The Exorcism Tale of Hachiman

"Everyone makes mistakes. But the most important thing is whether you can admit your mistakes and correct them in time. So Yuihama, you've done a great job."

"Really?"

Upon hearing Hachiman Hikigaya's words, Yui Yuigahama slowly raised her head, her eyes shining brightly once more.

It was finally done...

Looking at Yui Yuigahama, who so readily believed him, Hachiman Hikigaya felt a flicker of surprise, but nodded solemnly.

"Xiao Qi, can you forgive me for the misunderstanding I made about you before?"

With Hachiman Hikigaya's confirmation, the previously oppressive atmosphere around Yui Yuigahama eased considerably.

"certainly!"

Seeing the expectation on Yui Yuigahama's face, Hachiman Hikigaya nodded without hesitation.

He wasn't angry about what happened before, so there was no reason for him not to forgive Yui.

"Thank you, Xiaoqi!"

Upon hearing that Hachiman Hikigaya had forgiven her, Yui Yuigahama finally returned to the state she had been in when they first met that morning.

"Ah, I'm so hungry~"

With her inner turmoil relieved, Yui Yuigahama, who had been working hard all morning, suddenly felt her stomach growling.

She picked up the curry rice next to her and started eating it in big mouthfuls.

"This guy....."

Faced with this situation, Hachiman Hikigaya shook his head helplessly, a gentle look flashing across his face as he joined Yui Yuigahama in eating his own lunch.

...........

After lunch, it was free time.

Watching the children running around in the woods near the campsite, Hachiman Hikigaya shook his head helplessly, then walked to a quiet shady spot to rest in the afternoon.

The peaceful rest did not last long before it was broken by footsteps coming from afar.

Hachiman Hikigaya curiously opened his eyes and looked in the direction of the sound, just as his gaze met that of Shizuka Hiratsuka, who had come looking for him.

"Yo!"

Shizuka waved the beer can in her hand at Hachiman Hikigaya, then sat down next to him, took a big gulp of beer, and let out a satisfied moan.

"They've already started drinking at noon?"

Hearing Hiratsuka Shizuka's bold voice from beside him, Hachiman Hikigaya's forehead creased with a few black lines.

"What's the big deal? Anyway, you guys do all the volunteer work. I'm just here to supervise you."

Shaking the beer in her hand, Hiratsuka Shizuka said nonchalantly.

After all, apart from Yui Yuigahama, Hina Ebina, and Sho Tobe, the other volunteers were all quite reliable.

Even if something really happens, Hiratsuka Shizuka estimates that before she even takes action, Hikigaya Hachiman and the others will have already resolved the problem.

"More importantly, what's with that kid you were talking to?"

Although she verbally said that she would not interfere, Hiratsuka Shizuka was actually secretly observing the actions of the others.

She naturally noticed Tsurumi Rumi's situation as well.

However, because she was only the person in charge of the volunteers and not Ms. Tsurumi Rumi, even if Hiratsuka Shizuka discovered the problem, she could only secretly come over to discuss it with Hachiman Hikigaya during everyone's free time.

"That child's situation is somewhat special..."

When Rumi Tsurumi was mentioned, Hachiman Hikigaya's tone was somewhat complicated.

Although both are isolated individuals, they are worlds apart.

Hachiman Hikigaya chose to live a solitary life after his experiences in junior high school, while Rumi Tsurumi was forced to live alone out of necessity...

"Is that so? Do you have a solution?"

After listening to Hachiman Hikigaya's description, Shizuka Hiratsuka drank a few mouthfuls of sake in silence before continuing to inquire about Hachiman Hikigaya's next plans.

After all, she could tell from Hachiman Hikigaya's actions what his current condition and mental state were like.

"Then of course we won't do anything."

Maintaining the status quo was a decision made by Tsurumi Rumi herself.

This is because the cohesion of the four-person group now lies in targeting her, and it is also Tsurumi Rumi's atonement for her previous behavior of ostracizing them.

"Do nothing?"

After repeating Hachiman Hikigaya's answer aloud, Shizuka Hiratsuka suddenly burst out laughing after a moment of silence.

Doing absolutely nothing is something this lazy guy is capable of doing.

However, since this soft-hearted guy was able to make such a decision, it means that, in some ways, maintaining the status quo is the safest course of action for that child, right?

