Chapter 3

Kiyoshi's pov

A day had passed since my forced enrolment in the Service Club. Even though my hopes were low, I did write an essay of my middle school days to see if Hiratsuka-sensei would let me leave the club.

I didn't remember when was the last time I had put that much effort in doing my homework. Impeccable calligraphy, not a single smudge... If she didn't give me an A for this I would be angry.

As for the content, I wrote about how much I enjoyed learning and spending time with my friends. It was a lie, but Hiratsuka-sensei wouldn't know anyways.

At the end of the day, I approached her with an innocent smile on my face and gave her the essay.

"Here you go sensei. I'm sorry for not giving it to you yesterday."

"Ah, Takeda. Thanks."

She took the paper and eyed it for a moment before a surprised expression crossed her face.

"It seems that you put a lot of effort into this. What a surprise."

This made my smile grow wider. Maybe this would work, after all.

"Of course. I realized that I haven't been giving my all into my studies, so I wanted to change that. In fact, I'm going to do my best from now on."

Exactly what a "reformed" teenager would say. You've got this, Kiyoshi.

"Haha! Only a day in the service club and you already changed this much, that's great!"

"You're right, sensei. I finally realized how wrong I was. That's why I think that I don't need to go there anymo-"

"Now let's go to the service club. I'll accompany you and Hikigaya."

My smile twitched.

"B-but-"

"You might have many attributes, but acting is not one of them."

Hiratsuka-sensei laughed while patting my back. I felt like an idiot for even trying.

xxxxxxx

"Good afternoon. I thought that you weren't going to come anymore." Yukinoshita greeted.

"It's not that big of a deal. If we didn't turn up we'd lose so that's the only reason." Said Hikigaya.

Indeed, it was just as he said. Hiratsuka-sensei told us that if we didn't show up in the club Yukinoshita would win the bet automatically. I told her that I didn't mind, but then she cracked her knuckles and made that scary expression, so here I was now.

"When one is lambasted to that degree, they wouldn't normally come again... Are you a masochist?"

"No..."

"A stalker, then?"

"Wrong again. Hey, why are you assuming that I've got a thing for you?"

I stopped listening at that point and sat in the same chair as the day before. Since there wasn't a table to rest my arms or legs on, I picked another chair and rested my legs there. After that, I picked my phone and played geometry dash.

People barely played it anymore, but shit it was addicting.

"Are you comfortable?" Yukinoshita suddenly asked, looking at me from her chair. I wasn't looking at her, but I still could imagine the frown on her face.

"Yes."

Before she could say anything else and/or scold me, someone timidly knocked on the door, making me fail at 92% of the level I was in. I had to resist the urge to throw my phone out the window.

"Come in." Yukinoshita said.

"E-excuse me." The door slid open and a girl with shoulder length pink hair entered the room. Her eyes darted around the room until they fell on Hikigaya. She shrieked for some reason.

"W-why is Hikki here?!"

Hikki? What a cute nickname...

"...I'm actually a member of this club." He muttered.

She nervously tried to look elsewhere, and this time her eyes met with mine.

"Takeda-kun too?!"

She looked genuinely scared. I almost wanted to apologize.

"Well, just sit down for the time being." Hikigaya casually pulled up a chair motioning for her to sit.

"Th-thank you." She appeared bewildered as she accepted his offer.

Sitting in front of her, Yukinoshita started to talk.

"Yuigahama Yui-san, right?"

"Y-you know who I am?"

I was a bit surprised myself. I remembered Yuigahama because she was one of my classmates, but Yukinoshita wasn't in our class or anything.

"You certainly know a lot... Do you remember everybody's name in this school?" Hikigaya asked.

"Not at all. I didn't know you existed."

"Is that so..." He smiled bitterly.

"Don't worry, that's not something to get depressed over. In fact, it was my mistake. I didn't notice your diminutive presence and above all I unintentionally wished to avert my eyes from your existence. The blame lies with the weakness of my mind."

"Is that supposed to be some form of consolation?"

"She's being sarcastic." I told him.

"It must be very easy for someone like you to know when someone is being sarcastic."

"Why thank you, I try my best."

"This sorta... seems like a really fun club." Yuigahama said as she listened our conversation with twinkling eyes.

...

"Define 'fun'."

"Umm, how do I put it? It's just that you guys are acting so natural! Like I mean, Hikki and you are like totally different from how you act in class."

"Oh that's right. Yuigahama-san is also in class F." Yukinoshita said.

"What? Really?" It seemed that Hikigaya didn't remember her at all.

"Don't tell me you didn't know that?"

"O-of course I know."

"...Why are you averting your eyes?" She asked.

"Anyways, what do you want?" I decided to intervene before things got out of hand. She came to the club so that meant that she needed help with something. Which also meant that the sooner we got her request out of the way, the sooner I would be able to leave.

"O-oh, right. So, um... I heard this from Hiratsuka-sensei. This club fulfils students' desires, right?"

I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Did you really have to put it that way?"

