Hikigaya Challenges Kakegurui

203 Yumeko: Don't do anything weird to the bathwater~

"I'm out of strength~ Can you give me a push from behind~?"

Hachiman Hikigaya groggily opened his eyes and found himself lying on his own bed. Instinctively, he supported his slightly sore lower back, his mind blank. Did he… have a long dream?

In the dream, it seemed Yumeko and Haruno-san were playing Landlord with him. He was the landlord, and Yumeko and Haruno were the peasants.

Perhaps to avoid waking up Yukino in the neighboring room, during the card-playing phase, Haruno was kneeling on the bed with her black hair in her mouth, making whimpering noises. In the end, Hachiman lost to the two peasants and lost a huge amount of "Joy Beans" (game points).

Hachiman rubbed his temples. If that wasn't a dream, then what was? The scenario was way too ridiculous... Running to Haruno's place in the middle of the night just to play cards?

When he tried to recall what happened earlier, things started to blur.

It seemed he had been taking a walk by the river with Yumeko? And then they returned home to sleep?

Next to him, Yumeko was wearing pajamas and lying peacefully beside him. A glistening strand of drool hung from the corner of her mouth, as if she had fallen into deep sleep from sheer exhaustion.

"This is... rare," Hachiman thought. He had never seen Yumeko asleep before. Every time they shared a bed, Yumeko was always the first to wake up.

Looking at the glittering string at the corner of Yumeko's mouth, Hachiman didn't feel any impure thoughts. He just remembered seeing some posts online in anime forums—about weirdos saying things like "Drink a beautiful girl's saliva." That kind of perverted behavior was definitely not something he could do.

He got out of bed, walked in front of the full-length mirror, and stretched.

Looking at his reflection, with deep eye bags, dark circles, and a sore lower back...

Could that dream have been... real?

As Hachiman was lost in thought, Yumeko's soft body suddenly slithered up behind him like a snake. "Hachiman~ You're awake~"

"Yumeko, I didn't do anything weird last night, right?" Hachiman asked nervously. Could it be that he mistook Yumeko for Haruno-san in his sleep and had that weird dream because of it?

"Weird? Not at all~" Yumeko's delicate fingers traced lightly along Hachiman's bare upper body like feathers.

"Eh, is it 9 o'clock already?" "Yes, why?"

Hachiman caught Yumeko's mischievous hand and asked.

"Did you forget something important today, Hachiman?" Yumeko's eyes sparkled.

This was the condition Haruno had her agree to yesterday: For today, the entire day, Hachiman Hikigaya's "custody" belonged to the Yukinoshita sisters.

Hachiman hesitated. "Something important...?" He searched his mind but couldn't recall anything scheduled for today.

"I saw you chatting with someone on your phone yesterday. Want to check?"

"Ah? Sure."

Upon hearing that, Hachiman pulled out his phone, opened the messaging app, and froze as he read the messages.

[Haruno-san: Tomorrow at noon, meet at the amusement park~ Just you, me, and Yukino] [Hachiman: Okay]

"Wait… did I really send that?" Hachiman's mind blanked. He couldn't imagine why he'd agree to such a thing.

These days he'd been doing everything to avoid Yukino, and now he had agreed to go on an outing with the Yukinoshita sisters? And without Yumeko around?

Hachiman stared suspiciously at Yumeko. For the first time, he began to suspect his own partner. Could it be that Yumeko had already discovered the truth and used his sleeping state to manipulate things?

Yumeko blinked her innocent, flawless eyes.

"Well?" "Hmm… yeah, I do have something this afternoon. Going to meet some people," Hachiman said after a moment. The amusement park... the last time he went there was with Yumeko.

He never thought he'd be going again so soon, and this time with the Yukinoshita sisters.

I'm really something...

"Mhm, then Hachiman-kun should go take a hot bath first~"

"No need for that. It's a waste of water," Hachiman grumbled. He hated hassle.

But Yumeko had already anticipated that: "I already took a bath~ If you don't use it, then that's the real waste."

At that moment, Hachiman noticed through the gaps in her pajamas that Yumeko's glistening collarbone still had traces of moisture.

So Yumeko had already been awake. Hachiman nodded and chose to go along with her, pulling clothes from the wardrobe and stepping into the bathroom.

