The evil spirit on the highway had only been a minor episode. After picking up Komachi and returning home, Hikigaya Hachiman's life once again returned to its peaceful routine.
Every day passed in an orderly rhythm—commuting to and from school, having lunch with Yotsuya Miko and Yurikawa Hana, lazing around in the Service Club in the afternoon, then focusing on first-year science subjects at home in the evening.
This peaceful life continued until Thursday afternoon, when a small disruption occurred.
"Yukinon, help me…" On Thursday afternoon after school. As usual, Hikigaya Hachiman pulled out a book and got ready to slack off on the side.
Suddenly, Yuigahama Yui, who was sitting next to Yukinoshita Yukino, let out a pained wail and turned to her pleadingly.
"Before every exam at Sobu High, the teachers always tell us what the test covers." "If you had just paid attention in class, Yuigahama-san, you wouldn't need to panic ." Yukinoshita didn't even lift her gaze from her book, showing no intention of humoring her.
"But I didn't pay attention in class at all!" Yuigahama clutched her head, shaking back and forth with a hopeless expression.
"Then why didn't you listen in the first place!?" Veins popped on Yukinoshita's forehead as she finally snapped the book shut and glared at Yuigahama with a look of utter disappointment.
"Well… you see…" Yuigahama turned her head away, unable to meet Yukinoshita's eyes.
"In that case, good luck to you, Yuigahama-san." Yukinoshita had a pretty good idea of what Yuigahama's classroom habits were like. She stood up, about to leave.
But Yuigahama clung tightly to her waist and wouldn't let go.
"Please, Yukinon! Save me! Hiratsuka-sensei said if I fail even one subject this time, I won't be allowed to join club activities again until I pass the make-up exam!" "Let go of me!"
Being grabbed like that in front of Hachiman, Yukinoshita's face turned bright red, especially when she felt Yuigahama's soft grip around her waist.
After struggling briefly and realizing she couldn't shake Yuigahama off, she sighed and agreed to tutor her.
"Thank you, Yukinon!" As soon as Yukinoshita agreed to help, Yuigahama's gloomy face instantly lit up.
She stood up and clung to Yukinoshita's arm, rubbing her cheek against it.
"Oh, right! Hikki, do you want to join too?" Still caught up in the joy of being saved, Yuigahama suddenly remembered that she wasn't the only academically weak member of the club.
"If it's just about passing, I think I'll be fine." Hikigaya Hachiman, still reading, answered calmly. He had started his last-minute cramming way earlier than Yuigahama.
After many nights of studying, he had managed to grasp most of the science material. He might not get a high rank, but passing should be no problem...
"I remember someone's science scores were terrible, though." Suddenly, Yukinoshita interjected with a jab. Her intent was blatantly clear, without even a hint of subtlety.
"Fine, so this place is now a study club?"
With a sigh, Hachiman closed his book. Seeing that Yuigahama had already been "bribed" by Yukinoshita's tutoring, he knew it was now two against one. He had no choice but to go along.
"The Service Club's room is reserved for club activities. If we're going to study, we need to find a different location." Yukinoshita firmly rejected the idea of turning the clubroom into a cram school.
"Oh, I just thought of the perfect place!" Yuigahama suddenly clapped her hands, drawing both of their attention.
Twenty minutes later, at a bubble tea shop near the school...
"This is your 'perfect place'?" Looking across the table at Yuigahama sipping bubble tea, Hachiman asked flatly.
"Yeah, isn't it?" Yuigahama tilted her head with innocent confusion, not understanding what Hachiman was unhappy about.
"It's very quiet inside. Actually, aside from us, there's no one here. It's quite suitable for a study session." Looking around, Yukinoshita nodded in approval and took a sip of the tea Yuigahama had bought for her.
"Hey, don't get bought off by a single cup of bubble tea!" Hachiman looked at her, exasperated.
"But this is still a bubble tea shop—it usually gets a lot of foot traffic. Even if it's empty now, it'll get noisy later, right?" Hachiman made one last attempt to resist.
"Oh, don't worry. A new bubble tea shop opened nearby, so this one has barely had any customers lately…" Just as Yuigahama finished her sentence, Hachiman thought he heard a loud crash come from the counter.
Next thing he knew, a stylish older woman—clearly the shop manager—stepped into view and shot him a look full of resentment.
...Sorry. Locking eyes with the manager briefly, Hachiman quietly lowered his head in shame.
"One original milk tea, please." Perhaps driven by guilt, Hachiman—who had only ordered ice water at first—added a cup of bubble tea to his tab.
"Coming right up~" As soon as she heard the order, the manager's cloudy expression turned into a bright smile, and she cheerfully returned to the counter.
"Hmph!" But just then, Hachiman heard a cold snort next to him.
When he turned his head, he saw Yukinoshita glaring at him with an icy expression for no apparent reason. Yuigahama, too, puffed up her cheeks angrily.
"Did I do something wrong...?" Blinking in confusion, Hachiman had no idea what he had done to upset them.
"Your milk tea is ready~" Since it was the only order in the shop, the manager herself came out from behind the counter to personally deliver the drink.
That was as far as it went. After handing him the milk tea, she walked away with the crisp clack of high heels echoing behind her.
Taking the drink, Hachiman inserted the straw and took a sip. It was actually pretty good...
He nodded in satisfaction without thinking— Only to feel a chilling presence rising from across the table.