[OreGaIru : New Me!]

….

[-Continuation-]

.

[-Hachiman's POV-]

"Hachiman..."

Yukino's sweet voice rang from behind, like the sound of a bell in a sea of noise, instantly calming the chaotic whirlpool of my mind.

Her presence felt like a lifeline, instantly silencing the buzzing in my head. She stood there, perfectly composed, her gaze steady as if she had been observing everything for a while.

"Hey." I spoke, instinctively softening my tone, but I still glanced warily at Hayama.

He seemed to pick up on the shift and stepped back, ever the gentleman - or at least pretending to be.

"Hello. Can I join you." She asked her eyes briefly, flickering to Hayama before returning to me.

There was a subtle emphasis in her words, as if to say, and in such company.

"Of course…" I began, fumbling my eyes over Hayama.

Hayama chimed in, taking the cue. "I will leave you two to talk." He said, his tone breezy as ever. "Good luck, Hikigaya."

With a knowing smile, he turned and walked away, leaving me to deal with the fallout.

Yukino tilted her head slightly, her eyes scrutinizing me.

Before I could respond, the speakers crackled, signaling the start of the ceremony.

The sound seemed to pull her back into her usual composed state.

"We should head to our seats." She said, her tone businesslike but not unkind.

"Yeah." I agreed, falling into step beside her as we made our way to our respective sections.

As the applause rippled through the auditorium, I let my gaze linger on the stage, doing my best to focus on anything other than Yukino's piercing scrutiny.

The guests of honor were now stepping down, their polished smiles intact as they returned to their seats.

Beside me, Yukino remained silent.

I looked to the front toward the stage, and the guests of honor had finished their honorary speeches.

The farewell address proceeded to its conclusion. "Last but not least, I would like to pray for your continued health and wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors. I end my farewell address as the representative of the current student body, Isshiki Iroha…"

After concluding with the enunciation of her name, Isshiki Iroha bowed and stepped out off the stage.

The former student council president, Senior Shiromeguri Meguri, energetically answered her summons and ascended the stage.

As the ceremony wrapped up, the students and faculty began to file out of the auditorium in a steady, organized flow.

The atmosphere was filled with a mixture of nostalgia, relief, and the buzz of muted conversations.

I remained seated for a moment, watching as Isshiki descended from the stage, her expression a practiced mix of confidence and humility.

She glanced toward the crowd, her eyes darting around until they landed briefly on mine. A flicker of recognition passed across her face, followed by a smirk that was all too familiar.

I could practically hear her teasing words already.

Yukino stood gracefully, brushing imaginary dust off her skirt.

"Shall we?" She asked, her tone brisk but not unkind.

I nodded and stood, falling into step beside her.

The steady current of students and parents streamed toward the exit, their mingled voices forming a hum that filled the air.

The flow was relentless, yet we made no effort to keep up.

Instead, we slowed our pace deliberately, stepping aside whenever necessary to allow others to pass, each small retreat a quiet excuse to linger.

If anyone noticed our lack of urgency, they didn't comment.

As we approached the bottleneck of the exit, the sharp, commanding voice of Ms. Hiratsuka cut through the ambient noise like a well-honed blade.

"Keep the line moving! No stragglers!" She called, clipboard in hand, her presence as authoritative as ever.

Yukino's gaze flicked toward her, a faint trace of amusement crossing her features.

"She is rather… spirited today." Yukino observed, her tone dry but tinged with subtle humor.

I followed her gaze, watching Ms. Hiratsuka marshals the students with the kind of fervor usually reserved for sports events or battles against a persistent bureaucracy.

Her gestures were sharp, her eyes sharp enough to catch any would-be offenders attempting to dawdle.

Yeah, she wasn't kidding.

It wasn't as if Ms. Hiratsuka wasn't accustomed to these tasks - after all, it was part of her job.

But this time, she seemed oddly invested, as though she was no longer doing it out of obligation but with a certain fervor.

The irritation that typically flickered in her gaze was absent, replaced by a focus I hadn't seen before.

I could almost hear the quiet rumble of a laugh in Yukino's voice, and I couldn't help but smirk as I adjusted my hands behind my head, walking alongside her with an easy, unhurried gait.

"Well, why wouldn't she be? Her life ambition is coming true soon - she is getting married."

The words slipped out before I had a chance to think, and almost instantly, I felt my stomach twist.

Wait… didn't Ryota specifically tell me to keep that under wraps?

He practically begged me not to spill the beans about Ms. Hiratsuka's engagement.

Right?

I could already imagine him giving me that exasperated look of his, muttering something about 'trust' and 'discretion'.

...Oh well.

It's too late now.

Meanwhile, Yukino, walking beside me, stopped dead in her tracks.

Her eyes flicked to me, narrowing just slightly, and for the first time, I noticed a hint of something unfamiliar - a fleeting sense of tension.

Then, almost as if she were trying to dismiss the thought, she quickly looked away.

Her gaze shifted to Ms. Hiratsuka, as if studying her from a distance.

She looked back at me again, but this time, the glance was sharper.

She didn't say anything.

And then, just as quickly as it had come, she turned her attention away, her gaze landing somewhere random, somewhere off to the side, as if she were trying to focus on anything other than me.

I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but there was definitely something different in the way she was acting - something... upset.

It was that look, the kind you get when you realize that a third-year is leaving the world of school life sooner than a second-year.

But, of course, that's just how things were meant to be.

And yet, it felt like there was an underlying jealousy... the kind that didn't make sense.

"Girl. Are you really trying to compete with thirty-year-old women over something as far stretched as marriage?" I asked, my expression a mix of disbelief and amusement.

Yukino seemed to realize how ridiculous her thoughts must have sounded.

Her face flushed slightly, and she quickly turned to walk ahead, without a word.

I trailed behind her for a moment, then caught up, narrowing the gap.

"Are you really in that much of a rush to get married?" I asked again, trying to make sense of it.

This time, there was no reply.

Not that I expected one.

Just then Ms. Hiratsuka's voice rang out from behind us. "Yukino, Hachiman, get moving! You two are walking too slow!"

"Yeah, we are moving." I called back, still matching Yukino's pace, though she seemed to be intentionally avoiding any further conversation.

There was a brief pause, then Ms. Hiratsuka's voice came again, this time with a hint of suspicion.

"You just didn't do anything wrong, did you? Because suddenly I feel like calling over to my cabin after today's homeroom."

I turned to look over my shoulder, a faint smirk tugging at my lips.

"Nope. Never." I said, keeping my tone deliberately casual, as if the thought of calling her anything other than 'Ms. Hiratsuka' was far from my mind.

She narrowed her eyes, probably trying to decide whether or not I was being truthful, but eventually, she shook her head and laughed. "Good. Keep it that way."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes, but before I could say anything else, Yukino's pace picked up, leaving me to trail behind her as Ms. Hiratsuka fell back to deal with the other stragglers.

.

….

[To be continued…]

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