Hmm...nothing special."
Komachi tapped her chin lightly with her index finger, looking thoughtful. Tiny bits of bonito flakes with a little sauce clung to her lips. Her dazed expression made Hachiman sigh once again, thinking, "This unintentional cuteness is adorable, Komachi, but it's best not to show it off in front of others."
Seeing this, Hiratsuka Shizuka, who had been silent, picked up a tissue and helped Komachi wipe herself clean. Cleaning up after a meal was also very important. She looked at Hachiman and finally couldn't help but ask the question that had been holding back for so long.
Why do you smell so strongly of alcohol?
I wasn't sure just now, but as soon as he walked over, the smell of alcohol wafted over, and even a fool could tell that the smell of alcohol came from him.
Hachiman's face stiffened; he had actually forgotten about that.
"It's a long story," he replied vaguely.
His head throbbed whenever he thought about it; those two guys really did nothing but bad things.
Hachiman Hikigaya sighed. He knew that no matter how he tried to explain, he would be exposed, so he didn't bother to explain further. Anyway...
He had tried to hide everything, but now it's all been exposed: drinking, nudity, indecent behavior, perversion—good heavens, he couldn't hide a single thing. I thought their decision to go out last night was a wise one, but it turns out they were better off keeping it under their noses.
The way you put it, it sounds like you're talking to a parent.
Hachiman Hikigaya was feeling a little depressed. It was his fault; he had done something wrong but didn't want to admit it, choosing instead to hide it. However, he also hoped to report only good news and not bad news, so that Komachi and the others wouldn't worry.
Komachi smoothed out her slightly furrowed brows, and Hiratsuka Shizuka's helpless words followed. She roughly scratched her hair, the messy strands reflecting in her eyes.
"I'm not trying to criticize you, I just want to remind you that it's better to drink less alcohol. You're not fully developed yet, and drinking too much can easily damage your spleen and stomach."
"..."
Hiratsuka Shizuka looked at Hachiman's stunned expression with displeasure.
"It was just a bit unexpected," he muttered to himself. "In the past, I should have been punched in the head next."
"...Aren't you just being a jerk?"
Hiratsuka Shizuka raised her fist, baring her teeth. This guy was as annoying as ever. At a time like this, she should be grateful and trembling with fear at the words of concern spoken by her teacher whom she hadn't seen in a long time.
"It's just a result deduced from past habits."
Hearing his words, she chuckled and punched him on the forehead. This kind of unruly and talkative student needs the teacher's iron fist to comfort him.
"This feeling is right."
"Onii-chan...were you originally from the BDSM community?"
"No, that's not true!"
At most, she just likes being noticed!
...
For the rest of the day, Hachiman Hikigaya led the two on a brief tour of the Izu Islands. To be honest, as a homebody, he hadn't really explored the surrounding scenery since coming here to study at university. As a result, they spent most of their time following the directions on the navigation app.
After going around the area, he didn't feel anything else, except that there were just too many aquariums and shrines. Today, he spent nearly 1,500 yen just on praying for wealth and marriage. He hoped that the god of wealth he prayed to would really be able to help him get his money back.
Oh, right, when they went to make offerings to Ebisu the Hermit, they also encountered Yamada Ryo and a red-haired girl. What was her name again? Guilai Quxi? They were also praying. Yamada Ryo borrowed 500 yen from the girl and put it into the offering box. Because they were close by, he could hear her muttering to herself.
"I pray for divine mercy. I've already paid off my entire next month's salary. If this continues, I'll be eating grass. I pray for sudden wealth."
What a realistic wish! It almost made him want to chime in.
Hachiman shook his head. "What a pity, Yamada-kun. It's all superstition."
"Onii-chan, there's a fortune teller over there who asks for help in finding a partner. Why don't you go and ask him?"
...Does he really need to ask for this?
Staggering, he followed Komachi to the shrine of Ignebime-no-Mikoto, one of the oldest deities in the Izu region, and looked up.
"Fan Yan? Boqi?"
Upon hearing the familiar sound, the two immediately covered their faces with their hands and cowered like quails.
...
"Then, we'll be going."
"Bye-bye, Onii-chan, remember to text me often!"
"Okay, be careful on the road."
After seeing the two off onto the train, gazing at the sunset in the distance, I realized that today's day was finally over.
It was a fulfilling day, but also the most nerve-wracking. He thought that once everything was exposed, his trip to Izu would be shackled, but in the end nothing happened. He had only scared himself.
Is it that they are broad-minded, or that they trust themselves too much?
He smiled helplessly. As long as the ending is good, why bother with these things?
