[488] Another Dinner

Chapter 488: Another Dinner

"Hey, Isshiki-san, how about becoming the student council president?"

As Hachiman spoke, Yui and Yukino, standing nearby, exchanged a helpless look.

One particular airheaded girl leaned close to a certain Yukino and whispered softly in her ear.

"Yukinon, I think you were right earlier. Hikki really does look like one of those scheming villains pulling strings from behind the scenes."

Yukino gave a small nod in agreement. "Yes, it's almost uncanny."

Hey, I can hear you two.

Hearing their whispers, Hachiman's lips twitched slightly, but he chose to ignore them and continued to focus on Iroha Isshiki, whose eyes were growing brighter by the second.

"So, what do you think, Isshiki-san? How does my suggestion sound?"

As his words hung in the air, Iroha suddenly slammed her hands on the table, her eyes sparkling with excitement, nodding enthusiastically.

"I've decided—I want to become the student council president!"

Seeing Iroha accept, a smile tugged at the corner of Hachiman's mouth.

However, just then, an awkward voice reached his ears.

"Uh, Hikigaya-kun, being the student council president isn't a position for personal gain."

Turning towards the voice, Hachiman saw the still-serving student council president, Meguri Shiromeguri, looking at him with a hint of embarrassment.

"Shiromeguri-senpai, you've misunderstood my intentions," Hachiman replied with a slight smile.

"After all, Isshiki is just a first-year student. It's only natural that she'll need help in areas she's unfamiliar with, right?"

"Take you, for example, Senpai. Didn't you also come to us for help before?"

"Mmm... I'm sorry, it's just that I'm not very good at this... >_<"< p>

Hearing Hachiman's words, a dejected expression crossed Meguri's face.

Yui and Yukino quickly rushed to comfort her.

"That's not true at all, Shiromeguri-senpai. You're really amazing too."

"Exactly, exactly. We only helped out a couple of times, that's all."

While comforting Meguri, Yukino shot Hachiman a glance, urging him to wrap things up quickly.

Seeing this, Hachiman sighed helplessly.

"Shiromeguri-senpai, you've got it wrong. I'm not saying you're useless; I'm just stating the facts. Everyone has their own weaknesses."

"For example, the cultural festival and the sports festival—maybe those weren't your strong suits. But normally, you're the one running the student council all by yourself, right? That's already quite impressive."

"Really?" Meguri asked, still uncertain.

"Of course, it's true," Hachiman nodded with a smile. "Otherwise, why would everyone in the student council keep electing you as the president?"

"If you put it that way, maybe I am pretty capable," Meguri said, her spirits lifting.

"That's right, you're awesome, Senpai! Yay!" she cheered herself on, her childlike enthusiasm causing Hachiman to shake his head in amusement.

Despite being a year older, Hachiman had noticed through their interactions that Meguri had a lot of childlike qualities. It was one of the things that made her endearing.

After comforting Meguri, Hachiman turned his attention back to Iroha Isshiki.

"Isshiki-san, are you sure about this?"

"Yes, I want to become the student council president," Iroha nodded eagerly. "Please help me, Hikigaya-senpai."

"Of course, that's no problem. After all, it was my suggestion," Hachiman agreed with a smile.

However, Yui seemed hesitant. "But, is this really okay?"

"Indeed," Yukino nodded. "Even if Isshiki agrees to run for president, there's still a big problem. Since she's just a first-year student, it's unlikely many people will vote for her in the final election."

"I've already considered that," Hachiman said with a mysterious smile. "That's why we'll need some extra help."

"Extra help?" The girls looked at him in confusion.

"Yes, we'll just need a few popular people to help drum up votes for Isshiki, like Hayama, Saika, and Yumiko," Hachiman explained his plan.

"But will they agree to help?" Yui asked, concerned.

"Don't worry. I'll take care of it," Hachiman replied confidently. "And even if they don't agree, it doesn't matter. We just need to borrow their names."

This last comment left the girls even more puzzled. What did he mean by "just borrowing their names"?

Unfortunately, Hachiman didn't elaborate. Instead, he stood up and said, "Let's discuss this further another time. It's getting late; we should head home."

The sky outside had already darkened, as it tended to do earlier now that it was late autumn.

Seeing the darkening sky outside, no one objected, and they all left the Service Club room one after another.

...

"See you, Hikki, Yukinon. I'm heading home now," Yui said, waving to Hachiman and Yukino as they reached a crossroads.

"Take care, Yui."

"Be safe on your way," Yukino echoed.

Hachiman and Yukino waved back as Yui's figure disappeared around the corner. Hachiman then turned to Yukino beside him and said, "Shall we go?"

"Yes," Yukino nodded.

The two continued walking, and before long, they arrived at the apartment building where Yukino lived.

Standing in front of the entrance, Yukino was about to say goodbye when Hachiman unexpectedly grabbed her hand and led her inside.

"Huh?"

"Komachi just messaged me saying she won't be home for dinner tonight, so, Yukino, could you let me stay for dinner?" Hachiman asked with a pitiful look.

He wasn't lying—Komachi had indeed texted him earlier, saying she was going to dinner with friends from her study group.

Hachiman wasn't planning to go to a fast-food restaurant and have a tense encounter with Haruno like in the original story. Nor did he want to run into that so-called "first girlfriend," as that was a piece of his past he'd rather not revisit.

Seeing him act so silly, Yukino gave him a mock glare.

"Fine, fine, let's have dinner together," she relented, heading toward the elevator.

Hachiman's face lit up with a smile as he quickly followed Yukino into the elevator.

Soon, they arrived at Yukino's apartment door. She took out her keycard and unlocked the door.

After placing her bag on the sofa, Yukino walked toward the kitchen and asked, "What do you feel like eating tonight?"

Hachiman didn't plan to just sit around. Instead, he joined her in the kitchen. "How about I help out? Let's see what ingredients we have in the fridge, and we can each make two dishes."

"Sounds good."

Yukino didn't object. It had been a while since she had Hachiman's cooking, and she found herself missing it a bit.

They entered the kitchen and checked the ingredients in the fridge. Hachiman started preparing to cook.

Just then, Yukino approached him with an apron in hand.

"Here, this is an apron I used to wear. It should still fit you."

Seeing the apron in her hands, Hachiman smiled and didn't reach out to take it. Instead, he spread his arms and said with a grin, "Yukino, can you help me put it on?"

Yukino blushed slightly at his request, but she didn't refuse. With her cheeks still tinged with pink, she stepped closer and tied the apron around Hachiman.

After helping him tie the apron, Yukino said, "Let's get started."

"Sure, no problem," Hachiman replied without hesitation.

Before long, with their combined efforts, dinner was ready.

It was a simple meal—three dishes and a soup, all basic home-cooked fare.

With the food laid out, they clasped their hands together and softly recited the traditional phrase before a meal.

"Itadakimasu—!"

The sky outside had long since turned dark, and under the soft lighting, the two of them sat across from each other, sharing dinner. There was a subtle warmth to the atmosphere, a gentle sense of domestic comfort.

As Yukino savored the food, she glanced at Hachiman, who was seated just across the table. A long-forgotten feeling of happiness welled up within her.

Usually, she ate dinner alone, and this kind of feeling was something she had never experienced.

But now, with Hachiman here, Yukino felt something she hadn't felt in a long time—a sense of home.

However, as they ate, Yukino remembered what Hachiman had mentioned earlier and couldn't help but ask, "Are you really planning to help Isshiki become the next student council president?"

"Of course," Hachiman nodded as he continued eating.

This piqued Yukino's curiosity. "What exactly are you planning to do?"

"Just like I said before, I'll borrow the popularity of a few well-known people to help her gather votes," Hachiman shrugged.

"I'm going to create a few support accounts online, each under a different name. Once they gain enough followers, I'll change them all to support Isshiki. Simple as that."

After hearing Hachiman's explanation, Yukino frowned. "But isn't that a bit like cheating?"

"And if people find out, won't that cause problems?"

"Don't worry. The votes will still be real and valid," Hachiman replied with a calm smile. "I'm just making smart use of available resources."

Yukino still seemed uncertain. "Is that... really okay?"

Even though his reasoning made sense, something about it still felt off to her.

Perhaps noticing her concern, Hachiman offered reassurance.

"The truth is, most people don't really care about the outcome of the student council election. You can see that from how few candidates there are."

"So, in the end, who becomes president doesn't matter much. All people want is a result."

Yukino sighed, shaking her head slightly. "If Shiromeguri-senpai heard you say that, she'd probably be heartbroken."

"Don't worry, she won't find out," Hachiman replied with a slight smile. As he spoke, he picked up a piece of tempura and held it out to Yukino.

"Here, open up."

Blushing slightly at his gesture, Yukino hesitated but then opened her mouth and took the tempura he offered.

As the sound of crispy bites filled the air, the warm and cozy dinner continued.

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