The School Is Not the Same Anymore, He Accepts (End)

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On the way to the clubroom, the two women on either of my side were trying to crush me. I could understand Shinobu's clinginess but I didn't know what the deal was with Yuigahama for her to be so close to me. She had been doing well in giving me some space, so it made me curious about what changed. Thankfully, unlike Shinobu, she wasn't hugging my arm. I didn't care about the stares and glares I got, but they were still annoying.

Meeting one of the stares with my cold eyes, I caused the unfortunate sheep to yelp. Great, now I have become a certified delinquent. I inwardly sighed and resigned to my fate. Not long after, we arrived at the clubroom. As usual, Yukinoshita was already inside. Yuigahama knocked on the door twice and announced our presence. A muffled response could be heard from behind the door, prompting Yuigahama to slide the door open.

"Yahallo, Yukinon!"

"Yo, Yukinoshita."

"Good morning, Yuigahama-san. You need to fix your bad greeting, Hikigaya…kun." Yukinoshita had a weird expression when she looked at me, specifically, my intertwined arm. She then moved her eyes to the girl beside me and shot her a cold look. "And who might this party be? Is she the transfer student that everyone is talking about?"

With a polite smile, Shinobu replied, "I don't know that everyone is talking about me, but yes, I am a transfer student." She let go of my hand and introduced herself with a bow. "My name is Oshino Shinobu. How do you do?"

"I am Yukinoshita Yukino. Nice to meet you, Oshino-san," Yukinoshita replied in kind.

Maybe thinking that Shinobu came for a request, she immediately dragged a chair before our desk and gestured for Shinobu to sit there. I walked to my usual seat and unsurprisingly, Shinobu followed. With a swift move, she put another chair beside me and sat on it. I put my bag on the ground, ignoring the look my clubmates gave me which I couldn't comprehend.

"Kuhum!" Yukinoshita cleared her throat. "I have to ask you what your purpose is, Oshino-san. If you have any request, you may sit here." She pointed at the vacant chair across from us."

"I came here because I am curious about the things you guys do. Sightseeing, you can call it. other than that, I just want to spend some time with this person here. Don't mind me," Shinobu explained casually.

"I can't help but mind, Oshino-san. Our clubroom is used for club activities, not a hangout place, after all."

"Ara; it's not like you have clients every time, is it? I would wager you spend most of your time hanging out with each other in this clubroom."

"How presumptuous of you. But I guess I shouldn't have let myself judge someone based on their appearance—it's deceiving after all."

As the banter was getting heated, I raised my hand and firmly said, "Enough, both of you." Looking at Shinobu, I sighed lightly. "You don't have to rile Yukinoshita like that. You could have just ended the talk with a request and she would comply." I heard Yukinoshita scoff in agreement meanwhile Shinobu slumped her shoulder. I gave Yukinoshita a blank look, causing her smirk to crumble. "You too, Yukinoshita. Shinobu might have sounded imperious, but you didn't need to antagonize her. It was very rare of you to lose your composure."

"I…"

As Yukinoshita hesitated, Shinobu stood up and apologized. "I am very sorry for being presumptuous earlier, Yukinoshita-san. It has been some time since I last met Hachiman, so I was quite irked that someone said I couldn't be with him."

"Uh…I am sorry for my outburst earlier also." Yukinoshita bowed before looking at me and Shinobu alternatingly in hesitation. "Feel free to join us…Shinobu-san."

"Then, pardon for the intrusion."

Silence filled the clubroom for a few seconds before Yuigahama spoke. "Should I make some tea?"

"I would like that," I chimed in. "But let Yukinoshita make it. I don't want to die young."

"What's that supposed to mean!?"

"I mean it as it is."

"So cruel!"

A smirk crawled up its way to my face. Yukinoshita chuckled a second later and Yuigahama followed suit. Shinobu didn't react much, but it was apparent that she was amused. The mood lightened once again. I took out my book as Yukinoshita brewed the tea and Shinobu engaged in a conversation with Yuigahama. They were quite far from each other, so I told her to stand up before dragging both of our chairs to the left, closer to Yuigahama's.

