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

235 Where did this stray cat come from?

The red bean rice for dinner was delicious, but Hachiman wasn't in a very happy mood.

Upon learning that he had to work this Friday night... no, to be precise, attend one of those high-society parties, he searched through his entire wardrobe and found that he didn't have a single outfit he could wear.

"How many printed T-shirts did I buy when I was in elementary school...?"

Looking at the dazzling array of anime character print T-shirts on his bed, Hachiman fell into deep thought.

That's not all. The necklines of these T-shirts are all wrinkled and a bit yellowed. The hems are so wrinkled that they look like rags. You can tell at a glance that they've been worn for a long time but the wearer is reluctant to throw them away.

"These clothes are simply impossible to wear out."

Hikigaya sighed.

During his junior high school years, he fantasized about sweet romance, so he prepared one or two sets of victory outfits to use on dates. However, during his elementary school years, he didn't care about dressing up at all, and he would wear his clothes until they were worn out before buying new ones.

If he grows a little bigger, he can even shamelessly ask his father for a suit. The father and son are similar in size, so they can go out with just a little adjustment.

It's a pity that Hachiman is now a bright and lovely third-grade elementary school student.

It's not that printed T-shirts are bad-looking, but how should I put it, wearing a T-shirt with a Kamen Rider pattern to a formal banquet is just embarrassing to think about!

No, in the end, do we really need to care about what other people think?

Aren't there plenty of otaku on the street who brazenly wear 18+ manga T-shirts and run around everywhere? If that's the case, I'm sure everyone here can understand why I would wear a Kamen Rider outfit to a banquet, right?

after all.

He's just a naive elementary school student.

Unfortunately, this rebellious thought lasted only a second before being rejected by Hachiman's rationality.

It wasn't about dressing up; it was simply that she didn't want her fellow enthusiast, Saito Ichigo, to lose face. As Ai-san's replacement, her every move on Friday would affect Strawberry Pro's reputation.

If you've taken the money, you have to do your job properly. You should slack off when you can and work hard when you need to. This is the code of conduct for a qualified corporate slave.

"I remember there were suits specifically for children, right?"

Hachiman checked on his phone and found that there were indeed children's suits for sale on the second-hand market. However, after looking around, he found that the clothes were all very expensive and beyond his current means.

After much thought, Hachiman realized that agonizing over clothing choices was a waste of time, and finally decided to wear a classic combination of a plain white T-shirt and black pants on Friday.

The next morning, he arrived at the classroom early.

As usual, after entering the room, Hachiman found a group of girls surrounding his seat. He deliberately waited at the door for a few minutes, but when he returned, the crowd still hadn't dispersed.

The school bell was about to ring, and Hachiman sighed. He went over to disperse the crowd, but when he got there, he found that everyone's face was shrouded in gloom.

"Ah, it's Hachiman Hikigaya-kun, good morning."

When Banai greeted Anzu listlessly, her eyes were sunken and her face looked haggard, as if she hadn't slept well all night.

"Oh, good morning."

Sensing something amiss, Hachiman quickly scanned his surroundings. The others didn't look as haggard, but their eyes revealed a hint of worry.

"Um, judging from your expressions, something must have happened."

Seemingly waiting for him to speak, Yana suddenly reached out and grabbed Hachiman's arm, then said anxiously:

"Hachiman, I know this sounds unbelievable, but I can assure you I'm not lying. You have to believe me!"

Those little hands were soft and warm, and Hachiman was surprisingly close to Anna, so close that he could kiss her if he moved just a few centimeters more. This caused Hachiman to not hear what Anna had just said at all.

"...I understand, I understand, I'll believe you. Anyway, please calm down, Hanami-kun!"

His sluggish reflexes finally caught up, and Hachiman regained control of his body, then withdrew his right hand at lightning speed.

Feeling the lingering sensation on his skin, his mood suddenly became somewhat complicated.

Damn it, you're supposed to be a lone wolf, don't let yourself be defeated so easily!

