Chapter 192: New Year, Snowflakes (Long Chapter)
Hachiman carried his school bag toward the school. Under the gaze of many students, he walked into the classroom with his usual unenthusiastic dead-fish eyes. He opened the door, walked to his seat as always, shoved his books into the desk drawer, and expertly pulled out a book to read.
The autumn sea breeze was cold. Dry leaves fell from the tree branches, forming colorful lines on the ground. Clouds gathered in the sky to keep each other warm. Everyone was wearing the autumn school uniform—a black vest over a white sweater, paired with black trousers or short skirts—looking neat and proper.
The classroom atmosphere today was a bit different. Hachiman noticed it the moment he walked in. The silence was eerie. Everyone was watching him as if they were looking at a rare panda.
Hachiman had arrived a bit late. There were only five minutes left before the first period began. Aside from Saki, who was always late, it seemed everyone was already present.
Hachiman knew why. Because besides looking at him, everyone was also glancing toward the bespectacled figure in the bottom left corner of the class.
Ebina was chatting with Yumiko and Yui with a calm smile. Beside her stood Hayama and Tobe, who chimed in occasionally. Her old-fashioned glasses covered much of her face, but even so, her appearance surpassed most of the other girls.
When she wasn't in Fujoshi-mode and was just being quiet, Ebina really did look perfect, beautiful, and very popular—the quintessential dream girl.
With the caveat, of course, that she wasn't in Fujoshi-mode.
The news about Ebina confessing her love to Hachiman was becoming known by more and more people.
Hachiman looked in that direction, and the people there happened to look back at the same time. Tobe gnashed his teeth at him, Hayama gave a strained smile, Yumiko's gaze was complicated as if she wanted to say something, Yui puffed out one cheek in anger while glaring at him, and Ebina...
"Ah! Hikigaya-kun, you're finally here!" Ebina stood up excitedly, waving her hand with a flushed face.
"!!!"
Hachiman immediately looked away and lowered his head, pretending he hadn't seen anything. He picked up a pen, read his book seriously, and began taking notes. His movements were performed in one smooth sequence.
However, his eyes weren't focused on the book at all.
Seeing Hachiman ignore her, Ebina puffed out her cheeks cutely under the watchful eyes of the class. She grabbed a carton of milk from her desk, ignored Yumiko and Yui's attempts to stop her, and walked over to the empty seat in front of Hachiman. She placed the milk in front of him and said with a sweet smile, "Hikigaya-kun, good morning."
Hachiman stared at her. "..."
Ebina's expression didn't waver. She repeated, "Hikigaya-kun, good morning."
"...Good morning," Hachiman finally replied. His dead-fish eyes scanned the shocked expressions of his classmates without any energy before returning to Ebina. "Is something wrong?"
Don't you feel awkward at all? We're in the middle of class! Tobe is glaring at me with pure rage! And Yumiko—her look says she wants to kill me! And Yui looks like she's actually mad! Do you see this? Do you see this!
Ebina said with a smile, "It's nothing. I just wanted to say hi to Hikigaya-kun."
Hachiman answered stiffly, "Ah. Oh." What did this woman actually want?
A blush appeared on Ebina's face as she asked, "Have you had breakfast yet, Hikigaya-kun?" she seemed stuck in a strange state.
"...I've eaten."
"I see. Well then, please take this milk, Hachiman-kun." Ebina placed the milk in his hands shyly.
Hey, didn't I just say I've already eaten? Why are you still giving me milk?
Hachiman looked at the breakfast milk in front of him with a feeling of helplessness. The pink packaging with a strawberry illustration left no doubt—it was strawberry flavored, the kind girls usually liked. His gaze was complicated; he didn't quite understand this behavior.
"...Uh, thanks."
In any case, this was a gift given by a girl in public, and considering the confession incident, Hachiman accepted it.
In the end, he could only conclude that Ebina's actions were a continuation of the charade; Tobe apparently still hadn't given up.
"No need to thank me, no need at all. Well... that's all. Hikigaya-kun, I'm going back now."
Without waiting for Hachiman's reply, Ebina ran off with a bright red face. She truly looked like a pure girl who was embarrassed in front of the person she liked and didn't dare stay a moment longer.
Everyone else: "!"
To be honest, they were jealous!
They really didn't expect Ebina to have such a pure side. Was this really the same Ebina who was a Fujoshi!
But the jealousy didn't quite take hold; the gap between them and Hachiman was just too large. Before, they could at least compare grades, but now they couldn't even do that.
Hachiman looked at the milk on the desk, hesitated for a moment, then picked it up and put it in his desk drawer. He took out his earphones and put them on, continuing to read his book seriously.
