[502] Hmph, Men

Chapter 502: Hmph, Men

After agreeing on the meeting time for tomorrow, Hachiman and Yui exchanged smiles.

At that moment, Komachi, who had also gone to line up for snacks, came running back.

While munching on a candied hawthorn, the little girl suggested, "Onii-chan, Yui-nee, let's go buy some omamori."

"No problem," Hachiman nodded.

Omamori, commonly known as protective charms, come in various types such as those for financial luck, health, love, academics, and more.

They called Yukino over, and the group headed to a stall selling omamori.

The stall was manned by two miko (shrine maidens). One was responsible for sales, while the other was in charge of attracting customers and offering explanations.

When the miko saw Hachiman and the others approaching, they greeted them with gentle smiles.

The miko in charge of customer relations smiled and asked, "What kind of omamori are you looking for?"

The omamori here were sold by the shrine and came in nearly every type imaginable.

Naturally, Komachi bought an academic success charm, Yui got both academic and love charms, and after some thought, Yukino chose a health charm.

As for Hachiman, he didn't buy any charm.

Whether it was financial luck, health, academics, love, or anything else, there was nothing he particularly worried about.

However, since the others bought something, it seemed out of place if he didn't. Reluctantly, he let Komachi push a love charm into his hands.

After purchasing the charms, the group prepared to leave.

As they were walking down the steps, Yui's phone rang.

"Ah, it's Yumiko," the girl said as she saw the caller ID and answered the call.

"Yahallo, Yumiko! Happy New Year!"

"Yeah, I'm at the shrine, just about to leave."

"Wait a sec."

Yui temporarily put the call on hold and turned to ask the others.

"Yukinon, Hikki, do you guys have any plans next?"

Yukino smiled faintly, "As for me, I'm heading home. I don't really like crowded places."

"But…"

Yui seemed hesitant to let her go, but she also understood that Yukino and Yumiko didn't get along very well, so she wasn't sure how to ask her to stay.

Seeing Yui's uncertainty, Yukino smiled gently.

"It's fine, Yui. Go spend time with Miura. We'll see each other again when school starts."

"Mm, okay, see you at school, Yukinon." Yui nodded in agreement, then turned her gaze to Hachiman.

"Hikki, do you want to come along?"

Hachiman thought for a moment before shaking his head, "I'll pass. You go have fun with Yumiko and the others."

He decided to accompany Yukino instead. After all, Yui had friends like Yumiko and Ebina to hang out with, but Yukino would be all alone once she returned to her apartment.

"Alright then."

Seeing that Hachiman wasn't coming either, Yui looked a bit disappointed, but remembering their plans for tomorrow, she nodded her head.

Just then, Komachi raised her hand.

"I want to go too!"

But before she could finish her sentence, Hachiman cut her off. "No, you need to go home and study. After your exams, you can play as much as you want."

"Ugh… fine."

In the end, Komachi nodded in agreement, understanding that it wasn't the right time to play with exams so close.

Seeing that none of them were coming, Yui was a bit disappointed but didn't push it. She waved at them.

"Alright, I'm off to meet Yumiko. Bye, Hikki, Yukinon, Komachi!"

"Bye, Yui/Yui-nee," they replied.

After saying their goodbyes, the group split up.

Hachiman, Yukino, and Komachi retraced their steps, while Yui, still on the phone, headed in Yumiko's direction.

As expected, after a short walk, Komachi quickly found an excuse to leave.

Hachiman understood that his little sister was creating an opportunity for him, so he didn't stop her. He just gave her a few reminders before letting her go.

Once Komachi ran off, only Hachiman and Yukino were left.

Without anyone else around, Hachiman didn't hold back. He reached out and took Yukino's soft hand.

Her hand felt cold to the touch, so Hachiman quickly cupped both of her hands in his.

Seeing his actions, Yukino's face flushed with a hint of embarrassment.

"W-What are you doing?"

