Can you handle my Hikigaya's cooking?

Listening to Miura's words, Hachiman's heart was once again filled with past events. However, could that daily past really be repeated? Perhaps from that moment on, the relationship between the two could only eventually fall apart, so... Hachiman, who could not accept that relationship, fled from there.

Glorifying the past is proof of inner fragility, reciting past glories is proof of inner aging, and stepping on others to find comfort is evidence of weakness.

Confidence, pride, everything was lost, so he fled here. Maybe it was not his original intention. Maybe he came here on a whim, found it comfortable unexpectedly, and simply stayed here.

However, we cannot stay here just because it is comfortable. In the eyes of mortals in the lower world, the gods who have come down to earth are just trouble.

The world is in no mood to take care of those who escape, so they have to be expelled and exiled. Just as you said, the world is really cruel.

So, there is no reason to go back there anymore... As for those people from the past, we can only put them in the past.

When Miura actually sat across from Hachiman and talked face to face, he finally realized that the guy in front of him was more troublesome than he had imagined.

If it were her, she would definitely take the initiative to talk everything out and then they could reconcile, but Hikigaya was different. His inner loneliness made him stay away from it all.

Miura: "I say, you don't really believe that a relationship can last forever."

Hachiman: “Maybe…”

Miura: "If you think that the relationship will disappear with a little change, then you are totally wrong! You know her so well, but you don't trust yourself at all, so even now, she has been waiting for your news!"

Hachiman didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but felt helpless.

"It seems that it is true that those who are not involved in the matter can see things more clearly."

Miura slowly stood up and said to Hachiman again:

"Anyway, you must properly resolve Yui's issue, otherwise I will have another reason to trouble you!"

"Yes..."

"Also, I'm sorry about this. Your ingredients are all in my car. I'll have my assistant put them back later."

Doing this for his friend, maybe it would be a good thing if he could become friends with Miura, this strange thought suddenly popped up in Hachiman's mind.

After saying this, Miura turned around and left. As she had agreed, after losing the bet, she no longer had any intention of driving Hikigaya away.

"What a kind guy."

Even though more than half a year has passed, and even though my former classmates have all graduated, there is still a unique magic when we meet again. Perhaps this is the power of time.

So, in the final analysis, it may just be my own wishful thinking. For others, it is already a thing of the past.

Miura is an outsider and may be able to see clearly, but only those involved can understand the inner relationship best.

With a helpless sigh, Hachiman slowly began to clean up the mess that had just been destroyed in the Hotel Hikigaya under the lingering dusk. Not long after, Komachi finally came back. Seeing the hotel in a state of disrepair, her first feeling was that her brother had messed it up again, but...

After Hachiman's explanation, she finally understood something.

Since the shop was not going to be open for business today, Komachi quickly returned to her room to continue studying, while Hachiman was responsible for cleaning up the messy hall and kitchen.

...

Late at night, Hachiman, who was planning to take a rest, happened to meet Komachi who had just finished studying and walked out of the room.

No matter what time it is, Komachi always keeps a cheerful and relaxed smile on her face. In the third year of junior high school when others are in a state of anxiety, perhaps she is the only one who can maintain such a state of mind.

"Relax for a while, you've worked hard."

"My brother is also... Komachi, who cares about my brother like this, also got a high score!"

The two of them just sat in the hall, drinking the heartwarming milk and maintaining this rare quietness.

"Brother, have you ever thought about what you are going to do in the future?"

"Who knows, it would be nice if I could find a rich woman who is willing to support me..."

"Brother, your dream is as bad as your dead fish eyes!"

"..."

Chapter 8: It is a brother’s duty to walk in front of his sister

Perhaps Komachi had known for a long time that her brother was a very smart guy, but she had never used her intelligence in the right direction, which led to this situation. However, as a younger sister after all, Komachi had always given him support and encouragement.

However, hearing about this dream that seemed like a salted fish, Komachi couldn't help but complain a few words. After all, it was more or less hard to bear to see her brother lose his ideal in life so quickly.

