Utmost Attention 

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[-Continuation-]

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[Hachiman's POV]

And if I was so blinded and somehow missed amidst the bright lights and colourful decorations...

Komichi and Yuigahama's faces were a dead giveaway with their exaggerated reactions.

"Wow…." - "...It's so colourful…"

They commented or expressed their opinions in awe.

As the sun finally dipped past the Bay of Tokyo, the zenith of the sky was bathed in an indigo blue darkness. The moon climbed higher and higher, as if excitedly waiting for the fireworks to be shot up into the night sky.

The plaza, filled with rows of stalls lining the streets, served as the main venue and was teeming with people.

The air was thick with the mingling scents of delicious food and drinks, laughter, and chatter.

As I looked around, I saw the vinyl sheets spread out on every inch of available space.

Groups of people who had been here since the start were huddled together, exchanging sake cups and enjoying each other's company. In the distance, I could hear children crying and loud voices going back and forth nearby.

As such, there was no available space for us to occupy.

"Yikes, sure, it is crowded, huh?" Said Yuigahama, making a problematic laugh.

Yep for once, you got something right.

"Big brother, didn't I warn you in advance? I told you to bring a vinyl sheet for us too." Komichi scolded from behind, her voice barely audible over the chatter of groups already comfortably settled on their own sheets.

"I remember seeing an open space nearby, don't worry." I reassured her.

"Oh yeah? You seem pretty familiar with this festival. If anyone heard you speak, they would think you have been coming here for years instead of just your second time." Komichi mocked me with a smile.

"...…" I simply stared at her with no emotion in my eyes in response to her unwanted information.

[Attack Power - 0]

[Damage Inflicted - 0]

That is all I am capable of doing to her, or my stare was capable of in front of mighty Komichi.

I was beaten to the dust.

"Zip it and come along." But not my elder brother's pride. Never.

"Blaa~" She taunted, sticking her tongue out at me with a hint of defiance

Honestly, if I were alone, wait, is it even possible for me to come here on my own account?

Umm, let's just entertain the thought for a moment and think I was alone, I could have managed to find some random place to take a seat or a leg to watch the fireworks from afar.

But since that wasn't the case, I had prepared beforehand by pestering Ryota for something.

And that is what I have been searching for from his description - An open space on a hill.

I sometimes feel like Ryota is a cheat code in my life, gotta pay him back with the next project we are planning to do.

He said it was somewhere around here, right…?

While I was busy looking around, Yuigahama took the initiative to start a conversation.

Well, Komichi was mostly silent and followed along with Yuigahama.

Kudos to her for making Komichi play that part. Maybe they got used to this during our stay at Chiba station.

However, somehow I was being dragged into their conversation by Yuigahama. "Hikki, did you talk to Yukinon recently?"

Is she serious? My mood turned slightly grumpy.

"....." Not breaking my stride, I looked at her like I was seeing the most clueless girl in the world.

Annoyingly, all she did was to rub her chin with an awkward smile that said 'did I do something?'.

"Didn't I already say I? I don't even have her number." I muttered under my breath.

I don't know how it looked to her, but to me, it was like she was trying to rub salt on my wounds, especially with that naive look on her face.

"Uh, sorry. It just kinda slipped my mind." She brushed it off before adding. "After messaging you that day, Yukinon sent me a text after half an hour."

In a slow and deliberate manner, she finished with. "So, I thought you did something…"

Gosh, this easy going and seemingly airheaded girl is a real overthinker when it comes to Yukinoshita.

Right as I was about to answer her, my eyes fell upon the spot I had been looking for.

"There…" I said with a sense of relief, dissipating the tension that was starting to build. "It looks open over there, so let's go."

Without waiting for a response, I began heading towards the open space, with Yuigahama opting to drag Komichi along behind me.

After a few minutes of slow walking, we finally reached the spot.

"So, it looks like we managed to find a spot with little people." Yuigahama said.

"Isn't this a pay area…?" Komichi gave me a narrow eye, as if spotting an idiot.

Ignoring her, I looked around and nodded for myself satisfyingly.

There were taut yellow ropes that clearly partitioned the area off.

The entirety of this plaza was confined by trees, so if you sat at a normal spot, it might be a little difficult to see the fireworks. But this pay area was on a small hill, so the view was spectacular.

The security seemed flawless, as there were part-timers patrolling the area.

Yep, this is the spot I was searching for.

"Don't worry, I have got it covered, so let's go."

I took the lead, moving towards the security myself, and took out the passes from my pocket.

It kinda made it difficult while carrying these bags.

….

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[-Third Person View-]

"Don't worry, I have got it covered, so let's go."

Hachiman took the lead, moving towards the security and showing the passes he was taking out of his pocket.

Soon after verifying their entry, security let the trio in.

Walking in, it seems there are many people who seemed 'important' in their eyes, so to avoid any unnecessary trouble, they silently walked towards a more secluded area.

It was near a tree, under which there were five chairs.

"Big Brother, I can't believe you actually did something good! You are awesome sometimes!" Komichi exclaimed.

Hachiman couldn't help but bask in his sister's praise as she finally acknowledged his worth. "Yes, it's about time you realised my greatness. Now bow down and pay your respects. I may even forgive you for your previous transgressions."

"Wow, Big Brother, you are so shameless!" Komichi rolled her eyes in disgust towards Hachiman.

"Eh? Isn't that a quick transformation in mood, even for you?" Hachiman grumbled lightly.

