"No, not at all. I just got here myself…"

Seeing that Hikigaya Hachiman had arrived, Yuigahama Yui no longer dwelled on why there had been a sudden gust of wind in that area.

"By the way, Hikki, you really didn't have to walk me home…"

Noticing Hachiman pushing his bicycle and walking beside her, Yui lowered her head and spoke softly.

"It's on the way anyway. And walking home alone is boring, right?"

Though they had only been apart a few minutes, a black mist had already begun to coil around Yui's body.

Hachiman wasn't so careless as to let a girl walk home alone under those circumstances.

Besides, what he said was also true.

Over the past few days, thanks to Yui persistently seeking his attention, Hachiman had confirmed that she was the owner of the little dog who often ambushed him on the way to school.

And since she walked her dog in the mornings, she couldn't be living too far from the school — which meant he would naturally pass near her house on the way home.

Taking a small detour to ensure she got home safely was, in his opinion, a very fair trade-off.

"Mm…"

Yui nodded slightly at Hachiman's words, then slung her schoolbag over her shoulders and followed behind him like a little wife, head lowered.

"Did anything strange happen to you just now?"

Noticing how Yui was trailing behind him, Hachiman sighed helplessly. He slowed his pace and initiated a conversation.

"Ah… now that you mention it, something weird did happen just now…"

Yui tilted her head in thought, then told him about the strange gust of wind.

"A sudden wind, huh…"

After hearing her account, Hachiman fell into contemplation.

Considering the black mist on Yui, there was no doubt in his mind that she had encountered an evil spirit.

Most likely, it had attempted to possess her, only to flee hastily and leave residual energy behind when he showed up.

"It's strange, isn't it? A place where there shouldn't be wind, yet there was — it's so mysterious. I have to tell Yumiko about it tomorrow!"

Yui had no idea what had really just happened to her. Now that the topic had come up, she was chattering cheerfully beside Hachiman like a canary.

Hachiman merely listened quietly, watching her become more animated by the moment.

"Yui!"

But Yui's happy moment didn't last long.

As they passed by a milk tea shop on their way home, a voice suddenly called out — Yumiko Miura's.

In the next moment, Yui stared in surprise as Yumiko, looking clearly displeased, came striding out of the shop.

She walked straight up to them, gave Hachiman a once-over, then turned her sharp gaze onto Yui and demanded:

"The 'really important thing' you mentioned this afternoon — was it walking home with this guy?!"

"No, Yumiko, I was planning to bring cookies to Yukinon this afternoon, but then…"

Completely at a loss for why Yumiko was still around so long after school ended, Yui tried to explain herself. But before she could finish, Hachiman raised his hand and stopped her.

"Sitting alone in a milk tea shop is boring, isn't it?"

Hachiman looked at the cup of milk tea in Yumiko's hand and spoke in a tone that seemed to suggest he knew more than he let on.

"What nonsense are you talking? I just happened to run into you two here…"

Yumiko's expression changed slightly as she quickly denied it.

"It's been over an hour since school ended, hasn't it?"

But Hachiman's sharp tone immediately cut through her excuse.

"What kind of normal high school student would sit in a milk tea shop near school for an hour after classes? Especially on the very path Yui takes to go home…"

"Eh? Yumiko… were you waiting for me here on purpose?"

Prompted by Hachiman, Yui cried out in surprise.

She truly hadn't expected Yumiko to do something like that.

"Of course not!"

Yumiko reflexively raised her voice in protest.

"Who'd wait here on purpose for an idiot like you?! I just happened to be chatting with a classmate here, and came out right as you passed by!"

"Oh… I see…"

Hearing her explanation, Yui's mood immediately sank.

"…So, why are you guys leaving school so late?"

Seeing Yui's downcast expression, Yumiko opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something else, but after a glance at Hachiman, she bit her lip and redirected the conversation.

"Club activities just finished."

Hachiman replied matter-of-factly.

Though the real reason was that he'd lost track of time while training, that wasn't something he'd ever admit out loud.

Especially since Yui had praised him before for how focused he looked reading — unlike her own ditzy self.

He had no intention of letting her learn the truth behind that compliment and suffering the sheer social death that would follow.

"Oh? That so-called 'Service Club' that Yukinoshita runs?"

At the mention of Yukino and her club, Yumiko's tone turned openly hostile.

After all, her crush Hayama Hayato was childhood friends with Yukinoshita Yukino.

"Yes, the very same 'so-called Service Club.' Does Miura-san have any particular opinions about my club?"

Noticing the unfriendly tone, Hachiman narrowed his eyes and — mimicking Yukino's style — responded in a sarcastically polite manner.

"You…!"

Perhaps because she had clashed many times with Yukino before, Yumiko immediately understood who Hachiman was imitating.

And to top it off, Yui had brought cookies — and not shared any with her.

That alone made Yumiko feel like a powder keg, ready to explode.

"E-Eh? Yumiko, calm down…"

Seeing that Yumiko was getting angry, Yui immediately grabbed her arm in panic, worried that Hachiman might get hurt.

"Yui, you!"

Yumiko nearly blew her top seeing her own little follower take Hachiman's side.

It was bad enough that Yui had clearly drifted to "the other side," but to openly shield Hachiman when she was about to argue with him?

That was something Yumiko hadn't expected at all.

If Yui wanted to help him, couldn't she do it discreetly?

Now that she'd made it so obvious, what was Yumiko supposed to do next?

She couldn't very well actually beat Hachiman up, could she?