Anger.... one of the deadliest emotions of mankind...
Why is this happening to me? Why am I experiencing this deadly emotion?
Because it's officially the end of the weekend. And now, I have to get ready for work.
Dammit!
...
"Goodbye, Onii-chan! I hope to see you home with a woman!"
So, Komachi's schedule was opened up, well, more flexible if you want to put it that way. I thought I didn't have to take the bus when Yuigahama said she'll drop me off home. Then I realized how I was gonna get to work.
Luckily, Komachi informed me that she was taking less classes now due to being near her graduation which I am going to be very proud of her.
Anyway, now she's able to drop me off work.
So that's a win-win for me. I get dropped off and picked up without public transportation. It's much faster knowing I don't have to go to 3 useless stops before they arrive at my stop.
I arrive at the front of the building, my keys ready to unlock the front doors.
I took a deep breath.
"Just 9 hours of this to endure before I get to go home."
...
So... some bad news.. Apparently, it was 'bring your kids to work day'.
And you know what happens when you leave a 4 year old child out of your sight?
A mess to clean up for them. Except when the child does it in a house, it's very limited, a few drawn crayon lines on walls, spilled a cup of water, and some toys on the floor.
But when they get excess to a whole building...
In just a single hallway, the child managed to spill apple juice on the carpet floor and wall, left wrappers of candy on the floor, some of the candy weren't even fully eaten by the child, he just threw it on the floor and ran away. Keep in mind, this was just one hallway...
In the meeting room where no one was at thankfully, the child tipped over some chairs and scratched some of the wooden tables with a pen, wasn't so bad at least.
Anger..... I'm feeling it again, and this time, it ain't for shits and or giggles.
...
Usually, work wasn't so bad. Just a couple of trash during the day, and I have to empty the trash cans and throw the trash bag into the dumpster. Sure it smells but I am somewhat able to tolerate it. And before lunch, I make sure that my hands, arms, neck and face are clean before eating.
Part of that reason why....
"Good afternoon." I see a lone beautiful pale woman staring at me with her blue eyes, her slender legs resting on the chair, her back on the chair, delicate fingers holding onto her cup of tea as her pink lips come to the tip of the cup to drink the tea. She had been sitting alone in the break room for a few minutes it seems, seeing that her hot tea was ready.
"Y-Yo."
"I see that you still struggle a formal greeting yet alone even properly speak your language."
Haha.
I can't tell her that she took me by surprise, and not by popping out of nowhere... It's a different reason...
"I choose to use my words and voice wisely." I sat on a different table, though we still were facing each other.
"So you're saying you wouldn't want to spend more of your incompetent vocabulary on a beautiful woman like me? My, my, who knew you had bad taste in women or maybe you're in awestruck." She held up a smirk on her face.
"Hmph. That's because I'm not hypnotized. And also, I don't have bad taste in women. I'm just not particularly interested in a relationship." I pull up my cup noodle ramen from my lunch box.
"I believe that should absolutely the other way around guaranteed. I think there are women particularly not interested in a relationship with someone like you."
Gosh, this is just straight on bullying. What should I do? It has obviously turned into a one-sided fight.
"Do you need to use my kettle for your malnourished lunch?" She offers her own kettle.
"No need, I got what's called a microwave. 3 minutes and 30 seconds and it's ready to eat."
"But not healthy. You know what happens when you microwave water.."
And all of a sudden, she is putting up a frown on her face as she tries to put some care into me. Probably cause I am entitled to work for her, she cares about her worker's safety, physically only though. She actually hurts you psychologically with her words.
"Here, I'll pour the rest of the hot tea into my cup for you to also drink. There isn't that much left anyway."
I watch her pour her last amount of hot tea from the kettle and into her cup.
"Hand me your water bottle." She asks.
I complied and gave her my water bottle that was meant to be poured on my cup noodle but now being used to be boiled by a kettle.
Watching her amazing body move place to place and all of this just for me, I felt kind of embarrassed that I'm making her do this. Wait, no, she's doing it with her own will. It's not like I'm forcing her right?
Now, we were just waiting for the kettle to tell us that the water has reached an official temperature to boil a food product.
"You didn't have to do this." I finally spoke my mind, looking at her eyes to see her reaction.
"Hm? It's not a problem. I was finished anyway, and I got 10 minutes of extra time to kill." As she finishes her sentence, I watch her walk up to me with a cup of tea.
"Here, it'll get cold if you don't drink it fast enough." She avoids looking at me while speaking nonsense that the 'scary' Yukinoshita would identify as.
"Th-Thanks." I quickly just grab it so this situation doesn't get anymore awkward.
Come to think of it, she didn't wash this cup at all.
"Oi, did you wash this cup at all?" I suddenly ask her as she walks back to her spot.
Don't think of it, Hachiman.
