"We should go take some purikura before we head back."
"Eh... Purikura?"
Upon hearing Hachiman's suggestion, Mafuyu felt a bit intrigued.
In Japan, taking sticker photo is quite popular, as many people enjoy keeping handwritten journals—the kind that you carry around.
The size of the purikura is just right for decorating journals.
Although smartphone photography has become increasingly advanced, printing photos from your phone requires a trip to a specialized print shop, which is far less convenient than getting sticker photo.
Especially among high school girls in Japan, close friends often go to take them almost every week.
"Sure, let's go take some!"
In the end, Mafuyu nodded in agreement.
Seeing her response, Hachiman smiled and took her hand.
"Then let's go!"
...
When they reached the third floor of the arcade, they were greeted by numerous purikura lined up everywhere.
They chose a purikura and stepped inside.
Typically, these booths are enclosed, as many people like to strike funny poses while taking photos, which can feel quite embarrassing in front of others. Being in a small booth eliminates that concern.
However, while the booth isn't too cramped, once they stepped inside, they found themselves almost pressed against each other. Hachiman could even catch a whiff of the delicate orchid-like fragrance coming from Mafuyu.
Mafuyu noticed this too and could feel the warmth radiating from Hachiman's body.
"Let's start taking the pictures quickly," she said, her face flushing slightly.
"Yeah, sure," Hachiman replied with a smile.
They struck their poses, and with a click, the photo was taken.
Moments later, the pictures emerged from the machine.
However, upon inspecting them, Hachiman frowned. Neither of them had smiles, and it looked rather stiff.
"Let's try again."
"Okay."
Mafuyu also didn't object, clearly unsatisfied with the previous photos.
This time, both were ready, sporting gentle smiles on their faces.
With another click, the picture was taken once more.
This time, the photo turned out really well.
Hachiman, with his multiple high-level enhancements, had his features adjusted to perfection. Though it was just a slight smile, it looked completely natural, with no sense of awkwardness.
As for Mafuyu, even without Hachiman's enhancements, she was a natural beauty. The corners of her pink lips curled up in a delicate smile.
If other boys in school saw this smile, they would surely be mesmerized.
But unfortunately for them, this smile belonged solely to Hachiman at that moment.
Looking at the printed sticker photo, Mafuyu beamed with satisfaction.
"It turned out great!"
Hachiman leaned over to see the sticker in her hand and nodded with a smile. "Indeed, my Mafuyu is very beautiful."
Hearing this, Mafuyu shot him an annoyed glance. "Shameless! Who's yours?"
"Of course, it's you! Once you're in my grasp, you can't escape," Hachiman teased.
However, Mafuyu looked a bit worried. "Who can say for sure about this? There's quite an age difference between us."
After all, beauty fades over time. In her mind, a high school student like Hachiman, in his teenage years, could easily be attracted to pretty girls.
She might be captivating now, but what about later…?
"It seems you still don't trust me, Mafuyu."
Hachiman seemed to sense her thoughts and shook his head in exasperation.
"In that case, let me give you a stamp for assurance."
Mafuyu looked puzzled. "A stamp? What do you mean…"
Before she could finish her question, she felt Hachiman's face draw closer.
In the next moment, a familiar warmth enveloped their lips again.
In the small space, the two huddled closely together, their heartbeats merging as if they could feel each other's feelings at that moment.
Ah... this feeling... so reassuring...
Mafuyu slowly closed her eyes.
So, Hachiman wasn't lying to me.
...
Monday.
Their date yesterday had concluded smoothly; they both had a great time. After Hachiman proved his sincerity, Mafuyu finally felt a sense of relief.
At Sobu High, Class 2-F.
The classes for the day had ended, and Hachiman and Yui were packing their belongings, preparing to head to the student council room again.
"Let's go, Hikki."
Yui said with a smile as she slung her backpack over her shoulder.
"Yeah, let's go," Hachiman replied, putting the last book into his bag and standing up.
Just then, the classroom door burst open, and Iroha rushed in, looking flustered.
"Senpai, it's bad! Something's happened!"
"What's wrong, Iroha-chan?" Yui asked quickly, noticing Iroha's urgent demeanor.
Instead of explaining, Iroha grabbed Hachiman's hand.
"There's no time to explain; you need to come with me now!"
With that, she pulled Hachiman along and dashed out of the classroom.
Yui, seeing this, hurriedly followed.
Under Iroha's guidance, the three of them made their way down the hallway.
Hachiman finally asked, "Iroha, what's going on? Can you give me a brief explanation?"
As they walked, Iroha's expression grew serious.
"The planning for the graduation ball has been disrupted. We have a rather troublesome guest."
A troublesome guest?
Hachiman raised an eyebrow at this but chose not to press further.
Before long, they arrived at the meeting room, led by Iroha.
"Excuse us."
After politely knocking, the three stepped inside.
Upon entering the meeting room, they found Yukino already there, looking like she had been waiting for some time.
Next to her sat a rather composed Shizuka.
However, the meeting room didn't contain just the two of them; seated across from them were two other familiar figures.
Seeing their faces, Hachiman raised an eyebrow.
Before him were two faces that shared a striking resemblance with Yukino, about seven parts similar.
Indeed, these two were Yukino's older sister, Haruno, and the recently met Mrs. Yukinoshita.
With Hachiman's arrival, the atmosphere in the meeting room grew even more tense.
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