Zongman: I am on the set of Oregairu, playing the role of Bai Xue

One night after Komachi learned that Kitano had joined the club.

The two chatted about recent interesting things at the dining table.

This time, Komachi suddenly mentioned the incident that Kitano encountered at the beginning of the school year. "Ah, speaking of snacks, the puppy's owner came to our house after that and brought some delicious gifts."

"Oh, I see." Bei Nuo's reaction was indifferent.

"Onii-chan, don't you have any other ideas? You should be happy about being thanked for a gift." Komachi looked at him strangely and slowed down her chopstick hand.

Bei Nuo, who was leisurely eating rice, paused and thought about how to respond.

As for the fact that "he" risked his life to save the puppy, he could not regard it as a merit or a heroic act. It was nothing more than an impulsive act of a teenager, and he was lucky to have only suffered broken bones.

"Komachi, it's better not to be too happy about this kind of thing."

"Hey, why?"

Bei Nuo did not answer immediately, but took the last bite of his meal before speaking slowly:

"If you just happen to do a good thing, it's just good luck, but once you think you are great, you are likely to pay a terrible price when you encounter the same situation next time."

Komachi quietly pondered the meaning of these words, and after several seconds she let out a slight sigh.

"Onii-chan is sometimes too serious. Komachi can understand that, but at least the accident had a good ending. Is there anything wrong with accepting the puppy owner's thanks?"

"No problem."

"I'm glad that's okay, huh? No, the tone of Onii-chan's response just now clearly showed that you didn't take it seriously." Komachi gave her a strange look.

Bei Nuo placed the chopsticks in his hand on the table to buy himself some time to think.

Komachi is indeed the most sensitive family member. Since Kitano wants to maintain his own self, similar arguments are inevitable when he gets along with Komachi in the future.

Seeing that he didn't say anything, the sister couldn't help but reflect: Did I say something wrong?

Kitano felt the need to make her understand, so he pointed at Komachi and said in a condescending tone:

"In that case——Komachi, you should thank me."

Komachi was confused by this sudden change in attitude, "What's wrong, Onii-chan?"

"Thanks to my help, the puppy's owner was able to send delicious snacks to your home, but I didn't get to eat any of them. Only you enjoyed the food. Shouldn't you thank me for that?"

Kitano's theory was impeccable, and Komachi felt a sense of guilt to some extent, after all, she was the one who finished the snacks.

"Oh, Onii-chan, I'm sorry... Komachi should have left some for you."

"Thanks?" Beinuo pressed on, his questioning tone confident and righteous.

Komachi's eyes wandered, but she finally said words of thanks under the pressure of the other party's serious gaze, "Thank you... Onii-chan."

As soon as he finished speaking, Beinuo changed his serious expression and smiled.

"Being forced to thank someone is a bit uncomfortable, right?"

Komachi nodded helplessly: "Indeed, there is an irrefutable sense of guilt, but Onii-chan overreacted a little."

"No, the guilt or sense of indebtedness you just felt is far less intense than that felt by the puppy's owner."

Kitano certainly knew that the other party was Yuigahama Yui, but according to the current development of the story, he had no reason to know in advance, so he just expressed his own opinion:

“The more you value favors, the easier it is to lose yourself.”

"This is the same for both parties. The party receiving the favor will want to make up for it because of the sense of indebtedness, and the party giving the favor will inevitably be complacent and stand on the high ground. I don't want to establish an unequal relationship, so there's nothing wrong with treating the accident normally."

Komachi thought for a moment and began to agree with what Kitano said.

Time jumps to present day.

When Komachi suddenly recalled Kitano's point.

She then realized that Kitano wanted the puppy's owner, Yuigahama Yui, to forget the accident and act as if it had never happened.

However, considering Yuigahama's recent email exchanges, Komachi has reason to believe that Yuigahama still cares about the kindness brought by the accident.

So Komachi asked this question: "...Does Sister Yui still feel indebted?"

Yuigahama was caught off guard when she heard these words and fell into a brief silence.

The answer to the question could be known just from her hesitant look. Komachi gave a look of “as expected” and continued:

"Well, don't worry too much, Sister Yui. Let's just let the past go."

Hearing Komachi's addition, Yuigahama quickly asked: "What does Komachi want to express?"

"Well, it means literally. I think my brother has almost forgotten it. After all, it's been so long."

Komachi didn't explain much and finally prepared to say goodbye.

Yuigahama tried to persuade her instead: "Wait a minute, Komachi, why are you suddenly telling me this?"

"Well, well, I just happened to remember that traffic accident. There's no deep meaning to it. Well, Sister Yui, I'll be leaving first." Komachi ran forward without looking back.

Yuigahama was left standing there.

She was afraid that she would not be able to accept Komachi's suggestion, and the views expressed by Komachi made her feel familiar, and she unconsciously associated them with Kitano.

Yuigahama quickly understood Komachi's intention.

"Did Xiaobei say something... to make me forget it?"

She still remembers every scene of the traffic accident.

"Sabre", who broke free from the leash, rushed to the center of the zebra crossing. A luxury car was about to run over him, but he was saved by the teenager's selfless charge.

Such a vivid scene, she could not forget it.

