Chapter 117: Kawasaki Taishi's Request!
"Nice to meet you~"
After Hikigaya Komachi introduced herself, Luke turned toward the boy beside her.
He wore the same middle-school uniform as Komachi, so they were clearly classmates.
"I'm Kawasaki Taishi. My older sister is a second-year at Sobu High~ Nice to meet you… Ah, her name is Kawasaki Saki."
Taishi straightened his posture and introduced himself with a slightly shy expression.
Luke studied the boy, whose hair color resembled that of Human Observer Number Two.
Yumiko quietly asked, "Is he related to the Kawasaki-san in our class?"
"Yeah, probably the one who's late every day, collapses onto her desk as soon as she arrives, or spends the whole time staring at the clouds outside."
Luke whispered a description of Saki to her.
"Oh."
Yumiko nodded, finally recalling her.
Kawasaki Saki was one of the most mysterious people in their class. She had no especially close friends and usually sat alone during breaks, so very few classmates knew much about her.
Most people merely thought she was a delinquent or found her sharp and intimidating.
However, after speaking with her, Luke felt she was not as cold as she appeared.
Luke looked at Saika and the two middle schoolers.
"Why are you still standing? Sit with us. There aren't any other seats nearby."
"Seriously, couldn't Yuigahama have inspected the place before choosing it?"
"Then we'll join you~"
Saika narrowed his eyes with a gentle smile and sat across from Luke with the two younger students.
At the same time, Yuigahama Yui entered the café with Yukinoshita Yukino.
"Ah, Yui."
Yumiko's voice alerted Luke.
"Hello~ Hello, Yumiko, To—hmm?"
Yui began greeting everyone in her usual manner, then looked curiously at the two middle schoolers.
"She's Hikigaya Hachiman's younger sister, Hikigaya Komachi. And this is Kawa—"
Luke began introducing them the same way as before.
"That gloomy guy has such a cute little sister?!"
Yui stared at Komachi and cried out, just as shocked as Luke had been by how different she looked from Hachiman.
"That's incredibly rude, idiot!"
Luke struck her lightly.
"Ah! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it like that…"
Realizing her mistake, Yui hurriedly waved her hands and apologized.
"It's fine. As his younger sister, I understand what my brother is like."
Komachi spoke politely.
"So please don't worry about it~ Thank you all for looking after him."
"So cute~"
Luke grabbed Yui before she could rush over and embrace Komachi.
He then finished his introduction.
"And this is Kawasaki Saki-san's younger brother, Kawasaki Taishi."
"Ah, I'm Kawasaki Taishi, Kawasaki Saki's younger brother."
"Kawasaki Saki-san…"
Yukino repeated the name and tilted her head slightly in confusion.
It seemed that even Yukino, who remembered most students in their year, knew very little about Saki.
Yui immediately clapped her hands upon hearing the name. She truly was worthy of being a classmate.
"Ah~ Kawasaki-san! She feels a little scary. Should I call her a delinquent…?"
"Hm? Have you spoken with her before?"
Luke looked curiously at Yui.
"We've talked, but I don't think we're friends…"
Yui reached across Luke to pull Yumiko's arm.
"Hey, don't ask a girl something like that. It's hard to answer. Can I sit beside Yumiko?"
'Couldn't you go bother Yukinoshita instead?'
Having already added [Beware of Yuigahama] to his mental notes, Luke looked speechlessly at Yui, who behaved like an unfaithful woman.
"Then let's switch seats~"
Yumiko patted Luke, stood, and exchanged places with him.
"What are you drinking, Yukinon?"
Once everyone sat down, they began deciding what to order.
"U-um…"
Taishi suddenly spoke quietly.
"What is it?"
Luke looked at the uneasy boy after changing seats.
Was he uncomfortable being surrounded by high school students?
"Have any of you noticed my sister acting differently at school recently?"
Taishi asked.
"What do you mean?"
Luke looked confused.
Among everyone present, he was probably the only one who had spoken with Saki for any meaningful length of time.
"Ah! This is why Taishi came to talk to me!"
Komachi raised her arm.
"He said his sister has started going down the wrong path and become a delinquent!"
"Yes, that's it…"
Taishi cooperatively continued.
"My sister has been acting badly lately—or maybe becoming a delinquent. She comes home extremely late every day, so I wanted to know how she behaves at school…"
"When did your sister begin changing?"
Yukino immediately questioned him.
With the exams approaching, the Service Club members had agreed to temporarily suspend activities and focus on studying.
However, Yukino clearly had not lost her enthusiasm for helping others.
Taishi flinched beneath her questioning.
"Um… My sister studied extremely hard in middle school, which is how she entered Sobu High."
"She was kind to me back then and often cooked for me. Nothing changed throughout her first year, but recently…"
"So it began after she entered her second year?"
Yukino nodded, confirming the timing.
"Yes!"
