Yuigahama Yui had regained her memories, so of course, she had to tell Yukinoshita Yukino about it.
"What? Yuigahama got her memories back?" Yukinoshita Yukino's surprised voice came from the phone. "Are you guys at school? Wait for me. I'm coming over now."
Before either of them could respond, the call was already cut off.
Ever since Yukinoshita Yukino transferred to Jujutsu High, she had become more and more decisive in her actions.
Hearing the busy tone from the phone, Yuigahama Yui tilted her head in confusion. "Yukino said to wait for her… but isn't she in Tokyo right now? How long will it take for her to get here?"
"Just wait. She'll probably be here soon." Hikigaya Hachiman shook his head.
The two of them returned to the Service Club room, waiting for Yukinoshita Yukino to arrive.
Ten minutes later, the sound of quick footsteps echoed in the hallway.
The classroom door slid open, and a familiar figure appeared before them.
"That was so fast! It's only been ten minutes!" Yuigahama Yui stared at the black-haired girl at the door in shock. "Yukino, did you fly here!?"
Yukinoshita Yukino nodded, causing the twin-bun girl's mouth to drop even wider.
Hikigaya Hachiman and Yuigahama Yui had already stayed at school for quite a while. After waiting for Yukinoshita Yukino to arrive, club activity hours had ended, and students who participated in clubs were starting to leave one after another.
The black-haired girl glanced at the time. "Let's go. We'll talk outside."
The three of them found a nice family restaurant near the school and decided to have dinner together.
"Wait, let me call Komachi too," Hikigaya Hachiman said.
After going missing for three days, his little sister had been showing signs of PTSD. If she got home and didn't see him there, and he hadn't given her a heads-up, she would definitely start worrying.
"Komachi knows too?" Yuigahama Yui exclaimed in surprise again. "Does that mean she..."
"Komachi isn't a sorcerer. She can just see them, that's all. Don't overthink it," Hikigaya Hachiman cut her off, predicting what she was about to say.
"Oh." The bun-haired girl nodded and quieted down, watching him silently as he called Komachi.
Yukinoshita Yukino's gaze shifted between the two. It seemed like something had changed between them while she was away.
She had always known that Yuigahama Yui liked Hikigaya Hachiman. Hayashizaki had pointed it out to her, and besides, Yuigahama wasn't exactly subtle about it. Maybe she thought she was keeping her feelings hidden, but to outsiders, it was as obvious as an open book.
What Yukinoshita Yukino hadn't realized, though, was that lately, the bun-haired girl wasn't even trying to hide it anymore.
"By the way, Yukinon, can you really fly?" Yuigahama Yui suddenly lowered her voice and asked curiously, shifting her attention away from Hikigaya Hachiman.
Seeing Hikigaya wasn't rare, but getting a chance to meet Yukinoshita was a different story.
Best friends came first.
"No, I rode here on my shikigami," Yukinoshita Yukino shook her head and explained with a smile.
"A shikigami! Can I see it?"
Yuigahama Yui's eyes lit up instantly. For an ordinary girl who had never encountered supernatural things before, something straight out of an onmyoji tale was more than a little exciting.
"I guess I can show you, but I'm not sure if you'll be able to see it," Yukinoshita Yukino said thoughtfully.
Yuigahama had been able to see Ooka's technique before. Thinking back on that, logically, she should be able to see sorcery and curses now.
"We'll find out when we try," she said with a smile.
"Yeah, yeah!" Yuigahama Yui nodded eagerly, like a pecking chick.
Before long, Komachi arrived at the family restaurant, though she looked a little surprised when she spotted the pink-haired girl.
But when she found out that Yuigahama Yui had regained her memories, she was even more shocked.
And when Yuigahama Yui learned that Komachi had awakened her spiritual sight after being invited by her classmates to explore the old school building, she was just as surprised.
"So that's why Hikki rushed home last time—it was to save Komachi!"
"Ahaha... Let's not bring that up. I feel so stupid just thinking about it," Komachi laughed awkwardly, scratching her head.
The four of them chatted happily. Since Komachi and Yuigahama were both ordinary people with spiritual sight, they had plenty to talk about.
Outside, the sky gradually darkened, and streetlights replaced the sun, lighting up the roads. Inside the family restaurant, the warm orange glow of the lamps highlighted their smiling faces.
Now that everything was out in the open, her relationship with Yuigahama Yui had clearly become even closer.
Watching them with a soft smile, the black-haired girl felt herself start to relax.
Maybe it was time to take a break. She would stay in Chiba for a few more days.
That thought crossed her mind as she recalled what Yuigahama Yui had said about having random flashes of strange memories. Yukinoshita Yukino was surprised but also felt a strange sense of understanding.
After all, the same thing had been happening to her lately.
She had been dreaming a lot at night, and every single dream was about her sister, Haruno, and Hayashizaki, who resided within her.
In her dreams, Haruno had started learning to play the guitar because of Hayashizaki.
Not only that, but the way they interacted in daily life had become more casual—too casual.
Like when they ate lunch at school, Haruno would feed Hayashizaki with her own chopsticks. Or when she was taking a bath, she wouldn't bother avoiding his gaze, letting him get an eyeful...
Tch. She must be under too much stress lately. That's the only reason she'd be having dreams like this.
…
A crisp and elegant melody echoed through the room. It was as if the musical notes had taken on a life of their own, flowing from the guitar strings and dancing freely in the air.
Halfway through, an impromptu solo broke away from the original tune, bursting with energy and creativity. Finally, with one last clear strum, the music came to an end, leaving only the lingering echoes behind.
"Whoo~"
Yukinoshita Haruno let out a breath, her whole body relaxing.
She set the expensive guitar aside and let herself fall backward onto the soft bed.
"So, how does it feel, Devil-kun?"
A smirk played on her lips, showing just how pleased she was with herself.
Two weeks of dedicated practice had done wonders for her guitar skills. With her natural talent, she had improved at an astonishing speed.
Not to mention, she already had experience with piano and music theory. With that foundation, picking up the guitar had been even easier.
"Not bad. You've already mastered it," Hayashizaki praised.
"Mastered? Mastered from who? I taught myself, okay!"
The short-haired girl protested indignantly.
On her bookshelf, several newly added guitar instruction books were neatly lined up. Her internet history was also filled with tutorial videos. Using just those scattered resources, she had managed to learn everything in just two weeks.
"Impressive, impressive." Hayashizaki nodded along obediently.
"Hmph~" Haruno grinned smugly. "So, what should I do next?"
"Since you've learned it, you should at least let people hear you play. Otherwise, wouldn't all that effort be wasted?" Hayashizaki tempted her.
"You mean, like, street performances?"
Haruno asked curiously.
"I was thinking… live performances at a bar."
Hayashizaki finally revealed his true intentions.
…
(End of Chapter)
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