My name is Chisa Kotegawa, and I'm also a freshman in the Department of Mechanical Engineering," the girl introduced herself.
The two looked at each other, and that was it—a handshake to acknowledge their acquaintance.
"So why did you jump into the sea?" Chiori asked.
"I never intended to jump into the sea," he explained. "I just saw three short and three long lights flashing on the shore and thought someone needed help."
"Um, sorry, the flashlight battery seems to be having some problems. I hope you didn't misunderstand." The girl looked a little embarrassed. After all, if she said that, it seemed like she was the culprit who caused this unpleasant encounter.
"Then what happened to your leg?"
"...I twisted my ankle while climbing over the railing."
Hachiman muttered to himself, "This is really embarrassing."
"Feel sorry!"
Chisa clasped her hands together and lowered her head slightly.
"No, it's nothing. After all, I didn't help at all." Hachiman shook his head and waved his hand. He sighed helplessly. Since coming to Izu, it seemed like he hadn't encountered anything good.
He looked up at the increasingly dark night and spoke softly.
"It's getting late, you should go home soon."
"And what about you?" Chisa asked, glancing at his suitcase and offering a friendly reminder. "The school dorms are closed now, and the nearest hotel is at least six kilometers away. Can you walk that far?"
"Don't worry, I won't go to a hotel. After all, I lost my health insurance card and don't have any identification to check in."
Hachiman uttered those terrible words with a faint smile, his eyes becoming lifeless with each word, which worried Chisa.
"You absolutely must not go to the ocean. It's the home of aquatic creatures and cannot accommodate human bodies."
"...Do I really look that depressed?"
He didn't understand, but he also accepted that he wasn't the optimistic boy others described no matter how you looked at it. Hiratsuka-sensei once commented that if he dressed up a little more smartly, he could evolve from garbage in a sewage pond into algae in a muddy pool.
Although the two seem to be no different, both being things that have no effect on themselves.
"Don't worry, I am deeply afraid of the ocean."
Whether it's the sea under a clear sky or the sea at night, it brings him a feeling of fear. He can't try to touch it, and he never will.
When Chisa looked at the other person and said those words, she had a relieved expression on her face. She was speechless, and then asked softly.
"Then how did you get close to the sea just now?"
Silence, laughter.
"Perhaps the thought of someone needing help made me forget about it."
Is this person an idiot? Chisa wondered silently.
"Why would I hate the ocean? It's beautiful."
"Beautiful things often hide dangers, just like roses have thorns. I'm sorry I can't say for sure why I hate the sea."
His answer carried a subtle resistance that was hard to detect. It was an unpleasant memory, and thinking about it now brought a sense of helplessness to his heart.
He opened his mouth, pretending to be relaxed.
"So there's no need to worry, I won't be in tomorrow's newspaper. I just got into university, and I have a long way to go in life."
Chisa gazed at him, stood up, and lazily straightened her back.
"Although my home is not a hotel, I do rent out some rooms to tourists. It's not peak tourist season yet, so there are still a few rooms vacant."
Hachiman looked up at the girl's back; the moonlight shone on her, making her skin appear as white as snow.
A moment later, the sound rang out.
"I don't have any items to prove my identity."
"They only care about money, not people."
How much per night?
"1500 yen."
That makes perfect sense.
...
"Um, Kotegawa-san, although it may be a bit late now, I still want to ask."
Hachiman Hikigaya looked at a familiar building that was getting closer and closer, feeling somewhat uneasy.
"Your family owns a shop, right?"
"Yes, my family owns a well-known diving shop in this area." Chisa introduced her family's shop while helping the other person up.
"Grand Blue?"
"Yeah, you know that."
"Hahaha, I've heard a little about it..."
He suddenly burst into laughter, the sound growing softer with each laugh, then stopped and said in a very anxious voice.
"Sorry, I suddenly remembered that I seem to have somewhere else to stay, so I won't trouble you."
"We're already at the door, so we can discuss the price. After all, you got hurt because of me."
"No, no, no, I don't care. As long as I get away from here, I don't mind sleeping in a cardboard box tonight!"
No way! The hero risked his life for him, how could he disregard his wishes and return to the demon's lair?
"You'll catch a cold if you do that. You don't need to be so polite. My family members are very kind. Although you might see some unpleasant scenes, you can just ignore them."
He didn't want to hear these strange, family-rule-like words at all! Did you know? Did you know that naked men often appear in your house?
"Do you know, Kotegawa-kun, that there are some things in the world that cannot be done by the human body alone, such as splitting a tree in two in mid-air?"
"What strange things are you saying? Go inside."
No, no, no.
As he was forcibly held by the shoulder and watched the other party open the door, Hachiman seemed to see the wandering souls beckoning from the Sanzu River.
