Chapter Three: The Service Club's Daily Life / Chapter Four: The Past and the Swordmaster General

"Um, excuse me, is this the Service Club? My name is Yuihama Yui. Teacher Hiratsuka asked me to come here. She said you could help me."

Only after seeing Yukino nod did Yui peek out from behind the door and walk into the classroom. When she noticed Hachiman nearby, she cried out in surprise, "Why is Hikki here too!?"

"You seem pretty surprised to see me here."

"Of course I'm surprised! I always thought Hikki was a shut-in. I never expected you to join a club, especially the Service Club. With your personality, you must hate troublesome things."

"No, your impression is completely accurate. I was only forced to join by Teacher Hiratsuka for some unpleasant reasons I'd rather not recall. Who would want to stay with an ice woman anyway? It feels much colder here than elsewhere. I'll have to wear more clothes when I come tomorrow."

"Hikigaya-kun is really amazing. He's still so energetic even at such a low temperature."

"I get the feeling you two have a pretty good relationship."

"Who would have a good relationship with a disgusting guy like him? What exactly did you come here for, Yuihama Yui from Class 2-F? Ah, right. Teacher Shizuka Hiratsuka asked me to tell you that, to give the two of you some motivation, whichever one of you can prove that the other is right will be allowed to make the other do anything."

"A-anything?" Hachiman Hikigaya, whose mind was far from pure, became filled with all kinds of fantasies befitting a male high school student.

"Could you stop suddenly making such a disgusting expression? Looking at your face makes me feel as if my chastity is being defiled."

"Ahem." Hachiman turned away awkwardly and asked Yui, "Is that all? Don't you have anything you want to ask us to do?"

"As for me, I want to ask you to teach me how to make cookies. I want to give them to someone personally."

"But I don't have much confidence in myself, so I came to ask you for help."

"Couldn't you ask your friends to help you with something like that?"

"That's exactly why I came to ask you. I don't want them to know."

"Then come with us to the clubroom first and try making a batch. Hikigaya-kun, you can taste-test them."

After Yukino gave Yui step-by-step instruction, the cookies Yui had made herself finally came out of the oven. They looked and smelled like burnt charcoal. As the taste-tester, Hachiman said, "This thing looks exactly like the charcoal sold at a general store. Is it really edible...?"

"Stop whining. If I tell you to eat it, then eat it." Under Yukino's intimidation, Hachiman unwillingly stuffed the cookie in his hand into his mouth. After chewing several times, he said, "Mm, this cookie tastes amazing!"

"Really? Really?" Yui was unusually happy to receive the compliment.

"Yeah. It's completely indistinguishable from charcoal. Yuihama-san, you made it perfectly."

"Is it really that bad?"

"In terms of flavor, without a doubt."

"But that isn't the point. May I ask whether you want to give it to a boy or a girl?"

"Well, it's a boy, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"In that case, the important thing isn't the taste of the cookies. It's the effort you put into making them for him. As long as your feelings get through, I don't think any boy will care about the flavor."

"Really?"

"I understand."

"I've already been in the Service Club for a week," Hachiman thought. "It feels like nothing has happened at all."

Thinking this, Hachiman walked toward the Service Club.

"Hikki, Hikki!" He suddenly heard Yui calling from behind him, so Hachiman turned around and watched her run over.

"Did you need something?" Hachiman asked Yui, who was slightly out of breath.

"Nothing much. I just wanted to thank you for helping me last time."

As she spoke, Yui took a bag from her schoolbag.

"These are cookies I made myself. Consider them a thank-you gift for Hikki."

"If that's all, there's no need for a thank-you gift. It was simply the Service Club's duty."

Hachiman didn't take the cookies from Yui. He turned around, waved to her over his shoulder, and walked toward the Service Club.

Everyday Life in the Service Club

At dusk, the Service Club was dappled with the afterglow of the setting sun. Because the school building blocked the light, the room was not particularly bright. Only the area near the window received a little illumination from beams of light divided by the leaves outside.

As usual, the girl sitting in the chair quietly read the paperback wrapped in a book cover.

Because she had lowered her head to read, her black hair slid down along her face, covering part of her delicate, porcelain-doll-like features.

Yukino was dressed as usual in her school uniform and black stockings. The small stretch of thigh revealed between her short uniform skirt and black knee-high socks looked even whiter by comparison, like fine white porcelain.

"Whether in terms of appearance or feel, she's unexpectedly perfect."

