"Y- Yuigahama Auntie, w-wait, your hand… maybe don't massage so high up…"
"Ah—!"
Realizing where her hand had accidentally wandered, Mrs. Yuigahama's cheeks flushed bright red. She quickly pulled her hand back and apologized in a fluster:
"S-sorry! That was careless of me, oh dear, I'm really sorry…"
"It's okay. I know you didn't mean anything by it, Mrs. Yuigahama."
Hikigaya gave a small shake of his head, brushing it off.
"Ugh, Hikigaya-kun…"
Mrs. Yuigahama lowered her gaze, her voice small:
"You… trust me that much?"
"Yeah. Compared to Auntie Sawamura, I trust you more, Mrs. Yuigahama."
Hikigaya answered seriously. "I can tell — just now, you genuinely wanted to help me. Thank you, Mrs. Yuigahama."
"Ah, you're too sweet. It's really nothing."
Mrs. Yuigahama let out a soft sigh. "That Sayuri really goes too far sometimes… sigh… I'll definitely make sure she gives you some space after this."
"Um…"
Hikigaya opened his mouth as if to say something but hesitated.
"Hm?!"
Noticing the look on his face, Mrs. Yuigahama quickly asked, concerned:
"What is it? Wait… Hikigaya-kun, have you… have you already gotten attached to Auntie Sawamura? Are you… kind of dependent on her now?"
"Not exactly."
Hikigaya shook his head.
But still.
He couldn't deny that Auntie Sawamura, as a woman, really knew how to handle a guy — it was hard not to remember how good she was at reading him.
Calm down, Hachiman. You have a girlfriend — Yukinoshita!
"It's just that, for various reasons earlier, I ended up agreeing to… to fulfill some of Auntie Sawamura's requests."
Blushing, Hikigaya decided to just be upfront with the kind-hearted Mrs. Yuigahama about what had been going on with Sayuri.
Chances were, even if he didn't tell her, Sayuri would eventually spill it herself anyway.
"Huh?"
Mrs. Yuigahama looked shocked.
"Hikigaya-kun, you were pressured by Sayuri?"
"I wouldn't say pressured… Auntie Sawamura's not a bad person. It's just… we came to a kind of agreement."
Hikigaya let out a small sigh.
"Ah…"
Mrs. Yuigahama looked pained, as if her heart ached for him. "Mama will help you — I will help you!"
"Yuigahama Auntie, but—"
"Say no more. Leave this to Mama."
Mrs. Yuigahama's eyes were firm as she asked, "Are you supposed to meet Auntie Sawamura again tomorrow night?"
"She said… every day…"
Hikigaya mumbled awkwardly.
"What?!"
Mrs. Yuigahama's eyes widened, her mouth twitching in disbelief. She burst out scolding:
"That beast! Every night, with you?! Ugh! You're still just a boy — how could you possibly keep up?! Monster, brute!"
Hikigaya stayed silent.
There's a saying, after all: women in their thirties are like wolves, forties like tigers.
Auntie Sawamura really was too energetic.
Honestly, Hikigaya even suspected that if he agreed, she'd happily keep him "busy" for a full day and night — it was entirely possible.
"Hikigaya-kun, don't worry. I'll call Auntie Sawamura right now and tell her not to… you know… with you tomorrow night."
Mrs. Yuigahama gently cupped his cheek, speaking warmly.
"Thank you, Auntie."
Naturally, Hikigaya was grateful for her help — otherwise, he wouldn't have told her all this in the first place.
Sigh. With his current stamina, there was no way he could handle someone as intense as Auntie Sawamura.
"Leave it to Mama!"
Without another word, Mrs. Yuigahama grabbed her phone and dialed Sayuri's number.
The call connected quickly.
"Hello? Are you home already?"
Mrs. Yuigahama asked.
"Yep, I'm home. What's up?"
Came Sayuri's voice.
"It's about Hikigaya-kun."
"Oh?"
On the other end, Sayuri sounded delighted. "So? Did you get a taste of Hikigaya-kun yet? How was it?"
"I told you, I'm not like you, okay?! I'm not that shameless!"
Mrs. Yuigahama shot back, then asked seriously, "Are you really planning to meet up with Hikigaya-kun tomorrow night too?"
"Hmm… did that kid tell you?"
"Don't worry about him. I'm asking you — yes or no?"
Mrs. Yuigahama pressed.
"Hehe, of course! I want to be with Hikigaya-kun every night. I'm going to show him what a real woman is, after all~"
Sayuri admitted cheerfully, without a trace of shame.
"You—you—you—"
Mrs. Yuigahama was so mad she could hardly speak. Furious, she snapped:
"I'm telling you, you're not allowed to touch Hikigaya-kun again! Leave him alone tomorrow night!"
"Eh? But this is between me and Hikigaya-kun~ Asuna, even if you say that, I'm afraid I can't agree~"
"Are you really planning to keep pushing him like this? He's still a kid! He can't handle your… energy."
Mrs. Yuigahama pleaded earnestly. "Please, don't push him so hard."
"Hehe, I can tell you really care about Hikigaya-kun, Asuna. All right, for you, I might agree to let him off tomorrow night~"
Sayuri giggled.
"Hmm?"
Hearing that, Mrs. Yuigahama didn't relax — in fact, she immediately became suspicious.
"What's your condition? I know you — you'd never just let Hikigaya-kun go so easily."
"Hehe, as expected of my best friend~ That's right, I can let him off. But, well, you'll have to agree to a little something first."
"What is it?"
Mrs. Yuigahama spoke without hesitation:
"As long as you leave Hikigaya-kun alone, I'll do whatever you ask."
"Oh? You said it."
"So, what do you want me to do?"
Mrs. Yuigahama asked cautiously, her nerves kicking in.
At that, Sayuri gave a sly little laugh:
"It's simple, Asuna. Just turn on video call right now, and give Hikigaya-kun a kiss on the cheek — right in front of me. If you do that, I'll let him off for tomorrow~"
"???"
Mrs. Yuigahama froze, then instantly turned bright red, gasping in outrage:
"Y-you… what did you say?! Kiss Hikigaya-kun, right now?!"
"Or~ just a little lick works too~"