Chapter 187: Argument
Sobu High School, Class 2F.
Lunchtime had arrived, and students gathered in groups to have their meals. However, some chose to eat in the classroom. Yumiko and Hayama led a group of classmates, and after spending over two weeks together, they had become quite familiar with each other.
Yumiko, who had developed a subtle liking for the handsome and sunny Hayama, said, "Today, there's a special offer for buying double scoops of ice cream after school. Will you join me, Hayato?"
Apologetically, Hayama replied, "I'm sorry, Yumiko, but I have a club activity after school today."
Though he maintained his usual friendly smile, Hachiman sensed a hint of refusal in his tone.
Yumiko was determined and said, "Well, missing one day won't hurt, and I really want to have chocolate and caramel today."
Hayama chuckled, "Haha, they're basically the same thing. Besides, you'll regret it if you eat too much, Yumiko."
"And I'm sorry, but I really can't make it today. The club has something important going on," Hayama continued to decline the invitation.
Yumiko replied, "Fine, let's forget about it for today. Besides, I won't gain weight no matter how much I eat."
"Yes, Yumiko has a great figure, especially those legs. Compared to me, I feel..."
Yui chimed in, but she appeared somewhat distracted. She held her lunchbox behind her and occasionally glanced at the classroom door, her expression indecisive.
Before she could say anything, Yumiko continued, "By the way, that girl we met last time, Yukinoshita, is pretty nice, too. She's from our school, isn't she?"
Yui smiled and nodded, "Yukino-chan has a good figure."
"Yukino-chan?" Yumiko looked puzzled upon hearing the name.
Yui tried to change the conversation, saying, "Oh, it's nothing. Yumiko has better taste and a more fashionable style."
Yumiko responded, "Of course, but aren't you going to have your meal, Yui?"
Yumiko had noticed the lunchbox that Yui was hiding behind her back, and she knew her friend well enough to understand that if she didn't speak up, Yui might keep agreeing with her.
Yui happily replied, "Well, I'll go have my meal now."
But before Yui left, Yumiko raised the issue of the drink request again, saying, "Oh, and when you come back, Yui, could you bring me a bottle of drink?"
Yui's face displayed a troubled expression upon hearing Yumiko's request.
"Ah, this... I have to go somewhere during lunch, so I'm afraid I can't bring a drink for you, Yumiko."
"Eh, Yui, where are you going?" Yumiko furrowed her brow.
"Uh, well... I'm sorry, Yumiko, but I really can't bring you a drink." Yui hesitated and didn't want to explain.
"See, you shouldn't just apologize. You should tell me where you're going. We're friends, right?"
"Uh, this... this..."
Yui continued to stammer without revealing her plans.
"Come on, this is just how you are. Can't you be more straightforward? If you have something to say, just say it." Yumiko sighed in disappointment and covered her head.
Yumiko did want to help Yui become more assertive and less accommodating, but her well-intentioned efforts came off as somewhat domineering due to her personality.
"Sorry..."
"I told you not to keep apologizing. Tell me what's going on."
"Hey, Yumiko, your tone is a bit too much," Hachiman stood up and spoke.
Although he understood the girl's good intentions, her tone did seem a bit forceful.
Seeing Hachiman defend her, Yui's face brightened with happiness.
But in the next moment, Yumiko shot Hachiman a glare.
"Hachiman, don't interfere in this matter. We need to make sure Yui changes her personality today."
It has to be said that the empress-like Yumiko has a commanding presence, and the entire classroom fell silent.
"I'm sorry..."
However, in the face of Yumiko's assertiveness, Yui continued to apologize.
Just as the situation became a standstill, someone entered the classroom through the door.
"You're apologizing to the wrong person, Yuigahama."
With her waist-length black hair and exquisitely refined face, it could only be Yukino. The young girl stood with her arms crossed, her tone cool.
"Yuigahama, you invited me to have lunch together, but you never showed up. That's not very considerate. If you had other commitments, you should have at least let me know."
"Sorry, Yukino, I didn't have your phone number, so..."
Upon seeing Yukino's presence, Yui hurried over with a apologetic look on her face.
