Chapter 398 Kikyo: Mei-chan, what are you all doing?
"No, I don't have that much ambition. I'd rather just lie flat at a school back home."
Hikigaya calmly and politely declined Wang Mei-yu 's proposal.
"I see, then we have quite a lot in common!"
Wang Mei-yu nodded in realization, her eyebrows curving into a light smile: "I came to Japan to study exactly because I wanted to lie flat, hee hee!"
This remark nearly made Hikigaya choke on his own breath.
So you're the one hell-bent on lying flat, yet you're the one running over here to convince me to strive for progress?
"By the way, Hikigaya-kun... can I call you Hachiman?"
After saying this, she proactively added, her tone soft and intimate: "You can call me Mei-chan-chan, too~"
At this moment, Wang Mei-yu was enthusiastic and proactive, a completely different person from her usual silent, quiet, and introverted demeanor in class.
However, this couldn't really be blamed on her; after all, the boys in Class D were generally quite abstract.
This included Hikigaya as well.
It's just that after putting on his glasses, he gained an extra layer of powerful "handsome guy buff," allowing Wang Mei-yu to selectively ignore the shortcomings on his body.
"Wang-san, I don't think we're actually that close, are we?"
"Oh my~ Hachiman-kun, there's no need to be so distant. You invited me to eat and even brought me into the tent... no matter how you look at it, we are close friends!"
Is she planning to unilaterally finalize our friendship, presenting me with a fait accompli?
The corner of Hikigaya's mouth twitched slightly as he helplessly explained: "No, I only helped you out for Kikyo's sake."
"That makes it even more right! Kikyo-chan and I are best friends. She usually calls me Mei-chan, so naturally, Hachiman-kun can call me that too." Wang Mei-yu spoke with increasing confidence.
Seeing there was no way to refuse, Hikigaya had to reluctantly compromise: "Then I'll call you Mei-yu ."
In Japan, usually only people who are very close address each other by their given names.
However, among the "real-life" (normie) crowd, as long as you maintain a superficial friendliness, you can call each other by your first names.
Hikigaya treated Wang Mei-yu as a "normie friend."
"Yay~"
Wang Mei-yu 's eyes brightened, and an innocent, radiant smile appeared on her face: "By the way, Hachiman-kun is the first boy in this school to call me by my real name~~"
With her simple mind, she hadn't thought about it that deeply.
She just felt that making a handsome friend was already a massive victory!
Afterward, the two chatted idly for a while.
Perhaps it was the exhaustion from the day that drained a lot of their energy.
After nine o'clock in the evening, Wang Mei-yu felt drowsiness wash over her, yawning repeatedly.
But for some reason, Wang Mei-yu was still forcing herself to stay awake, looking as if she had something to say.
Is it because we are a man and a woman alone, making it inconvenient to fall asleep?
Well, that's truly a pity.
Hikigaya wouldn't possibly give up the tent; it was still raining outside.
He wasn't that gentle!
However, Wang Mei-yu 's next sentence caught him off guard.
"Um... Hachiman-kun, I have a somewhat unreasonable request..."
Wang Mei-yu clutched the corner of her shirt, and after much hesitation, finally made up her mind: "Can, can you... lend me a clean set of clothes?"
Hikigaya was slightly stunned upon hearing this, never expecting her to make such a request.
But upon reflection, it was entirely reasonable.
After all, Wang Mei-yu had slid down from a landslide on the mountain, and her clothes were covered in mud. For a girl who loves cleanliness, this was absolutely unacceptable!
"Are you also planning to go outside and find a river to take a bath?"
This reminded Hikigaya of the last deserted island exam, where Horikita Suzune had been plotted against, got mud on her body, and insisted on going to the river to wash up despite having a cold, even asking him to be responsible for keeping watch.
"No, it's not that extreme...
The water is too cold in the rain, it's easy to catch a cold."
Wang Mei-yu shook her head and said, looking embarrassed: "Please just lend me a towel, Hachiman-kun, wiping myself off is enough."
This way of thinking was too normal, so normal that she didn't seem like a student of Class D.
She wasn't as stubborn as Horikita Suzune!
"Fine."
Hikigaya agreed readily and took a clean set of sportswear and a towel from his backpack, handing them over.
"Thank you!"
Wang Mei-yu received them with both hands, looking grateful.
Hikigaya was about to stand up and leave the tent temporarily to give the other party privacy to change.
"Wait... it's still raining heavily outside, where are you going, Hachiman-kun?"
Wang Mei-yu quickly reached out and grabbed his wrist.
"I'll go stay under a nearby tree for a while."
