, and Yukinoshita to ask where this box went.

“Thanks!” Yuigahama said as I set down my load with a thump.

Yukinoshita came over to inspect the boxes. “Good. Isshiki, have the ingredients been divided up?” Yukinoshita asked her.

“Yep, yep. We just have to toss ’em all over each table, and we’re good,” Isshiki replied as she counted the boxes one, two, three and nodded. “Looks like they’re all here. Then let’s open ’em up and get it all set out everywhere quick,” she ordered, and the vice president, still with a box in his arms, whisked himself straight over to the table where Miss Secretary was.

Tobe and I squatted down on the spot first to start opening the boxes. The sound of cardboard popping and metal clanking brought home the sense that something was actually starting.

The one feeling this the most had to be Tobe. He kept tugging at the hair at the back of his head, and he seemed to be in high spirits. “Man, I love stuff like this. Hey, Irohasu, you’re like a real student council president now, huh?”

“Yep, I sure am. But I’m still team manager. Once it gets warmer, I’ll make sure to go to practice!”

Uh, you should go to practice even when it’s cold…

Hearing Isshiki’s cheery response, Tobe gave her a thumbs-up, a wink, and a smile. Maaan, he’s obnoxious.

So we opened the boxes no problem and pulled out variety packs of baking chocolate, the main ingredient for the day.

Seeing it, Tobe seemed to remember something, “Man, this looks so good, dude. Now I want some.”

“Huh?” Isshiki shot him a cold look.

But Tobe did not stop talking. In fact, he took a little breath and then braced himself with a look of determination.

He stood up and checked all around nearby, then tried to wave us together into a circle.

“What? Are we having a secret meeting?” Yuigahama stuck her head in with deep interest.

“I can’t really leave my task now, though…” Yukinoshita looked bothered, but she capitulated when Yuigahama dragged her over.

And so we formed a huddle. He’s not gonna say Gather round for a round of cheers, whoo! or anything, right…?

My misgivings, however, proved unfounded. Tobe just tugged at the hair at the back of his neck and twirled it around his fingers, being all shy as he opened his mouth. Hey, that’s not cute.

“Ah, well, like…they’re making chocolate stuff today, right? So I was thinking maybe I could turn it around in a way and be the one to go for it instead, but… You don’t have nothin’?”

“You don’t have nothin’?” Look, this isn’t an ad for Ajigonomi…and I’m not your mom.

And that isn’t “turning it around” at all—you’re always making a go for it, and she blocks or ignores everything. If you’re going to “turn it around,” then learn how to back off. What is this, like “if pushing doesn’t work, then just try pulling…”? Oh, no! Boys are rarely so forceful these days; it gets my heart pounding!

But it seemed I was the only one with a pattering heart. The reaction from the girls was lacking.

“…Uh-huh, so you want to try to push her directly to give you chocolate?” I was forced to sum it up in brief, since nobody would give the guy a response.

Tobe pointed a finger at me. “Yeah, dude! Well, basically?”

Isshiki made an eugh face. “I don’t know who you’re after, but that’ll have the opposite effect. Shilling for chocolate is high-key creepy. Please just keep quiet.”

“O-okay…”

Irohasu is brutal… Struck silent, Tobe looked around at all of us, seeking someone to defend him.

The one to respond to his hopes was Yukinoshita. She put her hand to her cheek and tilted her head, then offered a conclusion she seemed to have considered very seriously.

“But there’s a logic to what Isshiki is saying, isn’t there…? Someone scampering around in the corner of your eye, constantly piping up… It’s obnoxious.”

“…” Even Tobe was left speechless after such a thorough thrashing.

So then why is Irohasu leaning her shoulder against our dear Miss Yukinoshita, playing cute and going “Riiight?”

This is just sad, I was thinking, when Yuigahama groaned.

“H-hmm… But you know, if you act like you totally don’t want it at all, she won’t know what to do, so I dunno…”

“Right, dude?!” Tobe’s mood did a 180 as he regained his cheer, snapping his fingers.

But Isshiki’s verbal assault wasn’t over. “No, no, no. What Yui is saying is for when a girl already plans to give you some. This doesn’t apply to you.” She waved her hands to make her point.

