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Chapter 2045 The Service Club's Secret Meeting? Magical Girl Yukino Yukinoshita?

Chapter 2045 The Service Club's Secret Meeting? Magical Girl Yukino Yukinoshita?

The power that Yukino Yukinoshita gained may have amplified the "aloofness" and "unwillingness to rely on others" aspects of her personality.

But as Kazuma Sato said, relying on others is not wrong.

Especially with the help of Hachiman Hikigaya, who had already seen through her layers of disguise and accepted her completely in his own way.

To frankly tell him about your confusion after gaining power, your helplessness about the changes in yourself, and your doubts about the future is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of true trust.

While Hachiman Hikigaya may not be able to give Yukino Yukinoshita the right answer, he can certainly offer her support.

This support is perhaps exactly what Yukino Yukinoshita, who is currently troubled by the burden and alienation brought by power, needs most.

She has always been pursuing "authentic things" and yearning for genuine relationships.

So, at a time when one is undergoing such a dramatic change, isn't showing one's most genuine confusion and vulnerability to those most likely to understand a step toward "authenticity"?

Springtime World, Soubu High School, after class.

In the Service Club's activity room, Yukino Yukinoshita sat quietly in a chair by the window, not reading as usual, but gazing at the sky outside, as if waiting for something.

"Click".

The sound of the door being gently pushed open rang out.

Hachiman Hikigaya, carrying a backpack and with that dead fish-like expression that seemed to show no interest in anything, slowly walked in.

"Hey, Yukinoshita, you're quite something today."

His words came to an abrupt halt.

He noticed that the moment Yukino Yukinoshita stepped into the classroom, she turned her head and stared at him with her clear eyes, unblinking.

But that gaze was not like the scrutinizing or indifferent look before, nor was it the gaze that gradually softened later; rather, it was a look that seemed to have made up its mind about something.

No, no, no, how could he see these things?

He arrogantly thought he could read Yukinoshita's eyes.

Hachiman Hikigaya's heart skipped a beat.

But one thing is true: the snow today seems particularly oppressive.

Has someone upset her? Did someone steal her shoes again?

Then, he saw Yukino Yukinoshita stand up, walk to the door, and, to his somewhat astonishment, reach out and close the door, even locking it from the inside.

Hikigaya Hachiman: "."

A chill ran up his spine, and he instinctively took a small step back, his back tensing slightly, his brain starting to work frantically.

Close the door? And lock it from the inside? What kind of development is this?

When did the Service Department start having this kind of secret conversation session?

Did I accidentally drink too much of her black tea yesterday? No, she asked me to drink it as I pleased.

Masaka.

Could that be a trap she set?

Hachiman Hikigaya broke out in a cold sweat, and a rare hint of panic flashed in his deadpan eyes.

He forced himself to remain calm, attempting to break the strange atmosphere with his usual languid tone:

"Um, Yukinoshita, even if we're discussing serious club matters, do we really need to lock the door? What if Hiratsuka-sensei suddenly walks in, or Yui-hama comes over and sees the door locked from the inside?"

"You noticed, didn't you?"

Yukino Yukinoshita ignored his lame excuse and said in a cold voice.

She turned around and faced him again. There were several tables and chairs between them, but in Hachiman Hikigaya's mind at that moment, the distance seemed to be infinitely close, or infinitely far away.

"What? I didn't know anything."

Hachiman Hikigaya shook his head almost reflexively.

"Do you mean you seem particularly dignified today? Or do you think your skin looks a bit... well, never mind."

His gaze involuntarily drifted to Yukino's skin.

He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that in the past few days, Yukinoshita's skin, and even her whole being, had become more beautiful in his eyes.

Her skin had a clear, flawless glow, like snow melting in the morning, and seemed to radiate a soft, cool light that made the sunlight outside the window appear somewhat dim.

The contours of her face seemed to have become more refined, and her originally black eyes now had a hint of azure, like clear crystal.

Even her smooth black hair seemed to shimmer with a moonlit glow.

It's unbearable to repair!

Hachiman Hikigaya's internal alarm bells rang loudly, accompanied by a burst of self-deprecating humor.

