After selling the books.
The two sat together, counting the earnings from this session.
"How much is it?"
Himeno Yuki leaned close to Hikigaya, grabbing his arm and asking.
Money earned through one's own hard work truly provided a sense of accomplishment.
"That..."
Hikigaya tried to pull his arm away, only to find she was holding on tight. He worked the calculator on his phone for a while before saying:
"A total of 35,900 personal points. After subtracting our clothing costs, we earned about 25,000 points?"
After all.
Himeno Yuki had also spent money on a similar work uniform.
He couldn't make her pay for it herself.
Hikigaya had deducted her clothing costs as well.
"How is it only this much?"
Himeno Yuki pouted, a bit dissatisfied.
She felt that a part-time job should earn big money; this was the result of two days, and it was even less than a regular part-time job.
"The goal wasn't to make money anyway."
Hikigaya said somewhat helplessly: "And this isn't a small amount. However, over three hundred of these were sold by me, and the rest were yours, so I can only give you five thousand!"
Excluding her clothing costs, it definitely wouldn't be five thousand.
But with the extra 400 yen from Fujimaki-senpai, Hikigaya was too lazy to calculate it exactly; it seemed too troublesome to nitpick over that.
"Stingy."
After receiving the transfer, Himeno Yuki curled her lip, but soon threw her dissatisfaction aside and said excitedly:
"I'm hungry. To celebrate the success of our first job, let's go eat something! We'll use the money we earned!"
Hikigaya's eyes were resentful, and he was about to refuse.
But he did feel a bit hungry. Even though he had just been sitting there, he had been busy for two days, and it seemed fine to treat himself.
After easily convincing himself, Hikigaya nodded.
"Sure, what are we eating?"
"Eh?"
Himeno Yuki said unhappily: "You're the boss, right? Shouldn't you be the one to decide? If it were up to me, I'd want to eat something super expensive!"
"Then never mind."
Hikigaya quickly refused.
This girl seemed to genuinely want to celebrate, though he didn't know what there was to celebrate.
"I say..."
Hikigaya suddenly came to his senses and looked at Himeno Yuki: "You aren't trying to test my taste like this, are you?"
He felt she was exactly the type to do that.
There are such shallow women in the world who judge a boy's taste based on the shops he frequent.
"Hmm?"
Himeno Yuki frowned, a bit dissatisfied: "Didn't I say it's for a celebration? I won't do that this time. Besides, Hikigaya, you're so casual about buying clothes; what kind of taste could you have?"
Point taken.
Hikigaya had no rebuttal.
Back when they bought clothes, Himeno Yuki already knew he was a guy with no taste...
Still.
It seemed she really did use such methods to test a boy's taste.
Shallow woman.
"Then how about Saizeriya?"
"Eh, stingy."
Himeno Yuki looked full of disdain.
Saizeriya was a famous budget restaurant with a branch in Advanced Nurturing High School; it was known for large portions at low prices, and it wasn't particularly popular with girls.
This girl was really too much. Just as Hikigaya was about to suggest another place...
"Forget it."
Himeno Yuki stood up, not caring: "Since it's being deducted from the money you just earned, Saizeriya is fine."
"Alright then, let's go."
Hikigaya also stood up.
After all, Himeno Yuki had contributed, so he had no complaints.
"Oh, wait a second. I need to change my clothes first."
"Hmm? Why do something so troublesome..."
"What if someone sees me dressed like this? Not just me, Hikigaya, you should change too."
Hearing her words, Hikigaya looked at his blue work uniform.
If Shibata and the others saw him, it probably wouldn't be good.
"This should be fine."
Hikigaya took off his jacket and held it in his hand, revealing the white T-shirt underneath. This seemed like enough.
"Eh!?"
Himeno Yuki gave him a look of disgust and sighed:
"Fine, you seem okay like that, but I'm just wearing underwear underneath, so I have to change first."
"Ah... oh..."
Hikigaya's face turned slightly red.
He felt like this girl was always inadvertently saying such embarrassing things.
"What?"
Himeno Yuki looked at his awkward expression, tugged at her chest, and gave a wicked smile: "Are you curious?"
"Not at all! Then you go back to the dorm; I'll wait for you at Saizeriya."
Hikigaya said fiercely.
This detestable woman.
"No need."
"I'll just find a restroom and change."
"You wait here for me."
With that, Himeno Yuki took her shopping bag with the uniform and walked into the mall restroom.
Hikigaya looked at the folding table and chairs, somewhat speechless.
Could this girl just be trying to slack off?
It couldn't be helped.
Hikigaya packed everything up, handed it to the convenience store clerk, and then transferred 2,000 personal points to him.
They were both "corporate slaves."
Naturally, one must know how to skim a bit of profit within their jurisdiction.
