53. So, Does the Problem Child Have "Tomodachi" (Friends)?
"Therefore, the so-called tomodachi is simply this.
Whether the grand principles or meaningless things I just said are valuable or helpful to you isn't really the point. The point is that we, as friends, are engaging in deep communication and trying to understand each other more deeply.
Isn't that alone already enough for us?"
---
54. So, Do Problem Children Play P2P LAN Games?
Hikaru didn't particularly care how Hina-san and the others interpreted his words.
After all, the truth was exactly as he had said.
If they couldn't achieve "harmony without uniformity" in matters like this, then those words would simply filter Yui-chan or Hina-san out of his core circle of friends, reducing them to ordinary fair-weather friends.
They could still chat and laugh together normally.
But if he were ever asked to truly help—
that would be another matter entirely.
So Hikaru didn't dwell on the topic for long. Instead, he energetically swung his tennis racket.
"There's no point in saying too many strange things. Just watch me decisively defeat the Dead Fish Eyes Monster with my Murderous Tennis."
"You really watched too much Prince of Tennis, didn't you?" Hachiman rolled his eyes lazily. "At least learn how to hit something like Meteor Drive or Black Hole Drive before claiming you're playing Murderous Tennis."
"But if you could actually pull off something like that, I'd dogeza right here and beg you not to kill me."
"Then you might as well prostrate yourself now," Hikaru threatened. "Otherwise I'll smash a 115-kilometer-per-hour ball straight into your face later."
"Oh, I'm terrified. I'm practically peeing myself from fear."
Hachiman said it completely deadpan as he picked up the tennis ball, walked to the service line, tossed the ball into the air, and served casually.
"Good shot!"
Hikaru roared as he returned the ball.
"World-Shattering Tennis Fist!"
Despite the terrifying name, the speed of the ball didn't match the move at all. Hachiman easily returned it.
After hitting it back, he complained.
"Your move names and actual performance are like cheap anime battle techniques or trashy light novel skills. Flashy names, but in reality it's just like an elementary school kid claiming he can shoot the Spacium Ray."
"Eight-Point Tennis Halo!"
"Are you an elementary schooler?!"
"Pegasus Tennis Fist!"
"All Showa-era anime techniques! Are you a Showa-era otaku?!"
"I'm Batman! Bat-Shark-Repellent Batarang Tennis!"
"How many anime and manga have you watched?! You even know that obscure meme from last century!"
"Broly Rock-Shattering Tennis!"
"At least use some Heisei-era moves!"
The ridiculous back-and-forth between Hikaru and Hachiman continued as they played tennis.
On the bench beside the court, Hina-san's glasses gleamed strangely.
Yui sighed softly.
"Hikigaya-kun and Ishikawa-kun seem really close…"
"Even though I don't understand anything they're talking about… they both look really happy."
Hina immediately turned toward her and smiled teasingly.
"I never expected a day when Yui would envy the Dead Fish Eyes Monster."
"Is it because Ishikawa-sensei and the Dead Fish Eyes Monster seem to be having so much fun?"
"N-No, it's not that…"
Yui hurriedly waved her hands.
"I just… don't understand the way they communicate."
"But their conversations feel… special somehow."
"I'm a little curious…"
"Ishikawa-kun isn't like that when he's with us… I mean with Yumiko and the others…"
"The real issue," Hina said thoughtfully, adjusting her glasses, "is that Yui hasn't actually talked much with Ishikawa-sensei."
"Teacher Ishikawa chats like this with me too."
"Even though he sometimes says strange things or does unexpected things, he's actually very good at conversation."
"Eh? Really?"
"He's also very considerate of other people's feelings."
Hina looked back at the two boys playing their bizarre tennis match.
"Even though he thought you might not understand his intentions, he still explained his thoughts patiently."
"He wanted you to understand him."
"Didn't he just say earlier that he wouldn't explain himself to people who spread rumors?"
"But before any rumors even started, he explained everything to us seriously."
"In other words…"
"In his eyes, we aren't outsiders or just classmates."
"We are friends he acknowledges."