Ah, Grandma, it's been so long. It's my fault as a descendant for not visiting you for so long. As punishment, I can no longer see your face clearly; all I can see is a mosaic. What a cruel punishment!
"Awesome! That's a piece of cake!"
The light shone in the center of the room, where a black-haired boy wearing only underwear was drooling, holding up an empty wine glass with both hands, shouting with a contorted face.
"You're really something, Iori! You've already taken down three people!"
The two burly men, whose faces had already turned into giants, cheered excitedly.
"You're so weak! Boxer shorts! Boxer shorts! When will I be able to take off my final armor and show you how powerful my giant cannon can be!"
"Come on! It's probably just a toothpick!"
Laughter echoed throughout the room, and the lively atmosphere infected everyone present, except for Chisa Kotegawa and Hachiman Hikigaya, who had just walked in.
Staring at the horrific scene before her, especially upon seeing a familiar face she hadn't seen in a long time, Chisa's forehead veins began to bulge.
"Has the hero indeed fallen?"
Do you know Iori?
Hearing Hachiman mutter to himself, Chisa glanced at him, her eyes showing a hint of disdain.
Could she have brought back a fool who's almost as stupid as Iori?
"No, no, no, I don't know him."
Hachiman noticed her gaze and quickly denied it, saying he couldn't recall ever thinking of thanking her when he left the shop.
"Chisa, you're back."
Hearing the door open, Nanaka Kotegawa looked towards the entrance and then froze. There she saw her world's cutest little sister supporting a boy who looked dangerous.
"Hey, you're back, kid."
Hearing the commotion, Toshio Kotegawa poked his head out and saw Hachiman, and spoke up.
"Dad, you two know each other?!"
"Well, the boy came to the store this morning and bought a can of beer. Then he volunteered to join Shinji and Ryujiro's party and even enthusiastically joined the diving club."
Bullshit! Not a single one of those three sentences is correct!
Hachiman couldn't help but want to swear.
"Ah! The newbie's back! Come on over, take off your clothes and let's play some baseball boxing!"
Shinji Tokita noticed the return of the new employee who had left not long ago, and waved with a bright smile, saying, "When I came back, I noticed that there were more than ten empty cans on this kid's seat."
"When have I ever taken off all my clothes!"
Hachiman complained, then he felt his support point become unstable. He turned to look at Chisa, only to see her release her hand from his grasp, look at the shoulder she had touched earlier, and blow a breath.
She looked up, and the slight disdain in her eyes had now overflowed. Every subtle change in her facial expression proclaimed how terrible she was feeling.
"abnormal."
"That's not how it works!!!"
Chapter Six: Perversion and Drinking
Will it hurt?
"fine."
Taking the hot towel handed to him, Hachiman placed it on his right ankle and gently pressed it. The slight stinging sensation felt like being pricked by a needle, but it was nothing serious.
"I'm sorry to bother you so late."
He looked up at the woman who resembled Kotegawa in appearance but exuded the aura of a Yamato Nadeshiko. He knew in his heart that this was definitely Kotegawa's older sister.
"It's alright. We should lend a helping hand to people in need, especially since you're someone they know."
Nanaka Kotegawa smiled gently, her angelic aura emanating directly from Hachiman.
Unable to bear this tenderness reserved only for him, Hachiman turned his head away uncomfortably.
"They're not acquaintances; I only met them at noon."
"Huh? But judging from what Shinji just said, you've already gotten along quite well with them, haven't you? You've even reached the point of being completely open with them."
"I already said I didn't take off my clothes."
Hachiman complained helplessly.
"Why do you have to take off your clothes to drink alcohol? When the manager came back, he was shocked to see that I was still wearing clothes."
"Haha—maybe it makes me feel more comfortable."
Nanaka was surprised that her guess was so far off from the truth, and gave an awkward laugh.
"Incomprehensible."
Reflect, reshape your outlook on life, and reshape your failures.
Hachiman shook his head, trying to block out all the strange knowledge that was invading his brain. In his mind, only people who were drunk would let their nature run wild, and the people around him were all people who could not get drunk. Therefore, even when he was with them after drinking, it was no different from when he was sober.
Humans are creatures that know how to control themselves; only by abandoning reason can they become beasts.
"Oh, by the way, this is yours, right?"
Nanaka clenched her left fist and tapped her right palm, as if remembering something, and took out a card from her skirt pocket.
"Shinji found it; your name is on it."
Hachiman took it and saw that it was his health insurance card that he had dropped.
So it really did fall here...
"Speaking of which, you're really amazing."
"What?"
Hachiman looked at her in confusion. He had been having a run of bad luck since today. What was so special about him?
"Shinji told me that you drank a full eleven cans of beer in less than twenty-five minutes. That's really amazing," Nanaka praised sincerely. She never expected that this ordinary-looking boy in front of her would have such a huge capacity for alcohol.
