Aoharu-sou e Youkoso 16 *SPOILERS*

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Halloween Party Continued

Picking up immediately from the previous chapter, Hinata pulls Yamabuki away from Tsubaki, telling Tsubaki, "Yamabuki-san is with me!!"

Tsubaki looks at Hinata doubtfully and asks if Hinata means that he and Yamabuki are in love. Hinata blushes while he hesitates, but then tightens his grip on Yamabuki's shoulders while answering, "Yes!!"

Yamabuki also blushes upon hearing Hinata's answer while looking up at him. Hinata's face is flushed (he is still looking at Tsubaki). Her thoughts are a mess while she thinks, 'Ehhhh?! Sakurai-kun and I...?! I-i-in love...?! Also, could it be...' 

She looks at Tsubaki, who's asking her what she thinks of what Hinata just said. She goes, "Um- I... I-I... I!" but doesn't get to finish, because Hamayuu bursts into the kitchen to call for Hinata and Yamabuki, because it's about time for them to perform their skit.

Hamayuu's voice trails off when he realizes that he interrupted a tense moment among the 3 of them. He feels bad towards Hinata. Hamayuu tries to undo the mess by saying that if they're in the middle of something, they can do the skit later, but Tsubaki asks him what the skit is about.

Hamayuu explains that it's a small performance that Hinata and Yamabuki will be doing. Tsubaki expresses his jealousy and asks if there's a role for him but Hamayuu says no (unless he plays as a tree, lol).

Hinata and Yamabuki

Hinata is still blushing and recovering from the awkward and tense moment when he turns to Yamabuki to say that they should prepare for the skit.

The two of them leave the kitchen to go to the rooms to change. Hinata points Yamabuki to one of the rooms and tells her that her costume is in one of the empty rooms. He then trails off awkwardly and there's an awkward silence between the two of them.

Hinata suddenly turns to face Yamabuki, startling her a little. He apologizes for surprising her and for saying that they were in love.

Bukki: It's okay! I, too...

Hinata: Eh? (She thinks the same...?!)

Bukki (shyly grinning): I, too, understand that it was a white lie to help me, so it's fine. Thank you. (she's actually a little disappointed that Hinata is apologizing and thinks that she would have been happy if it was real)

Hinata: ... (he's disappointed)

Hinata looks sadly at Yamabuki, who doesn't get what's going on in his head. He thinks, 'Did it look that much like a lie? I just didn't want to lose to senpai... but it ended up being treated as a joke...'

Hinata grits his teeth a little.

Hinata: Earlier, that...... wasn't a lie.

Bukki: Eh?

Hinata: It was real.

Bukki: Eh-...?

Hinata: If I said that, would you believe me?

Yamabuki blushes furiously. However, Hinata turns away to change the topic and tells her that everyone is waiting, so he'll go get changed.

Buuki: Eh- Sakurai-kun...

Hinata: Sorry... I guess... I just hate losing in terms of love.

Each of their thoughts

Hinata returns to his room and shuts the door behind him. Now alone, he collapses to the ground while he reflects on what just happened.

He transits from a numb state to a panicked state when he thinks, 'Huh...? I... Did I just confess-----?!?!?! Just when I thought I couldn't get my message across... Saying "it was real" and "I hate losing"... Isn't that basically saying "I like you"?!'

Hinata gets super pumped up when he realizes that he can't hide his feelings any longer and is determined to properly convey his feelings through the skit. He reviews his lines for the skit. He also envisions how he will deliver his most important line to Yamabuki later on. However, he realizes that he and Yamabuki have not practiced for this skit even once. He also realizes with horror that he can't memorize his lines...

Over to Yamabuki, she's gotten changed into her witch costume, which looks cute on her. She thinks about how Hinata said earlier that he hates losing and wonders if he meant losing to Tsubaki. She also thinks about how Hinata said that he wasn't lying about being in love and that it was real. It makes her blush furiously again.

She gets overwhelmed by her thoughts, but tells herself to calm down. She thinks, 'It's not like I've been confessed to. It'd be embarrassing if I got the wrong idea...'

She tries to focus on the skit, but finds that she keeps thinking about Hinata's words and she can't remember her lines to the skit anymore. She panics.

Performance

During the couple's performance, both Hinata and Yamabuki stiffly and awkwardly deliver their lines. Both of them couldn't remember their lines so Hinata wrote them on his hand and Yamabuki wrote hers on her wand.

Even the most climactic scene where Hinata was supposed to confess became just an unemotional line while Yamabuki reacted to it nervously. The others who are watching them think among themselves that the acting is monotonous. 

Tsubaki: ...It's a charade. What am I being shown?

Seiya: Wasn't this supposed to create a good atmosphere?

Rikuto: It's impossible to confess like this...

Sena: It's probably too early for the two of them to go into theatre.

Hamayuu: ......Sorry, it might have been my fault...

Seiya: Eh? Why?

No one notices, but there's a small smile on Tsubaki's face.

Hinata and Yamabuki bow to their audience after completing the skit and walk aside.

Bukki: Uwuh... It was really bad... Um... Thanks for your hard work. It was really difficult, eh, doing a skit...

Hinata (looks half-dead): ......That's right.

Bukki: Are you okay?! Your face is so pale!

Hinata: Yes, I'm fine. I'm just gonna head to the washroom...

