Hikigaya, the Son-in-law of Three Surnames

Yumiko sat silently on the bed, and Hachiman came over with a bottle of bone-setting medicine and a roll of bandages. Looking at her this way, it seemed as if she was the person he was familiar with.

"Take off your shoes," said Hachiman.

Yumiko was silent for a moment, then said, "This isn't the first time you've helped me take off my shoes, so why are you being so polite now?"

Hachiman paused. Originally he had been trying to avoid getting involved with the other party's past, but he had no way of replying to what the other party said.

He squatted down and untied his navy blue sneakers and yellow socks, revealing his tender and delicate feet. One could even see the light blue veins through the skin. Hachiman's hand touched it gently, and Yumiko seemed to be stimulated. She closed her eyes and trembled slightly, feeling a strange sense of being violated.

"Don't be so nervous." Hachiman whispered, then gently touched his ankle. It was obviously swollen, with a lavender lump, which was more serious than he had imagined.

"Fortunately, no bones are broken. You just need to rest for two days. I will help you apply bone-correcting water now." Hachiman said.

But Yumiko remained silent and did not answer, just looked at Hachiman with her eyes. Her mind was full of memories of when she came home drunk. At that time, Hachiman would personally help her take off her shoes, and then massage her feet, saying that it could help her sober up. Yumiko was half-believing and half-doubting, and kept saying that he had bad intentions, and then she would continue to pester him to tell stories while drunk.

She also knows that she has a strong personality and usually has psychological burdens that make it difficult for her to act coquettishly, so she likes the feeling of being drunk more and more. That's because after being drunk, she feels like someone is taking care of her and can let go of her burdens and act coquettishly.

Yumiko sniffed and couldn't help but let her tears fall.

Hachiman was silent for a while, then asked, "Does your ankle hurt?"

"It hurts so much that I can't help crying." Yumiko said in a crying voice.

"Then I'll be gentler." Hachiman said calmly, as if he really believed that Yumiko was crying because her ankle hurt.

After shedding tears, Yumiko finally burst into tears and couldn't help asking, "Hikigaya, why did you break up with me? Is it just because of the variety show?"

"Why can't we overcome this obstacle together like we did in the beginning? Even if we can't overcome it, I still have you by my side."

"Is it because I'm always mean to you? I'm not as gentle as other girls. I know I'm rude, but give me a chance to change. Tell me, why do you want to break up right away?"

No matter how Yumiko cried, Hachiman just silently wiped her wounds with medicine.

Yumiko calmed down a bit and continued, "Even if you don't want to be with me, leave Yukinoshita Haruno. She is a lunatic and will bring you to destruction sooner or later... Answer me!"

Yumiko cried bitterly.

Hachiman carefully helped her put her socks back on, then put on her shoes, and said, "Rest here for ten minutes before you can leave. By the way..."

He placed a box of smoking cessation candy beside Youmiko's bed and said, "Don't smoke so much during this period."

After saying that, he stood up and prepared to leave without saying a word.

Yumiko's emotions broke down again, and she picked up a smoking cessation candy and threw it at him, hitting him on the back.

"The man who dumped me, please stop pretending to be gentle now!"

Then, only the sound of crying remained.

Hachiman paused, walked out of the infirmary and closed the door, slowly lit a cigarette, then took out a ring from his pocket, put it on his hand, slowly walked to the elevator, sat on the tenth floor, and walked into the president's office. Yono was watching today's report on TV.

She whispered, "Have you sent Miura and the others away?"

Hachiman hummed softly, and then heard Haruno say teasingly: "I say, Hikigaya, you were jealous just now."

"What are you jealous of?" He looked puzzled.

Yang No continued to laugh: "It was that sentence that Togawa said, 'Compared to the scheming Yukinoshita Yang No, the upright and bright Miss Miura is more admirable', and then you threw wine on me. In the eyes of Miura and others, it was because Togawa said bad things about me that you fought back. However, I know you better than anyone else. You naturally wouldn't get angry or even be so rude just because someone said bad things about me..."

"Your arrogance is just a means to achieve your goal. I know this better than anyone else, but what's going on now?"

Hachiman remained silent and said nothing.

"Because you are jealous, because that sentence can also be interpreted as that Dongchuan praised Miura Yumiko in front of you, hehe."

Then Yono continued, "Hikigaya, I told you that I don't mind you looking for other women, any woman will do, but not Miura Yumiko."

Hachiman smiled and said, "Because she is the only woman who makes my heart move?"

Yang Nai frowned slightly and asked, "You're not quite right tonight."

Hachiman pressed the cigarette butt into the ashtray and said, "Yonano, let's get a divorce."

For a moment, the president's office was so quiet that even the sound of a fly could not be heard.

Yang Nai was shocked for only a moment, and then she asked calmly: "Why, for what?"

Hachiman gently rubbed the ring on his finger and said, "There's nothing much to say about the reason. I can betray you today just like I betrayed Yumiko. As for why, do you still remember the method that made me leave Yumiko and come to you?"

