Let's do it again, Yukino.

Haruhi glanced once more at Hikigaya, whose eyes were filled with the same helplessness as hers, and shook her head slightly with a sigh.

I always feel that these girls seem to have given up a lot in order to be considered beautiful.

Just like Xiaoxue, who had been sitting silently in her seat since the beginning, typing away on her laptop keyboard.

The girl's gaze remained focused intently on the screen, unaffected by any external noises.

Unlike the fair skin exposed under Yui's skirt, Xiaoxue's short skirt concealed smooth, black skin from her calves to her thighs.

At least Xiaoxue added a pair of thick pantyhose at the strong insistence of spring, which kept her warm without sacrificing the super cool feeling after tearing them by hand.

The only downside is that you have to spend money to buy a new pair for the person afterwards...

"Xiaoxue, what are you busy with? Qingjun has been in our club for quite a while, aren't you going to say anything to him?"

At this moment, Yui looked at Yukinoshita, who was still looking down, and pouted, pretending to be cute as she leaned closer to the latter.

Xiaoxue, however, gently covered her temple with one of her free hands, and sighed as she looked at the girl who was acting coquettishly towards her.

"The sports festival activity report is something that Hiratsuka-sensei said needs to be used as a reference for the second-year students' sports festival activity reports next year, so I'm trying my best to revise and polish the report to the best possible level."

Haruhi knew what Yukinoshita was busy with, but looking at the girl who pursued perfection in everything, Haruhi teased her half-jokingly.

"Yui, don't bother her. Let her keep working on her own. A strong woman like her, who excels in everything, should follow in her father's footsteps and go into politics, right, Yukinoshita, Congressman?"

Although in the future, Xiaoxue will only become a white-collar worker in a company, if an accident happens in this life, perhaps the joke that Haruhi made could actually come true.

"Are you an idiot? You have to spout this whole bunch of nonsense when I write a report?"

Yukino glanced at the boy with a casual look.

"No, that's not true!"

See?

In front of the two members of the Service Department, the bickering scene that was already quite normal in their eyes began again.

After the sports festival

The next thing, naturally, is the most anticipated school trip before the New Year.

"They should be going to Osaka or Okinawa, if the information from Professor Hiratsuka is correct."

Springtime, with Hachiman Hikigaya, Yui Yuigahama, and the final light snow...

Although there are four people, apart from Yui and Hachiman being in the same class, the others are in their own classes.

Hachiman and Yui are in Group F, Haruhi is in Group B, and Koyuki is in Group F—three different classes.

The trip should last three days and four nights, which sounds similar to the school trip I took in my first year of high school.

It will be about a week from now.

After all, winter is almost here.

"Is it okay if I ask for leave and don't go on this last-minute group trip? I feel that it's much more comfortable to stay at home in this cold weather, snuggled up in a kotatsu."

Haruhi suggested to Yui and Yukinoshita with a bit of a headache.

"That's exactly what I was thinking too."

Hachiman chimed in, agreeing that he couldn't find any classmates to form a group with either.

"Why do you two boys hate school trips so much? Isn't it more fun when classmates go to a place together, see the sights, eat, sleep, and soak in an open-air hot spring?"

Hikigaya said, "When I grew up, I was just like my elders. I had to go on business trips that I didn't want to go on at all, and I had to have dinner with bosses that I didn't want to see. I couldn't even choose what to eat for dinner at my accommodation. I had to suppress my own opinions and make adjustments again and again... That's what school trips are all about. It's like a training in self-deception that 'although you can't do whatever you want in this world, you can still enjoy it even if you compromise.' So, school trips are wrong. Since they are wrong, why should I go with everyone else?"

Kasuga exchanged a glance with Hachiman, who was spouting rotten platitudes. Kasuga pointed at Hachiman mercilessly and shrugged.

"I don't have his rotten thoughts, but if Hachiman is really in trouble, he can team up with Totsuka from his class. But I'm different. The only people I'm really close to in class are Nagato, who sits in front of me, and Asakura, the class president. Yui, you can't make it difficult for a grown man like me to team up with those little girls, can you? Or should I ask Hiratsuka-sensei, who doesn't have any young male teachers to date? That would be an even bigger blow to Master."

Springtime was telling the truth.

After all, the first two days were activities for their respective classes, so he couldn't meet up with Yuki from Group J. Even if he did meet up with the members of the Service Club, he would have to wait until the free time on the third day.

So he sometimes envied the teacher who could interact with Ayaka the Angel from time to time.

At least Ayaka is really cute, and he's a boy who won't make girls jealous.

"To be honest, I'm still a little reluctant to go..."

Hachiman frowned as well: "Me too."