"Ah, I'm sorry."

Realizing her mistake, Anna lowered her head heavily, her shoulders slumped, like a puppy that had done something wrong.

"No, I wasn't blaming you." Hachiman sighed regretfully. "So, have you calmed down? What exactly happened just now?"

"Yes, yesterday..."

Anzu Hanami recounted what had happened last night.

After school, Yamada Ryo, Nishimiya Shoko, and Nijika went to Hanami Anna's house to play as agreed. Since there were no parents to keep them company, the four of them played until very late before going home.

Nothing happened during this time; everyone had a great time and made plans to come again next time.

Around nine o'clock, Yamada Ryo's parents drove over and took the other two back to their respective homes. After everyone left, strange things began to happen.

After tidying up the living room, just as she was about to wash up, Hanami Anna suddenly heard footsteps outside.

Their house wasn't well soundproofed, so Anna was startled. She knew all the neighbors had moved away, so there shouldn't be anyone around at that time.

Was it a passerby who happened to be walking by, or was a homeless person planning to rest near her house?

Such a thought flashed through Anna's mind. She carefully hid her body behind the wall, pulled open the living room curtains with one hand, and glanced to the side as much as possible to check the view outside the window.

Unfortunately, everything outside was calm and normal, and nothing could be seen. After silently checking for thirty seconds, just when Anna thought she had misheard, a strange black shadow suddenly darted into her field of vision.

The poor little girl was so frightened that she ran straight into her room, but the next moment, she heard a clear meow.

"Meow~"

What? It's a cat.

Realizing it was a misunderstanding, Banai saw that Anzu had lowered her guard again. After Anzu finished washing up in the bathroom, she was overcome with drowsiness. As the girl groggily climbed into bed, she prepared to say goodbye to the day with a pre-recorded fairy tale.

outside the house.

Then came another rustling sound.

What a naughty cat, not letting her sleep in peace!

Banai saw Anzu roll off the bed, ready to teach that cunning cat a lesson.

236 An Unexpected Accident

Following the sound, Anna quickly arrived at the door. By then, the meowing had stopped, and she wasn't sure if the cat was still outside or had simply left.

After thinking it over, and considering that she was home alone and it was late at night, Anna wisely chose not to open the door and instead returned to her room along the same route.

"Don't meow, little kitty."

She was trying to talk to the cat outside, but there was no sound from outside. Hanami Anna took it as the cat understanding her meaning.

"Okay, good that you know. I'm going to sleep now."

As she burrowed into the covers, Anna began to prepare to rest. However, before she could fully relax, the sounds of various tools hitting the ground echoed outside again.

Anna was instantly terrified and broke out in a cold sweat. She pulled the blanket over her head, but she still couldn't stop the scenes in movies where the heroine was trapped in a secret room and then attacked by bad guys from flashing through her mind.

Fortunately, the noises didn't last long, but even so, Anna was completely wide awake. She quickly called her parents and tearfully recounted her experience.

Hanami's parents could only comfort her by saying that they would send relatives over to see what was going on the next morning. However, Hanami Anna was so scared that she couldn't sleep. In order to give her daughter as much reassurance as possible, the phone call continued until dawn.

The poor girl only managed to doze off groggily when the sun rose.

As soon as she arrived at school in the morning, she told Hongxia and the others about the strange things that happened the night before. They all agreed that the Banami family had been burgled.

Is anything missing from the house?

Hachiman also suspected a thief was on the loose, so he went in that direction to ask around. Anna shook her head, her blue hair swaying from side to side behind her.

"Well, anyway, it's not in the living room or other rooms. I've also checked Mom and Dad's room, so no one should have come in, right?"

Because she was not familiar with the location of her valuables and was also frightened, Anna Hanami was actually unable to determine whether anything important had been lost from her home.

However, the general layout of the house remained unchanged, and there were no particularly noticeable footprints in the room, which is why Anna Hanami concluded that nothing had been stolen.