Yang Nai looked at him suddenly.

Hachiman continued, "Some things, when you don't have them, it's okay to give them up, but once you get them, you can't give them up for various reasons, such as interests, other people's expectations, and sense of responsibility. This was the case with Yumiko's variety show, so you took advantage of it, and it's also the case with your current position as governor, Haruno. Although you told me that you were willing to give up this term for me, that was because you hadn't participated in the election at that time. But now that you have become the governor, can you still give it up now?"

As he spoke, Hachiman threw out a stack of information from the drawer, which seemed to be the negative information for Haruno when Hachiman first came up to negotiate.

He failed then, but not now, because he is now 'perfect'.

"The more bad things I did when helping you with the election, the more negative information you cannot expose to the public. Unfortunately, all the evidence is in my hands now. But it's natural, after all, I did it myself." Hachiman said self-deprecatingly.

Yang Nai glanced at him and said, "Do you think you will be fine if this information is released?"

"I've been aware of this for a long time." He said firmly.

When he confronted Yang Nai today, he had no intention of obtaining a complete body. The worst result would be that both sides would perish together.

But Hachiman knew that she wouldn't.

Chapter 43 Chapter

Yang Nai would not choose to perish with him, because no matter what, she is a person who puts profit above all else and it is impossible for her to give up the benefits that she has already obtained.

"Hehehe, have you been waiting for this day since you came back to me from Miura?" Yang No said sarcastically.

"After all, you trained me single-handedly, and you have done me a favor and given Komachi a good future. I must repay you for this favor."

So, Hachiman helped her win the position of prefectural governor as a reward, and also used the dirty deeds he had done during the election process as a bargaining chip to get himself free.

Yang No's expression became uncertain, and finally, she smiled and said, "Well, children will eventually leave their parents one day, this is only natural."

Hachiman silently placed the wedding ring on Haruno's desk and slowly turned away.

"I say, will you go back to Miura Yumiko?" Yang No asked.

"You know I can't," Hachiman said calmly, pressing his pocket.

"That's good. As long as you don't go back to her, it doesn't matter how long you want to wander. If you get tired one day, there will always be a place for you by my side." Yang Nai said softly.

Hachiman shook his head, as if to say, never, and then he asked: "Ms. Yang No, do you know what 'kindness' is?"

Yang No answered directly: "Stupidity that can be exploited."

He laughed dumbly, then said softly: "I remember when I first met you, you were also..."

But before he could finish his words, Yang Nai's expression turned a little ferocious: "Shut up."

Hachiman sighed in his heart. Unlike himself, who seemed to be born unable to trust others, Yukinoshita Haruna was because he lost someone...

Hachiman had already hailed a taxi for the departure, but it seemed that it would take some time for the driver to arrive. He had just stepped out of the Yukinoshita Building when a gust of cold wind blew across his face like sharp knives, making him feel cold and painful. Then, crystal snowflakes floated down, sounding the prelude to a severe winter.

He looked back at the Yukinoshita Building. Here, there were not only painful memories. The smoothness of working together with Yang No, the sense of accomplishment when completing one project after another, the joy of making money, and the superiority of commanding others, all his desires for a prosperous world were placed here.

He leaned against the glass on the building's exterior, his body shaking unconsciously from the cold. A man slowly walked over and handed him a cup of coffee.

Hachiman took it, took a look at it, and couldn't help asking, "Is it poisoned?"

Ye Shan couldn't help but rolled his eyes at him: "Then don't drink."

Hachiman chuckled twice, then took a sip of hot coffee. The warm, bitter liquid went into his stomach, and the heat radiated to his limbs, warming his whole body.

"Thanks."

"Are we leaving? Where are we going this time?" Ye Shan asked.

"It doesn't matter. It's not my first time wandering. But there's somewhere I want to go." Hachiman said with a smile.

Ye Shan was silent for a moment, as if he wanted to ask something. Hachiman looked at him and said, "Don't you understand why Miss Yang No has always been in love with me and ignored you who has always been by her side?"

Ye Shan's silence deepened. This was something he couldn't let go of, even though he already had a fiancée.

"Because I will not fall in love with Yukinoshita Haruno, Hayama. I have respect, gratitude, admiration and competition for her, but I will not fall in love with her. I will not ask her to open her heart to me. There is a clear boundary between her and me, and we will not touch each other, nor will we try to cross the line, because I don't love her. In other words, I will not fall in love with anyone."

Ye Shan smiled bitterly and said, "So, the reason for my failure is because I fell in love with Miss Yang No?"

Hachiman nodded, "Because you love her, you will naturally care about her. Caring means exploring and crossing the line. You will want to understand her inner thoughts better and constantly touch the psychological defenses she has set for herself. This is not okay. People like me and Miss Haruno can only put our partners in a position where it doesn't matter if we lose them. This is also the reason why Miss Haruno is obsessed with me."