Has he really fallen to this level?

How could someone so easily succumb to Yukino's charm, even starting to see her through a "Yukino filter," thinking she's getting prettier every day—it's practically a case of "beauty is in the eye of the beholder"!

Even if Yukino Yukinoshita is indeed a beautiful girl, an unattainable beauty at Soubu High School, Hachiman Hikigaya is a man determined to become a pursuer of "real things." How could he be so superficial as to be deceived by appearances and even have the kind of delusional fantasies that only male protagonists in youth romance comedies would have, imagining that she is getting more and more beautiful!

This is simply the greatest betrayal of his philosophy of solitude!

How disgusting am I!

Calm down, Hachiman Hikigaya, calm down! He roared at himself in his heart.

This must be an illusion, a psychological effect from the Service Club's recent frequent activities, or perhaps it's because she used some new brand of skincare products today that's wrong; Yukinoshita doesn't seem like someone who would be interested in skincare products.

Is it a lighting issue? Or does he really need to get a new pair of glasses?

He forcibly suppressed the jumbled complaints in his mind and the self-condemnation of his "decline," trying to bring his attention back to reality and attempt to find a reasonable explanation.

But no matter how he tried to convince himself, the extraordinary beauty of Yukino Yukinoshita constantly reminded him that things were definitely not that simple.

Damn it, has he really developed a bias towards Yukinoshita? He doesn't even have that kind of bias towards Saika.

Just as Hachiman Hikigaya was engrossed in his inner monologue and about to lose control of his facial expressions, Yukino Yukinoshita gave him an answer that was far more terrifying than any "filter."

Yukino Yukinoshita ignored his clumsy attempt at concealment and simply looked at him quietly, her gaze seemingly able to penetrate all his pretenses and reach straight to his heart.

Then, she slightly raised her right hand.

Hachiman Hikigaya's heart leaped into his throat. Was he going to make a move? Was it because he had noticed her abnormality that he wanted to silence her?

Could she actually be a cyborg from some secret organization? Or is she possessed by something strange?

Should he yell for help? No, the door is locked, and she's standing right next to it. How could he possibly escape?

Hachiman Hikigaya glanced at the window beside him out of the corner of his eye, then looked away.

Jumping out of the window, wouldn't that be better than being killed by Yukino?

Ms. Jing, come quick! I need your help!

Just as Hachiman Hikigaya's mind was racing with all sorts of thoughts, he saw Yukino Yukinoshita's palm surrounded by icy blue aura.

Immediately afterwards, the temperature in the Service Club activity room seemed to drop a few degrees. Under Hachiman Hikigaya's dazed gaze, the water molecules in the air in front of Yukino Yukinoshita quickly condensed, and specks of ice crystals appeared out of thin air.

In the blink of an eye, a crystal-clear, diamond-shaped ice cube appeared in her palm.

"!!!"

Hachiman Hikigaya has been petrified.

He stared at the scene with his mouth agape, utterly incredulous.

All the previous speculations and complaints were shattered at this moment by this scene that transcended everyday understanding.

Ice? Creating ice out of thin air? Magic? Superpowers?

Was he dreaming? Or was he hallucinating from staying up all night playing games?

Hachiman Hikigaya instinctively pinched his thigh. Ouch!

So, is this true?

Yukino Yukinoshita has superpowers?!

Could she actually be some kind of magical girl hiding in an ordinary high school who recently gained power, which is why her aura has changed so drastically?

Because he gained magic power after signing the contract, he became like an ice and snow elf.

No wonder I always felt that she seemed more and more detached from worldly affairs lately, with eyes that were sometimes so sharp they could freeze you to death. It wasn't just my imagination; she really could "freeze" you to death!

Wait, what's the price of a magical girl's contract? Could it be feelings? Is that why she's been looking at him so strangely lately?

No, no, what is he thinking?!

Hachiman Hikigaya's inner world is undergoing a collapse and reconstruction comparable to a magnitude 10 earthquake. Countless absurd conjectures flood his mind, eventually merging into a blank and bewildered state.