Just by lending a table, the clerk could earn 2,000 for free.
The clerk readily agreed.
In less than a moment.
Himeno Yuki emerged from the mall restroom, back in her wine-red uniform and white pleated skirt, carrying her shopping bag.
"Hikigaya, help me carry this."
"Why?"
"Just take it! You won't even help with this small favor?"
"Fine."
Without thinking much of it, Hikigaya took the shopping bag; helping out a bit wasn't a problem.
"Let's go."
The two headed toward Saizeriya.
"Hikigaya, aren't you going to take a look?"
Himeno Yuki walked beside him, her hands behind her back, leaning forward to observe his expression with a mischievous smile.
"Look at what?"
Confused, Hikigaya lifted the shopping bag and peeked inside.
On top of the blue uniform lay the black semi-transparent stockings.
"And?"
Hikigaya said dismissively.
After all, they were just going to eat; Himeno Yuki indeed didn't need to go through the trouble of putting stockings back on. Trying to tease him with such a small trick was laughable.
Did she really think he was some pure-hearted Shibata who still had romanticized views of girls?
"So cold."
"How is your reaction different from what I imagined?"
Himeno Yuki was slightly dissatisfied. Suddenly, she stood on her tiptoes, leaned into his ear, and teased:
"However, this time, my panties really are in there. Do you want to open it and see?"
"Haha, you're blushing, you're blushing!"
Seeing Hikigaya's face turn red, Himeno Yuki clapped her hands excitedly.
"I say..."
Hikigaya said unhappily: "You shouldn't make these kinds of jokes with boys so often; it can be very dangerous."
It seemed impossible.
If it were true, wouldn't that mean Himeno Yuki was currently "commando"? That was clearly impossible.
Hikigaya stole a glance downward.
He had to admit.
Even if there was only a one-in-a-billion chance, he was still a little curious...
"I wouldn't do that."
Himeno Yuki covered her skirt, her own face turning a faint shade of red:
"The people in Class B are all so... how should I put it? Too upright? I wouldn't make these jokes with them."
"..."
Hikigaya grumbled inwardly.
This detestable woman; her implication was just that she felt he was easy to bully.
Hikigaya made up his mind to be firm from now on.
Otherwise.
He felt he'd be bullied to death by Himeno Yuki.
At Saizeriya.
The two found a seat.
Hikigaya ordered cheese meat sauce doria, a chicken roll, and salt-and-pepper fried chicken, wanting to treat himself properly.
Himeno Yuki ordered the black pepper beef pasta set and sat opposite him.
"Do all boys have an appetite as big as yours?"
"It's normal, right?"
Hikigaya took a bite of the chicken roll and said: "By the way, you're always with Ichinose, Kanzaki, and the others; why ask me?"
"It's not that."
Himeno Yuki used her fork to twirl the pasta, saying indifferently: "From what I see, they usually don't seem to eat much. They're even healthier than I am."
Hikigaya thought for a moment.
He felt that Kanzaki, Shibata, and the others indeed seemed like the type to chew slowly and mind their manners, deliberately putting on a front in front of girls.
Real men should just shove junk food into their mouths.
"They're definitely faking it!"
Hikigaya slandered them maliciously.
He didn't have the slightest reservation about speaking ill behind someone's back.
"Right?"
Himeno Yuki nodded in agreement: "Shibata is in the sports club, yet he eats only as much as us girls. He must be snacking in secret."
Fortunately.
Himeno Yuki wasn't a "good person" either.
"But."
Himeno Yuki looked at his plate and said: "Last time at Palette, how come I didn't see you eat this much?"
"Hmm?"
Hikigaya was startled and thought back for a while.
She must be talking about the time he and Himeno Yuki ran into Kushida Kikyo at Palette around the start of school.
"It's been so long, it's amazing you remember..."
Hikigaya said with some emotion: "I couldn't tell, but you have a very good memory, Himeno Yuki."
"Ugh..."
Himeno Yuki was slightly stunned, and a faint blush rose on her face as she turned it away, asking herself the same thing.
True.
Something from that long ago.
Why did she still remember it so clearly?
After thinking for a while.
Himeno Yuki still felt that being with Ichinose and the others was too fake; she had to hide her thoughts every single moment.
But with Hikigaya.
Although it hadn't happened many times, it felt more real.
That's probably why she could remember it more clearly.
"Oh."
After a while, Himeno Yuki gave a disdainful explanation: "Because you suddenly said bad things about Kushida back then. Of course I'd remember what a terrible guy you are."
"Hmph..."
Hikigaya grunted in annoyance. She really was a detestable woman.
"So why did you only order that much that time?"
Himeno Yuki changed the subject.
"Hmm..."