Opening the curtain, the hot water in the tub was steaming. Though normally indifferent to baths, Hachiman suddenly felt a deep fatigue and just wanted to soak and enjoy it.

From outside came Yumeko's playful voice: "Hachiman~ Don't do anything weird to my bathwater~ That would be really troublesome, and also really unhygienic~"

Hachiman was speechless, a vein nearly popping. He chose to ignore her. Sure, there were creeps online who fantasized about drinking a beautiful girl's bathwater and even offered to buy it at high prices—but Hachiman was a man of morals and a healthy mindset.

He'd never do anything that gross.

He turned on the shower, rinsed off his sticky body, washed his hair, then moved to the tub.

A pleasant scent wafted up. Among the scent of body wash, he could faintly detect Yumeko's natural fragrance—the two had completely mingled.

Hachiman shook his head to clear his thoughts. He immersed his toned body into the warm water, feeling his exhausted body quickly recover from overexertion.

After soaking for quite a while, Hachiman stood up, pulled the drain plug, and watched the water swirl away. For some reason, he felt a tinge of regret, as if he was disappointed for not having taken a sip before soaking.

Startled by his own twisted thought, Hachiman quickly turned on the cold water and washed himself again to put out the "fire."

After exiting the bathroom and finishing a simple breakfast and lunch, Hachiman said to Komachi and Yumeko: "I'm heading out. Don't wait for me for dinner unless I message you."

.

.

.

Yumeko was a cunning woman. Although she had agreed to Haruno-san's condition, it wasn't without benefit.

There was one additional clause: On the way, she would escort Hachiman Hikigaya to the maid café in the amusement park, where Yumeko would already be waiting in advance.

Yumeko just wanted the thrill. In this process, she had no intention of revealing herself to Hachiman.

At first, Haruno was unwilling to agree to such a request. But since her sister had never met Yumeko, she eventually agreed—perhaps against her better judgment.

After Hachiman left, Yumeko pulled out her phone.

[Yumeko: Honebami Onee-san, are you there now~] [Honebami: Yes, everything's ready]

204: The Plastic Sisterhood Beneath the Snow

The maid-themed café in Chiba's amusement park is actually a business owned by the Honebami family. Its daily operations are also handled by Honebami Miroslava. Of course, don't get the wrong idea.

As the manager, Miroslava does not wear a shameful maid outfit to serve those strange guests. Most of the time, she serves as a presence to maintain order. Chiba's public safety is... not exactly peaceful.

On weekends when she's free from missions, Miroslava occasionally patrols the maid café dressed in a black tight-fitting outfit, with a leather belt and knee-high boots.

Sometimes, a few otaku with peculiar fetishes will sneak longing glances at Miss Miroslava. Of course, the part they glance at isn't above the waist—it's those knee-high boots that cover most of her lower legs. Who says a maid can't be a sharp-tongued dominatrix type?

At first, Miss Miroslava would respond to those perverted stares with subtly disgusted looks.

But after realizing that such looks didn't stop them and instead seemed to excite them even more, she eventually didn't even bother showing disgust, treating them as if they were air.

Honebami Miroslava and Juraku Sachiko share similar hobbies, but with distinctions: one is physical, the other psychological. When it comes to prey that interests her, Honebami Miroslava wants to tame them, inflict physical pain, and thoroughly break them—oooh, turn them into star-particles (metaphorically). Alternatively, being dominated by someone stronger is also within Miroslava's interests.

And Hikigaya Hachiman happens to be one of Miroslava's hunting targets. Besides him, there are two others: Yor and Kirari.

Just last night, she received a message from Jabami Yumeko through the internal chat group of the Momobami clan. The general idea was that today Hikigaya Hachiman would be coming to the café with two women, and Yumeko asked Miroslava to clear the place and not let those two women notice anything suspicious—but also not let any unrelated personnel enter the café. As a reward, during this period, as long as she wasn't caught by those two women, she could toy with Hikigaya Hachiman as she pleased.

"This is really..." "Exciting."

Miroslava clenched her fists, and for the first time, took an interest in this bottom-ranked woman of the Momobami clan.

What was Jabami Yumeko's intention in doing this?

Miroslava didn't know, but the twisted psychology of offering her own boyfriend up to be toyed with by another woman really suited her tastes.