That would take the wind out of anyone’s sails, even Tobe’s. “Dude…”

But the odds weren’t totally zero, as far as I could tell. I don’t have any clear evidence of anything, but if Ebina was showing up here with the intention of making something, that was a bit different from before. Of course, she could just be tagging along with Miura. That wasn’t for me to know.

I think all that nebulous uncertainty was what made it effective.

“Well, if everyone’s working on making stuff, then you’ll wind up getting to taste-test for her, right? Not like I know. Anyway, take this over there,” I said, shoving the remaining box at Tobe.

At first, his mouth just hung open, but then he figured out what I was trying to say and clapped his hands. “Yeah! That’s it, dude!” Tobe jabbed a finger at me with some relief, then hefted the cardboard box up to his shoulder and quickly scampered off to the table where Ebina and their crowd was.

He may be a good guy, but god is everything he does obnoxious.

Where the heck is Tobe from…? He says dude way too much.

We spent some more time setting up the cooking event, and then it was just about time to start.

Isshiki, Yukinoshita, and Yuigahama were having a meeting on what they were going to make. I didn’t chime in, but with nothing else to do, I just listened and stared off into space.

And then, mingling with the sound of their discussion, I faintly heard the chattering and carrying on from outside the kitchen. Glancing over at the clock, I saw it was almost time for everyone else to be showing up.

So that voice is Kawa-something… No, there’s too many voices for it to be her. Or are there multiple Kawa-somethings, and I just never knew? No wonder I can’t remember their names…

I kept my eyes firmly on the door so that I would be able to receive the visitor, no matter which Kawa-something came, be it Kawashima, Kawaguchi, Kawagoe, Kawanakajima, Sendai, or Sendai…

Then, the door rattled open.

And standing there was Tama-something.

“Hey, Iroha-chan. Oh, this is great! Especially since the last event was so well received, you know. I was so delighted to receive your offer just as I was thinking that, moving forward, I would like to build a rigorous partnership and continue building upon our cooperative enterprise,” he said, dropping enough fancy English that I doubt Isshiki even understood half of it.

“Yeah, thanks for your help.” Despite his long address, Isshiki didn’t comment on any of it.

The student council president of Kaihin High School, Tamanawa… Still making those jabs the moment he enters the ring, huh…? The guy’s got a golden left arm for high-speed pottery wheel spins; maybe he’s just the one we need to aim for glory.

What’s more, he brought friends. Some familiar faces from the joint Christmas event came into the kitchen one after another—probably the student council from his school. That irritating hairpin and that aggravating preppy cardigan around the shoulders looked familiar.

“This event is also a business opportunity, right? Forward planning by utilizing crowdfunding to raise money before taking it to the next level could be an option.”

“I’m in agreeance with that.”

“If we can construct a methodology that will restore incentives, we might gain traction with early adapters.”

“When the USA was a free market, children would sell lemonade to nurture a sense for economics—maybe this is similar.”

“Yeah, that’s one case study, huh?”

In the context of their conversation, even the word lemonade sounded mysteriously pretentious. When they say it, would even a lifeguard guzzling coffee with milk sound fancy?

“Still have no idea what they’re talking about…,” I muttered.

Yukinoshita let out a short sigh. “That’s because your brain isn’t engaged. Pupils wide, lips purple, and when someone talks to you, there’s not much response…”

“Sounds like my brain is completely off.”

If my pupils are wide, then that means I’m dead, actually… Anyway, those guys haven’t changed much. Well, people don’t change so easily. Honestly, if one or two failures was enough to stop them, they would never have gotten that bad in the first place. If I thought of this as a form of sticking to your guns, it didn’t seem so bad.

Mm-hmm, I kinda hope Tamanawa and his crowd stay like that forever, I was thinking, when someone popped out from behind the group.

“Oh, it’s Hikigaya. So you did come!”

“Y-yeah.”

The one talking to me in the same old casual manner, ignoring all social barriers, was Kaori Orimoto. Slipping on out of the Kaihin circle, she strolled up to me.

And then she leaned around to see behind me.

“Oh, hi.” Orimoto bowed with her head only, and Yuigahama seemed a bit flustered as she returned it.

“H-hi…”

Yukinoshita just acknowledged Orimoto with a casual look, arms still folded.

What’s with the tension…?

