The Exorcism Tale of Hachiman

Hachiman Hikigaya readily picked up where Komachi left off.

"Okay, that's settled then. What would you and Onii-chan like to eat today? I'll make dinner right away."

Komachi nodded in satisfaction at Hachiman Hikigaya's cooperation, and then walked towards the kitchen while asking about tonight's menu.

"It's up to you, Komachi. I have some things to do, so I'll go upstairs now."

After saying that, Hachiman Hikigaya changed into his slippers and walked up the stairs, ignoring Komachi's surprised look beside him.

"Sakura, what's wrong with Onii-chan today?"

Komachi glanced at Hachiman Hikigaya, who was going upstairs, with a puzzled look, then turned her gaze to Sakura, who was preparing to help with dinner.

According to his usual habits, Hachiman Hikigaya only goes upstairs as soon as he gets home when he is upset or has something very important to do. Otherwise, he stays on the sofa until dinner is over before returning to his room to do his own thing.

"This afternoon, after my brother took my sister home, she became like this."

Since they are both Hachiman Hikigaya's sisters, Sakura, who had already formed a sisterhood yesterday, had no intention of hiding any information.

"After taking Yukinoshita-neechan home?"

Upon hearing Sakura's account, Komachi pondered deeply, her hands clasped in her hands.

Although she knew that the fragile balance between the three of them would eventually collapse with the passage of time or the influence of strong external forces, it should still be very solid for now.

Could it be that some major event has occurred today?

"Ugh, this is so annoying, the information is completely insufficient!"

Frustrated, Komachi scratched her head, her face scrunched up in a frown.

Because of her understanding of Hachiman Hikigaya, she knew perfectly well that Hachiman Hikigaya would never tell her what had happened.

On the other hand, the possibility of Yukino Yukinoshita telling her is also extremely slim.

"Honestly, Onii-chan always causes Komachi trouble..."

As his younger sister, it was impossible for her to leave Hachiman Hikigaya unattended.

Not knowing the specifics of the situation, Komachi could only judge the situation based on scattered information and her own intuition.

"A happy ending?"

In Hachiman Hikigaya's room on the second floor, Hachiman Hikigaya lay on his back on the bed, staring at the ceiling and pondering the words of advice Key had given him earlier.

While other aspects of the content are questionable, one thing Key did say was quite right.

Waiting passively will never solve anything; only by moving forward can we find a way out.

The problem is...

Do I really like them?

For the first time, Hachiman Hikigaya confronted his own inner self.

He probably started becoming withdrawn after being rejected when he confessed his feelings in junior high school.

Shame, coupled with external pressure, drove him down a path of solitude.

Especially after seeing through the true nature of youth, he became even more convinced that his choice was not wrong at all.

He, who considers himself a lone wolf, doesn't need any friends...

However, all of this seemed to change after she obtained the system and was forcibly dragged into the Service Club by Hiratsuka Shizuka.

Influenced by many people, he seemed to have developed a slight expectation for something called a genuine object.

"This is really quite troublesome..."

As Hachiman Hikigaya pondered his feelings towards everyone, he suddenly became agitated.

He had been avoiding things that he was trying to avoid, but now he had to face them head-on.

Especially when what should have been a dead end was pointed out by a senior colleague as a possible path to success...

"If I hadn't joined the Service Club back then, none of this trouble would have happened, right?"

As he pondered this, the thought of escaping suddenly popped into Hachiman Hikigaya's mind.

If he had stubbornly resisted Hiratsuka Shizuka's iron fist and hadn't joined the Service Club, he wouldn't have met Yotsuya Miko, and the subsequent events might never have happened...

But then Hachiman Hikigaya shook his head, banishing the strange thought from his mind.

Running away won't solve anything, and besides, he absolutely couldn't stand idly by when he saw Yotsuya Miko in danger!

Chapter 278 Emergencies

"Onii-chan, dinner is ready."

Outside Hachiman Hikigaya's room, Komachi reached out and knocked on the tightly closed door.

A few seconds later, a silent response came from inside the room. Then, footsteps approached, and as the doorknob was turned, Hachiman Hikigaya, his hair completely turned into a bird's nest, appeared in front of Komachi.

"Onii-chan, are you alright?"

I was just going upstairs to rest for a while, why did I make myself look so disheveled?

Looking at Hachiman Hikigaya's bird's nest-like hair, Komachi's eyelids twitched, but she suppressed the urge to comb his hair neatly.

"fine."