"What do you-" It took her a couple of seconds to understand what I meant. "Woah! That's not what I meant! You're, like, so gross! Pervert!" She was a blushing mess at that point.

"Don't blame me for being a teenager."

Ignoring us, Yukinoshita proceeded to explain the club's main goal.

"The aim of this club lies on lending people a hand. Whether or not that fulfils your desires depends on you."

Yuigahama didn't seem to understand, so Yukinoshita tried to explain it in simpler terms.

"Would you give a hungry man a fish or would you teach him how to fish? That is where the difference lies."

"That's kinda really awesome!" Yuigahama exclaimed, apparently understanding it now.

"Although I cannot say for sure that I will fulfil your wishes, I will help you as much as I can.

Don't let your dirty mind wander, Kiyoshi. Do not let your dirty mind wander.

"Thank you very much! So, umm, I was kind of thinking about making some cookies..." She said while looking at us uncomfortably. It seemed that she didn't want us to hear it.

"Hikigaya-kun, Takeda-kun." Yukinoshita said and motioned toward the hallway with a quick jerk of her chin. She didn't need to tell me twice. I picked my bag and left the room, Hikigaya following and closing the door behind him.

I looked at both sides of the hallway and then back at Hikigaya.

"Hiratsuka-sensei wouldn't notice if we left the school now, would she?"

"Knowing her, I wouldn't be surprised if she is spying us from somewhere right now." He muttered.

We both ignored the silhouette and the quick steps that were heard from the end of the hallway.

xxxxxxx

We went outside to a vending machine and bought something to drink while the girls talked in the club room.

"Do you know how to cook?" Hikigaya asked out of the blue.

"Yeah, I am the one who does the cooking in my house."

Not trying to brag, but I was quite good, mind you. However, when I started learning to cook I was a mess. I still remember the first time mum tried to teach me.

Everything was going fine until she left the kitchen for a minute to answer a call, leaving me alone in the kitchen. It was not a good idea. The next thing we knew, the house was full of smoke. She had to spend the entire afternoon trying to solve my mess. Good times.

"Well, it should be fine then. I just find weird that she is asking this to us." He said.

"You're right. If I wanted to learn how to cook, I would ask a family member first."

It was surprisingly easy to talk with Hikigaya. I didn't know if he thought the same, but I only met him the day before and I already felt like I could talk to him without any problems. Maybe it was because we were in a similar situation.

"What do you think of Yukinoshita?" I asked him out of the blue.

"She's a bitch." He stated.

...

"Well, she does like to make fun of us and act like a superior being." I muttered.

I wouldn't have put it in his terms, but I definitely didn't like her either.

"No wonder why there aren't more club members." He said.

"She was right in one thing though. Anyone who joins that club willingly really is a masochist."

We made the rest of the way back to the clubroom in silence. Yukinoshita and Yuigahama were already waiting for in the hallway when we arrived.

"You're late." Yukinoshita said.

"Have you finished your chat?" Hikigaya asked.

"Yes. As a result of your absence, our conversation went along smoothly. Thanks."

I rolled my eyes and took a sip of my drink.

"...Well, that's good. So what are we going to do now?"

"We're going to the home economics room. You two are coming with us."

"And what are we going to do there?"

"Cookies... I want to bake some cookies." Yuigahama said.

"It appears that Yuigahama-san wants to make homemade cookies for someone. However, she has no confidence in her ability and would like some help. That is her request."

xxxxxxxxx

The home economics room was now enveloped in the smell of vanilla essence.

You know, maybe this wasn't so bad after all. Yukinoshita said that she would help Yuigahama and that Hikigaya and I only had to taste the cookies and give our opinion in the end.

In fact, this isn't bad at all. I sit at the back of the classroom and play with my phone and get to taste the homemade cookies made by a cute girl.

If only I knew how wrong I was.

The excitement that I had at the start slowly died down with a couple of little, but unnerving, mistakes. Like Yuigahama not knowing how to wear an apron or mistaking the sugar with the salt.

'Those are common mistakes, nothing to worry about.' I told myself.

Then Yukinoshita said: "I just don't understand... How is it even possible to make mistake after mistake..."

Hikigaya and I curiously approached them.

"Come on, it can't be that ba-" I tried to say. "DEAR GOD WHAT IS THAT?!"

The "cookies" were completely black and I got the feeling that if I tried them I wouldn't leave the bathroom for the next couple of hours.

"It might look like this, but... We won't know until we've tasted it!"

"You're right. We even have you both to do the testing." Yukinoshita stated.

"L-look at the time! I have to go, soo..." I tried to escape, but Hikigaya grabbed my arm.

"If I have to go through this, you will as well."

'Hikigaya, you traitor!' I thought dramatically.

"It should be fine... we haven't used any inedible ingredients. Well, mostly. I'll also be eating it, so it's fine."

She looked at the cookies and then back at us.

"We won't die, right?"

"...let's get this done with." Hikigaya muttered.

xxxxxxx

"Urgh... It's bitter and gross..." Yuigahama said.

