Hmm? You mean, you want Hachiman to stop gazing at the girl he likes, so he can let go of his obsession and properly date another girl?"
"Bing Gou! You're absolutely right."
Iori snapped his fingers. While it was certainly fun for brothers to prank each other, when it came to serious matters, the bigger picture had to be taken into account.
Hachiman had helped him before, and he didn't want his best friend to waste his life on a fantasy that was both desirable and unattainable.
He's going to turn all of this back on track!
——Divider——
"arrive!"
Iori stared at the izakaya in front of him and shouted.
His boundless energy inspired everyone present. Nojima adjusted his glasses; this historic moment was finally about to arrive.
He calmed his excitement and rationally expressed his thoughts.
"Let's agree on a code first."
"signal?"
"Hmm, use the direction pointed by the tip of the chopsticks to indicate the girl you like. If you don't like any of them, point them towards yourself."
Wow, that's a veteran's comment. How many social events have you attended? How come you're still single after attending so many?
Hachiman thought to himself, "This guy with a similar voice doesn't seem to have much luck with women like me."
"I see, that's a good idea indeed," Iori said in agreement, adding that this way things would be clearer later.
"Are you kidding me...?"
Yamamoto's voice came through, his face dark and he spoke in a low voice.
"Yamamoto…" Everyone looked at him.
"I don't need this code."
"But..."
"I've already made a silent vow in my heart." His tone turned melancholy, and he looked up with a relieved expression. "No matter what kind of woman she is, I must graduate from virginity tonight."
Hearing his words, all four people present were shocked.
What a powerful display of masculinity!
"He's just like a general in the army!"
Iori and Kohei sighed, leaving Hachiman completely bewildered.
Isn't this just a complete scumbag who doesn't discriminate at all?
"He's just a scumbag who doesn't pick and choose women."
Wow, it seems that not only are their voices similar, but their thoughts are also quite alike.
Hachiman shook his head: "Anyway, let's go. If we finish early, we can go back and have dinner."
"That's true!"
Yamamoto placed his hand in the air and looked around at everyone. His meaning was very simple. Urged by their gazes, Hachiman placed his hand on the hands that were overlapping each other.
"Then, may our night be a success, and may we step into a new world!"
Everyone pressed their hands down and walked into the shop, with Iori and the other three looking spirited.
...
"Nice to meet you!" x4
My eyes... something dazzled them.
Hachiman covered his eyes, feeling as if they were tainted by heavy makeup. Iori and the others, who were witnessing the high-definition scene in front of him, almost had their eyes pop out of their sockets and quickly pointed the tips of their chopsticks at themselves.
At the other end of the Japanese-style table, just as Iori had expected, five heavily made-up girls were casually sitting in chairs, flipping through the menu.
I shouldn't have trusted the corpse monster! How could Hachiman possibly meet a girl he'd be interested in? All our plans are ruined now.
Iori sighed; it seemed she would have to wait for another opportunity.
In-depth exploration
Gift Basket
He looked at Hachiman, preparing to whisper a message to him, asking him to tell him when he left. But unexpectedly, Hachiman was staring intently at someone.
Iori looked over and saw that he was staring at a short blue-haired girl in the group of five heavily made-up people. Hmm, this hairstyle seems familiar.
Hachiman looked at the person he recognized, his lips twitching.
"Yamada-kun?"
Chapter Sixty-One: A Social Gathering? A Food Extravaganza!
Meeting acquaintances at a social gathering is generally a good thing, as it eliminates the worry of awkward silences. Even if both parties are not talkative, the interaction will be more relaxed than with strangers.
Hachiman Hikigaya initially thought so, but when he looked at the other person's face, which seemed to have been devoured by lipstick and foundation, and saw that after receiving the menu, the other person kept muttering to himself that this looked delicious and that looked delicious too, and that body shape was just a burden, he couldn't help but want to take back his action of blurting out the other person's name.