.

.

.

"Yukino, hurry up, let's go!" In the apartment, Haruno, already dressed neatly, looked at the still-hesitant Yukino with rising irritation.

"Stupid little sister, do you know how much effort your big sister put in all night to get you this opportunity? And you're still dawdling here?"

Just thinking about her efforts last night made Haruno blush. Finally, under her persistent urging, Yukino decided to take that step. After much hesitation, she changed into what she believed was Hachiman's favorite outfit and got into the car with Haruno.

"Don't worry, with your big sister here, just say whatever you want to say boldly!" Haruno drove, encouraging Yukino sitting beside her.

.

.

-

"Yo, Hikigaya, kept you waiting huh?" Haruno's face bloomed with a warm smile as she waved at Hikigaya in the distance.

She could clearly feel the hand of her little sister Yukino, gripped tightly in hers, squeeze slightly harder—a sign of nervousness.

Haruno sighed inwardly. Her sister was fine in every way, but when it came to emotions, she was a disaster. In front of Hikigaya, she was like someone with a phobia—couldn't even speak properly.

Get it together, Yukino!!

Yukinoshita Yukino looked at the Hachiman in front of her—same appearance as always: an all-black outfit that wouldn't stand out in a crowd. Black long sleeves, black pants, black sneakers...

The kind of straight-man fashion that would never go wrong, but also never stand out. The overall impression he gave was that of a homebody who didn't like going out.

Thinking of this, Yukino's nerves eased a little. At least after entering high school, Hachiman hadn't changed in a way that made him unfamiliar—he still looked the same.

"Just got here ten minutes ago."

"So, what should we do?"

Haruno quietly led Yukino by the hand to Hachiman's side, gradually narrowing the distance between the two. Hachiman saw through her little scheme but didn't call it out, handling it calmly just like they had agreed in the past. Though he felt guilty toward Yukino, he had no shameful feelings for her.

But this subtle relationship... Hachiman felt a headache coming on.

He and Haruno really were in a serious relationship, so logically, Haruno should be trying to keep Yukino away from him. Yet instead, she kept pushing her sister toward him.

At this rate, isn't this just turning into a gyudon (a bowl of rice with multiple toppings)?

"Hehe~" Haruno took out three amusement park tickets from her small shoulder bag. "Already got them prepared."

"First we'll go to the haunted house, then the roller coaster, and finally the Ferris wheel to enjoy the view. That whole sequence should get us to around 4 or 5 PM—perfect for dinner."

"Haunted house, huh?" Hachiman hesitated—not out of fear, but because of a famous theory:

The suspension bridge effect.

The so-called suspension bridge effect refers to how a person's heart rate naturally increases when crossing a suspension bridge.

If, at that moment, they happen to be with someone of the opposite sex, they may mistakenly interpret that increased heart rate as romantic excitement, and believe the person in front of them is their destined one—thus developing feelings.

Regardless of their relationship status beforehand—strangers, rivals, cold war, or budding feelings—it's a reliable relationship booster.

This really was a case of "Haruno's motives are clear to all."

Hachiman wanted to say something, but seeing Yukino's flushed face and shy demeanor with her hands behind her back, he could only sigh inwardly. He couldn't very well play the villain here, so he just pretended not to understand.

And so, under Haruno's lead, Hachiman and Yukino entered the haunted house together.

The moment they stepped inside, the atmosphere changed. Even the usually lively Haruno quieted down—the gloomy and terrifying environment thoroughly suppressed her. As for Hachiman and Yukino, both were rational materialists.

Once they confirmed that the ghosts in the haunted house were just actors, their fear became negligible.

The suspension bridge effect didn't work well on the two of them. Instead, it was Haruno...

Hachiman glanced at the silly but enthusiastic big sister and chose not to expose her. He just thought—sisterly affection truly is great. It could even help one overcome inner fears to participate in such activities.

The trio's formation: Hachiman → Yukino → Haruno.

Suddenly, a grotesque, bloody mask jumped out from a corner up ahead.

"Eeeeek!"

Haruno let out a piercing scream, instinctively letting go of Yukino's arm and darting behind her— In the darkness, she tightly clasped hands with Hikigaya Hachiman.