"It's better if you wash it down and try to avoid chewing as much as possible." Yukinoshita stated.

After we somehow managed to eat that abomination, Yukinoshita spoke with a serious expression.

"Well then, let's think about how to improve these results."

"How about Yuigahama never cooks again?"

"I've been completely rejected?!"

"Hikigaya-kun, that would be our last resort."

"Last resort? So that's actually an option?!" Yuigahama asked indignantly. "I guess that cooking just isn't for me after all... Would you call it a talent? A talent that I just don't have."

Yukinoshita sighed in response. "...I see. I've thought of a solution."

"Let's hear it then."

"Simply work harder."

"You call that a solution?" Hikigaya asked in disbelief.

"What do you think, Takeda-kun?" She asked me.

"Well, it's either that or Yuigahama never cooking again."

She would do us all a favour if she never entered a kitchen again, but that would make her feel bad.

"Hard work is an excellent solution... If we do it the right way, that is."

"B-but, uh, people don't really do this sort of thing these days... It definitely doesn't suit me, not at all."

"...Please stop trying to conform to those around you... It's terribly unpleasant. Isn't it embarrassing to place the blame for your lack of ability, your clumsiness, and your foolishness on others?"

Yukinoshita's words were quite harsh and Yuigahama was left speechless. I thought that after hearing those words she would be angry and leave the room to never come back but she didn't. Her eyes started to sparkle, which unnerved me.

"Incredible..." She said.

"Huh?!"

"You really just say it straight... And that's just, well... It's really cool..." Yuigahama was eager as she stared at Yukinoshita, who was dumbfounded. Meanwhile, I quietly approached Hikigaya and whispered.

"Just as I said... a masochist."

"What are you saying...? Did you even hear me? I'm fairly certain that my words were quite harsh."

"No way! Well, I mean, your words were harsh and honestly I was a little taken aback... But I really think that you were just being honest with me."

This time Yukinoshita was the one left speechless.

"Teach her the right way to bake them and make sure you actually pay attention this time, Yuigahama." Hikigaya said.

And thus, we spent the rest of the afternoon trying to help Yuigahama make a decent batch of cookies.

xxxxxxx

Time passed and Yuigahama's cookies were somehow better under Yukinoshita's supervision, but they still were far from decent.

"Hah... It seems as though the two of you haven't had the pleasure of eating real home-made cookies. Let Takeda and I do the cooking and come back after ten minutes. We'll let you taste the real home-made cookies."

I looked at him suspiciously but Hikigaya looked quite confident, so I didn't say anything.

"What did you say...? What a wonderful proposition. I'm looking forward to it, you know!" Yuigahama looked quite offended.

The girls left the room and I turned to Hikigaya.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Don't worry, there's no need for us to do anything.

"...What?"

xxxxxxxxxxx

"Are these 'real' home-made cookies? They're unevenly shaped and burnt here and there. They're..." Yukinoshita started.

"Hah, you talk big, but there's nothing special about these. Hilarious!"

"I see. So they aren't delicious... even after we tried our best." Hikigaya said as I looked down.

"Ah... Sorry." Yuigahama said.

"I'll throw them out." I said as I picked the plate, but Yuigahama stopped me.

"P-please, wait. They're not really bad enough to throw away... And they're not as gross as I said they were."

"...I see. Then, are you satisfied with them?" Hikigaya asked and Yuigahama nodded slowly.

"Well, to be honest, those are the cookies that you made earlier." He said.

"...huh? W-what?"

"I'm not sure I understand what are you trying to do... Was there any meaning in that farce of yours?" Yukinoshita asked with a displeased expression.

"Well, what I'm trying to say is that males are helplessly simple. They get the wrong idea if you just talk to them and they're happy just to get homemade cookies. If you give off the impression that you tried your best you will touch any man's heart, regardless of how they actually taste." Hikigaya said.

There were a few moments of silence.

"...Hikki, would you be touched?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I would be touched. I mean, if anyone is this nice to me, I'm already ready to fall for them in no time!"

"Ah... Okay..."

In the end, Yuigahama didn't improve that much. She said that she would try her own way and left the classroom. Yukinoshita didn't seem very happy with Hikigaya's solution, but didn't say anything.

Talking about Hikigaya, I caught up to him when we were leaving the school.

"Hikigaya!"

"What is it?"

"Why did you include me in that plan of yours?"

He didn't need me to be there at all. So then, why did he make me stay with him in the classroom?

"Well, didn't you think the same as me?"

"About boys being idiots or about hard work?"

"...Both. Anyways, hard work isn't the solution for everything. Besides, my solution was quite good. Yuigahama gives the cookies to the boy he likes, he falls in love with her like an idiot, and we don't have to taste her cookies anymore. Everyone wins."

To me it seemed that he was trying to get me in his side for this bet that Hiratsuka-sensei forced us to take part in, but I didn't voice out my thoughts. After all, I agreed with him at some points.

"...I suppose you're right."

Still, deep down I thought that we could have done things differently.