Sato's gaze swept subtly and complicatedly across the girls around him.
"What is it?"
Sensitive to being watched, Yukinoshita Yukino frowned slightly and looked up at him.
"Nothing."
Sato let out a long sigh. The truth was, there were other boys here too. Why was it that whenever something important happened, Hikigaya was never around?
The group continued chatting in the lounge for a while. Then the proprietress came out of the kitchen and asked,
"Would the guests like to eat here, or return to their rooms?"
"We can eat here?"
"Of course."
"Then I'll stay here. What about everyone else?"
Sato turned to the others, and they all nodded, agreeing to have dinner in the lounge.
"Excuse me! Please prepare one extra serving. I'll bring it to my brother later!"
Komachi suddenly called out to the proprietress.
"Certainly."
The proprietress smiled and returned to the kitchen.
Sato smiled at Komachi.
"Komachi really is a good little sister. And Yui too."
After a brief pause, he glanced toward Yui's side, where Hirasawa Ui was sitting.
Hearing that, Ui lowered her head slightly, her cheeks tinged red.
"Hehe! That comment just earned a really high score from Komachi!"
Komachi giggled, her eyes curved into crescents.
Sato suddenly became curious.
"What exactly is this score you keep talking about?"
The others also looked toward Komachi. They had heard her mention scores many times before.
Faced with everyone's attention, Komachi showed no nervousness at all. She gave Sato a cute wink and explained,
"It's a big-brother score! And there's also a little-sister score, which is the score for being a younger sister."
"What does it do?"
"Of course it matters! The higher someone's big-brother score is, the more Komachi likes them!"
"Huh?!"
The girls around them immediately stared at Komachi in shock.
So... bold!
Sato was momentarily stunned as well, but seeing Komachi's playful grin, he knew she was joking.
He played along.
"In that case, Hachiman better be careful. If I end up stealing Komachi away, I think he'd jump straight off this mountain."
"Hehe!"
Not long afterward, dinner was served. After eating, everyone went for another soak in the hot springs and spent the first night of their autumn vacation at the inn.
...
The next morning.
When the first rays of sunlight streamed into the room, Sato opened his eyes. Throwing off his blanket, he got up and walked to the window, stretching lazily.
Looking into the distance, he saw mountains blanketed with autumn leaves in brilliant colors. It looked as though nature had spilled paint across the landscape and transformed the mountains into a magnificent autumn masterpiece.
"Ah..."
Behind him came the sound of Hikigaya Hachiman stretching.
Sato turned around.
Hachiman's hair was a mess, and both his expression and his eyes radiated the energy of a thoroughly worn-out salted fish.
"How'd you sleep?"
"Pretty great."
Hachiman scratched his head.
Although he had nearly passed out from soaking too long yesterday, after a night's sleep he felt completely refreshed.
Sato's eyes darted mischievously.
"Then let's go soak in the hot springs again!"
Hachiman rewarded him with a deadpan glare.
Who the hell goes to a hot spring first thing in the morning?
The two got dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast.
Unexpectedly, they ran into Katō Megumi in the hallway.
Another guest?
Hachiman froze for a moment and instinctively lowered his head, avoiding eye contact.
His middle school experiences had left quite a scar.
Just as he assumed there would be no interaction between them, he suddenly heard Sato greet her naturally.
"Good morning, Katō-san."
"Good morning, Nohara-san."
Huh?!
Hachiman jerked his head up and stared at Sato.
"You know her too?!"
Wait, why did I say "too"?
Never mind that. What was going on here?!
Hachiman was genuinely confused.
Why did these two sound like classmates casually greeting each other at school?
You know each other?
Megumi glanced at Hachiman before looking at Sato.
Sato introduced him.
"This is my friend, Hikigaya Hachiman."
Then he turned to Hachiman.
"And this is my friend, Katō Megumi. She's also a second-year."
"A second-year?"
Hachiman blinked.
"Same school?"
"Yeah."
Sato nodded.
Even after the introduction, Hachiman still looked puzzled.
A second-year?
Why had he never heard of such a beautiful girl among the second-years?
He discreetly observed Megumi and found that both her appearance and temperament were outstanding. If she really was a second-year, he should have at least heard of her.
Despite finding it strange, he still greeted her.
"Hello. I'm Hikigaya Hachiman."
"Hello. I'm Katō Megumi."
Megumi gave a slight bow. Her tone, expression, and gaze were all as calm and undisturbed as still water.
After the introductions were complete, Sato naturally asked,
"Have you had breakfast yet, Megumi?"
Megumi suddenly looked up at him.
Sato paused in confusion before quickly realizing something.
Right.
This was the real world.
Megumi's given name was actually Megumi. Calling her that might sound a little too intimate.
He was about to correct himself when Megumi answered first.
"No."
Sato swallowed the words he had been about to say. After a brief pause, he asked,
"Then want to go together?"
"Mm."
The girl responded softly.
The two then walked downstairs side by side.
Hachiman frowned.
Something about the relationship between those two felt strange.
Yet he couldn't quite pinpoint what exactly was strange about it.
Scratching his head, he looked troubled.
Why did he have to run into something like this first thing in the morning?
Once he noticed it, he couldn't stop thinking about it. And the more he thought about it, the more his head hurt.
Damn it!