Yamada-kun, I know you do have a good appetite, but at least consider the atmosphere! This is a mixer, and your actions have attracted all the girls' attention, leaving the boys in a completely awkward silence!
Yamamoto's smile was almost frozen, as stiff as a salamander living in water at minus twenty degrees Celsius.
"Hey, Kitahara, something's not right with the air here."
Nojima held his right palm vertically against his left cheek and turned to ask Iori, who was sitting upright to the side. At first, he was frightened by the group of corpse monsters in front of him, but after looking at them for a while, he didn't feel much anymore. Although he had gotten used to it, he didn't find it cute or bizarre.
He had already decided to give up this opportunity to find a partner at the social event, but Yamamoto, who was with him, persisted. Even though he was ignored, he still smiled, showing that he really wanted to fulfill his wish of graduating from virginity.
If before entering the shop he thought of him as just a starving wild boar, now he sees him as a warrior. As a warrior's partner, he is determined to help him defeat the demon king known as the Five-Finger Girl.
Even though he wanted to help, the girl on the other end wasn't even looking at them. What was with that girl with the indifferent tone? Why was she talking about food the whole time, and she ordered way too much! Could she really finish it all?
His question made Iori smile awkwardly. He didn't know what the situation was like either. As the main figures on the dating side, they seemed to have no appeal at all.
Iori tried to give Yoshihara Aina a look, but was ruthlessly blocked by the order board. Once the girls' lively atmosphere was set off, it was difficult for others to break in.
So he could only turn his head to look at Hachiman, who was looking down and eating edamame on his plate, which was almost empty.
Are you very hungry?
He saw the plate was almost full just a minute ago, how come this guy is eating so fast?
No wonder they said before we went in that if we went early we could go back for dinner; they're probably already losing health points.
"fine."
Hachiman stopped eating beans. He just didn't know what to do. Before he came, he had said that he was only there to keep the guests company while they ate. Let the sexually repressed people do the emotional stuff.
Also, Yamada, please stop staring at him with that pitiful look. He didn't even eat much of the beans on his plate.
"Let's order something to eat too."
Iori picked up the menu and looked at the dazzling array of dishes. Indeed, just looking at the pictures, every dish looked very appetizing.
"That's true."
Kohei agreed, and he also gave up the opportunity to find a partner at this matchmaking event. After all, no matter how you looked at it, the five corpse-dressing monsters in front of him didn't seem like people who would be interested in otaku culture.
If you can't force your way into the atmosphere, you shouldn't neglect yourself.
"That's the only way."
Nojima sighed softly.
"Hachiman, what would you like to eat?"
"I'm fine with either."
"Tsk, don't you know that's the most annoying answer?"
And so, the social gathering fell into an awkward atmosphere. The young man and woman stared at the menu and discussed the food, their words filled with longing for the food, but without a trace of any intention to develop a relationship.
Of course, aside from Yamamoto, he still adheres to his original intentions.
Cuckoo—
Even though he was very hungry.
...
"Huh? Really? Crabs walk upright so they can share with everyone, so they grow many legs, but then they can't move forward or backward?"
"Yes."
Yamada Ryo nodded. This story was told to her by Nijika. At the celebration party after a perfect performance, the manager ordered a crab drink for them as a reward. While Kobochi was delusional because of what Hiroi-senpai said and her whole body turned into the shape of radio waves, she secretly ate a lot of crab legs. After Nijika found out, she scolded her and then told this story.
"What an interesting story! Yamada-senpai knows so much!" Mana praised. This second-year senior is really unique. It was definitely the right decision to bring her along.
With her there, this social gathering is sure to be lively!
...A social gathering?
She suddenly remembered, oh right, today was the get-together she promised Iori and the others! Why were we so focused on talking about Yamada-senpai? Where are the others? Why were they so quiet just now?
Aina turned her head to look at the boys' group.
