Chapter 6: Watching the scene, Yukino Yukinoshita remembers.

『—But, your smiling face is completely different from your sister's. Yours... how do I put it... it feels like something genuine』

"Uuuuuu..."

『—But, your smiling face is completely different from your sister's. Yours... how do I put it... it feels like something genuine』

"Waaaaah! Idiot! Numbskull! Hachiman! Why do you say things like that so bluntly without blushing when it actually matters?! You’re usually so socially awkward! Even though you still get caught staring at my beauty from time to time! What am I supposed to do with these feelings after thinking you were actually kind of cool for a second?! Argh!"

That night, in the privacy of my room, I spent a good deal of time cursing Hikigaya-kun.

By the time the humid, stifling heat became truly unbearable, the first semester of school had ended, and the students had plunged into their long-awaited summer vacation.

A high school summer vacation is a precious time, irreplaceable by anything else. Youths living out their "Springtime of Life" try to enjoy every day to the fullest, as if mourning the passage of their most joyous moments.

Some travel to far-off places with friends. Some enjoy their long break in solitude. Others relish secret trysts with their lovers. There are many ways to enjoy it.

As for me, I spent most of this precious summer vacation at home. Between finishing summer assignments, previewing the second semester, and reviewing the first, the sun would set before I knew it. Playing the role of the "honor student," Yukino Yukinoshita, is no simple feat.

However, this desperate struggle to keep up appearances will only last until my second year of high school. Once the story reaches its conclusion, I think I’ll stop playing "Yukino Yukinoshita" just a little. I want to put some distance between myself and my current family—and perhaps even the Service Club—to re-evaluate who I am. If I do that, I wonder what will actually be left of me.

“Hey, Yukinoshita, we’re almost at the destination. Are you awake?”

I was pulled back to reality by Hiratsuka-sensei, who was behind the wheel. I had been closing my eyes, lost in thought. While it’s good for clearing one's head by blocking out external information, it isn’t ideal to lose awareness of those around me. Showing such vulnerability to others is hardly like Yukino Yukinoshita.

Just as before I closed my eyes, there was a weight on my lap. Looking down, I saw Yuigahama-san sleeping soundly, her head resting on my knees.

Her face, relaxed in sleep, looked even more innocent than usual. When the car first started, Yuigahama-san had been chatting incessantly, but after thirty minutes, she began to doze off, eventually slumping powerlessly onto my lap.

“Wake Yuigahama up, too.”

“Yes... Yuigahama-san, wake up.”

I felt a bit guilty since she looked so comfortable, but I called out to her while lightly tapping her slender shoulder. She muttered something incoherent before squeezing her eyelids shut again. Perhaps I should try a different approach.

“Ahem... Yui! How long do you plan on sleeping?! You’re going to be late!”

“Gah! Thanks, Mom! ...Wait, what?”

Yuigahama-san bolted upright, looking around frantically. Once she realized the situation, her face turned bright red.

“Yu-Yukinon, that was mean!”

“It’s your fault for not waking up the first time.”

“No way... wait. Yukinon, did you just call me Yui?”

“It must have been your imagination.”

Yuigahama-san stared at me with sparkling eyes, so I quietly averted my gaze.

“Hey, hey! Say it again! Try calling me Yui!”

“You’re being persistent, Sleepyhead-Gahama-san.”

“The 'Yui' part disappeared?!”

To escape Yuigahama-san, who was persistently pestering me for a repeat, I turned my gaze out the window. The lush, green natural scenery flowed past. Ah, it really feels like we’ve come to a summer camp.

After getting out of the car, we joined Hayama and the others to receive an explanation of the activity from Hiratsuka-sensei. Apparently, she wanted us to help with the miscellaneous chores for an elementary school field trip.

Hikigaya-kun had those rotten eyes that suggested he was thinking about how troublesome it was or how much he didn't want to do it, but after a single glare from Hiratsuka-sensei—who seems capable of reading his thoughts—he let out a resigned sigh.

In truth, even if it was "miscellaneous chores," it’s not as if we’d be working around the clock. They even gave us time to play in our swimsuits, so it’s actually quite reasonable. I should thank Hiratsuka-sensei for providing this opportunity.

Afterward, the work helping with the field trip continued for a while.

“Yuigahama-san, you rotate the pear. If you do it that way, you’ll shave off sixty percent of the fruit again.”

“Hmm. But I watched how my mom did it...”

“So you only watched...”

“Hikigaya-kun, you’re quite skilled. That’s surprising.”

“I’ve put in the work to hone my skills as an aspiring full-time househusband. Leave it to me.”

“Even so, I am better.”

“Don’t just casually carve a rabbit. This isn't even an apple.”

While chatting with Yuigahama-san, Hikigaya-kun, and Komachi-san, I peeled pears to distribute to the children.

“Yuigahama-san, didn't I tell you this during the cookie-making session? No unnecessary 'secret ingredients.' If you understand, put that peach away. Where did you even get it?”