"Is that so? Well, I can't blame you for that. Let's forget about it this time. We can have lunch together now."
"Hold on, Yui and I haven't finished our conversation yet." Seeing the two about to leave, Yumiko stood up quickly.
However, Yukino interrupted her directly, saying, "Conversation? Do you think what you were doing just now could be called a conversation?"
"In my view, you were just one-sidedly trying to impose your opinions on Yui."
"I apologize for not realizing it earlier."
"Because I'm not very familiar with your ecosystem, I accidentally treated it like a threat from apes."
"Even though it's your right to act like the king of the jungle and puff yourself up, please don't do it outside your territory. Your tiger stripes, just like your makeup, can easily wear off."
The young girl playfully spoke with a rather sharp tongue.
"Pfttt!"
Upon hearing her sharp remarks, Hachiman couldn't help but laugh, but the next moment, Yumiko glared at him, and even Yukino turned her icy gaze in his direction, which made him quickly stifle his laughter.
Hachiman can't be blamed, as in his previous life, watching schoolyard fights and arguments was quite entertaining.
"Haha, what on earth have you been saying, you enigmatic person?" Yumiko was about to respond, but the amiable Hayama stepped in to defuse the situation.
"Alright, alright, Yukinoshita, that's enough," Hayama suggested, trying to maintain the peace.
Yukino turned her head away, seemingly uninterested in engaging further with the conversation. Hayama then turned his attention to Yumiko.
"Yumiko, let's call it a day on this matter," he advised.
Yumiko, albeit reluctantly, made a disapproving sound and returned to her seat. The situation gradually cooled down, and the classroom was filled with an air of normalcy.
Once the tension had dissipated, Yukino turned her gaze to Yui and calmly stated, "Yuigahama, I'll be waiting for you outside."
Yui responded with a warm smile, "Sure, I'll be there in a moment."
With that, Yukino nodded and gracefully exited the classroom. The other students present gradually recognized that it was time to disperse and left the room.
Hachiman, not one to flee from awkward situations like some of his classmates, exited the classroom as well, intending to give Yui the space to express herself.
Now, only Yui and Yumiko remained in the classroom, the atmosphere still somewhat charged.
Chapter 188: Yui Who Wants to Change
As Hachiman left the classroom, he noticed Yukino leaning against the exterior wall.
"Yukinoshita, your words earlier were rather harsh. Yumiko means well, just like you."
"Both you and Yumiko are attempting to help Yui change her overly accommodating personality. But Yumiko's approach can be a bit forceful, which makes her come across as stern."
"In truth, you and Yumiko share some similarities – you both have sharp tongues but kind hearts."
Yukino only glanced at him briefly, her tone remaining cold. "Don't speak as if you understand me well. We're not that close yet."
Undeterred by Yukino's coolness, Hachiman pressed on, "Perhaps we aren't very familiar yet, but I can see that beneath your aloof exterior, you genuinely care. Otherwise, you wouldn't have founded the 'Service Club,' a group that helps others without expecting anything in return."
Yukino's icy demeanor softened slightly at his words, a touch of warmth flickering in her heart.
"I just can't tolerate her approach. She knows Yui's personality, but she insists on pressuring her. Why can't she communicate more effectively?"
Yukino still strongly disagreed with Yumiko's methods.
"Everyone has their own way of doing things. Even though Yumiko's approach may seem extreme, Yui's nature tends to be overly hesitant. Maybe this method could be effective."
"Regardless, I can't stand her aggressive behavior, yelling like a banshee. Yui is naturally soft-spoken, so pushing her too hard might overwhelm her."
Yukino's tone revealed her disapproval of Yumiko's tactics.
It seemed like these two were still at odds, much like in the original story. However, Hachiman noticed another subtle detail.
"Yukinoshita, you just called Yui by her name."
Girls could indeed be quite unpredictable. Despite Yukino's recent display of disdain, she had now casually used Yui's name.
"No, you must have misheard."
In response to his teasing, Yukino turned her head slightly, clearly not interested in indulging him further.