Yukinoshita and Yuihama: "..."

Are these two guys performing a stand-up comedy routine?

……

…………

Just as Yuihama was trying to continue persuading the two about the more interesting aspects of a school trip,

A sudden knocking sounded at the door.

"Please come in."

The group stopped laughing and joking. Yukinoshita also took her hands off the keyboard and responded to a question from the doorway.

It was Ye Shan and his three henchmen from the Ministry of Revenue who came in.

There must be some kind of request from the Service Club. After the Cultural Festival and the Sports Festival, the Service Club's reputation at Soubu High School grew.

As long as they're not here to cause trouble for Xiaoxue and the others, that's good.

When Haruhi saw those people come in, she thought for a moment and nodded slightly to Yui and the others.

After all, he wasn't a member of the Service Club, and he hadn't been Kasuga Gian at Soubu High School for quite some time. So when he saw the other guys from the Tobe group, he consciously brushed past those four popular guys and naturally walked out of the Service Club.

……

…………

"Yumiko, ya hello..."

In the corridor, Haruhi ran into Miura Yumiko, whom he hadn't seen in a long time. After all, they were once bandmates, and the boy greeted the blonde queen.

"Hey hello... no, this isn't the time to say hello. Um, you just came from the Service Club area, right? Did you see Hayato and the others?"

Yumiko, who seemed to be wandering aimlessly in the corridor of the second-year school building, brightened up when she saw Haruhi. With a tone that left no room for refusal, she asked Haruhi.

"Looking for Hayato? Yumiko, you're not planning to confess to that jerk, are you? Didn't you just get friend-zoned last semester? What, planning to do it again? Take my advice, once you've been friend-zoned, don't try to confess a second time, or you'll be seen as a pervert."

Ever since Aizawa Girl was friend-zoned by Kasuga himself, she hasn't come to Kasuga to cultivate pure friendship again.

They can't even be normal friends. To be honest, Kasuga really admires Miura, who is still able to get along normally with Hayama's small group.

"How about you dye your blonde hair back to its original color, Yumiko? I think you're more suited to black hair. Blonde hair suits your 'loser' persona."

"You've been gone so long, your tongue has gotten so sharp!"

Fortunately, Yumiko was used to Haruhi's sharp tongue and wasn't angry. She just spoke in a rather low voice.

"I was looking for someone who's annoying—no, you've confused me. I was looking for Hayato because I was worried about Hina, it has nothing to do with me."

"Himena? You mean Ebina? What happened to her? Does she also want to confess to that jerk? That jerk really does ruin things, doesn't he? Is meeting Hayato the end of her life?"

"No, that's not true!!"

However, thanks to Yumiko's reminder...

Spring seems to have brought back some memories.

In his previous life,

It seems there's a woman named Hina around Yumiko and Yui.

However, that woman named Ebina Hina...

Chapter Sixty-Seven: I Like You, But It Has Nothing to Do with You

Kasuga meets Ebina Himina,

In her previous life, Kasuga had heard from Koyuki about the story of how the blond-haired guy from the Ministry of Revenue confessed his feelings to Ebina during a school trip.

Although, in the end, Kasuga vaguely remembered that Tobe, like Yumiko, was given a "friend zone" card.

"..."

In a vague way, when Yukino mentioned Ebina in her past life, it seemed that she also said something quite important at the end.

but……

"I seem to have forgotten some things, or even can't remember them at all. Is it true that many things are easily forgotten over time?"

Haruhi felt that he had forgotten some very important things about Ebina, and he couldn't quite recall them for the time being.

"I don't think you've ever had any dealings with Himeko, so how do you know her? What are you muttering to yourself about?"

However, when Yumiko saw Haruhi looking like he was racking his brains to think about something, she also showed a hint of curiosity.

"Well, then I must have misremembered."

Since she couldn't remember, Chunri was too lazy to think about it anymore.

Looking at Yumiko who was patiently examining him, Haruhi gave the same advice as before.

"But Yumiko, are you really not going to listen to my advice and dye this blonde hair back to black? Gold is such an unlucky color."

"Why are you all suggesting I dye it back? Isn't blonde hair beautiful?... I, the queen, am not listening to you."

Yumiko tossed her long blonde hair and snorted.

"Hmm? Has anyone ever had such a discerning eye as me before?"

Having just left the Service Club and feeling somewhat idle, Kasuga heard some seemingly incredible gossip from Yumiko's mouth once again.

Yumiko nodded.

"I think someone once advised me to change my blonde hair back to black, saying that blonde hair is a symbol of a loser..."

"and then?"

"That's all. Not only the name, but I've even forgotten that person's face. But the one who could say something like that must be an idiot just like you, Kasuga-kun."