—Even if there were only ten minutes left, he had to study properly.
The classroom atmosphere didn't return to normal after Ebina went back to her seat; instead, it became even more deathly silent.
Hayama smiled awkwardly, intending to break the ice, but at that moment, the classroom door was slid open.
Slide!
In that tense atmosphere, everyone—except for one individual concentrated on his book—turned simultaneously like sunflowers seeking the sun.
Kawasaki Saki, who had arrived late: "!!?"
What happened? Am I late again? But the teacher isn't even here! Don't look at me like that, I'm scared~
Not long after, Shizuka came into the classroom carrying her lesson books. She felt puzzled as to why the atmosphere was so strange today, but she didn't think too much of it. The first period of the morning began.
As the lesson progressed, the atmosphere finally returned to a relatively normal level.
Hachiman took off his earphones, took out the necessary textbook, and followed the lesson seriously.
At noon, he went to the Service Club to eat lunch with Yui and the others.
In the afternoon, he packed his bag and went home.
Time passed slowly in this repetitive and peaceful life.
...
November, December, January... time flew by. The Service Club continued as usual, and Akishin continued living the life he wanted.
After the School Trip, the Service Club received another request. They got to know a junior named Isshiki Iroha, whom they had met a few times before, and successfully helped her become the new Student Council President.
From then on, Hachiman gained a junior who often sought him out under the guise of wanting help to chase Hayama—though anyone with eyes could see that Iroha liked Hachiman; Hayama was just a tool.
The relationship between Akishin and Shizuka developed normally. Chishima Izakaya operated for three days and closed for two. Yuika, Kaiko, and the others' grades continued to improve. Life was always surrounded by happiness...
Hachiman and Soichi still received training from Akishin almost every day. Soichi also participated in a district-level kendo competition and won the championship easily.
The Service Club received new tasks again...
Christmas arrived...
The Service Club received another task—making chocolates. Shizuka specifically made "love chocolates" for Akishin...
At the end of December, winter break began.
In the winter when snowflakes fluttered through the air, Yui confessed her love to Hachiman.
Hachiman said yes.
Since then, the two of them were together.
After Ebina found out, she cried her heart out, then sincerely wished them well. Isshiki Iroha also cried, shouting that in the future she would get Hachiman drunk to force a situation and launch a counter-attack to take the position.
Yukino also felt a bit sad, but not overly so. One reason was that Akishin had resolved her heart's troubles early on and corrected her thinking, so the conflict between her and her sister wasn't as heavy.
Secondly, she and Hachiman hadn't gone through events as deep as those in the original story. She had feelings of "like" for Hachiman, but those feelings were intercepted by Yui before they could turn into "love."
Thirdly, Hachiman wasn't the same Hachiman as in the original work...
Finally, one more point should be added: though not explicitly stated, Shizuka and Akishin could be considered Yukino's supporters. Because of this, Haruno had been scolded several times by Akishin, leaving her in no mood to cause trouble.
—In truth, high school romance wasn't that complicated. Their futures were still long, their mentalities were still growing, and they still had many chances to choose the path ahead.
Hachiman and Yui always stayed by Yukino's side. The three of them continued to carry out their philosophy in the tiny Service Club...
...
January 1st, New Year's Day—the Japanese New Year.
But today wasn't that date yet.
In the morning, Akishin opened his eyes around seven o'clock. He smelled the familiar scent of lavender and felt the all-too-familiar tingling numbness in his arm—Shizuka was leaning against his chest, sleeping soundly with a peaceful face.
Gently lifting Shizuka, he pulled his arm out and waited a few minutes for the tingling to fade and for sensation to return. Akishin slowly sat up in bed and leaned against the headboard.
His movements were expert, natural, and harmonious.
Dim light filtered through the window. The sun was beginning to rise over the horizon, illuminating the small, warm bedroom.
The bookshelf beside the bed was filled with manga and game discs. On the writing desk opposite, various financial management books were scattered. The lounge chair in the corner was sunken in the middle. The cables from two game controllers were tangled together on the floor...
Even though the wind and snow blew outside the window, the room remained as warm as spring.
The air conditioner was working hard.
This was Shizuka's room. Last night, after drying Shizuka's hair, he had ended up sleeping here because he was used to it.
It was winter break now, so there was no need to wake up early. Chishima Izakaya had been closed for three days. Yuika, Kaiko, Mitsuha, and Soichi had left Chiba two days ago to return to Itomori to prepare for the New Year. Hachiman, Saki, and the others had also been given time off—at least, they didn't need to come to the Izakaya until school started.
