The Hikigaya Couple’s Youth Romantic Comedy Is Just as Expected

The moment Yukino heard her sister's voice, she froze. Then, without a word, she flipped over and buried her face in her arms like an ostrich, her legs kicking helplessly at the blanket beneath her.

A tiny, high-pitched squeal escaped her lips from sheer embarrassment.

Haruno paused for a moment, then said, "Actually, I didn't see anything just now. Honest. Do you believe me?"

Hachiman shot back, "Well, we weren't doing anything. I was just helping her apply sunscreen. Perfectly normal. Do you believe me?"

"Ha?" Haruno scoffed. She clearly didn't buy that nonsense for a second. After all, she'd just witnessed Hachiman groping her little sister with her own two eyes.

She pointed meaningfully at Yukino, whose flushed pink skin stretched up her neck. Her meaning was obvious.

Hachiman raised his hands in an innocent shrug and was about to say something when Yukino suddenly leapt to her feet.

"You followed me again?" she demanded.

Haruno gave her best wide-eyed, innocent face. "I didn't follow you! I just happened to be here with some friends, saw someone who looked like Hikki, and came over to check. Turns out I was right."

She gestured behind her, and Yukino and Hachiman followed her gaze. Sure enough, a group of college-aged students waved at them from afar.

"Then go play with your friends. What are you doing here?" Yukino snapped.

"Oh no, that hurts," Haruno said with an obviously fake pout. "Little Yukino doesn't want her dear sister around just because she has Hikki now?"

Yukino ignored her completely and turned to walk toward the shoreline, dragging Hachiman along with her.

"La la la, Yukino's so heartless. Ditching her sister the moment she gets a boyfriend," Haruno called after them in a singsong voice.

But Yukino didn't respond, heading straight toward the beach.

"Hey! Yukino! Hikki! You're back!" Yui called, waving from the water as she splashed around with Komachi.

Yukino waded into the sea, feeling the cool water swirl past her legs and the sand shifting under her feet with every step. As seaweed brushed against her toes, she let out a small, crystal-clear giggle. The irritation she'd felt earlier slowly faded with the motion of the tide.

Hearing Yukino laugh, Hachiman finally relaxed, ready to enjoy the refreshing cool of the ocean.

Until three handfuls of cold water suddenly splashed him in the face.

Drenched and momentarily blinded, Hachiman stumbled forward into waist-deep water. And without thinking, he smacked Yukino lightly on the butt in retaliation.

"Ah!" Yukino yelped and covered her backside. Even though Hachiman hadn't used much force, being spanked in front of her best friend and future sister-in-law was mortifying. Her cheeks reddened.

Hachiman quickly swam away, knowing full well he'd just earned himself trouble.

Sure enough, Yukino bit her lip and cursed him in her heart. He can forget about sharing a bed tonight. He can sleep on the floor for all I care.

But wait. The floor's too cold. What if he catches a cold and gets diarrhea? Fine. He can sleep on the couch.

Having made her decision, Yukino shot a wicked little smile in Hachiman's direction.

A chill ran down Hachiman's spine, and the cold sea only made it worse.

When Yukino's gaze met his, Hachiman obediently swam back to her side.

Yukino pinched his cheek in mock punishment.

Then, glancing over at Yui, who was floating lazily on her swim ring, he leaned close and whispered something in Yukino's ear. She nodded in agreement.

The two of them took a deep breath and dove underwater.

Yui, still sunbathing with her eyes closed, kicked her chubby little feet gently in the water.

Suddenly, two pairs of hands grabbed her legs and yanked.

"Wahhh!" she screamed, tumbling into the water. Flailing wildly, she struggled in the waist-deep sea.

"Hey! Get up! You're gonna drown yourself!" Hachiman said, patting her head.

"M-Mom! Help!" Yui sputtered, only to realize the water barely reached her chin. In her panic, she'd gulped in some seawater.

"Cough… sniff… you guys are awful! I thought it was some ancient sea monster or something!" Yui cried, rubbing her eyes and coughing.

"There there. Don't be scared. We're here," Yukino said gently, patting her back.

"I-I wasn't scared! Just surprised!" Yui insisted between coughs.

Yukino gave Hachiman a sharp glare. "What are you looking at? Go help her rest."

Hachiman nodded and stepped forward. With Yukino's help, he guided Yui's arm over his shoulder and wrapped his other arm around her soft waist.

Yui leaned heavily on him, her steps unsteady. Her chest, notably larger than either Yukino's or Komachi's, pressed softly against Hachiman, every movement feeling like a slow-motion bounce.

What should have been a quick walk back took nearly fifteen minutes.

When they finally made it to the blanket, Hachiman gently laid her down and turned to leave.

But just as he stepped away, Yui spoke.

"Hikki, I wanna sunbathe a bit. But I can't reach my back with the sunscreen… could you help?"

Hachiman hesitated.

Yui's usually cheerful expression dimmed slightly. "It's fine if you don't want to…"

Before she could finish, Hachiman interrupted. "What, you expect me to rub your stomach instead?"

Yui beamed and flopped onto the blanket. "What's wrong with that? Doesn't sound so bad!"

"Are you a dog or something? Just rolling over whenever you're happy?" Hachiman grumbled.

"Woof?" Yui barked playfully.

He ignored her antics, poured some sunscreen on her back, and started rubbing it in.

As his hands moved slowly across her warm skin, Yui suddenly asked, "Hey, Hikki. We're friends, right?"

"Of course. What brought this on?"

"Even though Yukino's your girlfriend now, we're still friends. Right?"

"You're being silly. You're Yukino's best friend. And mine too."

Relieved, Yui closed her eyes and smiled as Hachiman's hands moved gently across her back.

When he finished, he patted her waist lightly.

"I'm going to find Yukino and Komachi. You get some rest."

"Mm…" Yui replied drowsily, slowly dozing off.

When she woke up again, Yukino was drying her hair with a towel while Hachiman knelt at her feet, carefully brushing the sand from her toes and cleaning around her nails.

Yui stretched and yawned. "Are we heading to the hotel now?"

"Oh, you're awake. We were just about to call you," Yukino said. "We'll head out after we pack up."

Yui patted her cheeks to wake herself up. "About that… I booked the hotel kind of late, so there are only two rooms."

"I'll share with Komachi then," Yukino offered without hesitation.

"Actually-" Yui cut in quickly, "Komachi and I already claimed a room."

"Wait… so that means…" Yukino's eyes widened.

Yui shot a cheeky grin toward Hachiman and stuck out her tongue before pulling Komachi along toward the hotel.

Behind them, the tricked pair walked in silence.

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