[183] Inferiority—A Very Foolish Fish

Chapter 183: Inferiority—A Very Foolish Fish

Present-day Yui Yuigahama goes without saying—she's too gentle, too soft, making her easy to deal with. As for Rio Futaba, her main issue is her deep-seated insecurity.

Despite being a cute, bespectacled girl with a remarkable figure that could easily rival other adorable girls if she just dressed up a bit, her difficult childhood has left her burdened with low self-esteem.

Rio sees herself as just an ordinary girl, her self-assessment dismally low.

She tends to act as the class wallflower, preferring to linger unnoticed in the corners. Her favorite thing to do is wear a lab coat to hide her prominent chest, as if she wishes she could just fade away entirely. In some ways, she shares a kindred spirit with Hachiman Hikigaya.

But everyone meets certain people in their lifetime, people they come to love.

Some encounter them at the right time, like flowers blooming in spring.

For these individuals, everything works out—they fall in love, get engaged, marry, and share a life together.

Others, however, meet them at the wrong time, like seeing a fish surface for air in winter, separated by ice.

All they can do is watch as the fish takes a breath and disappears back into the depths, leaving no chance for anything more.

Some fish are clever and let go of those fleeting moments once they return to the water.

Others are foolish, clinging only to that initial person they encountered, refusing to let go and remembering no one else.

Hachiman was one such foolish fish. Rio Futaba was another. In the original story, she became infatuated with Kunimi over something as small as a loaf of bread, yet she didn't dare tell him.

In this lifetime, although Shunsuke never bought her bread, a single, unintentional compliment from their first meeting was enough for this foolish fish to fixate on him entirely.

...At that moment, Shunsuke felt a twinge of guilt.

Shaking his head, he decided not to dwell on it. If he wanted to build a harem, these pangs of guilt were something he needed to overcome. A true playboy needs to carry himself accordingly—there's no room for indecisiveness in this role.

With that, he sent several more messages to Yui. Approaching from two fronts and keeping both hands in play—that was the only sensible strategy. If he wanted to achieve his goals, he needed to pick up the pace.

...

After school, in the Service Club.

Shunsuke was sitting with Yukino, sipping tea. He was trying to persuade her not to delay any longer, suggesting that they recruit a cheerful, outgoing girl to help gather information.

Yukino silently sipped her tea. Even though she hadn't made any progress herself, she still seemed reluctant.

Knock, knock, knock.

A knock sounded at the door. Shunsuke glanced over, assuming it must be Yui.

Yukino immediately straightened her posture. "Come in."

The door opened, and Iroha Isshiki entered, her short, smooth, chestnut-colored hair gently swaying.

"Senpai, there you are! I finally found you!" she greeted energetically.

"Is this the lively, bubbly new member you mentioned?" Yukino asked, her cold gaze fixed on Shunsuke.

Shunsuke quickly explained, "No, we've only had a few brief conversations."

"Ehh~~~ Senpai, you're so mean! I already confessed to you," Iroha pouted, her tone cutesy to boys but overly affected to girls.

"A confession? I don't remember that."

"Well, that's because you're so hard to track down! I had to put in so much effort just to find out you'd come here after school. I even went to the Classical Literature Club, but those terrifying upperclasswomen nearly made me want to crawl into a hole!" the mischievous underclassman complained casually.

This was the kind of trick girls used—seemingly offhandedly pointing out other girls' flaws, subtly steering the listener's thoughts without them even realizing.

"I hardly ever go there. How did you even find out?"

"Well—"

Yukino frowned and cut them off with a slight cough. "So, Isshiki-san, is there something you need from the Service Club?"

"Umm... can't I just come here to chat with senpai?"

"Apologies, but the Service Club doesn't offer chatting services. If that's the case, please leave for today."

Yukino resumed drinking her tea.

Iroha glanced uneasily at Yukino, then cast a pleading look at Shunsuke.

She wasn't quite bold enough to challenge Yukino directly.

Shunsuke also sipped his tea in silence. He was someone who held grudges, and while this little devil of an underclassman might say nice things, she'd never once given him any points. That was a grudge he'd never let go.

Knock, knock, knock.

Another knock came at the door.

Yukino gave Iroha a glance, then said, "Come in."

A girl with a round bun hairstyle peeked hesitantly inside. She first looked at Shunsuke, then turned her gaze to Yukino. When her eyes landed on Iroha, she visibly flinched, then quickly shifted her attention back to Shunsuke.

Shunsuke felt like facepalming. He'd known this clumsy girl would be at a complete loss if something unexpected happened. All the lines they'd prepared in advance were now useless.

"Yuigahama-san, was there something you needed?" Yukino asked, seeing that Yui wasn't saying anything.

"Huh? You know me?" Yui replied, her face lighting up with pride.

"Yes, I've memorized everyone's name at this school."

"Wow, that's amazing!" Yui exclaimed, using a tone that even Shunsuke couldn't tell was genuine amazement or just playing along.

"That's not really amazing; it's more… creepy, actually. What kind of friendless person does that?" Iroha commented. Her quip, for once, was quite normal and fitting.

Still, if a guy had done something like that, it would definitely have come across as unsettling.

Iroha promptly stopped talking after receiving a cold glare from Yukino.

However, there was one thing Shunsuke really wanted to know.

"Yukino, do you know who Hikigaya Hachiman is?" he asked.

Yukino turned her head slightly. "Are you talking about that dead-eyed guy from your class and Yuigahama's? What about him?"

"...No, never mind."

Today, Shunsuke had learned another pointless truth he didn't really need to know.

"So, Yuigahama-san, are you the cheerful, lively girl Fujii-kun mentioned would be joining the Service Club?"

"Eh, is that what Shunsuke said about me? Hehehe, I'm not all that great," Yui giggled, fiddling with her bun.

Watching as Yui casually revealed everything with just a few words, Shunsuke could only sigh inwardly.

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