On the other side of the classroom, Hachiman's upper face was hidden in shadow because of the poor lighting. He held up his book halfway, but in reality, he hadn't turned a page in half an hour. He stared fixedly at the girl before him.

"Eh?" With an almost inaudible sigh, Yukino set down the paperback and stood up. She straightened the wrinkled back of her short skirt, which had become creased from sitting for so long.

Perhaps she had been sitting too long. Yukino unconsciously stretched.

As she moved, the white blouse that had just covered her graceful figure lifted slightly, revealing a small portion of her smooth abdomen without a hint of excess flesh. Her snowy stomach and adorable navel peeked out, fully exposed before Hachiman's eyes.

Her ivory-like skin was gilded by the sunset. The combination made her figure look even more beautiful, and the sudden sight caused Hachiman's eyes to widen.

After finishing her stretch, Yukino pulled down her raised blouse. As if she hadn't noticed Hachiman staring dumbfoundedly, she turned and walked toward the cabinet where the black tea was kept.

After confirming that Hachiman couldn't see her face clearly, a sly smile appeared at the corner of Yukino's mouth. She stopped before the cabinet, bent over without the slightest concern about exposing herself, and took out the tea set that had always been stored inside.

After brewing the tea, Yukino held her cup and carefully took a sip, then wore a satisfied expression.

When she set down the cup, she noticed the sidelong glance from Dead Fish Eyes, rich in DHA. As if she had suddenly remembered something, she turned and took two items from her schoolbag.

Hachiman, who was pretending to read, felt the light in front of him blocked. He looked up and saw Yukino holding a can of MAX Coffee and a wrapped gift bag. As he stared blankly, Yukino extended the hand holding the coffee toward him again, and he finally reached out to take it.

While accepting the coffee, he accidentally touched Yukino's fingers. The girl's fingers were warm and soft like polished jade, yet clearly boned, and felt just as perfect as they looked. Aside from his younger sister, Hachiman had never had physical contact with another girl, so his thoughts immediately began to wander.

"That expression of yours is seriously disgusting. Is even the slightest physical contact with a girl enough to give you a physiological high?"

"No... It isn't as bad as you make it sound. I do have a younger sister, after all."

"So you have had physical contact with a girl. Hey, hey, what are you suddenly trying to do?"

As Hachiman spoke, he noticed Yukino's expression suddenly darken. She took out her phone and began tapping on it, so he couldn't help asking, "What are you doing?"

"I'm calling the police and asking them to take away a beast who might one day prey on his own younger sister."

"Stop it! I'm not that bad! At most, I've thought about marrying my little sister in the future or something, but that was only a thought."

"No, that is already extremely perverted. Hikigaya-kun, I'm genuinely worried about Komachi. With a brother like you, she must live in constant anxiety, always worrying that this beast of a brother might pounce on her because of his desires."

"Forget it. I'm too lazy to argue with you about that."

"So you have nothing to say?"

Yukino placed the bag in front of Hachiman as she spoke. "Yuihama-san asked me to give this to you. She said it was some sort of thank-you gift."

Hachiman took the bag and opened it. Inside was a heart-shaped cookie that had been baked unevenly.

"Hey, the left side of this cookie is almost twice as big as the right. Even if it was an accident, it shouldn't be this bad."

Looking at the cookie in Hachiman's hand, Yukino smiled and said, "I think it has a distinct Yuihama-san quality to it. Besides, you said so yourself last week, didn't you? As long as she put in the effort, the taste wouldn't matter."

Hachiman had been trapped by his own words. He said nothing, merely closed his eyes as if steeling himself, ate the cookie in a few bites, and hurriedly took a large gulp of MAX Coffee. The coffee, mixed with condensed milk, did an excellent job of suppressing the flavor in his mouth, which was identical to real charcoal.

Clutching his chest in lingering fear, Hachiman grimaced and said, "We really shouldn't let Yuihama make things like this anymore. It's practically like eating poison."

Yukino, standing behind Hachiman, narrowed her eyes. "Hikigaya-kun, are the things Yuihama-san makes really that awful?"

"Try it yourself and you'll know. I think I just saw heaven."

"Hikki is so mean! Are the things I make really that bad? You were even badmouthing me behind my back."

Hachiman was caught red-handed speaking ill of someone. He turned around awkwardly, and standing behind him was Yuihama Yui. Having heard Hachiman badmouthing her, Yui wore a trace of anger. Her already chubby cheeks looked even rounder because she was upset.

Yui was still wearing light makeup today. The straps of her undergarments were tied around her neck, and as usual, she had only fastened the second button of her school blouse.