"Hachiman, should we call the police?" Nijika suggested. "Anna lives alone. It would be too dangerous if a thief broke in."

"Ah."

Hikigaya nodded thoughtfully.

Calling the police is the choice everyone would make, but he feels that calling the police now is not very effective.

First of all, Anzu Hanami couldn't even prove that her house had been burglarized, so even if the police came to investigate, it would be difficult to file a case.

In this situation, the police will at most check the surveillance footage, ask about the surrounding conditions, and then tell the person who reported the incident to go home and wait for news.

According to Hikigaya, the best solution now is to call the police and ask the adults around him for help to see if Anna Hanami can stay somewhere else for a while, at least to ensure her personal safety.

"Hanami-kun, did your relatives come over this morning?"

"Well, they came over, took a look, and then went back."

"It seems you don't really want to talk about relatives," Anna replied softly.

"What did your parents say?"

"My parents said I can stay at my uncle and aunt's house for a few days..."

Clearly, Anzu was somewhat resistant to living under someone else's roof. A day or two wouldn't matter, but it would be at least three weeks before her parents returned.

Observing the other person's reluctant expression, Hachiman tried asking a question:

"Well, it's a bit dangerous to go back now, Banami-kun. How about we talk to the teacher first... Also, besides your own house, do you have anywhere else to stay?"

"Hmm, not for now."

But compared to his own safety, Hachiman felt that it was no big deal to trouble others a little.

"Could it be that Xingcai misheard?"

Seeing the somewhat heavy atmosphere, Nishimiya Shoko comforted her with her notebook.

Regardless of whether there were actually thieves around, it was necessary to change residences now. Hikigaya explained this to Anna Yagami, who reluctantly agreed.

After discussing it further, the group decided to go to the homeroom teacher's office for help after the first period.

After listening to everyone's descriptions, Yatsushiro Gakuyoshi replied emphatically:

"Hachiman, your judgment is absolutely correct. Although we don't know yet whether Hanami's house has been burgled, in this situation, protecting her personal safety is the most important thing."

"...What about the police?"

Just as Hikigaya was about to mention calling the police, he was interrupted by Yashiro Manabu.

"Let's wait with the police for now. We're not sure what happened yet, and Banami's parents haven't considered calling the police either. They probably have their own reasons."

Sigh, aren't you going to call the police?

Hachiman was somewhat confused by Yashiro's actions, but not entirely unable to understand them. After all, calling the police would make the matter very complicated, and resolving it privately was naturally the best option.

After saying this, Yashiro Gaku turned to Hanami Anna: "Hana-chan, I will discuss this matter with your parents again and see if they can come back as soon as possible."

"Please, Mr. Yashiro."

Seeing Anja weakly lower her eyes, I realized that she also hoped her parents could return as soon as possible, but due to work, it would likely be difficult.

"Also, just like Hachiman said before, don't go home for a while. I remember your parents mentioned last time that there are relatives living nearby, right?"

"Yes, yes."

"Apricot Sauce, why don't you come stay at my place for a few days?"

Seeing that Anna was hesitant, Nijika suddenly spoke up.

"Um, is that alright? Nijika-chan, doesn't your older sister still have exams to prepare for?"

"As long as we keep quiet, it should be okay, right?"

After thinking for a moment, Bana saw Anja shake her head: "...Thank you, Nijika-chan, but I think I'll pass. I'll talk to my parents about it when I get home tonight."

"OK then."

Everyone else suggested that Anna Hanami stay for a few days. Feeling the support of her companions, Anna Hanami's upset mood gradually improved.

"Hanami, you have a great group of companions."

Seeing this, Yashiro Manabu couldn't help but smile gently, and then continued:

"I understand your desire not to trouble others, but there will always be times in life when you need to trouble others. If you keep refusing others, it will only make those who care about you more disappointed."

Upon hearing this, Hachiman narrowed his eyes.