Zaimokuza wasn't feeling too great right now. Sitting across from him were two people who, with the harmony of a long-married couple, were delivering blow after blow to his light novel.
From the beginning until now, they had given dozens of comments none of which were compliments.
In the joint opinion of Hikigaya and Yukino, Zaimokuza simply wasn't cut out to be a light novel author. His manuscript was filled with convoluted, obscure world-building, and his grammar and sentence structure were worse than that of a middle school student from mainland China.
In short, he had been utterly dismantled by the two before him, left with nothing to defend himself.
Meanwhile, someone else had dozed off with Zaimokuza's manuscript in hand, completely unbothered.
"If even regular high schoolers like us find this unreadable," Yukino said bluntly, "imagine what professional editors would think. They'd probably shred this before finishing the first few pages."
Yukino reserved her gentleness solely for Hikigaya and the sleeping Yui sprawled next to her.
"Zaimokuza-san," she continued, her tone cold but honest, "I think you should go back and really work on your language fundamentals. Try writing again when you're better prepared it might turn out much better then."
Her words struck him like a finishing blow. Whatever confidence he had left was now thoroughly crushed.
So even the 'Sword master General' can't withstand Yukino's frostbite, huh? Hikigaya thought as he glanced at the defeated Zaimokuza.
"My friend Hikigaya… do you really think the same?" Zaimokuza looked up with a hopeful glimmer in his eyes.
"I do," Hikigaya answered without hesitation. "Sure, light novels don't have to be as serious as classical literature, but it's not like you can just scribble whatever you want and expect success."
"And can you stop looking at me like that? Seriously, it's giving me the creeps." Hikigaya casually slid his chair back.
"I put so much heart and time into this manuscript… and you're calling it worthless? Aren't we supposed to be friends?" Zaimokuza groaned in anguish.
"Enough," Yukino cut in. "You'd be better off practicing more instead of complaining here. Talking won't help you improve."
Zaimokuza, silenced by Yukino's piercing gaze, said nothing. He picked up the heavily annotated manuscript she had returned to him and walked out of the Service Club room without a word.
The manuscript still clutched in the sleeping Yui's hand hadn't even been opened.
"…And I gave up my nap time for this?" Hikigaya muttered.
Once the outsider had left, Yukino's tone suddenly softened into something almost like a pout.
"Hikigaya-kun… I'm so sleepy now."
"You could just follow Yuigahama's example. No one's stopping you," Hikigaya said, nodding toward the sleeping girl.
"I envy her sometimes," Yukino whispered as she rested her head on her arm. "It's like she never has to worry about anything…"
She dozed off without finishing the thought.
In the hazy twilight between sleep and wakefulness, she felt someone gently shaking her.
When she opened her eyes, Hikigaya was standing in front of her.
"Come on. Time to go home."
"…Mmm… Hahh…" Yukino yawned, rubbing her eyes groggily, then stretched with a graceful arch of her back.
"Did Yuigahama leave already?" she asked lazily, looking around.
"Yeah. She left about half an hour ago. You looked so peaceful, I didn't want to wake you."
As he spoke, Hikigaya reached out and wiped something from her face.
"…Wha-what are you doing all of a sudden?" Yukino blushed and gave him a light smack.
"You were drooling in your sleep," Hikigaya replied with a smirk.
"Tch… Who asked you?" she grumbled. "I could've wiped it myself."
"Anyway, we should get going. It's getting late."
At his prompting, Yukino gathered her things and smoothed out the wrinkles in her skirt from sitting too long.
"Let's hurry, then. I slept so much that my skirt's kind of damp now…" Yukino frowned, clearly displeased.
They walked side by side until they reached the school gate. When Hikigaya suddenly changed direction, Yukino paused.
"…Where are you going?"
"Home. I'm not about to head to your place to nap, if that's what you're thinking."
"…Oh." Yukino blinked, then cleared her throat awkwardly.
Just as Hikigaya turned away, Yukino called out to him.
"Hikigaya-kun."
He turned back, puzzled. She clutched her hands to her chest, clearly nervous.
"Tomorrow's the weekend… Would you like to go out with me?"
Hikigaya noticed her avoiding his gaze and chuckled softly.
"Just call me tomorrow."
"…Then, I'll see you tomorrow, Hikigaya-kun."
Yukino gave him a gentle wave with her fair, slender fingers.
"Yeah. See you tomorrow."
Back home, Hikigaya opened the fridge and pulled out a can of MAX Coffee. He popped the tab, and as the icy sweetness flowed down his throat, he let out a satisfied breath.
Suddenly, someone covered his eyes from behind, and the familiar scent near his nose gave her away immediately.
"Komachi… Quit messing around."
"Ehehe, couldn't fool you, huh? You're getting pretty sharp, Onii-chan," Komachi said with a mischievous grin.
"When I got that call from Yukino-nee yesterday, I seriously thought you'd been kidnapped or something!"
"…You'd need someone willing to kidnap me first. Honestly, I'm confident no criminal would find me worth the trouble."
Hikigaya peeled her hands from his face and, with practiced ease, lifted Komachi over his shoulder and gently dropped her onto the sofa.
"Ehehe, come on, Onii-chan, fess up already! What happened last night? Don't tell me… am I finally getting a sister-in-law when you graduate high school?" she teased, her bare feet poking his leg as her eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"You're reading way too much into this. We're just classmates," Hikigaya replied coolly, sipping his coffee.
"Really? But Yukino-nee sounded super close to you on the phone~ She said, 'Hikigaya-kun suddenly felt unwell, so he's staying over at my place where I can look after him.' It was suspiciously sweet…"
"If you don't want to believe me, that's your problem. But nothing happened."
"Hmm~ Well, I don't mind if you keep secrets. Yukino-nee sounds really pretty and she has such a gentle voice, too! Is that your type, Onii-chan?" Komachi grinned, showing a tiny fang as she narrowed her eyes in amusement.
"Nope. You're still reading too much into it."
He maintained his deadpan expression.
Just then, his phone rang.
Hikigaya reached for it on the table but Komachi snatched it up first.
She flashed the screen at him, showing the caller ID: Yukino.
Grinning, she picked up the call herself.
"Moshi moshi~ This is Komachi speaking!"
"Ah, hello Yukino-nee! Onii-chan's in the shower right now. If you have anything to tell him, I'll pass it along~"
"…Ohhh, tomorrow? Shopping? Got it, I know the place! I'll let him know once he's out!"
"Oh, by the way, can I come too? I just happen to need a few things myself… Really? I can? Yay, thank you, Yukino-nee!"
Komachi hung up, tossed the phone onto Hikigaya's lap, and skipped off toward her room, leaving behind only her bubbly laughter and her brother's thundercloud-dark expression.