Yesterday and the day before, Akishin had taken Shizuka to Tokyo. This time they had played to their hearts' content, seeing many sights and eating lots of delicious food...
He picked up his phone from under the pillow. The background image was a photo of the "Starry Sky" he had taken with Shizuka. The time was 07:15, December 31st.
Tomorrow was New Year's Day, and tonight was New Year's Eve.
"Akishin~, I want dumplings this morning~"
A lazy, alluring voice sounded beside him. Shizuka was actually already awake; she had woken up when Akishin sat up, she just didn't want to open her eyes, let alone get up.
To keep Akishin's body heat under the covers, she pulled the blanket tighter and curled up, inhaling the familiar, soothing scent of the man next to her. Her movements were like a cat's, showing an even more comfortable smile.
Setting the phone down and looking at Shizuka in the dim light, Akishin reached out to pinch her soft cheek and smiled warmly. "Shizuka-chan, no sleeping in today. We have to go get New Year's supplies, clean the house, visit the neighbors... Basically, there's a lot to do today."
"Then I'll get up after you finish cooking~ I'll sleep for ten—no, thirty more minutes~ Ehehe~"
Shizuka insisted on not getting up.
"Fine, sleep a little longer." Akishin's face was full of affectionate smiles. He opened the blanket slightly to get out of bed, then tucked her back in, changing from his pajamas into loose house clothes.
Crack~ crack~
He stretched, and the bones in his body let out small cracking sounds. It felt refreshing.
"Sleep well. But when I call you, you have to get up. Otherwise, I'll come up there to get you myself."
The phrase "come up there to get you myself" meant using hands that had been soaked in freezing winter water and sliding them directly under the covers to press against her warm body...
—Please imagine the sensation for yourself.
In any case, the last time Shizuka had experienced it, she had given Akishin the cold shoulder for an entire day.
Sure enough, hearing this, Shizuka flinched, nearly jumping out of bed, and immediately snapped her eyes open.
Gaze—Anger—!~
"Hahaha, I'm heading out. What kind of filling do you want? Cherry blossom, or should I make wagyu beef? Pork is good too..."
Akishin kept his mischievous grin as he walked out of the room and closed the door.
The room became silent again. The warmth under the covers remained. Shizuka pulled the blanket close once more, basking in her lover's affection with a smile.
This was a life she would enjoy for as long as she lived.
After breakfast, Akishin and Shizuka changed into thick clothes and headed out. Accompanied by snowflakes, they bought plenty of New Year's supplies and gift boxes, distributing them to every house along the street and receiving many return gifts in kind.
After that came the cleaning. From the tables and chairs to the beds and cabinets, from the floor cracks to the ceilings, from the backyard to the attic—front and back... In the end, they were busy from eleven in the morning until three in the afternoon before everything was done. The entire house looked brand new.
They both took a good hot bath, changed out of their dirty clothes, and leaned against each other while drinking tea.
"Akishin, Dad called. He hopes we'll come home to celebrate the New Year together," Shizuka said suddenly, holding her teacup as the steam rose.
In front of her were freshly cooked rice cakes—pure white and steaming hot, resembling the white world outside.
Chiba was completely white now. It had snowed heavily last night as if to welcome the New Year. Stepping outside this morning, the uncleared snow in the deepest spots could reach your ankles.
It was beautiful, gorgeous, and hadn't caused any disasters. Chiba had truly seen enough misfortune this year, but now it was finally passing.
Akishin looked confused. "I know about that. Didn't we already agree?"
A week ago, her parents had called asking them to come home, saying the family should be together to welcome the New Year.
Shizuka took a piece of rice cake and popped it into her mouth, followed by a sip of tea. She smiled mischievously. "But I turned him down."
"...Did something happen?"
"No, I just refused to go home today." Shizuka's face flushed slightly as she explained with a smile, "I plan to go home tomorrow. I want... our first New Year's Eve together... to be spent just the two of us. We'll go to the house tomorrow."
"Is that okay?"
Shizuka asked expectantly, her voice carrying a hint of anxiety mixed with thick happiness. Her lively eyes looked at Akishin with deep love.
Akishin felt his face redden slightly under her gaze. He coughed once, then smiled. "Of course it's okay. In fact... that was exactly what I was hoping for, haha."
He drank his tea and took another rice cake, tasting the sweetness of happiness after the bitterness slowly spread—a joyful smile he couldn't hold back...
He and Shizuka looked at each other. They kept staring until their eyes narrowed into crescents, and then they both let out a small laugh.
"Hahaha..."
There was no specific way to explain just how happy they were. They were just... very happy.
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