"So what he said earlier was actually just him being honest about his feelings."
"He was acknowledging the value we have as his friends."
"Even if you don't understand the way he talks with Hikigaya-kun or with me, there's no need to envy us."
"Because you'll have your own way of communicating with him."
"I-Is that so…"
"Besides," Hina smiled,
"Ishikawa-sensei is a true genius."
"Shouldn't we feel happy that someone like him considers us his friends?"
Yui blinked in surprise.
"Eh?"
"Anyway," Hina said with a small smile, watching the chaos on the court,
"I'm very happy."
---
55. So, Will the Problem Child Be Thanked?
Hikaru chased Hachiman around the tennis court with his racket like a Texas Chainsaw Massacre killer.
After three or four minutes, he finally stopped and declared proudly:
"If I hadn't suddenly gotten thirsty, you would've been dismembered by my tennis racket. You got lucky, Dead Fish Eyes Monster."
Hachiman bent over, gasping for breath.
"V-Villains in anime always say things like that…"
"And those villains always end up getting beaten up."
"Hmph. I'm too lazy to talk to a friendless Dead Fish Eyes Monster at the bottom of the food chain."
"I'm going to chat with beautiful high school girls and enjoy being a normie."
Hikaru returned to the bench and tossed his racket onto the seat.
"I'm going to buy some drinks."
"Chef Yuigahama, General Ebina—do you want anything?"
"I'll bring it back."
Hina stood up.
"I wanted a cold drink too. I'll go with you, Ishikawa-sensei."
She looked at Yui.
"Yui, want anything?"
"No need," Yui quickly stood up. "I can go with you guys—"
"That would be weird if everyone went," Hikaru said immediately.
"It's just buying drinks."
"Besides, if we leave the Dead Fish Eyes Monster alone here, he'll definitely try to escape punishment."
"So Chef Yuigahama must stay here and guard him."
"If he tries to run, please shove your Killer Cookies into his mouth."
"K-Killer Cookies?!"
"Just kidding!"
Hikaru burst out laughing.
"Teasing Chef Yuigahama is really fun."
"All your reactions are perfect."
Hina sighed with a smile.
"Ishikawa-sensei, don't bully Yui too much."
"Anyway," Hikaru said,
"say what you want to drink before I default to lemon tea."
"Lemon tea is fine," Yui said with relief.
"Then we'll be back soon."
Hikaru waved and left the tennis court together with Hina.
---
56. So, Will the Problem Child Be a Stat Monster in Others' Eyes?
On the way to buy drinks, Hikaru suddenly began one of his mysterious lectures.
"General Ebina, do you know what the French sculptor Auguste Rodin once said?"
"He was the creator of the famous sculpture The Thinker and one of the three great pillars of European sculpture."
"He said:
A master is someone who sees what everyone else sees, yet discovers beauty where others see only the ordinary."
Hina listened with interest.
"So do you know what the highest realm of a creator is?" Hikaru continued.
"It's making something boring become interesting through the words you write."
He raised the bottle of lemon tea in his hand.
"For example—this lemon tea."
"In anyone else's hands, it's just an ordinary drink."
"But in the hands of a creator, it can become interesting."
"For instance…"
"Imagine I return and see Chef Yuigahama and the Dead Fish Eyes Monster playing tennis."
"I could act like a shy boy secretly in love with Chef Yuigahama."
"I could nervously offer her this lemon tea as a confession of love."
"And at the same time express my jealousy toward the Dead Fish Eyes Monster playing happily with her."
Hina's eyes suddenly sparkled.
"Or you could shyly confess your jealous love toward the Dead Fish Eyes Monster too!"
Hikaru thought seriously for a moment.
Then nodded.
"You're right."
"That would actually be more interesting."
"But that also proves something."
"To a creator, whether it's love between a boy and a girl, between two boys, or between two girls…"
"Emotion itself is the same."
"In other words—love is just love."
"In creative work, a character can represent themselves…"
"Or symbolize an entire social group."
"Or even a social ideology."
"Just like Superman in DC Comics."
"At one point, Superman even became the symbolic representative of America itself."