Oh yeah, they’ve never had the chance to actually talk. They only know the other exists, basically. It wasn’t like I wanted them to be friends, but I really would have preferred to avoid this awkward vibe.

Isshiki was better able to converse with Orimoto, and she was known to at least convincingly pretend to get along with her, so I shot her a pleading look. Irohasuuuu, save me, Irohasuuuu. What I got back was a throat-clearing noise.

It was a deeper noise, a hem, gefum in a more full-sounding voice. Surprisingly uncute for Isshiki, I thought, and then I saw it was Tamanawa. Orimoto coming over to talk to us must have alerted Tamanawa to my presence. His expression was displeased. “Ah, I see they’ve come, too…,” he said.

“Ohhh, didn’t I mention?” Isshiki touched a slim finger to her glossy lips and tilted her head.

She is a master of playing dumb…

“H-hmm…I’m not sure. I don’t think there were logs of any e-mail-based exchanges…”

With the groaning Tamanawa in the corner of her eye, Isshiki turned to me and stuck out her tongue mischievously. What the hell, that’s cute?

Isshiki’s amazing act did the trick, and Tamanawa gave up on pressing her further. All he said was “Hmm, hmm, uhhh, er” and then left with the Kaihin crowd in tow, heading in the opposite direction.

“Well, see you.” Orimoto raised a casual hand and dashed off to join them.

Watching her go, I whispered to Isshiki, who had this fake-looking smile on, “So what’s going on with those guys…?”

“Best scenario is calling this a joint event and then reeling in funds from Kaihin, too, right? And that’s a score for me, since I’ll save myself the cost of the obligatory chocolate for them!”

“O-okay…” Iroha Isshiki, you never let me down… Seriously, won’t she get stabbed one day? Is she gonna be okay? With some worry, I gave her a disparaging look.

Isshiki seemed a little embarrassed, blushing as she cleared her throat. “Ahem. Besides, we are charging for the event just in case, so budget-wise, we’re in the black for this. Well, if you subtract all expenses, then it’s a wash. Barely makes the BEP, but we’re about net zero, though.”

“You…kinda lost me, Iroha-chan…” Yuigahama held her head in her hands and moaned.

Well, there’s some overlap between your pretentious types and business wannabes… By the way, “it’s a wash” and “barely making the break-even point” both mean “net zero”!

Isshiki must have pulled some strings to invest student council funds in this though, huh? She’d probably made those posters so she could have some concrete record of our activities. Having the documentation is always convenient for filing time! She’d really gained a good sense for business, for better or worse. The fee for participants was also a pretty cheap sale price, and I am not the one called sale-immune. Sale prism power, make up!

Bringing in another school means two times the budget, and collecting fees for participation makes is a triple-bang, increasing the acquired funds Quiz Derby–style.

Well, accusations of using student council funds for personal reasons or embezzlement aren’t exactly something you can excuse… I had no idea about the fiscal management in that area, so I would close my eyes on this one. Most of all, inside me lives the corporate slave mind-set: It’s not really my money, so whatever.

Even just listening to this talk was giving me a headache, but this was what had brought the event to life, so Isshiki’s endeavors were not entirely misguided.

It seemed I wasn’t the only one feeling this was headache-worthy, as Yukinoshita also had a hand at her temple, sighing deeply. “Leaving aside the ethics of your approach… You’ve been surprisingly capable with this, Isshiki…”

“She has been. She has things together pretty good, you know? Even if she can be a little inconsistent.”

“Ah, I think I kinda get that.” Yuigahama answered that gentle-fluffy voice with a strained smile. Indeed, she was quite right.

…Gentle-fluffy?

That voice had a softness to it that didn’t belong to Yukinoshita or Yuigahama, a tone that somehow drew you into drowsiness. My head jerked around to look.

Bangs snapped in a hairpin, shiny forehead, and a fluffy-gentle air around her with every sway of her braids—and her Megu rin-bright smile.

“Oh! Shiromeguri!”

“H-hello…”

Yuigahama’s call of surprise and Yukinoshita’s somewhat-confused greeting came at the same time. They both blinked.

“Yeah! Good to see you!” Meguri Shiromeguri, the previous student council president, waved her hand in front of her modest chest as she returned their greetings.