Hikigaya Hachiman shook his head.

Looking at his shifty eyes, Komachi simply couldn't bring herself to believe his words.

"You can talk to Komachi about anything that's bothering you."

Although he is very concerned about what is troubling Hachiman Hikigaya, forcibly asking him about the truth may only exacerbate the conflict between the siblings and make things worse!

Knowing the crisis was imminent, Komachi pointed out that Hachiman Hikigaya could confide in her before turning and walking down the stairs.

"Shall we communicate?"

Watching Komachi's retreating figure, Hachiman Hikigaya gave a wry smile.

He was happy to discuss solutions with Komachi for other matters, but the idea of ​​building a harem...

The thought of the brother and sister sitting on the sofa, seriously discussing whether he should start a harem, struck Hachiman Hikigaya as utterly absurd.

After finishing his dinner in silence and washing the dishes, Hachiman Hikigaya locked himself back in his room.

Concerned about his condition, Komachi and Sakura could only sigh helplessly.

..............

Thursday noon, on the rooftop of the teaching building at Zongwu High School.

"I've finished eating, thank you for the meal!"

After quickly finishing the bento prepared by Yotsuya Miko, Hachiman Hikigaya politely thanked her after closing the lid, and then hurriedly left.

"Kiko, have you noticed that Hikigaya-kun has been acting mysteriously lately?"

As Hikigaya Hachiman disappeared through the doorway, Yurikawa Hana whispered something in Yotsuya Miko's ear.

Hmm, maybe he's been busy lately?

Although she had already agreed with what Yurikawa Hana said, Yotsuya Miko still defended Hikigaya Hachiman.

After all, she had been paying attention to Hachiman Hikigaya and noticed that since last week, the Service Club seemed to have been giving special training to the tennis club's captain, a boy who was even cuter than a girl.

Hachiman Hikigaya leaving right after dinner might just be in a hurry...

"But then you wouldn't have to stay completely silent while eating, would you?"

When the three of them used to eat together, although she and Yotsuya Miko mostly talked about recent events, Hachiman Hikigaya would occasionally chime in with his own thoughts.

But starting Tuesday, and continuing for three days today, he hasn't said anything beyond the necessary conversations!

"Well, actually I know everything! I've already tried my best to make excuses, Xiaohua, please don't call me out on it!"

Having no other excuse to defend Hachiman Hikigaya, Miko Yotsuya pinched her friend's smooth cheek in a fit of embarrassment and annoyance, as if she wanted to vent her resentment at being neglected these past few days on her.

However, in reality, Yotsuya Miko couldn't bear to hurt Yurikawa Hana.

After leaving only a faint red mark on Yurikawa's cheek, Yotsuya Miko deflated and sulked.

"Seriously, what's wrong with Hachiman...?"

They had been chatting for quite a while on Monday noon, and she thought that Hachiman Hikigaya was finally going to accept her feelings.

But after just one night, things completely changed...

Hachiman Hikigaya silently walked out of the school building and onto the tennis court.

He noticed the disappointment in Yotsuya Miko's eyes before she left, but ever since he met Key, his heart had been in turmoil.

Before he could make up his mind, Hachiman Hikigaya really didn't know how to face her.

"In the end, he became a complete deserter..."

Leaning against the protective netting, Hachiman Hikigaya looked up at the blinding sun and muttered to himself.

Good afternoon, Hachiman~

After an unknown amount of time, Hachiman Hikigaya suddenly heard Saika Totsuka's voice.

Looking down toward the entrance to the tennis court, Totsuka Saika's figure gradually became clearer in her vision, which had been blurred from staring at the sun for so long.

She still has that adorable face that makes your heart race.

He must have encountered something happy, for his face was now beaming with an unparalleled, innocent smile.

It felt even more dazzling than the sunlight...

Thinking this, Hachiman Hikigaya withdrew his gaze and stopped looking in that direction.

However, Totsuka Saika seemed unaware that something was wrong with Hachiman Hikigaya. He easily broke into the "Keep Out" barrier surrounding Hachiman Hikigaya and leaned against the protective netting, just like Hachiman Hikigaya.

"The weather is lovely today."

With her fair right hand placed above her eyes to protect her delicate eyes, Totsuka Saika looked up at the clear, cloudless sky and then took the initiative to strike up a conversation with Hikigaya Hachiman.

"Ah."

If it were in the past, faced with Totsuka Saika's initiative, Hikigaya Hachiman would probably have been as flustered as an innocent young boy meeting his crush.