Chương 24: Asking For Help Doesn’t Make Her Less Competent, Yukinoshita Yukino Realizes
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[Hikigaya Hachiman's POV]
I heaved a sigh as I recalled what I had done the day earlier. I didn't mean to be involved too deeply with the company—at least not until I finished college—but I had done the opposite. It hadn't even been a month, but I had changed the hierarchy within the company. Flaunting my connection power was not something I liked to do, but I was forced by the situation.
I was glad I did that. The nasty things that had happened in the company were sickening. We had managed to reach out to the victims and punish the culprits severely, but it still left a bad taste in my mouth. Some of the victims had killed themselves as they couldn't bear the humiliation. Thinking about it made me want to crush those assholes' heads.
I had become more known than I already was, but I thought it was worth it. My heart bled every time I thought about how it might happen to Komachi. People like Kuwabata needed to be eradicated. How dare he look over someone's well-being and talk about the company's reputation! I believe he didn't even care that much about it. Like everyone else, he was just afraid of losing his position.
"Does yesterday's event still ruin your mood?" Shinobu asked as she walked beside me.
"Not really," I replied. "Though, I am not too amused that you put my name as one of the Cultural Festival Committees. Why didn't you become one also?"
"Ugh. I hate trouble."
"I thought you knew me better."
"Given what you did recently, I don't think you mind being troubled. I mean, you even skipped class for it."
I sighed at Shinobu's witty comment and stretched lightly. I grimaced slightly when my uniform restricted my back. Even though I had bought a new pair, it still fitted me perfectly. I guess I shouldn't have ordered half a size bigger but one and a half size bigger instead. I was growing rapidly as a Vampire.
I had thought that cutting my exercise time, which helped my growth greatly, would somehow slow down my growth, but it was futile. I still got ripped and bigger. Shinobu said that I should let it happen as it would stop one day. I didn't mind the growth—I was happy with it—but it would have been better if it happened not at such a rapid pace. I hated buying new clothes so quickly.
Everyone looked at Shinobu and me as we entered the class. They gave us a light greeting and Shinobu returned in kind. They pressured me with an expectant look, so I nodded as a sign of acknowledgment. I missed the days when they would only glance at me and say nothing. Thanks to Shinobu, it was no longer possible. She was well-known by the entire school because of her beauty and because she always associated herself with me, I got known too.
Heck, I even had beaten up some punk who wanted to confess to Shinobu and thought I was standing in his way. I was glad I had been in a good mood that day. I might have crippled that idiot if that hadn't been the case. Thankfully, I got away unpunished, courtesy of Shinobu. I wasn't wrong in the very first place, but money was sure scary.
"So…I got cast as the Pilot in a Le Petit Prince play?"
When the class ended, I was stopped by Ebina. She pulled me and Hayama aside before telling me that I was in the play which I thought had been canceled.
"Everyone agreed with this Yaoi bullshit?" I expressed my distaste.
"Now, now, Hikita—Kuhum!—Hikigaya-kun, don't be like that!" My glare caused Ebina to call me correctly. "It is not as bad as you think. You have read the script, right? You must have seen the artistic value of the story. I want to recreate it!"
"Le Petit Prince is an amazing story about an adult who realizes how much adulthood has changed him upon making a friend with a child. It is a lighthearted story with a sobering end. To make a Yaoi story out of it is presumptuous. Also, the prince is a child—what were you thinking?"
"Geez. This is why I don't get along with those bibliophiles. They are too conservative," Ebina muttered in distaste. "Anyway, everyone has agreed with it, so you have to play!"
"Only if we change some key elements." Ebina nodded at my proposal and urged me to speak. "First, there would be no romance between the two characters. Second, change the gender of the prince and the title at once."
"Unacceptable!"
"Well, good luck finding another person."
I shrugged and was about to leave when Ebina held my shoulder.
"Fine! But you have to play it with Shinobu-san," she said through gritted teeth.
