Chapter 73: No Logic, Just Feelings!
Yukino's smile that wasn't really a smile was intimidating enough to make Hikigaya nervous.
Even Saku gave an awkward chuckle and quickly pulled his hand back.
"Ahem! Sorry. It wasn't my fault. My hand developed a mind of its own. I'll give it a proper scolding for you."
What kind of ridiculous excuse was that?
Yukino nearly laughed from sheer irritation.
"Oh? If it's that disobedient, perhaps we should cut it off."
Saku immediately tucked his hand safely away.
Joke or not, no matter how independent that hand supposedly was, it was still attached to him.
"Yukino, that's way too harsh! Besides, you can't decide for Yui."
Realizing that continuing to argue with Yukino would probably end badly for him, Saku immediately turned toward the much kinder, softer Yui.
Why pick a fight with someone difficult when there was an easy target right beside him?
Yui was gentle, accommodating, and far too easy to bully.
"Yui, what do you think I should do?"
"Huh?"
Yui blinked her large eyes.
Saku was Mai-senpai's boyfriend, and Mai-senpai had always treated her well.
For Mai's sake, perhaps there was no need to make a big deal out of something so small.
"Um... I was just startled."
She touched the top of her own head as she spoke.
"It wasn't really a big deal."
Thinking about it carefully, aside from her mother, Saku was actually the first person to pat her head like that.
And...
She hadn't hated it.
Her reaction earlier had mostly been instinctive surprise.
"You heard her."
Saku immediately looked triumphant.
"The person involved says it's fine."
Yukino gave Yui a deeply disappointed look, as if frustrated by how easily she gave in.
Naturally, Saku received an equally sharp glare.
That guy always knew exactly how to pick on the softest person in the room, then seize any opening he was given to escape responsibility.
Even Hikigaya was stunned by Saku's maneuver.
'So that's an option too?'
Terrifying.
The sense of distance, the timing, the shamelessness...
Saku somehow had all of it perfectly calibrated.
"What a coincidence. You guys came here too?"
Before Hikigaya could ask how Saku managed to pull things like that off, a familiar voice came from behind them.
Everyone turned.
It was Hayama Hayato, perennial first place in the school's Most Dateable Boy ranking.
He wore his usual smile, but anyone looking carefully could tell it was strained.
Much like Hikigaya, he seemed weighed down by something despite trying his best to hide it.
The instant Yukino noticed Hayama looking toward her, her expression darkened.
She offered him absolutely no warmth.
She didn't even bother answering.
Her grudge against Hayama went back far too many years to be resolved with a few friendly words.
The fact that Hayama also harbored feelings for her sister only made Yukino dislike him more.
Haruno might enjoy keeping him dangling around and treating the whole thing like a game.
Yukino had no intention of indulging him.
Hayama's smile faltered slightly.
Still, he didn't show even a hint of resentment toward Yukino.
When his gaze shifted to Saku, however, he paused.
Hayama paid a great deal of attention to Yukino.
Partly because he wanted to make up for what had happened in the past, and partly because she was Haruno's younger sister, which made him feel obligated to look after her.
There was another reason as well.
His father worked for the Yukinoshita family.
Calling him a retainer would be an exaggeration, but Hayama's father clearly hoped to become one of the family's trusted people.
As that man's son, Hayama naturally felt some responsibility toward the Yukinoshita family's second daughter.
Because of that, he already knew Yukino had recently become unusually close to a certain boy.
Haruno herself had hinted at it too.
She hadn't said anything directly, merely complained about her little sister going through a rebellious phase.
But Hayama wasn't foolish enough to treat Haruno's words as meaningless chatter.
So he'd privately looked into Jinnai Saku.
At first, he'd assumed Saku was simply a classmate who had somehow caught Yukino's attention.
He hadn't expected the two of them to casually spend their free time together like this.
First Hikigaya.
Now Saku.
Hayama could already feel a headache coming on.
"This classmate doesn't look familiar."
"Really? I don't believe you."
Saku's answer made everyone nearby turn toward him.
Strictly speaking, Saku and Hayama had barely interacted before.
There was no obvious reason for them to dislike each other.
So why did the air suddenly smell like gunpowder?
Hayama looked genuinely confused.
"Have I done something to offend you?"
"Of course not."
Saku waved a hand and forced out a friendly smile, making it seem as though the hostility had merely been a misunderstanding.
Then he added:
"I don't personally have anything against you."
"Yukino doesn't like you, so I don't like you either."
That was it.
No logic.
Just feelings.
Saku declared his allegiance without the slightest hesitation.
The sheer bluntness left Hikigaya and Yui speechless.
'You can actually say that out loud?!'
A faint light flashed through Yukino's otherwise calm eyes.
That completely unreasonable favoritism sent an unexpected tremor through her heart.
For reasons she couldn't explain, her cheeks suddenly felt hot, and a restless energy spread through her body.
Hayama hadn't expected an answer like that either.
His smile froze outright.
For a moment, he genuinely had no idea how to respond.
If he answered aggressively, the exchange could easily turn into an argument.
That was the last thing he wanted.
"It's fine."
Hayama eventually managed to preserve some dignity.
"I never expected everyone to like me."
Unfortunately for him, someone else had no intention of letting him keep that dignity.
"If you know you're not welcome, yet you're still forcing yourself to smile, that's called being fake."
Normally, Yukino wouldn't have attacked someone quite so directly.
But Hayama's attitude irritated her.
What was that supposed to mean?
Was he going to act endlessly polite so everyone else looked like they were bullying him?
She barely even thought before joining Saku and hitting Hayama with a verbal one-two combo.
Even someone as patient as Hayama was starting to crack.
Still, he didn't dare vent his frustration at Yukino.
If he openly talked back to her now, his father might genuinely lose his position tomorrow.
The Yukinoshita family wasn't known for being forgiving toward people who forgot their place.
With no better option, Hayama swallowed the humiliation and treated it as repayment for how badly things had gone for Yukino in the past.
Then he quickly changed the subject.
"Hikigaya, can I speak with you privately? There's something I need to discuss."
Hikigaya wasn't particularly interested.
But with the atmosphere here becoming increasingly dangerous, he reluctantly decided to sacrifice himself before things escalated further.
"Fine. Let's talk over there."
Once the two boys walked away, Yui finally spoke.
"Yukino-chan, that was amazing!"
Her eyes shone.
"I've never heard you talk to someone like that before."
The moment Yui pointed it out, Yukino realized just how impulsive she'd been.
She rubbed her temple, then turned an unfriendly gaze toward Saku.
"This is someone's fault."
"If a certain person hadn't started speaking without thinking, I wouldn't have..."
"Huh?"
Saku looked genuinely offended.
"How is that my fault? I didn't ask you to back me up!"
He refused to accept even the slightest pressure and immediately tossed the blame aside, looking entirely too pleased with himself considering how much he'd benefited from her support.
"Haha..."
Yui hurriedly stepped between them.
"What's done is done, so let's not worry about it anymore."
She smiled brightly.
"Why don't we go look around somewhere else and take some pictures?"
As the natural glue holding awkward social situations together, Yui immediately put her talent to work.
Under her persuasion, Yukino finally let the matter drop.
Though inwardly, she still regretted losing her composure so easily.
Saku, meanwhile, didn't care at all.
Even if Yukino hadn't been there...
He still wouldn't have liked Hayama.
…