Chapter 357: Romance Amateur
"......"
The air inside the tent fell into a brief silence after Yukinoshita Yukino's words subsided.
"What, you can't do it?"
After waiting for a long time without a response from Hikigaya Hachiman, Yukinoshita's gaze toward him gradually became dangerous.
"Of course, it's no problem..."
Hachiman's face twitched slightly. He hadn't expected Yukinoshita to make such a request. He couldn't understand why she felt the need to take precautions against something he hadn't even considered...
"You took too long to answer. Next time, please respond within three seconds.
Also, have you settled things on Yui's end?"
With one arm folded in front of her, Yukinoshita—who wasn't sure if she should sit back down or keep standing—asked another crucial question.
"As for Yuigahama, I haven't told her yet..."
Hachiman guiltily avoided Yukinoshita's sharp gaze. According to Komachi's original plan, he was supposed to secure Yuigahama Yui first, and then, after the two of them reached an understanding, find a way to persuade Yukinoshita Yukino. But as things had developed, the so-called plan had completely shattered.
"Is that so? If it's Yui, she might readily agree if she hears that I've consented..."
Hearing that Yuigahama Yui was still in the dark, Yukinoshita breathed a sigh of relief while simultaneously calculating the possibility of persuading her. But as she thought, she suddenly realized something was wrong.
"Why do I have to help you pursue Yui?"
She had only just barely agreed to Hachiman's request to date, yet here she was, turning around and strategizing for him on how to expand his harem to include Yuigahama Yui. Was she an idiot?
"Well, about that..."
Hachiman smiled apologetically, not knowing how to answer. After all, from start to finish, he had never asked for Yukinoshita's help in pursuing Yuigahama; her words just now had been entirely spontaneous...
"Wait, if you put it that way..."
Yukinoshita, realizing that helping Hachiman pursue Yuigahama was a subconscious impulse, fell into thought.
"If the person you had confessed to first was Yui, that girl would probably be helping you conquer me too, wouldn't she?"
"Probably..."
Hachiman coughed twice to ease the current awkwardness.
"Not 'probably,' but 'definitely,' right?"
Yukinoshita looked at Hachiman—newly confirmed as her boyfriend—and let out a light sigh while holding her forehead. In the end, had she fallen for him long ago?
"Take me back."
After staying quietly in the tent for a while, Yukinoshita requested that Hachiman send her back to the hospital. After all, neither her mother nor her sister knew about her kidnapping. Since she had disappeared so suddenly, they were likely extremely worried, and might have even mobilized a large number of people to search for her.
"Okay."
Hachiman had no objections to Yukinoshita's request. He walked over to her and, under her startled gaze, scooped her up by the waist and held her in his arms.
"!"
The moment Hachiman touched her waist, Yukinoshita's body stiffened abruptly, then relaxed again. She believed Hachiman wasn't the type of guy to get "handsy" the moment they started dating. Recalling the abilities Hachiman had displayed and combining them with their current posture, a bold guess surfaced in her mind.
"You're not planning to fly me back, are you?"
Yukinoshita's tone carried a hint of both fear and excitement. Even she had dreamed as a child of a prince riding a Pegasus to take her away.
"I can't fly yet, but I can manage to stay airborne for short bursts."
As he spoke, Hachiman carried Yukinoshita out of the tent. Passing through the temporary camp set up by the Inari foxes, everyone seemed to have known beforehand what had happened in the tent and chose to ignore them.
Being seen in a "princess carry" by others—even if the observers were a pack of foxes—still made Yukinoshita feel very shy. Fortunately, Hachiman's movement speed was very fast. In just a short while, they had left the camp.
Hachiman exerted force for a leap from the ground, quickly jumping onto a nearby high-rise that hadn't collapsed. Yukinoshita only felt the whistle of wind in her ears before a warm shield appeared in front of her.
Looking at the windproof barrier constructed with spiritual energy around his body, Hachiman breathed a silent sigh of relief. If he were alone, he naturally wouldn't need such a thing. But now that Yukinoshita was in his arms, he needed to pay attention to all the things he usually ignored.
Ten minutes later. In front of the hospital building.
Taking advantage of the lack of passersby, Hachiman landed slowly on the ground with Yukinoshita.
"Well then, I'll head back first."
Although she said those words, Yukinoshita didn't leave immediately after being released from Hachiman's embrace. She was waiting.
"Ah, then... see you tomorrow?"
Hachiman, who had absolutely zero experience in love, said his goodbye just like usual and turned to return to the plaza.
"Sigh..."
Yukinoshita, having completely given up hope on this "blockhead" Hachiman, reached out helplessly and grabbed him back.
"You're leaving, and you don't have anything else to say?"
"No."
"....."
Looking at Hachiman's blank stare, Yukinoshita felt equally bewildered. This guy's emotional intelligence was practically zero—why did he have the nerve to confess to her and declare he wanted at least three girlfriends?
"If you don't have anything, then never mind."
Although she really wanted to tell Hachiman what couples should do when parting, after all, she had only just agreed to the confession today.
"Maybe next time."
She kept whispering this to herself in her mind. Yukinoshita, who was also not quite mentally prepared, let go of Hachiman's sleeve. After smoothing out the wrinkles, she announced he could go.
"I'm going then?"
Prompted by Yukinoshita, Hachiman—vaguely sensing he really should have done something—asked tentatively.
"Just go already!"
A trace of inexplicable anger rose in her heart, and Yukinoshita pushed Hachiman's back, shooing him back up into the sky.
"Whew..."
Watching Hachiman's silhouette as he took off and departed, Yukinoshita, who had experienced too much this night, finally breathed a sigh of relief. However, just as she turned to return to her father's ward, she suddenly saw her sister standing behind the glass doors of the hospital entrance, staring at her with a beaming smile...
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