Hikigaya's Inner World of Spring

"Nah, nah~ Come on, it's fine~"

Haruno beamed as she approached the two.

Taking advantage of Yukinoshita's distraction, she swiftly took the MAX Coffee from her hands.

"Let your dear sister feed Hikigaya-kun~"

"??"

Yukinoshita was stunned.

And when she saw Haruno preparing to drink the MAX Coffee, her blood pressure nearly spiked.

"W-Wait a minute! You're not allowed to drink that!!"

"Hehe~ We're family, don't be so uptight~"

"Ugh…!"

Yukinoshita huffed and grumbled, "Fine, if you want to feed Hikigaya-kun, go ahead—but I forbid you from… from using your mouth to do it!"

She was a woman with principles!

"Oh? So, that means it's actually okay for me to feed him?"

Haruno looked at her blushing sister in surprise.

"Uh?"

Yukinoshita froze.

Hikigaya immediately intervened.

"Yukinoshita, you can't just…"

"Mm…"

But seeing Hikigaya so flustered and nervous made Yukinoshita secretly delighted.

"Well… if it's just normal feeding, I suppose it's fine."

"…Huh??"

Hikigaya's mouth twitched. The way she phrased it made him feel like he was some kind of pet being shared between sisters.

Clearing her throat, Yukinoshita maintained her composure while warning Haruno, "But don't take it too far!"

"Hehe~ Of course not~"

Haruno grinned as she slowly closed in on Hikigaya.

His instincts screamed at him to escape.

But—

He was suddenly grabbed by the arm.

Not by Haruno.

But by his own girlfriend.

Hikigaya was baffled.

"…Yukinoshita?"

"D-Drink the MAX Coffee."

Yukinoshita, her face flushed, made her intentions clear.

"Even so, this isn't—"

"Alright, Hikigaya-kun, open wide~ Onee-chan's going to feed you now~"

"You—ugh…"

Resigned to his fate, Hikigaya had no choice but to open his mouth as Haruno pressed the can of MAX Coffee to his lips.

And so—

Under Haruno's "gentle" care, the MAX Coffee trickled down his throat bit by bit.

He had to admit—

Being force-fed like this, by Haruno of all people, while his girlfriend watched—

Felt downright bizarre.

His face heated up instinctively.

"Mm~ How adorable! Hikigaya-kun, you totally look like a Samoyed from a pet store right now~" Haruno teased with a bright smile.

"??"

Hikigaya choked and coughed a few times before retorting, "I told you, I'm not a pet!!"

"Hehe~ But in your sister-in-law's eyes, you're just a cute little pet~"

"..."

Sighing internally, Hikigaya glanced at his beloved for help.

Only to find Yukinoshita's eyes practically sparkling.

"???"

Oi! Yukinoshita!

Aren't you supposed to be my girlfriend?!

You're actually enjoying this?!

Am I being bullied for your entertainment?!

You sadist!!!

"Ahem~"

Noticing Hikigaya's silent plea, Yukinoshita cleared her throat.

"Haruno, now that the MAX Coffee is finished, stop feeding Hikigaya-kun."

[Hikigaya Hachiman's current stamina: 100/100 (Energetic and full of vigor)]

"How about I buy another one?" Haruno asked with an eager smile.

"Hah?!" Hikigaya recoiled.

Yukinoshita immediately interjected, "Hikigaya-kun has had enough. No more coffee, and stop messing around!"

"Aw, what a shame."

Haruno chuckled before giving the two a knowing glance.

"By the way, what a coincidence, running into you two on your way home together."

"Y-Yeah, such a coincidence…"

Instinctively, Yukinoshita took her sister's words at face value.

And so, the two sisters casually started chatting.

"..."

Hikigaya was speechless.

He couldn't shake the feeling that Yukinoshita's normally sharp mind got nerfed whenever she was with her sister.

"…Coincidence? Yeah, right…"

Hikigaya muttered to himself. There was no way Haruno just "happened" to run into them.

"Hikigaya-kun~~"

A sweet voice suddenly whispered into his ear.

At some point, Haruno had snuck up beside him, flashing a gentle—but ominous—smile.

"Smart boys can be very dangerous, you know~"

"!!!"

Feeling the suffocating mix of perfume and murderous intent, Hikigaya's hair stood on end.

Meanwhile, Yukinoshita snapped out of her daze and frowned.

"So, what do you really want?"

At this, Haruno sighed dramatically.

"Well, since you've caught on, I'll just say it outright. You see, I ran into a little problem at university…"

To summarize—Haruno's college friends had all recently gotten boyfriends.

And these insufferable besties spent their days flaunting their relationships and teasing Haruno about being single.

So, in a fit of defiance—

She may or may not have blurted out that she had a boyfriend too.

"…And how exactly does this concern me and Yukinoshita?" Hikigaya asked, exasperated.

Go find a boyfriend, then!

Why drag your sister and brother-in-law into this mess?!

"Of course, it concerns you two!"

Haruno's smile deepened as she gazed at Hikigaya.

"I don't feel like getting a real boyfriend just yet, and I need a familiar guy to help me out—but I don't know many guys…"

"???"

Feeling her unwavering stare, Hikigaya instinctively felt a chill down his spine.

"H-How about Hayama? He can pretend to be your boyfriend."

"No thanks. I'm not interested in golden retrievers."

Haruno shook her head, still smiling as she kept her eyes locked on Hikigaya.

"…You don't mean…"

Noticing her sister's unwavering focus, Yukinoshita furrowed her brows, already seeing where this was going.

"Hehe~ Just lend me Hikigaya-kun for a bit."

Haruno rubbed her hands together mischievously.

"All I need is a few couple photos—Hikigaya-kun doesn't even have to show up in person~"

"Hah?!"

Hikigaya was dumbfounded.

"I refuse."

"Your refusal is invalid~"

Haruno dismissed him effortlessly before turning to her sister with a pleading look.

"Yukinon~ This is the first time I've ever asked you for a favor~ Just a few pictures, that's all~ Let your big sister keep her dignity~"

"You…"

Yukinoshita hesitated.

Honestly, this was the first time Haruno had ever asked her for anything.

Her dazzling, ever-dominant older sister was actually lowering herself to make a request.

Oof.

That felt… oddly satisfying.

After a brief pause, she stole a glance at Hikigaya, who was subtly shaking his head in protest.

A mischievous glint flashed in her eyes.

With a faint smile, Yukinoshita said,

"Well, since you put it that way… fine, you can borrow him once."

"???"

Hikigaya was stunned.

"You—you actually agreed?!"

"Really?"

Haruno's eyes lit up.

Yukinoshita nodded with a smile, then casually added,

"But just taking pictures might be too suspicious. To make it look convincing, you should take several photobooth shots—and preferably wear matching couple outfits…"

Haruno's surprise quickly turned into unrestrained excitement.

Meanwhile, Hikigaya…

Was absolutely speechless.

His brilliant girlfriend sure had a knack for using her intelligence in all the wrong places.

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