Life As Hikigaya Hachiman

Chapter 565: Sorry, Ma'am, But You've Got It All Wrong

The ball went off without any mishaps, as expected.

After all, it had been meticulously planned by everyone involved, ensuring that every aspect was flawless.

Even the parents who joined out of concern couldn't find anything to criticize.

When Yukino, the director of the event, announced the end of the ball, everyone reluctantly left the venue, savoring the memories of the evening.

"Great work, everyone,"

Iroha cheerfully said to the group once the ball was over.

At that moment, aside from the student council members, others who had helped out earlier had gathered in a room to hold a small celebration party.

"So this is where you all are."

A familiar voice sounded as Shizuka entered the room.

"You all did a great job. It truly was a spectacular ball."

Seeing Shizuka's appearance, Hachiman looked puzzled.

"Where were you earlier? I didn't see you at all. It's rare to have a ball like this—you should've joined in."

"I wanted to," Shizuka replied, a trace of frustration crossing her face.

"Since it became a school-wide event, we teachers had to ensure everything was running smoothly."

"Ahh… I really wanted to dance too."

By the end of her words, Shizuka's gaze at Hachiman was filled with wistful regret.

She had wanted to dance with him too.

That damn flirt!

Even without her, Hachiman must have been having a great time—there were plenty of girls willing to dance with him, after all.

"I see," Hachiman ignored the wistful look Shizuka gave him and nodded in understanding.

So that's why he hadn't seen Shizuka or Mafuyu at the ball—they had been tasked with maintaining order as teachers.

"That must have been tough for you," Hachiman commented.

Hearing this, Shizuka rolled her eyes at him in exasperation.

"It wasn't particularly tough; we just had to make sure you kids didn't cause any trouble."

At that moment, the door to the activity room opened again.

Appearing in the doorway were Mrs. Yukinoshita and Haruno. Haruno had already changed back into her usual clothes and followed behind her mother as they entered the room.

Seeing her mother and sister, Yukino stepped forward to greet them.

"Mother, Sister."

"It was truly a remarkable event," Mrs. Yukinoshita said, her expression softening into a rare smile, likely because she was pleased with how successfully Haruno had interacted with Hachiman.

"You flatter me, Mother," Yukino replied with a slight nod, her tone calm and detached.

Mrs. Yukinoshita didn't seem bothered by her younger daughter's attitude, as she had long grown accustomed to it.

Yukino, however, couldn't help but feel curious about her mother's unexpected appearance.

"We are also very grateful for your assistance," Hachiman said as he approached, standing beside Yukino and bowing slightly toward Mrs. Yukinoshita with a polite smile.

"It's thanks to your support that this ball went so smoothly."

Mrs. Yukinoshita raised an eyebrow at his words. She understood his underlying message: gratitude for not revealing their plan to guide public opinion to other parents, which had allowed the event to proceed without a hitch.

However, as the saying goes, "Many hands make light work," and Mrs. Yukinoshita was not one to claim all the credit for herself.

She returned Hachiman's smile and said,

"Not at all. In fact, we must thank you, Hikigaya-kun, for agreeing to our sudden request. This ball was only possible thanks to the combined efforts of both sides, wasn't it?"

As she spoke, Mrs. Yukinoshita slightly bowed toward Hachiman, though she quickly straightened up again.

"Moreover, as one of the key organizers of this event, you've worked hard, Hikigaya-kun."

Hearing this, Hachiman smiled and shook his head.

"You're too kind, but I believe you're mistaken, Auntie. The main organizer of this ball was Yukino. I merely offered a few ideas here and there; she handled all the actual planning and arrangements."

"Is that so?"

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Yukinoshita turned her gaze back to her younger daughter and, for once, offered a rare word of praise.

"Yukino, you did an excellent job this time. Mother is very proud of you."

Hearing her mother's compliment, Yukino's face lit up with a beautiful smile.

It seemed her mother was finally starting to acknowledge her efforts.

With this thought, Yukino felt a wave of happiness rise in her heart.

For as long as she could remember, she had done countless things to prove herself.

Yet no matter how much she achieved, her efforts were always overshadowed by her sister in their mother's eyes.

Everything Yukino did had been dismissed as childish whims, never earning her mother's recognition.

But today, receiving her mother's rare praise brought genuine joy to Yukino.

However, just as she was savoring the moment, a teasing voice from her sister reached her ears.

"Ahh~~ I had so much fun today! It was amazing, amazing!"

"Three cheers for Yukino!"

However, Yukino's response to her sister's over-the-top praise was a rather expressionless look.

After all, she had heard these kinds of remarks from Haruno countless times growing up.

And every time, it always felt more like teasing than genuine praise.

Haruno could obviously do far better herself, yet she always exaggerated Yukino's achievements as though they were extraordinary.