Hikigaya replied calmly.
"But the rain is so heavy, you'll definitely get soaked."
Wang Mei-yu looked full of worry: "What if you catch a cold? What will you do for the wilderness exam over the next dozen days?"
"Hm, you're right.
Then I'll just stay here."
Hikigaya pondered for a moment and felt the other party had a point. He stayed in the tent and turned around to face the wall.
"Hachiman-kun really is a gentleman~~"
Wang Mei-yu beamed and, without hesitation, began to undress.
Listening to the soft rustling of fabric from behind him, a few beads of sweat appeared on Hikigaya's calm face.
This woman's level of trust in handsome guys is really high!
Isn't she afraid that I'll suddenly turn around and see everything?
Is she too carefree?
Or is it that...
She did it on purpose?
A moment later, a girl's relieved sigh came from behind: "Phew~ that feels much better~~"
Wang Mei-yu used the towel to carefully wipe the dirt off her body. Although it wasn't as clean as a water wash, in the harsh wilderness environment, being able to maintain basic bodily freshness and cleanliness was already quite rare.
The faint rustling sounds continued to linger in his ears, and Hikigaya finally couldn't help but urge in a low voice: "Mei-yu , can you hurry up?"
"Eh? Are you in a rush, Hachiman-kun?"
"Yes, very, very rush!"
"Ah... sorry! I'll be done soon!"
Wang Mei-yu 's cheeks turned bright red instantly, and she hurriedly accelerated her movements.
In fact, Hikigaya wasn't really needing to urinate; he was just suppressing his "faucet."
Being in the same tent as a girl, waiting for her to change clothes... this is too much of a test for a man's fortitude!!
However, just then, an unwelcome guest was quietly approaching their tent.
Under the cover of the rain, Hikigaya only noticed the person's footsteps when they reached the front of the tent.
Hikigaya's expression changed involuntarily.
Who?
Who would sneak toward his tent in the middle of a rainy night?
No matter how you look at it, this person is up to no good!
Hikigaya immediately thought of the group acting under Tsukishiro and Ayanokouji's father's orders.
Thinking of this, Hikigaya turned back abruptly.
"W-wait a minute, Hachiman-kun, I haven't put my clothes on yet...!!"
Wang Mei-yu 's top was only half on, and she was caught off guard by his gaze, instantly panicked and flustered. She couldn't even tidy her clothes properly, her face full of shyness and embarrassment.
Hikigaya glanced at one of the legendary "Four Holy Beasts" and quickly looked away.
His gaze was locked on a silhouette that had appeared on the tent behind Wang Mei-yu .
"Killing intent!"
Even through the tent, he could clearly feel the killing intent emanating from the person outside!!
Without a second thought, Hikigaya reached out towards Wang Mei-yu , grabbed her smooth shoulders, and then pulled her over with force.
"Eh eh eh eh?!"
Wang Mei-yu let out a crisp cry of surprise.
And upon hearing Wang Mei-yu 's voice, the person outside the tent became violent instantly, immediately rushing over to tear at the tent!
Worried that the visitor had malicious intent, Hikigaya subconsciously pulled Wang Mei-yu behind him to protect her.
"...?!"
Wang Mei-yu also noticed someone tearing at the tent frantically, and her face turned pale instantly.
"Snap~"
The tent zipper was suddenly torn open, leaving a large gap. Against the backdrop of the pitch-black, rainy night, a sinister silhouette stood outside.
"BOOM!"
A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky.
The white light illuminated a girl's extremely ferocious face!
"Ghost, it's a ghost!!!"
Wang Mei-yu was so frightened by this sudden, terrifying sight that she lost her color, immediately burying her head into Hikigaya's chest, shivering.
And the woman who saw this scene felt her anger spike, looking like she was about to transform into a terrifying Yasha!
"Kikyo, why are you here?"
Hikigaya's voice broke the terrifying scene.
His calm tone carried a hint of concern: "Come in quickly, you aren't soaked, are you?"
Hearing this, Kushida Kikyo's surging anger subsided slightly.
She put away her umbrella, kept a sullen face, and crawled into the tent.
"Hmph!"
She snorted, her tone full of sarcasm and indignation: "If I didn't come, were you two planning to get busy?"
Hearing her best friend's familiar voice, Wang Mei-yu finally raised her head: "Ki, Kikyo-chan?!"
"Please don't call me that affectionately, Wang Mei-yu-san!"
Kushida Kikyo stared at her with cold eyes.
"Calm down, Kikyo."
Hikigaya said with a serious face: "Things are not what you think they are."
