Oregairu: Once Upon A Time

My Club President's Absence Is Wrong

I opened my bag to give Kuro-chan access to more oxygen as well as the ability to move about. I watched as Kuro-chan hopped into the lap of an unsuspecting Yui, who tensed up before giggling and gently petting the kitten. I sighed in amusement, and having nothing else to do, I pulled out a light novel and began reading.

After about 10 minutes of peace and quiet, Yui cleared her throat. "So, what's with the cat?"

I looked up from my book. "Let me explain. Yukinoshita's sister came to my house, and for whatever reason, she gave me that kitten, saying that I need to take care of it. Haruno said that she doesn't trust her little sister to take care of a stray cat that she randomly adopted."

"Mew!"

Yui bit her lip as she looked at the little kitten on her lap. "That is strange. Do you think that this has something to do with Yukinon being absent from school?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Unlikely. The only reason I could see a connection between the two is if she were allergic to cats, which she isn't. Even if she were allergic to cats, I think she would have enough common sense to not touch them, no matter how cute they may be."

Yui blinked, not looking convinced. "I'm going to visit her place after school to make sure that she is okay. Will you accompany me, Hikki?"

I shrugged. "Sure. It's not like I have any plans. Besides, I care about her just as much as you do."

I felt kind of embarrassed to admit it, but after telling the two of them what I really want, I felt like I should be more honest with them.

Leaving my seat, I grabbed Kuro-chan and put her in my bag, leaving enough space for her to stick her head out to breathe properly.

"Let's get going, then. Our club activities are officially postponed for the day, as we have more important priorities. You lead the way."

. . . . . . .

It had been a while since I last visited her apartment. I already forgot some of the last few twists and turns you're supposed to take to get to her place. Fortunately for me, Yurigahama over here has had plenty of sleepovers with Yurinon. Heh.

Once we arrived there, I looked upwards, seeing that this is easily one of the tallest buildings in Chiba. We took the elevator up to the fifth floor and walked towards her door.

Yui knocked on it. "Yukinon! Are you home?"

We waited a minute. No response. Without thinking, Yui opened placed her hand on the door knob and twisted it. It opened instantly. We exchanged our worried expressions as we intruded on the Ice Queen's home.

We let our eyes take in the sight before us to make sure no one was murdered. I turned to Yui. "It's possible that she left a note somewhere."

Yui nodded. We both immediately began searching for any clue that would inform us of Her Highness' whereabouts. Yui searched the living room and bathroom while I started with the kitchen before moving towards her bed. Lifting the blanket up, I was surprised to find a pink note card stuck to the bed.

"Hey, Yui! I found something!" I shouted to her. She immediately came running.

"What is it?"

Kuro-chan climbed onto the bed to look at the note while Yui peered over my shoulder. Without touching the note, I read it out loud.

"To whoever reads this, I will be going overseas on a trip to visit some of the best universities in the western world. I will be gone for 2 months. Also, I forgot to bring my phone with me. It is sitting on my headboard. I guess that I hate communicating via electromagnetic waves [6]. Sincerely, Yukinoshita Yukino."

What the fuck? I turned my head to gauge Yui's reaction. She opened her mouth and said, "That doesn't make any sense, Hikki. Yukinon isn't the type of person to forget important details."

I nodded. "You would think that she would at least inform us beforehand that she was going to be taking a trip of any sort, right? After all, my request... My request for something genuine also included the fact that I wanted us to keep each other informed of any scheduled events." Then, upon realizing what I said, I coughed and began to correct myself. "Of course, I'm not implying that I feel like I have to be there for Yukinoshita and I to maintain any sort of friendship. I will give her my full support should she choose to go to a university abroad."

Yukino POV

That is not my handwriting. That is Nee-san's handwriting! What is that woman planning? Does she know that I have basically gone missing, disappeared from any human detection?

To Be Continued

[5] Nekopara reference