"Yo, old geezer. Sorry to keep you waiting."
"Well, I imagine you have plenty on your plate as well. Pay it no mind."
"Compared to when we first met, your attitude is completely different..." Hachiman remarked, looking slightly exasperated.
"What do you expect? You suddenly tried to kill me!"
"I just projected a little killing intent, that's all. No matter how you look at it, that was legitimate self-defense on my part."
"Grrr... Indeed, to someone unaware of the circumstances, it might have appeared that way."
As he grumbled, Kiyomori tossed a folded memo toward Hachiman.
"What's this?"
"The curriculum for the Yuki Cram School. You were interested, weren't you?"
"Oh?"
Hachiman checked the contents of the note, his expression turning to one of disbelief.
"Hey, old man... are you serious with this?"
"Serious? That is simply a list of what actually takes place."
"Walking the Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido...?"
"That is the graduation trip."
"Food is basically self-sufficient?"
"Daily waterfall meditation is mandatory?"
"Yeah... doing this for a year isn't just harsh, it's insane."
"When people are exhausted every day, they stop thinking about doing foolish things."
"Well, with a curriculum like this, I have no complaints about it as a punishment."
Thinking it was exactly what those people deserved, Hachiman dismissed the matter.
"Now then, shall we discuss the future?"
"The future, huh... Honestly, if you'd just let us proceed with the partnership with Kura Agency, that would have been enough. I didn't expect things to turn into such a huge ordeal..."
"Umu. That is your fault."
"No matter how you think about it, geezer, it's your fault!"
"Ho ho, my memory seems to be failing me lately."
Hachiman stared at Kiyomori with genuine annoyance before muttering under his breath.
"Alright. I'm making sure that Kaede and the others live separately from you."
"W-Wait! Taking the house hostage instead of a person? That is cowardly! Do you call yourself a man of the Yuki family?!"
"I'm not a man of the Yuki family."
"Grrr..."
Kiyomori struggled internally for a moment, but eventually, looking defeated, he bowed his head to Hachiman.
"I was narrow-minded. Forgive me."
At that exact moment, the sliding door rattled open, and a man Hachiman hadn't met entered the room. Hachiman had sensed someone approaching but was taken aback, having expected them to call out first.
The newcomer saw Kiyomori bowing and stood there, dumbfounded.
"I-I've never seen Father bow to anyone before..."
"What is it, Munemori? You could at least announce yourself."
"Sorry. It was so quiet, I didn't think anyone was here."
"Hmph."
Since this was his first time meeting Kiyomori's eldest son, Munemori, Hachiman turned to him and offered a polite greeting.
"I apologize for not coming to greet you sooner. I am Hikigaya Hachiman."
"I'm Yuki Munemori. Nice to meet you, our promising Next Head."
Hachiman sensed no sarcasm or malice in Munemori's words. In fact, there was a palpable sense of relief and happiness in his tone, which made Hachiman regret—just a little—accepting the title of Head, even if it was in name only.
"Munemori. Are you leaving for America immediately?"
"Yes. A successor far more reliable than I could ever be has been found, and I'm sure Tomomori will handle the role of Director well. As for me, I intend to coordinate with pharmaceutical companies and do my best over there to contribute to medical advancement, even if only a little."
"Is that so...? Well, do as you please."
"Well then, since I've managed to greet Father, I'll be going. Hikigaya-kun, let's meet again someday."
With that, Munemori turned to leave. There was something weighing on Hachiman's mind, so he excused himself to Kiyomori and followed him.
"Geezer, I haven't really had a chance to speak with him, so I'm going to see Munemori-san off."
"Hm? Very well. I shall drink some tea and wait."
Hachiman caught up to Munemori, who was humming a tune as he headed for the exit, and called out to him.
"Munemori-san."
"Hm? Hikigaya-kun, is something wrong?"
"Um, about how things turned out... it ended up looking like we drove you out. I'm truly sorry about that."
"Eh?"
Munemori looked surprised for a moment, but then, seeming to reach an understanding, he gave a wry smile.
"I don't feel like I was driven out at all, so please don't worry about that. If anything, I'm grateful to you."
"Grateful... is it?"
"Yes. I saw the footage of that battle. You magnificently broke Father's pride, didn't you? If Father had remained active, I never could have made a decision like this. You see, Hachiman-kun, I've lived my life trying not to defy Father, trying not to stand out. Until now, I couldn't do a single thing I actually wanted to do."
Munemori looked at him with clear eyes.
"But then, you appeared like a 'Black Ship'—a sudden force of change—and achieved the monumental feat of securing Father's retirement. So, I decided to take advantage of the chaos, push everything onto Tomomori, and make my escape. That's all there is to it."
Hachiman accepted the explanation, though he couldn't completely wipe away his sense of guilt.
"I... see."
"That said, it's not as if I'm cutting ties with the family. I intend to coordinate properly with Tomomori, the new Director, so our relationship won't change all that drastically. Don't worry. Though... I suspect some of the clan members who clung to their sense of privilege are going to be purged."
"Ah, so you knew about that too, Munemori-san."
"Yes. I was the one Father ordered to identify the idiots who planted those unnecessary ideas in Kaede's head."
