Crossover anime, Hachiman's childhood friend's growth diary

Uh, it's just saying goodbye to friends or something...

Hachiman felt as if he had bumped into a thick wall, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't cause any damage to it.

Unable to come up with a feasible solution after much searching, and with the weather getting hotter, Hachiman gradually became irritable on the sofa.

After pondering for a while longer, Hachiman listlessly climbed to the second floor, shouting loudly:

"All-powerful Komachi A-Meng, come help your older brother!"

164 Farewell Gifts

"...Sigh, how should I say goodbye to a friend?"

In the bedroom, when she heard the question, Komachi didn't show too much surprise. Instead, she carefully examined Hachiman's face, as if trying to glean something from his expression.

"What?" Feeling a little guilty from being stared at, Hachiman instinctively looked away. "Is there something on my face?"

"Onii-chan, your dead fish eyes seem to have gotten worse, and they look like they're about to rot."

"what?"

Completely baffled as to what his eyes had to do with the current topic, Hachiman coughed and cleared his throat.

"Ahem, Komachi, can we talk about the eyes later?"

"Okay." Komachi nodded slightly. "But it's still strange, Onii-chan. I'm wondering what went wrong when you've been behaving so well these past few days?"

"Why does it have to be based on the premise that I have a problem?!"

Komachi's furrowed brows were somewhat cute, but Hachiman couldn't be happy at all after hearing her words.

"If it's not Onii-chan's fault, is it Nijika-neechan and the others' problem?"

"Wait a minute, what does this have to do with Ijichi and the others?!"

Upon hearing this, Komachi's expression gradually became strange. She held her chin up, looking completely bewildered.

"If it's not Sister Hongxia, then who could it be?"

"...Never mind, I'll think about it myself again."

Hikigaya shook his head in frustration and prepared to return to his bedroom, but at that moment, Komachi, who had been suspicious all along, finally offered a brilliant suggestion.

"Onii-chan, how about we give her a gift? In my experience, girls love gifts, and receiving one makes them happy."

"A gift..."

While there are many debatable points in Komachi's conclusions, such as the statement that "girls all like gifts," this is a huge mistake!

The evidence comes from his own experience. When he was in junior high school, Hachiman gave a girl a gift, but she responded with a forced smile and a forced "thank you."

However, putting all that aside, anyone would be much happier after receiving a suitable gift, and Hachiman is no exception.

So, when exactly will we receive the special chocolate made by Komachi herself?

"Hmm, why do I have a strange feeling? Maybe the air conditioning is set too low?"

Komachi shivered and touched her shoulder, then took out the remote control and turned up the temperature of the bedroom air conditioner.

On the other side, Hachiman forced a helpless smile.

"Komachi, your suggestion was excellent, it was a huge help!"

Just as Hachiman was about to go back to his room to think about what gift to buy for Nishimiya Shoko, Komachi suddenly blocked his way:

"stop!"

"Ugh?"

"Komachi has the right to know, so Onii-chan, tell me quickly, who is leaving!"

"No, when did I say anyone was leaving... Wait a minute, Komachi, were you deliberately trying to mislead me just now?"

Hachiman, realizing what was happening, stared with his mouth slightly agape.

Komachi has been very smart since she was a child, and because she spends so much time with Jumachi, she can always sense some of Jumachi's thoughts.

Because he didn't want to reveal Nishimiya Shoko's transfer plans yet, Hikigaya quickly made up an excuse and spent a long time managing to fool Komachi.

"So, is it a student from the next class who wants to transfer schools?"

"Ah, um."

"Ok."

Komachi waved her hand dismissively, roughly meaning that Hachiman could leave as soon as possible.

Only after receiving these instructions did he feel relieved enough to leave the room.

Back in his bedroom, Hachiman opened his drawer and counted the pocket money he had saved up over the past few days.

I calculated that it would only cost about 1000 yen. To be honest, that amount of money isn't even enough to buy some snacks, let alone a nice gift.

Tsk, should we go and raid Old Deng's gold coins?

Hikigaya turned his gaze to his parents' room.

But he quickly dismissed the idea.

Of course, this wasn't because Hikigaya was particularly kind; it was simply because his mother had recently discovered his father's secret stash of money, and he hadn't even been able to afford to buy alcohol lately.

Damn it, do I have to go and get a job?

But honestly, where in Hachiman can you find a heartless boss who would accept a third-grade elementary school student as a child laborer?

After much deliberation, Hikigaya decisively abandoned the idea of ​​having one person pay for the gift.

He was the only one who knew for sure that Nishimiya Shoko was leaving, so he was wondering whether to let Nijika and Nagasaki Motoyo know the news as well, since the two of them were the closest friends to Nishimiya Shoko.

Then, on Monday of the following week, during the lunch break, Hikigaya called Nagasaki Motoyo and Nijika directly to the cafeteria.

"Is there something you need from us, Hachiman?"

"Ahem, there's something I need to discuss with you."

Before calling the two out, Hikigaya hadn't decided whether to tell them about Nishimiya Shoko's transfer. It wasn't about money, but whether Nishimiya Shoko herself could accept it.

Hachiman had never made any friends, so in that respect, he was practically a blank slate.