Yukinoshita finished brewing the tea and distributed it to everyone. She looked hesitantly at me as she put down my paper cup. I quirked an eyebrow and she immediately turned to Shinobu. The said girl was unaware of the gaze as she was chatting with Yuigahama or I should say occupied by Yuigahama's incessant chattering. She must be quite overwhelmed.

"I don't have enough paper cups."

Shinobu immediately turned around and smiled. "Ah, don't worry, Hachiman and I will share."

"Hm. I don't mind sharing with Shinobu," I supported.

Yukinoshita looked hesitant which was mimicked by Yuigahama but nodded her head in the end. She sat down, took out her book, and read it while sipping her tea. I could tell she was not too into her book this time as she was busy glancing my way. She would make a funny face when I met her gaze and that made me wonder if she had eaten something wrong this morning.

Ignoring the strange behavior of my clubmates, I focused on my book. It was one of the three books Shinobu gave me that I hadn't finished. The book wasn't complicated per se but contained a lot of info dump. It felt slightly wasteful to cram my brain with information that was not so practical. Then again, I didn't know much about the world of business, so I might as well memorize everything.

My hand stretched forward and found the air. I quirked an eyebrow at my disappeared cup and then turned to look at the culprit. She was happily sipping the tea in the cup, nodding to herself while mumbling that tea was acceptable. When she noticed my gaze, she offered me the tea. As if afraid that I would drink it all by myself, she didn't let go of the cup. I shrugged and drank the tea while she still had the cup in her hands.

I heard a faint gasp coming from the direction of my club members but ignored it to avoid unnecessary trouble. I continued reading my book and tuned out the conversation that occurred between Shinobu and my clubmates not long after. It started with Shinobu's compliment of Yukinoshita's teamaking skills and I didn't know anymore. It became random when Yuigahama joined the conversation.

"I think I have to excuse myself." Shinobu stood up after three cups of tea. "I still have some matter to attend to."

"Ah, see you tomorrow, then, Shinobu-chan! It was fun having you around," Yuigahama exclaimed.

"Yes, Yui-san. It was also fun spending time with you." Shinobu smiled and then turned to Yukinoshita. "Our introduction was not ideal, but I hope we can be good friends in the future, Yukinoshita-san."

Yukinoshita opted to stay silent but nodded her head nonetheless.

Shinobu turned to me and leaned down slightly. "See you tomorrow, Hachiman."

"Take care," I replied simply.

Shinobu leaned closer until we could feel each other's breath. I quirked my eyebrow at her, wondering what she wanted me to do. Not long after, she sighed and pulled away. Surprisingly, my clubmates heaved a sigh at the same time. Completely bemused, I watched as Shinobu picked up her bag and exited the clubroom.

My eyes lingered on the door for a while before turning to my book. At least, that was what I was about to do before noticing that my clubmates were looking at me. I met their gaze calmly and quirked an eyebrow in wonder. Yuigahama fidgeted in her seat meanwhile Yukinoshita looked at me hesitantly.

"Are you…dating with Shinobu-chan, Hikki?" Yuigahama chocked out. Yukinoshita didn't say anything but showed her interest in the subject.

"Do we look like we are? Shinobu is just like that. She is quite sheltered, so she doesn't know how to behave around people. She treats everyone close to her like a family and there you go," I reasoned, half believing my words.

"Oh…so that is the case."

"I didn't know you were capable of making friends, Hikigaya-kun. Especially, one that is as close as Oshino-san," Yukinoshita quipped.

"We aren't close, but I thought we were friends. Why are you surprised?" I retorted, causing her to unexpectedly blush.

"Well, not everyone is as accepting as me, after all."

"You rejected my friendship proposal twice," I scoffed.

Yukinoshita's confident look faltered and she immediately focused on her book. Yuigahama looked at her in puzzlement before smiling at me. She began to ask me about how I met Shinobu and what kind of person she was. She dragged the unwilling Yukinoshita to the conversation later and thus the Service Club flowed with its usual pace.

I hate to be that person, but school is getting more enjoyable now.

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Honorary Mention:

Venerable Immortal Gwiber

Venerable Immortal P. Felipe

Venerable Immortal W. M. Jones

Venerable Immortal Orion