To Yukino, such words sounded more like mockery than encouragement.

"Sister, please don't say things like that. It's incredibly embarrassing," Yukino said, her tone flat.

"Eh, Yukino, that's so mean!" Haruno pouted, putting on a pitiful expression.

But Yukino remained unmoved.

She was entirely unfazed—after all, she'd seen this routine far too many times.

As Haruno prepared to continue her playful antics, Hachiman interrupted her.

"Thank you as well, Miss Haruno, for taking the time to join us today."

Haruno wasn't too pleased about being cut off, but when she recalled the conversations she'd had with Hachiman earlier, a smile spread across her face.

"Oh, it's nothing. Since this was an event Yukino was involved in, as her sister, I absolutely had to come and check it out."

"And I must say, it really was a wonderful event. I had a lot of fun today, at the very least."

Indeed, today had given Haruno a glimmer of hope—hope that one day she could break free from Mrs. Yukinoshita's control.

It was certainly something to be happy about.

Of course, it would have been even better if she hadn't been taken advantage of in the process.

After all, that was a treasure she had kept safe for 20 years, never touched by anyone.

Yet today, Hachiman had dared to cross the line and play with it so brazenly.

Recalling what Hachiman had done earlier, Haruno's earlobes reddened slightly.

Thankfully, her hair concealed her embarrassment, sparing her from others' prying eyes.

Still, despite what had happened, Haruno didn't harbor much resentment toward Hachiman.

After all, the two of them were well-acquainted, and Hachiman was different from the hypocrites she usually encountered. He was the type to openly admit his attraction, unashamed to say, "Yes, I'm drawn to you."

The so-called successful men Haruno often dealt with put on airs of propriety, but their eyes betrayed their greed when they looked at her.

Perhaps they coveted the Yukinoshita family's wealth, or perhaps they desired her beauty.

Compared to them, Hachiman's straightforwardness was almost refreshing.

Family status?

Sorry, but the Yukinoshita family's assets didn't even interest him.

So his sole focus was her, Haruno herself.

Fine, you're drawn to me. At least you're honest.

But Haruno might have been overthinking it. To Hachiman, adding her to the equation wasn't a big deal—whether she was there or not made little difference to him.

His actions toward the Yukinoshita family weren't impulsive.

He had no intention of giving up on Yukino, but Mrs. Yukinoshita could easily use Yukino as leverage to impose difficult conditions on him.

That's why Hachiman decided to act preemptively. By taking control of the situation, he would be the one setting the terms.

Rescuing Haruno from her mother's grasp? That was just one of the many conditions he could propose along the way.

As Hachiman had mentioned before, since he had done Haruno such a big favor, it was only fair for him to receive some form of compensation.

After all, he wasn't the type to engage in a losing deal.

The Yukinoshita family's wealth didn't interest him, so that left only Haruno herself as the reward.

After all, having both Yukino and Haruno as a pair of sisters was undeniably appealing.

Besides, Hachiman had long decided that he wasn't bound by conventional morality anymore—what was one more transgression at this point?

"Dancing with Hikigaya-kun today was truly enjoyable," Haruno said with a playful smile.

Hachiman raised an eyebrow and responded in kind.

"Ah, it was an honor to dance with you as well, Miss Haruno."

Though both of them clearly understood the undertones of their exchange, the others in the room didn't.

Take Yukino, for instance—she felt something was off, as if something significant had happened without her knowledge.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Yukinoshita observed the interaction with a satisfied smile.

From her perspective, sending Haruno to approach Hachiman had been the right move.

Unlike Yukino, Haruno was proving to be much more capable, and in such a short time, she had already made considerable progress with Hachiman. Mrs. Yukinoshita believed it wouldn't be long before Haruno could win him over entirely.

Sorry, ma'am, but you've got it all wrong.

Neither Hachiman nor Haruno had any pure intentions behind their actions.

Unfortunately, Mrs. Yukinoshita didn't possess the ability to read minds and was still indulging in dreams of the Yukinoshita family's bright future.

As for Hachiman and Haruno, they refrained from saying much else, knowing that speaking too freely could risk exposing their true motives.

After a few more casual exchanges, Haruno decided to take her leave.

"Well then, Mother, it's getting late. We should head back," she said.

"Yes, you're right," Mrs. Yukinoshita agreed, nodding. She then turned to the others in the room and gave them a polite smile.

"Thank you all for your hard work today. Please excuse us for now."

With that, she and Haruno exited the activity room together.

As Mrs. Yukinoshita left, everyone except Hachiman collectively breathed a sigh of relief.

For some reason, her presence had created a heavy atmosphere that made them all hesitant to speak freely.

But now that she was gone, they finally felt at ease and could relax.

With that thought, the mood in the activity room became lively once again.

The celebration for the success of the graduation ball continued in full swing.

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