Chapter 490: Embarrassing Past
In the end, after Iroha Isshiki offered up a year's worth of club funds, Hachiman and the other two accepted the request.
Though Yukino initially hesitated to take on the task, Hachiman had already agreed before she could object, leaving her with no choice but to go along with it. So, the three members of the Service Club decided to tackle the job together. After all, Yukino wasn't about to let Hachiman and a certain sly "cat" spend time alone together.
With plans set to start the next day, Iroha left, satisfied.
After she left, Yui curiously asked, "Hikki, why did you ask Iroha for money?"
The girl was puzzled. Hachiman had plenty of money himself, so why would he need to ask Iroha for any?
"That's right," Yukino added, nodding in agreement. "If we take payment, it wouldn't really be the Service Club anymore."
Hearing their questions, Hachiman smiled. "I didn't ask her for payment for our help. I just asked for what was rightfully ours—the club's budget."
"Now that the weather is getting colder, we should get a heater for our clubroom. Otherwise, it's going to be freezing in here soon."
"Oh, that's a good idea!" Yui said, her eyes lighting up.
"We can use the club funds to buy a heater, so we won't be cold."
Yukino also nodded in agreement. "Yes, that's definitely a good idea."
Seeing that they understood his reasoning, Hachiman smiled.
Before long, the sound of the two girls laughing filled the clubroom once again, while Hachiman sat back, contentedly watching them enjoy themselves.
...
The next afternoon, Hachiman and his two clubmates followed Iroha Isshiki to the event's host school, Kaihin Sougou High School.
"Thanks for coming," Iroha said as she opened the door to the meeting room, leading the group inside.
Upon entering, Hachiman noticed that quite a few people had already gathered, chatting in small groups. It was clear that everyone from Kaihin High was present and that they had been waiting for their arrival.
"Christmas, huh…" Hachiman mumbled to himself as he thought about the event's theme. This also reminded him that he might need to prepare some Christmas gifts for the girls in his life: Saeko, Kotonoha, Utaha, Yui, Yukino…
"Ugh, that's quite a list," he sighed, realizing he would need to put some serious thought into the gifts.
Just then, a surprised voice called out to him. "Hikigaya, is that you? It's been a while!"
Hachiman turned to see a girl with curly brown hair, looking at him with a delighted expression. It was… Kaori Orimoto?
Yes, this was indeed the girl who had been Hachiman's "first love" back in middle school.
That was before he had crossed into this world. The two had been classmates, and because Orimoto would occasionally chat with him, the then-naive Hachiman mistakenly thought she liked him. Emboldened, he confessed to her, only to be rejected. It turned out she was just a friendly person who could talk with anyone.
After that, Hachiman had been so embarrassed that he had practically fled, which only deepened his reclusive nature.
Afraid of being hurt, he didn't want to reach out. Afraid of losing, he didn't want to possess.
"Are you… Oriki?" Hachiman responded, pretending to be confused and intentionally getting her name wrong.
"Orimoto!" Kaori replied, clearly displeased. "You jerk, how could you forget my name? You even confessed to me once!"
At this, Yukino looked surprised, and Yui, more shocked, burst out, "What?! Hikki confessed to you?"
It wasn't just them— even Iroha turned her gaze towards them, clearly intrigued. After all, Hachiman was someone she considered as a potential romantic option, so knowing his past was crucial.
Kaori seemed taken aback by Yui's reaction, stepping back slightly and awkwardly explaining, "Ah, it was just something from middle school. We only talked a few times, and then out of nowhere, Hikigaya confessed to me. I was really surprised."
Please stop talking, Hachiman thought desperately. This is my embarrassing past!
Hachiman couldn't help but internally scream. Even though this wasn't something he had done, he was still stuck as Hikigaya Hachiman, and there was no escaping it.
"Hikki, what's going on?" Yui asked, clearly curious.
It wasn't just her— Yukino and Iroha were also looking at him, wanting to know the full story.
Hachiman sighed slightly, his expression a bit uncomfortable as he explained, "Back in middle school, I didn't really have any friends. Since Orimoto-san talked to me more than others, I kind of… mistakenly thought she liked me. So, in a moment of stupidity, I…"
He trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. Admitting to his embarrassing past out loud was just too mortifying.