Looking at Hachiman Hikigaya's worldview-like appearance, Yukino Yukinoshita felt a little calmer, as if the unease she had felt from displaying her power had subsided.

As expected, this was the reaction Hachiman Hikigaya should have.

Surprise, bewilderment, and the conjuring of strange thoughts, but no fear whatsoever.

She gently clenched her fist, and the suspended ice crystals instantly turned into fine ice dust.

"As you can see, I now possess superhuman strength."

"What you see is only a part of the power I possess."

"The real me is far more powerful than you think."

"But because of this, my mindset has also changed somewhat."

Yukino lowered her eyes slightly.

"I'm not sure if I should, or rather, if I'm 'qualified' to try to realize my ideals according to my original ideas."

"To create a 'real' world."

"In the past, my strength was limited, and I could only start from what was around me and from the requests of the Service Department, hoping to bring about some change with my small efforts."

“But now, I have the power, the real possibility of making a bigger ‘change’; I should be excited, but I hesitate.”

She looked intently at Hachiman Hikigaya:

"Can you understand? When I can freeze a lake with a wave of my hand, when I can influence a country with a thought, when I can easily do things that I never dared to imagine before, I don't know whether I should do them."

"Is it not an act of arrogance to use such power to promote what I consider 'right' and to shape a world that I believe to be 'real'?"

"An injustice inflicted by greater force?"

She looked into Hachiman Hikigaya's eyes and said something that almost made his heart stop:

Can you give me some advice?

"."

Hachiman Hikigaya was frozen in place, as if struck by an invisible bolt of lightning.

Suggestions? Is Yukino Yukinoshita asking him for advice?

He asked Hachiman Hikigaya about her superpowers, whether she should use them to change the world, and her confusion about her life path.

He almost thought he was hallucinating.

This was even more unbelievable to him than seeing Yukino Yukinoshita create ice out of thin air.

Yukino Yukinoshita, who is always confident, always right, always walks alone, and seems to need no one's approval, actually showed such a "fragile" confusion.

Then she turned to him, the guy she usually wasn't bad at being sarcastic, for help?

Wait, is this some kind of new prank? Using superpowers to create illusions to test my reaction? Or did Yukinoshita's brain also malfunction when she gained superpowers?

No, given her personality, even if she were to play a prank, she wouldn't do it in such an honest way.

She was serious.

She was genuinely troubled by this unexpected power, and even a little scared.

Hachiman Hikigaya's brain started working at high speed again, but this time it wasn't about guessing, but about trying to understand the situation in front of him.

She genuinely didn't know what to do, which is why she asked him that question.

Ugh, this is such a hassle.

Hachiman Hikigaya sighed inwardly.

This kind of grand theme involving the world, ideals, and the use of power is exactly the kind of trouble that light novel protagonists face, completely beyond the thinking scope of this gloomy guy who just wants to get through high school peacefully and find a rich woman to be his stay-at-home husband.

He hasn't even figured out his own life yet.

but.

He recalled Yukino Yukinoshita's genuine insistence when she explained why she established the Service Club, the occasional stubbornness revealed beneath her sharp tongue, the thorns she raised because she refused to compromise, and the softness that didn't match her cold exterior.

She's just a high school student.

An ordinary person who is smart, excellent, but also confused, stubborn, and hurt.

Well, although it doesn't seem quite "ordinary" anymore.

Gaining power did not turn her into an omniscient and omnipotent god; instead, it burdened her with even heavier shackles.

Yukino Yukinoshita is still the same Yukino Yukinoshita, but the problem she faces has now escalated from "how to help a classmate in need" to "how to properly use divine power".

So, his suggestion is...

Hachiman Hikigaya took a deep breath, and his usually lazy and listless dead fish eyes became unusually serious at this moment, shedding his usual cynicism and self-deprecation, and even showing a hint of solemnity.

He looked directly into Yukino Yukinoshita's expectant eyes and said firmly:

"Please don't do that, Minister."

While a false and deceptive world is certainly incorrect, a completely true world is absolutely wrong.

Although it might sound arrogant, he felt he had the right to say it.