Taishi answered loudly.
Yukino slowly entered analytical mode, searching for the event that had triggered Saki's change.
"Did anything special or unusual happen after she entered her second year?"
"I think it began after the classes were rearranged."
"So it happened after she was placed in the same class as the paramecium…"
Yukino lowered her head and murmured.
"…I can hear you even when you speak quietly."
"Oh? I don't recall mentioning anyone's name. Are you admitting it applies to you?"
This was blatant revenge.
Yukino was still angry that Hayato's request had ended without her identifying and punishing the chain-letter culprit.
Competitive, stubborn, and grudge-holding Yukino.
More importantly…
"Why aren't you defending me?"
Luke whispered to the smiling Yumiko.
"I think she made a good point."
Yumiko looked at him with a bright smile.
"A single-celled organism suits you pretty well~"
'Whenever we're together, all he thinks about is kissing me or touching my legs~'
She did not say the rest aloud and merely kicked his shin lightly.
Because Luke wore cropped trousers, part of his lower leg was exposed.
This time, he counterattacked.
Luke hooked his leg around Yumiko's attacking calf and trapped her slender ankle, white sock and all, between his legs.
Then he vigorously rubbed it back and forth.
"What are you doing?!"
Yumiko hurriedly braced one hand against the sofa to support herself while pressing the other against his thigh.
Luke ignored her panicked gaze and continued holding her ankle captive.
Meanwhile, Yukino kept questioning Taishi.
"How late does your sister return home? High school students sometimes come back late, so that alone isn't particularly strange."
She glanced toward Yui in search of confirmation.
After all, Yukino had no friends. Aside from club activities, she had almost no social events that delayed her after school.
"Mm, that's true. I sometimes come home pretty late too."
Yui agreed.
Taishi lowered his head, rubbed his hands together, and spoke quietly.
"But she usually comes home at around five."
"Maybe she stays out having fun all night, then returns in the morning because she doesn't want to stay awake afterward."
Luke offered a possibility.
Pulling an all-nighter did not count as staying up late.
"But she wouldn't come home at five every single day, would she?"
Taishi asked doubtfully.
"…Probably not."
"Have your parents said anything? Your sister returns home that late every day."
Totsuka Saika looked worriedly at Taishi.
"Um… Both my parents work, and we have younger siblings at home, so they don't pay much attention to her."
"Since she returns at that hour, she barely sees them. Even when they do meet, they only argue."
"When I ask her about it, she just says, 'It's none of your business.'"
Taishi lowered his eyes sadly.
No wonder he had sought help from classmates and high school students he had only recently met.
A situation like that at home would naturally make him anxious and affect his mood.
"Every family has its own troubles…"
A shadow similar to Taishi's appeared on Yukino's face, as though dark clouds had suddenly covered a clear sky.
Her expression might have been even gloomier than his.
Luke glanced at Yukino.
Yumiko used the opportunity to pull back her now-reddened calf.
Seeing Yumiko's wide eyes and adorable expression, Luke took out one of the same lychee candies as before and placed it in her hand.
"Mm."
Yumiko looked at the candy, and her anger immediately vanished. She hurriedly turned her face aside.
'Cute.'
"Oh, and… I've also been receiving strange calls recently."
Taishi continued.
"Debt collectors?"
Luke guessed.
"I don't think it's loan sharks. From what I remember, the name had something to do with angels. It might be some kind of shop."
"Angels?"
Luke rarely remembered store names unless they sold food he regularly bought.
"So you think your sister has become involved in something dangerous?"
"Yes. A place with 'Angel' in its name sounds suspicious, doesn't it?!"
Taishi immediately looked toward him.
Luke understood his concern.
Taishi probably feared that Saki had encountered some dangerous person or problem and had been forced to work at a suspicious establishment called [Angel].
"Don't worry. Your sister wouldn't do something like that."
Luke comforted Taishi based on his impression of Saki, though they had not interacted very often.
Yukino looked at Taishi.
"In short, Kawasaki Taishi, you want to learn why your sister returns home so late, correct?"
"Y-yes!"
He still seemed somewhat frightened of Yukino.
"It would be even better if she could return to how she used to be."
"Understood. May we accept this request on behalf of the Service Club?"
"Eh? Are we getting involved?"
Yui looked at Yukino in confusion.
"But haven't club activities been suspended?"
"Kawasaki Taishi is the younger brother of a Sobu High student, and his problem directly concerns Kawasaki Saki-san."
"I believe this falls within the Service Club's responsibilities."
Yukino looked toward Yui.
"However, we can treat it as my personal matter. None of you are required to participate."
"Ah! I was only asking! As a member of the Service Club, of course I'll help!"
Yui hurriedly replied.
Yukino, seated at the outermost edge, then shifted her gaze toward Luke.
"I'll participate."
Kawasaki Saki had helped him with Hayato's request, after all.
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