The azure sea, but a lonely, fulfilled life.

Hachiman stared blankly at the sea, then lay down and gazed at the vast sky on the other side of the sea, which was rumored to be the other side. The setting sun was like fire, and just looking at it made him feel thirsty. At times like this, he wished he had a bottle of ice-cold soda.

"What are you doing here, Hachiman?"

A clear female voice echoed behind Hachiman, carrying his longing, as a slender figure shielded him from the scorching sun's judgment.

Hachiman slightly raised his head, and the girl he had seen a few days ago was standing beside him.

Her casual attire today—a simple black T-shirt and light blue cropped jeans—was enough to make her a stunning sight.

Ochiai Sengen, clutching her shopping bag, looked at the silent boy staring at her with a puzzled expression.

She went shopping at a nearby store today because she had run out of sauces. On her way home, she saw the other person sitting there alone. Remembering that she should express her gratitude to the other person a few days ago, she went over to them.

But the other person doesn't seem to be in a good mood right now, so isn't it a bit presumptuous of her to bother them like this?

"I was just bored and came here to look at the sea. Why would Luohe come here?"

Even the rather oblivious Ochiai Sen could clearly sense the gap between Jun and her classmates, that he was intentionally distancing himself from her. So, she silently walked to a place some distance away from Hachiman, clutching her shopping bag, and squatted down, lost in thought, muttering to herself, "I was really too presumptuous. Someone like me is only fit to grow old alone, never making a single friend in my entire life."

These discouraging words inexplicably added to Hachiman's already bad mood, making him feel even more guilty and speechless.

Isn't this girl a bit too insecure? She could easily be a beautiful girl with just a little dressing up, but because she's too gloomy, she has no popularity at school.

He had heard that there was a freshman in the literature department with a strange personality who didn't like others getting close. Someone tried to chat with her under the guise of making friends, but the girl stuttered, banged her head on the table, and even bled from the corner of her mouth.

He must have bitten his tongue from being too nervous, you idiot, gloomy JD.

Hachiman sighed. His peaceful life was bound to be disrupted eventually. He stood up and slowly walked towards Ochiai Sengoku, looking at the cans of soda in the other's shopping bag, and began to speak.

"Is there any water? I'm a little thirsty."

"Give."

Hachiman reluctantly accepted the soda can offered to him by both hands and sat down next to her.

Ochiai Sengen shifted uncomfortably to the side, but under his gaze, he remained frozen in place, obedient like a large rag doll.

Hachiman pulled the tab open and handed it to the girl: "Drink more water in this hot weather, your lips are all chapped."

Ochiai Sengen took it in a daze, muttering something that no one could hear.

She had originally planned to go back and read comics while drinking soda.

Handing him another can of soda water that she had originally planned to save for later, Ochiai Sengen mustered her courage and said.

"Thank you for what happened that day. I thought about it carefully when I got home, and it's true, as Hikigaya-kun said, I don't think I really like him that much."

Under his persuasion that day, she spent three quiet days. To her surprise, Ochiai Senen found that apart from feeling a little heartbroken on the first day, she was completely unaffected in the following days. Even when she saw him in person, she didn't feel uncomfortable at all. Just as Hikigaya-kun said, she seemed to be just too surprised that day, surprised that someone like her would actually be talked to.

"Really? That would be great."

Hachiman sipped his soda and said leisurely, but then he thought about it and felt something was off. Why did he seem to be gloating?

No, he's trying to prevent an ignorant girl from going down a path of no return. He's doing a good deed, and he could be called a bodhisattva!

"Um, I'm not gloating."

"I know."

Ochiai Sengen looked at the sea and said calmly.

"I could tell that Hikigaya-kun was genuinely thinking of me back then; eyes don't lie."

"You actually know how to read eyes?"

What can he see with those dead fish eyes? The resentment of a salted fish that can't turn its life around?

"As the saying goes, the eyes are the windows to the soul. The look in your eyes when you looked at me back then revealed an anxiety that you yourself might not have even realized. It was a genuine expression of your feelings. When someone truly cares about another person, it's not because they know what that person has been through that they worry about them, but because they worry about that person as a person after they've been through those things."

"...Are you trying to comfort me? Because I'm in a bad mood right now?"

"um, yes."

The girl's voice was ethereal, and her cheeks flushed as she realized she had said some bold things, revealing a delicate pink hue. She clenched her fists again, doing the same thing she had done on the rooftop before.

“Keep going!”

Hachiman looked at her, unsure of what to say. He held out his soda can to the girl and, to her astonishment, clinked glasses with hers.

"Instead of cheering me on, why don't you cheer yourself on first and find more good friends, Shan Yan?"

Upon hearing his words, Ochiai Sengen was stunned.

Did Hachiman call my name just now?

"Don't you like it? I can change it back."

“No need!” she shouted, her eyes darting away. “Does this mean we’re friends, Hachiman?”

Hachiman nodded, his tone gentle: "You can call me by my name as well."

Ochiai Sengen's lips curled up slightly, revealing a serene smile.

That's great, she has a friend now!

……

After Ochiai Sen left, Hachiman stayed on the embankment alone for a while until dusk. He finished the soda water in the jar and got up to leave.

