Hiyori's First Kiss

"Sorry to have kept you waiting. I'm not sure if it's to your taste, Hachiman-kun, but I'd be very happy if you were willing to eat it."

Sitting at the table in Hiyori's room, I watched as she, wearing an apron, brought the dishes to the table.

Looking closely, I saw authentic Japanese cuisine: rice, miso soup, salt-grilled salmon, and tamagoyaki.

After setting the two portions on the table, Hiyori took off her apron and hung it on the coat rack by the bed.

However, the way she untied her apron made my heart skip a beat.

"Well then, let's eat. Itadakimasu."

"Itadakimasu."

Following Hiyori's lead, I returned the gesture and picked up my chopsticks, but...

"This is delicious..."

I couldn't help but mutter in admiration.

It was a taste filled with a home-cooked warmth that you couldn't find in the school cafeteria.

Then again, I didn't grow up in a proper household, so I didn't actually know what a true "home-cooked taste" was supposed to be like.

"I'm glad you find it delicious, Hachiman-kun."

"Ah, yeah. But why go out of your way to cook for me?"

"Because I want to repay the favor you did for me, Hachiman-kun."

I see.

So that was the reason.

"Hiyori, I've said it before, I did that of my own volition. You don't need to take it to heart."

"Even if you say that, Hachiman-kun, I still care. If our positions were reversed, could you truly not care at all?"

"...I suppose I couldn't."

1 point is equivalent to 1 yen, which means I paid Ryuen 500,000 yen so that I could continue to stay in contact with Hiyori.

Just as Hiyori said, if I were in her shoes, the guilt of carrying a 500,000-point debt would surely be enough to make it hard for me to breathe.

If it were 1,000 or 10,000, I might have been able to accept it, but 500,000 is just...

"And knowing your personality, Hachiman-kun, even if I prepared 500,000 points, you wouldn't accept them, right?"

"Yeah, I'd probably refuse."

"That's why, from now on, I will repay you by taking care of you, Hachiman-kun."

"No, but 'I did it of my own volition, you don't need to worry about it'... I understand."

I had my own words thrown right back at me.

At this point, it was impossible to refuse Hiyori.

"Thank you very much. So, from now on, I will cook for you, clean your room and bathroom, and also..."

Hiyori suddenly started stammering as she reached this point.

A very ominous premonition welled up in my heart...

"If you have any needs, Hachiman-kun... I can do that too, you know?"

"Pfft! Cough, cough! Ugh!"

Choked by this shocking statement, I began to cough violently.

This girl, who was practically overflowing with natural charm, had actually said something so outrageous!

"D-don't joke around. Let me eat my meal in peace."

I shoveled rice into my mouth as if to escape, but the lingering heat on my face made it impossible to taste the food at all.

(...I'm not joking, you know.)

One hour later...

"Well, Hiyori, I'm heading back. Thanks for the meal."

Although an embarrassing episode had occurred midway through, I managed to hold out until after the meal and finished my post-dinner coffee before preparing to leave.

"Alright. Then, please let me take care of you starting tomorrow."

Hiyori saw me off with a smile.

I had tried to persuade her multiple times afterward that she didn't need to go out of her way to look after me, but she wouldn't budge, so I eventually gave up.

"Ah... here, take this."

As I said this, I took the spare key to my dorm room off my keychain and handed it to Hiyori.

"...Are you sure about this?"

She asked, her eyes widening slightly.

"Hmm, without this, you wouldn't be able to take care of me, right? Besides, even if you entered my room, I don't think you'd steal anything."

There were four keys in total, including the one I used, so giving one to Hiyori shouldn't be a problem.

"Thank you very much. In that case, I will also..."

As Hiyori spoke, she took a key from her pocket and held it out to me.

It had 1206 written on it; it was definitely the key to her room.

"No, this is a bit..." "Please don't feel embarrassed, it's something I'm giving you voluntarily..." "You really are unexpectedly stubborn."

Just as I was about to decline, she forcibly shoved the key into my palm.

