I, the mastermind behind the scenes at Soubu High, refuse to be caught in a bloodbath.

"Okay, okay, then I think black suits you quite well under the snow."

After all, her skin is so fair.

"call--"

She took a deep breath, quickly walked a few steps, and stopped talking to Himekoji.

Chapter 232 Needless to say, [Hachiman Hikigaya] is definitely a siscon.

The day passed uneventfully. There was no phone call from Hiratsuka Shizuka in the evening, nor any emails from anyone. Oh, wait, there was one email, though, from an anonymous email address. Someone scolded Himekoji, mainly about barging into the girls' room, but the more they scolded, the more they revealed a hint of envy, leaving Himekoji feeling helpless and amused at the same time.

If you're so capable, go ahead and try, you'll definitely get kicked off by those PE teachers anyway.

So yesterday was all thanks to Shizuka Hiratsuka. Shizuka-sensei, you are truly my lucky star.

After thinking about such nonsensical things, Ji Xiaolu gradually drifted off to sleep. When she woke up the next day feeling refreshed, she found that the other two boys in her class were still sleeping soundly. She really had no idea what they had been up to the night before.

Today's destination is Arashiyama, but before going to Arashiyama, we must first visit Fushimi Inari Shrine.

Those familiar with anime will likely know what Fushimi Inari Shrine is. Of course, when people say "Fushimi Inari Taisha," they usually mean the main shrine in Kyoto. There are many other, smaller Inari shrines in other locations as well. I myself have seen some in Tokyo, but they were all incredibly small. (By the way, the place I saw was near Ningyocho in Tokyo.)

Because it's a free-roaming trip, no one cares where you go or whether you eat breakfast. That's the extent of your freedom. However, before leaving the hotel, you have to have your luggage transported to a hotel near Arashiyama. This is a new hotel service that makes things more convenient for tourists.

Yukinoshita had obviously left earlier than him. She had only sent him an email before leaving. If the email hadn't specified her destination, Himekoji would have had a lot of trouble finding her.

Kyoto, a city modeled after Chang'an of the Tang Dynasty, is remarkably square within its original urban area, with many right-angled intersections. Himekoji, traveling light with only her phone and wallet, headed towards the shop Yukinoshita had recommended. A white building resembling a coffee shop came into view. Although there were other traditional Japanese-style shops nearby, the signs indicated they were actually the same establishment.

Entering the shop, passing through the exquisite European-style front door to the courtyard, under a large parasol with lace trim, Yukinoshita was sitting elegantly drinking coffee in a pure white openwork chair. Although she was wearing a school uniform, her usual refined demeanor made her stand out among the other customers who came here for breakfast.

Upon seeing Himekoji enter, Yukinoshita pressed the bell on the table to summon a waiter.

"A glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, please."

Ji Xiaolu immediately gave the order: if he wanted to drink something, it had to be either alcohol, water, or juice; other things were rarely considered.

Do you remember today's route?

Even if I don't remember, it's enough that you do.

“That makes sense, but why do I always feel like something’s not quite right…” Yukinoshita tilted her head in confusion, but then shook her head and said, “Never mind, it doesn’t matter.”

Today's route is to first go to Fushimi Inari Shrine, then to Tofukuji Temple, then to Kitano Tenmangu Shrine, and finally to Arashiyama.

While Himekoji and Yukinoshita were silently sipping their drinks, Yuihama and Hikigaya finally passed through the front door into the courtyard. Seeing Himekoji waving at them, the two of them quickly came over.

"Oh dear, that's really slow."

Yukino raised an eyebrow, a hint of displeasure in her expression.

"What? What happened? What's going on?"

"It's just morning tea."

"No, I know it's morning."

"That's not what I meant. I meant breakfast in a coffee shop, something like a morning tea set or morning tea service."

Yukinoshita was explaining to Hachiman, "Well, it's normal that Hachiman is relatively immune to shops that are more popular with girls." Himekoji understood him perfectly.

They called the waiter again to order. While waiting, they talked about the Ministry of Revenue and Ebina. Time passed slowly in their conversation, and their breakfast arrived: bread and ham, fried eggs and salad, coffee, and juice. Although it was fairly standard, the presentation was so beautiful that it whetted their appetites.

"Let's eat first, then we'll talk."

"That's right. I'm starting."

"I'm starting to eat."

They each put their hands together and began to eat. That said, it feels a bit odd to have hands clasped together for a Western-style breakfast; could this be a habit ingrained in Japanese people from childhood?

"Speaking of Kitano Tenmangu Shrine, what is it...?"

After the meal, Yui gently wiped her lips and asked.

"Because that brother-obsessed guy over there seems to want to go and pray for his sister's success in her college entrance exams..."

Yukino gestured to Hikigaya with her eyes, and Yuihama immediately gave a disgusted look.

The term "sister complex" can never be given a positive connotation.

"Hey! Don't call it a siscon! It's a love for your sister! Don't tell me it's love for your sister!"

Hikigaya became enraged and argued incessantly, his face flushed.

"Oh wow, is there any obvious difference between them?"

Himekoji gave him a →_→ look, and Hikigaya immediately deflated like a punctured balloon and fell silent.

Hmm, is Himekoji herself a mother complex? That's worth considering, worth considering.

--------------------------------

Looking down at Kyoto from the Fushimi Inari crossroads, I felt exceptionally relaxed. The weather had been perfect for the past three days.

Wow! That's amazing!

Yuihama, gazing into the distance, also sighed.

On the other hand, Yukinoshita, sitting on a nearby bench, sighed from exhaustion.