"Not at all. Though I wonder why you're asking that question, Hikigaya-kun. Are you afraid I might have some germs even worse than yours. And if you claiming that, I will not hesitate to test the results from a group of scientists to see whose germs are more deadly."
Gosh, how can she say all that without twisting her tongue.
"Just wondering.." I look away with a shade of red on my cheek.
"I don't get why you're scared of something that every man could dream of. Experiencing a beautiful woman giving you something for them to drink. Unless you're talking about an indirect ki-" She stopped her sentence at last, realizing what she was about to say.
"Deceiver! Atrocious! How could I bring myself to think of letting something like that happen. I hope to bump my head and lose memory of this vile thought!"
Why do you have to say it like that? Now I feel a little bit hurt.
*DING*
Looks like my lunch is half way there to be devoured.
...
9 hours of hell and it's finally time for me to head home.
I did the same old routine of locking the front doors and looking for Yuigahama's sedan. Well, looking for Yuigahama's sedan wasn't an old routine, it's a new routine.
My phone began ringing, knowing it was probably Yuigahama.
"Yo."
"Yahallo, Hikki. I see you out at the front door. I'm over here."
"Hard to tell where you are if you're saying that on a phone call rather than outside of your car."
"Ah, sorry!"
"Hikki, over here!"
Now I'm able to tell where she is. Her sedan is just a 50 feet from me in the right section of the parking lot.
I walk up to the vehicle, wave to her first and then sit in the front seat.
"How was work?" Yuigahama asks.
"Shitty."
"Language."
"Eek!" I flinched from the sudden voice behind.
"H-Hikki, how were you jumpscared just by Yukinon?"
More importantly, why is she sitting in the back? Did she plan to scare me from behind?
"Just so you know, to answer your question as to why I'm not sitting in the front seat. I don't feel comfortable with seeing Yuigahama driving from the front view."
"Understandable."
"H-Hey, why am I being tormented all of a sudden. Says the one who doesn't even have a car!" Nice attempt for a comeback.
"I have an official driver's license at least. I don't know how yours was illegally made."
Yuigahama hurriedly pulls up her drivers license and points at an image of herself.
"Yui Yuigahama! Expiration: ########, Date of Birth: June 18 ####! Etc!"
"Yeah, yeah. Just take me home." Tired of seeing her trying to prove that she has a legitimate driver's license which I already believed it was real from the start because I can't picture Yuigahama doing something illegal.
"Hm? Oh yeah, we're not taking you home?"
Wait, am I being kidnapped?
"We're going shopping! Only the 3 of us like old times!"
I didn't ask to be in this. But it seems it was also part of Yukinoshita's plan.
"What do you mean like 'old times'?"
"Sheesh, your memory is horrible! The service club!"
"Service club?" I questioned.
"Yes, the club where we spent a majority of our high school career in. Where it was only 3 of us?"
"TeamThreeStar?"
"No!"
"No."
...
"Wow, these clothes have very soft and great looking material. Yukinon, you should try some of them out. You'd look even better with them."
I watch as Yukinoshita and Yuigahama bond with each other. They must really be close friends, probably even closer during the big 6 year timeskip.
"Hmm.. if you're willing to buy them of course, Yui. Because I didn't intend to purchase any clothes."
"Cheap! Yukinon, you're a cheap woman!"
That, I disagree with. I've seen Yukinoshita's car before when I had to walk out of the building to dump out the trash. It was parked on the "Vice President Only" parking space. Took a while for me to shake my head from being in awe of how good it looks,
"I wouldn't say I'm cheap. I know how to manage my money well. Meanwhile, your credit score has been decreasing, correct?"
Yuigahama smiled proudly rather than pout. "Not anymore! I managed to pay everything in full, and I'm bound to keep it that way!"
"And you will finally get a loan to afford to go to a university?"
Huh, Yuigahama never went to university just like me? Even if she is a bit dumb, she graduated from Sobu who is an advanced tier school.
"Pfft, I'll buy a TV!"
Yukinoshita and I facepalmed.
"Yuigahama, you don't ask for a loan just to buy a television set."
"Oh, just not any normal ordinary TV. This TV has Ultra HD, 4K, Blu-Ray, Xfinity, and 265 Hz refresh rate!"
I'm more amazed on how she could hold that much information in her head.
"Just do whatever you want with your money. If you mess up, I'll be there to pay for your expenses."
"Ah, no worries, Yukinon. I don't want to rely on you again."
So she relied on her once? Good to know.
"Besides the point, I feel like we're being stalked." Yukinoshita begin to talk in a very serious tone, frightening Yuigahama.
"Eh?! Who? Is it a worker from the building?"
"That's not inaccurate."
"Could it be one of those guys who asked you out before but you rejected him?"
"No, it's a different guy... One with very lazily drawn eyes and droopy face. And sometimes, he cleans things up like he scavenges for food in a trash bag."
Wait a minute...
"What do you mean I'm stalking you both? You guys pulled me into this."
