Chapter 35: Yuigahama Yui's Cookies
After the second period ended, Akishin found himself with a gap in his teaching schedule. He headed back to the faculty office to check in with Shizuka. "Hiratsuka-sensei, I'm heading over to the Service Club for some meditation. If anything comes up, just let me know."
Akishin had already given Shizuka a brief rundown on the whole meditation thing, mostly to ensure she didn't worry that he was filling Hikigaya Hachiman's head with anything untoward.
Shizuka nodded, not making a fuss about it. "Fair enough. Actually, take this with you and just leave it at the clubroom."
She reached under her desk and hauled out a cardboard box.
"What's in here?" Akishin asked, lifting the box to gauge its weight.
Shizuka smoothed back her hair and sat down, crossing her legs with a sharp elegance. "I paid a visit to the Kendo club to request some protective gear for Hikigaya Hachiman. It's brand new. Bring it to the Service Club so he can actually wear it when you're... 'teaching' him."
Akishin used one hand to pop the lid. Inside was a complete set: the Men face guard, the Tenugui headcloth, the Do breastplate, the Tare waist protector, and the Kote gloves. Aside from a sword, it was a full combat-ready kit.
The gear looked pristine. Akishin had a nagging suspicion that Shizuka had made some sort of "sacrifice" to pry these away from the Kendo club.
"You're surprisingly soft on Hikigaya, Sensei," Akishin remarked with a grin.
"It's purely a precaution so you don't end up injuring a student, Chishima. I'm the one who'd have to sign the paperwork," Shizuka huffed, her classic tsundere side leaking through.
"Right, right, I get it. I'll make sure Hikigaya knows how much you care." Akishin turned to leave, carrying the box. Behind him, Shizuka's annoyed voice chased him out. "Hey, Chishima Akishin! Don't go twisting my words!"
"Understood, understood. Not a word."
Akishin's voice drifted away as he walked down the hall. Shizuka massaged her temples, muttering something under her breath before reflexively reaching for a cigarette.
But...
After a long moment of hesitation, she let out a frustrated sigh and shoved the pack back down, resting it next to her lighter on the edge of the desk.
'Going to the Kendo Federation together tomorrow, huh?'
Akishin arrived at the Service Club, gave the door a customary knock, and stepped inside.
At this hour, the room was empty. The usual stack of books that occupied the table by the window was gone.
He set the cardboard box in a corner and looked for the large sheets of paper he'd used to explain the [Breathing Method] to Hachiman the other day. Spreading them on the floor, he picked up Hachiman's shinai—which was starting to show signs of neglect—and sat cross-legged. He laid the bamboo sword flat across his thighs.
Closing his eyes, he regulated his breathing. He invited the silence in, feeling his muscles loosen as he emptied his mind.
In the theater of his mind, a plain longsword with a black-and-red scabbard appeared. He "stared" at it with absolute focus, thinking of nothing else. Just watching.
He lost track of how much time had slipped by.
Slide—
The sound of the door opening snapped Akishin back to reality.
"Chishima-sensei?" Yukino stood in the doorway, her eyes wide with surprise. "Why are you here?"
For a heartbeat, as Akishin opened his eyes and met her gaze with that profound, lingering stillness, Yukinoshita Yukino found herself momentarily breathless.
It wasn't a matter of looks or charm. It was like looking at a common stone, only to realize there was a priceless jade hidden within. Akishin was already an exceptional man, but in that moment, he seemed to radiate a completely different kind of light.
When she had walked in, her eyes had been immediately drawn to the figure sitting like a statue on the floor.
The [Meditation Method] provided by the system was no mere relaxation technique. It was a rigorous mental discipline. If the system were to quantify his mental strength, every deep session like this would tick his stats up by a fraction of a decimal point.
This was the first time Akishin had been pulled out of deep meditation by someone else, and he was blissfully unaware of the "aura" he was projecting.
Yukino's expression remained mostly guarded, her composure holding firm.
"Ah, Yukinoshita-kun. My apologies for intruding. I was looking for a spot to meditate, and everywhere else is either unfamiliar or too noisy. This place just felt right."
Akishin stood up, still holding the shinai. Instinctively, his stance shifted, the way he held the wooden sword falling into a natural, ready posture.
'He changed again... like a wandering Ronin from a film. No, even more real than that.' That was the thought that flashed through Yukino's mind as she watched him rise.
"It's quite alright, Sensei. Please don't give it a second thought. This is a public clubroom, after all, not my private residence."
Yukino shook her head, dismissing the stray thoughts, and took her usual seat by the window. Chishima-sensei was an enigma she couldn't solve, so she decided it was best not to try.
He felt dangerous. It was better to keep things strictly between teacher and student.
Akishin smiled and asked, "Is Hikigaya coming today?"