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With his broken nerves listening to the repeated clicking sounds, he turned to look at the crowd taking pictures, then looked down at himself, who was completely naked, and a bad feeling crept into his mind.
Kitahara Iori mechanically turned her head, and sure enough, the tall building of the lecture hall came into view.
"See? This way we definitely won't be late."
The blond, burly man, Juryujiro, gave a thumbs-up and revealed a confident smile.
"Are you guys out of your minds?!"
Hachiman's face darkened. He pretended not to see anything and sneaked away from the back of the crowd, but was spotted by a sharp-eyed senior.
"Hey Hachiman, good morning! Did you enjoy your drink last night?"
Are your eyes that sharp?
Hachiman covered his face with his hands and rushed into the lecture hall.
"What's wrong with him?" Shinji Tokita asked, puzzled.
"I don't know, maybe I'm just dizzy from drinking too much," Juryujiro replied.
"I absolutely do not want to have anything to do with you!" Kitahara Iori roared.
...
Why did such a tragedy occur on the very first day of what should have been a wonderful university life filled with hope and youth?
Kitahara Iori propped her head up with her hand, turned her half-naked body to admire the cherry blossom tree, completely ignoring the words not far away: "He's the drunkard who was lying in front of the podium this morning."
Hachiman couldn't help but admire him. To remain unfazed by so many rumors and gossip, he was definitely a freak.
"Look, that person is someone he knows. Wow, he looks so down. No wonder they're freshmen who can get along so well."
I suddenly feel a bit sleepy. It's true that waiting makes people tired.
Without a second thought, Hachiman lay face down on the table, burying his face in his arms.
His reputation was ruined on his very first day of college. What a misfortune.
Hearing this remark that specifically didn't mention him, Kitahara Iori looked at Hachiman, who was sitting not far away in the same row as him.
Come to think of it, I think I saw him and Chisa come into the store together last night.
Where is Chisa? Iori looked around, but didn't see the person she hadn't seen in so long.
"Look, isn't that guy kind of handsome?"
Hmm, has someone finally noticed my handsome looks?
Iori turned around confidently and saw two girls pointing at something and discussing it quietly.
"And that blonde hair, it's so dazzling."
So it wasn't about him after all...
He looked in the direction they were pointing, and at the same time, Hachiman, who had heard this, also looked up, his face showing confusion.
Is there really a Stand with the same attributes as Hayama?
Both of them looked in that direction and saw a handsome young man sitting upright in the leftmost chair in the same row, his right hand gently supporting his head, his every move exuding a melancholy air.
She is indeed very beautiful, but she is the complete opposite of Hayama.
Hachiman sized up the other person, and when his gaze focused on a certain spot, he paused, then turned his head away as if he hadn't seen anything.
Iori glanced at the anime loli on the other person's clothes, smiled easily, and turned her head away.
The handsome young man, noticing their gazes, glanced at them and smiled.
"Never get involved with this kind of person, or you'll be miserable in the future." x3
...
After the teacher finished the orientation for new students, Hachiman got up to leave.
"etc!"
Tsk, don't call him over at a time like this.
He turned to look at Kitahara Iori, who had a righteous expression. Although his expression was serious, the fact that he was half-naked was so absurd that he couldn't keep his composure.
"Is there something you need, Kitahara-kun?"
"Oh? Chisa told you, didn't she? Since that's the case, we're now acquainted. As a friend, I have a favor to ask."
Isn't this topic jumping a bit too fast? Seriously, can you really become friends just by knowing each other's names? Yukinoshita is crying.
"Could I borrow your clothes?"
Iori placed her hand on his shoulder and said solemnly.
"ha?"
He only wore a shirt today.
Are you out of your mind?
Unable to bear it any longer, he finally blurted out his complaints.
"I only have one piece of clothing on me, how can I lend it to you?"
"It's simple." Iori's eyes shone brightly. "Why don't you just not wear it?"
"You're a pervert, you're definitely a pervert."
The law of conservation of mass, right?
"Sorry, you should go find someone else. If that doesn't work, see those curtains over there? Just tear them off and wear them." Hachiman stretched out his hands, blocking the two of them.
"That would require me to pay a large sum of compensation, and I'm a bit short on cash lately." Iori rubbed her fingers together, looking rather embarrassed. "As friends, my difficulties are your difficulties, your clothes are my clothes. Helping each other is the best way to maintain friendship."
"That's not how you use the phrase 'share the good times and the bad'!" Hachiman said helplessly, rummaging in his pocket and pulling out a hairpin. "This is all I have."
"...Where do you want me to clip it? To my nipples? By the way, why do you have a girl's hair clip?" Iori's face darkened, her tone low and heavy. "Don't tell me, do you have a girlfriend?"
"No, my sister gave it to me."
Hearing this, Iori suddenly realized and tilted her head to look at him: "A siscon?"