[drop--]
I took my phone out of my pocket and saw a text message from Hiratsuka-sensei.
Oh, right, there's something I forgot to tell you.
[What's up?]
[Yono said she'd come to see you in a while, most likely to ask you about Yukino. She seems indifferent on the surface, but as Yukino's older sister, she's always been concerned about her. You need to be careful.]
Hachiman looked at the message but didn't have much of an opinion. He had long expected this day to come. As a sister-complex man, if he knew what had happened to Komachi, he would definitely find the source.
Since we're here, let's make the best of it.
He didn't have much to worry about. Ultimately, he didn't think he had done anything wrong. It was just that the timing, circumstances, and people weren't right, and he was lacking courage at the time.
Everything collapsed as if it were the middle way.
Chapter Fifty-Three: The Breakup Farce (Revised version in a separate chapter)
The atmosphere is a bit off.
In the classroom, Hachiman felt uneasy as he sensed the clearly malicious gazes focusing on him from all directions. He glanced around discreetly and saw that, apart from Iori Kohei, the eyes of the other male students were filled with gloomy expressions. He swallowed hard.
"Don't you guys feel like everyone except us has a strange expression today?"
"Is there?"
Iori looked at the boy sitting in the front seat with a puzzled expression. He smiled kindly and gently ran his thumb across Iori's neck to remind him that his neck was dirty and needed to be cleaned properly, suggesting that the other person's newly sharpened kitchen knife would be a good example.
He looked terrified and quickly leaned back.
"Something's really wrong! They want to kill me!"
"Why? We're acting exactly the same as usual."
Kohei also noticed the strange atmosphere. He watched as someone plucked out the doll's golden hair strand by strand, and he covered his own hair in pain.
"Yes, the underwear is on properly."
The three of them looked at each other.
"If anything's wrong, Hachiman, why are you dressed so neatly? You even have a shirt and trousers!"
Iori angrily pointed at Hachiman, who was wearing an outer garment, saying, "Doesn't this make them look like perverts, wearing only their underwear?!"
"I'm not a pervert, why would I be completely naked in the classroom?"
Hachiman silently slapped his hand away, then, under Hachiman's incredulous expression, he clenched his fists and leaned against the table, deep in thought. He hadn't been very visible to his classmates lately, and usually no one paid him much attention. They mostly just looked at Iori and Hachiman like they were clowns.
So, the only possibility is that something happened at the recent spring festival that he was unaware of. But what could it be? Male contestants? Impossible. They messed with that show-off, popular guy. Logically, he should have been appreciated by the single guys who were all fully developed but had no opportunity to use their talents. He shouldn't have been reacting with this kind of expression.
That was after the men's competition, but nothing particularly unusual happened that night.
Could it be that someone saw him walking with Hiratsuka-sensei and Komachi and misunderstood?
It's unlikely. If he were really misunderstood, he would probably be in Myanmar that very night. Why would he wait until now to try and kill him with his eyes?
That happened yesterday. What event was it? There was an awards ceremony in the morning. He went to remove his makeup, so they let Iori, who was completely drunk, go on stage.
Thinking of this, he leaned closer to Iori: "Did anything happen at the awards ceremony yesterday morning?"
"I don't know, I have absolutely no recollection of yesterday."
Iori shook her head. He was still with his great-grandmother back then. It had been a long time since she had seen him. She made a lot of cookies for him, and he ate them until this morning.
"What about you, Kohei?"
Kohei stylishly flicked his bangs: "I'm at the amusement park with Lala, and she called me Onii-chan 726 times."
Neither of these two is useful.
"Why don't you just ask them why they're angry? They're classmates, they shouldn't make you bleed on the spot," Iori suggested.
"What if it comes to that?" Hachiman countered.
"Then we'll sneak out the back door and escape the moment you're tied to the stake." Iori gave him a hearty smile and a thumbs-up.
"I might as well ask Chisa."
"I advise you to give up on this idea. She hasn't been in a good mood lately. Have you forgotten that night when she made us drink almost five liters of liquor?"
What is the difference between the death penalty and life imprisonment?
Hachiman ignored them and turned to look at Chisa. He had made up his mind that no matter the cost, he would find out what was going on from her.
(*^ω^*)
"..."
He silently pulled his head back; it seemed his retina hadn't adjusted properly, and he was hallucinating.
I looked back again!
(^_^)ノ
"It's better to live a miserable life than to die a good death; the death penalty is far more painful than life imprisonment." Hachiman turned his head and uttered these few words.
"Got it?" Iori patted his shoulder.
