Chapter 11: Faster Than Flipping a Book
Shizuka left, Hachiman didn't leave, but he gave the impression he was about to leave.
Reading comprehension test: What do the three instances of "left" in the above sentence respectively mean? What kind of emotions do they express from the protagonist?
Hayashida noticed that ever since Shizuka left, Hachiman's expression kept shifting—sometimes fierce, sometimes obsequious—as if he had split personality disorder. It was clear the problem was indeed serious.
"Anyway, have a seat first." Hayashida gestured for Hachiman to sit down, and for the sake of the Wish Power Points, he even personally moved a classroom chair for him.
"Thank you." Hachiman was somewhat stiff, his voice sounding unnatural. After seeing Hayashida move the chair for him, he became even more apprehensive, hurriedly taking the chair and sitting down.
It's worth mentioning that Hachiman placed his seat very far away, almost at the other end of the classroom, as if only this distance could make him feel secure.
Yukino merely glanced at Hachiman before seemingly losing interest in him. After Shizuka left, she focused entirely on the book in her hands, showing no intention of making small talk and leaving all matters to Hayashida.
After all, it was Hayashida who wanted him to stay.
Yukino even entertained the mischievous thought—if she told Hayashida right now that the person sitting nearby was one of the "culprits" who had caused him to suffer undeserved misfortune, she wondered what kind of expression would appear on Hayashida's face.
Of course, she only thought about it in passing, because compared to Hachiman, she was the direct culprit who had caused Hayashida to lie at home for two weeks.
Speaking of which, the composition of her club members was just too strange. From the president to the two members, everyone was connected to a car accident. Rather than being the Service Club, it now seemed more like an accident liability assessment team organized by the traffic police?
"Speaking of which..."
Hearing Hayashida speak, Yukino appeared to be reading on the surface, but in reality, she was secretly pricking up her ears. The content of the book could be read anytime, but the interesting scene unfolding before her was a rare sight.
Judging from his earlier behavior, it seemed Hachiman had already recognized Hayashida. After all, aside from glancing at her when he entered, his attention had mostly been focused on Hayashida.
Not that Yukino was boasting, but she considered herself an exceptionally beautiful girl with strong appeal to the opposite sex. Under normal circumstances, any straight guy would pay more attention to her rather than Hayashida beside her.
Based on this alone, she could conclude that Hachiman had recognized Hayashida. As for whether Hayashida had recognized Hikigaya...
Yukino narrowed her eyes slightly and finally stopped observing covertly. Instead, she pretended to be thirsty and took the opportunity to drink tea, openly observing Hayashida's expressions and movements while also listening to how he intended to carry out Hiratsuka-sensei's request.
"Speaking of which, Hikigaya-kun, do you know what kind of club this is?"
"Socialization training camp?"
"Hikigaya-kun, do you think you're a cat or a dog?"
"Sorry, I'm human." Hachiman promptly apologized to his instructor, indicating that he preferred to remain human.
So he actually knew the correct way to say my name! Which meant he was deliberately getting it wrong earlier, right? This is bullying, isn't it? This is absolutely bullying!
Hearing this, Hayashida nodded. No issues with self-awareness, able to communicate normally - this request shouldn't be too difficult.
"So may I ask what club this is?" Hayashida asked again.
This time, Hachiman didn't joke around. His brain started working rapidly, and suddenly noticing the book in Yukino's hands, he immediately had an idea.
"Is this the literature club?"
"Oh... why do you think that?" Hayashida asked with interest while confirming to himself that the other possessed normal logical thinking abilities.
"Because it doesn't require special environments or equipment, and having too few members won't lead to club dissolution. In other words, this club doesn't need funding. Plus, I saw her reading earlier, so the answer was obvious from the start."
The more Hachiman spoke, the more confident and certain he became, as if possessed by some glasses-wearing elementary school student, just missing the classic "There's only one truth!" line.
"Congratulations... you're wrong."
When Hachiman heard the word "congratulations," a victorious smile had already appeared on his face. However, the following "you're wrong" made his smile freeze in place.
If I got it wrong, why congratulate me in the first place?
Hachiman strongly suspected that the other had already recognized him and was now just "toying" with him using these methods, just like a demon.
"Need some hints?"
See, this kind of tone that tempts people to gradually fall deeper - if that's not demonic, then what is?
"Supernatural Research Club?" Hachiman thought it was perfectly fitting for a demon to be in the Supernatural Research Club, since both Hayashida and Yukino beside him had looks so extraordinary they hardly seemed human.
Yukino, needless to say, was widely regarded as the top beauty of Soubu High School, while Hayashida was so handsome that even Hachiman, a fellow male, had to admit it.
As everyone knows, when one man compliments another's looks, it means he's genuinely good-looking.
"Hmm, that's somewhat close." Surprisingly, Hayashida didn't refute Hachiman's assumption.
After all, the Wish Power System and supernatural abilities could probably be considered paranormal, right?
"This is not some research club," Yukino interjected from the side, unable to stay silent any longer. She had no intention of letting her club be misunderstood as something vague and meaningless.
"Su-supernatural research society!"
"Wrong! Hmph, how could such a thing exist in this world? How old are you..." Yukino shot Hachiman a look full of disdain.
Sorry, but on this point, I'm with Hachiman.
Hayashida silently cheered for Hachiman in his heart, though outwardly he still sided with his club president.
"I give up, I can't guess at all." Hachiman decided to end this pointless guessing game. After all, he had joined the club without even knowing what it was about—all because of that woman's fault!
Hayashida glanced at Yukino, his expression clearly asking—should you explain, or should I?
Yukino Yukino let out a sigh and spoke in her cool, clear voice: "The affluent, out of compassion, offer aid to the less fortunate—this is what we call public service. Providing assistance to developing nations, serving meals to the homeless, helping boys with poor luck with girls to converse with them—reaching out to those facing difficulties is the purpose of this club's activities."
As she spoke, Yukino rose from her seat and walked to the center of the classroom, looking down at Hachiman from a superior vantage point, like a lord addressing a newly arrived serf: "Welcome to the Service Club. I am not pleased to have you join."
"Um... shouldn't it usually be 'Glad to have you join the club'? Slip of the tongue?"
"No, I meant it literally."
After saying this, Yukino sat back down, then with a completely different demeanor, like a lord addressing their most trusted subordinate, she said gently to Hayashida, "I leave it to you."
Hachiman witnessed for the first time in his life what it meant for someone to change their expression faster than turning a page.