"This is awesome, Hikki!" However, Komichi's mood quickly changed when Yui pointed out their location under the tree.

Not wanting to be the cause of the disturbance, Hachiman stayed back.

"Unforgivable…" Suddenly, he heard a familiar, cold word from behind me.

??This was also noticed by the duo, who were enjoying the sight and turned back confusingly.

Hachiman, on the other hand, half expecting who it was, turned back instantly.

"Your actions are a punishable crime for trespassing in an unauthorised area, you know…?"

The expected figure, Yukinoshita Yukino, stated as if she caught him red handed doing yet another one misdeed.

"...?!" Right at that moment, Yukino finally caught the duo behind Hachiman, who had walked forward from darkness.

She added even more harshly. "Wait, you're not alone? You dragged Yuigahama and little Komichi into this as well? Are you out of your mind?"

"Yukino, don't be like that~" Another voice came in.

"Don't worry, Hikigaya. If anything happens, Big Sis will come to your rescue and save you from any punishment." Haruna chimed from behind Yukino, reassuring confidence in her capabilities.

[BRAIN CANNOT COMPUTE]

Honestly speaking, Hachiman couldn't follow either of the sisters' scolding or reassuring comments aimed at him.

So forget about the response they are expecting from him, he couldn't even muster a reaction….

Or maybe he was reacting, but got stuck in one mode and couldn't move from there.

"Yukinon, you are here too!!" Yui jumped onto Yukino, full speed with hyper enthusiasm from behind me. "Oh my god, that dress suits you so well!"

.…and followed by Komichi. "Yukino! I didn't expect to see you today."

However, all Hachiman could notice was an orange head and another cute little package jumping onto Yukinoshita from behind him, disturbing his view.

Truthfully, Hachiman wasn't on the same wavelength as them.

He had a gut feeling there might be a chance of running into Yukinoshita here... even though he thought it was unlikely.

So, he came prepared.

But it turns out his preparation was not nearly enough, though he wasn't the least bothered by it…

Maybe he understood that no matter how much he prepares, this might just be beyond his capacity to deal with given his current [Mental Fortitude] stats.

"Hikki, what do you sa–!" Yuigahama started, turning towards Hachiman for his opinion on Yukinoshita's dress, but she stopped midway.

....Instead, her expression became complex while her eyes stared at him motionlessly.

Nonetheless, at that moment, nothing else mattered to Hachiman as he looked at the most important person in front of him.

Even now, when Yui asked for his opinion, it barely registered in his mind.

It hadn't been long since Hachiman saw Yukino in a yukata with a ghost-themed outfit during summer camp, but that memory paled in comparison to the present.

For him, that outfit during camp did not justify her beauty. Seeing her in this moment, he couldn't help but think she looked absolutely stunning.

In fact, now that he has finally gotten to witness Yukino in her best form, he couldn't help but feel that she amplified the yukata that she had put on.

Yukinoshita Yukino is by far the most beautiful woman he has ever witnessed or will ever witness in his life. Is what he thought.

"Hikigaya, you are not going to kiss my sister, now are you…? This isn't her bridal dress." Haruno chuckled, playfully shaking him a little out of his daze, though she was also taken aback by his reaction.

But Hachiman was still not completely out of it….

Left with no choice, Haruno jumped in between, shielding Yukino behind her as a form of protection, ultimately breaking his line of sight.

"UHum…?" With a startled expression, Hachiman finally looked at Haruno, the source of the voice.

"You can't do that here… it's inappropriate." Haruno continued her dialogue, acting as if checking if anyone was watching them.

At last, completely in full control, Hachiman looked at her. "...."

All the questions that were raised at him during these last fifty seconds, did make it to his ears but failed to bypass his brain.

So he has no idea what is going on.

But he was sure that the last fifty seconds of his life were transmitted in a blink of an eye.

"What are you looking so intently at? Is there something on my face?" He asked, not understanding why they were all looking at him like that.

'Wait. It is not just her, everyone… Everyone seems to be looking at me. Did I do something wrong?' Hachiman was occupied by his thoughts.

"...you don't know?" Haruna questioned dumbfoundedly, finally but slowly understating the depth to which he had fallen.

But before Hachiman could answer her, he looked at Yui, who had this sad and complicated expression on her face…

'Carp, I messed up, didn't I? ….now what?'

As he shifted my gaze at Komichi, she looked at him with pure shock on her face, which he also found cute.

Finally, he spotted Haruno with her usual grin to him, but there is also something different this time that he can't point out.

He couldn't see Yukino as she was behind Haruno for some reason.

…

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Every woman in this world seeks attention from the man she views as important and holds dear to her.

Even Yukinoshita Yukino… isn't an exception to this, which again is not a bad thing because that's just how it is.

And even though she hasn't sorted out her thoughts about Hachiman, at that moment, what he gave Yukinoshita, knowingly and unknowingly, was the most precious gift a man can ever give to a woman - his utmost attention.

Yukino couldn't spot an ounce of disrespect in his eyes, in fact, his eyes were so expressive of his emotions that they served as a means or a window for the people around him to understand exactly what he was feeling in that moment.

And the only words his eyes spoke are.

Magnificent.

It was as if he was seeing the most precious thing to him for the first and last time in his life.

Those who already understood this saw it even more deeply, those who didn't know began to understand, and those who had denied or overlooked it were faced with the undeniable truth.

Overall, he laid everything bare for everyone to see, like an open book.

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[To be continued….]

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