"Huh? I was planning to suggest Hayama and Miura."
"Why didn't you just say that you didn't want to participate from the start!?"
"Well, now you know."
"You are not backing out of this!" I shrugged off her hold and walked to the door when she shouted, "Shinobu-san, do you want to play with Hikigaya-kun in our play?"
Shinobu who I know had been listening while leaning on the wall pretended to look confused as she turned to Ebina. Then, as if she had finally registered what Ebina meant, her eyes lit up.
"Of course."
Ebina smirked and I sighed in resignation. Why is she so adamant on including me anyway? I glanced at Hayama and he smiled at me innocently—at least, it appeared so. I thought about suggesting him play with Shinobu but immediately discarded the idea. Shinobu would immediately refuse and we would immediately be back to ground zero. I didn't want to play in that disgusting homoerotic play Ebina wrote.
Wait a minute! Am I not forced to have a role in the play no matter what the scenario is?
Holding back the urge to say, I walked to the clubroom with Shinobu and Yuigahama in tow. The two chatted animatedly, talking about how the play would play out. When we arrived at the clubroom, we immediately told Yukinoshita that we wouldn't be able to attend the club for some time. Yuigahama would be busy dealing with our play and I would be busy as a Cultural Festival Committee and the cast of our class's ridiculous play.
Yukinoshita understood it completely and decided to suspend the club activity until the cultural festival ended. We were about to deal with our business when someone knocked on the door.
"Come in," Yukinoshita said.
The door rattled open and a familiar face entered. "Hi, good afternoon. I have a request." Somehow, I didn't like the look on Sagami Minami's face.
Yukinoshita told her to sit down and she did it immediately. She then told us about her trouble which told me that she regretted becoming the chairwoman of the Cultural Festival Committee. I found out through her that Yukinoshita was also part of the committee. It came as a surprise that Yukinoshita didn't become the chairwoman.
"I think being honest and accepting your shortcomings is the best course of action here," I provided. "Everyone makes mistakes, so no one will blame you for that. After all, no one wanted to volunteer, right? You can play it off as if you were forced by the situation."
"But…won't that make me uncool? I mean, I have already accepted the role, so…"
"You either have to fall hard or climb down slowly. It might not look cool, but it will save your face in the long run."
"But…I have you guys, right?" Sagami asked with a bright look, causing me to click my tongue.
"The Service Club is not—"
"We, or rather, I accept the request."
"Oh, thank you, Yukinoshita-san! Let's work hard together!"
Ignoring the elated Sagami, I looked at Yukinoshita with a frown. Yuigahama also seemed to find herself disagreeing with Yukinoshita's decision as she looked at her with a weird look.
"Don't worry, everyone. Since the club activity is suspended, the request earlier will be my responsibility," Yukinoshita said calmly.
"That won't do, Yukinon. We will still help!" Yuigahama exclaimed.
"There is no need, Yuigahama-san. I accepted the request without discussing it with any of you, so I will be fully responsible for it."
Yukinoshita somehow refused to look my way. A frown marred my face as I thought about how stubborn she was. A sigh escaped me not long after. Respecting her decision, I didn't question her motive. I stood up and told her I would see her in the meeting. Shinobu and Yuigahama also stood up, bidding her farewell as they wanted to return to the class to take care of the play. Shinobu offhandedly mentioned that she wanted to contribute to the play's script.
As I headed to the meeting room, I thought about Yukinoshita's behavior. She was trying to prove something. Maybe, it was her independence. It was confusing. She had proven herself enough, so I didn't know why she still felt the need to. She seemed to have misunderstood something, yet as her friend, I had to respect her decision.
When things got out of hand, I would immediately intervene.
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Honorary Mention:
Venerable Immortal Bowzer
Venerable Immortal Gwiber
Venerable Immortal Orion
Venerable Immortal P. Felipe
Venerable Immortal W. M. Jones
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