Chapter 8: After all, my relationship with him is wrong.

Swimsuits. They are the devil’s raiment—garments that lay bare all those bits and pieces usually kept hidden from the world.

"Yukinon, hurry, hurry!"

"Yes, yes."

The morning sun reflected off the river's surface, sparkling brilliantly. The water was shallow, reaching only about mid-thigh.

Yuigahama-san, clad in a blue swimsuit, beckoned me over with a wide wave. With every movement, her ample chest swayed and bounced. Even without her trying to flaunt them, they carved a sense of defeat into my very soul. They were, quite literally, a non-humanitarian weapon.

"Take this, Yui-san!"

"Kyaa! You asked for it, Komachi-chan!"

A cheerful-looking Komachi-chan looked wonderful in her pale yellow swimsuit. I waded toward the two of them as they playfully splashed water at each other. Even with a pareo covering my body, I felt a certain resistance toward exposing so much skin. However, not bringing a swimsuit wasn't an option. Yuigahama-san had asked me, after all. As Yukino Yukinoshita, I simply couldn't refuse.

I waded through the river, the water chilling my legs.

"...Oh?"

Before I knew it, the two energetic girls had vanished from sight. I picked up my pace, moving further down the river. Eventually, I heard a familiar low-pitched voice mingling with high-pitched, girly tones. Peeking from the shadow of a tree, I saw Hikigaya-kun facing the two girls in their swimsuits. Scratching his cheek awkwardly, Hikigaya-kun spoke to Yuigahama-san.

"Uh, well, you look... nice. It suits you."

"R-really? ...Thanks."

Hikigaya-kun complimented Yuigahama-san’s swimsuit with a slight flush on his face. ...What is this? I can feel the "youth romantic comedy" waves radiating from them. I marched toward them.

"Hikigaya-kun, please stop exposing that disgusting, creepy smirk of yours. I’ll report you to the authorities."

Hikigaya-kun turned around and froze the moment he saw me. His face, much like before, was tinged with a reddish hue.

"...J-just how long do you intend to keep staring?"

When my pareo, which had been fluttering in the breeze, settled back into place, Hikigaya-kun finally averted his gaze.

After a brief, awkward silence, Hiratsuka-sensei, Miura-san, and Ebina-san appeared from the direction we had come.

Hikigaya-kun stood there, transfixed by the sight of one beautiful woman after another appearing in their swimsuits. I felt like he was acting more like a "youth romantic comedy protagonist" than ever before.

While I watched Komachi-san and Yuigahama-san splashing each other joyfully a short distance away, Miura-san approached me unnoticed. Since I had made her cry yesterday, it was a bit awkward. However, Miura-san marched up to me as if she hadn't a care in the world about yesterday's events, looked down at my chest, and muttered:

"Heh. I win."

This girl... She went right for my complex! Even though she’s the one who cried so easily after being out-argued! Even though she was being soothed like a baby by Yuigahama-san, whom she usually treats so condescendingly!

After venting a string of insults in my head that were quite uncharacteristic of Yukino Yukinoshita, I looked forward. I saw Hikigaya-kun looking at me with what could only be described as eyes of pity.

"Look, uh... based on your sister, the potential is there, so..."

"That's right, Yukino-san! Please, don't lose hope!"

The Hikigaya siblings offered their words of consolation. As Hikigaya-kun finished speaking, the corner of his lip curled up slightly. That clumsy, forced smile he wore to "comfort" me was somehow incredibly infuriating.

"S-stop mentioning my chest any further. To begin with, I find nothing but cognitive dissonance in the extremely masculine value system that attempts to determine a woman's worth based on the size of her breasts. Why can you not understand that being trapped in such binary thinking—comparing 'small' versus 'large'—is a shameful thing in itself? Well, Hikigaya-kun?"

When I glared at him, Hikigaya-kun muttered something about "never actually saying the word 'chest'" and retreated dejectedly.

"Yukinoshita, you still have a future ahead of you. It's not time to be pessimistic yet."

"It's okay, Yukinon! You're cute even if they're small!"

Even Shizuka-sensei and Yuigahama-san joined in to encourage me. What is this? Is my chest really something that warrants such pity and "encouragement"? Everyone’s forced smiles are painful. If anything, I feel like I've lost even more confidence...

Later, after finishing our conversation with Rumi-san by the riverside, we reaffirmed our resolve to save her. The stage for our plan was the elementary schoolers’ highlight event: the nighttime test of courage.

Just like in the original story, Hikigaya-kun came up with a solution—or rather, a way to dissolve the problem.

The gist was this: during the test of courage, the high schoolers (like Hayama-kun) who had been friendly with the kids would suddenly change their attitude and intimidate Rumi-san’s group. Driven into a corner by the people they trusted, the children would reveal their ugly true natures. They would shift blame and hurl insults at one another.

Through such internal strife, their unstable "friendship" would be destroyed at its foundation. Once that happened, the social hierarchy around Rumi-san would collapse, and the toxic atmosphere surrounding her would vanish.

"If everyone becomes a 'loner' (bocchi), there won't be any more conflicts or trouble," Hikigaya-kun said.

His words carried a strange weight.

Before our eyes, Rumi-san’s group was being threatened by Hayama-kun and the others. In the pitch-black forest, only the trembling voices and sobs of the frightened children echoed.

"It starts now."

"Yeah. We’re going to wreck the relationships surrounding Rumi Tsurumi."

They were already scared enough, but the real performance was just beginning. We were about to deliver the final blow to the terrified children.

"Now, choose the one who stays behind. Hurry up."

