Chapter 304: Volunteer Work
"Give it up, there's no escaping. After all, Komachi already sold you to me."
Gripping Hikigaya Hachiman's collar, Hiratsuka Shizuka dragged him back to her side.
"I wasn't planning on running away. Besides, human trafficking is illegal, isn't it?"
"That's hard to say. After all, you're someone who has brushed against that side of the world. You should know very well how things that are forbidden on the surface operate in the shadows."
"...Are those really words a teacher should say to her student, Hiratsuka-sensei?"
Seeing that Hiratsuka Shizuka had zero self-awareness as a teacher, Hikigaya Hachiman couldn't help but retort. Nearby, Yuigahama Yui watched the two of them with a look of utter confusion.
'How strange.'
She understood every single word in their conversation, but she couldn't understand the meaning behind them at all when they were put together.
"Well, in any case, I'll be counting on your hard work!"
Because Yuigahama Yui was present, Hiratsuka Shizuka didn't let her true nature fly too wildly. Using the same method she used with Komachi, she patted Hikigaya Hachiman's shoulder as a form of encouragement, then leaned against the car's hood and lit a cigarette.
However, Hiratsuka Shizuka had only taken a few puffs before a sharp gaze pierced her. Simultaneously, Hikigaya Hachiman's voice rang in her ear again.
"There's still a student of yours right next to you. Is it really okay to make a student breathe secondhand smoke?"
"Tch, what a pain..."
At Hachiman's reminder, Hiratsuka Shizuka's body stiffened. A look of annoyance, reminiscent of a street delinquent, flashed across her face as she stubbed out the freshly lit cigarette.
"So, are we waiting for anyone else?"
Based on Hiratsuka Shizuka's act of lighting a cigarette, Hachiman judged that there must be people who hadn't arrived yet. But that wasn't the main point. The main point was...
"What exactly are we going to do next?"
Saying he was "sold" by Komachi was just a joke, but the fact that he had been press-ganged into service was very real. Therefore, before being sent to some "black-hearted factory" by Hiratsuka Shizuka, he at least ought to know what kind of work he was doing.
"It's not actually grueling work. I just need you all to act as volunteers and look after some children for a few days."
"Children?"
At the mention of those sensitive words, Hachiman's eyebrows twitched.
If every child in the world were as well-behaved and sensible as Kawasaki Saki's younger sister, Keika, or as Sakura, he would naturally have no complaints about the task assigned by Hiratsuka Shizuka.
But unfortunately...
Most of those so-called "children" were troublesome brats. To have him look after a group of kids for several days...
"I just remembered I have something I forgot to do. I'll be heading back now."
Without a moment's hesitation, Hachiman turned around, ready to make a break for it. However, Hiratsuka Shizuka flashed in front of him, blocking his path.
"Heading back? Where do you think you're going? Komachi already put all your personal belongings in my car last night~"
"!"
.
.
.
"Good morning, Hiratsuka-sensei."
Yukinoshita Yukino, dressed in a short one-piece dress due to the hot weather, arrived at the meeting point. At a glance, she saw Hikigaya Hachiman squatting by the roadside with a lifeless, half-dead expression.
Although she was curious about why Hachiman looked this way, her good upbringing led her to greet Hiratsuka Shizuka first.
"Oh, Yukinoshita, you're here."
Since she couldn't smoke, Hiratsuka Shizuka was substituting with a lollipop. She greeted Yukino with a smile while biting the end of the stick.
"Is there anyone else?"
Looking around, Yukinoshita Yukino saw no signs of other students besides Hikigaya Hachiman and Yuigahama Yui, which made her feel a bit puzzled. After all, according to what Hiratsuka Shizuka had said before, they were going as volunteers to look after a group of elementary schoolers attending a summer camp.
If there were only the three of them, wouldn't they be shorthanded?
"Don't worry, there are a few more, and they're all people you know. Looking at the time, they should be arriving soon."
"I see, that's a relief then..."
Hearing that there were more volunteers, Yukinoshita Yukino breathed a sigh of relief. While she was very confident in her own abilities, having too few hands was still a headache.
"Yukinon~"
Yuigahama Yui watched Yukinoshita Yukino and Hiratsuka Shizuka talk with longing eyes. As soon as the two finally finished their conversation, she immediately pounced forward.
"Good morning, Yui."
After spending some time together, Yukinoshita's way of addressing Yuigahama Yui had upgraded again. Hearing Yukinoshita use such an intimate name, Yuigahama Yui was instantly overjoyed, hugging Yukino's arm and nuzzling against her.
"What a blooming lily flower."
Squatting by the road and watching the atmosphere around Yuigahama Yui and Yukinoshita Yukino turn orange, Hikigaya Hachiman couldn't help but comment.
"What, are you jealous?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka, who also found the scenery a bit glaring, walked over to Hachiman's side to tease him.
"What is there to be jealous of?"
Hachiman looked at Hiratsuka Shizuka wordlessly.
"Fair point. After all, those two toward you..."
Hiratsuka Shizuka nodded in agreement. Just as she was about to say more, she suddenly saw several figures walking toward them from the end of the road.
"Sorry, we aren't late, are we?"
Hayama Hayato wore his usual smile that was designed to gain favorable impressions, yet the three members of the Service Club ignored his existence entirely.
"Ah, I didn't expect we'd have to be with them."
In contrast to Hayama Hayato's slight guilt over potentially being late, Miura Yumiko felt her mind go into a tailspin when she saw her rival Yukinoshita Yukino and Hikigaya Hachiman among the group.
Opposite to Miura Yumiko's reaction, Totsuka Saika, who had been unexpectedly invited to the volunteer activity, had eyes that lit up the moment he saw Hikigaya Hachiman.
"Hachiman, good morning!"
Standing in front of Hikigaya Hachiman with his hands behind his back, Totsuka Saika greeted him with a sincere and gentle smile.
"Good morning, Totsuka-kun..."
Looking up at the halo around Totsuka Saika that was more dazzling than the sun itself, Hikigaya Hachiman felt as though his eyes were going blind. Hurriedly standing up, Hachiman stiffened his face and responded to Totsuka's greeting with utmost seriousness.
"Haha, I didn't expect Hachiman to participate in the volunteer work too."
Totsuka Saika was immediately amused by Hachiman's reaction. He naturally leaned in closer to Hachiman's side and lightly patted Hachiman's firm chest a few times.
What Totsuka Saika saw as a normal greeting between friends immediately drew the gazes of two females present.
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