Even though he didn't complete his explanation, the girls got the gist of it. Hachiman had been so lonely back then that he mistook a girl's simple kindness for affection and ended up confessing his feelings.
Understanding this, the girls couldn't help but feel a little sympathy for him. It was a sad thought— Hachiman was so desperate for connection that he misunderstood casual conversations as romantic interest.
"Hikki, that's really sad," Yui said, her voice filled with genuine concern.
Even Yukino and Iroha shared the same sympathetic looks, making Hachiman feel a bit awkward.
Noticing their gazes, Hachiman couldn't help but twitch his mouth in irritation. *Come on, give me a break! I already said it was just a stupid misunderstanding.*
Before he could explain further, Orimoto, with a puzzled look, chimed in, "Wait, did I really talk to you that much? I thought we just exchanged a few words each day out of habit."
Her blunt remark only made things worse for Hachiman, who felt like a dark cloud had formed over his head.
But before he could react, the three girls immediately turned their sharp gazes toward Orimoto, clearly not appreciating her unintentional jab.
Feeling the intensity of their stares, Orimoto nervously stepped back. "I-I see you've made some good friends, Hikigaya," she stammered before quickly making her exit.
At that moment, a tall figure approached them—a male student with a confident demeanor.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Tamanawa, the student council president of Kaihin High. You must be the students from Sobu High, right?"
Hearing this, Iroha, as the student council president, quickly gave a polite bow. "Nice to meet you. I'm Isshiki Iroha, the current student council president of Sobu High. Please take care of us."
"Haha, there's no need to be so formal," Tamanawa laughed, though his speaking style was a bit odd. "It's great to collaborate with Sobu High. I've been hoping we could establish a mutual respect and partnership, and really create some synergy together."
While Tamanawa seemed friendly, his constant use of English words mixed into his Japanese, paired with exaggerated hand gestures like he was performing a strange dance, left Hachiman and the others feeling a bit puzzled.
If you're going to talk, then just talk normally. What's with all the hand movements?
However, since they were guests, it wasn't appropriate to criticize Tamanawa, the host. So Hachiman and the others had no choice but to endure it for now.
After the introductions were made, the meeting regarding the **Christmas Event** officially began.
Everyone took their seats, and as the host, Tamanawa was the first to speak.
"Alright, let's get started with this meeting. I'd like everyone to brainstorm some ideas for the event."
He continued, "Please bring your best ideas for the concept of the event."
Seriously? You really have to talk like that? Can't you just speak normal Japanese?
Hachiman and the others frowned at Tamanawa's awkward mixture of Japanese and English.
But it seemed like the other students were used to this style, as someone immediately raised their hand.
A trendy-looking guy sitting across from Hachiman, wearing glasses, chimed in, "Considering the needs of us high school students, I think we should focus on fostering mid-level innovation."
Before anyone could react, another student offered their opinion.
"With that in mind, we definitely need to consider how this event can be a win-win for both us and the community."
Then a third person added, "Exactly, we need to approach this from a strategic perspective and think about cost-performance."
*…*
What's with all of you and this way of speaking?
Do you really think throwing in some random English words makes you sound smart?
Instead of impressive, it was only making everyone feel uncomfortable.
Just look at Yukino sitting next to Hachiman—she was frowning with clear disapproval. Meanwhile, Iroha seemed to have given up trying to make sense of it and just nodded along occasionally.
Then Tamanawa, as the student council president, spoke up again.
"Everyone, I think you might be overlooking something important."
Just as the girls were expecting him to share some profound insight, Tamanawa continued in his same half-baked English-mixed Japanese.
"We need to use logical thinking. Approach it with logic."
He added, "And let's not forget to consider things from the customer's perspective."
Wait, wasn't that basically the same thing just said twice in different languages?
Does repeating yourself in two languages make you sound smarter?
And what's with your hands constantly drawing circles in the air? Are you about to form a Rasengan or something?
If you can actually pull off a Rasengan, then I'll have to counter with a Rasenshuriken!
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Chapter 491: Stealing Someone Right in Front of Me
The meeting ended, and Hachiman and the others sat in their chairs in silence.