“Um, why are you here…?” Her sudden entrance had hit me with the Megurin Effect (mainly used for healing and relaxation, big sister elemental), but I somehow managed to ask that.

Meguri clapped her hands and cocked her head an inch, looking pleased. “I was invited…so here I am.” With a fluffy eh-he, she activated the Megu-Megu-Megurin   Megurish Effect (main effects are resurrection and detox, also confers big sister element, and you also gain the added status effect of seeing the occasional mature air and innocent gestures. The opponent dies).

Still with that fuzzy-wafty tone, Meguri slid a step forward and took Isshiki’s hand in a gentle grip. “I got invited! I’m doing the address at the graduation ceremony, you know, so I ran into Isshiki when I came to school for that, and that’s when she made the offer.”

Oh-ho, so Isshiki was the one to invite her. She didn’t seem to enjoy engaging with Meguri all that much, though…, I thought, looking at Isshiki.

She jerked her face away, muttering in a super-quiet voice, “…Well, once you have a certain number of participants, the unit cost goes down.” It seemed her words didn’t quite reach Meguri.

Meguri actually seemed pleased Isshiki had invited her, swinging Isshiki’s hand back and forth in her grasp. With each swing, Isshiki twisted around like she was embarrassed.

“I already got into university on a recommendation, so I have nothing to do, you know!” said Meguri. “My friends all seem busy with entrance exams… So I brought along the members who had the time.”

“Oh, I see…” After replying to her, I suddenly realized something felt off. Members? That’s an odd way to put it… It’s like something pressured her to say that instead of suspects, resulting in that strange wording.

When I gave Meguri a questioning look, she spun around to face behind her. “Right?” she called back, and then poof, a bunch of kids were there. What the heck, are these nin-nin ninjas or what? Pulling up my vague and dim memories, I found I did know them, more or less. They had that distinct glasses-y vibe—meaning they had to be the glasses-wearing former members of the student council.

They must have been worried about the succeeding student council after all—given what had happened that led to Isshiki becoming student council president. And the student council was probably a special place to Meguri.

Meguri finally released Isshiki and next laid her hands gently on Yukinoshita’s and Yuigahama’s shoulders. Then she surveyed our faces fondly. “Things are a little different from what I expected, but still…I’m glad I got to show up to a student council job again like this and be able to speak with you, Yukinoshita, Yuigahama…and Hikigaya.”

“Oh…me too!” Yuigahama replied with a soft, squishy smile. She must have been hit by the Megurin Effect, too. Though Yukinoshita didn’t reply, her face was slightly downturned, her ears red.

Now that I thought about it, for the members of the Service Club, the only senior we knew was Meguri.

…Oh no, if I see Meguri at the graduation ceremony making her speech, I might cry. I’m even starting to tear up right now. I may have a reputation for being super-weak to younger girls, but older girls are also a weak point of mine.

I’m glad I have her to look up to, I was thinking, feeling fluffy and gentle, as Meguri observed us and nodded.

Then she pumped a little fist like she was trying to get us energized. “Okay, then let’s do our best today, too! Whoo!”

Nobody responded to her, either. The admirable attitude Isshiki had shown earlier had evaporated, and she was giving Meguri an apathetic look.

But Meguri was not at all fazed by the cold reception, happy to take the time she needed as she stuck her fist up again. “Whoo!”

“…Wh-whoo.” If I don’t respond, she’ll keep going again and again… The pressure from the old student council members waiting behind her is intense… Glancing around to see what I should be doing, I raised my hand not too far, just about the height of a cat’s swipe. Seeing our reply, Meguri made a satisfied-sounding hmf.

Then she glanced at the clock on the wall, drawing my eye over, too. Just about everyone had arrived, and we were also done setting out the ingredients and cooking implements. Kawasaki and her sister were a little late, but they’d be coming soon.

Then it’s about time to start, I was thinking, when Meguri tilted her head with a hmm.

“Haru’s a little late, huh?”

“Yeah. I don’t think this place is too hard to find, though.” Isshiki nodded back at Meguri.

But I was unable to nod—I’d just heard an ominous word.

Haru here didn’t particularly refer to a hostess who works at a hot spring. There was only one person Meguri would call by that name.