"Which bastard ordered these hairy crabs? Are you out of your mind? Don't you want to live like this for the next month?!"
Iori roared, his heart bleeding. This was AA! His wallet was already empty, and after this meal, he might only be able to eat black bread for lunch for the next few days!
"Didn't you order pufferfish sashimi yourself?"
Yamamoto pointed his index finger and angrily retorted, "What's wrong with hairy crabs? Now is the time when female crabs are plump and delicious. If we don't eat them now, when will we?"
"Both of you shut up. I'm more interested in knowing who ordered the red bean paste balls. We're going to be drinking later, don't you think it's a bit inappropriate to eat sweets?"
Nojima was puzzled. Who drinks alcohol while eating sweet dumplings? It looks disgusting. If you can't drink, go sit at the kids' table.
Sugar is an essential part of our daily diet.
Hachiman explained that since he couldn't drink Max coffee, it wasn't unreasonable to let him eat similar desserts instead.
"In the end, none of you are right."
Gengping was speechless. How could these people order such things at a social gathering?
"Hello, your omelet rice is here."
"Okay, um, could you please write 'Kouhei Onii-chan is the best' on it in ketchup?"
"Sorry, this will cost extra."
Aina stared in disbelief at the scene. What were these guys doing?! This was supposed to be a matchmaking event! It was supposed to be a scene where strangers of different men and women could increase their liking for each other through interaction, so how could it turn out like this?
Just as she was racking her brains trying to figure it out, she heard a low chuckle.
"Huizi."
The red-haired girl with a single ponytail smiled, looked at Mana, and whispered, "Isn't this fine too?"
Social gatherings should be lively and fun, so that people can easily open up to each other.
Chapter Sixty-Two: A Very Individualistic Girl
"What would you like to drink?"
"Beer will do."
Just like what Suzuki Keiko said earlier, after this discussion about food, the atmosphere in the room became more lively. Yamamoto, who was waiting for the crabs to arrive, finally remembered his original purpose. He then revealed a silly smile and pointed the tips of his chopsticks at the girls' table, ready to change targets at any time.
"Now, let's begin with self-introductions."
The petite girl with purple hair raised her hand with a bright smile. She closed her eyes and said, "I am a first-year student at Qingnv Academy, and my name is Kamio Kiyoko."
Less than a second after she finished speaking, Yamamoto straightened his right arm, his smile turning into a ferocious grin as sweat streamed down his face. Like a primary school boy answering a teacher's question, he loudly proclaimed, "What are your hobbies?"
This overwhelming eagerness made the other four boys lower their eyes. It's too oppressive, Yamamoto. This might scare them.
Kiyoko Kamio paused for a second, then smiled and said, "Bet on horse racing and pachinko."
"Where did this middle-aged unemployed uncle come from?" Hachiman and the other four shook their heads. "This won't do; he'll bring bad luck."
Yamamoto understood this as well, so he immediately pointed the other end of his chopsticks at the second girl with red hair and a ponytail who was chatting and laughing with the girl next to her.
In-depth exploration
Gift Basket
Seeing this scene, Iori and the others couldn't help but shed tears. Yamamoto, you will definitely succeed in the future because you are a persistent and undemanding man.
"Is it my turn? My name is Suzuki Keiko, and I'm also a first-year student at Qingnv Girls' High School."The red-haired girl patted her chest and laughed naturally.
Iori pressed down Yamamoto, who was about to ask questions again. Asking questions one by one would prolong the process unnecessarily and could easily cause resentment from others.
Seeing that no one asked any questions, the next girl began to introduce herself. She made a peace sign and winked with one eye, saying, "My name is Kanako Iida."
Next up was Mana. She imitated the mannerisms of cute girls in TV dramas, putting her index finger to her cheek and sweetly saying, "I am Yoshihara Mana."Gift Basket
After they introduced themselves, a few seconds passed without any further sound. Everyone looked up and saw the blue-haired girl sitting at the far end eating dried squid, her cheeks bulging out on one side.