"He should be. He is a member, after all. Showing up every day is his duty."
"It's lunch hour now, and school's basically out for the day," Akishin noted. "Have you eaten yet, Yukinoshita-kun?"
Yukino glanced at him. "Not yet. I was planning to head home shortly for lunch."
"That won't do. Lunch should be eaten on time."
Akishin pulled out his phone. As he started dialing Hachiman's number, he looked at her. "Would you like a bento? Sensei's treat."
Yukino moved to refuse, but when she looked up, she saw Akishin's gaze—it was a simple, questioning look, devoid of any ulterior motives. Remembering their conversation from a few days ago, she swallowed her rejection.
"Thank you, Sensei," she replied. "I'm not particularly picky."
It was a gesture of pure kindness, so she chose to accept it.
"Glad to hear it."
Akishin smiled as the call connected. Hachiman's voice crackled on the other end. "Hello? Chishima-sensei? Is something wrong?"
Hachiman's contact list was a lonely place, containing only his parents, his sister, and now Chishima-sensei. An unsaved number that he actually recognized could only belong to one person.
"Where are you right now?" Akishin asked.
"Just got to the cafeteria. About to eat, then I'll head to the club."
"I'm at the Service Club right now..." Akishin glanced at Yukino. "Bring three bentos over here. I'll pay you back. Get the same ones we had yesterday."
"Three?"
"That's right. Yukinoshita-kun hasn't eaten either."
"...Understood."
Hachiman struggled to imagine the refined Yukinoshita eating cafeteria food, but if Akishin said so, he wasn't about to argue. Besides, he wasn't the one footing the bill.
Hanging up, Akishin grabbed a chair, wiped it clean, and sat down. This room was nice; he could see himself spending more time here. Being around these students made him feel a bit younger.
At that moment, in the hidden depths of his system display, Akishin's Charisma stat ticked from 15 to 16, and the (Pending Increase) notification flickered and vanished.
"Yahallo!"
The door swung open and Yuigahama Yui bounced in with her usual energy, only to freeze at the sight of...
Three people eating bentos.
Yukino was perched by the window, her bento on a small table as she ate with delicate precision. Akishin and Hachiman were leaning against the opposite wall, halfway through their helpings of duck rice.
"Eh! Ehhh?!" Yui pointed at the scene, her finger trembling slightly. "W-what is this? Why are you all eating bentos?"
"Lunch," Hachiman muttered. He nearly choked, managed to swallow, and then glared at her. "Learn to knock, would you?"
Yukino set her chopsticks down, a faint blush creeping into her cheeks. Being caught eating a common bento by a peer was clearly a bit embarrassing for her.
"Did you need something?"
"What's with that? It feels like I'm not welcome... Yukinon, do you hate me?" Yui asked, finally snapping out of her bento-induced shock.
"I don't hate you," Yukino replied. "I'm just... not very good at dealing with you."
"In girl-talk, that's basically the same thing!" Yui puffed out her cheeks.
"So, what is it?"
"Just call it a thanks for the other day." Yui swung her backpack around, pulled out a pink bag of treats, and handed it to Yukino. "I made some cookies."
Yukino stared at the bag, her expression shifting slightly. "I'm not particularly hungry..."
Yui pulled out another bag—this one blue—and seemed to completely ignore Yukino's protest. "Making them was actually kind of fun! I think I'll try making bentos next. And hey, Yukinon, you guys are having lunch without me! I want to join in too."
"No. I prefer eating alone, so forget it. Also, that 'Yukinon' nickname is quite unpleasant..."
"Then what's with the bentos?"
"Chishima-sensei's treat. It would have been rude to refuse."
"..."
Hachiman stood up, holding his empty container. He looked left and right, but Akishin was nowhere to be found. His face instantly soured.
Chishima-sensei, you seriously just slipped away! And you didn't even take me with you! When did he even move? Is he a ghost?
Hachiman decided to take his leave as well.
"Hey, Loner-kun!"
Yui's voice caught him as he headed for the door.
"Hmm?"
Hachiman turned around just in time to catch the blue bag Yui tossed at him.
"Just a thank you," Yui said, looking away bashfully. "Even a loner like you helped me out, after all..."
Outside the school building, beneath the familiar shade of a large tree, Akishin set his empty bento aside and pulled out his phone to text Hachiman.
[Bring your shinai and that cardboard box from the corner of the room to our usual spot. Don't even think about running away. (Smiling Face Emoji)]
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
50 Power Stone = 1 Bonus Chapter (Up to 5 bonus chapters per week).
Read ahead and support the story on Patreon: patreon.com/FaaanzKun
✅ 75+ chapters ahead of WebNovel
✅ 6 new chapters every day (Monday–Saturday), exclusive on Patreon
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —