Party

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[-Continuation-]

[-Same Day : Evening-]

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[Hachiman's POV]

–Rinnnggggg!!

The bell's shrill ring echoed, signaling the end of another challenging class.

…the classes were finally done for the day. I let out a sigh of relief.

As my hand instinctively reached for the Paperclip that had been my silent companion throughout the lecture.

But I guess it can no longer be called Paperclip, but rather my newly crafted Paperclip masterpiece.

With a flick of my wrist, I tossed it back into my pocket. Its role in battling boredom is now officially over.

I have recently mastered a new skill.

[Paperclip Bending] - [Description : Unnecessary]

Just like that, I added yet another new skill(:trashy skill) to my collection of Utterly Useless Talents.

In my hopeful imagination, I entertained the idea that maybe, just maybe, I had reached new heights and unlocked some hidden superpowers.

Reality check - Highly Unlikely.

Without wasting a second, I gathered my belongings and stood up from my desk, ready to hit the road. Well, that was the plan, at least.

But instead of heading straight home, I found myself making a detour to the Service Club.

Guess who was loitering outside the door?

Yuigahama.

Having said that, it wasn't like she was inside or anything – she was standing outside the door, breathing in and out heavily.

"…what are you doing here?" I asked.

"Yikes!" She practically jumped out of her skin, spinning around to face me.

She started in a hurry. "Oh, H-Hikky! Um, I was just... you know? The air tastes great today!"

That was a really bad excuse.

Like literally, a kindergarten student level -Noob.

Seeing my clearly unconvinced expression, Yuigahama uncomfortably avoided my gaze.

"…" "…"

Silence reigned between us.

She ducked her head, not meeting my eyes. Doing that made the slightly open club room door come into my line of sight.

When I peered inside, Yukinoshita was in her usual spot, reading a book like she always did.

Then I shifted my attention back to Yuigahama.

She looked unsure, and it was pretty obvious what was bothering her. It seemed like she couldn't make up her mind about going inside.

…well, I can guess why, though. I mean, she hadn't been there for a whole week without any 'particular' reason.

If she had only ditched me, it wouldn't be this nerve-wracking. But she also ditched Yukinoshita.

In avoiding me, she also avoided Yukinoshita, making me rethink her bond with Yukinoshita. But hey, who am I to judge their friendship?

"C'mon, let's go." So I half-dragged her inside.

–slide(:opening door)

The door slid open with a loud, deliberate creak, loud enough to wake the dead.

I was half expecting something like a 'surprise' shout and was ready to give a chorus to it.

Yukinoshita's head snapped up, irritation etched on her face. But then her expression softened when she saw us(:her).

"Yuigahama…"

"Oh, Y-yahallo, Yukinon…" Yuigahama greeted, waving weakly like a malfunctioning robot.

In response, Yukinoshita's gaze went straight back to her book, trying to play it cool. "Don't dawdle around forever. Hurry up inside. Club activities are starting."

Is she trying to act normal to not make things awkward for Yuigahama? Very thoughtful and a good move to make her feel comfortable.

"O-okay…" Yuigahama replied as she pulled up her usual seat next to Yukinoshita. 

But when she pulled out the seat, the distance between them grew, and there was now enough space to fit one more person between them.

As for me, I took up my usual position at the corner directly opposite Yukinoshita.

Yuigahama, who would normally have been playing with her cell phone, took a seat somewhat hesitantly, both her hands balling into fists on top of her knees.

When I looked out the window, the evening sun was slowly descending into Tokyo Bay. A dark curtain was being pulled towards the east, as if washing away the faint indigo blue.

The silence is really dragging on, I thought…

I gazed at the ticking hands on the clock, and just when I knew for certain that they had done a whole cycle, a feeble voice rang out.

"Yuigahama."

Yukinoshita closed the book she had been reading up until then with a snap, and once she had finished inhaling so deeply that her shoulders shook, she exhaled slowly.

"..." When she turned around shyly to face Yuigahama, her mouth opened as if she had something to say. But no sound came out.

Yuigahama had turned her whole body to face Yukinoshita, but she looked down at the floor, their eyes failing to meet. "Er, uh… Yukinon, you texted me saying you had something to talk about?"

"Yes. I wanted to do a proper job of celebrating, you see. And also because, well, I am grateful to you."

"What? I haven't done anything worth being grateful over…"

"Even so." Yukinoshita insisted. "I am grateful. And celebrations aren't just for accomplishments. I am doing this because I want to."

"…O-okay." Yuigahama agreed, still unsure.

"That's good." Yukinoshita nodded and decided. "Now, shall we go straight to cake cutting?" She looked at me from the corner of her eyes with a questioning face.

Is she like, trying to ask me the next step to be taken…

But, are we, like, seriously cutting a cake here and now? I scanned the clubroom, exactly as it was on my first day, with chairs piled up in the corner.

In response to Yukinoshita, Yuigahama cocked her head to the side with a look of bafflement on her face. "Cake? Why a cake?"

Oh, right. I totally forgot Yuigahama is still unaware of what this whole 'cake' thing is about…

And that should have been the first step too, right? The whole surprise thing they do when the 'VIP' enters the room.

"Cake? Yes, I baked a cake for you." Yukinoshita clarified.

I don't think that's what Yuigahama was asking, though.

"Yukinoshita, this is your first time doing something like this?" I interjected, observing her step-by-step approach to this whole party thing.

The Yukinoshita Yukino I know is highly skilled at managing large-scale events.

However, the key term here is 'large-scale events.'

While I don't know her family background completely, it's evident they're well-off, if not downright rich. She's likely attended countless high-class gatherings and events.

But that also means she may not be familiar with the flow of smaller, normal parties with very few individuals.

"What are you getting at?" Yukinoshita raised an eyebrow at this.

No, girl. I am not indicating our lonely existence that was never attended nor invited for such events.

In my opinion, getting invited to someone's birthday party is a big deal as it exposes how close they are…

With our 'loner' status, I haven't participated in these events, and I am sure it is the same for Yukinoshita.

That resulted in her lack of familiarity with the typical flow of such small events.

…and that is the same for both of us.

"You said you baked a cake, right? This place and time are not suitable for that. So just give it to her, and she will enjoy it at home. For now, just give our gifts and call it a day."

Yeah, the sun is almost setting. It was just about time for school to end for the day. The bell would probably ring at the exact moment we cut the cake.

"Whoa! What is this whole cake and gift!?" Yuigahama exclaimed.

Is she excited, or is she just shouting as she is unsure of what's happening?

"What, you ask…? Oh, I still haven't told you yet. I called you here today to celebrate your birthday, Yuigahama." Yukinoshita clarified.

You should have started the conversation with that, Yukinoshita.

"Huh?"

"Yuigahama, you haven't been coming to club activities lately… so er, I wanted to tell you to keep making a square effort – that sort of thing."

A blushing Yukinoshita said with a small cough. Ahem. "And also, well… I suppose you could also call it a token of my gratitude."

As Yukinoshita trailed off, Yuigahama jumped and tackled her.

"…Yukinon, you remembered my birthday."

Er, rather than saying she remembered it, it was more like she just guessed it from her phone address.

But Yuigahama was gradually falling into a blissful daze, not caring too much about the particulars.

"But it seems I got everything wrong due to my lack of knowledge." Yukinoshita said as she tore Yuigahama off with her characteristic awkwardness.

Yuigahama resisted somewhat, but then she hit her hand against her palm as if realising something. Spotting her chance, she hastily slipped away from Yuigahama's grasp.

"Then let's go somewhere else." Yuigahama said. "Outside of school."

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[To be continued….]

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