"Tsk!"
Kushida Kikyo looked down, pointing at his tent: "Before you make excuses, can you please handle your 'flag' first?"
A moment later.
Wang Mei-yu , now properly dressed, sat upright.
Hikigaya explained the ins and outs of the matter: "...That's what happened."
"Yeah, yeah, Kikyo-chan!"
Wang Mei-yu nodded in agreement, looking very earnest: "Hachiman and I are innocent!"
'Stinking bitch!
Who gave you permission to call Hachiman by his name?'
Kushida Kikyo roared internally, while maintaining a friendly smile on the surface: "Mm~ I believe you, Mei-chan-chan~~
You would never do something as bad as stealing someone else's boyfriend!"
Wang Mei-yu 's eyes flickered, and she asked cautiously: "Um... are Kikyo-chan and Hachiman-kun already dating?"
"We are dating!"
Kushida Kikyo admitted it immediately and further exposed herself: "We have already ascended the staircase to adulthood!!"
"But, how come I heard that Honami and Hachiman-kun are dating... (PS: In the forest exam last semester, Wang Mei-yu was in the same group as Honami, and the two became friends.)"
Wang Mei-yu 's eyes suddenly became subtle.
"Huh? That's all rumors! Just rumors!!"
Kushida Kikyo's face turned dark, and she immediately argued loudly.
"Cough, cough~"
Hikigaya didn't dare to respond directly and had to change the subject: "Speaking of which, Kikyo, you really care about your friends, coming out in the rain in the middle of the night to find us..."
"Yes, I'm really moved, Kikyo-chan!"
Wang Mei-yu 's eyes glistened with tears, and she hugged Kushida Kikyo.
Kushida Kikyo's expression was difficult to maintain.
Especially since the other girl was wearing Hachiman's clothes—this made her even angrier!
"What are you planning to do now?
Do you want me to send you two back?"
Hikigaya glanced outside the tent; it was dark and still raining.
"I only have one umbrella, and it's hard to ensure no accidents will happen on the way back. If I get soaked, I won't have any clothes to change into."
Kushida Kikyo's eyes flickered, as if she were plotting something.
"But, this tent... can't sleep three people, right?"
Wang Mei-yu hesitated, looking at the cramped tent space.
This was a one-person tent, and the interior space was barely equivalent to a small 1.2-meter bed.
Two people were already cramped enough; wouldn't three people have to be pressed together?
"I'll go out and let you two sleep?"
Hikigaya pointed at his bracelet: "I can find a nearby tent of boys according to the GPS signal.
As long as I promise to give them points afterward, presumably the other party would be happy to help, right?"
Kushida Kikyo immediately countered: "No! What if the tent you find belongs to a group of girls?"
"What do you mean 'what if'... then I'll just look for the next group."
Hikigaya just found it baffling.
"And what if the girls take the initiative to invite Hachiman-kun?"
Wang Mei-yu asked an unexpected question.
Hikigaya was stunned for a moment, then shook his head: "How could such a thing happen..."
"Hmph! Hard to say!"
Kushida Kikyo stared at him with sharp eyes: "In this school, there are too many girls who are friendly with you!
Even if it's just a chance encounter in the wilderness, the probability isn't low!"
Uh, don't say that...
On the first day of the exam, Hikigaya went out and ran into Sakura Airi and Hasabe Haruka.
Then he met Himeno Yuki and the others.
On the second night, he met the lost Wang Mei-yu .
The facts were right before his eyes; Hikigaya couldn't refute it.
"Mm-hmm, Kikyo-chan is right!
Instead of letting girls from other classes take advantage of the situation.
It's better to let Hachiman stay with us!"
Wang Mei-yu nodded very seriously.
'What 'stay together,' you background character!!
Do you have a part in this?'
Kushida Kikyo raised an eyebrow, forced herself not to lose her temper immediately, just placed her hands on Hikigaya's shoulders, pressed him into place, and said word by word: "Hachiman-kun is not going anywhere tonight!"
Hikigaya was helpless. Suddenly remembering something, he reminded them: "What about your companion?"
"What companion?"
Kushida Kikyo frowned.
"Aren't you in a group of three? That Nene Mori..."
Hikigaya couldn't help but roll his eyes.
'What happened to being worried about your companion, which was why you came out looking?'
"Oh~ you mean Nene. She's quite strong, she'll be fine on her own."
Kushida Kikyo's tone was very casual.
"Mm-hmm~ Kikyo-chan is right. Nene is brave; she was even telling us ghost stories last night."
Wang Mei-yu echoed in agreement.
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