Hikigaya's Inner World of Spring

As Isshiki inched closer, every alarm in Hachiman's head was blaring at maximum volume.

Recently, the girls around him had all been acting strangely.

Could it be that this "Mini-Haruno" was about to lose her composure too?

Wait, no.

Isshiki's personality had always been this awful!

...Maybe he was just overthinking things.

"Isshiki, what... what are you trying to do?"

"Hehe, Senpai, relax~ I just need you to agree to one little thing. If you do, I promise not to show Yukino-senpai those photos of you and Saki-senpai, okay~?"

"W-what... thing?"

"Hehe~"

Seeing Hachiman's nervous expression, Isshiki's smile grew wider, her lips curling with amusement.

Hachiman tensed up. "Hurry up and say it already..."

"It's a super simple thing for you, Senpai! You just have to..."

Isshiki leaned in closer, her cherry-pink lips nearing his ear.

But just as the mischievous kouhai was about to whisper her demand, the faint masculine scent coming from Hachiman unexpectedly triggered her hormones.

Coupled with the handsome face half-hidden beneath his bangs, in that moment...

Her heartbeat quickened uncontrollably.

A wave of unfamiliar emotions surged through her.

"Compared to usual, you're way too... charming today, Senpai. I kind of want to—"

"Huh?!"

Sensing something was off, Hachiman turned his head slightly.

"Isshiki, are you okay?"

At that moment, Isshiki lost control. She leaned forward and abruptly pressed her lips against his.

Smack!

Hachiman: "???"

Isshiki: "!!!"

The sudden kiss shocked not just Hachiman but even Isshiki herself, the instigator.

Thankfully, school had ended, and no one else was around. Otherwise, the scene at the staircase would've been impossible to explain.

Recovering quickly, Hachiman pushed Isshiki away.

"Wh-what was that?! Were you trying to confess or something? Ah, sorry, sorry. You're a good person, but I already have Yukinoshita, so I can't accept you."

"...?"

Isshiki was dumbfounded.

She was shocked at herself for kissing Hachiman out of nowhere.

And even more shocked when he handed her a "good person card."

How could she tolerate this?

A mere Senpai!

Only she was allowed to hand out "good person cards"—no one else!

Furious, Isshiki wasn't about to let this slide.

"Senpai~ Don't leave just yet~"

Seeing Hachiman about to slip away, Isshiki quickly regained her composure, grabbed his arm, and clung to him tightly.

"What, are you planning to be a simp now?"

Under normal circumstances, getting rejected yet still chasing after someone would absolutely qualify as shameless behavior.

"A simp?"

Isshiki tilted her head, smiling slyly.

"No, no, no! You're wrong, Senpai~. I only kissed you just now; I didn't confess! So sticking to you doesn't make me a simp~"

"Huh?"

"Hehe~ Someone like me has a much better title, you know~"

With a devilish grin, Isshiki pressed herself closer, causing Hachiman's expression to twist in discomfort.

"...What title? You're clearly just a simp."

"Nope! I'm not a simp. I'm a blonde! Right now, I'm your blonde, Senpai~!"

"...???"

Well, the hair color checks out.

"Hehe~ Senpai, how does it feel? You have a girlfriend, but I just kissed you. Regretting it? Feeling guilty? Shall we tell Yukino-senpai about what just happened? I wonder what she'd think~"

"You..."

Though Hachiman's heart skipped a beat, he quickly composed himself.

"Did we? When did we kiss? Do you have any proof?"

"...???"

Isshiki froze.

"What are you saying, Senpai?"

"There's no evidence, right? Haha, let's see who Yukinoshita believes—me or you."

For once, Hachiman had turned the tables on the little devil.

"Ugh! Senpai!!!*"

Isshiki, rarely flustered, couldn't take the humiliation.

"Fine! If that's how it is, I'll kiss you again and take a picture this time!"

"What?! What are you planning to do?"

"Kukuku~ Don't move, Senpai. Let me take a nice photo of us kissing!"

Isshiki pulled out her phone, determined to leave evidence this time.

"Are you serious? I was just joking earlier!"

"I'm blonde now! You think I'm not serious?"

"...???"

"Senpai~, don't struggle! The more you resist, the more excited I get~ Be good and let me kiss you again~"

Seeing Hachiman try to escape, Isshiki doubled down. She was determined to get that photo.

"You... you're not actually going through with this, are you?!"

But as their tug-of-war escalated, the inevitable happened—

Thud!

Both of them slipped and fell to the floor.

Luckily for Isshiki, Hachiman cushioned her fall.

"Ugh, sorry, Senpai."

"Enough fooling around. Get off me already."

"R-right..."

Blushing furiously, Isshiki carefully got up, embarrassed by the awkward situation.

Hachiman also stood and sighed.

"Alright, what do you want from me?"

"Before that, can I kiss you one more time?"

"No! Just say what you need already!"

---

Meanwhile, if Hachiman and Isshiki had turned the corner at the staircase, they would've seen a certain Yukinoshita silently observing them.

She covered her mouth and held her breath, eavesdropping on the entire exchange.

Huh? That's it?

The hopeful Yukinoshita felt disappointed.

Wasn't Isshiki supposed to be "the blonde"?

Why'd she stop after just one kiss?

And that was only because Yukinoshita had used her "forced intimate card."

Ugh! How anticlimactic!

Of course, Yukinoshita told herself her interest wasn't personal. She just wanted more points from Isshiki, that's all.

Yeah, this was all for the points!

Yukinoshita sighed.

Well, if Isshiki wasn't going to take things further, so be it.

From what she'd seen, Isshiki didn't seem as aggressive as Yui. That meant she'd probably be easier to "deal with" later.

A small smile appeared on Yukinoshita's lips.

Ah, dear kouhai.

I really hope you step up your game and live up to your title as the blonde.

****************************

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