"Of course, I'm warming your hands," Hachiman replied with a smile, his tone carrying a bit of gentle reproach.

"You really should have told me if your hands were this cold."

Though there was a hint of blame in his voice, Yukino felt a warmth spreading in her heart.

But then, something crossed her mind, and she let out a soft huff.

"Why would I trouble you? I wouldn't want to distract you from admiring other girls."

That's right—Yukino was now using a skill all girls seem to master: bringing up something from the past.

Hachiman felt a bit helpless at her words.

"Where is that coming from? Those miko weren't nearly as pretty as you. Why would I look at them when I have someone so beautiful beside me?"

Yukino, of course, wasn't so easily convinced. She pouted slightly, "Who knows? The grass always looks greener on the other side, and men are all the same."

"Hmph, men."

Though it was just two words, Hachiman felt they were almost magical, brimming with sarcasm.

But he quickly found a flaw in her argument and grinned mischievously.

"So, Yukino, you're admitting that you're my 'flower at home'?"

Yukino gave him an exasperated look at his playful remark. "Don't try to change the subject. Now, tell me, what exactly were you staring at earlier?"

Though Yukino usually appeared composed and distant, she was still a girl. Seeing the person she cared about staring at other girls was bound to upset her.

Hachiman felt a little pleased seeing her jealous reaction.

After all, if a girl didn't care about you, why would she go to such lengths?

It seemed that Yukino was almost within reach.

With that in mind, Hachiman decided not to hide anything and spoke the truth.

"Actually, I was looking at the miko outfits at the time."

"Miko outfits?"

"Yeah, I was wondering how you all would look wearing them," Hachiman explained with a smile.

"Us wearing them…"

Hearing this, Yukino couldn't help but imagine herself in a miko outfit. Her face flushed slightly, and she quickly shook her head to dispel the image from her mind.

She playfully hit Hachiman with her bag, speaking with a mix of shyness and annoyance, "You… what kind of nonsense are you imagining?"

"It's perfectly normal." Hachiman shrugged.

"Beautiful girls and beautiful clothes—it's only natural to think of them together."

"My Yukino is so beautiful, of course, I'd want to see you in something pretty."

Yukino felt a bit happy hearing this, but she didn't let herself get too caught up in Hachiman's sweet words.

"Hmph, you talk a good game, but there are plenty of pretty girls around you. Who knows if you were really thinking of me?"

You have to admit, a girl's intuition can be spot-on. In Hachiman's mind, the ones he thought would look best in a miko outfit weren't Yukino, but Saeko and Kotonoha.

But he wasn't foolish enough to admit that. "What's this? Are you saying you're not confident in your own beauty, Yukino?"

"Hmph, I'm very confident in that," Yukino replied with a smug hum.

Seeing her expression, Hachiman chuckled and shook his head.

"Alright, alright, let's not dwell on this. We should get going."

Her hands were warm enough now, so it was time to head back.

However, he didn't completely let go of her hand, still holding onto one of hers.

"Mm, let's go."

Yukino didn't object to Hachiman's suggestion and let him hold her hand as they walked.

Hand in hand, they headed toward the train station. To anyone watching, they looked just like a couple deeply in love.

On the train, the two sat close together.

However, when the train suddenly jolted, Yukino lost her balance and nearly fell. Fortunately, Hachiman was quick to react, pulling her into his arms.

The train's jolt was brief, and as Yukino leaned against Hachiman's chest, she looked up, meeting his gaze as he looked down at her.

Their eyes locked, and in each other's eyes, they saw only one another.

Seeing Yukino's enticing lips so close, Hachiman couldn't resist the urge to lean in for a kiss.

But Yukino, still grounded in reality, quickly placed her hand over his mouth.

This is a train, after all. There's no way she'd let him kiss her so casually.

With that thought in mind, Yukino gave him a sidelong glance, then gently pushed herself out of his embrace, standing back up straight. She softly parted her lips and uttered the words once more:

"Hmph, men!"

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