What exactly had they gotten out of this entire meeting?
The answer was simple: nothing. From start to finish, all they heard were empty formalities, with Tamanawa and his group leading the charge. There was no substantial progress made regarding the Christmas event at all.
No wonder Iroha had said she was at a loss—dealing with teammates like these, who wouldn't be?
"I have to ask, did you understand anything they were saying?" Hachiman turned to Iroha.
The little devil still had a polite smile plastered on her face, not fully out of her role yet. "Not at all. But all I really need to do is say things like, 'That's amazing!' or 'I'll do my best too!'"
"After all, I'm younger than them, so they seem to like it when I say those kinds of things. If they send emails afterward, I just need to keep agreeing with whatever they say."
Hearing this, Yukino shook her head.
"This won't do. The entire meeting had no substantial progress. At this rate, the efficiency is too low, and Christmas is just around the corner."
"Plus, this is your first event as the student council president. Do you really want it to fail?"
"Of course not!" Iroha responded defensively.
"Then we need to pick up the pace. We can't afford to keep dragging this out," Yukino said calmly.
Hearing this, Iroha hesitated no longer and quickly ran over to where Tamanawa was.
However, Hachiman shook his head. "I don't think we can rely on that student council president from Kaihin High."
"Eh? Why do you say that, Hikki? Didn't Iroha-chan go to discuss it with them?" Yui asked, puzzled.
"Did you even listen to what they were saying during the meeting?" Hachiman sighed. "It was all meaningless formalities. Sure, it might sound reasonable at first, but it's too vague. They never actually explained what needs to be done or how to do it."
"In the end, it seems like they just want to sit back and reap the benefits. Since they're not interested in coming up with ideas, we might as well plan the event ourselves. They can just follow our lead."
Yui hesitated. "But, isn't that a bit... rude? After all, they're the hosts, aren't they?"
"It doesn't matter," Hachiman said with a shrug and a smile. "Our goal is to make sure the event is a success. If they can't be relied on, then we'll just have to take matters into our own hands."
The meeting room was clearly divided into two camps.
On one side was Tamanawa's group from Kaihin High, who mostly just spouted formalities. On the other side was the current student council of Sobu High, led by Iroha. The few practical suggestions during the meeting had come from them, and even after the meeting ended, they were still diligently taking notes.
Meanwhile, the Kaihin High group, after their initial round of empty talk, hadn't done anything productive. Instead, they just chatted among themselves, while the Sobu High group continued with their work.
At that moment, Iroha came back, looking a bit dejected. Yui immediately asked, "How did it go, Iroha-chan?"
"Not well at all. President Tamanawa said that we should all brainstorm and discuss the event more in the next meeting," Iroha pouted, clearly frustrated. "And then he handed me this, asking us to keep track of the meeting minutes."
As she spoke, she distributed the documents she had been given to her student council members.
Just then, a male student stood up and handed some organized materials to Iroha.
"President, is this okay?"
"Ah, yes, I'll check it over in a bit," Iroha replied, taking the papers, though her expression seemed a bit off.
The boy who handed over the materials also looked a bit stiff, as if he wanted to say something but held back.
"President, if this keeps up..."
"Huh?"
Iroha looked confused.
"Never mind, forget it..."
The boy, seemingly realizing that saying more wouldn't help, swallowed the rest of his words and sat back down to continue organizing his materials.
Iroha felt a pang of helplessness. She knew that, in truth, the student council members didn't have much faith in her as their president.
And it was understandable. With the Kaihin High student council slacking off, most of the work in the past few days had fallen on Sobu High's shoulders. Of course, people would start feeling resentful. After all, this was supposed to be a collaborative effort, but the other side seemed content to sit back and reap the rewards, while their own president seemed more like a figurehead who couldn't get anything done.
Just as Iroha sighed inwardly, she heard Hachiman's voice.
"Seems like you're having a tough time too."
Hearing this, Iroha pouted, clearly not pleased.
"That's right, and it's all because of you, Senpai. So you have to help me."
"If I weren't going to help, I wouldn't be here," Hachiman shrugged.
Tch, it's just because I paid you that you agreed to help me, Iroha grumbled to herself.
