As the sun began to set, golden rays spilled through the windows of the Service Club room, casting fragmented light onto the floor. The angle of the evening sun was blocked in part by the school building, so the room wasn't very bright. Only the space near the window received beams of light broken up by tree leaves, adding a soft glow to the shadows.
As always, the girl sitting in the chair was quietly immersed in a paperback book, the cover carefully wrapped. Because her head was lowered to read, her long, jet-black hair flowed gently along her cheeks, partially covering a face as delicate as a porcelain doll.
Today, Yukino was dressed, as usual, in her school uniform paired with black thigh-high stockings. The narrow strip of bare skin between the hem of her skirt and the top of her socks looked even paler in contrast, almost like fine white porcelain.
Both the visual and tactile impression of it were unexpectedly flawless.
Across the room, Hachiman sat on the other side of the clubroom, his upper face obscured by the dim light. He held a book in his hand, though in the past half hour he hadn't turned a single page. His gaze had been fixed, unwavering, on the girl in front of him.
With a barely audible sigh, Yukino quietly closed her book. She stood, brushing down the back of her skirt, which had wrinkled from sitting too long.
Perhaps due to the extended period of stillness, she stretched, arms raised gracefully overhead.
The motion caused her blouse tailored perfectly to her slender frame to rise slightly, revealing a glimpse of her smooth, unblemished stomach. Her fair skin and tiny navel were briefly exposed, bathed in the orange light of the setting sun.
It was a fleeting vision of surreal beauty, her ivory-like skin glowing under the sun's last breath. Hachiman's eyes widened in stunned silence.
Yukino calmly tugged her shirt back down. Without so much as acknowledging his dazed expression, she turned toward the cabinet where the tea leaves were stored.
Only when she knew Hachiman couldn't see her face did a sly, mischievous smile curl at the corner of her lips.
She stepped lightly to the cabinet, bent over to retrieve the familiar tea set without concern for modesty, and straightened up with practiced ease.
After brewing the tea, she lifted the cup to her lips and took a careful sip. Her expression softened into one of quiet satisfaction.
Setting the cup down, she noticed Hachiman's dead-fish eyes flickering with something like nervous tension from across the table. As if remembering something, she turned and pulled two items from her bag.
Hachiman, pretending to read, suddenly felt the light around him dim. Looking up, he saw Yukino standing before him with a can of MAX Coffee and a small gift bag in hand.
Still somewhat dazed, Hachiman hesitated. Yukino gave a small forward gesture with the coffee, prompting him to reach out and accept it.
In doing so, his fingers briefly brushed hers.
Her skin was smooth and cool, like polished jade, her touch both soft and finely structured perfect, just like her appearance. It was the first time Hachiman had touched a girl besides his sister, and it made his thoughts spiral wildly.
"You've got the grossest expression on your face. Seriously, does even the slightest contact with a girl get you that worked up?"
"No... it's not that bad. I mean, I do have a little sister."
"So you're saying you've had physical contact with a girl before? Hey, hey, what kind of justification is that? What are you implying here?"
As they bickered, Hachiman noticed Yukino suddenly frown. She pulled out her phone and started typing something rapidly.
"Who are you calling?"
"The police. I'm reporting a potential future threat to his own sister."
"Hold on! I'm not that far gone! At most, I've thought about marrying my sister but it's just a thought, okay?!"
"Nope. That's already beyond help. Hikigaya, I'm honestly concerned for Komachi's safety. She probably lives in constant fear of her depraved older brother pouncing on her out of nowhere."
"I'm not arguing about this anymore."
"That's because you've run out of excuses."
Yukino placed the small bag in front of him and spoke with her usual poise.
"This is from Yuigahama. She asked me to give it to you. Said it's a token of appreciation."
Hachiman opened the bag to find a heart-shaped cookie, clearly homemade and asymmetrical, with the left side nearly twice as big as the right.
"This is... supposed to be a heart? Did she accidentally pour twice as much dough on one side?"
Yukino glanced at the lopsided cookie and smiled.
"Honestly, I think it's very her. Besides, didn't you say last week that as long as she puts in the effort, it doesn't matter how it turns out?"
Stabbed by his own words, Hachiman said nothing. He simply closed his eyes, as if steeling himself, and finished the cookie in a few large bites.
Then he quickly chased it down with a huge gulp of MAX Coffee.
The overwhelming sweetness of condensed milk buried the scorched, charcoal-like flavor in his mouth.
Clutching his chest and grimacing, Hachiman muttered, "Let's not let Yuigahama make food again. That was borderline poison."
From behind him, Yukino's icy voice slid across the air.
"Hikigaya. Was it really that bad?"
"Try it and you'll understand. I think I just saw the gates of heaven."
"You're so mean, Hikki. You really think my cooking is that bad? Talking behind my back like that?"
Hachiman stiffened and turned his head. Standing behind him was Yuigahama Yui, cheeks puffed out in playful annoyance, having clearly overheard everything.
Her face was lightly made up as usual, with the familiar ribbon from her undergarments peeking out at her collar. As always, her shirt buttons were done up only to the second one probably for better airflow or to avoid lower back pain, or so Hachiman had once theorized.
Yui looked at the opened gift bag and the crumbs around Hachiman's mouth. With a small giggle, she reached out and gently wiped the crumbs from his lips.
Her fingers were warm, brimming with youthful energy, and the casual intimacy made Hachiman momentarily freeze.
"You say it's bad, but you still finished the whole thing, didn't you?"
"Ehehe."
"So... what brings you here today, Yuigahama?"
Yukino's voice came from behind, cold and clear. It carried the same tone as a wife catching her husband cheating.
"Ugh... Yukino, that was scary. You're scary right now."
Yui turned toward her, and Hachiman could see goosebumps rise along her arms, like she'd just been hit by a cold breeze.
This girl's terrifying... She even affects the temperature in the room. Is she actually a snow spirit or something?
"I didn't really come for anything. I just had nothing to do and thought I'd hang out with Yukino for a bit."
She wore a silly, carefree smile and clung to Yukino's arm with cheerful enthusiasm.
Yukino twitched a little at the touch but soon gave up resisting. Realizing the energetic bundle hugging her wasn't letting go, she simply allowed it, her arm squished between Yui's.
"You guys helped me, and I didn't know how to return the favor, so I thought maybe I could see if there's anything else I can do."
"There's not much to help with. It's been a week since you asked us for that favor, and no one else has come by since."
Yukino's cheeks were faintly red, and her voice didn't carry the usual crispness.
"Really? Then I'll head back. But if there's anything you need, Yukino, just let me know, okay?"
Yui waved cheerfully and skipped out of the room. Yukino watched her go, mumbling, "She's... surprisingly forward."
"But somehow, it's not annoying."
"Yeah," Hachiman agreed. "She's kind of... adorably clueless sometimes."
Yukino didn't respond. She simply turned and picked up her book again.
Seeing no opening, Hachiman returned to his seat in silence, sipping his MAX Coffee and letting the flavor linger.
And just like that, the Service Club returned to its usual tranquility.