Shifting my gaze to the side, I saw Yukinoshita’s eyebrows drawing into a scowl. Yuigahama also must have basically figured it out, as she was staring at the door.

Eventually, there was a rattle.

The door wasn’t very well fitted, so it was extra-noisy as it slid open. Fine, willowy fingers reached into that opening, and then the door was wrenched loudly.

Next came the click of her heel against the floor. Slowly, with firm step after step, she entered the room and came to stand before us. “Hya-hallooo! Sorry, am I late?”

“And sooo, this is our bonus instructor today, our very special senior Haru!” Isshiki said in a cutesy-sweet tone.

“Hi, hi, I’m the very special senior Haru.” Haruno Yukinoshita’s bright-red coat fluttered as she raised a hand in casual greeting and joined Isshiki’s little joke.

“Oh, Haru. It’s been a long time,” Meguri said as she ambled up to the other girl.

“…We saw each other just the other day, didn’t we, Meguri?” Haruno said with exasperation as she gave her a little poke in the forehead.

“Your cooking is so good! I’m looking forward to it.”

“Well, I was asked to do it, so I’ll make some. As a kind big sister figure, I can’t refuse requests from people looking to me for help, you know?”

Kind? You mean kinda scary? ’Cause I’m actually feeling nothing but terror…

The two of them went straight from greetings into some idle chitchat.

I took that opportunity to beckon Isshiki over with little waves. “Hey, why’d you invite her?” I asked quietly.

“I mean, she’s a total veteran at this, right?” Isshiki said as if it were entirely obvious, apparently baffled.

Yes, you are quite correct in that assessment. She’s not just a total veteran; she’s an undefeated champion. And also the most fearsome and terrible.

“But I was enough, though…” Yukinoshita held her own elbows in a loose grip as she averted her eyes from Haruno, who was standing opposite her.

“Well, your teaching methods aside, you are a great cook,” I said.

“…Not that great.” The compliment must have surprised her, as she went silent for a moment before immediately jerking her face away.

Uh, that wasn’t a compliment. I’m saying you’re a bad teacher.

“I’m looking forward to having you teach me, Yukinon!” Yuigahama said, glomping Yukinoshita. That seemed to cheer Yukinoshita a little, as she cleared her throat a bit bashfully.

…Well, having someone aside from Yukinoshita who could give instructions would allow her to give more attention to Yuigahama, so it wasn’t really a bad thing.

But I was still wondering why Isshiki had expressly invited Haruno.

First of all, if you considered the number of people participating in the event, it wasn’t like there was a huge crowd to teach, and Isshiki had professed to knowing what she was doing, too. And there had to be some other girls with experience in baking and chocolate making, too.

“It didn’t have to be her, did it? Yukinoshita is way better than some rando off the street, you know.” I indirectly probed for the reason why Isshiki had reached out to Haruno specifically.

“Well, I do think Yukinoshita is a supergood cook, which is why I asked for her help.” But Isshiki paused there and shifted her gaze awkwardly. “It’s just, well, um…I kinda wondered if she’d make things that’d be a hit with boys.”

“Very good point…”

Yukinoshita really is a great cook, but she’s lacking in service spirit, or just lacking in fanservice. Specifically in the chest area. By contrast, Yuigahama has a lot of service, but her basic skills are catastrophic… Oh, I’m sure Yukinoshita’s work would be solid and safe, but when it comes to something that would be a “hit with boys,” as Isshiki put it—something to show off her girlish charms—I couldn’t offer quite as strong an endorsement.

And Haruno Yukinoshita would steal the hearts of anyone, boy or girl, in that area. Nay—she would take them in her grasp and crush them. I don’t know anyone more skilled when it comes to seeing through the cracks in people’s hearts.

On top of that, her basic specs are even higher than Yukinoshita’s. I’m sure she’d make a thorough demonstration of her abilities, artifices, and wiles with cooking, too. She’s so good, I bet she could win over not just humans, but fairies, too.

I had to make jokes to myself, or my anxiety would be off the charts.

Every single thing Haruno Yukinoshita does means both nothing and everything.

If she was showing up here today, she had to be here for a reason. There was no way she’d come over just because a student from her old school had asked.

She was always like that.

Just like her name, she exposes things under the light of the sun.

Even though she doesn’t reveal a single thing about herself.