Chapter 62 — A Subtle Shift
The day passed by in a quiet and uneventful way—or at least, that's how it felt for Yukinoshita Akira.
After single-handedly putting both the male and female leaders of the popular crowd in their place the day before, his social standing in Class F had skyrocketed to the top of the hierarchy.
At the same time, the dynamics among the popular students had begun to shift subtly. All because of a single, brutally honest comment from Yukinoshita Akira.
Before long, the final bell rang.
As usual, Akira packed up his things, grabbed the cloth bag that held his katana, and prepared to head to the Service Club.
"It's time for club activities, Hikigaya."
"If possible, I'd really appreciate it if you didn't talk to me in class."
"Oh? Am I bothering you?"
"You... either you're completely unaware or you're doing it on purpose. But knowing you, it's definitely the latter."
Hikigaya Hachiman slowly raised his head from where he was slouched over his desk, his trademark dead-fish eyes locked on Akira.
Akira simply smiled in response without saying a word—because yes, he was absolutely doing it on purpose.
In Class F's social pyramid, if Yukinoshita Akira stood at the very top, then Hikigaya Hachiman lingered at the absolute fringe.
But still, they were in the same club. More than that, Hikigaya was one of the rare few Akira acknowledged as a companion. So it was only natural that he'd show some small signs of favoritism—however minor.
"Who even is that gloomy guy? Why would Yukinoshita-san talk to someone like him?"
"Judging by the way they speak, I think they're in the same club?"
"Damn it. Why is our Prince associating with sewer dwellers like that?"
"Maybe they're... friends?"
"No way! That's completely impossible!"
— — —
Even though the whispers were hushed, they were still loud enough to be heard clearly.
As the subject of their gossip, Akira chose to ignore it completely.
Hikigaya, on the other hand, seemed to sink even deeper into his own gloomy aura. Still, despite his firm belief in social isolation, having someone who actually talked to him... wasn't the worst thing in the world.
Meanwhile, over on the other side of the room, Miura Yumiko's eyes were locked on Akira's back with an intensity that could have burned holes through him.
If looks could kill, Akira would have been a walking corpse with more holes than Swiss cheese.
The popular group was on the brink of collapse.
Sure, Akira's words the day before had been harsh and unfiltered, but when she thought about it carefully... he wasn't lying.
What made it worse was that Hayama Hayato—the one Akira had called out—hadn't even denied it. That silence was more damning than any confession.
Because of that, Yumiko hadn't spoken a single word to Hayato all day.
She liked him, sure. But she wasn't the kind of girl to let herself be toyed with, nor was she the type to cling to someone without dignity.
He'd been playing with her feelings. It was obvious now that everything had been just her own delusion.
Just thinking about it was enough to make her blood boil.
"Yumiko, are you okay?"
Ebina Hina looked over at her friend with concern written all over her face.
"Of course I'm fine, Ebina. No need to worry."
"That's good. But... that look on your face just now—you looked like you were about to pounce on Yukinoshita-san."
"Hah? There's no way I'd do something like that."
"Well, yeah. I mean... you're Yumiko."
Their conversation returned to its usual rhythm, but not far from them, Yuigahama Yui was glancing back and forth between Yumiko and the classroom door, clearly conflicted.
Just a few days ago, she wouldn't have hesitated to leave for the Service Club.
But today was different. The tension between Yumiko and Hayato made everything feel... fragile.
As part of Yumiko's group, Yui didn't want to stir the pot by leaving too suddenly.
"Yui, what's up? You're zoning out."
"Huh? Oh—no, it's nothing, Yumiko-san. Just thinking about stuff."
"Thinking? About what?"
"It's nothing important. Just small things."
"Come to think of it, you've been going home early ever since last week. Are you really going straight home?"
"Not really. I've been attending club activities. So I've been heading there after school."
"Oh, I see~"
Yumiko didn't push further. After all, joining a club was completely normal in Japan.
In fact, students who didn't join any club were usually the odd ones out.
There weren't any rules that said you had to join one, but in a society that valued conformity, being the lone exception often made things socially awkward.
That was why many students registered with clubs but never showed up—phantom members in name only.
Yumiko was a textbook case of this. Since she hadn't joined any clubs, her close friends like Ebina and Yui had followed suit.
But now, out of the blue, Yui had joined a club. It gave the impression that she was quietly stepping out ahead of them.
"So? What club are you in, Yui?"
"The Service Club! It's kind of like a student help agency. If you've got problems, you can come to us for advice or support~"
"Service Club? Student help agency? Huh..."
"Yup~"
Yui's face lit up as she mentioned it.
She genuinely liked the club. Especially Yukinoshita Yukino. To Yui, she represented everything Yui wished she could be.
Direct, unapologetically honest, indifferent to public opinion, and completely self-reliant.
The exact opposite of the way Yui had lived her life—always reading the room, bending to the group's will, never standing on her own.
In short, Yukino embodied the ideal Yui had always dreamed of.
But what Yui didn't know... was that Yukinoshita Yukino felt the same way about her.
To Yukino, Yui had what she lacked—close friends, easy social connections, the ability to laugh and talk naturally with her classmates.
Things Yukino had never once possessed.
That's human nature for you. We long for the things we don't have.
— — —
At that moment, Yukinoshita Akira and Hikigaya Hachiman arrived at the Service Club room. As usual, they'd come straight after class ended.
Click.
The door opened, and the two of them stepped inside.
"Good afternoon, Akira."
"Afternoon, Yukino."
Their greetings were casual and relaxed—as if this had become their norm.
But to Hikigaya Hachiman, the whole thing felt oddly... off.
'Wait, what? You guys are already calling each other by name? That was fast! Didn't you two have a fight just last weekend? And now this?'
Not long ago, Akira and Yukino's relationship had been tense, even distant. And now? It was as if none of that had ever happened.
The questions piled up in Hachiman's mind, but he didn't ask any of them. In line with his strict code of social minimalism, the fewer problems you got involved with, the better.
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