"Heh~" Hoshimi suddenly chuckled, glancing at Yukinoshita. "So, you agreed?"
"Yes..." It was already a done deal, and Yukinoshita didn't want to get angry over it.
Although, hearing Hoshimi's laugh did stir a bit of anger in her...
Hoshimi's talent for annoying her was top-notch, even if he lacked in other areas...
"Yukinoshita, being too competitive can lead to big losses."
"I know, you don't need to tell me."
"Alright, as long as you understand. Go on."
Yukinoshita glanced at Hoshimi's side profile and continued, "After Hikigaya-kun joined the club, rare commissions started coming in one after another."
"But, heh~" Yukinoshita let out a light laugh, which carried a mix of disdain, indifference, mockery, and an unidentifiable emotion.
"The first commission was from Yuigahama-san in Class 2-F, guided by Hiratsuka-sensei."
"The second commission was from Zaimokuza Yoshiteru, a friend of Hikigaya-kun."
"The third commission was from Totsuka Saika in Class 2-F, who had a somewhat ambiguous relationship with Hikigaya-kun—like friends, but not just ordinary friends."
"If you analyze carefully, you can see the reason behind these commissions. They weren't because of the Service Club or Yukinoshita Yukino."
"It was because of Hiratsuka-sensei and Hikigaya-kun."
"I appreciate Hiratsuka-sensei's good intentions, but that doesn't give her the right to interfere in my life."
"Moreover..." Yukinoshita gave Hoshimi a meaningful look. "During that time, I entered your dreams every night, and my mood was always terrible."
Hoshimi smiled slightly to show his innocence.
Yukinoshita looked away and continued, "Although I consider myself not to be someone who takes out their anger on others, my words inevitably became colder than usual when I was in a bad mood."
"I see, so did you end up scaring away all the clients with your sarcasm?" Hoshimi raised an eyebrow and said with a laugh.
"... Not really..." Yukinoshita's confidence wavered slightly.
She turned her head, looking at the rain, and said, "I admit my words might have been a bit harsh, and they seemed unable to handle it, almost withdrawing their commissions."
"At such times, Yuigahama-san stepped up, using her unique naivety to return the atmosphere to normal and bring back the commissions."
"Since then, I observed Yuigahama-san for a while."
"I found that although she sometimes seemed not very smart, she was likely pretending to be naive, deliberately glossing over dangerous or important topics."
"Yuigahama-san's ability is impressive. Seeing her act foolishly, it's hard to pursue the matter further."
"Perhaps this is what they call 'great wisdom appearing foolish'? No wonder she's known as 'The Beauty of All Directions' among the students; she truly excels in social interactions compared to me."
"But..." Yukinoshita frowned, unsure if she should continue.
Hoshimi, knowing what troubled Yukinoshita, pinched her leg and continued with a smile,
"But Yuigahama-san suddenly became depressed, and her behavior in front of you was strange. You don't know what she's thinking, which frustrates you and makes you desperate to find out what's going on?"
"..." Yukinoshita was silent for a while, then said softly, "Hoshimi, you really knew."
"Yukinoshita, your thoughts are easy to guess."
"..." Yukinoshita stared at Hoshimi's side profile.
"Is it strange?" Hoshimi asked.
"Not really. I already thought you'd guess my thoughts."
Staring at Hoshimi, Yukinoshita said, "Since you know everything, why did you deliberately say things that made Yuigahama-san more depressed? You should know that I asked you to speak to cheer her up."
"Yuigahama-san is your friend, not mine. Besides..." Hoshimi turned to meet Yukinoshita's gaze. "You didn't give me any reward, so why should I help you? Don't forget, we're in a 'hostile' state."
Looking into Hoshimi's crimson eyes, Yukinoshita said expressionlessly, "I already gave you a reward."
"Oh?" Hoshimi raised an eyebrow.
"You pinched my leg, and I didn't mind. You carried me and moved your hands to several places, and I didn't mind either." Though her face remained expressionless, Yukinoshita felt a difficult-to-describe emotional upheaval inside.
Pointing out these things herself, Yukinoshita's heartbeat unintentionally quickened, and her earlobes turned a faint red.
"Yukinoshita, I don't consider that a reward." Hoshimi smiled. "I pinched your leg to remind you to do something, like just now at the school gate to remind you to open the umbrella."
"Also, I moved my hands because you're a bit heavy, and my arms were sore. Moving them slightly helped me keep going."
"..." Yukinoshita's eyes turned cold. "You know exactly what you're thinking."
With that, she turned her head to look at the rain, not wanting to continue talking to Hoshimi.
As expected, a jerk remains a jerk. Even when he's quiet, he's still a jerk. That doesn't change.
Yukinoshita didn't speak, and Hoshimi had no intention of continuing the conversation.
Carrying Yukinoshita, he continued walking slowly.
As for what he was thinking? Who knows?
...
The rain gradually intensified, forming a misty curtain that obscured their vision and lowered visibility.
Before the real downpour, Hoshimi and Yukinoshita returned to the apartment.
At the entrance, Yukinoshita silently took out her access card and swiped it.
"Beep--"
The door opened, and Yukinoshita pushed it, allowing Hoshimi to enter.
Hoshimi walked into the apartment building, heading for the elevator.
"Hoshimi, that elevator at the back, the one that's not open to the public, goes directly to your home, right?"
Yukinoshita was referring to the farthest elevator from the entrance.
This apartment building had four elevators.
There was one on each side of the entrance, a freight elevator next to the one on the right, and the farthest elevator that was not open to the public.
Usually, she and Hoshimi took the one on the left, so they often ran into each other.
She had considered taking the right elevator to avoid Hoshimi but thought, why should she? Why should she take a detour to use the right elevator?
What was there to be afraid of with this jerk? What difference did it make if they ran into each other?
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