"Oh, it's just Hikki." Don't tell me that you actually believed her... And you're also agreeing with what she said..
"You should still keep your guard up, Yui."
How many more hours of this do I have to endure?
...
"So many variety of fishes! Look, Yukinon!"
"Indeed, also, what's that fish reflecting on the glass that's also right behind us doing?"
"Oi."
...
"These escalators still amaze me! How does it fit into something that small and it turns really big!"
"There is always the internet, Yui. I am not the Yukipedia."
"Hikki, do you know?"
"I'm not Hikipedia.."
"Ugh! You both are not reliable for information!"
...
"Yukinon, try out this Boba, it's a very unique flavor." Yuigahama brings her Boba up to Yukinoshita's face.
"No thanks. I'm not in a mood for one."
"Do you want mine then? I regret trying out this flavor. It doesn't taste right for me."
I nonchalantly hand her my boba drink without thinking of the consequences. She was definitely going to call out my lack of hearing now.
"I-Uh... I'll give it a try, I guess."
Unexpectedly, Yukinoshita moves a strand of her hair behind her ear and grips my straw with her fingers and wraps it with her lips, drinking the Boba, surprising me and Yuigahama.
"Eh?! You're gonna drink Hikki's but not mine! What is this betrayal?"
"Fear not, Yui. I'm just simply returning the f-favor to Hikigaya-kun."
What favor?
...
It was finally the end of the shopping arc. I called it an arc because of how long it took.
"Your sister is going to pick you up, Yukinon?"
"Yes. I find it an easier transportation and time saver for all of us, also because of safety concerns."
Why did you glance at me when you said that last part of your sentence, woman?
"Same here, Komachi is going to pick me up."
"My condolences and prayers to Komachi."
Woman, it's not like nothing bad is going to happen to my little sister.
Save the 'having a boyfriend.' part for me because if she does have one, I'll make sure she has none.
"Well... it was really fun hanging out together with you two. It really does remind me of old times, doesn't it."
We all simply nod for agreement.
"I'll hopefully see you guys tomorrow at work, okay?"
"You will. Though I'm not sure if Hikigaya-kun is capable of having free time tomorrow. I'm not sure if he knows how to schedule his time with anything."
Pfft.
"Hehe, it's always the two of you giving each other slight jabs. Anyway, I'm extremely tired now so I'll go now. Bye, Hikki and Yukinon!"
We waved at the innocent girl who walked away from us, heading home.
And now it's just the two of us.
Great... I better get out of here before she calls the police on me.
"Hikigaya-kun." She calls my name.
"Hm?"
"I never asked yet. But how does it taste without microwaving the water?"
Oh, she's talking about the kettle thing.
"Pretty solid. Though I could taste some of the tea because you didn't wash it."
It's true. The taste of tea when eating ramen noodle? Not a good thing to experience.
*Ding*
Komachi sent me a text that she was in the parking lot somewhere.
"She's here. So I'm off." I notify Yukinoshita.
"See you tomorrow." She nods.
I walked a few feet from where she was and tried to look for Komachi's vehicle.
You know, instead of a text message, I should probably call her.
I unlock the password to my phone and clicked on Komachi's phone number.
"Hikigaya-kun."
I turn around and see Yukinoshita again.
But this time, it felt different. She didn't have that usual cold face whenever she would rant about how I look and etc.
All I see is a beautiful woman in her prime, looking very determined on what she might plan to do.
"Yeah?"
"C-Close your eyes for me real quick."
"Hah?"
What was she on about? First she comes to me looking like an entirely different person and now she wants me to close my eyes? What's next, she's gonna punch me? That reminds me of a certain sensei...
"Just close them for me." She said in a rush.
I sigh with annoyance. She better make this quick.
Finally, but with a little of resistance, I close my eyes.
I waited for whatever to come. A punch or slap would be expected.
*Smooch*
Instead of feeling something hard like a ball of fist that came into contact with my face.
Something soft came in contact with my cheeks.
I open my eyes in an instant, sort of surprised from that feeling.
And as soon as I opened my eyes, all I could see is a very cute woman furiously blushing, her eyes avoiding my own eyes.
I too am now aware that I was blushing abundantly, way too much perhaps.
My hands begin to hover over the cheek that was just touched by something... something very soft, too soft even for a human hand.
"Did... Did you just-"
"I was just simply thanking you for.... for saying that I looked nice."
Oh no, another flashback, not again!
"You look nice today."
"....Thank you...."
Oh.... that? From yesterday? That was just only a pathetic attempt to retaliate. Who'd knew it worked incorrectly.
I noticed Yukinoshita had already speedwalked 50 feet away from me. Maybe in embarrassment? Or it could be something else.
But I know for a fact that we both were like this because of a simple emotion that I do not want to describe.
I watched her get in a luxurious car, presumably Haruno's. I can still make up her face still being completely crimson as she turns her head the other way.
Gosh, this woman...