Let's do it again, Yukino.

However, although he is a bit sarcastic

But he wasn't as bad as his classmates said.

At least in her opinion, the fact that she clearly distinguishes between gratitude and resentment is quite good.

Is not it?

(P.S.: There will be three more updates at 3 PM. I just mentioned it in the group. Starting tomorrow, all three chapters will be released together at 10 AM sharp.)

Chapter 82 Remember to leave the door open for me tonight

evening,

On her way through the Service Department, Kasuga saw Yuki sitting alone inside.

"Where are Hachiman and Yui?"

He glanced around at the empty corridor, then pushed open the door, walked in, and casually closed it behind him.

"I told them to go back first."

"go back?"

"Well, that Kawasaki Taishi, who is also Kawasaki's younger brother, asked the Service Club to investigate his sister's matter last week. Now that you've resolved it, I can only have them inform Kawasaki's younger brother ahead of schedule."

"What about you? Aren't you going back first?"

Chunri sat down next to Xiaoxue, looking at the girl who seemed to be wearing headphones and listening to music.

"I'm just a little bored and want to stay here a little longer."

As Xiaoxue spoke, she gently lowered the music volume with her slender white fingers.

However, upon hearing the girl's voice, Haruhi's face displayed a comical expression.

Are you sure you're not waiting for me to come to you?

"...No, I didn't."

The girl's voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

"However, if you can tell me something interesting, I won't stay here with you, you idiot, for a little longer."

"..."

Since last week, due to Xiaoxue's strong request, Chunri has rarely spent time with Xiaoxue during lunch break. For example, he spent lunch alone in the classroom today, even though Xiaoxue had prepared lunch for both of them early in the morning.

Chunri moved her seat a little closer to Xiaoxue's, and their shoulders pressed tightly together.

"Well, since Xiaoxue is bored, there's nothing I can do but let me pass the time."

Anyway, there's still some time before I start my part-time job. I might as well spend this free time with this aloof and dishonest head of the Service Club. After all, I've been working on Hiratsuka-sensei's test paper all day, and there's no point in continuing.

"Want to hear me sing? I've learned another song these past couple of days, wouldn't you like it—"

"Need not."

Faced with Haruhi's suggestion, Yukino, sitting in her seat, refused without hesitation and pointed to her headphones, which were still playing the song "Lemon" that Haruhi had sung to her not long ago.

However, Chunri was a little curious about when Xiaoxue had been recorded on her phone.

However, since it was just a phone recording function, even with his earlobe as white as pearls close to Xiaoxue's, he could still feel the almost embarrassingly poor sound quality.

Most importantly, there was absolutely no accompaniment, which made Haruhi blush and feel a little embarrassed when she heard her own voice.

"When I become rich someday, I'll make a song just for you, Xiaoxue!"

A glimmer of hope stirs within me in the spring.

"Maybe you'll have to wait until the next life. Besides, your singing isn't that great; it's at best amateur level."

"Does she have so little hope for me?!"

"Those twenty years?"

"Is it difficult for you for me to get rich?"

Springtime couldn't help but twitch her lips.

"Honestly, I was just continuing the conversation about spring, but you have to nitpick over such trivial details. If you keep doing this, girls will hate you."

Haruhi shrugged: "Anyway, Yuki won't hate me. As for being hated by other pretty girls, it doesn't matter at all."

Seeing that Yukino's expression had suddenly become a little off, Haruhi moved a little closer to Yukino and said with a smile, "How was it? Your words just now were a big plus, weren't they?"

I don't know why,

weather,

Suddenly it got hot.

It's really strange.

……

Although Xiaoxue stayed in the Service Club until after school

Half of the reason was indeed to wait for spring, but the other half was, as she said, "really boring."

However, this was no problem for Kasuga-kun.

Something to kill time?

After thinking for a moment, Chunri also brought out her ultimate move.

"Oh, right, I heard a ghost story from Senior Heng a couple of days ago. I thought it was quite interesting. Xiaoxue, do you want to hear it? Just so you know, it's a really scary ghost story. It'll scare you so much that you won't be able to sleep at night and will end up snuggling into my arms."

"You say it."

Xiaoxue's eyes held no expectation, yet she gestured with her chin, signaling Chunri to begin his performance. The dusky evening...

"Senior Heng heard this strange tale from a friend of a friend."

This must have happened several years ago.

A woman became pregnant out of wedlock and left her newborn baby in a coin-operated locker before leaving.

And after that, I don't know how many years passed.

One day, when that woman passed by that cabinet again,

She overheard a little boy's faint crying.

She looked down and saw a little boy squatting at her feet. The woman asked the boy if he was lost and why he was squatting there crying.

The little boy just kept crying and didn't say anything.

So the woman patiently continued to ask him where he came from, whether he was lost, or whether he had been separated from his family for some other reason.

But no matter what the woman was saying, the little boy remained squatting on the ground, head down, crying and crying.

The woman, driven to desperation by the little boy's cries, finally asked this question.

"Little brother, where is your mother?"

In the somewhat dimly lit service department, the orange-yellow light streamed in from the window.

Springtime suppressed her tone as much as possible, mimicking the voice of the woman in the story with a soft, feminine expression.

The boy didn't notice the change in Xiaoxue's expression beside him.

Then, the little boy who had been crying suddenly raised his head, his face covered in blood, and opened his mouth—

"The mother you're talking about..."

"That's you!!!!"

……

.........

The unusually quiet service department,

Despite Chunri's deliberately exaggerated tone, a deathly silence fell after that sentence.

Yukinoshita: "..."

Kasuga: "..."

eh?

Looking at Yukino Yukinoshita's calm face, Haruhi felt a sense of bewilderment.

That's really strange.

I remember when Senior Lisa first heard Senior Heng talk about this, didn't she scream in fear?

hiss------

I felt a sharp, 180-degree twisting pain in my lower abdomen.

"Is the story finished?"

In the quiet Service Club, Yukino asked expressionlessly.

"...I'm done talking. Xiaoxue, are you angry?"

"I wasn't angry, I just found it completely uninteresting."

Xiaoxue took off the earphones she was wearing, coldly uttered another sentence, and picked up her schoolbag.

"The club's activities are almost over, and I should head back now. Kasuga-kun, you should pack your things and go work at the restaurant too."

"Wait a minute, Xiaoxue."

Haruhi calmly called out to Yukinoshita from behind, but the latter continued walking toward the exit without looking up.

"Yukino Yukinoshita, I'm asking you to wait a moment, I have something else to say."

"Ok?"

The title "Yukino Yukinoshita" instantly transformed Yukinoshita's gaze as she left, making it as hard and cold as ice in an ice cellar.

"Um, I meant to talk about Xiaoxue. Xiaoxue, could you please let me finish before you leave?"