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

As the bell signaling the end of the final exam rang out, Hachiman set down his pen and walked out of the exam room.

"Hey, Hikki! How'd it go?" Yui called out, catching up to him.

"Eh, it wasn't that hard," Hachiman replied.

"Really? You sound pretty confident. I thought it was crazy hard..."

Yui slumped her shoulders in defeat.

Hachiman's mouth twitched slightly. He recalled that Miss Dango here had said she was studying the past few days, but in reality, she had mostly been sipping tea and chatting away with Yukino. She'd had the time of her life.

"I'm totally doomed this time..."

"It's just a midterm. Not like it's your college entrance exam. Besides, you're the only one who'll see the score. Why get so worked up over it?"

Hachiman's tone was casual, almost indifferent.

"Huh... I guess that's true." Yui blinked, as if the thought had just occurred to her.

"..."

Hachiman had no words.

"Come on, what are you standing there for?" Yui tugged at his sleeve. "Let's go find Yukinon!"

Just as she pulled Hachiman toward the Service Club, a familiar voice called out behind them.

"Hikigaya. Could I have a word with you?"

Shizuka Hiratsuka appeared, clutching a stack of exam papers.

"Ah... Hiratsuka-sensei. Is something wrong?"

Hachiman's voice was full of guilt for reasons even he didn't fully understand.

"Nothing serious. I just want to ask you something. Come with me."

Still dressed in her sharp, almost boyish fashion, Hiratsuka looked every bit the imposing teacher.

"You go ahead and tell Yukino I'll be a bit late. I'll head over with Hiratsuka-sensei."

Hachiman turned and followed her down the hallway toward the faculty office.

Once inside, he flopped unceremoniously onto the office couch.

"So, what did you need to talk about?" he asked, a bit too casually.

Hiratsuka placed the test papers on her desk, turned back, and sat down opposite him. For a moment, she seemed lost in thought.

"Hikigaya... how's everything going in the Service Club?"

"Fine, I guess."

Hachiman gave a half-hearted reply.

"I see. That's good. I was worried you and Yukinoshita might not get along, but from what I've heard from the students, you two seem pretty close these days?"

Seeing her cautious expression, Hachiman chuckled and replied, "That depends. What exactly do you mean by close, Sensei?"

"Well... some students said they saw Yukinoshita holding your arm. Is that true?"

"If that's what they said, then they're not wrong. And as far as I know, there's no rule against lovers holding hands, is there?"

"Lovers... you and Yukinoshita?"

Hiratsuka's expression twisted into something that could only be described as a mix of disbelief, shock, and comedic horror like she'd just heard someone say Cameron had married a pig.

"If you don't believe me, you can call Yukino and ask her yourself," Hachiman added, suppressing the smug grin forming in his heart.

Hiratsuka slumped back onto the couch, eyes dull, face pale. It was as if her entire worldview had just been shattered.

Oh no... I got too cocky. She's probably going to punch me into next week once she snaps out of it, Hachiman thought nervously.

"Sensei... if there's nothing else, I'll be going now?"

Smack. Hiratsuka's soft white palm slammed down onto the table.

Hachiman jumped to attention, his back stiff and straight.

"Wait. There's one more thing."

Her voice carried an ominous chill.

"Y-Yes?"

She stood up, walked over to her desk, and pulled out a document.

"You remember the workplace experience survey I had you all fill out recently?"

"Ah... yeah." A cold sweat broke out across Hachiman's back.

"Then could you explain this to me, Hikigaya-kun? What exactly did you mean by 'I want to be a stay-at-home husband'?"

Her voice was gentle. Too gentle.

Looking into her eyes eyes that had lost all light Hachiman felt a chill go straight through his spine. If he answered poorly, that deceptively delicate-looking fist of hers would absolutely end him.

And to make matters worse, she'd just been smacked in the face with another reminder that she was still single, courtesy of his and Yukino's very public affection. Her patience was likely at its breaking point.

Cold sweat dripped from Hachiman's brow as his mind scrambled for an escape route.

"Just... take it back for now and think it over. Figure out where you really want to go."

Hiratsuka waved him off, clearly too emotionally drained to argue further.

"A-Alright. I'll just... head back now."

Hachiman grabbed the form and bolted, as if afraid she'd change her mind and clobber him.

"Wait. One more thing."

Her voice stopped him in his tracks again.

"...What now?"

Every hair on Hachiman's body stood on end.

"Workplace experience is done in groups of three. Go find someone else with Yukinoshita."

With a weak flick of her hand, she dismissed him.

Taking that as his cue, Hachiman turned and ran like a man fleeing death.

Left alone, Shizuka Hiratsuka grabbed her keys and handbag with a sigh, staggering toward the exit.

A female teacher nearby noticed her packing up and asked, "Heading home early today, Hiratsuka-sensei?"

Hiratsuka managed a pained smile.

"Not in the mood to work anymore. I'm going home early."

The teacher tilted her head in confusion as she watched her colleague's lonely figure disappear down the corridor.

Meanwhile, Hachiman returned to the Service Club room. The moment he opened the door, Yui pounced like an overexcited puppy seeing her owner return.

"Hikki! What did Hiratsuka-sensei want?"

Without a word, he shoved the form into Yui's face and walked over to sit beside Yukino, casually snatching the cup from her hands and taking a sip.

"You added sugar?" he asked, glancing at her.

"Huh? No, I didn't. Why?"

Yukino blinked, clearly confused.

Hachiman didn't answer. He just reached out, gently stroked the inside of her cheek with a finger, then licked it.

"So that's why it tasted sweet."

"Ew! Hikki, Yukinon, that's so gross!" Yui shuddered and backed away, visibly disturbed.

"But hey, Hikki, your career goal totally matches your personality," she added, handing the form over to Yukino.

"So that's what Sensei wanted to talk to you about?"

"Yeah," Hachiman nodded.

As Yui and Hachiman chatted, Yukino glanced at the paper and let out a quiet snort, then burst into laughter.

"A stay-at-home husband... ha! That's so you," she teased with a radiant smile.

"Quit laughing and help me figure out what to write, will you?"

Hachiman playfully tapped her on the head.

"Hang on... I'm laughing too hard," Yukino gasped, collapsing onto the desk, her shoulders trembling.

It took a long while for her to calm down. When she finally sat back up, she tucked some stray hair behind her ear, cheeks slightly pink from laughter.

"Alright, leave it to me. I'll help with Yui's form too. If I remember correctly, we're supposed to form a group of three for this, right?"

The petite girl thumped her chest proudly.

"...What?" Hachiman blinked.

"It's a secret. You'll find out soon enough," Yukino said, closing one eye and placing a finger to her lips with a playful smile.