Chapter 17: The Extra Bento
After returning to the classroom alone, Hachiman Hikigaya caused no ripple—except for one person at the back of the room...
"Yui... Yui!" Seeing Yuigahama Yui zoning out in front of her, Yumiko Miura tapped the desk to bring her attention back.
"Ah, sorry..." Yui lowered her head, apologizing to Miura, but in her mind, she was wondering what kind of relationship that girl who called Hikigaya out just now had with him.
"What's wrong with you lately? You always seem absent-minded." Seeing Yui spacing out, Miura was somewhat annoyed.
After all, if she hadn't taken Yui under her wing at the start of the school year, with her ditzy, pushover personality, who knew how much she'd be bullied.
Yet here she was, spacing out while Miura was talking...
Still, Miura just grumbled quietly and shifted her focus to the person Yui was so concerned about.
Today, Hayama Hayato and his lackeys hadn't come, so Miura's queen-like aura showed without any restraint.
Looking at Hikigaya, who had just returned to class and was slumped over the desk in a depressed state, Miura asked Yui, "You really care about him?"
"N-no!" Yui clearly couldn't lie.
Though she said she didn't care, her face was full of anxiety.
After all, knowing Miura's style, if Yui admitted she cared, Miura might go bother Hikigaya.
"Ah, geez..." Seeing Yui's worried face, Miura ran her golden hair through her fingers in frustration.
Did this idiot not realize she was just concerned? Why put on such a guarded look?
If those two really got together with Hikigaya's lazy attitude, she'd be the one losing out—idiot!
"Well, calm down, everyone." Sensing the tension rising, Ebina Hina, who had been invisible until now, squeezed into their view and played peacekeeper.
Though she didn't really care if their little circle collapsed, Miura had helped her deal with some annoying girls before, so she felt she couldn't just ignore it.
"Why didn't you say anything before?!" Hearing Ebina speak, Miura gave her a sharp look.
These two really gave her no peace. She honestly couldn't imagine how these two would survive high school without her.
"Hehe..." Facing Miura's reproach, Ebina just chuckled.
Compared to a truly clueless dumpling, Ebina saw through Miura perfectly.
To put it simply, Miura was a typical "sharp tongue, soft heart"—she wouldn't hold this little thing against anyone.
"Enough. Class is about to start, you two go back."
As expected, seeing Ebina smiling foolishly and Yui standing there shyly without speaking, Miura sighed helplessly, placed a hand on her forehead, and waved them back to their seats.
As the class bell rang, Kawasaki Saki hurried back to the classroom.
Sitting back down, she couldn't help but glance at Hikigaya, but all she saw was his lazy profile and a pair of dead fish eyes radiating a rotten aura.
"Why does it have to be this guy..." She muttered to herself, then focused on the blackboard.
She had spent all the money she earned from her part-time job this semester on hiring exorcists, so if she wanted to pass her exams, she had no choice but to study harder in class.
Rustle rustle... At the podium, the literature teacher was explaining Japan's history—Hikigaya's favorite subject.
But for the first time, Hikigaya wasn't paying attention to the class.
"What's with these three girls?!" Supporting his face with his hand and trying to hide it behind his arm, Hikigaya felt the three gazes piercing him from around the classroom, making him squirm awkwardly.
'That guy? He seems nothing special.' In the middle of the classroom, Ebina watched the boy Yui was paying close attention to with her peripheral vision.
Aside from those dead fish eyes, Hikigaya's looks were surprisingly decent, maybe an 8 out of 10.
But paired with those dead eyes, the score definitely drops into the negative.
Why was Yui so fixated on that guy? Ebina was very curious.
Compared to Ebina's highly skilled spying, Yui's attention was more typical—she'd occasionally look up at the board, then glance back at Hikigaya, still puzzling over what kind of relationship Kawasaki Saki had with him.
Compared to Ebina and Yui's sneaky observations, Miura's actions were blatant—her eyes were glued to Hikigaya.
If looks could kill, Hikigaya would have died hundreds of times by now.
Clearly, when it came to Yui, Miura was not the magnanimous queen she normally portrayed.
On the contrary, she was full of anger and suspicion inside.
But her anger wasn't aimed at Yui—it was Hikigaya who bore the brunt of it.
Poor Hikigaya had no idea what he had done to offend the class queen.
For the first time, Hikigaya endured a torturous literature class.
When the lunch bell rang, he got up without hesitation and headed out.
He never ate cold bentos, so every noon he bought bread and drinks from the school store and ate them somewhere casually.
Just as he was about to leave the classroom, Yotsuya Miko appeared at the door.
"Good afternoon!" Ignoring the surprised looks from surrounding students, Yotsuya greeted Hikigaya holding two bentos.
"Ah, good afternoon..." At her greeting, Hikigaya glanced behind him.
When he realized she was talking to him, he hurriedly nodded in return.
"Well, I made an extra bento this morning. Could you help me finish it?" She said, offering one of the bentos in her hand.
Hikigaya heard this classic excuse and saw the anxiety hidden on Yotsuya's face, but he didn't intend to embarrass her.
He gently nodded and took the bento from her.