"But don't you guys feel the chill getting heavier?" Kohei hugged his shoulders and shivered.
No need to pretend anymore, he could already see someone taking out a freezer and preparing to take him on a "colorful" mini snow mountain trip.
"But people have to be cool, right?"
With that arrogant remark, Hachiman stood up and resolutely stepped onto the thorns, bearing the malice of the crowd, to walk to Chisa's side.
"Chisa, I have something to ask you."
"We can talk about it when we get back."
Chisa Kotegawa smiled broadly, politely declining his question. At the same time, Hachiman felt a barrage of glares raining down on him.
What exactly is going on? After thinking it over, he chose to leave and return to his seat, which surprised Chisa, who stared blankly at his back.
"Iori, it's your turn to ask this time."
"Why?"
"I want to test which one of us they are hostile to."
Hachiman said that although he already knew that the reason why they became abnormal was definitely related to Chisa, he was not sure whether his speculation was true or false. At this time, someone needed to help him dig deeper.
"All right."
Despite not understanding why, Iori listened to Hachiman's words, as it would be no good for them if they didn't understand the situation clearly.
He walked up to Chisa, but before he could speak, the sound of a ballpoint pen being inserted into a wooden board reached his ears.
Iori is back, but he didn't bring back any information. He's such a useless person, just like the son in Sixty Seconds.
"Next up is Kohei."
Three seconds later, Kohei returned, covering his face and crying.
Well, all three of them carried different kinds of malice.
Among them, Iori is the largest, he is the second largest, and Kohei is the smallest.
"So, do you see what's going on here?" Iori asked.
"Okay." Hachiman nodded. "Kouhei, let's go."
"Huh?"
"Wait, are you going to leave me here alone?"Iori grabbed his collar, her expression filled with grief and indignation.
Hachiman remained silent, but simply took out a slip of paper.
Iori looked at the note and saw that it was written on it.
[Break up with Kotegawa right now, or I'll kill you within three days.]
"So Iori, you're dating Chisa. No wonder it caused such outrage."
Hachiman smiled calmly. This note was from when Iori went to ask Chisa, and someone was about to stab the wall next to him with a knife, but he stopped them halfway.
Don't underestimate his ability to disarm someone bare-handed; you should know that in another world, he was an excellent spy!
"Me, dating Chisa? What kind of logic is that?"
Iori was completely bewildered. How come he didn't know about this? Besides, wasn't Chisa closer to Hachiman? He'd become a minotaur? Who was he minotaur?
"I see." After understanding the situation, Kohei tapped his palms and walked fearlessly toward his classmate, who was burning with rage. "So this has nothing to do with us, right?"
"You will die last."
"We'll come find you after we've dealt with those two."
Kohei returned to the two of them with a pale face; this was not what they had agreed upon.
So, what have you decided to do? Are you going to break up with me?
"I will definitely do it."
Whether it's true or not, if he doesn't break up with her immediately, he'll either be burned to death by the angry FFF group here, or he'll be tortured to death by Nana Hana-nee after she finds out. He won't get away with either of those things, so why wouldn't he do it? Is he just being cheap?
"But Chisa is looking at you like you're trash. If you agree to break up, you might be treated like non-recyclable trash and sent to the incinerator to be turned into ashes on the spot."
"So, what exactly happened?!"
"Anyway, you can die first. I'm ready to fly to Hawaii tonight to learn self-defense."
Hachiman walked towards the door without looking back. "Hmm, I'll board the plane tonight. I'll borrow some money from Yukinoshita Haruno first."
Seeing him leave, Kohei also prepared to leave, not wanting to get splattered with blood.
"Halt! Strategist! Kōhei!"
Iori grabbed their shoulders, and when they turned around, they saw that his eyes were bloodshot, making him look like a demon.
"Are you really just going to stand by and watch me die? Aren't we best brothers?"
"The saying goes that brothers share good fortune and bear hardship alone. In such a dangerous situation where even we ourselves are in danger, you should bear it alone."
"Hehe, is that so?" Iori revealed a strange smile. Hachiman, sensing something was wrong, tried to stop him, but he was one step ahead, opening his mouth wide and shouting loudly, "Oh dear, I heard that the runner-up in the beauty pageant has a crush on you, Hachiman. Before the competition, you were even exchanging flirtatious glances. You two are definitely dating, aren't you?"
The door slammed shut, and two burly men blocked the entrance, their faces contorted with bloodthirsty smiles.
"No, I haven't gone out yet!"
Kohei didn't understand; he hadn't done anything wrong.
At that moment, someone put their hands on his shoulders. When he turned around, he saw two scumbags.
