บท 282: Ch 282. Yukinoshita-senpai, You're Really Useless~
"Hoshimi, have you forgotten something?"
After school, on the way to the Service Club, Yukino suddenly spoke up.
"Huh?" Hoshimi looked at her in confusion.
Yukino turned her head, her expression indifferent as she met Hoshimi's gaze. "Do you remember what you promised me this Monday?"
"Oh~ I remember it." Hoshimi suddenly realized.
This Monday, he had promised Yukino he would investigate and resolve the conflict between Yuigahama and Hikigaya, and Yukino had even paid him in advance for it.
Today was already Wednesday, and he hadn't started yet. No wonder Yukino couldn't hold back from reminding him.
"Don't worry, Yukino, I'll handle it soon." Hoshimi hooked his arm around Yukino's shoulder and gave her a light squeeze.
If it hadn't been for the sudden attack from Kasumigaoka, he might have already taken care of it yesterday.
Kasumigaoka's arrival disrupted his usual pace, making him forget about this task.
But now that he remembered, he would deal with it quickly.
"Alright..." Yukino murmured and walked silently with Hoshimi toward the Service Club.
...
In the Service Club's activity room, not long after Hoshimi and Yukino arrived, Kotoko and Hikigaya also arrived, leaving only Yuigahama still missing.
They waited for a long time, but the front door of the club room didn't open again.
Seeing Yuigahama's delayed arrival, Yukino frowned slightly, closed her book, and moved to sit next to Hoshimi, giving his side a subtle poke.
"..." Hoshimi looked at Yukino's delicate profile and instantly understood.
He picked up his now-cool tea, took a sip, and looked at Hikigaya. "Hikigaya, why isn't Yuigahama here today?"
"..." Hikigaya, sitting on a single-seat sofa reading a book, paused before mumbling, "I... don't..."
"Ahem~" Hoshimi cleared his throat, interrupting Hikigaya.
He put down the teacup, leaned forward, interlaced his fingers beneath his chin, and spoke thoughtfully, "Hikigaya, you and Yuigahama are both in Class F. You should know where she went."
"..." Hikigaya stayed silent.
After a brief pause, he slightly turned his head and spoke hesitantly, "Yuigahama… she went with Miura. I think… they went to karaoke… along with a few other girls from Class F..."
"I see..." Hoshimi said thoughtfully, "So she went out with friends for karaoke. No wonder she didn't come."
Hoshimi looked back at Hikigaya. "Well, that's fine. Spending time with friends is important too. We're not here to deprive Yuigahama of her social life. But as her clubmates, it's only natural to be concerned about her, just in case she encounters any trouble. Now that we know where she is, there's nothing to worry about."
"...Alright..." Hikigaya mumbled and returned to his book.
"..." After hearing Hoshimi and Hikigaya's exchange, Yukino took out her phone, glancing at it to find no new messages.
Her brows furrowed, and she gave Hoshimi another poke on the side.
"..." Hoshimi felt a little exasperated, understanding Yukino's intentions.
Oh, my clever, cute lady Yukino, please stop pushing me. Resolving things takes a step-by-step approach… even if you nudge me, I can't bring Yuigahama back immediately.
"Sigh~" Hoshimi sighed quietly, sipping his tea as he pondered how to proceed.
Before he even finished his tea, an issue arose with Hikigaya again.
After a lengthy silence, Hikigaya seemed to reach a decision. He closed his book and looked toward Hoshimi and Yukino.
"Um..." he hesitated, unsure whether he was nervous or simply didn't know what to say.
"Go ahead, I'm listening," Hoshimi set down his tea and assumed a listening posture.
Hikigaya turned his head, nervously rubbing his finger along the spine of his book. "Uh... there are guests at my house recently… my parents are working, so I need to go home early to help host them…"
He trailed off, assuming that Hoshimi should be able to understand what he meant.
"So, Hikigaya, are you saying you'll need some time off from club activities?" Hoshimi finished the thought for him.
"Well... that's right..." Hikigaya looked down at the book's cover.
It was a compact paperback, no bigger than an adult's hand.
The cover was simple: a blue background with a black, stylized spider lily drawn on it, the title and author's name at the top right.
The plain cover echoed his straightforward mindset — functional and direct, conveying all that was needed.
"Hikigaya, excuse me for asking, when will your guest in your will leave?" Hoshimi asked calmly.
"I'm not sure, it might be a while," Hikigaya said with uncharacteristic clarity.
"Alright, understood. On behalf of Yukino, I approve your leave," Hoshimi said, watching Hikigaya calmly.
"Thank you," Hikigaya said, placing his book in his bag, picking it up, and heading out.
"I'll get going then," he said, stopping halfway to nod to the others in the Service Club before formally leaving.
Clang—!
With the front door closed, the Service Club room became briefly peaceful with two members gone.
"Heh~"
Kotoko broke the silence with a soft laugh.
Leaning back on the sofa, she muttered with ambiguous intent, "Such a useless senpai..."
"..." Yukino's lips pressed tightly as a slight flush of anger appeared on her refined face.
Hoshimi's eyebrow twitched, and he immediately stood up, heading for the door. "I'll handle this; by the latest, everything will be back to normal by next week."
Clang—!
With the front door shut again, the Service Club room was left with just two people. Kotoko turned to Yukino with a sugary smile, "Yukinoshita-senpai~ you're really useless~"
"..." Yukino's face turned icy as she met Kotoko's gaze.
In that moment, the atmosphere in the Service Club grew heavy, even more oppressive than the storm brewing outside.
The two locked eyes, no longer concealing their mutual hostility. The tension between them grew so thick that a single spark could ignite a full-blown conflict.
Ding-dong~~
Just then, both Yukino's and Kotoko's phones chimed at the same time.
They broke eye contact, almost in sync, pulling out their phones to check the messages.
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