Late evening settled over the school dormitory building. After parting ways with the others, nlai made her way toward Juke’s dorm once again, the mischief in her eyes not yet settled from earlier.
"No, seriously, just thinking about it makes laugh," nlai giggled as she plopped down at the low table in the room, her hand covering her mouth as she chuckled to herself. "I never imagined komachi would be that interesting. I an, chasing off Class A students like that? Bold."
Though she had originally co with the goal of helping Hinoyuki capture Hikigaya’s heart, nlai couldn’t deny how unexpectedly amusing the boy was. Hikigaya Hachiman—dry, awkward, unfiltered—wasn’t the type of guy who made a flashy impression, but his sheer honesty was disarming.
Juke, sitting across from her, glanced up with eyes full of quiet resentnt.
If she hadn’t known nlai for so long, she might’ve been furious already.
Didn’t nlai know she was the best cook in their class? Yet she still asked that absurd question earlier, like so amateur ho cook. Was she doing it on purpose? Trying to provoke her?
And now she was laughing over Hikigaya being "interesting." For so reason, Juke felt a sense of urgency rising within her chest—a feeling that made her shift uncomfortably.
"Don’t look at like that!" nlai quickly raised her hands in defense as if to surrender. "I didn’t an it like that! I even deliberately made my cookies worse today! I just didn’t expect it to backfire so badly."
She leaned forward, a gleam of determination in her eyes.
"But you know, there’s a saying—’the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.’ If you’re serious about this, then starting tomorrow, we’re beginning your cooking training, Juke!"
"Eh? I an..." Juke’s eyes widened slightly in protest. "I’m not really good at cooking, nlai."
She breathed a subtle sigh of relief as she recalled nlai’s cookies from earlier today—sweet but unbalanced, lacking the nuance she herself usually brought into her dishes. That at least gave her a margin of advantage.
Besides, why waste ti cooking anyway? Wouldn’t it be better spent going out, hanging with friends, or even practicing makeup?
"It’s fine," nlai assured her, her voice chipper. "You’re super smart, Juke. You’ll pick it up fast."
"Just take it step by step," she added, folding her arms across the table and then pausing as a more serious thought crossed her mind.
"But, before we start all that..." she trailed off, narrowing her eyes. "I need to ask—are you looking to just date Hikigaya, or... do you actually want to marry him?"
"Huh?!" Juke’s face instantly flushed with deep red. Her expression froze like a deer in headlights. "M-Marry?!"
Was she hearing things?
That was so sudden!
She hadn’t even started dating him—how had nlai jumped all the way to marriage?
She only thought he was a bit different—interesting, calm, soone she could relax around. Being near Hikigaya was easier than being around most people, and that had drawn her in.
Still, the idea of marriage...
She closed her eyes briefly, and in her imagination, she saw herself in a wedding dress, walking down the aisle. Beside her stood Hikigaya, awkwardly trying to straighten his tie, a slight blush on his face.
Actually, it didn’t seem that bad.
"Yup," nlai said with certainty, grinning. "With your personality, I’m sure you’re thinking about marriage already. This is what love looks like!"
She clutched her pink little fists together in excitent before letting out a soft sigh.
"But you know, there’s a problem—Hikigaya’s dream is to beco a househusband. Juke, are you ready for that kind of life? You might be working a lot while he stays ho."
"Ugh..." Juke whimpered slightly, playing along with the lodrama. "I think he just says that, honestly. When the ti cos, I’m sure he’ll get a job."
nlai nodded thoughtfully. "True, true. He does seem like the kind of guy who’d shoulder responsibility even if it goes against his preference."
Their conversation flowed naturally. Juke always appreciated how nlai led most of it, allowing her to simply add her thoughts here and there. That’s how their friendship worked—an unspoken understanding.
"Anyway," nlai said with a wink, locking eyes with Juke. "You’ve got good taste, so I feel totally at ease."
She leaned forward and added confidently, "Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you win him over."
Then she turned to a new topic. "But what about Sakura? Based on today, it seems like Hikigaya doesn’t see her that way. Probably thinks of her more like a little sister."
Juke nodded slowly. That did seem accurate. Airi, though sweet and friendly, didn’t seem to stand out in Hikigaya’s eyes.
"Compared to her," nlai went on, "you’ve got a better chance. But the problem is—Hikigaya is just too mature. Everything he does has a reason. He rarely plays around. If we want to create a romantic opportunity, we need to strategize."
She leaned back with a smirk, tapping her pencil against a notebook she’d brought with her, looking exactly like a modern-day Zhuge Liang.
"Here’s the plan," she said. "Hikigaya is gentle. If soone asks him for help, he usually agrees, right?"
Juke nodded again.
"Then next ti, we’ll invite him out under the pretense of needing help. While we’re out, we’ll find an excuse to split off and give you and him so alone ti."
She shot her friend a look full of challenge.
"Juke, when that mont cos—you have to make your move. We can’t just sit on the sidelines anymore, you get that?"
Watching nlai scribble her plans in the notebook made Juke shiver slightly.
When had this girl’s IQ suddenly exploded?
It had taken Juke days to understand even the surface of Hikigaya’s personality, but nlai had dissected him in what, two encounters?
anwhile, in another dorm room elsewhere in the building...
Sakura Airi sat nervously at her table while Hasebe Haruka leaned over with a teasing smile.
"Airi-chan," Haruka asked with narrowed eyes, "do you like that guy? The one nad Hikigaya?"
Airi’s eyes widened. Her cheeks turned as pink as cherry blossoms. "Eh!? W-Well... yes, but... please don’t tell anyone!"
The day’s events replayed in her mind—how things had almost spiraled out of control, and how Kushida had swooped in like an angel, turning the situation around. Because of her, Airi not only avoided embarrassnt, but also made a new friend: Juke.
"I an, I’m really grateful to Kushida-san," Airi mumbled, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. "But things almost went so wrong..."
"Well," Haruka sighed dramatically, plopping onto the bed with her hands behind her head, "even if you don’t say anything, I’m pretty sure everyone else already knows."
"Eh?! W-What do you an?!"
Airi looked like she was about to fall off her chair.
Haruka gave a knowing smirk.
"I an, it’s obvious. Except for maybe Yukimura and Hikigaya himself, everyone can tell you like him. Those two are hopelessly dense. You could walk up to them wearing a wedding dress and they’d still be confused."
That... hurt more than it should’ve.
"I an, Yukimura literally let the girl leave without even a second thought today," Haruka continued. "I know he didn’t an anything bad, he’s just... brutally straightforward."
"But you..." she added, turning to Airi, "you looked so embarrassed."
Airi buried her face in her hands. "Ahhh... I really thought no one noticed..."
Haruka chuckled.
"Trust , you’ve got competition. But hey—if you’re serious, maybe it’s ti you stopped being passive. Hikigaya might not notice unless you hit him with a sign or sothing."
Outside the dorms, the stars glittered faintly in the sky. Several hearts were stirring, plans were forming, and sowhere across campus, Hikigaya Hachiman had absolutely no idea what kind of whirlwind was forming around him.
But one thing was certain—Sakura Airi now had the strongest wingman she could’ve asked for.
And the battlefield of youth romance was only just beginning.
------------------------------------------------------
Get mbership in patreon to read more Chapters
Extra Chapters available in patreon
patreon/Dragonscribe31
-----------------------------------------------------
Extra 70 Chapters available in patreon 🤩🥳
Discount code " 4D346"
Just check it out 🤗😇♥️
_______________________________________________________________________
Reviews
All reviews (0)