"Kouhei, it seems that the senior from Qinghai Women's University who was planning to confess to you during the men's competition saw your heroic performance and is going to ask you out for dinner."
"Hey, prepare two more crosses, and bring more gasoline!"
"...You two are inhuman!!!"
Chapter 54 Do you have someone you like?
Hachiman and his two companions sat around a table, eating bread they had bought from a small shop. The prices at this cafeteria were a bit high, and it wasn't even fried noodles, which Iori and Kohei found unacceptable. Hachiman found their thought process fascinating; if a serving of fried noodles really cost 560 yen, that would be even more unacceptable.
"Hachiman, are you really dating Chisa?"
Iori activated his Iron Teeth and Copper Fangs, tearing at a French baguette as long as his body. This kind of bread was not only plentiful but also extremely hard. Its downside was that it was consumed quickly, but it was very suitable for dogs in the teething stage.
"You heard what she said."
Hachiman, still unable to snag a yakisoba bread roll, took a bite of the melon bun. The slightly sweet taste made his gums itch, and he pressed the tip of his tongue against the roots of his teeth, trying to relieve the itch.
"That expression really makes it easy for people to mistakenly think she's shy."
Kohei took out a small red bean paste bun, no bigger than a thumb, from the bag and popped it into his mouth. Recalling Kotegawa's behavior just now, if it were in a visual novel, it would definitely be a tsundere performance of running away because his secret was exposed.
"You said it yourself, it was just an illusion."
A classmate he didn't know well walked up to Hachiman. He looked up, reached out and took the threatening letter from the other person. Before leaving, he was glared at fiercely by the other person.
Hachiman remained completely unmoved. He had seen that look in his eyes dozens of times today, and he was so used to it that he could withstand the invisible pressure and calmly down three cans of Max coffee.
Come to think of it, how long has it been since he last had this stuff? It's strange, he seems to often forget about it since he came here.
Since joining the diving club, his brain seems to automatically divide drinks into two categories: alcohol and non-alcoholic beverages. This makes him feel that anything he drinks except alcohol is a gift from heaven, and he naturally forgets Max coffee, which once had an important place in his life.
"That's true, Chisa basically never shows any shyness." Iori, who had finally managed to bite off a third of the baguette, puffed out her cheeks and chewed laboriously. "Didn't we try to make her shy at the beauty pageant last time, and we failed?"
"No, it was successful in the strict sense, only in terms of the process."
Kohei refuted his words, saying that his plan was flawless and had indeed made Kotegawa blush during its execution, only the final outcome was somewhat different.
"Yes, in terms of the process alone, the result was that the three of us were forced to hide in the bushes, and I ended up drinking three liters of liquor."
Recalling that unpleasant experience, Hachiman shrugged helplessly. Chisa, carrying a baseball bat, had once ranked sixth in his fear of her.
"Speaking of which, I think Kohei was confessed to by the Corpse Monster around that time," Iori recalled, recalling that there seemed to be such a scene.
"Oh, I had forgotten if you hadn't mentioned it."
Kohei held the small bread roll, and the image of that wailing, ghostly makeup flashed through his mind, instantly turning his face to one of disgust.
"It's better to forget about it."
The two nodded in agreement. For a hardcore otaku who loves anime and manga, being confessed to by a real person, especially a zombie, would definitely leave a psychological scar.
"Speaking of which, Kohei, what kind of woman do you like?" Hachiman asked curiously. This guy is handsome, there's no reason why he's still single like Iori.
"Lala." x2
Iori spread his hands, "See, that's how well I know him."
"So, you like lolis, huh? Iori, call the police!"
Although he had always known that the other person liked the anime character Lala, he only thought it was limited to the two-dimensional world. If you like this type in the three-dimensional world, then sorry, go eat pork cutlet rice.
No, that's not true.
Despite being falsely accused, Kōhei was not angry. He took three or four small steamed buns and stuffed them into his mouth, mumbling indistinctly.
"Although my dream is to join a female high school girl harem club and marry a voice actress, I don't actually have many requirements for the person I like. Gentle, kind, and able to agree with my preferences, those three things are enough."
He swallowed the steamed bun hastily, as if swallowing the pain of being misunderstood over the years: "What rules or conventions are there? I'm not a particularly outstanding person."
The two men stared at him, and after a long while, they clapped.
It was as if Iori was getting to know his best friend for the first time, and he never expected that he would be so clear about his own position.
Why did the topic suddenly become so heavy?
Shouldn't they be having headaches over those false lies right now?
"And what about you, Iori? What type do you like?" Kohei asked, not wanting his own fantasies to be exposed.