"Brother, my family runs a restaurant. In a sense, we are also chefs. Haven't you thought of anything else?"

As if he had already known his answer, Hachiman said earnestly, "It's enough for Hotel Hikigaya to have you and dad. Even if there comes a day when dad is too old to cook, we still have you, right?"

With a helpless sigh, Komachi just accepted it all silently. She came to Hachiman and tapped his head with her finger:

"Okay, okay, I am your sister after all."

"very nice."

"Needless to say, remember to give extra points to your most adorable sister in the world!" Komachi, with her fangs showing, is simply an angel sent from heaven, and for Hachiman, she is the center of the world.

Of course, I’m not really a sister complex.

After a brief fight, Komachi changed her usual playful look and sat down quietly again, taking another sip of hot milk.

"Brother, I've thought about it..."

"what happened?"

"Now is the final sprint stage. I plan to live in the school starting next week."

"So sudden?"

"Yes, after all, it concerns my own future, and my dad is indeed not very reliable. It is enough for my brother to know... After that, I will go to schools all over the world to learn cooking and bring glory to our [Hikigaya Hotel]." When she said this, Komachi's face was obviously full of expectations.

"Then go ahead and do it. Dad and I are here, so nothing will happen."

"Brother, you have to find your goal as soon as possible, whether you want to be a chef or not. This is what Komachi has always hoped for."

"Um..."

After finishing the daily conversation, Komachi did not continue chatting. As a student who is about to graduate, every minute and every second is very important. At least at this point in time, she should really have a good rest.

"Ideals? Maybe I shared them with someone at that time, but now I think that kind of thing is long gone..."

'But...'

I lay in bed for a long time, unable to fall asleep. The words of Miura and Komachi kept appearing in my mind. Should I set off or continue to stay here? Perhaps all I need is a reason.

When I opened my eyes again, the hotel was extremely quiet with the dim light coming from the early morning. I guess my dad will be back today.

After taking the milk and bread out of the electric stove, Hachiman noticed the note left by Komachi.

"You must find your goal as soon as possible, for the loveliest little sister Komachi in the world!"

Somewhat amused by the words in front of him, Hachiman just smiled faintly:

"This guy..."

"Ding Dong..Welcome."

"I'm sorry, Hotel Hikigaya is currently closed. The earliest we can open is tonight."

"You, you even forgot about your dad, didn't you?"

Hachiman shook his head helplessly, but given his father's personality, he definitely wouldn't come in through the back door.

Shiroichiro looked serious: "Hachiman, I have something to tell you..."

"Why make it so formal?" Hachiman didn't take it seriously and continued eating his bread.

"Isn't Komachi planning to stay at the school?"

It was a little unbelievable. After all, my father couldn't even tell what grade I and Komachi were in. When Hachiman was still very young, he ran to the kindergarten to pick me up, and then he found out that there was no one named "Hachiman" in the whole school because Hachiman had already been promoted to the first grade.

Originally thought it was just an accident, but there was an activity that required parents to pick up their children, and Hachiman still didn't wait for Shiroichiro in the end, only to find out that he had gone to the wrong school.

From that time on, Hachiman was absolutely certain that his father was a completely unreliable person.

Also, from that time on, Hachiman began to maintain an independent state, which he experienced earlier than his peers. In order to prevent his younger sister Komachi from being treated like this, he even took on the task of picking up and dropping off young Komachi.

However, at this moment...it is a little unbelievable that the father in front of me actually knew about this matter so early.

Without waiting for Hachiman's response, Shiroichiro spoke again:

"This store will probably be closed for... two or three years, but for such a big thing, I still have to apologize to the regular customers in advance."

"You should apologize."

His thoughts were interrupted by these sudden words, and for a moment Hachiman's mind seemed to go dark.

"Wait? What did you just say? Close the store?"

"Yes, I know what you want to ask. As for the reason, of course it's because my foreign partners invited me to cooperate with them, so I agreed."

After all, he has never experienced a store closing since he was a child, and Hachiman has never thought about such a situation. But if this is the case...what should he and Komachi do?