"Undeniably."
"abnormal."
"Huh?!?!" Hachiman was shocked. This guy actually had the nerve to talk about him like that? Seriously, how did a sister complex become so perverted? This is a Chiba specialty!
He twisted his face and chuckled.
Goodbye, have a nice afternoon.
"Yes, I've decided." Iori smiled brightly. "Take me home."
"Can't you go back by yourself?" Hachiman glanced at him and quietly moved away.
"I'm sorry, I don't know how to get back," Iori said, shrugging her shoulders in distress.
"I refuse. I don't want to go back with a naked man. That would have a bad influence."
Hachiman refused firmly, not wanting to be invited by the police for unnecessary tea on his second day at university, as he needed to find a place to stay for the night.
"Then lend me something I can wear."
"Didn't I already give you the hair clip?"
"Are you really going to make me clip it to my nipples? The surface area is too small! Besides, there are two of us!!!"
"Don't you still have two hands? One hand to cover your face, and the other hand to cover the other, wouldn't that be just right?"
"...You said it." Iori was greatly shocked. Was there really such a way of solving the problem? "It actually makes a lot of sense."
"Well then, goodbye."
He turned and left without a second thought.
...
Why, why did this happen?
Squatting beside the potted plants by the pond in the courtyard, Hachiman looked at Iori, who was panting heavily, with twitching eyes, and asked in confusion.
"How did you manage to alert the entire campus security team?"
"After you left, I thought about it carefully. I not only have hands, but also arms. So I covered my face with one hand and my nipples with the other arm as I walked out of the classroom. But because I couldn't see the road clearly while covering my face, I slipped and fell into the pool, getting the only thing covering me wet. The girls passing by thought I was a pervert and shouted, which attracted the security guards." Iori's chest vibrated as she explained.
"You're really something." Even with his good temper, Hachiman couldn't help but want to 'praise' the other person. "Can't you show your eyes?"
"No, what if someone recognizes me because of my handsome eyes?"
He was numb, he was at his wit's end. This person was not only a pervert, but also an idiot.
Is it possible that they recognized you as soon as they saw you were naked?
After all, the incident of three naked men lying in front of the lecture hall on the first day of school had already made it to the homepage of the campus network, with not only detailed text descriptions but also pictures from various angles, in high definition.
"Heh, as expected, good looks can't be hidden."
Hachiman was completely shocked when he heard this. Wow, does this person have such a good mentality?
He stared at the other person's face, incredulous. A confident smile graced his face, even his eyes...
It was pitch black. This person's eyes were pitch black, almost like black holes!
I'd better slip away now; it's none of his business anyway.
If he hadn't been distracted on the way, thinking about where to find an apartment later, how could he have been dragged into the bushes without noticing? He was a professional assassin from the Vatican.
"Wait! You've put me in this terrible state, and you still want to run away alone?"
"What does this have to do with me?!"
Pulling at the back of his clothes, Hachiman's steps became erratic, and he lost his balance. He instinctively grabbed something in front of him and fell to the ground.
"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!" x2
"Huh? You're that anime guy?"
Iori looked at the person who had fallen to the ground with Hachiman. The person had bright blonde hair and an anime-style purple-haired loli on their clothes. Wasn't that the otaku?
What are you doing?
The blond man rubbed his head and stood up. Despite being unjustly attacked, he showed no anger, perhaps because he was still dazed from the fall.
"It's complicated to explain, but can you help me anyway?" Iori said.
"Help you? Have you encountered any difficulties?"
"Isn't this obvious?" Hachiman rubbed his head, his eyes looking like a dead fish.
"Lend me some clothes, and if possible, take off your pants too." Iori patted the blond man on the shoulder, her eyes revealing an unprecedented seriousness.
"Huh?" The blond man, realizing what was happening, exclaimed in confusion before slamming a punch into his face. "Pervert!"
Ah, I feel like I've heard this word so many times today that I've almost forgotten how to pronounce it. Hachiman shook his head helplessly. In order to protect himself, he had no choice but to stick his right hand out of the bushes and make a gesture with his hand at an angle that made sure the group of security personnel could see him. Then he pulled down his clothes to expose his shoulder.
"The pervert is over here! Come quick!" Upon seeing the gesture, a security guard shouted and ran over.
Yes, the plan was a success.
Hachiman straightened his clothes, sat quietly, and watched the naked man's terrified expression before crawling away on his stomach.
Keep it up!
After Iori crawled away, he stood up and walked towards the school gate.
"Hachiman, I've been looking for you for so long, so this is where you are."
Is he destined never to leave the campus today?
Hachiman turned around and looked at the muscular man walking towards him, his eyes as blank as a salted fish.
Chapter Nine: Clear Skies and Mental Derangement
On what day will he go blind?
Hachiman looked up at the distant sky, his expression filled with grief and indignation.