One day in February.
With the free paper now finished, peace and quiet finally returned.
The three of us—me, Yukinoshita, and Yuigahama—were savoring the simple pleasure of reading books, drinking tea, and eating snacks in the clubroom, chatting peacefully.
I closed the book, intending to take a break from reading.
Then, I casually glanced towards the two of them.
Suddenly, I made eye contact with Yukinoshita.
...For some reason, it feels like we've been making eye contact a lot lately. Is it just my imagination, or is it? Ugh, I can't just talk to you honestly!
Yukinoshita averted her gaze from me, looking around a little unnaturally, and eventually her eyes settled on the computer on the desk.
She closed the book, which was wrapped in a cute cat-themed book cover, and then suddenly lifted her head.
"Now that you mention it... I haven't checked the Chiba Prefecture-wide advice emails recently."
"Oh, you're right. I've been really busy lately."
Yuigahama's face shows surprise.
Since around autumn, at Professor Hiratsuka's suggestion—or rather, instruction—or rather, command, I've been receiving advice requests via email. I still can't quite accept the title, though...
Lately I've been swamped with creating that free paper I mentioned earlier, or rather, I really have been swamped. I want to completely abolish canned food. Oh, canned food as a food source is fine as it is. To be precise, I want to completely abolish house arrest and confinement. But if I do that, I'll never finish my work. It's an endless loop ☆
Ah, that's why I hadn't been able to check my email.
"...Well, I guess I'll have to check it out..."
He opened the laptop with the sluggish movements of Sloth.
"Why does it seem so troublesome...?"
Seeing my movements, Yukinoshita put her hand to her temple in exasperation. Nekopedia, you like that gesture, don't you?
"Um... what's this? I got an email from PN: Seeking Constructive and Concrete Proposals. ...What's with this stiff name? Yukinoshita?"
The moment I called her name without thinking, Yukinoshita flinched for a second. Huh? What's wrong? Sorry for calling you out of the blue.
"...That can't be true."
"Well, that makes sense. And the main text is..."
"I have a slight, or rather, very slight, worry about a part of my body. Some people might not notice it, but I have a close friend who is tall, and because I'm always around him, I'm all the more conscious of it. Considering the genetic aspect, there are tall people in my family, so I had some expectations, but at this age, being this size is making me feel somewhat despairing. I would really appreciate any advice you can offer."
"..."
"..."
Yui and I fell silent.
I'm doing my best to avoid looking to the left. Hmm, that's strange, the screen looks blurry?
"Hmm, I see. First of all, the fact that they haven't directly written about the core of the problem suggests they're quite embarrassed, even if it's just in an email. We need to start by discussing what they're talking about. In any case, it looks like we'll need to take some measures that can be implemented over time."
...He's become incredibly talkative...
"...No, Yukinoshita..."
"Yukinon..."
"?what happened?"
Don't tilt your head with that nonchalant expression. It's cute, isn't it?
"...I can't believe it, but... this is Yukinon."
"Why do you think that?"
I crushed it pretty quickly.
Huh, she has the same cheerful expression as before. She's so cute. Why is there such a biting cold now?
Yuigahama, your icy gaze is making me want to cry! Stop it! Please stop!
"...This is definitely about breasts..."
I mustered up the courage to say it.
...She looked down.
So that's why you were looking around so strangely earlier... You wanted me to notice... your email, didn't you...?
As sadness welled up and I clutched my chest, Yukinoshita looked up. Why do you have such an unnecessarily dignified look on your face? Is it Shigure?
"It could be their height, you know."
Seriously? To play dumb at this point is almost refreshing in a strange way.
I exchanged a quick glance with Yuigahama and thought about what to do.
After a few seconds, they both seemed to have an idea of how to shake each other, and nodded in agreement.
With a vacant, unfocused gaze, I make the first move.
"...Hinata-san...is it..."
There was a clunking sound. Looking to the left, I saw that Yukinoshita had flinched in a very unnatural way.
"Why is my sister's name here? This isn't me, is it? First of all, it only says 'family'."
Are they still going to hold on...?
Go, Yuigahama!
Bitch type
Egao PP99
Big breasts PP99
Kuukiyomi PP35
Yuru Yuri PP99
Damn, I can use almost any move I want. When I hear "Air Reader," I think for a second it's an air throw and expect it to be an attack!
"Hehe, close friends..."
A cruel yet innocent taunt, naturally picking out Yukinoshita's affection for Yuigahama from the content of her emails.
Of the techniques mentioned above, it would be "Egao"!
"Uh, well, no, I mean, we're not exactly close..."
"Eh... Yukinon..."
"Oh, no, well, that's..."
"...Oh no..."
Yuigahama's eyes well up with tears. She casually grabs Yukinoshita's sleeve.
Go, go further. You can use Yuru Yuri 99 times too.
"Well, I mean, this isn't really about you..."
"Fuguu..."
Yuigahama is on the verge of tears without really listening to what Yukinoshita is saying. That's good, keep it up! ...Wait, she's doing that on purpose, right?
"Well, no, I do consider you a friend. But, well, I just can't help it here..."
He's panicking so much he's practically confessed. He's totally self-destructing.
"Uh, uh..."
Hey, Yuigahama, are you doing this on purpose? Or are you serious? Hey, Yuigahama-san?
"...Yuihama-san, you are my friend, no, ...my best friend..."
I admitted it☆ That I had written something embarrassing, and that I was the one who sent the email.
As soon as Yukinoshita spoke haltingly, Yuigahama's eyes lit up.
And then came the relentless hugging spree.
"Yukinon, I love you so much!!"
Are you Ponyo? I think the most shocking part of that movie is the scene where she casually scurries across the waves, what do you all think?
Hachiman loves holidays, Komachi, Totsuka, and free food!
After enjoying the relatively intense yuri between the two, I decided to get to the bottom of the matter.
"...Why would you do something like this?"
It feels like Yukinoshita has been cornered on a cliff. A bit like Eiichiro.
In response to my question, Yukinoshita, still looking down, clenched her hands tightly on her thighs and replied.
"...There's no way I could say that directly...!"
Upon hearing this, Yukinoshita covered her face with both hands.
Stop, don't let out a sob. The last time I saw that scene, it was a much more emotionally moving scene... It was one of the best scenes ever...! This sobbing reminds me of Hiratsuka-sensei somehow...! I'm crying for two different reasons, and for two different reasons in total...!
To be continued.