Hikigaya wasn't very sure either: "Maybe it was the cafe's atmosphere? It just felt like a place where you shouldn't eat like a pig... probably?"
He wasn't really sure.
He felt that ordering too much at a cafe just didn't feel right.
He really wasn't suited for places like that.
Speaking of which, since that time, he had never been to Palette Cafe again. What a garbage shop.
"By the way."
Himeno Yuki looked at the chicken on his plate: "Share some of your salt-and-pepper chicken with me, and I'll give you some of my juice."
"No thanks."
Hikigaya glanced at her half-finished juice, blushed, and pushed the fried chicken toward her.
You've already drunk from it; who wants your leftovers?
"Hee hee."
Himeno Yuki picked up a piece of chicken with a toothpick and put it in her mouth, her cherry-pink lips curling into a wicked smile.
The two quickly finished dinner.
"Hikigaya, go settle the bill."
Himeno Yuki took a sip of juice and said: "I'll transfer the money to you in a bit."
After all.
The money earned from the light novels had already been split.
She wouldn't take advantage of him.
"No need."
"I said we'd use the money from earlier. If I take your money now, I'll feel bad."
Hikigaya didn't mind. He picked up the receipt from the table, stood up, and left to settle the bill at the front desk.
Watching him leave.
Himeno Yuki picked up the half-cup of cola Hikigaya had left behind.
She took a secret sip before putting the cola back in its original place.
As if nothing had happened, she sat in her seat and waited for him to return, a faint smile on her lips.
Just teasing this guy a little would make him blush.
It was just too interesting.
She wondered what kind of expression Hikigaya would make after drinking the beverage she had sipped from.
However.
On second thought.
Himeno Yuki felt it might be a bit inappropriate. Was this going a bit too far? What if she actually made Hikigaya angry?
She felt a slight sense of unease.
But she was also curious about how Hikigaya would see her.
Just then.
Hikigaya returned to his seat and picked up his bag.
"Alright, let's go."
"Um..."
Himeno Yuki hesitated for a moment, rubbed her flat stomach, and said speechlessly:
"I think I ate too much. Let's rest for a bit."
"I see."
Hikigaya slung his bag over his shoulder, put his hands in his pockets, and hunched his shoulders indifferently:
"The bill is already settled anyway, so I'll be going back first."
"Eh."
Himeno Yuki was stunned and quickly said: "Wait, wait, isn't this a bit too strange?"
"What's strange?"
Hikigaya was even more confused: "We've eaten our fill, and the bill is paid. If you want to rest, go ahead and rest."
"Uh..."
Himeno Yuki's eye twitched.
It did seem to make some sense.
"It's already eight o'clock! Are you really okay with letting a girl walk back alone at night? Just stay with me for a bit!"
"This is a school; there won't be any danger."
Hikigaya sighed, hesitated for a moment, but sat back down: "Just for a little while."
"Mm-hm."
Himeno Yuki nodded repeatedly, lifting her juice and smiling: "Speaking of which, we haven't had a toast yet. Come on, to the continued existence of the Service Club, cheers!"
"We still have to see if the report passes..."
Hikigaya helplessly raised his cup and touched hers, then took a sip of cola, only to find Himeno Yuki staring at him intensely.
"Wha... what is it?"
Hikigaya stuttered slightly. Why did he suddenly feel a bit scared?
"Actually..."
Himeno Yuki spoke with a mix of excitement and hesitation: "I already drank from that cup of cola."
"You're blushing, you're blushing."
Himeno Yuki covered her small mouth, unable to stop herself from giggling.
"I say."
"Can you stop teasing me like this? It's really troubling."
Hikigaya's face turned even redder.
After speaking, as if to prove he wasn't shy at all, he gulped down the rest of the cola in one go.
"Eh, alright."
She hadn't cared before, but seeing Hikigaya drink it all at once changed things.
Thinking about how she had also drunk from that cup of cola, a blush slowly rose on Himeno Yuki's pretty face. She said with some hesitation:
"Then why did you keep drinking it?"
"It's already been drunk, so there's no helping it. Besides, wasting it isn't good. It's free, so why not?"
"Is that so..."
Yuki acted as if she didn't care: "I thought for sure you would hate it."
"It's all just cola; there's nothing to hate or not hate."
Hikigaya looked at the empty cup, feeling a bit guilty.
Unlike the cola from before, for some reason, he couldn't taste anything at all in that last sip.
"As I thought, I'm going back. You rest here by yourself."
Hikigaya hurriedly grabbed his backpack and got up to leave.
He really wasn't good at dealing with this wicked, troublesome woman.
"Oh, see you tomorrow."
Yuki responded in a voice as faint as a mosquito.
Watching Hikigaya's retreating back, she felt her cheeks burning and her heart racing.
If she had known, she wouldn't have made that joke...