Based on Hachiman's deduction, it was probably to prevent back pain and difficulty breathing.

Yui looked at the opened bag of cookies and the crumbs at the corner of Hachiman's mouth, then laughed involuntarily. She stepped forward and wiped the crumbs away with her finger. Her warm finger carried a fragrance filled with the youthful vitality unique to a girl as it touched Hachiman's lips.

"Hikki, you said they weren't good, but you didn't leave a single one!"

"Heh-heh."

"So what exactly did you come here for today, Yuihama-san?"

Yukino's cool voice came from behind Yui, as cold as if she had come home to find her husband cheating with another woman.

"Wah, Little Snow, you look so scary right now."

Yui turned around. Hachiman, who wasn't far away, clearly saw goosebumps rising on her arms one after another, as though she had suddenly been struck by a cold wind.

"She's terrifying. It's like she can even affect the temperature. Could she really be an ice woman?"

"Actually, it's nothing. I was just bored, so I came to play with Little Snow."

Yui wore a silly, absentminded smile and hugged Yukino's arm.

Yukino moved awkwardly after being hugged. When she realized that the silly Dango holding her had quite a strong grip, she simply gave up struggling and let Yui press her arm into her chest.

"You helped me, after all, and I didn't know how else to repay you. So I figured I'd come over and see if there was anything I could help with."

"There's nothing you need to help with. It's already been a week since you came here and asked the two of us for help. No one else has come since then."

Yukino's face was faintly flushed with the arm being hugged, and her voice was not as natural as usual.

"Is that so? Then I'll head home for now. If you ever need help with anything, Little Snow, feel free to come find me."

Watching Yui hop away, Yukino stared blankly and said, "She seems rather friendly with people she's just met."

"But why don't I dislike this feeling?"

"Yeah. Sometimes she can be pretty silly."

Hachiman agreed with Yukino.

Yukino ignored Hachiman, turned around, and picked up the paperback she had set aside.

Hachiman also felt that he had only brought it upon himself, so he returned to his seat and slowly savored the taste of the MAX Coffee in his hand.

The Service Club returned to its usual peaceful atmosphere.

The Past and General Swordsman

Hachiman lay sprawled across the sofa in agony, his face pale as if he had endured tremendous suffering.

Komachi hurried around beside him. "Onii-chan, what's wrong? Did you eat something bad today? Do you have food poisoning?"

"I'm fine. I took some antidiarrheal medicine."

"I'll be fine after a while. How was I supposed to know that cookie would be so terrifying? I feel as if my soul is about to leave my body."

"Eh? A cookie? Does that mean the person who gave you something was a girl? Masaka~ Who would've thought, Onii-chan~ You succeeded so quickly~ Could it be that you're the sort who deliberately pretends to be deep and mysterious to trick girls into falling for you?"

"What are you talking about? I just helped a girl from my class with something. This was a thank-you gift."

"But why do I feel as if this was revenge for rejecting her?"

"Eh? Did you reject her confession, causing her to turn her love into hatred and seek revenge?"

"What kind of bizarre story are you imagining? I only thought the favor didn't require a thank-you gift. Besides, do you really think a girl could develop feelings for me? And why doesn't Japanese law allow me to marry my biological little sister?"

"Even though I'm happy Onii-chan thinks that way, that idea of yours is truly rotten."

"Enough. Let's not talk about that anymore."

Hachiman used the sofa to support himself as he sat up. He stared at his little sister, Komachi. "Ah, I have something I want to ask you."

"Eh... What is it? Onii-chan's eyes look so serious."

"Do you remember a year ago, when I entered Sobu High School? I went to the entrance ceremony an hour early that day, right?"

"Of course I remember. That was the day Onii-chan was hit by a car and had to lie in the hospital for three weeks."

"Then let me ask you this: while I was hospitalized after being hit, did anyone come to visit me at the hospital without me knowing?"

"Why are you asking that?" Komachi said somewhat guiltily when she heard her brother's question.

"Because I feel that the person who gave me the cookies might have done it to express her apology."

Hachiman rubbed his chin, recalling the details of Yui's expression at the time.

"Hmm, now that you mention it, there really was a big sister with pink hair who came to the hospital and brought over some snacks. But I accidentally ate them all later."

"Hee-hee-hee, Onii-chan won't blame me, right?"

"So the owner of the dog that caused me to get hit by a car and spend three weeks in the hospital really was her."

Because Hachiman had missed three weeks of school right after the semester began, and was not good at ingratiating himself with or blending into already established social circles, he remained alone even after entering his second year of high school.