Well, it's not entirely incomprehensible. At Fushimi Inari Shrine, you gradually climb upwards as you pass through the torii gates. Although it's stone steps, the difference in height and the amount of physical exertion are honestly comparable to mountain climbing.

They're only at the beginning of the trail. Several torii gates stand further up. However, few who come with a relaxed attitude will likely venture any further. Most people reach this point, feel a sense of accomplishment, and leisurely descend the mountain.

They had other plans after that, and didn't have much time left to go to the top of the mountain.

Regardless, there was indeed someone who lacked the stamina to do that.

Unfortunately, we won't get to see Hachiman Hikigaya's self-destruction in Chapter 233.

Let's take a short rest.

Yes, that's right...

The four of them sat down on a bench and began to drink tea. The cool breeze was particularly comforting to their slightly feverish bodies.

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the number of tourists visiting the temple gradually increased.

Seeing this, Yukinoshita slowly opened her mouth.

"Let's go down now."

Are you alright?

"I've adjusted my breathing, that's enough."

Although it was downhill, going downhill still had its difficulties. As noon approached, the flow of people gradually became more active, so the group of four kept going against the flow, looking somewhat disheveled.

"There are really a lot of people..."

She looked utterly exhausted. It seemed that she was more tired from the crowds than from walking.

With about a third of the journey still to go, Yukino suggested they take a break. The four of them circled the torii gate to catch their breath. Once Yukino seemed to have adjusted a little, they resumed their journey.

However, trouble still occurred.

Perhaps due to the surging crowd and her unsteady steps, Yukino twisted her left ankle on a slightly uneven stone step. Losing her balance suddenly, she almost tumbled down the step. Fortunately, Yui quickly caught her, otherwise she would have been in serious trouble. Even so, due to the intense pain, Yukino could barely stand. Beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, and her face was flushed red. Every time she tried to move, the stinging pain made her features contort in pain.

It's fair to say that Yukinoshita at this moment was far from being a woman of refined elegance; the sudden accident could make anyone lose that elegance, that's for sure.

"Hey, hey, hey... what do we do now?"

Hikigaya's lips twitched, and he glanced at Himekoji. Yuihama, who was being helped to the torii gate, was panting heavily with her hand on her chest. She said, "Don't we still have a request... Do we really have time to wander around here now?"

"Xiaoxue, don't push yourself. You can't move in this state... We're still on the mountain, and we can't get down anytime soon."

Yuihama looked troubled. Indeed, there was still a long way to go before descending the mountain, and with her ankle twisted under the snow, it was practically impossible to get down quickly.

"Sigh—I'm really fed up with you." Himekoji shrugged and clicked her tongue twice as she walked down to the bottom of the snow. "If you weren't wearing knee-high socks right now, I could have checked you out a bit, but it seems like there's no way to do it now. What should we do? Should I carry you down?"

It's inconvenient to examine someone wearing over-the-knee socks, and it would look too strange to take them off now.

Yuihama stared at the two of them in disbelief, then exchanged a stunned glance with Hachiman, who simply shrugged, indicating that he had no idea what was going on.

"But..."

Yukinoshita gently bit her lower lip, feeling extremely ashamed that a boy would carry her down the mountain.

"Well, you can't exactly have Yui carry you down, can you? Helping you walk is not only unlikely, but also a waste of time. Or, you could choose Hachiman—?"

Himeko stepped aside, extending her hands towards Hachiman in an inviting gesture. Hachiman, suddenly called out by Himeko, was taken aback. He pointed at himself speechlessly, then shook his head and waved his hand, seemingly unwilling to get involved in this mess.

"Phew—, I understand." Yukinoshita seemed to have made a difficult mental decision. She sighed deeply, tapped Himekoji's arm with her fingertip, and said, "Then...then you..."

"This time, we need to add one more."

"I understand, you don't need to explain further, I already know!"

Yukino spoke at an extremely fast pace, while Yui and Hikigaya looked at each other blankly, having no idea what kind of riddle they were talking about.

She crouched down, leaning back against Yukinoshita, and hesitantly wrapped her arms around Himekoji's neck. With Yuihama's help, she finally managed to move her legs a little so that Himekoji could reach them.

"Then I'll have to catch you."

"Um..."

Yukinoshita blushed and hid her head on Himekoji's back. Her legs were trembling slightly. She felt her whole body was burning up, not from pain, but from shame.

Grasping Yukinoshita's excessively slender legs, Himekoji slowly stood up, adjusted his position, and then glared at her with obvious dissatisfaction, saying, "Hey, at least put a little more force into your arms and legs, okay? Haven't you ever been carried before?"

"...knew."

Yukinoshita, clinging to Himekoji, was unusually obedient at this moment, which surprised Himekoji so much that she glanced back at her twice. However, Yukinoshita kept her face turned away, preventing Himekoji from seeing her.

Over-the-knee socks—if you're carrying a girl wearing over-the-knee socks, your hand will almost certainly slip and touch her thigh. But Himeko wasn't thinking about those romantic things at the moment; she was just silently marveling at how light this guy was.

Indeed, being short, flat-chested, and with an extremely thin waist and legs, the result is... being underweight.

Himekoji hadn't investigated Yukinoshita's physical examination data, but judging from the way she was being held tightly against Himekoji's back... Himekoji still barely felt anything on Yukinoshita's chest.

Hmm, last time I saw Yukinoshita, she seemed to be wearing a magic bra, but—you're really pitiful, Yukinoshita.

Fortunately, there was something there, so it didn't hurt too much...

Himekoji carried Yukinoshita on the far left. After all, if Himekoji was a little careful, he wouldn't have to worry about Yukinoshita's feet getting jostled by the crowd and twisting again.