As Hachiman's father, Joichiro was able to see through his thoughts quickly: "Hachiman, Komachi, don't worry. You should think more about yourself."

"You know... As a chef, there is always room for learning. Even I would not refuse an opportunity to learn, so I made such a temporary decision."

"And it's time for you...to set off."

"As my son, no matter how little others know about you, I will never be wrong about your career as a chef. Hachiman... you are very capable, but you just lack some experience."

"Let's go. Next, just like before, walk in front of Komachi. I believe that after Komachi graduates, she will follow you there. After all... you are my older brother."

Because it is very important, and because I don’t want to lose it, I have been pretending to hide it, turning a blind eye, and disguising everything in front of me. Everyone is lying, everyone is trying their best to maintain the status quo, but...the person who loves to lie the most is me.

However, they did not expect that their father would suddenly say such words seriously, and they did not expect that Shiroichiro had been paying attention to them all along.

Yes, it's time to set off.

Chapter 9: The Legendary Girl with the Divine Tongue

After briefly saying goodbye to Komachi and his father, Hachiman quickly embarked on his journey.

Although he was going to a new school, at this time, he could only be a transfer student. Needless to say, making friends was extremely difficult for Hachiman.

However, after all, she heard that it was a school with many talented chefs, so Komachi immediately became excited and said that after graduation she must come to this legendary school to compete with everyone.

Before leaving, Komachi continued to perform steadily. As the world's number one invincible and lovely sister, she gave a big hug. As a father, after seeing that his son was about to embark on this journey, he just smiled with relief and left a message:

"Hachiman, as a chef, the fastest way to improve your cooking skills is to meet someone who makes you want to dedicate all your dishes to her."

"Yes Yes Yes..."

...

After a long journey, Hachiman finally arrived in Tokyo alone, but it was not quite what he had imagined. The school in front of him was not in a bustling urban area, but instead was located in a mountainous area.

Even so, there were still many bodyguards and young masters around the school gate. For a moment, Hachiman even had to wonder if Shiroichiro had given him a wrong address. After all, this was very consistent with his completely unreliable father.

"Dudududu..."

"What's wrong, Hachiman?" The voice of Shiroichiro soon came from the other end of the phone.

"I say, did you give me the wrong address? Why are other students accompanied by butlers and bodyguards?" Although Hachiman wanted to accept all of this, no matter how he looked at it, this didn't look like a school at all. Instead, it looked like some kind of...special place.

Joichiro: "Huh? I forgot to tell you, the place you are going to is the top culinary school in Japan. It's a super elite school with a graduation rate of less than 10%."

Hachiman: "Huh? Are you going to let me, who's not even a chef, compete with those monsters in there for that 10% graduation rate?"

Joichiro: "Come on, Hachiman."

"Beep, beep, beep..." The phone was disconnected again, obviously it had been hung up, and Hachiman once again felt that Shiroichiro was an unreliable guy.

Not to mention that he is currently abroad. If he cannot pass the test of this school, then he will be penniless and not only will he not be able to survive, but it is also very likely that he will drag down Komachi who is still studying.

At this point, Hachiman no longer has any way out. Although he doesn't know how his father got him into this school, the current problem is how to pass the entrance examination for transfer students.

Seeing such a huge scene outside the school, Hachiman was a little bit unbelievable. But after entering the school, he realized that what he had just seen was just the tip of the iceberg.

Every day, in this school called "Totsuki", there are so many people who want to join it, and judging from their clothes, words and behaviors, they are probably chefs from restaurants all over the world.

Hachiman did not talk to anyone, as this was not his forte. He just walked along the school road, slowly figuring out what kind of place this was from the words of the people around him.

Perhaps because he was used to arriving early, Hachiman had already arrived at the entrance examination venue very early. However, after entering the room, he could hear noisy discussions.

"Hey... today's judge won't be her..."

"It's actually her. It's over. I'm so unlucky..."

"Forget it, forget it. Let's come back in a few days. It is said that she is the strictest among the judges of Totsuki Academy."