"Me..."
Iori blinked. Although he kept saying he wanted a colorful college life with someone to accompany him, he hadn't actually thought about what kind of girlfriend he wanted.
"She must have big breasts and a good figure."
He spoke hesitantly, using keywords he often looked for when searching for movies, which, according to his hormonal instincts, indicated that he probably liked this type of film.
"How tacky," the two complained.
"That's just a man's nature!"
Iori said indignantly.
"And you, Hachiman, what type do you like?"
"Forehead..."
The boomerang eventually hit him.
After thinking for a while, he slowly said, "I don't have a particular type that I like, but if I had to imagine someone, I think it would be someone who appears strong on the outside but has a soft and vulnerable heart, is gentle but also a bit stubborn, is calm in the face of problems but can be a little absent-minded at times, has her own opinions but will also listen to the opinions of others, can be a little sarcastic but is also very good at comforting people, a girl who seems a bit awkward no matter how you look at her."
After he finished speaking, he did not receive any comments from the two of them.
Hachiman looked at the two of them and saw that their expressions were quite strange.
"What's wrong?"
"Hachiman..."
Iori stared at him. How should I put it? He always felt that the other person wasn't fantasizing, but rather describing someone who actually existed in reality and with whom he had shared memories. He repeated the word "but" countless times. Would anyone really need to use so much precise description to describe a fantasy object?
"Have you been playing too many bishoujo dating games?" Kohei asked. This description doesn't sound like reality. Are there really women in real life who possess so many attributes at the same time?
"Sorry, I only play handheld dragon hunting games."
Commonly known as the CatCar Simulator.
"Oh~ a katana."
"You actually figured out my profession at a glance?"
"Where did you two get off to?" Iori asked, speechless, as the two men focused their attention on him.
"Hachiman, do you have someone you like?"
Chapter Fifty-Five: The Answer Seeked
Do you have someone you like?
When Iori asked the question, everything around them seemed to fall silent. He and Kohei stared at Hachiman, the cool silver light of the cafeteria walls shimmering in their eyes. They did not close their eyes, focusing all their attention on waiting for his reply.
Faced with the eager eyes of the two, Hachiman naturally understood that Iori had taken his words to heart. He hesitated for a moment before speaking slowly.
"I do have someone I care about."
I say I care, but it's more like I feel sorry. If he had been braver back then, maybe things would have turned out better.
However, if that were the case, he wouldn't have been able to come here, nor would he have met Iori and the others. Thinking about it this way, it seems to be a mixed bag.
"Lala?"
"Don't ruin the mood at a time like this."
Iori pulled Kohei's face away, utterly speechless. How could this guy bring up lesbianism in everything? Did his life revolve mostly around this thing?
He sighed, worried about his best friend's future. Although Kohei had a face comparable to a European or American heartthrob, the stark difference in their personalities made it easy for people to forget his good points.
"Hachiman, is the person you're interested in from our school? It's not that quiet girl who came in second place in the beauty pageant, is it?" Iori asked. Although they had only met a few times, she did have a calm demeanor in the face of trouble.
A quiet and gentle girl? Is that referring to Shan Yan? She's actually second? But that seems pretty normal. Although her personality is rather gloomy, her appearance is quite glamorous. This strong contrast might attract a lot of fans.
This is a golden opportunity; it remains to be seen whether she can seize it.
Hachiman shook his head and answered Iori's question: "No, she's not at our school. Sengoku is just a friend."
You call everyone a friend? Chisa is a friend, Sengen is a friend, and those four girls with completely different personalities are friends too. With so many friends, have you ever considered that your brother is still single?! He and Kohei have been through more than twenty years of ups and downs, and they don't even have a single woman they're even slightly attracted to!
He looked at Kohei, who was eating his steamed buns without a care in the world, the purple-haired Lolita on his clothes standing out so conspicuously.
Iori covered her face and rubbed her cheeks, then picked up a glass of water and took a sip: "Where is she?"
"Right now, they should be in Tokyo University."
On the eve of the college entrance examination, he heard her mention that she was going to study humanities at the University of Tokyo, which puzzled him for a while.
Although Yukinoshita excelled in both arts and sciences, her science grades were more outstanding and would be more conducive to fulfilling her dream of taking over the family business. Therefore, her decision at the time surprised him slightly.
Life is truly amazing. He, who was good at humanities, chose science at university, while Yukino, who was good at science, chose humanities.
Upon hearing his words, Iori spat out all the water in her mouth, spraying it onto Kohei's face.
"Kisama!!!"
"etc!"