This truly adorable appearance caught Yamamoto's attention. He prepared to point his chopsticks towards that end, but Iori stopped him.
"This won't work."
"Why?" Yamamoto asked in a low voice.
"Listening to my advice won't do you any harm."
Iori advised him to give up on this goal. Yamamoto didn't know that, but he did. This girl could pawn a bass guitar that looked expensive to pay for a mixed dish. She was definitely a rich and beautiful girl. There was no way that someone like her would be interested in a poor and penniless guy like Yamamoto.
Moreover, the girl is straightforward and doesn't know how to say nice things. Rather than being rejected to her face and losing all her confidence, it's better to give up early.
"Her name is Yamada Ryo. She is our senior and a second-year student at Aono."
Seeing Yamada Ryo's mouth stuffed full and him chewing, Aina helped to introduce him.
After the girls introduced themselves, the boys applauded. Except for Yamamoto and Hachiman, who was mixing wasabi soy sauce, the other three exchanged glances.
In order to prevent the great atmosphere from cooling down, we should seize the opportunity to keep the excitement going. In other words, it's time for them to introduce themselves and get involved.
Iori and the other two raised their hands.
"I am Kitahara Iori, a first-year student at Izu University."
"...Imamura Kohei."
"...Nojima Gen."
Next, they assigned the remaining girls to prevent them from disturbing them. Iori and the other two nodded in unison and sat directly opposite the girl Yamamoto was pointing to with his chopsticks and the girl who was dipping squid tentacles in wasabi soy sauce.
When Yamamoto saw this, tears welled up in his eyes.
Who put so much mustard in his mixed apple cider vinegar puree?! Holy crap! How can anyone eat this?
"Leave these guys to us, Yamamoto. Now, let's launch a full-scale attack!" All three smiled, tacitly establishing a deep friendship with Yamamoto.
Yamamoto rubbed his eyes, feeling gratified. He had a group of good buddies. However, the vinegar paste with wasabi was really spicy, almost burning his forehead.
Hachiman quietly ate his bean paste dumplings while looking at the battlefield. The smoke of battle was both very close to him and very far away. Since things had come to this, he might as well eat first.
The red bean paste dumplings are exactly as their name suggests. They are filled with sticky red bean paste, with a thick skin and plenty of filling. They are not particularly delicious, but they are sweet enough to make up for it. One bite is full of sweetness.
Are they also Hachiman's friends?
Yamada Ryo asked, chewing on a squid tentacle. She wasn't really interested in the social event, but the junior who brought her along said there would be good food, so she came.
"We're a bunch of mischievous friends, I guess," Hachiman replied.
When things are going well, he acts all respectable, but when things are going badly, he'll betray his teammates without any mercy. Speaking of which, has his relationship with her gotten so close that he can call her by her first name? Shouldn't he change how he addresses her and start calling her "Liang Tongxue" (Liang classmate)?
"What a strange relationship."
She doesn't seem to have any bad friends around her. Nijika, Pochi, and Kita are all very nice people, especially Pochi and Kita. Whenever she encounters difficulties, she can borrow money from them.
However, this is a bit of a headache, since they are all guitarists and don't need a bass.
Hachiman smiled helplessly upon hearing this. It was indeed a strange relationship. He had very few friends before, let alone bad friends. This was the first time a creature from the manga had descended into his life. Apart from the occasional annoyance, he was mostly happy.
The members of 'Pab' form a strange big family, gladly accepting new members who want to join. Together, they share a bright blue sky filled with laughter and enjoy their beautiful fantasies about the future.
Although it might feel a little uncomfortable at first, it really feels great after a while, even though he can't be completely open with each other anytime, anywhere.
You look very happy.
"Is there?"
Yamada Ryo nodded, then looked up at the tissues on the table. Hachiman reached out, took the tissue box, and placed it in front of her.