It seemed she wouldn't take it back even if I tried, so I sighed and attached Hiyori's key to my own keychain.

"Then I'll accept it. See you tomorrow."

"Yes, you're welcome to visit anytime."

I said goodbye to Hiyori and stepped out of her dorm room.

After confirming the hallway was empty, I quickly headed downstairs to the floor where my room was located and entered, acting as if nothing had happened.

I collapsed onto my bed and operated my terminal, logging into the school forum to check for information on earning points.

I tried posting a thread:

652: Newbie Socially Anxious Person

If I get good grades on regular exams, is it possible to get a bonus if I ask the teacher?

653: Wearing Doesn't Count ＞＞＞652

Depends on your homeroom teacher.

654: Why Isn't the President Me ＞＞＞653

I'm in Class B of the 3rd year. I get bonus points every time I place in the top five for comprehensive subjects.

655: Newbie Socially Anxious Person ＞＞＞654

How much do you get?

656: Brother Conquered

I'm in Class C of the 2nd year. My homeroom teacher says studying is an obligation, so there's no bonus system.

657: Good Guy Good Abalone

Class A of the 2nd year has bonuses. 10,000 points for 3rd place in the grade, 30,000 for 2nd, and 50,000 for 1st.

658: Lin Yuanya Meizi ＞＞＞655

It depends on who your homeroom teacher is.

Replying to 654, 10,000 for 5th place, 20,000 for 4th, and so on, up to 50,000 for 1st.

659: Victory in Hand

Looks like 1st place is always 50,000.

660: Second Year Flower

By the way, the OP of 652 sounds like a first-year? Which class? Only Class D is short on points right after the start of the school year, right?

661: Academics First

Hoshinomiya-sensei might give them out. Mashima-sensei is too serious and probably thinks studying is an obligation, so he won't.

662: Brother's Pigeon-toed ＞＞＞661

Possibly. Sakagami-sensei feels mean-spirited... but he might give them out. As for Chabashira-sensei... it's hard to say.

663: Ultra-thin Distance

In the end, it depends on the homeroom teacher.

664: Yellow Flower Big Turtle Man

Besides, how could Class D possibly get good grades?

665: What Are You Looking At

Exactly. Isn't this year's Class D the bunch of idiots who wiped out their class points in a single month?

666: I Laughed Until I Had Asthma

Wiped out class points in a month.

667: No Driving ＞＞＞665

Not necessarily. There's a student in Class D of the 1st year named Hikigaya Hachiman. That guy is pretty sharp.

668: I Am Ji Da Ba ＞＞＞667

Hikigaya Hachiman? That scumbag who's juggling three girls?

669: Oda Nobunaga Reincarnated Seeking Sponsorship ＞＞＞668

Rumor has it he's even managed to charm both Chabashira-sensei and Hoshinomiya-sensei.

670: Pure gold.

He's a total master of time management! Why do girls love such a scumbag? How come a pure-hearted guy like me, who's been single for 17 years, can't get any attention?

I hurriedly closed the forum page and tossed my phone onto the desk.

How did things end up like this... Even if I take a step back and say the rumors about me juggling three girls were bad enough, why are there now rumors about me making moves on the teachers?

(Still, it seems the key to earning points really does depend on the teachers.)

Knowing that much is enough.

I'll go ask Chabashira-sensei directly tomorrow.

If there's truly an opportunity to earn points, I absolutely cannot miss it.

I thought to myself as I lay down on the bed. Just as I was about to take my keychain out of my pocket to place it by my pillow, the key Hiyori had given me caught my eye.

(I never expected a girl to give me a key... Come to think of it, I gave her my spare key too. It's almost like we're already dating, isn't it?)

A normal person wouldn't just hand over their house key to someone else, let alone a member of the opposite sex.

But I did give Hiyori a spare key, and she gave me one in return.

Put that way, it's only natural that people would assume we're dating.

(Still, it's better not to cross the line.)

If I lose my sense of boundaries like I did in middle school, I'll definitely end up repeating the same mistakes.

...No, wait. The fact that I paid 500,000 points for Ryuen already crossed the line.

