As evening approached.
Feeling a bit breathless, Hikigaya opened his hazy eyes and looked at the two small heads in his arms.
The friction of delicate skin against his body immediately gave Hikigaya a stir.
Forget it.
Things had come to this.
It was impossible to ignore Himeno, and even more impossible to give up on Ichinose. At most, it was just a matter of adding another set of bowls and chopsticks.
The future.
Could be considered in the future.
Just then.
The phone on the bedside table gave a series of buzzes.
To avoid disturbing Ichinose and Himeno, Hikigaya carefully picked up the phone.
On the chat interface.
There were inquiries from Kobashi Yume, Amikura Mako, and others.
Expressing concern about why the few of them hadn't come to school today.
And also.
[Karuizawa: Sorry.]
"..."
Hikigaya suddenly felt a headache coming on.
What did that mean?
Was Karuizawa apologizing to him?
Or was she asking him to apologize to her?
Could she please learn the language properly? Who could understand that?
Forget it.
I'll just leave it alone.
They weren't in the same class anyway.
As long as they didn't get involved again, he believed the relationship would slowly drift apart, which would be good for both him and Karuizawa.
As for the class situation.
Hikigaya hesitated for a moment and then replied to Kobashi Yume and the others that everything was fine, telling them not to worry.
The class issue would be left for Ichinose to resolve.
Other problems.
Depending on the situation, he would handle them.
After all.
He couldn't let two girls stand at the front while he hid in the back enjoying their service.
Within moments.
Ichinose and Himeno both opened their eyes, seeing each other's flushed faces.
The two sat up simultaneously.
With bright red faces, they tidied their hair in total embarrassment.
Who would have thought.
That yesterday would be so crazy and absurd.
However.
It didn't feel bad.
It really was more lively with more people.
At least, it wasn't as awkward as before.
Seeing Ichinose looking a bit bashful, Himeno turned to glare at Hikigaya.
"What are you looking at? Tell me, wasn't it very satisfying?!"
"Whew."
Hikigaya took a deep breath.
The two of them were doing their best to repair this relationship.
He naturally wouldn't hold them back.
Even if it felt uncomfortable, it wasn't Hikigaya's place to say so.
A smile appeared on his lips as he said:
"It was satisfying!"
"That's more like it."
Himeno showed a satisfied smile and said somewhat shyly: "It was very comfortable for me too. I should have made my move earlier if I'd known it was this good!"
"Unfortunately, Koyuki doesn't have that chance anymore. You can only make up for it by experiencing it more in the future."
A smile appeared on the corner of Ichinose's mouth as she spoke, which startled the two of them for a moment.
How did it feel.
As if Ichinose had suddenly become a different person.
"I'm sorry, Hikki. Do you remember what I said?"
"..."
Hikigaya was a bit confused.
She had said so many things; how was he supposed to know which one?
"I said."
Ichinose spoke with a determined gaze: "I will definitely not give up, and I will definitely make you happy! Let time prove our relationship!"
"Uh... what does that mean?"
Hikigaya's expression was complex.
Things had already reached this point; what was the point of saying these things now?
"If you don't understand, then you don't understand."
Ichinose smiled indifferently.
Strictly speaking.
She hadn't given up.
She had merely suggested to Himeno the idea of the three of them being together.
This was not contradictory to her promise.
She hadn't given up.
She still wanted to give Hikki happiness.
She still wanted to let time prove that their relationship was the "genuine article."
From another angle.
She had successfully overcome this difficulty! She had successfully taken the first step toward the "genuine article"!
As for Hikigaya.
Although she knew he had a bit of a psychological obsession with purity.
With the passage of time, he would eventually accept it.
Besides.
During the day.
While enjoying the service of the two of them, Hikigaya didn't look like he hated it that much.
After all.
They were both rare beauties.
No guy would truly, from the bottom of his heart, hate this kind of thing.
It was just one more Himeno.
Although Hikigaya no longer belonged exclusively to her.
But when the facts were laid out before her eyes.
Ichinose suddenly realized.
Serving Hachiman along with others wasn't actually a dynamic she disliked; in fact, it was quite stimulating and offered a unique flavor.
As long as Hachiman could be happy.
As long as Hachiman could show a smile.
As long as everyone could smile together.
That was enough!
Whether it was Himeno Yuki or whoever else joined in, it didn't matter at all.
As long as everyone could be happy together.
It was enough!
"It's already evening."
Ichinose took a glance around, found her clothes on the floor, and said: "Yuki-chan, let's prepare dinner together."
"Eh?"
Himeno Yuki's gaze was somewhat resentful as she said: "That guy is like a brute bull, I'm almost exhausted to death. Besides, I don't like cooking. Ichinose, just do it yourself."
"Hmm?"
Ichinose turned back, somewhat surprised: "Yuki-chan, didn't you say you liked cooking very much, you just didn't have the talent for it?"
"Uh..."
Himeno Yuki tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and said awkwardly: "That was a lie..."
Hachiman glanced at her.
This girl's cooking level was at most that of a fourth-grader; how could she possibly like cooking.
"I see."
"Then I'll handle it."
Ichinose nodded nonchalantly, tossed her hair behind her neck with both hands, and walked into the kitchen.
She actually quite enjoyed doing housework.
Watching the scene before him.
Himeno Yuki felt truly guilty, quickly picking up her clothes from the floor and putting them on.
"At most, I'll help you prepare the ingredients. I really can't do anything else."
"Eh, no need, Yuki-chan. You should just rest first."
Watching the scene before him.
A trace of a smile couldn't help but appear on Hachiman's lips.
Despite Himeno Yuki's forceful exterior.
They were both kind-hearted people with gentle personalities who considered each other first.
"What are you smiling at?"
Himeno Yuki pulled up her pleated skirt while glaring at him.
"You got lucky. Let me tell you, I haven't even used my full strength yet. Let's see how you handle both of us. Sooner or later, I'll drain you dry, humph."
With that.
Himeno Yuki jogged into the kitchen.
Her physical stamina was at least much stronger than Ichinose's.
Because of her.
A rift had formed between Ichinose and Hachiman.
If it weren't for feeling truly bad about it.
She wouldn't have done such a ridiculous thing during the day, even specifically leaving most of the time to Ichinose.
However.
After experiencing it.
It felt like it was just like that.
It was a bit ridiculous.
But it was indeed very pleasurable.
Her mind went blank, feeling as if she were ascending to heaven.
It was truly wonderful.
This time.
The kitchen door was left open as if it were nothing.
Hachiman gazed at the figures of the two girls and couldn't help but rub his lower back.
Forget it.
His "dark holy sword" was no slouch either.
If it was just two people.
By gritting his teeth, he should be able to find a way.
At worst, he'd just go kowtow to their parents and beg them to hand their daughters over, or just act first and report later!
As for the future.
There would always be a way.