Hachiman found this scene somewhat amusing. Even the icy Yukino seemed to be gradually succumbing to Yui's enthusiastic charm, and the frost around her heart was beginning to thaw.
Meanwhile, inside the classroom, Yui gathered her courage to speak to Yumiko.
"Well, Yumiko, I'm sorry. I'm an incredibly timid person, and I feel uneasy when I stand out from others. That's why I always end up involuntarily accommodating them."
"I've been like this since I was a child. I remember when we played house, I was supposed to play the mom. But because others wanted the same role, I ended up playing a puppy instead."
"Hahaha, do you think I'm silly..."
"Because I used to accommodate others, I could make friends, so I gradually got used to it, used to accommodating others all the time."
"But then, when I saw Hachiman and Yukino, I suddenly realized that being able to speak our true feelings to each other, understand one another without forcibly accommodating, must make them truly happy..."
"So, I want to be like them..."
"But it's not like I dislike you, Yumiko. So, can we still be friends?"
Yumiko heard Yui's words with happiness in her heart.
Her dear friend was finally embracing change. Hachiman, that guy, had played his part as a boyfriend. As for Yukino...
Hmph, I guess she contributed a bit too.
However, even as Yumiko expressed her contentment, she maintained her empress-like demeanor.
"Can we continue being friends? Well, it's not like we can't."
"But Yui, if you've made the decision to change your habit of always accommodating others, you must stick with it. I won't hesitate to give you a piece of my mind if you falter."
"Let's continue our friendship, and I'll be keeping a watchful eye on you, Yui."
With that declaration, Yumiko extended her hand to Yui.
"Thank you, Yumiko!"
Yui's face lit up with a grateful smile as they clasped hands firmly.
"However, I won't allow that cold-hearted girl, Yukinoshita, to steal you away."
"Oh, Yumiko, you're just exaggerating. Yukino may seem reserved, but she's actually quite a nice person."
"Goodness, it's gotten late, and I'm supposed to have lunch with Yukino. I should head out now. We can chat more later, Yumiko."
Hachiman couldn't help but smile as he watched this exchange from outside the classroom. He looked briefly at the more reticent Yukino and then pushed off the wall to head toward the school store.
Today, Yui had been planning to prepare lunch for him, but her eagerness to have lunch with Yukino made her forget about it. So, he decided to grab a meal from the school store or cafeteria.
"Where are you going? Aren't you waiting for Yui to come out?"
Yukino appeared somewhat puzzled as she observed his departure.
"Don't worry, Yukinoshita. Everything's going smoothly in there. Yui will be out soon. I'm just a bit hungry, so I'll grab some lunch for now."
Hachiman waved his hand without looking back in response to Yukino's question.
As expected, not long after he left, the classroom door opened, and Yui emerged with a joyful smile.
"Yukino-chan, we can finally have lunch together... Oh."
Yui scanned the area in confusion, noticing Hachiman's absence.
"Huh, where's Hikki?"
"Ugh, that sly Hikki. He didn't even wait for me, and I wanted to share lunch with him."
Yui grumbled about Hachiman, while Yukino calmly explained.
"Hikigaya-kun mentioned that he was hungry, so he went ahead to have lunch."
"Ugh..."
It suddenly hit Yui that it was her turn to prepare a bento for Hachiman, but her excitement about having lunch with Yukino had caused her to forget.
A pang of guilt crept into her heart.
"Alright, Yui, let's have lunch together."
Yukino's use of her name brought a wave of joy, erasing the guilt Yui had felt.
"Yukino-chan, you just called me by my name."
"No, you must have misheard."
Surprisingly, Yukino casually said Yui's name once more, and a faint blush colored her cheeks.
"Yukino-chan, you're blushing. We're friends; there's no need to be so shy."
"I'm not blushing, and I've already told you not to call me Yukino-chan."
"What's the harm? I think 'Yukino-chan' is a cute nickname."
"I said, don't call me that."
"Umm..."
Yui's playful voice and Yukino's gentle reprimand echoed down the corridor as they headed off to lunch, leaving the silence to reclaim the hallway.
The afternoon sun bathed the corridor in a peaceful ambiance as it filtered through the windows.
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