67 Serendipitously, His Past Hovers Over Him (2)

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[Yukinoshita Yukino's POV]

"Hey, Yukino, do you mind going on a date?"

When he said those words to me, I was petrified. I dropped my bag to the ground and stared at him stupidly. My cheeks felt warm. They must look red. He quirked his eyebrow but didn't say anything. It was embarrassing. I was thankful that he didn't tease me like he usually did.

My mind wondered if he had finally decided to use his charm to play with a maiden's heart, but I was wrong. The date he meant was a usual hangout that friends did. I was relieved, but quite a significant part of my mind was disappointed. I scolded myself as I recomposed myself. He already had a girlfriend, I reminded myself.

He picked up my bag and we went to his car. He had always been understanding, but he had never shown such a gentlemanly initiative. Shinobu-san had truly changed him for the better. For some reason, my stomach twisted at the thought.

On our way to the café he mentioned, my mind wandered to the talk we had with Shinobu-san before the field trip to Kyoto. He had looked so serious while saying that. The idea of sharing didn't seem to bother him. I couldn't understand. The idea of sharing your partner with someone else seemed very demeaning to me. However, with each passing day, I found myself tolerating it.

I glanced at him and observed his driving visage. He looked as stoic as ever, but there was a glint of joy in his eyes. He was enjoying the drive, like he always did. It was therapeutic seeing him happy about something. My mind wandered again to the sharing proposition. It was honestly a repulsive and stupid idea. However, I couldn't bear it.

When you walk into the garden and you encounter a flower that you like, you will pluck it and carry it home. When you walk into the garden and you encounter a flower that you love, you will water it and see it grow. To love someone is to be happy for them even if you are not the reason for their happiness. To love is to have a big heart.

I am but a human. As much as I am against being selfish, I am not so willing to sacrifice my happiness. Did I like him? I didn't hate him as a person. Did I love him? I couldn't tell. I was not quite sure. However, when I heard him confirm he was dating Shinobu-san, my heart sank to the bottom of my stomach. I had felt empty until we had that talk with Shinobu-san.

Am I truly that desperate? Why is intruding on someone's relationship feels so attractive to me?

I turned to him and wondered how he would react to Shinobu-san's proposition. My brain told me he would most likely be happy with it, but I believed he wouldn't do that. Otherwise, he would have been messing around with the girls who had confessed to him. His popularity was not something to be scoffed at. He was attractive, even to me.

"Don't stare at me too much, Yukino. You'll make me think that you have fallen for me," he said playfully.

My cheeks felt warm, but I retorted with a scoff, "You shouldn't overestimate yourself, Hachimannerless-kun. But what if I fall for you?"

"Well… that is a tough question," he answered contemplatively, much to my surprise. "I may distance myself from you and let your feelings dissipate before coming back into your life. You are a kindred spirit, so I am afraid I will fall for you too." He smiled fondly. "I don't want to hurt Shinobu."

His answer made my cheeks feel warm. I turned my gaze away and huffed noncommittally. I strangely felt happy. Now, I knew he didn't view me romantically, but a romantic relationship was very likely between us. My mind wandered back to the offer. It kept getting enticing.

I shook my head and pushed the inappropriate thought to the back of my mind. We had already arrived at our destination. It was a café called Master Donut. We went out of the car after his car was properly parked. We left our bags in the car as we didn't need them.

Immediately, everyone's eyes turned to us. They must be wondering which rich family we belonged to. After all, we got out of an expensive car that even the rich folks in Japan were reluctant to buy. Uncaring to the gaze, he led the way and took me inside. The jingle of the café greeted us, followed by the staff's warm greeting.

He looked around before dragging me to the empty seats at the counter. I knew he didn't mean anything by holding my hand, but my stomach twisted pleasantly. When we sat, he immediately ordered the donuts that he wanted to try. He asked me to pick whatever I liked, but I was not a big fan of high-calorie food.

"I will have some of what you order. I am trying to save some space for dinner," I said.

"Ah, right. I forgot that you are not a glutton like me," he chuckled. "If you don't mind sharing with me, then we will do as you say."

"I don't mind," I said timidly.

"Cool."