Chapter 308 Mysterious Beings in the Water

"Koki? Hiratsuka Shizuka-sensei?"

When Yui Yuigahama saw Hachiman Hikigaya lying under the shade of a tree and excitedly ran over, she was surprised to find Shizuka Hiratsuka there as well.

"Ah, Yuihama. Since you're here, I'll return this to you."

Just by glancing up at Yui Yuigahama's expression, Shizuka Hiratsuka understood why she had come.

After winking at Hachiman Hikigaya, Shizuka Hiratsuka got up and left, giving the two of them some space.

Hiratsuka Shizuka's sudden action immediately bewildered both Hikigaya Hachiman and Yuigahama Yui.

Yui Yuigahama's heart was pounding like a deer's. For a moment, she even forgot why she had come to find Hachiman Hikigaya and stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do.

"......"

The two remained silent for a while before Hachiman Hikigaya finally broke the deadlock.

"What do you want from me?"

"Oh, well, we found a stream, so I was wondering if you wanted to go play there, Xiaoqi..."

"Creek?"

Upon hearing Yui Yuigahama's words, Hachiman Hikigaya raised an eyebrow.

While it's perfectly normal to use a stream to escape the summer heat, it's unusual to make a special trip to find him just for this reason...

Thinking of this, Hachiman Hikigaya's eyes flickered a few times, and then he nodded.

"Sure, I'm feeling a bit hot too."

...........

"They took so long to arrive."

Just as Yui Yuigahama reached the stream, Yukino Yukinoshita, who had changed into her swimsuit, crossed her arms in front of her to express her dissatisfaction with their speed.

"Sorry, Xiaoxue, it took me a little time to find Xiaoqi..."

In response to Yukinoshita's complaints, Yui Yuigahama stuck out her tongue and apologized.

Yukino Yukinoshita naturally couldn't muster any anger at Yui Yuigahama's act of acting cute.

She then turned her gaze to Hachiman Hikigaya, who was standing at the very back.

"You came here dressed like this?"

Yukino looked at Hachiman Hikigaya's clothes with a hint of suspicion on her face.

Since he came with Yui Yuigahama, it means that Hachiman Hikigaya already knew why he was coming to the stream, right?

"I didn't bring a swimsuit either..."

Faced with Yukinoshita's doubts, Hachiman Hikigaya appeared quite helpless.

And then again, isn't Yukino Yukinoshita, who prepared her swimsuit in advance, the really strange one?

Didn't Ms. Hiratsuka ask you to prepare in advance?

Upon hearing Hachiman Hikigaya's words, Yukino Yukinoshita and Yui Yuigahama exchanged bewildered glances.

"Did Hiratsuka Shizuka-sensei ask you to prepare in advance?"

Seeing the reactions on their faces, Hachiman Hikigaya immediately felt a sense of foreboding.

He quickly turned his gaze to the stream, and sure enough, apart from him and Yui Yuigahama, everyone else present had already changed into their swimsuits!

"Ding dong~"

Suddenly, Hachiman Hikigaya's cell phone rang.

The message was sent by Komachi, who had just sold him that morning, and the message was very simple and clear: Hachiman Hikigaya's swim trunks were in the travel bag he gave to Shizuka Hiratsuka last night.

"Did Komachi plan this all along?"

Looking at the messages on his phone, Hachiman Hikigaya sighed.

After explaining the situation to the two women, he turned around and went to the campsite to ask Hiratsuka Shizuka for her travel bag.

Upon arriving at the campsite, Hiratsuka Shizuka seemed unsurprised by Hachiman Hikigaya's arrival. In fact, after Hachiman Hikigaya explained his purpose, she thoughtfully told him to have fun.

In response, Hachiman Hikigaya simply rolled his eyes at her.

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

"Honestly, there's practically nothing to play with, right?"

Sitting by the stream, Hachiman Hikigaya looked at the group of people around him who were enjoying themselves and complained.

Since they were already high school students, the group clearly didn't have much interest in playing in the water.

Although I changed into a swimsuit, I only soaked my body in the water to let the stream wash away the heat.

There was absolutely no playful or frolicking scene as I had imagined!

"what!"

Just as Hachiman Hikigaya was daydreaming out of boredom, Yui Yuigahama, who was sitting next to him with her legs submerged in the stream and whispering to Yukinoshita, suddenly exclaimed in surprise.