The azure sea, but a lonely, fulfilled life.

Hachiman, who was lost in thought, heard Chisa's voice and saw her walking slowly while looking directly at him. His gaze then shifted to the group that had already walked some distance away.

"Have it?"

"If it weren't for me, I wouldn't have asked."

The two walked side by side, step by step. At just the right moment, the cherry blossoms on both sides of the road in front of the campus fell, their delicate fragrance wafting past their noses. He sniffed.

"It brought back some memories of my time in college."

"Eh—" Chisa put her hands behind her head and drawled out her words. She tilted her head slightly to look at him, who was only a little taller than her. "Looks like it was not a very pleasant experience."

"That's right."

Hachiman agreed with her.

"Memories that give me nightmares."

Can't you forget?

"Are you able to forget about things that make you look foolish?"

"That would be such an embarrassing situation."

Chisa's eyes darted to the upper right corner, and she recalled many embarrassing incidents from her youth. The one she remembered most vividly was when she had a conflict with her mother and made a scene, saying that she didn't want to live with her mother and only wanted her father and sister.

It's unbelievable that a casual remark she made back then has actually come true, and she doesn't seem to care much about it. Although she occasionally thinks of her mother's face, she forgets it the next day.

This can be considered a kind of luck.

"How embarrassing was it? Probably something like when we first met."

Hachiman made an analogy, saying that it was an unforgettable impression. Although he was often misunderstood by others because of his appearance, it was the first time that someone had mistaken him for someone who wanted to commit suicide. He had to admit that the other person was a kind girl.

"Oh, that time."

The scene from that night also flashed through Chisa's mind.

A person is walking on a dimly lit beach. At this moment, the flashlight malfunctions, whether due to damp batteries or some other reason. As you walk and try to fix it, you hear the sound of footsteps on the sand. This sound does not belong to you. You look up and see someone approaching you in the distance. By the faint moonlight, you can see the person's face clearly.

Ha! A giant, human-shaped salted fish!

To be honest, that moment really scared her.

Instead of attacking her, the man squatted on the beach and said things that were hard to understand, making her think that she had done something to him.

What impressed me most was the dejected words he uttered in the last part; just thinking about it brings a clear laugh to my throat.

"It was indeed a terrible and embarrassing thing."

"You understand, right?" Hachiman said, rubbing the back of his neck helplessly. "That incident was even worse."

"You really have encountered a lot of incomprehensible things," Chisa said teasingly.

He smiled and said nothing.

"Hey! You two are going to fall behind if you don't keep up."

Iori's shouts came from ahead. The two exchanged a glance, quickened their pace, and caught up with the main group.

As soon as he got close to the other person, Hachiman's neck was locked. Iori's face darkened: "You brat, are you trying to find a girlfriend?"

Why do you have this idea?

Hachiman remarked that if he wanted to find a partner, he would have done so long ago, but he didn't have that thought right now.

"I don't want to be assassinated in my sleep one day."

"Really? That's good."

Iori smiled brightly. He couldn't stand seeing his brother suffer, and he couldn't stand seeing his brother live well.

Therefore, those three feet above are gods, and those who have sworn brotherhood are brothers. They once drank and made merry together. Although they did not go through a formal worship ceremony, in his heart, Hachiman was already his brother.

Brothers should share both good times and bad, and stand together through thick and thin!

As for where the hardships came from, that's none of your business.

"The air is thick with youthful energy. I have a feeling that I might find a like-minded person of the opposite sex today, and then we'll have three children..."

Gengping raised his index finger and placed it on the center of his forehead, looking as unfathomable as a charlatan fortune teller.

Upon hearing this, the two looked at the lace-up patterned anime shirt he was wearing and shook their heads.

"No, that's impossible, don't even dream about it."

Hachiman glanced around at the tourists who were deliberately keeping their distance from them. In particular, when he noticed the purple-haired loli on Kohei's clothes, they showed shocked expressions. He knew that if this thing wanted to find a partner, the other party would either be a naive person or someone in the same industry.

His peers generally don't actively reveal their whereabouts except in places with a high concentration of anime and manga culture; at least, he didn't see many cosplayers casually walking around on the streets.

Iori sighed and comforted her companion.

"Kenping, one should not presume to obtain what is impossible. Everything in this world has a price tag attached to it. You cannot obtain items beyond what you already possess, or you will lose them sooner or later."

"It can't be that desperate..."

Kohei was shocked. Can you understand the feeling of being educated by someone even worse than himself? Suddenly, he felt as if his worldview had been insulted.

"Where did you copy that sentence from?"

Hachiman, on the other hand, was much calmer and asked the question with composure.

"I accidentally got oil on my hands while eating fried noodles. There was no paper around, so I used Uncle Toshio's newspaper, which I saw on it."

"He is truly blessed to have you as his nephew."

"I think so."

"Shamelessness is truly invincible."

Chisa murmured to herself, "I can't see my childhood friend clearly anymore. I don't remember him being like this when we were kids. Could it be that her family's shop really has some kind of magic? Does everyone who enters her shop become thick-skinned?"

