Thrill Seeker[’s]

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[-Continuation-]

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[Hachiman's POV]

"Right, then, as I said, I will leave the rest to you, Boss." I shouted.

"Tsk…. you think I am a babysitter." Is all I heard before he left.

"I will go too, I have to see for myself how bad things went for those poor kids…" Ms. Hiratsuka said with a sad look and took her leave.

That left me and Yukinoshita alone.

However, my attention was more on Ryota as he made his way slowly, and I think Yukinoshita felt the same.

For some reason, I had a feeling that I was about to witness something very interesting after a long while.

So, I observed carefully.

Though we were far from the group, we could not hear their conversation.

Yet, even without hearing their words, the atmosphere spoke volumes, and we know exactly what transpired there.

The first word that came out of Ryota's mouth when he reached the group who hung their heads down, casting their gaze on the ground, was to shout loudly 'surprise'.

Which, by the way, really shook them to the core by the look of their expression.

His booming voice grabbed the attention of nearby kids...

Then he started the drama, it was like telling the story of one of the old legends with his exaggerated display of expression, and the fire light by the campfire occasional moment due to the wind blowing only made it even more superficial.

And I think he is most probably telling kids about our prank, of course his 'version' of the story of 'friends forever'.

It looked like something straight out of a movie… All the kids rounded him up in the circle.

Come on, who wouldn't want to listen to a storyteller with a perfect setup like this? And if we consider Ryota's charm of pulling attention, all went with perfect collaboration.

And… man, he is really putting the kids in a pinch… isn't he? Putting them on a fake pedestal like that…

I know I said I would leave the rest to him, but he is doing it more passionately than I thought. He looked all grumpy.

I guess it is just who he is, he doesn't like anything he is involved in to be a run of a mile thing.

But does he really have to tell the story to everyone in the Rumi class? I see there are a few teachers who were listening to him from a little far.

He is most definitely going overboard.

But that is what is required in a situation like this.

In the end, Ryota presented a 'gift' to the winning team- a handful of random, yet aesthetically pleasing flowers, which is nothing short of a slap in the face.

"Haahheahha…" I chuckled involuntarily. "Clearly, that's one way to end it!"

"Well, you are having fun ganging up on the students, making them cry, and sowing seeds of discord in their friendship." Yukinoshita remarked dryly.

"..…." After a long and deliberate half-minute silence, I spoke up. "So, is there still any complaint left for me, Yukinoshita?"

"I do have one more…"

"What is it?" I was really curious.

She continued. "You should discuss it with me before doing something like that again."

"...That's it?"

"Um-hum." She nodded.

"Okay, I will do that." I agreed.

With that, Yukinoshita stopped questioning me and turned her eyes towards the campfire in the middle of the square.

As Ryota finished his show of storytelling, all the kids were now being sent back to the camp as it was getting late for them.

On the path just beside us, the students were walking along. Rumi and her group fell squarely into my line of sight.

And for sure, they all recognised me, and in the next instance, they all averted their eyes hurley.

It's like they all unanimously refused to look in my direction.

Well, they are at least united and seem to agree on one thing.

And just like that, the kids gang finally walked away.

"Well, they hate you.… expected, I guess." Yukinoshita said jokingly.

"Do you have to spell it out like that?"

"Anyway, even if no one praises you for it, I think it's all right if something good comes out of this."

For once, Yukinoshita was not looking down on me with her prickly, disagreeable attitude. She was smiling gently at me.

"But just so you know, 'that' wasn't my idea," I said, pointing with my index finger at the place where the drama had unfolded just a minute ago.

I continued. " In fact, I don't even know Ryota had something like that in his mind."

"I can tell…" Is all she said, but that was enough.

That really hurt me for some reason.

"But what is 'he' Hikigaya?" She questioned.

Is she asking about Ryota? But I don't think she is concerned about his personal information.

"There is a lot to say, but, to keep it short, he is an extroverted, laziest thrill-seeker." I said after thinking deeply.

Right, that's all I could come up with.

And then our schoolmates made their entry with a bang, especially this orange haired girl.

"Yukinon, sorry to keep you waiting!" Yuigahama said. "Here you go, some fireworks."

"..." - "..." Yukinoshita and I turned our eyes to Yuigahama and the others, who were carrying various supplies for the fireworks display.

"I will sit out of this one, thanks. Do that with someone else. I will watch from here." Yukinoshita said sidestepping herself.

"Oh maaaan, after I went all this way to buy some…" Yuigahama grumbled in complaint.

"I don't have the energy left to indulge in merrymaking." Yukinoshita said, her tone soft but firm, trying to soothe Yuigahama's disappointment. "Be careful handling the fire, alright?"

Having said her piece, Yukinoshita sat down on a bench some distance away.

"Hey, just so you know, I am not staying in the Service Club because I am forced to. I am staying because... I like it." I confessed, feeling the need to clarify my motivations.

Yeah, I thought it was something important that she should know about... It hadn't occurred to me until she brought it up in her recent conversation with Ms. Hiratsuka.

I laid out the unvarnished truth for her, no holds barred, as straight and true as I ever was.

Then Yuigahama came by and dragged Yukinoshita with her… With even more persistence.

I sat comfortably nearby, playing with my own 'fireworks'.

….

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[Third Person View]

"Mr. Extra pair of hands…." Ms. Hiratsuka said.

"Ryota…" He corrected, though his demeanor suggested he wasn't particularly bothered by the new 'nickname'.

It seemed more like a formality to remind her of his name.

"We still didn't exactly have time to sit down and talk, did we?"

"No…" Ryota shook his head.

"Do you smoke?" Ms. Hiratsuka said, pulling out a cigar pack.

"No."

Ms. Hiratsuka didn't press the matter further, instead lighting her cigarette and exhaling a cloud of smoke into the air with a heavy sigh.

"That kid, I am worried about him." She confessed, her gaze drifting towards a certain boy.

"You should be more worried about the people who hang out with him, he was such a pain in the butt." Ryota expressed bluntly, his tone tinged with irritation.

However, he softened his stance slightly. "Anyway, you don't have to worry. It's not like he's going to turn society and the world upside down one day..."

"You speak as if he has the power to do so." Ms. Hiratsuka observed, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"Not yet. He's still rough around the edges."

Ryota remarked, his gaze lingering on the boy in question, who was engaged in conversation with another black-haired girl.

"But that's also just me being pessimistic." He added, implying the little chance of something like that happening.

Because, according to Ryota, the 'boy' has more important things to do than destroy anything and everything that stands in his path.

But deep down, Ryota hoped that the person important to him wouldn't entertain the unthinkable.

"What do you think of him?" Ms. Hiratsuka inquired, her curiosity evident in her voice.

"There's a lot that comes to mind, but to keep it short..."

Ryota trailed off, pondering his words carefully. "He is an introverted, laziest thrill-seeker."

Ms. Hiratsuka raised an eyebrow, intrigued by his response. "And what about you? What role do you play in all of this?"

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[To be continued….]

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