The disease of lies [Hachiman x Yukino]

Chapter 11 : Slapped by her words

It has been almost two weeks since I woke up from my unconscious state.

My body, already in decline prior to this, had now deteriorated further, leaving me so weakened that even the act of cycling to school could leave me completely drained.

Because of that, I couldn't go to school as my parents had to completely reorganise their daily schedule. They work a lot of late hours, and that makes it difficult for them to get up in the morning to take me to school.

Actually, the doctors also suggested to my parents that I should take at least around ten days of rest before resuming my usual activities like school and... Well, nothing else.

Each day, I feel like I'm becoming a heavier weight for my family.

I received news from Yuigahama. She said that the club had continued its activities without me. Isshiki came less often to the club because of the Student Council.

It seemed like everything went back to normal.

Almost.

It was only on the surface that things looked the same.

Without any surprise, I also asked her about Yukinoshita.

And according to her, whenever she attempted to steer the conversation towards me, Yukinoshita consistently evaded the topic by deviating the subject matter to something entirely unrelated to me.

I concluded that I had become a taboo matter within the Service Club now.

I don't blame her at all; she didn't want to talk about me, and I understand it.

At least, I know she seems fine.

"We've arrived, Hachiman." The voice of my mother snapped me out of my thoughts as I realized that we'd already reached the school.

Today was my first day of school since the last incident.

"Hey, relax. Just go peacefully. I'm sure your friends will jump in joy when they'll see you." My mother placed her hand on my shoulder, reassuring me.

"I hope so."

I unbuckled my seatbelt and stepped out of the vehicle, the gravel beneath my feet crunching as I made my way around the car towards the school gates.

"Be careful out there. See you later!"

"See you." I waved at my mother as I headed to the school gates.

To be honest, my heart is beating faster right now. I'm not stressed about seeing Yuigahama and Isshiki whom I already met before. What I was most afraid of was Yukinoshita.

I took a deep breath as I stepped inside the school building, it wasn't the moment to get my heart to pulse that quickly as I just got here.

I made my way through the school hallways, the familiar sounds of groups of students chatting and hanging out filling the air. As usual, I kept a low profile, trying to blend into the background. But this time, something seemed amiss, a subtle shift in the atmosphere that set my senses on edge.

I couldn't help but notice that I was receiving more gazes than usual. It's not like I typically receive any looks at all.

Initially, I tried to brush it off, telling myself it was just my imagination and that maybe they weren't actually looking at me. But no matter where I went, the weight of their stares followed me. It was as if I had unwittingly become the center of attention.

"Hey, did you see? That's him..."

"So he's back..."

"Poor guy..."