Once you do that, what happens to your long-held gratitude?

Yuigahama couldn't guess whether Kitano already knew her identity, but if she wanted her to forget it, it would be difficult unless Kitano said it himself.

Otherwise, she would never easily let go of the mixed emotions of gratitude, indebtedness, and admiration in her heart.

However, Komachi's reminder just now would inevitably make Yuigahama feel negative.

A trace of confusion flashed across her eyes, but soon sank into the depths of her heart along with the afterglow of the sunset.

?

The three senior girls went home.

We agreed to meet near Chiba Station at 7:30 pm.

After dinner, the three of them met again on the street.

This is the busiest time of the night.

Shop signs and neon advertisements are flashing in the city. For youthful students, they are the bright colors that catch the eye at the moment.

In order to explore the store more easily, they changed out of their school uniforms and wore their own distinctive personal clothing.

Yuigahama Yui wore a bright T-shirt paired with a pair of high-waisted denim shorts, with her favorite heart-shaped pendant necklace hanging around her neck. Her long legs were exposed and she wore high-heeled sandals, making her look less immature than a student.

"Sorry, Xiaoxue, I'm a little late."

She held out her hand in apology and quickly focused her attention on Yukinoshita's clothing.

A simple white shirt is paired with a dark blue long skirt, the hem of the skirt swaying gently in the wind, as if the breeze melted with soft light to illuminate the fair skin under the snow, and the movement of ruffling the smooth long hair made her look particularly quiet and elegant.

Yukinoshita Yukino lowered her head slightly and glanced at the exquisite watch on her wrist. "The time is just right."

"Really? Ahahaha, that's good."

Yuigahama heaved a sigh of relief, but her eyelids were drooped imperceptibly.

She had seen other outfits worn by Yukinoshita, all of which were stunning and eye-catching, so she had adapted to her radiant appearance, but compared to her initial envy and amazement, she couldn't help feeling a sense of inferiority now.

"Isshiki-san is a bit slow." Yukinoshita turned her head and looked at the street corner in the distance.

Three minutes later, Isshiki Iseyu finally arrived.

The schoolgirl changed into a pink double-shoulder dress, revealing the delicate skin of her shoulders and arms. She walked slowly in small, fitted flat sandals, and her makeup was more refined than when she was in school.

"Sorry - it took me a little time to fool my family." Isshiki apologized profusely, breathing heavily while speaking, and it seemed that he had run here.

Hearing that the reason for being late was related to her family, Yukinoshita did not blame her, but said sympathetically: "I almost thought Isshiki-san couldn't come. If it's a bit difficult, it's okay to leave it to me and Yuigahama-san."

"Yeah, mom and dad are probably worried about Iroha-chan. If she comes out dressed so cutely, they will definitely ask her questions." Yuigahama sighed, "My dad has been very annoying lately. He keeps asking me if I have someone I like. He usually doesn't make much of a presence, but he becomes very talkative at this time."

Yukinoshita couldn't help but complain: "For Yuigahama-san, it is still necessary for her parents to care about her. You never know when she might be deceived."

"Ah! Xiaoxue is calling me stupid again! Even if there are problems, I will ask Xiaobei to help me with suggestions. I'm not so easily fooled."

Isshiki, who had recovered from his shock, smiled awkwardly: "If it was Senior who lied, wouldn't Senior Yui be unable to tell?"

"Uh... well, Xiaobei wouldn't do such a thing, would he?"

“Sister Yui is so understanding!”

Yukinoshita saw Yuigahama's shy and unconfident reaction.

She knew that Yuigahama's admiration for Kitano had always been so obvious.

But how long can this feeling last? One semester? Or until graduation?

Yukinoshita knew very well that this was a long-lasting competition until one side lost the will to fight.

"So the senior still can't come." Isse looked around but didn't see Beinuo.

Yuigahama opened the cover of her phone and asked, "How about I call Komachi and ask?"

The three were thinking about this when they saw Yukinoshita take out her cell phone, and the contact name "Hikigaya Komachi" happened to be displayed on the screen.

Komachi took the initiative to call and chose Yukinoshita as the person to communicate with among the three people.

The reason for this is actually because Yukinoshita is the president of the Servant Club, so naturally she has the highest priority in contact.

Of course, Komachi could also call Yuigahama's number, but she said some strange things when they said goodbye in the afternoon, which made Komachi a little worried.

As for Isshiki, that was even more impossible. Komachi was worried that she would be led by the nose by him.

Yukinoshita answered quickly: "Hello?"

"Good evening! Sister Yukinoshita, ah, although my brother has returned home, he seems a little absent-minded. If I want to persuade him to go out, it seems I need your help..." Komachi on the phone was a little mischievous, and her voice became smaller and smaller as she spoke, as if she was whispering.

"Help? What exactly do you mean, Komachi?"

Before Yukinoshita could react, Komachi's voice suddenly disappeared, and then she heard a series of noises that came near and far.

"Why are you calling me... Komachi... Come on, say something..."

When the noise completely disappeared, a familiar and steady voice sounded from the phone receiver. However, because she had not seen him for many days and Yukinoshita had never contacted him on the phone, this voice made her feel a sense of freshness:

"Yukinoshita, what do you want from me?"