Tsubaki

While Hinata walks off, Yamabuki watches him and thinks to himself that he looks unwell. She wonders if Hinata is looking so dispirited because of her poor performance earlier (because she was so busy looking at her cheat sheet). She thinks that Hinata's behavior towards her now is totally different from earlier and worries if she's been disliked.

Tsubaki calls out to her. He tells her that he would like to continue the conversation they were having earlier before being interrupted, but everyone has started playing Werewolf. Therefore, he will find another time to talk to her. Yamabuki says okay.

After the Party

Everyone has fun playing Werewolf together, then they eat and take pictures. The girls then head home and the guys bid them good night. Hinata doesn't look too cheerful while he waves goodbye.

After the guys close the main door behind them, Hamayuu calls out to Hinata and expresses his apology about today, as Hamayuu was the one who tried to help spice up Hinata's confession, but it failed. Hinata says that it isn't Hamayuu's fault.

Looking depressed, Hinata says that it was his own fault for being too hurried and leaving the important things to others. Now that he's had a bit of time to think, he realizes that didn't have to confess at Aoharu-sou; at school or somewhere would have been fine. He's depressed that he's shown such a pathetic side of himself to everyone.

Hinata drowns his sorrow by drinking not alcohol (I think they're still underage), but barley tea. He narrates that he's such an idiot - the Halloween party was such a good opportunity, yet it has ended with him not being able to enjoy it. He wonders if he should have just confessed to her at the front door before Yamabuki left earlier. He concludes that he wants to tell her directly.

Yamabuki and Tsubaki

On another day, we see Yamabuki with a bag of groceries. She went shopping for groceries for cooking at Aoharu-sou. She checks her phone and thinks to herself that it's still early.

She also thinks that it's been a week since the Halloween party and she hasn't been contacted by Hinata - that what he said about "it was real" seems to have turned out to be nothing after all. She's concerned about it, but feels to afraid to bring it up.

Someone calls out to her at the train station. It's Tsubaki. He asks her if she went shopping for groceries and she nervously answers yes. Trying to hide his blush behind his glasses, Tsubaki explains that he was at the bookstore nearby and asks if she would like to return to Aoharu-sou together. He also offers to carry the grocery bag for her. Yamabuki nervously accepts the offer.

Walking Together

While walking, Yamabuki is extremely nervous. She is panicking internally, not knowing what to talk about. She blurts out her thanks for allowing her to be part of the Halloween party last week. Tsubaki says that it was a valuable experience for him too.

Yamabuki asks if they had a difficult time removing all of the decorations. Tsubaki shares that all of them spent the next day cleaning up and then they had a takoyaki party. He shows her a video of the guys on his phone. Yamabuki is surprised but comments that it's very much like them to do such a thing.

Tsubaki asks her what she means. She elaborates that they're all from different years, but get along and no matter what they do, they seem to have fun. Whenever she joins them, she also enjoys herself a lot, so much that she forgets that she's doing a part-time job.

Tsubaki says that he's jealous. He's a third year now and has a lot of cram school, so he doesn't hang out at the living room as often. He says that it would definitely be different if she was here while he was a first year. He adds that it's a miracle that he's even walking next to a female right now.

Yamabuki answers that it's the same for her. When Tsubaki asks what she means, she explains that she's always been bad with guys, and at first, she was very unwilling to do the part-time job at Aoharu-sou. Tsubaki says that he can relate.

However, Yamabuki adds that after going to Aoharu-sou, meeting Hinata and the rest made her change little by little. She's now better able to talk to guys and is no longer as afraid; even feeling like it's fun. She then follows up to ask if Tsubaki was able to handle the Halloween party, since there were girls. Tsubaki says that that was a day where he gained a lot of experience - after all, girls used to look like aliens to him.

Tsubaki's Feelings

Yamabuki laughs when she hears that, which makes Tsubaki blush with infatuation when he sees it. He asks her why she's not offended by it and she explains that she used to think the same about guys when she didn't understand them.

Tsubaki says that he doesn't see girls as aliens now, which means that he's adapted. He mentions that he wouldn't have participated in the Halloween party if it weren't for her. Trying to hide his blush behind his glasses again, Tsubaki says that it was thanks to Yamabuki. He says that they are similar and right now, he feels like they are fated.

Tsubaki: You look like you are on good terms with Sakurai, but perhaps I'm a better match for you, Shizuku? I understand you. How are your grades?

Bukki: Um, they're kinda...

Tsubaki: Then, I'll teach you. I'm a keen learner. Surely, learning about love is important too.

Bukki: Erm...

Tsubaki: This is a confession. You don't have to answer me right now. Think about it. I look forward to your favourable response.

Bukki: Ah- senpai...

Before Yamabuki can say anything else, Tsubaki turns away and greets Gen, the housekeeper at Aoharu-sou (they've arrived). She's left to process her thoughts.

Yamabuki's Thoughts

She thinks, 'He understands me...? This is my first confession... No, even so, I like Sakurai-kun. I like him... so what should I do?'

Just as she's pondering to herself, we see that Hamayuu happened to see them. He thinks to himself, 'That's amazing... Tsubaki-senpai's fast. It's my first time seeing something like that. It really gave me a wake up call... Is Hinata going to be alright...?'

The narration reads: Putting his own romance aside, it seems that the senior who cares about his junior is thinking about something again.