I watched as he ordered two chocolate drinks. My stomach felt weird as I imagined the amount of sugar he was going to consume. However, given his favorite drink, I shouldn't be too surprised. He had a sweet tooth, just like a child. It was cute. My cheeks felt warm as I ordered a cup of Genmaicha to wash the sweetness off my palate later.

"Ara? Hachiman, Yukino-chan?"

My mood quickly turned sour as I heard a familiar voice. I could recognize that familiar voice even if I heard it underwater. It was hard to forget the voice of the person I admired and loathed at the same time. I turned around and faced her, my sister.

"Hello, Nee-san."

"Eh, what is it? A date behind Shinobu-chan's back? Hachiman, how daring!"

A bitter smile crossed my face at her dramatic expression. I turned to him with an apologetic look only to find him smirking faintly.

"Wanna be the Number 3?" he said, shocking me to my core.

"Eh?" Nee-san looked flustered. "You are a ladies man, aren't you?"

"They keep throwing themselves at me. I am just catching them," he shrugged nonchalantly.

"Ooh… catch me, then," she cooed.

"Go take a seat."

Nee-san sat on his right. I looked at him with a disapproving look and he just shrugged. He told me it was pointless correcting yourself in front of Nee-san, so might as well play along and beat her in her game. He explained that right before Nee-san. He didn't care that she could hear him. From the way Nee-san had reacted, he had, indeed, won.

"So, what are you guys doing here?" Nee-san began after ordering. "By the way, you will pay for my order, right, Hachiman?"

"One kiss for one item," he offered.

"Deal!"

"Pleasure doing business with you."

"Likewise."

Nee-san was grinning and he was smirking. A frown marred my face as I glared at him. I didn't like the way they seemed to rile me up. He chuckled and rubbed my head. He assured me that they were just joking around. I wanted to scold him for their unfunny jokes but nodded my head in the end. It was hard to maintain my anger under his domineering but warm gaze.

Nee-san pestered us about our reason for being at the café. He told her that we were just hanging out. Nee-san immediately let it go and then asked us how our school life was. He grumbled about being nominated as the student council president. Nee-san laughed while patting his shoulder softly. She treated him differently from other male populace, I noted.

"Are you not going to run for the presidency, Yukino-chan?" Nee-san asked curiously.

"No," I answered curtly.

"Why? Even Hachiman runs for it. What is stopping you? It's not hard, in case you worry about that. I became a president just for fun and it went just fine, after all," she said cheerfully.

I scowled lightly but didn't say anything. The donut became tasteless in my mouth.

"Haruno," he called solemnly. "Let's not press Yukino. She must have her reason. I would have abstained too if I could."

"Ah, sorry. I was just curious," Nee-san apologized. Turning to me, she awkwardly said, "Sorry, Yukino-chan."

I blinked. I was flabbergasted. Nee-san had never sounded so sincere since… ever. He smiled lightly and then rubbed her head. She was flustered but didn't make any attempt to remove his hand from her head. It unsettled me slightly. Nee-san had never been this docile.

"Hachiman; is that you!?" a voice called out.

I heard that voice somewhere, but I couldn't pinpoint to whom it belonged. Turning to the source of the voice, I found three Kaihin Sogo students looking at us. I was familiar with one of them. She was the girl whom he had invited to our school's culture festival. She should be Yamauchi Sakura-san.

"Ah, Sakura. What a coincidence meeting you here."

"Oh my God. It has been some time!" Yamauchi-san looked excited as she rushed to us. "Hi, Yukino-san!" she greeted.

"Hello, Yamauchi-san."

"You remember me. I am glad."

I smiled at Yamauchi-san. She reminded me of the tame version of Yui-san.

Yamauchi-san turned around as if she just remembered something. "Ah! By the way, these are—"

"Hikigaya… right?" one of the girls behind Yamauchi-san said uncertainly.

I turned to him to look for his reaction.

"Well, hello, Orimoto."

He was familiar with the girl.

"My God, you are really Hikigaya!"

Who was she?

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Honorary Mention:

Venerable Immortal Bowzr

Venerable Immortal Cris Venegas

Venerable Immortal JayJonnaJamison

Venerable Immortal Kkmoney

Venerable Immortal Solaz

Venerable Immortal Tomas Lopez-Familiari