Chapter 74: Life as it Is

"It's okay, Yuigahama, I just accidentally knocked over my cup," Yukinoshita Yukino quickly snapped out of it, smiling to reassure the slightly flustered Yuigahama Yui.

The girl's cheeks turned slightly red, but fortunately, the lights in the café weren't too bright, creating a certain atmosphere, so no one noticed.

Darn that annoying parasite!

Making me act out of character in front of others!

Yukinoshita Yukino quickly realized that when Hayashizaki said "like," he probably meant "admire," but her confusion over his words made her very aware of the feelings she was trying to ignore...

What am I even saying? Right now, the important thing is to focus on Kawasaki Saki's request.

She pushed aside the confusing thoughts in her head and started thinking about what Hayashizaki had said.

There's no doubt that Kawasaki Saki's decision to sacrifice her sleep for work was something Yukinoshita Yukino considered wrong. But what would be the right thing to do?

Having always acted according to her own values, it was the first time Yukinoshita Yukino was told that imposing her views on others was arrogant. She instinctively felt a bit defiant.

Just because what I said is wrong, does that mean what you said is right?

If you think about it in the long term, it's true that you can't know how the choices made today will affect the future, since no one can predict the future.

But if you limit the scope to a shorter time frame, the future in the near term can be predicted.

Just like Kawasaki Saki, who spends her nights working and catches up on sleep during the day at school, this choice will definitely affect her studies and health.

This was undeniable, leaving even Hayashizaki without a word to argue.

"You seem to have misunderstood my point," Hayashizaki said calmly, noticing Yukinoshita Yukino's conflicted expression.

"I'm not saying your judgment is wrong; I just hope you won't get too caught up in whether it's 'right.' When it comes down to it, you and Kawasaki Saki live in different environments. Just by family background alone, you've already had a head start compared to most. That's why you can afford to stick firmly to the right principles in life—your parents taught you that."

"But others aren't the same. Kawasaki Saki is no different. From what Kawasaki Taishi has said, you know their family isn't well-off. Do you think Kawasaki really doesn't want to focus on her studies, as you suggested?"

"Kawasaki Taishi goes to a cram school, right? Do you know how much it costs to attend those? If Kawasaki Saki wants to keep studying, she'll probably have to go to one too. For a family that isn't wealthy, the cost of sending both siblings to cram school is no small expense."

"This..." Yukinoshita Yukino was at a loss for words.

"Let me ask you this, have you ever worked a job? I doubt it. Do you know what hourly wages Japanese high schoolers can get, aside from...questionable work? Probably not much, right? But look at this place. A job here must pay a lot more than an average part-time gig."

"If it were me, I'd push myself a little harder, sacrifice some sleep if it meant holding on to such a hard-to-get job." Hayashizaki sighed, 

"Sometimes, it's not that people don't want to do the 'right' thing, but harsh realities keep them from it."

The world isn't just black and white; more often, it's a murky shade of gray.

Yukinoshita Yukino fell silent.

After a moment, she exhaled slowly. While she'd been lost in thought, Kawasaki Saki had already finished cleaning the bar counter, which had been soaked by the glass of lemonade Yukinoshita had spilled.

"That should be enough, right? If you're done, please leave. But of course, feel free to order another drink if you'd like."

"Maybe you're right," 

Yukinoshita Yukino lifted her head, 

"I'll let go of your brother's request."

"What!?" 

Yuigahama Yui gasped in shock. Since joining the Service Club, this was the first time she'd seen Yukinon give up a commission.

"But in exchange, tell me, why are you pushing yourself so hard, even giving up sleep just to make money?"

Yukinoshita Yukino asked seriously, 

"Is it for the cost of cram school for you and your brother?"

"…How did you know?"

Kawasaki Saki blinked in surprise. She hadn't mentioned her plans to attend cram school to anyone in her family. After a moment, her expression returned to its usual calm. 

"Yes, so what?"

Hikigaya Hachiman, who had been silent for a while, suddenly lit up, saying with a quiet confidence, 

"If that's the case, I have an idea."

"Kawasaki, have you heard of a 'scholarship'? Some cram schools these days waive fees for students who do well academically. You'd even get a scholarship. As long as you meet the requirements, you wouldn't have to worry about tuition, and you'd have a bit of extra income too. This way, you won't have to sacrifice your studies or make your family worry."

...

...

And so, Kawasaki Taishi's request was resolved just before being abandoned. With a better solution available, there was no need for Kawasaki Saki to keep working the exhausting night shifts, especially when she couldn't catch up on sleep during the day.

Besides, this way, that kid Kawasaki Taishi would no longer have a reason to keep clinging to Komachi! This was, in fact, Hikigaya Hachiman's true goal in this whole request.

"Onii-chan, I finished my bath. It's your turn."

After taking a bath, Hikigaya Komachi came into the living room, towel-drying her hair while urging her older brother to go take a bath.

In the living room, Hikigaya Hachiman, shirtless, was doing push-ups. He always kept Mr. Hayashizaki's teachings in mind, sticking to his daily training. By now, he was much stronger than before, with muscles starting to show, making even thin clothes fit better.

"Who would've thought that my lazy brother could keep this up for so long."

Watching him still doing push-ups, Komachi decided not to push him to stop but instead sat down on his back, adding a bit of difficulty.

"Hey… I'm all sweaty, you know you just took a bath, right?" Hikigaya Hachiman said, speechless.

"No worries, I put a towel down," Komachi replied casually.

"Are you working out so hard because you're thinking about going after Yui? Yep, meeting a girl as nice as her sure made breaking your leg worth it, huh!"

But Komachi's words suddenly made Hachiman go limp, dropping to the floor with his eyes wide open. What had Komachi just said?

Yuigahama… is the owner of that dog I saved at the entrance ceremony?

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