"Oh, we've finally arrived!"

Shinji Tokita, who was leading the group at the front, spoke up, looking at the stall in front of him, and Hachiman couldn't help but sigh.

Have we finally arrived? He'd felt this road was inexplicably long since he started walking it; it never seemed this long before.

"Well then, I'm counting on you guys from now on, freshmen, good luck!"

After placing boxes of ingredients on the stall, the two seniors left. Judging from their cheerful smiles before parting, Hachiman knew they were definitely going to have a good drink.

Komachi is coming tomorrow. I hope they can keep their promise and disguise themselves well.

He knelt down and helped Chisa move all the seasonings to the table, then began preparing for the event.

"The frying station is a bit small, only two people can stand there. Who should go first?"

"Then Kohei and I will start, and you two can take care of the sales," Iori said.

After the first half is over, during the break in the second half, I might be able to wander around and maybe even find out what other clubs are preparing for the men's competition.

Sigh, when Chisa changed her mind, he thought it was a windfall. Turns out, this kind of thing only happens in dreams...

Why did he work so hard back then? All his efforts were in vain.

"it is good."

Hachiman responded, put on an apron, and stood next to Chisa. Tourists came and went, but not many people came to their shop.

Five minutes, ten minutes, fifteen minutes.

"Does nobody like mixed dishes anymore?"

Iori brandished the spatula, glancing at the passersby.

"Maybe it's because our place is too deserted."

Kohei said that this is the case with new stores; unless there are discounts, most people will not choose to try a newly opened store.

Should we start selling?

Hachiman looked at Chisa and asked.

"I think it might scare people, so I'd better not."

If Qian Sha opens her mouth too enthusiastically, it will only make the guests nervous.

"Let's make one first, and maybe it will be better if the smell dissipates," Hachiman suggested.

"it is good."

Iori started making okonomiyaki. After several days of practice, his technique had become much more skillful. In less than five minutes, a okonomiyaki with fried noodles was ready.

This tactic did work; before long, a customer stood at the store entrance.

"Hello, would you like to try one?"

Hachiman looked at the blue-haired girl with a beauty mark under her right eye in front of him and began to speak, mimicking the way the staff at the family restaurant spoke.

"Okay, please bring me a large portion of seafood medley."

The blue-haired girl blinked and spoke in a completely emotionless voice, as if she were a robot.

"Okay, please wait a moment."

Right after he finished speaking, Iori leaned close to him and whispered something.

How do you make a seafood medley?

"..."

Seven minutes later—

Hachiman packed the assorted omelet with shrimp and clam meat into a box, ignoring the words behind him that "all you need to do is add some seafood," and handed it to the blue-haired girl.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

The blue-haired girl took the box and prepared to leave.

“Um, this guest,” Chisa began. “You haven’t paid yet.”

At this moment, everyone present saw her movements freeze for a moment, and they couldn't help but narrow their eyes, wondering if...

"Um..." The blue-haired girl turned around and took out a bass guitar from behind her. "Can I use this to pay off the debt? If one isn't enough, I can add another."

"cold!!!"

Just after the blue-haired girl finished speaking, a roar rang out. In everyone's sight, a blonde girl with a high ponytail rushed over. She breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the blue-haired girl, but then, noticing the strange atmosphere and the box in the blue-haired girl's hand, she immediately clutched her head in exasperation.

She strolled over to the blue-haired girl, placed her hand on the back of the girl's head, pressed down, and bowed at the same time.

"I'm sorry to trouble you. May I ask how much this mixed stew costs?"

"600 yen."

"Ok."

The blonde girl smiled as she took the money out of her bag and handed it to Chisa. Then she turned her back and looked at the blue-haired girl who was secretly eating with her lifeless eyes. Her face darkened.

"Pay it back to me next month."

"Well."

After seeing off the rather strange pair of guests, more guests arrived one after another, but the overall situation was still not satisfactory.

"Thanks for your hard work."

After seeing off a guest, Ryujiro returned shirtless, carrying two cans of beer and two cans of oolong tea. Hachiman took the drinks from him and began distributing them.

"How's the sale going?"

"Not very good."

Hachiman pulled the tab, took a sip, and replied.

"There is a strong competitor." Taking a big gulp of beer, Kohei looked at the crowded stalls not far away, mostly filled with female customers.

“Ah, Tinker Bell? Come to think of it, they also chose to sell mixed omelet at the last spring festival.” Ryujiro said, looking in that direction.

"Tinker bell?"

"The tennis club is made up of handsome guys, and they are very good at attracting popularity through their appearance."

Kohei: "Hey—how about kitchen waste?"

Iori: "Should we splash pig's blood or sprinkle salt? What do you think, Hachiman?"

Hachiman, who was inexplicably asked this question, rested his fingers on his chin and pondered: "How about a piece of paper with graffiti of ghost faces and the words 'Normally popular people explode' written on it?"