“Yukinon, you’re so efficient.”

“If you live alone, you learn to do at least this much.”

We also made curry, just like the elementary schoolers.

As we did, the cracks among the children began to show. At a glance, they seemed to be getting along harmoniously. But among them, there was one girl who was clearly not part of the circle—or rather, she was being excluded. Her name was Rumi Tsurumi. She was a girl with beautiful black hair.

Whether walking down the path or during meals, she was clearly alone within her group of five. It was a scene that felt strangely like déjà vu.

An exclusion so blatant that even we, the high school outsiders, could notice it. It wasn't a pleasant thing to witness.

Perhaps unable to bear watching her, Hayama spoke to the girl while the groups were making curry.

“Do you like curry?”

That was likely his way of reaching out. However, seeing that, I couldn't help but sigh.

“A bad move.”

Hikigaya-kun muttered, as if in agreement. She was just like my past self. That was my honest impression as I watched Rumi Tsurumi freeze in discomfort after being addressed by Hayama.

Rumi Tsurumi coldly turned her face away from Hayama and left the spot. It was only natural. When a person in the shadows is suddenly hit by the spotlight of a popular person, the only action they can take is to run away. Hayama watched her go with a troubled smile and went back to entertaining the other four girls.

Before I knew it, she had come near Hikigaya-kun and me. She didn't speak to us, but Rumi Tsurumi stopped in our vicinity. Three loners had gathered. Naturally, no conversation occurred.

My gaze drifted toward Hayama, who was raising his voice in the sun.

“Alright, since we’re at it, let's add a secret ingredient! A secret ingredient! Anyone have something they want to put in?”

When Hayama asked, the children began shouting their suggestions. At that moment, the unpleasant glares that had been fixed on Rumi Tsurumi vanished. As expected, they are quick to switch gears.

“Me! I think fruit would be good! Like peaches!”

Amidst the children's voices, Yuigahama-san shouted out. The surrounding elementary schoolers looked stunned. Her ideas really are on the level of a primary school student. After being lectured by a wryly smiling Hayama, Yuigahama-san slumped her shoulders and trudged back toward us. Seeing this, Hikigaya-kun spoke in an exasperated tone.

“Is she an idiot...?”

“Truly, nothing but idiots...”

Surprisingly, Rumi Tsurumi reacted. Her cold voice contained a level of hatred and resignation unbefitting a child.

“That’s just how the world is. It’s better that you realized it early,” Hikigaya-kun replied in a gloomy voice.

Rumi Tsurumi turned an evaluating gaze toward him.

“Your name.”

“Huh?”

“Your name. What is it?”

I found myself interjecting at her overly insolent attitude toward Hikigaya-kun.

“If you are going to ask someone's name, shouldn't you introduce yourself first?”

When she met my eyes, Rumi Tsurumi looked frightened. Eventually, she began to mumble her name.

“...Rumi Tsurumi.”

“I am Yukino Yukinoshita. That over there is Hachiman Hikigaya.”

“You’re treating me like an object... Yeah, and that one over there is Yui Yuigahama.”

“What is it? What happened?”

Having caught wind of the conversation, Yuigahama-san approached. Unintentionally, the Service Club’s hearing with Rumi-san had begun.

“—I’ve already given up on elementary school. Everyone is just a brat anyway. So, I’ll just get through it on my own, and then when I get to middle school, I figured I can just make new friends.”

She spoke with a resignation unusual for a child. About her current despair. About her hope for the future. But I know. I know there is a fatal flaw in that blueprint.

“It won't happen that way. As clever as you are, surely you realize it? Even when you become a middle schooler, your current relationships won't just end. You’ll enter middle school carrying the negative legacy of elementary school, and then the new people will just join in on the exclusion and bullying.”

Hearing my words, Rumi-san looked down and bit her lip. Seeing her like that, my past self overlapped with her.

I, too, couldn't make any friends in elementary school. Everyone around me was a child; if I accepted a perfect test score with a composed face, I was called a smug, unpleasant person. If I bluntly turned down a confession from a boy, I was told I was acting "high and mighty."

I thought it couldn't be helped. I had become the existence known as "Yukino Yukinoshita." I had to be a perfect, solitary human being. Thinking that, I let the slander and libel flow past me.

But that didn't mean my heart—which is common at its core—wasn't wounded. The vulgar insults written in textbooks. Hidden indoor shoes. The water-drenched bathroom stalls. The mockery and the badmouthing. I remember every single bit of it. I only realized after being born into this body how painful it was to be the target of human malice.

Rumi-san confessed her story. How she had once excluded a friend herself. How, before she knew it, she was the one being left out. How the secrets she told her friends were turned into jokes behind her back.

Yuigahama-san spoke kindly to the girl as she spoke in fits and starts. However, we outsiders cannot provide a fundamental solution. Hikigaya-kun likely understands this as well. He had a complicated expression, deep in thought.

“In middle school... will it turn out like this again?”

Rumi-san said, as if stifling tears. There was no one who could answer that question.