As she mulled over her thoughts, Hachiman's voice interrupted again.
"That guy earlier, he's the vice president, Makito Honmuko, right? I think I remember him."
"Yes, that's Makito-senpai," Iroha nodded, a hint of resignation crossing her face.
"But I get the feeling he doesn't really like me. Maybe it's just because we're still new to working together. I'm sure it'll get better over time."
"I think Makito seems to have it pretty tough, dealing with you as the president," Hachiman said with a slight smirk.
"What's wrong with me?!"
Iroha frowned, clearly annoyed by his comment.
"Well, maybe it's because you, as president, aren't really stepping up. You just accept whatever tasks are handed to you," Hachiman said, his tone more serious now.
"Remember, this event is a joint effort between two schools. If we end up doing all the work, what's the other side doing—just sitting back and taking the credit?"
"You're the one who's supposed to manage this coordination as the president. Do you think you've done that well?"
This left Iroha speechless, as she couldn't find a valid argument to counter him.
In desperation, she resorted to a classic tactic—playing the innocent girl.
Iroha clung to Hachiman's arm, whining pitifully.
"I don't care, this is all your fault, Senpai! If you hadn't pushed me into this position, none of this would have happened. I'm still young, and I don't know anything. So, you have to help me!"
At this point, Yukino and Yui couldn't stand it any longer.
It was a good thing they were here today. If Iroha was willing to cling to Hachiman like this right in front of them, who knows what she'd try when they weren't around.
Yukino, naturally, wouldn't say anything as direct as asking someone to leave, but the chill in her demeanor intensified. Yui, on the other hand, was much more proactive.
The airheaded Yui quickly pulled Iroha away, reassuring her, "Iroha-chan, don't get worked up. Since Hikki has agreed to help, he'll definitely do his best."
After being pulled away by Yui, Iroha hesitated to cling back on. She had only acted impulsively a moment ago, but if she kept it up, she was sure Yukino would eventually snap.
This little devil was good at reading the room.
So, now that she'd been pulled away, she could only put on a pitiful expression, her lips quivering slightly. "Then... I'll be counting on you, Hikigaya-senpai."
"Don't worry, leave everything to me," Hachiman replied with a smile and then shifted his gaze toward the other side of the room, where Tamaki and his group were still chatting idly.
...
The next day, another meeting was held.
As expected, Tamanawa, as the host, was leading the meeting. "Alright, let's continue our discussion about the Christmas event. I encourage everyone to brainstorm and share their ideas."
I have to wonder, how did this guy even become president? Always relying on brainstorming—can't he take the lead for once?
But before Tamanawa could launch into his usual spiel, Hachiman spoke up. "If no one has any suggestions at the moment, how about hearing out my proposal first?"
The group, used to their president's empty talk, was caught off guard by Hachiman's interruption, and a bit of dissatisfaction brewed among them.
Still, Tamanawa, as the student council president, responded with a smile. "Since our fellow student has a proposal, let's hear it out. If anyone has feedback, feel free to share."
"Of course," Hachiman replied with a slight smile and then turned to Iroha. "Iroha, can you distribute the event plans to everyone?"
Surprised that Hachiman was directing her, the little devil pouted slightly, but she still stood up and handed out the printed materials to everyone in the room.
As she returned to her seat, Iroha stuck out her tongue at Hachiman in a playful, secretive gesture.
Seeing this, Hachiman shook his head in amusement before turning his attention back to the Kaihin High group across from him.
"I've already drafted a general plan for the event. The event will take place on Christmas Day from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM. This timing should allow everyone to attend without interfering with any other plans they might have for the day."
Upon hearing this, Kaori Orimoto's eyes lit up. "That works for me! I've got other plans on Christmas, so this solves my problem."
However, Tamanawa, sitting at the head of the table, frowned slightly. "This plan sounds good, but I still think brainstorming together would be better. After all, one person's ideas are limited, but by pooling everyone's thoughts, we can make this event even more lively."
He continued, "I think we should consider expanding the scope of the event. What does everyone think?"
Unfortunately for Tamanawa, as soon as he finished speaking, Hachiman's voice cut in. "I don't think that's a good idea."
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