Chapter 63: Ink Stain

On a small set of stairs leading from the special building to the school courtyard, a pink-haired girl with a bun on one side of her head sat, gazing up at the sky, her eyes unfocused, as it was cut off by the building.

This was a place that Hikigaya Hachiman often came to for lunch.

Yuigahama Yui had discovered it by accident, and now she was sitting on the same step, holding a can of Max coffee.

The girl swung her legs. Unlike Yukinoshita Yukino, who was used to wearing knee-high socks, Yuigahama wore white short socks that showed off her smooth, fair calves. Her calf muscles were nicely defined, curving in a way that was full but not bulky. Above that, her round, soft thighs paired with a plaid skirt brought out the youthfulness of the girl perfectly.

Hikki is really so kind.

He must have noticed that I was stuck between the Service Club and my class friends, and staying there would have been awkward, so he found a reason to send me away.

Just thinking about it made a smile spread across Yuigahama's face.

I'll head back later.

She placed the coffee can on her lap and pulled out her phone to check it.

After passing some time, when she thought Yukino-chan's investigation was almost over, Yuigahama Yui stood up, preparing to head back.

Around the corner of the hallway, she heard hurried footsteps, so Yuigahama slowed her pace to let the person on the other side pass first.

But along with the footsteps came angry, distorted curses.

"Damn it! That stupid woman..."

Ooka's figure hurriedly passed by, and Yuigahama Yui froze for a moment. Without thinking, she called out, "Ooka? Where are you going?"

The boy with the chestnut hair suddenly turned around, glaring at her fiercely. "Yuigahama? Ah, you're with that woman too, huh!? Stay away from me!"

With that, he stormed off in a huff.

Yuigahama Yui was startled by his loud voice. She only reacted after his figure disappeared from her sight, frowning and muttering, "What the heck?"

The brief encounter with Ooka was just a small distraction. Not long after, the pink-haired girl returned to the Service Club.

Hayama Hayato and the others had already left, leaving only Yukinoshita Yukino, who was quietly reading, and Hikigaya Hachiman, who was spaced out.

"Here, Hikki, the drink you wanted!"

Yuigahama Yui waved the Max coffee in front of Hikigaya's blank, lifeless eyes, snapping him back to reality.

"Oh, thanks."

He took the coffee and reached for his wallet to pay her, but she shook her head to stop him.

"No need. It's just one drink, it's normal for friends to treat each other!"

Yuigahama Yui smiled, "Yukinon's is here too, here!"

She had bought Yukinoshita Yukino strawberry milk, the same drink she had last time.

"Thanks, how much was it?"

Yukinoshita Yukino asked.

"Did you not hear what I just said?"

Yuigahama was taken aback. Just as she was about to repeat her declaration of friendship, she saw Yukinoshita Yukino slightly curl her lips. 

"It's just a joke."

"Yukinon, you're really something!" 

The girl with the ponytail playfully shook Yukinoshita Yukino's arm, then curiously asked, "So, what's the result? Did you find the culprit?"

"Mm, it's Ooka."

"Eh? Eh? Eh!!?"

Yuigahama Yui's face was full of disbelief. But after thinking for a moment, it didn't seem impossible—after all, she had just run into Ooka on her way back. 

"No wonder he was acting so badly. So it was you who figured him out."

She suddenly realized.

It wasn't just figuring him out; she had practically put Ooka on display, even hitting his back. This could definitely count as some form of forced confession, right?

Hikigaya Hachiman, while sipping his sweet coffee, silently mocked in his mind.

"You ran into him on your way back?" 

Yukinoshita Yukino asked. "He didn't do anything to you, did he? He wasn't in a very calm state at the time."

"No, he just yelled at me a couple of times. It scared me a bit."

Yuigahama Yui patted her chest, and the slight movement made her chest feel like it was pricked by needles, which hurt Yukinoshita Yukino's eyes.

Without showing any emotion, Yukinoshita Yukino shifted her gaze. "I see, as long as you're okay."

...

...

On the other side. Ooka skipped his soccer club meeting and left school with his backpack.

This was probably the earliest he had left school since joining the soccer club with Hayama.

"Damn it, if it weren't for that meddling woman, I wouldn't have ended up like this..."

Ooka walked down the road, holding a small stone, seemingly venting his frustration on it as if it were Yukinoshita Yukino.

"I really want to teach her a lesson!"

Passing by a utility pole, he kicked it hard. 

Someone whose emotions were running high had no rationality left, even kicking a stray dog that happened to be walking by, while the dog barked angrily at him and ran away.

"That's too much, the little dog was so cute, why kick it?"

If he could, Ooka really wanted to punish Yukinoshita Yukino. But just thinking about how easily she had thrown him out like trash, made him so embarrassed he could have crawled into a hole in the ground.

His back still hurt a little.

"...No, it's not me who's abnormal, it's that woman who's as strong as a monster!"

Ooka muttered indignantly.

"Do you crave power?"

"Ugh... my head's spinning. Did I hit it earlier?" Ooka mumbled, rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh? You've been cursed."

In the hidden spot at the back of his neck, covered by the collar of his shirt, several small eyes quietly opened, their black pupils spinning irregularly.

"Aha! I've decided. I'll use you for an experiment!"

A hand suddenly landed on Ooka's shoulder. "This is definitely going to be interesting~"

The boy with the messy brown hair stopped in his tracks, his eyes wide open, staring at the strange man who had suddenly appeared beside him.

"Strange" might be an understatement to describe him—"weird" would be a better word.

With smooth blue long hair and mismatched pupils—one was dull gray, the other a soft blue—he had a handsome face, but if you ignored the strange stitching lines all over it, he could almost look normal.

"Hey, what's your name?"

The strange man asked.

"I-I'm Ooka..."

Ooka answered, trembling.

"My name is Mahito, nice to meet you, Ooka."

The man smiled.

...

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