Even so, he could understand Nishimiya Shoko's feelings, not to mention that she was a giving person at heart, and probably didn't want to trouble others with her own affairs, which was why she had been holding back and not speaking up.

"Is it something important?"

Nagasaki Motoyo seemed to have sensed something from Hikigaya's expression, and a hint of concern appeared in her eyes. If it was something important, then she must cherish this opportunity.

After all, since they met, it has always been Hikigaya who has been making all the effort, so he should do something in return.

"Yes, it's very important... but before that, can you promise me one thing?"

"Ok!"

"Don't tell anyone else, especially Nishimiya!"

"Oh, why?"

At first, the two were a little confused, but after Hikigaya explained it clearly, they understood why they couldn't tell Nishimiya Shoko.

"What? Shoko-chan is transferring schools?"

"Ah."

Hachiman gestured slightly for silence, glanced around to make sure no students were paying attention, and then continued:

"This matter is probably only known to the three of us and the school teachers, but Nishimiya will probably tell everyone after the final exams."

165. What are the definitions of "ordinary" and "taken for granted"?

"how so..."

Upon hearing the news that Nishimiya Shoko was leaving, Nijika's mood was noticeably downcast.

Although she had many good friends at school, Nishimiya Shoko was the one she was closest to.

Similarly, Nagasaki Motoyo also exuded a sense of disappointment, but compared to the dejected Nijika, she was in much better spirits.

She absentmindedly rubbed her fingertips together, paused for a moment, and then said with some sadness:

"I heard that when Shoko first came to our school, she seemed very uncomfortable. Even now, people in our class still occasionally make fun of her."

Is there any way to preserve the glass sauce?

Nijigasaki looked at Hachiman, who shook his head helplessly.

"It seems that applying to transfer schools was a decision that Nishimiya's family had already made, and it might not be a good thing for us to interfere without their consent."

In the eyes of ordinary people, there is a clear dividing line between normal and abnormal, but for the children of Haneoka Elementary School, Nishimiya Shoko is clearly someone who exists outside that dividing line.

The most direct evidence is that, apart from Nijika, the relationships between the classmates and Nishimiya Shoko remain unchanged, as if everything is still stuck on the day their homeroom teacher, Takeuchi, was dismissed.

Realizing the atmosphere was somewhat tense, Hachiman cleared his throat and offered a suggestion:

"...Let's get back to the main topic. Since Nishimiya is about to transfer schools, we should take action as well."

"action?"

Hearing him say that, both Hongxia and Nagasaki Motoyo began to think about it seriously.

"Well, I have a suggestion... Of course, you can interrupt me at any time if you feel it's inappropriate, after all, this is just my personal idea."

He had put on a layer of armor beforehand, hesitated for a second, and then slowly said that he planned to give Nishimiya Shoko a gift after the final exams.

"Send a Gift?"

"um, yes."

Hachiman blinked, carefully observing the two's reactions. After everyone fell silent, he silently ruled out the option of giving a gift.

"I understand, then let's choose another one..."

"No, no, that's not what I meant. Actually, giving gifts is a good idea. Oh... then we need to pick out a suitable gift."

Hongxia quickly waved her hand.

"Let me state this in advance: I hope you will not compromise your opinion."

"I'm sorry, Hachiman, I don't know what to do either."

Admitting her incompetence, Nagasaki Motoyo lowered her head, her brown hair obscuring her uneasy expression.

In terms of the number of friends, she and Hachiman are both forgotten outsiders, so even if she racks her brains, she still can't come up with any effective suggestions in such an important place.

"It's okay, I'm pretty much the same in this respect. Sigh, I never thought I'd ever envy someone who's successful in a new way."

With a wry smile, Hachiman, equally overwhelmed, offered a word of comfort in despair, which made the only "socially savvy" girl present sigh with deep frustration.

"Seriously, you two, please pull yourselves together!"

"I'm sorry." Hachiman forced a smile. "Besides giving a gift, does Ijichi-san have any other ideas?"

"Hachiman, when did I ever say that giving gifts is bad?"

Upon seeing this, Hachiman immediately put on a surprised expression, as if to say, "What? You don't mean that?"

"Ahem, giving gifts is no problem, but my advice is that you must choose something that Shoko-chan truly likes!"

"You're right."

Hachiman agreed, but soon found himself troubled again.

"Speaking of which, do you know what Nishimiya was particularly concerned about before?"

The room fell silent immediately after these words were spoken.

Of course, this doesn't mean that Nishimiya Shoko doesn't care about her preferences; it's just that she hasn't shown a strong desire for any particular item, or perhaps she's too afraid to express it.

Hikigaya personally leans more towards the second possibility.

Nishimiya Shoko comes from a very poor family. She was abandoned by her father when she was very young and has to rely on her mother and grandmother. She also suffers from severe hearing impairment and is often bullied at school.

In this situation, Nishimiya Shoko would most likely become a follower and dare not express her own original thoughts.

While Hikigaya was pondering, Nijika and Nagasaki Motoyo had already put forward their own opinions.

"How about buying some desserts? I remember during the midterm exams, Shoko-chan mentioned that she preferred strawberry cake, right?"