Ch 150. Your Little Cutie is Here!

"Yuigahama-san, Hikigaya-san, aren't you tired of standing there for so long? Come over and sit down."

Having fully tested the softness of the sofa, Hoshimi invited the still-standing Hikigaya and Yuigahama to take a seat.

"Oh~"

Responding in unison, they both approached the sofa, each choosing a spot to sit.

Yuigahama chose the single-seat sofa next to Yukino, while Hikigaya chose the one next to Hoshimi.

Just as they sat down and were about to ask Hoshimi how much the furniture cost, there was a knock on the door.

Knock—knock—knock—

The four people in the Service Club simultaneously looked toward the front door of the classroom.

"Come in."

Yukino, as the club president, raised her voice slightly to respond.

Creak—

The front door of the classroom was slowly pushed open, and Kotoko Iwanaga, dressed in the Sobu High School uniform and holding a cane, entered the Service Club unhurriedly.

She first glanced around at the various objects and the layout of the classroom, then looked at the people inside, finally fixing her gaze on Hoshimi.

"Hoshimi, how's my timing?"

"Perfect timing," Hoshimi praised her with a thumbs up.

The Service Club had just been renovated, and Kotoko arrived right afterward. How could that timing not be perfect?

"Hehe~" Kotoko puffed out her chest, confidently accepting Hoshimi's compliment.

Yukino stood up, blocking the view between them, and asked expressionlessly, "So, Iwanaga-san, why are you here?"

Kotoko pouted, making a small cat-like face, and asked, "Yukinoshita-senpai, you're the president here, right?"

"Yes." Yukino confirmed curtly.

"I'm here to join the Service Club. Here's my application." Kotoko pulled out a folded A4 sheet from her skirt pocket, smoothed it out, and placed it on the white wooden table.

"..." Yukino frowned, walked around the coffee table, and picked up Kotoko's application to review it.

She could skip the top half of the form; what really mattered was the reason for joining written in the latter half.

[Reason for Joining: I, Kotoko Iwanaga, am here for Hoshimi!]

The simple and straightforward reason made Yukino want to reject it immediately.

In fact, that's exactly what she did. She placed the application back on the table, crossed her arms, and said expressionlessly, "Iwanaga-san, the Service Club is not a place for you to pursue romance."

"Romance?" Yuigahama, who had been watching the situation, widened her eyes in surprise.

"..." Hikigaya glanced at Hoshimi, who was smiling cheerfully, as if he had figured everything out.

He slumped back into the soft sofa, once again inwardly lamenting the unfairness of the world.

Why is it that some people are born into wealthy families, are good-looking, and naturally attract so much attention?

God must truly be a dice-rolling girl.

"Yukinoshita-senpai, ever since a certain someone joined, your Service Club no longer belongs solely to the Yukinoshita family. I think you should perhaps consult Hoshimi about this matter."

Kotoko sidestepped Yukino's blocking stance and winked at Hoshimi, who was sitting on the sofa.

Yukino, still expressionless, moved again to block Kotoko's line of sight. She looked down at Kotoko and said coldly, "I am the president of the Service Club, and the right to approve new members still lies with me. Do you understand, Iwanaga-san?"

"Is that so..." Kotoko thought for a moment, then took back the application from the table, folded it up, and put it back in her skirt pocket.

Next, she pulled out another folded A4 sheet from the other side of her skirt, smoothed it out, and handed it to Yukino.

"Here~" Kotoko pouted, "This should be the application Yukinoshita-senpai wants to see."

"..." Yukino took the application without changing her expression, skipped over the basic information at the top, and went straight to the reason for joining.

[Reason for Joining: Dear Yukinoshita-senpai, I am Kotoko Iwanaga from Class 1-B, and I am applying to join your esteemed club. I wholeheartedly agree with your club's philosophy: 'With great power comes great responsibility.' Those who are wealthy should extend a helping hand to the less fortunate, contributing to the creation of a harmonious society...]

The application was filled with hundreds of words, perfectly covering the section designated for the reason for joining.

After reading it, Yukino's first impression was that Kotoko's handwriting was quite good. Her second impression was that Kotoko had a knack for speaking in a bureaucratic tone. Her third impression was that she might actually approve Kotoko's membership.

In truth, when Kotoko first mentioned joining, Yukino had already been inclined to agree.

After all, keeping an enemy within sight is much safer than letting them operate in the shadows.

The saying "it's easier to dodge a visible spear than a hidden arrow" applies universally.

However, Kotoko's initial application was too insincere, and Yukino couldn't agree to it!

This new application, on the other hand, was much more acceptable, at least showing Kotoko's earnestness. Agreeing to it would make Yukino feel better about her decision.

"Iwanaga-san, welcome to the club." Yukino extended her hand to Kotoko expressionlessly.

"Mutual encouragement," Kotoko smiled and shook Yukino's hand.

Their handshake was brief.

Then, as if rooted to the spot, they stood on either side of the white wooden table, staring at each other.

"Ahaha~~" Seeing that the atmosphere was becoming tense, Yuigahama let out a silly laugh and prepared to get up to defuse the growing tension between Yukino and Kotoko.

But just as she started to rise, Hoshimi pressed her back down by the shoulders.

"I'll handle this." Hoshimi mouthed to her with a smile.

Yuigahama froze, watching in a daze as Hoshimi walked over to Yukino's side.

"Hey, Kotoko, welcome to the club." Hoshimi extended his hand and playfully ruffled Kotoko's hair.

Kotoko nuzzled into Hoshimi's hand, saying meaningfully, "Hoshimi, should I start calling you Senpai now? I feel like that title might boost your attack speed and power~"

Hoshimi's eyelid twitched, and he maintained a polite but awkward smile. "Kotoko, as long as you like it."

"Mm~" Kotoko smiled mysteriously.

She glanced at Yukino, who was frowning and seemed confused.

As expected, this pure Yukinoshita-senpai has no idea.

"Yukino, Kotoko, don't just stand there. Let's sit down and chat," Hoshimi said, shifting the conversation back to more serious matters.

"Alright, I'll listen to Senpai~" Kotoko, like an obedient little hamster, quickly ran to the sofa and claimed a seat.

"..." Yukino, frowning, glared at Hoshimi and coldly returned to her previous seat.

Although she didn't fully understand what Kotoko's earlier comment meant, she was certain it wasn't anything wholesome!

Hoshimi, this scoundrel! What exactly are you doing with Kotoko in your dreams every night?!

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