I'm Ebina Hikana. Just a fujoshi otaku girl who lives for her rotten delusions in the corner of the classroom.
But I have a secret I can't tell anyone. I've accidentally seen the whole messy, tangled relationship between Hachiman, Yukinoshita, and Yuigahama—the three people who should be the center of the class.
At first it was just observation. Hachiman's eyes full of resignation, Yukinoshita's back that looked so lonely, Yuigahama's smile that she forced to be bright. No one else noticed, bu
After School Black Hole: Ebina Was Watching - The Observer's Tentacles: The Cold Princess and the Rotten Eyes
The after-school chime echoed throughout the school building.
Outside the window, I could see the tennis club members running toward the courts. Inside the classroom, everyone was bustling about, getting ready to go home.
But I was still sitting at my desk.
(...It's begun.)
My heart was pounding. It was because of the plan I'd just written in my notebook. I placed a hand on my chest and let out a small breath.
Starting today, I'm going to become a god.
" But first, I need to observe properly."
Just making a plan isn't enough. I need to know more about the three of them — in greater detail, with greater accuracy.
I pulled my observation notebook out of my bag and quietly opened it. On the first page, their three names were written. Hikigaya Hachiman, Yukinoshita Yukino, Yuigahama Yui. Three names tangled up in a messy knot.
But today, Yuigahama can wait. First, those two — Hachiman-kun and Yukinoshita-san. I need to understand their relationship more deeply.
"Alright."
I closed the notebook and stood up.
My destination: the fourth floor of the special wing. The Service Club room.
When I stepped into the hallway, a few students were still lingering. Probably heading to their clubs. I blended into the crowd casually, making sure no one noticed me. Ebina Hina, the otaku character — nobody pays attention to her. That's honestly so convenient.
As I climbed the stairs, I sorted through the information about the Service Club in my head.
The Service Club is a strange club that only exists here at Soubu High. Their room is the old AV prep room on the fourth floor of the special wing, and their advisor is Hiratsuka Shizuka, a Japanese literature teacher. They "assist" with problems brought to them by clients, but they don't solve them directly — a rather unusual policy. There are only three members. Hachiman-kun, Yukinoshita-san, and Yuigahama-san.
When I entered the special wing, the air was chilly. It had that distinctive smell of an old building, different from the main wing. The special wing is sparsely populated after school. Aside from the occasional sound of instruments from the music room, it was quiet.
I stopped when I reached the third floor.
(...What if I get caught?)
A sudden wave of anxiety hit me. If someone saw me eavesdropping outside the club room, I'd have no excuse. After all, I'm not a member of the Service Club.
But —
(Even so, I need to know.)
I took a deep breath and set my foot on the next flight of stairs.
When I reached the fourth floor, the hallway was even quieter. The May sunlight streaming through the windows cast long shadows on the floor. The club room door was at the very end of the hallway.
As I drew closer, I heard voices from beyond the door.
" That solution is fundamentally wrong."
A female voice — Yukinoshita Yukino. I pressed my back flat against the wall right next to the door and strained my ears.
"So what? The problem got solved in the end, didn't it?"
This time, Hachiman-kun's voice. That distinctive, utterly unmotivated tone of his.
" Do you think everything is permissible as long as the result is good? Why can't you understand that your self-sacrificing methods only end up hurting the people around you?"
Yukinoshita-san's voice was incredibly cold, yet somehow it sounded like she was on the verge of tears. I opened my notebook and gripped my ballpoint pen.
(This feeling... she's not just angry.)
"Hurting people? Who? The client was happy."
" ...You sacrifice yourself like that, and then you make everyone around you worry. A person like that can't make anyone happy in the end."
I thought I heard Yukinoshita-san's voice tremble slightly. I hurriedly scribbled in my notebook.
*Observation of Yukinoshita Yukino: Overreacts to Hachiman's self-sacrifice. Does this stem from her own guilt over being unable to do anything during the accident a year ago? While telling Hachiman "don't sacrifice yourself," she is actually telling herself the same thing.*
"Can't make anyone happy, huh."
Hachiman-kun's voice suddenly dropped. That usual joking tone was gone.
"Do you seriously think there's someone out there I want to make happy?"
"...Huh?"
"Self-Sacrifice Man is my default setting. You've got no right to complain about it."
At those words, my hand stopped.
(...No way.)
Hachiman-kun just said, "You've got no right to complain about it." That means he considers Yukinoshita-san someone special. Because if it were anyone else, he might think, "Well, I guess they have a right to complain." But with Yukinoshita-san — he doesn't want her to feel that way.
(He really doesn't get it, does he.)
I added to my notes.
*Observation of Hikigaya Hachiman: Convinced that he can only connect with others through self-sacrifice. "Doesn't want Yukinoshita to complain" — the flip side of not wanting her to hate him, or more precisely, not wanting her to be disappointed in him.*
" ...I see. Then, fine."
Yukinoshita-san's voice grew small.
"I'm going home for today. Think about it on your own. Before that twisted nature of yours hurts someone."
I heard the sound of a chair moving. She'd stood up. I hurriedly closed my notebook and hid in the shadows of the hallway.
The door opened.
Yukinoshita Yukino, even from a distance, had strikingly refined features. Her long black hair gleamed in the hallway light, and her pale skin was so translucent she looked almost like a doll. With looks like that, it was obvious why every guy in school turned his head. But her eyes were terribly cold, and right now they held a deeply complex hue — a mixture of anger and sorrow.
Without noticing me, she walked away down the hallway in the opposite direction.
The club room door was still open. I quietly peeked inside.
