Chapter 475: Do You Think You're the Nation's Husband?
"Hello, everyone."
Leading Tobe inside, Hayama greeted the three of them with a smile.
Seeing that it was Hayama, Yukino's tone turned colder.
"Is there something you need?"
Unfazed by her tone, Hayama responded.
"Actually, Tobe has something he wants to discuss with you all, so I brought him along."
"Oh? Is that so?"
Hearing this, Yukino turned her gaze to Tobe, her tone still cool.
"Tobe-san, what is it that you wanted to talk about?"
Tobe scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed. "Well, it's a bit embarrassing to talk about..."
Seeing his hesitation, Yukino couldn't help but interject. "Please don't act like that. It's really unpleasant for a guy to behave this way."
Even Hayama, standing next to Tobe, seemed a bit exasperated. "We're the ones asking for help. If you don't tell them, how can they know what it's about?"
Tobe fell silent for a moment, glancing subtly in Hachiman's direction before finally resigning himself. "Alright, I understand."
Unlike in the original story, where Hachiman was a relatively unnoticed figure, he had since gained quite a bit of attention through his actions during the school and sports festivals. Tobe couldn't just ask him to leave like he might have before. On the contrary, after witnessing Hachiman's abilities, Tobe was hopeful he might be able to offer some useful advice.
From what Tobe had observed, Hachiman seemed to have good relationships with many girls, making him a bona fide socialite. In their class alone, Hachiman was close to both Yui and Yumiko. Most importantly, he also seemed to have a good rapport with Ebina, which might really help him out.
With these thoughts, Tobe organized his thoughts and spoke up. "Well, the thing is, I've developed feelings for Ebina and want to confess to her."
"Huh?"
Yui, who had been somewhat bored, immediately perked up, her eyes sparkling. "Really? You like Hina?"
"Y-Yeah," Tobe replied, a bit shyly. "Ever since that summer camp, I started to think Ebina was really great. After all this time, I've finally decided I want to confess to her."
As he finished speaking, Tobe gave an awkward smile.
Hachiman understood what Tobe was getting at and summarized, "So basically, you want to confess to Ebina and hope she agrees to go out with you, right?"
"Exactly, exactly! That's it! As expected of you, Hikigaya, you got it right away," Tobe said, nodding vigorously.
"But if I get rejected, it would be really hard for me, so... I was hoping..."
Although he didn't finish his sentence, everyone understood what he meant.
He wanted them to help him come up with a foolproof way to confess.
But how could that be possible? You have no money, and you're not particularly handsome. Why should she definitely accept your confession? Do you think you're some kind of national heartthrob? Even a national heartthrob has women who don't accept him.
...
Back to the topic, after hearing Tobe's request, Yui was the first to speak up enthusiastically, even before Hachiman and Yukino could respond.
"That's great! I support you!"
Even with Yui's support, it didn't mean the plan would succeed. Hayama, understanding this, turned to the two who hadn't spoken yet.
"What do you think? Can you help with this?"
Yukino thought for a moment before slowly shaking her head. "It's not realistic. No one can guarantee that a confession will be successful, so we can't really help with this."
Hearing this, Hayama gave a wry smile. "I guess it's not that simple after all."
Although he smiled wryly, Hachiman could sense a hint of relief in his expression.
"Why not?" Yui asked, disappointed.
Even though Yukino had refused, Yui didn't want to give up so easily. After all, it was rare for someone to take an interest in her friend, so she naturally wanted to make it happen.
After all, both Yui and Yumiko had their romantic interests settled, albeit with the same person, which left Ebina as the odd one out. So, the silly bun clung to Yukino's arm and began to plead.
"Yukinon, please help~~ I'm begging you."
Seeing Yui's pitiful expression, Yukino found it hard to refuse. Feeling helpless, she looked toward Hachiman, hoping he would make the decision. Yui, following Yukino's gaze, also turned to Hachiman, looking at him with imploring eyes.
"Hikki, please help~~"
Why are you all looking at me? Hachiman thought, feeling somewhat resigned.
At this point, Tobe, realizing the situation, approached Hachiman and bowed slightly. "Please, Hikigaya-san, help me out."
Although this scene might appear sincere to an outsider, Hachiman noticed Tobe winking and whispering, "You're the best at this kind of thing, right?"
I'm not, I don't, stop saying that. When did I become an expert at this? This is slander, plain and simple.
However, seeing Tobe bowing in request, Yui couldn't help but plead with Yukino again. "Yukinon, look, Tobe is so troubled, please help him~~"
Unable to resist the silly bun's earnest plea, Yukino finally sighed and spoke with some reluctance. "Alright, since you've put it this way, I'll try to think of something."
She then looked at Hachiman, indicating he should come up with an idea.
Wait, you're the one who agreed to this, why are you looking at me? Noticing Yukino's gaze, Hachiman sighed in resignation. "Yukino, you're spoiling this silly bun too much."
"I know, we'll take on this request."
"Yay, thank you, Hikki!"
Hearing Hachiman agree to take on the request, Yui cheered happily but quickly realized what Hachiman had called her and retorted.
"Stupid Hikki, you're the silly one!"
After some playful banter, everyone felt a bit more at ease. Sitting at the head of the table, Hachiman looked at Tobe standing in front of him and asked.
"We're willing to take on this request, but we need to know your plan and specifically how you want us to help."
"Well, you see, I want to confess, so I thought you could be my support team," Tobe said enthusiastically.
Upon hearing this, Yui, the silly bun, rested her cheeks in her hands and smiled blissfully.
"That sounds so nice, a support team..."
"I understand what you mean, but there are risks involved," Hachiman said.
Yui looked confused, "Risks? What do you mean?"
Instead of answering immediately, Hachiman finished his tea and pushed his cup toward Yukino, signaling her to pour more. Seeing Hachiman asking for more tea, Yukino shot him a slightly reproachful look but dutifully stood up to pour him another cup.
After all, with others present, Yukino wouldn't let Hachiman lose face.
Taking the tea cup Yukino handed him, Hachiman smiled and continued.
"Exactly, there are risks involved."
"If you confess, there's a chance you might be rejected. By the next day, everyone in the class might know about your confession to Ebina."
"It's not just about being known. You might become the subject of gossip, or even worse, become the butt of jokes."
"Moreover, if you're confessing to a close friend, you need to think it through even more carefully. If it goes well, that's great. But if it doesn't, your relationship could become awkward, and you might not even be able to remain friends."
After saying all this, Hachiman stopped talking and quietly sipped his tea.
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