128. Yukinoshita Haruno's Miserable Hell?

128. Yukinoshita Haruno's Miserable Hell?

In the camera's viewfinder, Hikigaya Hachiman and Yukinoshita Haruno, both disheveled, were snuggled up together.

It looked exactly like a scandalous scene — like a sister secretly fooling around with her sister's fiancé.

Shame flooded Yukinoshita Haruno's heart.

But for Yukino's sake, she could only grit her teeth and carry on!

She quickly pressed the shutter, and to ensure the authenticity of the photos, Haruno deliberately took shots from multiple angles.

The whiteness of her chest, her black stockings draped over Hachiman's legs — she even hardened her heart and pressed a kiss to the side of Hachiman's face, leaving a vivid lipstick mark on his cheek.

Afterward, flustered, she wiped the lipstick mark away with her sleeve.

Straightening up, she carefully reviewed the photos to check for any flaws.

Ring—

Hikigaya Hachiman's iPhone suddenly rang out shrill and sharp, startling Haruno, who was so focused that she almost dropped her own phone.

Following the source of the sound, Haruno fished the phone out of Hachiman's pocket.

She instinctively wanted to hang up, but after seeing the caller ID, her mind changed.

The reason was simple — the caller was marked as:

[Yumeko]

At that moment, a wild and daring idea sprang up in Haruno's mind. She barely managed to restrain herself from going insane, and using the last of her rationality, she answered the call.

"Hello, Hachiman? It's so late, and you're not home yet? Should I come pick you up?"

The moment the other side spoke, it was a soft, tender voice — seven-tenths similar to Yukino's.

Haruno almost thought she was speaking to her own sister.

A little more confident in her plan, Haruno thought: perhaps what Hachiman really loved was her sister. It was only because he had gotten physically involved with Yumeko that...

Thinking this, she shifted her strategy.

"You're... Yumeko, right?"

"Eh? Yes, and you are?"

"Oh, I'm Yukinoshita Haruno, a friend's older sister. Hachiman got drunk. He's sleeping at my house tonight, but it's nothing to worry about."

"Drunk...?"

On the other end, Yumeko's breathing hitched. Her heart began pounding violently. The situation she most feared — and paradoxically most wanted — had happened.

Yumeko's throat felt dry, and a raging fire lit in her heart.

Should she warn Yukinoshita Haruno?

Yumeko wrestled internally. Yes, she had her own special tastes, but those were private games between her and Hachiman. If her pleasures came at the cost of others' suffering... Yumeko couldn't bring herself to cross that line.

After all, she had always been a gentle girl.

In the end, her kindness won out over her desire:

"Miss Yukinoshita, I—"

"Ah, don't worry about it! Good night~" Haruno hurriedly cut her off and hung up, afraid that if she kept listening, her guilty conscience would completely shatter her resolve.

'That gentle voice, just like Yukino's. And yet, here I am...'

Yukinoshita Haruno covered her face. Regret, guilt, self-reproach — all kinds of negative emotions swirled violently inside her.

Was it truly right to weave this fairy tale for Yukino?

The adult world had always been full of darkness, but if that darkness could be borne by her alone, then Yukino could live forever in a world of kindness and light.

Just like how Hachiman had always tried to be the best older brother he could be for Komachi.

'You, who cherish Komachi so deeply — would you understand me, Hachiman?'

Haruno pressed her forehead, standing up unsteadily. Her mind was a mess. She needed to go to the rooftop to cool off in the night wind.

But just as she stood—

Two strong, warm hands suddenly wrapped around her slender waist.

Yukinoshita Haruno looked down, stunned.

.

.

.

Hikigaya Hachiman was dreaming.

A luxurious, palace-like room. Several curvaceous beauties lounged across a massive bed, their faces blurred and indistinct.

Their bodies were alluringly shapely and well-proportioned.

Each one had a different aura: some were cold and unreachable like distant flowers, others slithery and seductive like snakes, some wore mocking, condescending smiles from high above, and others gazed at him with desperate longing.

Some were elegant, some were bewitching.

Some moved with mature grace; others blushed bashfully, stealing shy glances back at him... All of them smiled sweetly, surrounding Hikigaya Hachiman in a cocoon of warmth.

This place — it was like paradise.

One among them extended a delicate bare foot. Her toenails were painted a brilliant red, dazzlingly beautiful. Her toes were slender, and around the second toe of her right foot was a ruby-encrusted toe ring that shimmered under the light.

That slender foot gently poked Hachiman's face, accompanied by soft giggles.

Hachiman caught her.

Since elementary school, Hikigaya Hachiman had lived under intense pressure every single day.

He had poured every effort into self-improvement, patching up his weaknesses, struggling desperately to climb upwards. Only after paying unimaginable efforts was he able to stand at Hyakkaou Private Academy, competing against those born with golden spoons, engaging in brutal mind games...

Fortunately, he had met Yumeko — his one and only harbor of peace for his exhausted soul.

All his vibrant vitality had long been shackled by cold rationality. Only now, in this moment, had he forgotten all his burdens, feeling nothing but the gentle warmth in his hands.

"Is this... a dream?"

Hachiman couldn't tell, and he didn't want to tell. Here, he just wanted to completely let go of himself.

Gazing at the foot in his hands, at the bright ruby, Hachiman couldn't resist lowering his head.

"Hmm—" a suppressed female moan echoed faintly in his ear.

His movements were rough. Perhaps subconsciously, Hachiman had already abandoned his usual masks. The foot in his hand trembled slightly, but he didn't care. Instead, greedily, he moved even closer.

...

Somewhere, a faucet in the Yukinoshita household hadn't been tightened properly.

Water slowly accumulated, growing heavier, until eventually, under the pull of gravity, a drop formed—

Drip.

And it fell into the drain with a soft splash.

At the exact moment the water droplet fell, Shizuka Hiratsuka — who had been sleeping soundly on the sofa — opened her eyes.

Drunk as she was, she was overwhelmed by a sudden and urgent need to pee.

Half-dazed, she opened her eyes and started looking around for a place to relieve herself.

Stumbling, she made her way to a door — without even checking whether it was the bathroom — and knocked on it.

"Haruno, are you in there? I need to use the bathroom~" Shizuka Hiratsuka's voice was sticky and sweet, like that of a little girl whining.

"N-no, not here! Ah~"

Haruno's response came hurriedly, her voice sounding strange — as if she were trying to suppress something.

But the drunken Shizuka just shook her head dismissively, paying it no mind, and turned to another door instead. Seeing the clean, dry-wet separated bathroom inside, she nodded in satisfaction.

With that, her classy slacks fell to the floor.