Hikigaya's Inner World of Spring

Late at night.

Yukinoshita suddenly jolted awake from her sleep.

[Ding! Hikigaya Hachiman is currently... kissing Hoshino Ai.]

[Ding! Hikigaya Hachiman has now... with Hoshino Ai...]

[Ding!...]

The system's notifications echoed, snapping Yukinoshita completely awake.

"Wait—what are those two doing right now...?"

Eyes wide in disbelief, Yukinoshita stared at nothing in particular.

[Hikigaya Hachiman is currently in a very pleasant dream, having mistaken the visiting Hoshino Ai as his partner... and things are progressing without restraint.]

"Stop—don't say any more...!"

Yukinoshita trembled with frustration and heartbreak.

"Hi—Hikigaya-kun... My Hikigaya-kun... How could this happen... In the middle of the night, no less...!"

She clutched her arm tightly, clearly distressed.

[Reminder: Please wear the Spectator Glasses to earn additional system points.]

"You—"

Yukinoshita was furious.

But…

For the sake of the points.

She held back.

In the end, Yukinoshita reluctantly put on the glasses.

As expected—

When she saw the late-night interaction between the two, her legs tensed instinctively, and a complex, overwhelming emotion rose in her chest, making her feel deeply unsettled.

"Hikigaya-kun... really mistook Ai for me... How could he... She's not me... Please, don't see Ai as me..."

What hurt the most wasn't the event itself.

What truly broke her was seeing the faint smile on Hachiman's sleeping face, as if he were enjoying a truly blissful dream.

[Would the host like to use the Empathy Card?]

"Eh? The Empathy Card...?!"

[Once used, the host can experience what Hoshino Ai is feeling in real time—making the experience more immersive and even allowing you to sense your boyfriend's presence.]

"W-What kind of weird card is that?! I'd never—never use it!"

[Using it will grant bonus points.]

"You—"

[Will you use the card?]

"I—I'm only doing this for Hachiman-kun... and for our future happiness together. That's all!"

After emphasizing this to herself, Yukinoshita finally said:

"Buy it."

[Empathy Card purchased. Use now?]

"Use it."

[Card activated. Synchronizing sensory data with Hoshino Ai...]

[Transfer complete.]

"!!"

As the system's voice fell silent, Yukinoshita's eyes flew open, and she curled up under her covers.

"Th-This is... Hachiman-kun, you...!"

It was too much.

Almost too real.

And the sensation—

Yukinoshita slowly closed her eyes, trying to process it.

No good. She couldn't just lie in bed like this—something might happen if she did.

Throwing back the blanket, she hurried toward the bathroom.

She sat down, took deep breaths, and tried to calm herself.

But—

Her face quickly changed again.

She had to stay calm.

Over half an hour later, Yukinoshita wiped her face with a tissue and tossed it in the bin.

"Whew... That card really is something else. I felt like I was the one with Hachiman-kun... and maybe he thought so too. Hehe…"

She consoled herself with that thought.

[Ding! Warning: Hoshino Ai is currently in a high-fertility period. Probability of pregnancy from Hikigaya Hachiman's contact—90%.]

"???"

Still basking in emotional afterglow, Yukinoshita was instantly pulled back to reality.

"W-What did you just say? High-fertility?! Ai—Ai's seriously that reckless?! She didn't even take precautions?!"

This was bad.

Very bad.

If she ended up pregnant with Hachiman-kun's child, things would spiral out of control.

"Quick, use the Protection Card on Hoshino Ai!"

She urged the system.

As long as that card was used, pregnancy could be prevented. That's what gave Yukinoshita the confidence to tolerate all this.

However…

Seconds passed.

The system didn't respond.

"Hmm?"

She frowned.

"System, say something."

[Host, after analyzing Hoshino Ai's physical condition—she possesses an extremely rare high-fertility constitution. The Protection Card is ineffective.]

"???"

Yukinoshita was stunned.

"You're saying... the card won't work?! Are you kidding me?! What if she does get pregnant?!"

[Host can raise the child, can't you?]

"???"

Raise... a child with the other woman?

What am I, a saint?

"No! You must find a way to use the card on her—right now!"

Yukinoshita was near panic.

[Apologies. This system is incapable of assisting. The card won't work.]

"Any amount of points—just name it! One thousand? Two thousand?!"

[Probability of pregnancy has now risen to 95%. Recommend emotional preparation.]

"Ah—no, no, no! She can't have Hachiman-kun's child! Please...!"

Yukinoshita trembled.

"I... I haven't even had his child yet!"

[Host's body constitution is ordinary. Probability of pregnancy from similar circumstances: less than 10%.]

"You—"

Yukinoshita collapsed emotionally.

"Nooooooo!"

***************************

End of the translation