The restaurant dimmed again. The hum vibrated low, pressing against their ears.
The voice spoke:
"Next question: Why did Haruno Yukinoshita put her feelings away for Hachiman Hikigaya?"
The table stiffened.
"Wha—?!" Yui squeaked. "That's… way too personal!""Ohhh, now we're digging deep," Haruno said, her smile foxlike. "Careful, Yukino-chan. You might not like this one.""Stop talking," Yukino snapped.
Everyone began throwing guesses.
"…Because she was bored," Iroha said flatly."Because she's twisted," Yumiko muttered."Because she wanted to torment her sister!" Ebina guessed gleefully."Because the elder sibling must sacrifice romance for honor," Zaimokuza intoned.
Haruno laughed at each one, amused. "Wow, you all think so highly of me."
But the voice cut them off.
"Only one person here holds the correct answer."
Everyone turned toward Hachiman.
His stomach dropped. "…Oh, come on."
"Hikki-kun," Haruno purred, resting her chin on her palm. "Let's see if you really understand me."
The restaurant went quiet.
Hachiman exhaled, staring down at his hands. His voice was steady, but low. "…It's two reasons."
Everyone leaned in.
"…First," he said, "you saw how much Yukino loved me. And you weren't the kind of person to steal that away from her."
Yukino jolted, her eyes widening.
Haruno's smile softened — just faintly.
"…And second," Hachiman continued, "you're the Yukinoshita heir. You've got responsibilities, obligations, an image to uphold. You knew that chasing feelings like that was impossible for you. So… you put them away."
Silence.
Then the voice spoke.
"Correct."
The restaurant seemed to hold its breath.
Haruno chuckled low, her grin smaller, more tired than usual. "…Tch. Nailed it, Hikki-kun."
"H-hey, wait," Yui said, looking between them. "That's… really sad, actually.""Yeah," Kawasaki muttered, frowning.Ebina tilted her head, pouting. "Ugh, I wanted it to be something juicier.""…That was obvious," Yukino said sharply, though her trembling hands betrayed her.
Haruno leaned back, her smile playful again — but her eyes gleamed faint with something else. "See, Yukino-chan? He really does get me."
"Shut up," Yukino hissed, her face pale.
The voice returned, calm and final.
"Reward granted: Perfect Memory Recall. Recipient: Hachiman Hikigaya."
Hachiman blinked. "…What?"
Haruno smirked. "Ohhh, how perfect. Now you'll never forget a single thing said in here. Every detail. Every embarrassing moment."
"…Kill me," Hachiman muttered.