There was some complexity and pity in Ye Shan's eyes: "People like you are really troublesome."

"Who said it wasn't? That's why being single is our best path forward. Isn't it troublesome to be in love? There's no guarantee that the other person will love you forever. How can the current her make promises for the future her? Once she thinks that one day in the future the person she loves no longer loves her, the horror of just thinking about it is colder than today."

"Coward." Ye Shan spat out a word.

"Well, I'm a coward. I've never denied it." Hachiman said calmly.

"Then, what does Yumiko mean to you?" asked Ye Shan.

Slowly, a taxi stopped by the roadside, and Hachiman said, "I'm leaving, Ye Shan, maybe we won't see each other again in this life. I allow you to punch me."

Then Ye Shanzhen punched him in the face. Hachiman touched the blood on his mouth and looked at him: "How cruel! This face is the guarantee of my future livelihood."

Ye Shan continued to ask: "You haven't answered my question yet."

Hachiman paused for a moment and said, "Yumiko's courage made me think I could be saved, but unfortunately, I ran away from her out of fear."

"You finally told the truth." Ye Shan said calmly.

The threat from Haruno and the preparation of the new variety show were bullshit to Hachiman. He could have fought with Haruno to the end. As long as he stood firmly by Yumiko's side, he would have been able to find a way to solve the problem. The only reason he broke up with Yumiko was that he backed down.

The sun's rays are too dazzling, which is poisonous to the deep-sea fish in the Mariana Trench.

"Bye, Hayama." Hachiman said after getting in the car.

"Driver, please go to the airport."

The dim light disappeared little by little with the wind and snow.

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

Yumiko dragged her injured leg back to her home, looking a little embarrassed, but it was okay. Thinking about it, it was really embarrassing to give up her dignity and beg a man who had dumped her.

"Yumiko, Yumiko, you have fallen too." She said self-deprecatingly.

Just as she was trying to find medicine in the drawer, she accidentally saw the dirty ring box. She had picked it up from the stream that day and had just thrown it on the table without paying any attention to it.

She hesitated for a moment. She had no intention of opening it, but today's reunion with Hachiman made her thoughts a little confused. She picked up the ring box and slowly opened it.

On the white velvet cloth, there was originally a pair of wedding rings, but one of them was missing. She subconsciously thought that it was lost that day, but in an instant, she realized that it was not the case, but that someone had taken it away before leaving.

Why didn't she notice that the ring she saw the other person wearing today was the same style as the couple's ring she had chosen?

Yumiko picked up the phone and called Hachiman, but the number showed as unavailable.

Anxious Yumiko suddenly thought of someone and called again: "Hello, Hayato, do you know where Hikigaya went?"

There was silence for a moment. "Hikigaya-kun has left."

Then, Hayama told Yumiko what he had just talked about with Hachiman, including the real reason why Hachiman broke up with her.

After hearing this, Youmiko was in a daze for a long time, and then a wave of anger rose up, and she slammed her fist on the table: "Idiot!"

Just when she wanted to go out, her ankle still hurt. Yumiko was angry and weak. She dragged her injured foot to the balcony. Snowflakes were floating under thousands of neon lights. Yumiko kept looking at the street, as if waiting for the possibility of Hachiman coming back.

In the night sky, the cruise lights of airplanes kept flashing above her head.

On the plane, Hachiman looked out the window at the city scene which was gradually becoming smaller. He stretched out his hand, and a ring was shining on his hand.

Chapter 44 Chapter

The severe winter has melted and it is March, spring. Although it is still a little cold, but to use the words in elementary school textbooks, it is the season when all things come back to life.

Someone from the variety show department of Chiba TV ran in to announce the good news: "Good news, good news. The average viewership rating of the last episode of Sisters was 17.6%, breaking the national variety show chart. We are the champion!"

"Minister Miura, congratulations." Someone began to lead the celebration.

She is not only the youngest minister in the history of the TV station, but also the active female host who has led everyone to break the ratings.

After a round of congratulations, Youmeko, who looked increasingly calm and mature, slowly asked everyone to return to their workstations to continue working, as if she did not care too much about her own achievements, which made people look at her with new eyes.

Yumiko left the variety show department and kept accepting congratulations from others in the corridor. It can be said that she is now a famous figure in the TV station and her actual power is no less than that of the station director. Many TV stations in Tokyo have already extended olive branches to her. If she is not happy with her job at Chiba TV station, she can jump to a higher position at any time.

She came to the director's office, knocked on the door gently, and then pushed it open.

"Idiot, what's the difference between knocking on the door and coming in without confirming and not knocking at all?" the former Minister of Information, Director Xian, criticized.

"I'm just a little curious whether you are playing secretary." Yumiko said with a smile.

The station manager rolled his eyes and got back to business: "Hey, the ratings for the last episode of Sisters are out. It's awesome. We're having a celebration party tonight. I asked you before what the name of your next new variety show would be, but you were always so secretive. Now you can tell me."