[46] Familiar Faces Arriving One After Another

"Yumiko?!" Yui was somewhat surprised.

"It is indeed Yui."

Approaching the two, Miura Yumiko had a smile on her face.

"Good afternoon, Yumiko," Yui greeted her friend, looking very pleased to see her.

"Good afternoon, Yui. And who is this?" Miura Yumiko looked a bit curious as she glanced at Hachiman next to Yui.

"Um, this is my... my good friend, Hikigaya Hachiman." Yui seemed a bit conflicted about how to introduce Hachiman.

"Hikki, this is also my good friend, Miura Yumiko."

"Hello, I'm Hikigaya Hachiman. Nice to meet you," Hachiman introduced himself with a smile at this point.

"Hello, I'm Miura Yumiko!" Her face carried a hint of pride, and at this moment,Yumiko displayed some empress-like posture.

Hmm, he's quite handsome, has a good physique, and decent fashion sense, but there's something peculiar about his eyes. Overall, I'd give him a seven out of ten.

As Miura Yumiko observed Hachiman not far away, she mentally scored him.

While Yumiko was observing Hachiman, he was also observing her.

Sure enough, she deserved to be the Flame Empress, destined to become as famous as Yukino in the future.

Her exquisite face was, without a doubt, even more striking than Yui's.

She wore a purple short-sleeved jacket with a light pink lining on top, and a pair of hot pants below, showcasing her two fair and smooth legs.

While her bosom wasn't as large as Yui's, it was still quite ample, perhaps many times larger than Yukino's modest assets.

Her golden spiral curls, combined with emerald-green eyes and a tall figure, exuded a queenly aura.

However, it's worth noting that the Flame Empress, in the original story, didn't have the best experiences in matters of the heart.

Despite being at the pinnacle of the popular crowd, arguably the apex among all the girls in the school, she didn't fare well in the realm of romance.

If we look at the main female characters that appeared in the entire story:

- Komachi had an adoring brother.

- Iroha had Hayama's attention.

- Ebina was liked by Tobe.

- Zaimokuza had a crush on Totsuka.

- Sagami was adored by everyone.

- Saki had a younger sister and brother who adored her.

- Yukino had the caring sister and teacher.

- Yui was doted on by both Yukino and her mom.

Regarding Miura Yumiko, Hayama Hayato's unrequited love still remained dedicated to Yukinoshita Haruno.

It was an entirely unfulfilled romance, and due to her frequent proximity to Hayama, it never reached a resolution.

No one had the courage to confess their feelings to her.

To prevent her from ending up alone, I'll reluctantly sacrifice myself.

Ah, I truly am a kind-hearted person.

Hachiman thought, somewhat shamelessly.

"Oh, this is Hikigaya Hachiman that you, Yui, can't seem to forget," Miura Yumiko said with a mischievous smile upon hearing Hachiman's name, revealing Yui's secret crush.

"Ah, who... who can't seem to forget!" Yui immediately retorted.

"Alright, my mistake, but Yui, are you two on a date?" Miura Yumiko's face showed an intrigued expression.

"I-it's not a date!" Yui's face turned red as she protested, but with that blush on her face, it seemed like she was trying to conceal something.

"So, what are you two doing then?"

"Um... well... uh..." Yui stammered, struggling to find the right words.

"It's like this, Miura-san. Today, I asked Yui to accompany me," Hachiman chimed in.

"I see, so it's like that,"Yumiko nodded on the surface, secretly admiring Hachiman for his willingness to take responsibility.

"But..." Just as Yui was about to say something, Hachiman interrupted her.

"We were just playing the claw machine earlier, and since the opportunity is rare, I'll get you one as well, Miura-san. Which one would you like?"

"Alright, I'll take that tiger," Yumiko pointed at a tiger plush toy inside the machine, smiling.

"No problem, I'll get it for you." Hachiman displayed a confident smile as he effortlessly secured the tiger plush with his expert maneuvering.

"Thank you, Hikigaya-kun. I didn't expect you to be quite skilled at this," Yumiko thanked him with a smile as she received the plush toy.

"Oh, it's nothing. Since Miura-san is Yui's friend, it's a small gesture."

"Well, I'll take my leave now. I won't disturb you two any longer." With the plush toy in hand, Miura Yumiko was content and bid farewell to the two of them.

"Goodbye, Yui, Hikigaya-kun."

"Goodbye, Yumiko." Yui also smiled and said goodbye to her close friend.

"Farewell, Miura-san."

As much as the Empress was impressive, right now, Yui was more important.

With Miura Yumiko's departure, only Hachiman and Yui remained.

"We have one more chance. Yui, which plush toy would you like? I'll help you."

"I don't want one," Yui waved her hand. "Hikki, you can get one for Komachi."

"For Komachi, sounds good." Hachiman nodded.

After spending the day out, it was only fair to bring back a gift for his sister.

After some careful maneuvering, Hachiman once again managed to secure a dolphin plush toy as a gift for Komachi.

"Yui, it's getting late. Shall we go have dinner?"

"Sure, Hikki. What should we eat?" Yui asked.

Although they had eaten some takoyaki earlier, these kinds of snacks tend to make you hungry again quickly.

"Let me check." Hachiman pulled out his phone and found a well-rated restaurant. "Let's go to this restaurant, Yui."

"Sure, it looks like a good place from the reviews." Yui nodded as she looked at the restaurant's ratings.

The restaurant wasn't far, and before long, they arrived at its entrance.

Upon entering, Hachiman noticed it was a traditional Japanese restaurant with tasteful decor.

They sat at an empty table, and Hachiman handed the menu to Yui.

"Yui, what would you like to eat?"

"Um... let me see."

"Well, there's this... and this..." Hachiman began listing some options from the menu.

At that moment, a man's words not far from their table caught Hachiman's attention.

"Miss Hiratsuka, I feel that we are quite compatible."

Hiratsuka? Could it be that guy who's interested in Shizuka-sensei?

Hearing the surname, Hachiman raised an eyebrow and quickly turned to look.

Nearby, he spotted a middle-aged man in a sharp suit, smiling at a beautiful woman in a black evening gown across from him.

And that beautiful woman was none other than Hachiman's homeroom teacher, Shizuka Hiratsuka.

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A/N:

I saw a comment where someone was asking if I had posted this book on Chinese Qidian, and I'm curious because I never did. It was only today that it got posted on Qidian.

I can't believe someone actually posted this book on Chinese Qidian, and I can't report it because of some issue with the report content link being incorrect.