Hikigaya's Inner World of Spring

The sun was setting as Hachiman stood silently to the right of the vending machine, sipping the leftover MAX Coffee his girlfriend had given him.

At that moment, Yukinoshita approached quietly and lightly patted him on the shoulder.

"Finished?"

Cough, cough!

Hachiman instinctively coughed a few times, his body stiffening as if startled.

Seeing his reaction, Yukinoshita squinted suspiciously. "Hmm? Why so nervous? Could it be that you're thinking about another woman, Hachiman-kun?"

"Impossible!" Hachiman quickly retorted, swearing with utmost sincerity. "I, Hikigaya Hachiman, would never in my life do anything to betray Yukinoshita Yukino!"

Ah, such loyalty, Hachiman-kun.

But...

The thought of potentially sending her loyal boyfriend into consecutive "missions" made Yukinoshita feel a pang of guilt, as if she was letting down this resolute Hachiman.

"I was just joking." Yukinoshita's tone softened, her hand gesturing for him to come closer. "Hachiman-kun, lower your head a little."

"Huh? Why? You want to... kiss? But this is a public road."

"Who said I wanted to kiss you here?!"

Yukinoshita rolled her eyes and sighed in exasperation.

"Your hair is messy; I'll fix it for you."

"Eh?"

"No 'ehs.' Lower your head."

"Fine..."

Hachiman bent down hesitantly, lowering his head.

The breeze played with his bangs, leaving them slightly disheveled, giving him a careless look.

Yukinoshita hesitated for a few seconds before carefully brushing aside some of his bangs. When she finally saw his face clearly, her cheeks involuntarily reddened.

Then...

Yukinoshita decisively tousled his bangs again.

"Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing?!"

Hachiman immediately complained, unable to understand her actions.

"Forget it. I'm not fixing it. You... you look better with your bangs down. That way, you won't scare any passing children."

"That's so mean..."

Hachiman sighed. By now, he was used to Yukinoshita's teasing, so he helplessly adjusted his bangs himself.

Meanwhile, Yukinoshita lowered her slightly flushed face, careful not to let him see her expression.

No way... this is heading towards Hachiman becoming a male succubus, isn't it?

---

A few minutes later, Hachiman dropped Yukinoshita off in front of a luxurious high-rise hotel.

Yukinoshita currently lived alone in the penthouse suite.

"We're here."

"Mm."

Reluctantly, Yukinoshita let go of her grip around Hachiman's body and got off the back seat of his bicycle.

Even now, her feelings about Hachiman's recent "glow-up" were extremely complicated. She was happy, of course, but also incredibly worried.

"I'll head home then."

Seeing Hachiman prepare to leave without hesitation, Yukinoshita hesitated for a moment before instinctively asking, "Would you... like to come upstairs for a bit?"

Hachiman's expression shifted instantly. He quickly found an excuse. "No, no, staying out too late will make Komachi nag me. I'll head home now."

With that, he left without looking back.

"Huh? Why does he look so scared?"

Watching Hachiman flee, Yukinoshita was utterly confused. How could her boyfriend be so hesitant when invited upstairs by his own girlfriend?

In the entire world, only her Hachiman-kun could be like this, couldn't he?

---

[System Voice: Due to the excessive actions you took against Hikigaya Hachiman yesterday afternoon, he now harbors a significant psychological shadow. Just now, he was afraid you might try something terrifying again.]

"What? That was because of the medicine! And the effects wore off ages ago."

Yukinoshita's cheeks flushed, though she couldn't help feeling a touch of pride. Even if it had been under the influence of medicine, making Hachiman flustered gave her a strange sense of satisfaction.

But still...

"Sigh, a man without confidence is a problem. Is there a way to make Hachiman-kun more self-assured?"

[System: The host can introduce Hikigaya Hachiman to more women. The more sheets he tears, the more experienced he'll become. Confidence will come naturally.]

"??"

As expected, she should never ask this ridiculous system for advice.

---

Later, at the Hikigaya household:

"I'm home."

"Welcome back, Onii-chan!"

As soon as Hachiman entered, he spotted Komachi in the open kitchen. She was wearing an apron and cheerfully waving a spatula at him.

Since their parents were often away on business trips, only the siblings lived at home.

Hachiman muttered a faint "Mm" in acknowledgment, inwardly noting how adorable Komachi looked as usual. He then flopped onto the sofa like a dead fish, contemplating life.

Damn it! Yukinoshita must be cooking up new ways to torment him. Fool me once, but not again.

The trauma from their last "intimate moment" was still too fresh. Now, he instinctively avoided her place, fearing she'd devour him whole.

But he couldn't keep running away like this!

Training. He had to train!

"I, Hikigaya Hachiman, will stand at the pinnacle of masculinity!"

He clenched his fists. Yukinoshita, just you wait! Next time, the one begging for mercy will be you!

"Raaah!"

"Onii-chan, are you growling like a wild animal again? So gross."

"Uh?"

Noticing his sister walking out of the kitchen with a look of disdain, Hachiman coughed awkwardly and calmly asked, "Is dinner ready?"

"Yep! We're having omelette rice tonight."

Komachi's expression instantly shifted to a cheerful smile. Her ability to change moods was truly remarkable, though she couldn't hide her deep-seated sympathy for her strange older brother.

---

The two siblings sat down for dinner.

"Hey, Onii-chan, how far have you and Yukino-nee gotten?" Komachi asked casually mid-meal.

"How far...? Just the usual."

"Eh, such a vague answer. I'm really worried, you know? You can be so dense sometimes, like a dead fish with no adaptability."

"Hah?"

Come on! Your brother is plenty clever! How else would I have tricked Yukinoshita into dating me?

"Hehe~ But don't worry, Onii-chan. With such a cute and capable little sister, I'll make sure your future is nothing but happiness!" Komachi grinned, her tiger tooth gleaming. "Did I score some big sister points just now?"

"Out with it. What do you want?"

Used to her antics, Hachiman continued eating his tomato-laden omelette with resignation.

Komachi giggled mischievously. "Well, you see, when I was out shopping with Yui-nee earlier, I secretly snapped a picture of her lingerie. Let me tell you, Yui-nee sure has more, uh, assets than Yukino-nee..."

Komachi's eyes sparkled as she nudged him suggestively.

"??"

Are you trying to tempt me?

No way! Hachiman remains unwavering in his loyalty to Yukinoshita!

His face grew serious. "Hand over your phone. Secretly taking pictures like that isn't right. Delete it now!"

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

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