Hayama-kun coldly told them that he’d forgive half of them for their attitude, but the other half had to stay. The first person they threw under the bus was, as expected, Rumi-san. Hayama-kun’s expression turned bitter—a look I had seen before—before quickly returning to a mask of indifference. However, besides her, they needed two more victims.

"It’s Yuka’s fault!"

"No! Hitomi was the one who started it!"

"Stop it already! Let’s just all apologize..."

The children’s ugly dispute intensified, their sobbing echoing through the silent night forest.

"...It's about time."

"Wait."

As Hikigaya-kun prepared to step out and reveal the ruse, Yuigahama-san gently caught his sleeve.

"Five, four, three..."

"Um..."

Rumi-san raised her hand. It happened the moment Hayama-kun turned his gaze toward her during the countdown. A flash streaked through the darkness. A torrent of light filled our vision. The sound of a camera flash. Then, Rumi-san’s voice, urging her classmates to run away.

"...Did Rumi-chan just save everyone?"

"...Yeah."

"Maybe they were actually friends after all?"

Yuigahama-san spoke with a hint of happiness. But surely, that wasn't it.

"Something that can't exist unless you're putting someone else down can't possibly be 'genuine' (honmono)."

Hikigaya-kun denied it, sounding vexed. But he didn't stop there.

"...But, if you know it's a sham and you still feel like reaching out your hand... then I guess that's 'real' in its own way."

"...I wonder if that's true."

Hearing the slight longing in his voice, I couldn't help but project myself onto his words. I am a sham. A "fake" Yukino Yukinoshita. Even so, if I keep reaching out for something genuine, will I one day be able to accept this "me" as my true self?

I remembered Hikigaya-kun’s words from before. He told me that my smile was "the real thing." To be honest, I don't know what his intention was. Maybe it was just because it felt more natural than my sister’s terrifyingly perfect smiles.

Looking at his back as he stood there, I felt a sudden urge to ask him. Could I ever become "real," or would I remain a "fake"? I wanted him to pass judgment on me.

Afterward, we enjoyed the campfire for a bit, and my Service Club summer came to an end. There was plenty of summer vacation left, but for me, it was over. The reason was the event at the very end of this camp.

Shizuka-sensei’s car, carrying us just as it had on the way there, arrived at the school. Waiting for me there was the exact same car from the time of the accident.

"Hello, Yukino-chan. I’ve come to pick you up."

My sister’s declaration signaled the end of my summer.

But that wasn't the main issue. I turned around to check the reactions of Hikigaya-kun and Yuigahama-san.

...Ah, just as I thought. Hikigaya-kun had an expression that was a whirlwind of shock, disappointment, and something even more complex. I knew exactly what that disappointment was directed toward. Yuigahama-san, too, wore a face that looked like she was suppressing a different set of complicated emotions.

"..., Goodbye, Hikigaya-kun, Yuigahama-san."

The door closed, and the limousine pulled away quietly.

Ah, it’s all following the original story with agonizing precision. At the end of the camp, Hachiman Hikigaya realizes that the owner of the car that hit him belongs to the Yukinoshita family. In that moment, he is betrayed by the image of a "spotless, innocent Yukino Yukinoshita" who never tells a lie.

The fact that Yukino Yukinoshita—who was a sort of ideal for him as someone who hates falsehoods and loathes deception—had been keeping a secret. And more than anything, his disappointment in himself for projecting those ideals onto her.

Because of those complex emotions, the distance between the two would grow. But this was surely my punishment for failing to prevent that accident. I looked back on it. On the misunderstanding of that day. On my mistake.

I remember that accident well. There was no way I could forget it. It happened when I was in the car driven by the Yukinoshita family driver, Tsuzuki, on my way to my first day at Sobu High School.

In the seat of that smooth-riding luxury car, I was barely containing my excitement for the moment to arrive. After all, this was nothing less than the moment the story begins—the start of the ties that bind the members of the Service Club. Furthermore, I was actually going to meet Hachiman Hikigaya and Yui Yuigahama. As a fan, I couldn't afford to miss it.

The limousine moved forward, unaware of the incident ahead. The school route in the early morning was deserted. The view from the rear window was monotonous.

Just as I began to feel a slight drowsiness, it happened. It was sudden. A dog darted out in front of the car, which was traveling at exactly the speed limit of sixty kilometers per hour. Tsuzuki slammed on the brakes; my body jerked forward, and the seatbelt tightened against me. But my eyes stayed glued to the front.

In the moment the limousine was about to hit the dog, a boy stood in the way of the small shadow. Hachiman Hikigaya, holding the dog, trying to escape the car. But he wouldn't make it. The car was too fast. —It was then that I finally realized my mistake.

"—Tsuzuki!"

the limousine had too much momentum to avoid a collision with the boy. At this rate, it might actually kill him.

The blood drained from my face. That’s right. Where was the guarantee that he wouldn't die in this accident? Why was I so certain that the story would unfold exactly as I knew it? The high-pitched screech of the brakes rang out. I watched the outcome as if praying.

In the end, Hachiman Hikigaya was seriously injured, but his life was not in danger.

However, this accident was more than enough to correct my perception. These people weren't "characters." They are alive, right here. How could I have failed to realize something so simple? I am living in this world, too.

Why did I believe that Hachiman Hikigaya would be able to attend Sobu High with all his limbs intact after being hit? I could have simply said something to the driver, Tsuzuki. I could have changed the time we left, or told him to be careful on the way. There were countless ways to prevent it.

And yet, I had neglected such a grave matter for the ridiculous reason of wanting to see a "key scene" from the original work.

As I watched the fallen Hachiman Hikigaya from inside the car, I realized my sin. In a sense, from that very moment, my relationship with him was wrong.