"Is that so..."
"When I investigated, I was appalled. I had no idea our clan had rotted to such an extent. That's why, from now on, I will change the Yuki family from the outside, and Tomomori will change it from the inside. And then, we will have you take over a reborn Yuki family. Isn't that perfect?"
Hachiman, feeling a cold sweat, replied hesitantly.
"Uh, um... I was actually fully planning to push everything onto Tomomori-san..."
Munemori froze for a second, then burst into hearty laughter.
"A-Hahahaha! Is that so? In that case, let's have Tomomori suffer to death with work. But, you will accept the position of Head in name, won't you? If so, when Tomomori consults you, please at least give him some advice."
"Yes, of course."
"Thank you, truly, for airing out this house all at once. I'm really glad you were here. Please give my regards to Asuna-chan."
"Ah, um, Munemori-san. I have a small request."
"Hm?"
Hachiman reached into his pocket and pulled out the memo Kyoko had given him regarding the illnesses of the Sleeping Forest patients, holding it out to Munemori.
"Could you take a look at this?"
"This is... I see, Kyoko's patients..."
"If it's alright with you... if there are any medical breakthroughs over there regarding the diseases on this list, I want you to tell me. I know there are confidentiality obligations, so only when you are able to speak about it."
"I see. You want to save not just Kaede, but the other children too."
"Yes. I don't honestly think I can save everyone, but... if it's within my reach, I want to grasp it with everything I have."
Munemori nodded and firmly shook Hachiman's hand.
"Understood. For the time being, I will make the treatment of the diseases on this list my primary focus as I move forward."
"Thank you very much, Munemori-san."
"If I learn anything, I will contact you without fail. Well then, Hachiman-kun, I'm sorry to dump this on you, but please take care of the Sleeping Forest patients here."
"Yes. We will make effective use of the Medicuboid and do our utmost."
Munemori departed. Hachiman watched him go, then returned to Kiyomori.
"You were talking for quite a while. Did you manage to have a meaningful conversation?"
"Yeah. Much more meaningful than talking to you, geezer."
"Hmph... Say, kid. Was I... a burden to Munemori?"
"You're a burden to the whole clan, old man. Reflect properly on your past self."
"Now that is surely saying too much!"
"Well, it's a fact that you were stubborn."
"Ugh..."
Kiyomori fell silent, looking a bit depressed. Hachiman spoke to him.
"Geezer, learn to relax your shoulders a bit and rely on others. Even in SAO, I couldn't do anything alone. From now on, leave the details to others. You just focus on being a good grandpa for Kaede."
"I will do so without you telling me!"
"Alright then. We're heading back tomorrow, so I'll see you over there."
"Aye. Wash your neck and wait."
"As a promise of reunion... that phrase has some serious issues..."
Afterward, Hachiman regrouped with Asuna and the others to help them choose the remaining souvenirs.
"Who are the rest for, Asuna?"
"Let's see... Kirito-kun, Klein-san, and Pito."
"For Kirito and Klein, wouldn't Yatsuhashi be fine?"
"Actually, I already bought Yatsuhashi in bulk and shipped it to Hachiman-kun's house with a note explaining everything to Komachi-chan," Haruno answered his question. "So right now, we're choosing small, personal items."
"I see. Alright, leave that to me."
Hachiman strode into a nearby souvenir shop and picked up an imitation sword.
"Right. This is for Kirito. He loves this kind of stuff, so this is fine."
"W-Well, he certainly does seem to like that sort of thing..."
Next, Hachiman picked up two Shinsengumi haori coats.
"Klein and Shizuka-sensei can have a matching set of these. It matters less what Klein thinks and more what Shizuka-sensei thinks. I guarantee that when she was a student, she wanted one of these so bad she could taste it, but she felt too embarrassed in front of her friends to buy it. She definitely has lingering regrets."
"I-Is that so...?"
"Yeah, no doubt about it."
After arranging for those two items to be shipped to his home, Hachiman had a single ornamental hairpin (kanzashi) beautifully wrapped, put it in his bag, and exited the shop.
"Is that the souvenir for Pito?"
"No. For Pito, we can just burn a DVD of the footage of me and Asuna fighting the geezer and give her that. That's the best gift."
"Ah~... that actually might be the best thing for her..."
"This hairpin is for the Director of my school. I ended up taking a long absence this time, so, well... just in case."
"I see. Hachiman-kun, you're so thoughtful!"
"I'd love to see the reaction when this is received," Haruno said, likely imagining the recipient dancing with joy.
"Alright. Let's do a little sightseeing, head back to the hotel to meet up with Shozo-san and the others, and head home tomorrow morning."
"You don't need to see the results of the Director election?"
"It seems it's going to be decided for Tomomori-san without a vote, so there's no point in watching."
"Right, I guess so."
"I've ended up shouldering a lot of extra baggage, but for the time being, I've accomplished all my objectives for coming here."
"Now all that's left is the final finishing touch once we get back," Asuna said.
"Yeah. Finally, a face-to-face with Kuradeel. Honestly, I don't even want to look at his face, but this will probably be the last time I ever see him, so I guess it's fine."
And so, the next day, the group left Kyoto, a place where many new encounters had unfolded.
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