Hachiman-kun was sitting alone in a chair. His usual dead-fish eyes were staring out the window. But his expression wasn't the joking one he showed in class — it was as if he was blaming himself.
(...I knew it.)
I murmured in my heart.
The two of them are hurting each other. Yukinoshita-san corners Hachiman-kun with sound arguments, and Hachiman-kun pushes her away with sarcasm. But the truth is, they care deeply about each other.
The accident a year ago. Hachiman-kun saved Yuigahama-san's dog and got hit by a car. That car was a limousine belonging to Yukinoshita-san's family. Yukinoshita-san was there at the scene, but she was too scared to get out of the car. That guilt is what makes her so cold.
On the other hand, because of that accident, Hachiman-kun became convinced that "if I save people, I'll gain worth." But that's just a self-sacrificing habit — the truth is, he just wants to be needed by someone.
(A cage of ice.)
I wrote that in my notebook.
*Their relationship is a cage of ice. Transparent and cold — they can see each other, but they can never touch. Yukinoshita's guilt builds the cage, and Hikigaya's self-sacrifice locks it shut. At this rate, they'll never be able to clash with their true feelings.*
" ...This isn't good."
I closed my notebook.
At this rate, both of them will break. Hachiman-kun will hurt himself even more, and Yukinoshita-san will become even more isolated. And Yuigahama-san will keep suffering, caught between the two of them.
A third-party intervener is necessary.
I immediately wrote down the name that came to mind in my notebook.
Totsuka Saika.
The boy in the tennis club whom Hachiman-kun calls "seriously cute." With his androgynous looks and gentle personality, he's someone everyone likes. One of the very few people Hachiman-kun opens his heart to.
" That's it, that's it!"
A smile spilled out of me before I could stop it.
Send Totsuka-kun into the Service Club as a client. That way, both Hachiman-kun and Yukinoshita-san will be forced to build a new relationship through him. Especially if Totsuka-kun and Yukinoshita-san grow closer — Hachiman-kun will definitely get jealous. The one person he opens his heart to, getting close to Yukinoshita, who always corners him — there's no way his possessiveness will stay quiet.
I hurriedly started walking down the hallway. My destination: the second floor of the special wing, the library.
After school, Totsuka-kun often reads reference books in the library. It's written in my observation notebook too.
When I went down to the second floor, the library was dead silent. The collection holds about twelve thousand books. On a normal after-school day, only five or six people use it. Today — I stopped at the entrance and looked around.
There he was.
At a seat by the window, a boy was reading a reference book.
Totsuka Saika.
His smooth, chestnut-brown hair looked translucent in the light from the window. Pale skin, large, bright eyes. His appearance was less like a boy's and more — pardon the rudeness — like a beautiful girl's. He wasn't in his tennis club uniform, just his regular school uniform, which made him look even more androgynous.
I steadied my breathing, then casually approached.
" Oh, it's Totsuka-kun. What are you reading?"
As naturally as possible, pretending it was a coincidence. With the cheerfulness of an otaku character.
Totsuka-kun looked up, and when he saw me, he smiled a little shyly.
"Ebina-san. Um, it's a math reference book. I'm a little worried about the next test."
His voice is kind of cute too, this kid. No wonder Hachiman-kun likes him.
" Wow, so diligent. Oh yeah, Totsuka-kun, you're in the tennis club, right? How's it going lately? Any matches coming up?"
I sat down in the seat next to him and kept asking questions with a light, casual vibe.
Totsuka-kun tilted his head, looking a little troubled.
"Mm... actually, my serve isn't getting much better. And I don't have anyone to practice with individually, so I've been wondering what to do."
" Huh, really? You haven't asked anyone to watch you?"
"Everyone in the club is good, but they're all busy with their own practice. It's hard to ask them."
(...Perfect.)
I did a mental fist pump. This couldn't be going better.
"Hey, hey, do you know about the Service Club?"
I leaned forward as I spoke.
"The Service Club... oh, that's where Hikigaya-kun is, right?"
" Yeah, yeah! If you go there, you might find a practice partner, you know? Like, doesn't Yukinoshita-san seem like she'd be good at sports too? If it's tennis, maybe she could help you out."
Totsuka-kun thought for a moment, then his face suddenly lit up.
" I see... so that kind of thing is possible too. Then, maybe I'll try asking."
" Yeah, yeah, I totally think it's a good idea! Oh, but keep it a secret from Hachiman-kun. He'd probably get embarrassed."
"Okay, got it."
Totsuka-kun nodded obediently.
(Alright, the first move is set.)
I stood up.
"Well, I'll be going now. Totsuka-kun, good luck with your tests and tennis!"
"Thank you, Ebina-san."
Totsuka-kun gave a little bow. Yeah, he really is a good kid. A tiny bit of guilt wells up — but still, this is for their sake.
After leaving the library, I remembered one more task.
The faculty office.
I wanted to casually ask our homeroom teacher, Hiratsuka Shizuka-sensei, about how the Service Club was doing.
I went down to the first floor and knocked on the faculty office door.
"Excuse me~"
When I went inside, Hiratsuka-sensei was sitting at her desk in the back by the window. In her usual suit, with papers spread out on her desk. A female teacher in her mid-thirties, she's pretty popular because she talks to students so casually.
" Oh, Ebina. What's up? You haven't gone home yet?"
Hiratsuka-sensei looked up and smiled at me.
" I was just studying in the library for a bit. And then it got late."
"Huh, that's rare. You, studying."
"That's mean, Sensei. Even I do it sometimes, you know?"
Hiratsuka-sensei laughed as she started tidying up the papers on her desk.
" So, did you need something?"
"Um, well~ I was just wondering, how's the Service Club been lately? Are they getting more requests?"
I
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