After leaving the hotel—
Hikigaya and Yukino spent the morning looping through a few more spots on their date.
At the train station waiting area, the two of them sat on a bench waiting for the next train. Yukino handed Hikigaya a can of MAX Coffee.
"Here, your favorite."
"Eh?"
Taking the MAX Coffee, Hikigaya deadpanned:
"Did you sneak a few sips again?"
"I'm your girlfriend. What's wrong with me drinking half?"
"Ugh, it's like you left me your leftovers to clean up..." Hikigaya couldn't help but mutter.
"Isn't that what husbands are supposed to do?" Yukino beamed.
"You're a demon... You're definitely still holding a grudge about what happened this morning, aren't you?" Hikigaya muttered, pouting.
During their date that morning, he had been mercilessly roasted by Yukino's razor-sharp tongue.
"This morning? What happened this morning, Higakun~?"
Yukino smiled sweetly.
Hiss—
See? Women are terrifying creatures.
"I-I don't remember a thing. Hahaha…"
Hikigaya laughed awkwardly, pretending he had no idea what she was talking about.
"Drink up, okay~? Want me to feed you?" Yukino asked gently, eyes full of warmth.
"No need, I've got it."
Hikigaya shook his head and downed the half-drunk can of MAX Coffee in one go.
Yukino's eyes sparkled as she blinked in satisfaction. Mission complete: she'd gotten her beloved to drink the MAX Coffee, now enhanced with a secret energy booster. His stamina bar was officially refilled.
Just in case.
After all, what if something indescribable happened between him and another girl tonight? If he ran out of stamina and ended up bedridden thanks to someone else, that would be a problem.
"Why are you staring at me like that?"
Having finished the coffee, Hikigaya gave the smiling Yukino a puzzled look.
"Oh, nothing. Was it good?" Yukino asked with a smile.
Doesn't MAX Coffee always taste the same?
Ohhh...
I get it.
She wants it to be romantic, huh?
"It was full of Yukino's flavor. Mmm. Delicious."
"…Huh?!"
Yukino's cheeks flushed bright red, and she playfully glared at him.
"Wh-What are you saying?! So embarrassing!"
"Ahem… isn't that what you wanted me to say?" Hikigaya coughed lightly.
"Even if that's true, you shouldn't say it out loud!"
"Eh?"
Both of them blushed like high schoolers who had just started dating—not a trace of the mature, already-had-their-honeymoon couple vibes remained.
…
After walking Yukino home, Hikigaya took the train back to his own place.
Yukino had tried to seduce him into staying the night, of course.
But there was no way Hikigaya would fall for that. He rejected her instantly.
I mean, Yukino's house? That's her home turf!
Sure, he'd scored a bit of a win against her that morning, but Hikigaya wasn't arrogant enough to get cocky.
Honestly, if she hadn't needed to use the bathroom, he wouldn't have stood a chance.
The horrors of Yukino's "methods"—how terrifying, cruel, and downright twisted they were—were still fresh in his memory.
"…Still, Yukino this morning was just… too cute."
Hikigaya murmured with a smirk.
"Looks like I need to keep training. Gotta keep up the effort! Tonight too—I'll give it my all! I'll make Yukino… Uh, ahem."
Nighttime.
Hikigaya showed up at the park as usual to work out.
Miura was there, busy prepping for an upcoming competition. She gave him a brief greeting and jumped straight into training.
Weekend morning sessions at the gym, night training too—Miura really was going all in. Hardcore.
Hikigaya sighed to himself. He wasn't exactly a gym noob anymore, so he didn't need Miura's help constantly.
Worth noting, though—
Tonight, Miura wasn't the only familiar face at the park.
Mrs. Yuigahama and Mrs. Sawamura had also shown up.
And—
Kawasaki was here too.
"Hikigaya, can we run together?"
Before the two madams could come over, Kawasaki strode up, bold as ever, and asked with a determined glint in her eyes.
"Uh, sure."
Seeing the look in her eyes, Hikigaya had no choice but to nod, and quickly turned to the two women in the distance.
"Sorry, Mrs. Yuigahama, Mrs. Sawamura—if you need anything, let me know later. I'll jog with Kawasaki for a bit first."
The two women smiled and nodded, showing no objection.
Dressed in elegant kimono, they stood in stark contrast to Kawasaki's sporty attire. Clearly, they were out for a stroll—not a workout.
"You know those two ladies?" Kawasaki asked, brow furrowed.
"…They're Sawamura-san and Yuigahama-san's mothers," Hikigaya explained.
"Eh? Those are Yuigahama's and Sawamura's moms?" Kawasaki blinked in surprise and couldn't help but steal another glance.
"They look so young and pretty… like they're only in their twenties."
"Good skincare, I guess."
Hikigaya gave a dry cough and quickly changed the subject.
"Anyway, let's get warmed up first."
"Okay."
Kawasaki nodded, casting a wary glance toward the two elegant women. Even though she knew it was ridiculous, something about them screamed dangerous—especially around Hikigaya.
After their warm-up, the two began jogging, one behind the other.
Twenty minutes later.
They ended up in a quieter part of the park without even realizing it.
Slowing to a walk, they caught their breath. Kawasaki glanced around cautiously, and seeing no one nearby, bit her lip and leaned toward Hikigaya.
"Um… Hikigaya, about this morning… how was it?"
"Uh… not bad," Hikigaya answered after a pause, then looked over at her.
"Thanks, Kawasaki. For actually telling me something like that."
"Ahem… it's something you would've found out sooner or later anyway."
Her cheeks turned pink as she looked down, fumbling with her words.
"But… just that alone… isn't enough to take down Yukinoshita. I mean, she's not gonna need to go to the bathroom every time..."
"I'll keep training hard," Hikigaya said earnestly.
"Uh… training's kind of slow though," Kawasaki hesitated. "Actually, there's a faster way—if you want to take Yukinoshita down like this morning."
"Eh? What way?" Hikigaya blushed, curiosity piqued.
"Find a girl's weak spot."
"A girl's… weak spot?"
"Yeah."
Kawasaki looked up at him, cheeks burning, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Every girl has a weak spot. If you find it, and tease it, and go after it… she'll give in real fast. Like, if you had touched mine earlier… I might've…"
As she spoke, her face turned so red she couldn't even finish the sentence—and quickly looked away.