He turned his head and stopped in his tracks.

At the end of the aisle, across from him, a young girl stood quietly, holding two bottles of low-alcohol beer, which she hid behind her back when he looked over.

"Furote River."

Hachiman called out her name and quickly walked to her side.

"Why are you here?"

"Just taking a casual stroll," the girl said casually, turning around and placing her hands in front of her, revealing sunburn marks on the back of her neck from direct sunlight. "I didn't expect to run into you here."

Hachiman listened to her obviously lying words but did not expose her. Instead, he recalled the look in her eyes when they looked at each other earlier.

"At this time, everyone is in the shop. Sister should have finished cooking by now. Let's go back."

The girl's last three words were spoken so softly that, if one did not listen carefully, one might mistake them for the whispers of the wind.

Hachiman lowered his head, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke.

"Is there any water? I'm a little thirsty."

His words came with the wind, and her smile shone brightly when the wind stopped.

"Only beer."

"...That would be perfect."

Chapter Twenty: Even Embracing Misfortune, We Must Touch the Future

"We're back."

As the sun set, the two entered [Grand Blue]. Looking at the empty store, Hachiman was puzzled. Wasn't everyone supposed to be in the store? Why was there no one here? He looked at Kotegawa Chisa, only to see that she also had a puzzled expression.

This situation seems a bit familiar.

Hachiman remembered how every year when he celebrated Komachi's birthday, his parents and he would first find some excuse to send Komachi away, and then the whole family would hide in a dark corner with gifts, waiting for Komachi to come back before suddenly jumping out to give her a surprise.

The situation is exactly the same as it is now. Could it be that today is Kotegawa's birthday?

If that's the case, then that would be terrible, since he didn't prepare any gifts.

Hachiman was immediately embarrassed. Could he request to turn back time and go back ten minutes?

"What happened? Where did my sister Iori and the others go?"

Chisa Kotegawa looked around with a belly full of questions. Not only was her sister not there, but Iori and Kohei were also nowhere to be found. She immediately had a bad feeling.

This feeling of déjà vu? Could it be that today is Hachiman's birthday?

No way, she didn't prepare a birthday present!

Without either of them noticing, they glanced at each other.

If today really is Chisa's birthday, wouldn't that be the end of us?

"Hey, you idiot Kohei, you kicked my butt."

"It's your fault for squeezing in with me. There's so much space around us, why did you have to squeeze into one place with me?"

From behind the sofa came the sound of two idiots gritting their teeth.

"Don't speak so loudly! Someone will hear you!"

"You seem to speak louder!"

Silently, Hachiman walked to the sofa, looking down at Iori and Kohei, who were wrestling like two maggots, and asked wearily.

"What are you doing?"

Upon hearing his voice, the two froze, turned around to look at him blankly, and then burst into a deafening scream!

"It's all your fault, we got caught!"

"It was clearly your loud voice that gave you away!"

As the two roared, the lights in the store suddenly brightened, and the figures of everyone appeared inside. Nanaka looked at the two who were blaming each other and tried to dissuade them in a gentle tone.

"Don't fight, don't fight."

"What exactly happened, sister?"

Chisa Kotegawa walked up to Nanaka Kotegawa and asked in a low voice.

Nanaka looked at her gently, then turned to look at Hachiman, took a lucky bag from her pocket, walked to his side, and handed it to him.

Iori and Kohei also stood up and hurriedly ran to the backyard to take out the banner they had prepared.

Hachiman stared blankly as the two of them unfurled the banner, then froze when he noticed the words written on it.

"How about it? I wrote it myself, not bad, right?"

Kitahara Iori said smugly.

"Um, well, it's fine."

Hachiman stared at a certain spot and said, pretending to be nonchalant.

How can he explain to him that he misspelled his name?

Forget it, it's best to pretend you don't know anything at this point.

"So what exactly happened?"

The banner clearly indicated that he was the source of this farce, but he couldn't understand what "Welcome to 'Grand Blue'" meant, since he had already moved in.

"It's a belated welcome ceremony for new students!" Shinji Tokita said, holding a string of beer bottles hanging together and giving a thumbs up. "I chilled them in the sea!"

No, nobody wants to ask that.

"Wasn't the freshman welcome ceremony already held?"

The painful experience at that party is still unforgettable for him. Since that day, he has never dared to look directly at oolong tea.

“That was a welcome party, while this is a welcoming ceremony.” Kotobuki Ryujiro shook his head, indicating that the two were different.

"What's the difference? Aren't you drinking this time?"

That's impossible, considering that a senior colleague just brought out the beer.

“Sure,” Shinji Tokita said.

real or fake?

Hachiman looked at the two with suspicion, and was greatly shocked to see that they had actually put the beer back in the refrigerator.

Am I dreaming today? Why does everything seem so strange going on these days?

"Today is a welcome ceremony just for you, Hachiman. You're in charge," the shopkeeper said cheerfully.

"I'm starting to get a little confused."

Hachiman looked at Chisa, wanting to ask her for an explanation.

"What the hell is going on here?"

"I am not sure as well."