Hikigaya walked up to Yukinoshita and asked with concern,
"Are you feeling any better?"
"It still hurts..."
Yukinoshita pursed her lips, her pretty face tinged with a hint of pain. Her fair, slender thighs looked so delicate it seemed they might give out under her at any moment.
"This time it's really bad... You're not going to be unable to walk, are you?" Hikigaya frowned.
"Not that bad..." Yukinoshita sighed and shook her head.
"Alright then. Just... take it easy. And, uh... remember to drink plenty of warm water."
"Ugh, you boys only ever know how to say that," Yukinoshita shot him a sidelong glance.
"What else am I supposed to say?" Hikigaya said awkwardly.
"Hee hee, you could offer to give little Yuki a massage," Hoshino Ai suggested with a mischievous smile. "Yep, give little Yuki a massage."
She even emphasized it deliberately.
Yukinoshita blushed immediately.
Hey, hey, hey!
That sounded perfectly innocent at first, so why did it suddenly sound so shady once you said it??
"If—if it still hurts tomorrow..."
Hikigaya took a deep breath.
"Hee hee, that's just like you, Hikigaya-kun. So gentle," Hoshino Ai giggled.
"That's just how he is," Yukinoshita said with a faint smile too.
"You girls..."
Hikigaya's face flushed as the two of them teased him.
Taking a deep breath, Hikigaya then asked,
"Your mom and Haruno-san are over there. Do you want to go see them?"
"My mom?"
"Yeah, over there. Look, she's even waving at us."
Watching the beautiful woman in a kimono wave her folding fan at them, Hikigaya felt a chill run down his spine as he pointed her out.
"Ohh, so that lady's your mom, Yuki? I thought she was your sister!" Hoshino Ai said in surprise.
"The short-haired one next to her is the real sister," Hikigaya added.
"Uh... why's my mom here?" Yukinoshita felt her heart skip a beat. And when she spotted Haruno walking toward them too, she instantly sensed trouble.
"And my sister, too?!"
"Yahallo~"
Haruno quickly approached them with her usual cheery greeting.
"Hikigaya-kun, Yukinon, and... who's this?"
"This is Ai, my friend," Yukinoshita quickly introduced.
"Ai-chan, huh?"
Haruno glanced at Hoshino Ai, then smiled in understanding.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Yukino's older sister, Haruno. You can just call me Haruno-nee~"
"Nice to meet you, Haruno-nee~"
Hoshino Ai replied sweetly.
For a while, the girls started chatting away happily, one sentence after another.
Meanwhile.
Hikigaya stood there like a ghost, completely ignored.
A bunch of girls chattering noisily—there really wasn't anything a guy could do. All he could do was pretend he didn't exist.
Hikigaya glanced around.
Subconsciously, his eyes drifted toward Mrs. Yukinoshita.
And that glance startled him out of his skin.
Mrs. Yukinoshita had, at the same moment, looked his way too.
Their eyes met. Mrs. Yukinoshita even sent him a look—one that was impossible to describe.
Hikigaya nearly jumped, immediately averting his gaze.
Auntie... she's seriously scary!
"Yukino, I'm going to borrow Hikigaya-kun for a bit, okay~? Thanks~"
Just as Hikigaya was trying to regain his composure, Haruno's cheerful voice rang in his ear.
Huh?
Borrow me?
What the heck is that supposed to mean??
Hikigaya turned to look at Haruno in alarm.
Only to see her, smooth and slippery like an eel, slide up to him and grab onto his arm.
"Hikigaya-kun, come help us move some things, will you? Mother and I are both delicate little ladies, we can't carry so much on our own."
Wait, I didn't even say yes yet?
Hikigaya turned helplessly to Yukinoshita.
"Your body..."
"Don't worry, I have Ai with me. You go help my sister," Yukinoshita said softly.
"Thanks, Hikigaya-kun~"
"This... sigh."
Hikigaya could never resist when Yukinoshita showed him that look—
That look of please, darling.
For a sharp-tongued girlfriend, it was just too unfair.
In the end.
Hikigaya let Haruno cling to him as he walked toward the final boss, Mrs. Yukinoshita.
Leaving himself to be sandwiched between two boss-level ladies... this was definitely going to crank the difficulty up to max!
"Sorry for the trouble, Hikigaya-kun. Haruno bought a lot of things, and some are quite heavy," Mrs. Yukinoshita said with a gentle smile, reaching out to pat Hikigaya's hand.
Startled, Hikigaya immediately stepped back and nodded seriously,
"Don't worry, ma'am. I'm pretty strong."
After a brief daze, Mrs. Yukinoshita quickly returned to her calm, elegant smile.
"Hehe, Hikigaya-kun, just don't push yourself too hard, okay?"
Thus began Hikigaya's heavy lifting duties.
And honestly—
The stuff they bought was ridiculous.
The random odds and ends weren't too bad, but they somehow even bought a pair of thirty-pound dumbbells.
"You bought this?"
Hikigaya stared at Haruno.
"Yep! I'm working out, you know? Gotta train to be a sexy big sister, hehe~"
Haruno puffed out her chest and leaned closer to him.
Hey, hey, hey!
You're already sexy enough!!
"Hikigaya-kun, are you okay? Should we help you?"
Mrs. Yukinoshita asked gently, showing absolutely no trace of the intimidating aura from before.
"I'm fine. Let me handle it."
Hikigaya shook his head and effortlessly picked up two bags weighing dozens of pounds each.
Seeing this, both Mrs. Yukinoshita and Haruno's eyes lit up.
Haruno wasn't too surprised—
She knew Hikigaya had been working out lately.
But Mrs. Yukinoshita seemed genuinely amazed, her beautiful eyes sparkling as she said warmly,
"Hikigaya-kun, don't overdo it. You're still growing, you know. You mustn't wear yourself out."
"Cough, Auntie, I'll be an adult in a few months," Hikigaya replied calmly. "Besides, this weight is nothing to me. Honestly, I could even carry Haruno-san on top of it, no problem."
"Eh?"
Mrs. Yukinoshita looked astonished.
"You're that strong? You could even carry Haruno?"
"Not just me~"
Haruno giggled mischievously.
"Even if you add Mother in too, I bet Hikigaya-kun could still manage, right?"
"Of course not— cough!"
Feeling the intense gazes on him, Hikigaya quickly looked away and asked,
"Where's the car parked?"
"I'll take you there now~"
Haruno laughed, then glanced thoughtfully at her mother.
"Mother, is something wrong?"
"No, it's nothing. I just think... Hikigaya-kun is really impressive. Mmm... I'm starting to think... well, never mind."
Mrs. Yukinoshita chuckled and shook her head.
At that, Hikigaya took a deep breath.
His back felt a little chilly.
Somehow, he had the feeling that Auntie's gaze was getting more and more... dangerous.
Was it just his imagination?