"When a person's emotions reach a certain point, they cannot be concealed." She said seriously. "Like a person who seems very calm, he may be smiling one second, but the next second he may become extremely depressed because he thought of something sad and burst into tears."
"This kind of person is very common among office workers."
Yamada Ryo stared at him without saying a word.
"What's wrong?"
"It's nothing." She shook her head and continued eating the squid tentacles. This guy, I feel like I could borrow money from him. Also, why haven't the things I ordered arrived yet?
Feeling bewildered by her strange reaction, Hachiman chuckled awkwardly twice: "Ryo-kun, you're quite the character."
"Thanks."
Out of etiquette ingrained since childhood, Yamada Ryo replied politely. Then, as if remembering something, she reached her right hand into the pocket of her skirt and rummaged around.
"I heard from Poch that you're a fan of the End Band. We'll be performing at the underground showroom in Ito City next Saturday."
She took a crumpled piece of paper out of her pocket, unfolded it, and saw that it was a ticket.
Yamada Ryo handed the ticket to Hachiman.
"Oh, thank you. I'll definitely go see it if there's nothing else."
"This is not something a fan should say."
In this situation, one should say that they will definitely go.
"...I will definitely cancel everything to go see it."
Yamada Ryo nodded.
That's quite unique...
Hachiman reached out and grabbed a corner of the ticket...
"Um, Liang."
He looked at the girl who was clinging tightly to the ticket and wouldn't let go, and saw that she was holding up five fingers.
"A ticket costs 500 yen."
"..."
That's true.
Chapter Sixty-Three: Former Acquaintances (Part Two)
Hachiman Hikigaya's consistent way of doing things is to avoid speaking except for essential matters.
When you talk too much, it's easy to overlook something. If someone with ulterior motives takes advantage of this oversight, trouble will follow.
But social gatherings are precisely the kind of activities that require open conversation to foster a warmer relationship between the two parties, which contradicts his ideas. As a result, he has lost count of how many times he has secretly taken out his phone from his pocket to keep track of the time.
It is now 7:24 p.m., and they have been in this room for more than an hour.
Over the course of more than an hour, he ate some edamame, meatballs, sashimi, sushi, and other foods. Since he had promised Chisa that he would save some room for dinner when he got back, he didn't eat too much, only tasting three or four pieces of each.
He squinted, raised his glass, and drank some lemon soda. Compared to the other four who were drinking heartily, he seemed a bit out of place. Fortunately, a more unconventional girl was sitting in front of him, and she ordered a ginger ale.
So, how is the progress now?
Hachiman Hikigaya looked at the other four people beside him. He noticed that they had changed from splitting up to attacking one point at a time. Iori, Nojima, and Yamamoto were all talking about the girl named Kanako Iida.
What happened? What heinous thing did that girl do to attract the attention of these three scoundrels?
"As expected of three-dimensional beings, they're all a bunch of perfunctory guys."
Kohei spoke in a low voice with disdain. His words reached Hachiman's ears, and he looked up at him with a hint of tolerance. He had heard that someone had recently married a virtual singer by spending a huge sum of money. He thought he could tell the other person this news. Maybe he would be very happy and start working hard to make money.
"What! This is..."
What's wrong?
Hachiman Hikigaya followed his gaze and immediately noticed what shocked him: on the counter behind the girl who had removed her makeup and revealed her beautiful face, there was a disc with a familiar two-dimensional purple-haired loli on the cover.
Oh, I see. Are you two kindred spirits?
He blinked and turned his gaze back to the smiling girl in the photo. Compared to his surprise at seeing the purple-haired loli, he was more concerned about this girl.
Hachiman Hikigaya looked up at Kanako Iida, who was heavily made up and struggling to deal with the harassment from the three perverted men.
Just then, he saw Kohei stand up, slowly approach the other person, and reveal an enthusiastic smile on his face, which appeared dashing due to his handsome face.