Otherwise, my relationship with Hiyori would have ended long ago.

(Sigh, whether it's my future school life or anything else, there's just too much to think about.)

My head started to throb.

This is the time to just go to sleep.

I'll think about it once I wake up and my head is clear.

The next morning...

"Good morning, Hachiman-kun. Please wait a moment. And I'm sorry for using your ingredients without asking."

The moment I opened my eyes, I saw Hiyori wearing an apron, preparing breakfast in the kitchen.

Waking up in the morning to a girl in an apron making you breakfast... this scene is simply perfect.

It's like a newlywed couple... wait, stop!

Hiyori is only doing this to repay a favor; there are absolutely no romantic feelings involved.

I shook my head vigorously to clear my thoughts, then walked into the dressing room to change and fix my hair.

When I returned to the living room, Hiyori had already placed a plate with toast, sausages, and a fried egg on the table, and she handed me a bento box as well.

"This... I'm not sure if it's to your taste, Hachiman-kun, but please enjoy it during your lunch break."

"Ah, right..."

The moment I took the bento box, I almost thought I was dreaming.

"Breakfast is ready, please eat."

Urged by Hiyori, I sat down. The moment I bit into the toast, I felt it tasted much better than what I usually make for myself.

Thinking that I could continue to stay in touch with Hiyori and even be taken care of by her, maybe that 500,000 points I gave Ryuen was actually a pretty good deal.

Fifteen minutes later...

"Ready, let's go."

"Yes, there are only five minutes left until the meeting time we agreed on with Sakanayanagi-san."

We walked out of the room while talking. When we took the elevator down to the first-floor lobby, Sakanayanagi was already waiting there.

"Good morning, you two... pfft."

Sakanayanagi suddenly couldn't help but giggle.

What's wrong? What's so funny?

While I was confused, Sakanayanagi leaned into Hiyori's ear and whispered:

"(I heard you took care of Hikigaya-kun yesterday, Shiina-san. How bold of you.)"

"(That... was it really too much?)"

"(How could it be~? It's very cute. Next time, why don't you try wearing lingerie...)"

I suddenly had a bad premonition.

What are these two plotting?

"It's about time we got going, isn't it?"

Even though I was feeling uneasy, I suggested we set off.

Sakanayanagi was physically frail, and since the walk to school would take a long time, it wasn't wise to delay.

"You're right. Let's head out then."

"Okay~"

As she spoke, Sakanayanagi took my right hand as usual, while Hiyori didn't hold my hand but instead hugged my arm directly.

I forced myself to ignore my racing heart as we walked toward the school.

Although we still drew countless gazes along the way, I had already grown used to it.

Ignoring the surrounding attention, we chatted as we walked and soon arrived at the school.

After changing into indoor shoes at the lockers, I climbed the stairs to the floor where the first-year classrooms were located.

"I'll take my leave then."

"See you at lunch break."

Watching Sakanayanagi and Hiyori walk into their respective classrooms, I prepared to enter my own.

I had just sat down when I noticed the atmosphere was off; Ike and Yamauchi were crowding around me aggressively.

"Hey, what's the meaning of this, Hikigaya!"

"Why is there a lipstick mark on your face?!"

...Huh?

I hurriedly pulled out a small mirror, and sure enough, a pink lipstick print was stamped on my right cheek.

Could it be... did Hiyori do this?

"Not only do you have points, but you've got girls too? That's too cunning!"

"Share one with me, too!"

Watching the two of them approach with tears and snot streaming down their faces, I bolted out of the classroom.

After that, I returned just as the homeroom bell rang, and as soon as the class ended, I sprinted away like my life depended on it, only daring to return right before the first period started.

This continued until lunch break, and when I sought confirmation from Hiyori, she actually admitted to it readily.

I wanted to scold her a bit, but seeing her apologetic expression, I couldn't bring myself to say it.

That part was fine, but the moment Sakanayanagi suggested "Should I give you a kiss too?" during lunch, I really wanted to throw her over my shoulder.