At that moment, Hikigaya was contentedly resting his head on the knee pillow provided by Yukinoshita Haruno. As he had mentioned, Haruno's thighs were indeed quite comfortable as a pillow—not too hard, not too soft, just the right amount of give. He felt quite tired and wanted to take a nap, but he hesitated. Sleeping so close to someone else made him feel uneasy, so he forced himself to stay awake and rational, resisting the urge to turn over and fully relax.
In Hikigaya's opinion, this kind of enjoyment lacked emotion and was a pleasure devoid of any sophisticated taste. For someone like him, who aspired to be a literary giant, it was better to try to minimize such trivial pleasures.
He wondered why this action was called a "knee pillow." From a human anatomy perspective, it should be called a "thigh pillow," and from a bone structure viewpoint, perhaps a "femur pillow." The knee is a bony area, and he found it hard to understand the terminology.
These were some random thoughts racing through Hikigaya's mind as he endeavored to stay awake. Meanwhile, Haruno was swiping on her phone above him, leaving Hikigaya feeling speechless. In the two-dimensional world, wouldn't people ordinarily play with his hair, cheeks, and so on in such situations?
Oh, forget it. There was no need to force what was unattainable. Wouldn't it be better to simply enjoy the present? Just as Hikigaya contemplated this, the door suddenly swung open.
Yukinoshita Yukino adored her sister Haruno, but this affection didn't stop her from feeling the urge to throw the plate in her hand at Haruno the moment she stepped inside. Of course, showing her anger would be counterproductive; it was far more sensible to pretend nothing was amiss.
If Yukino hadn't slammed the plate down on the table so forcefully, she might have managed to fake indifference.
"Sister, I still think that snacking a little isn't enough. There's still plenty of time until the banquet tonight ends. You should eat something," Yukino said before leaving the room without looking back.
The incident occurred suddenly. From the moment Yukino entered, set down the food, and exited, the two on the sofa exchanged no words.
"Well, Senior Sister, you can eat here first. I'm going to the venue to take a look. By the way, I'm a bit hungry, so I need to find something to eat," Hikigaya said, now fully awake and determined not to lean back onto his pillow. He simply left the lounge, while Haruno didn't say anything, merely waving slightly as she took the plate Yukino had brought.
Hachiman returned to the hall, where he found a quiet corner and began to eat his meal in peace, much like he had done last year. And, like the previous year, Hayato Hayama approached him again. This time, however, he seemed excited because he had heard that Hikigaya was the writer Hachiman.
"Hikigaya-san, you must be Hachiman—the writer, right?" Hayato said, a hint of disbelief in his voice.
"Uh, Mr. Hayato, I don't think my identity is a secret in this venue," Hikigaya replied, though it felt a bit impolite to respond while he was eating. Still, he believed Hayama wouldn't mind at that moment.
"That's fantastic... It's truly great. Mr. Hachiman, I really like your novels! I was so addicted to them before that my test scores suffered, but I caught up later..." Hayato kept on chatting. Since meeting Hikigaya, he had never seemed this excited.
Hikigaya swallowed the food in his mouth, set his plate and fork aside, and wiped his mouth carefully with a tissue before finally looking at Hayato again.
"There's no need to be so excited, Hayato-san. Just treat me as an ordinary classmate. We will still have to study together in high school for three years. Leave me your address, and I'll send you a signed copy of *Malice* as a New Year's gift. We are destined to be together in high school."
Hikigaya said this naturally, waiting for the handsome boy in front of him to slowly adjust his mentality.
"Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Hachiman... Mr. Hikigaya. But forget about the gifts. I will go and queue up to buy them myself, so that I can show my sincerity," Hayato replied, and then he quickly said goodbye and left. It seemed he had only come to confirm this matter briefly, as he likely had other things to attend to.
"Really? It's because there are so many fans like you that some critics accuse me of being too fan-oriented. Forget it, I'll ask Haruno for his address and send him a copy. It's tiring to wait in line," Hikigaya thought, already making a plan. Although Hayato Hayama often engaged in seemingly meaningless and hard work, Hikigaya did not hate him at all. In fact, he respected people like Hayato who always stuck to their beliefs.
For the next hour, Hikigaya enjoyed a relaxed time, trying various delicacies. He hadn't eaten much last year because he left halfway to help solve Yukino's psychological problem, so this time he made sure to indulge.
After sampling most of the delicious food, it was almost time to leave. This year, Mr. Yukinoshita took the stage to deliver the closing speech, announcing the successful conclusion of the banquet. Hikigaya found Mr. Arisugawa, said goodbye once again, and then returned to the Yukinoshita family's lounge.
Upon entering the room, Hikigaya spotted Yukino. Before he could say anything, she raised her index finger to her lips, signaling for silence. He looked to the side and noticed that Haruno had curled up on the sofa, fast asleep, covered with Yukino's coat. Her breathing was even, indicating she was in a deep slumber.
"If you are tired, just lie down for a while. Look, no one would mind," Hikigaya thought, noticing that Haruno appeared visibly haggard recently and really needed some rest.
He and Yukino tiptoed out of the room and quietly closed the door.
"My sister has been really exhausted lately, and I feel like such a useless sister. So many things are going on, but I can't help at all. Even an outsider like Hayato-san has contributed more to the family than I have," Yukino said, sounding a little frustrated.
"Hayato-san... that's just his personality. If I'm not mistaken, he must be very tired on weekdays as well. As for you, Yukinoshita-san, it's not yet time for you to take on responsibilities for the family. It's good enough that you consider your sister in small matters," Hikigaya replied, referring to the time when Yukino brought food to Haruno. He hesitated to specify the instance, hoping it wouldn't bring back any unpleasant memories.
"I hope so. Thank you for your comfort. I feel much better now. By the way, Hikigaya-san, my birthday is in four days, on January 3rd," Yukino whispered to Hachiman, even though there was no one else around.
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