Kohei lowered his body, bringing his face very close to the girl's: "Would you like to come to my room later?"
Okay, now it's a group of four weirdos.
Kanako Iida was so startled by his astonishing words that she forgot to keep smiling.
"Excuse me, I need to use the restroom."
"I'll go too." "Me too." "Wait for me."
In an instant, all four girls left their seats, and the five men present turned their attention to Yamada Ryo, the only one who hadn't left and was eating a parfait.
Yamada Ryo blinked, then picked up the spoon, scooped up a bite, and put it in her mouth. Sure enough, desserts should be eaten cold to be considered enjoyable.
Looking at the four people who seemed hesitant to speak, Hachiman Hikigaya sighed helplessly: "Ryo-kun, there's a really good taiyaki shop outside this store. Can you come with me? It's on me."
Upon hearing that someone would reimburse him, Yamada Ryo agreed without hesitation, wanting to eat as much as possible while he could still have normal food so that he could survive for a few more days without having to eat grass.
As he left, Iori nodded to him.
As Yamamoto and Nojima watched them leave, one of them remarked, "Did that guy sneak away?"
"He's obviously trying to create an environment for us to talk," Iori said, speechless. These two are hopeless.
"To be honest, we don't know much about this guy, Hikigaya," Nojima said. Among the three members of the Iori trio, he seemed to be the most normal one. He wouldn't expose himself in public, wouldn't trip them up, and even when he came to the mixer, he didn't seem very interested. He just kept eating and didn't say a word.
He's an extremely harmless person.
"That guy isn't much of a show-off," Iori replied. "Most of the time, he lives by the principle of 'the less trouble, the better.'"Gift Basket
"Then how did he end up hanging out with you two perverts?" Yamamoto was completely baffled. How could a normal person be willing to associate with a bunch of scum?
"Of course, it was our perseverance that moved him!" Iori and Kohei laughed together and shook hands.
"So that's how it is. Using your shameless nature to forcibly drag others over is truly the behavior of a scumbag."
"You flatter me."
"That's not what we're discussing right now!" Yamamoto's pupils dilated as he accused the three of them. "What happened to your promise to help me?! Why are you all trying to sabotage me?! Are you all NTR'd?!"
"Huh? Are you kidding me? I was the one who decided to pursue her first! You're the real nymph here!"
"I don't care about any of that!"
...
The two walked down the street after leaving the store. The orange lights illuminated the road ahead. Having left the uncomfortable place, and feeling the cool night breeze, Hachiman Hikigaya breathed a sigh of relief.
"It would be better to say so if you don't like it."
Yamada Ryo walked alongside him on the inner side of the road, her steps steady and firm. Her back was straight, and her gaze was clear and resolute as she looked ahead. This should have been an image of great spirit, but her languid tone revealed the girl's true nature.
"You should at least consider other people's feelings."
In any other place, even at school, he could speak frankly and criticize the two of them, but he couldn't do that at the social gathering just now.
"Isn't the most important thing between people to be honest and trustworthy?"
When she was with Hongxia and the others, she rarely lied. If she said she would pay back next month, she would definitely pay back next month. Because of her honesty, the store manager would give her a different salary every month than others.
"That is indeed the case, but there are always times when people have to endure or go against their conscience for certain reasons."
Everything in life has two sides. The process of choosing between a good or bad path is different. In order to achieve the desired goal, one side needs to work harder, while the other side needs to resort to some extraordinary means.
For example, self-destruction, self-destruction, self-destruction, and so on.
"I see. It's the same principle as when I pawned my old bass in order to get a new one, but I still didn't have enough money, so I had to reluctantly borrow money from Little Boch."
"...You've used two bad examples right away. Also, I'd like to ask, is Yili's choice to study science related to Liang?"
"..."
"Huh? Is Pochi going to study science?"
"Hmm, it seems like you're quite sensitive to numbers."