Personal Outing

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[-Continuation-]

[Location - Soubu High(:school)]

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[Hachiman's POV]

After the eventful roller coaster incident, we continued with our inspection of various classes.

Sliding the door open with a soft clatter, we entered another classroom, which I think should be the final one.

–meow~

–bark~!

A noise of meows, barks, and excited student chatter spilled out into the hallway.

"Welcome!" The class representative greeted us with a polite bow, her voice barely audible over the animal sounds.

The expression on her face conveyed a mixture of nervousness and pride, and her eyes darted between Yukinoshita and myself several times.

Yukinoshita gently bowed her head, her posture was flawless as always.

"We are glad to see your class's passion for the cultural festival." She spoke, her voice carrying the weight of her position as vice-chairwoman of the planning committee.

I faithfully remained in the background, content to allow Yukinoshita to take the initiative for this particular(:every) class.

With the digital camera in hand, I quietly took on the role of spectator rather than participant, following the responsibility for documenting the preparations that each class made.

As I stood near the entrance to the room, the full force of the theme that was being used for class 3-E became apparent to us- 'Pets of All Sorts Meow Woooof.'

The classroom had been transformed into a temporary jungle. Desks were pushed to the sides, creating space for pet carriers and small cages. Students murmured over kittens, puppies, and even a few more exotic pets like hamsters and a particularly noisy parrot.

I could see Yukinoshita's composure waver ever so slightly at the sight of a fluffy white kitten batting at a dangling toy.

"....." Her eyes almost starry lingered on it, a softness creeping into her usually stern expression.

Sensing an opportunity, I raised the camera and grabbed a few rapid images of the various animals, making sure to get plenty of the cats…. and used every skill in my arsenal to picture Yukinoshita and a few cats in one frame.

After a thorough inspection and several questions about safety measures and clean-up plans, we made our way out of the classroom.

As the door closed behind us, Yukinoshita let out a small sigh.

"That might be the last class we need to check." I noted, glancing at our schedule.

Yukinoshita nodded, then turned to me with an expectant look.

"May I see the photos?" She asked, her voice carrying an eagerness that she couldn't quite conceal.

I handed over the digital camera, watching as she began to scroll through the images. Her usual mask of cool efficiency melted away, replaced by a genuinely pleased expression as she lingered on each kitty photo.

"You have quite an eye for capturing their personalities." She remarked, her gaze flicking up to meet mine for a brief moment.

I felt a warmth creep up my neck, acutely aware of the unspoken understanding between us.

After my visit to her house, I made it pretty clear about my feelings towards her– it was practically an open secret at this point.

This knowledge hung in the air between us, injecting our interactions with a layer of tension and possibility.

"Thanks." I mumbled, oddly pleased. "It is not hard when the subjects are so….. appealing."

Yukinoshita's lips rose in a small smile. "Indeed. It's a pity we couldn't stay longer."

Oh. I didn't expect she would accept so easily.

..…and without a doubt, Yukinoshita was hopelessly smitten by the 'Meoow' part, but we(:she) couldn't go in and enjoy petting them as people would see us(:her) act so affectionately with cats, and for the vice-chairwoman of the planning committee to be seen like that, her dignity would instantly be in the dumps.

"Hikigaya, I see quite a few pictures of me here." Yukinoshita muttered, flipping through the photos.

"Can't resist capturing the moment, it was just too cute." I replied honestly, with a hint of sheepishness in my tone and glancing sideways at Yukinoshita.

"Don't worry, I won't let them out. Though I can't help it if it was Komachi who was asking…" I trailed off, watching Yukinoshita's reaction carefully.

Her dissatisfaction softened into a resigned expression that seemed to say. 'If it is, little Komachi, it should be fine, I guess.'

But just then, I couldn't resist pushing a bit further. "Maybe Yuigahama too…"

Yukinoshita's face tightened. Her expression was silently conveyed. 'That should be fine… No.'

"Oh. How can I forget about my big sister, Haruno, if it was her tha–!"

"I am deleting these." Yukinoshita declared abruptly, her voice cold and firm.

"No, don't-!" I started, realizing I had pushed too far.

"I was just messing with you." I hurriedly reassured her, trying to ease the tension.

"Are you sure?" Yukinoshita asked, her gaze searching for mine.

I nodded, conceding and carefully taking back my camera.

"But it really is a problem, isn't it?" I remarked, my tone was dry. "The vice-chairwoman turned into a grinning mess over some kittens. Your reputation would never recover."

She shot me a sharp look, but there was no real heat behind it. "I assure you, Hikigaya, I am perfectly capable of maintaining my composure around a few kittens."

"Sure, sure." I responded, not entirely convinced.

An idea struck me then, one that made my heart rate pick up slightly.

"Hey, Yukinoshita. How about we go to Carrefour some time? I heard there is a pet shop there." I suggested taking back the camera.

Yukinoshita handed the camera back to me, her fingers brushing against mine for a brief moment.

"I know about it, I go there often." Her response threw me off balance.

"Is that so...?"

She tilted her head slightly, regarding me with an unreadable expression. "Are you perhaps asking me on a date?"

I felt heat creep up my neck. "Well, I am.... But isn't it similar to what we have been doing the whole day?"

A fleeting expression of fondness crossed her face before she composed herself.

"There's a marked difference between fulfilling our duties as committee members and engaging in a personal outing." She pointed out, her tone was gentler than usual.

"So... is that a yes or a no?"

Yukinoshita's expression softened almost unnoticed. "I don't recall declining your invitation. I think a visit to the pet shop could be... agreeable."

A wave of relief washed over me. "Great. We will plan it out soon once this mess is cleared up?"

"That should be acceptable." She nodded, a small but genuine smile playing on her lips.

Then, as if remembering herself, she added some of her usual sharpness. "However, don't expect me to behave any differently simply because it's not an official function."

I couldn't help but grin. "Would not dream of it. Watching you struggle to keep that ice queen façade around a bunch of kittens is half the fun."

Yukinoshita's eyes narrowed playfully, but the affection in them was unmistakable now. "Your observational skills leave much to be desired if you think my appreciation for cats compromises my composure."

….

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As we quietly walked down the corridor, the gym loomed ahead, its doors left wide open. A considerable crowd had gathered inside.

Their cheers and excited chatter spilled out into the hallway.

Yukinoshita checked her wrist watch.

"…It's almost about time." She spoke, her voice carrying a hint of tension I couldn't quite place.

I glanced at her, noticing the slight furrow between her eyebrows. "Was this commotion about sister Haruno's performance?"

Yukinoshita's eyes expanded slightly, surprise flickering across her face. "...You knew about that?"

"Well, she nagged me for a whole ten minutes, texting to visit her for sure." I admitted, rubbing the back of my neck.

A complicated feeling swept over Yukinoshita's features, something between determination and resignation.

"Hikigaya. Let's get going." She called my name and headed straight for the gym with a decisive gait, as though she were going there to search for some kind of answer.

"Ah, yeah, coming." I replied, hurrying to catch up. "I am kind of excited to see what she's got."

Without turning around, Yukinoshita responded, her voice carrying a hint of something I couldn't quite decipher. "You're definitely in for a show."

….

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[To be continued…]

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