The azure sea, but a lonely, fulfilled life.

"My dog ​​ate dog food."

"So what exactly does that mean? You're clearly laughing at me, and you haven't stopped!"

Kohei waved his hand: "Hachiman, you should know that we have participated in countless staring contests and have undergone rigorous training. No matter how funny it is, we will not laugh unless we can't help it."

"Hikigaya Hachiman!"

Iori's voice came from afar, and Hachiman quickly got up and left the stall.

"In short, you two just pretend you didn't see me!"

After he left, Kohei couldn't help but burst into wild laughter.

Chisa's shoulders trembled as she suppressed a laugh. She had guessed that there had probably been another misunderstanding between the two of them, but it looked kind of funny, so she would deal with it later.

Iori rushed back to the shop and saw that the two people looked strange. A chill ran down her spine. Could it be that Hachiman had already told them?

"What happen to you guys?"

He asked casually.

"It's nothing, I just thought of happy things."

"What happy thing?"

My dog ​​has switched to dog food.

Iori tilted her head. Was there something to be happy about? She looked at Chisa.

"Chisa, what are you so happy about now?"

"nothing."

"Never mind, has Hachiman come back?" he asked anxiously.

"No."

"How can it be repaired?"

Iori had no doubts; after all, if he had really returned and told them about their conversation, they would never have reacted this way.

Looking around at the moving crowd, he sneered. So they wanted to play the game of deception and trickery with him? Well, he would just wait and see.

Anyway, the men's competition is about to start, let's see where he can run then.

……

After leaving the stall, Hachiman deliberately chose to walk in a less crowded area. He actually felt that there was some misunderstanding involved, but he thought it was unlikely. In order to calm down, he decided to find a place to rest first.

As he walked, he arrived at the garbage collection point behind the school, a quiet place where hardly anyone came.

He stopped walking.

Staring at the pinkish-haired creature on the ground, Hachiman had no idea what he was thinking at that moment.

Out of a sense of kinship, he slowly walked forward and saw Goto Ichiri, who was holding a phone in one hand, browsing blogs, and rubbing her round cheeks with the other.

"School festivals and such are really not for me. Someone like me is better off staying here like a slug."

That's such a dark idea! It's even more rotten than his middle school days. Is this guy really a college student?

"Goto-san."

"Ugh!!!"

Upon hearing the sound, Goto Ichiri suddenly stood up and quickly performed a dogeza (a traditional Chinese swearing posture).

"I'm sorry to bother you, I'll leave right away." She closed her eyes tightly, seemingly very nervous.

Don't you remember me?

The familiar voice made her slowly open her eyes, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the person in front of her was actually her long-lost friend (in her own opinion).

"Long time no see." Even though it's only been a week.

He sat down in the empty seat next to her, leaning against the door.

"Mmm," Goto Ichiri replied softly.

"How are you lately?"

"fine……"

"There are a lot of people today, so I'm here to avoid them."

Upon hearing this, Goto Ichiri's comrade radar was activated, and she looked at Hachiman with starry eyes, realizing he was one of her kind.

"Doesn't Goto-san participate in any clubs?"

"No."

There were no rock music clubs at school, and she wasn't really interested in forming a band with anyone else, so she never joined any clubs.

"Won't you get bored? Joining a club might help you make some friends."

It's truly unexpected that he would utter those words one day, considering he used to be a staunch member of the "Go Home Society" until one day he was conscripted by capitalists.

"No need... Everyone has their own things to do."

“There are some things that one person can’t do alone,” Hachiman said, counting on his fingers. “For example, a band, baseball, or even dating.”

"Does Goto-san have a boy she likes? Or rather, are there any boys who like Goto-san?"

"Huh! How could there be such a thing!"

How could anyone possibly be interested in her...?

"You get excited just talking about this." Hachiman looked at the pure-looking girl beside him. Even though she was wearing an old-fashioned tracksuit and wasn't wearing makeup, she was still fresh and beautiful—a blessing from heaven. "But, Goto-san is really cute. There are bound to be some boys who would notice her."

She's cute?

She is very cute.

She's so cute!

Although I've been praised by Nijika-chan and Yudai-chan before, this is the first time I've heard it from a member of the opposite sex. Hehehe, is she cute? Ugh, I suddenly feel like I might actually be somewhat attractive.

Seeing the girl standing there dumbfounded, Hachiman couldn't help but smile helplessly. This girl becomes like a wooden doll when praised.

"Oh! We've found Little Poch!"

The door leading to the classroom corridor opened, and Hachiman looked up at the person who spoke. It was the yellow-haired and blue-haired girl he had just met, with a red-haired girl following behind them.

Then it suddenly occurred to him that the band Goto had been in during his high school years seemed to have the same lineup, which explained why the two of them looked somewhat familiar earlier.

"Ah! You're the shop assistant from earlier!"

When Ichika Ichiji saw the person sitting next to Ichiri Goto, she exclaimed in surprise.

Chapter Thirty-Six: A New Friend

How can I make a new friend?

So, let's start by discussing the definition of a friend, beginning with the first great exploration of the universe...

Thousands of years ago, before humans existed in this world, a relationship chain called tribal groups had already emerged among various primitive species. Species of the same or different species had certain correlations in their bloodlines. Based on the closeness of these correlations, primitive species would develop the concept of being family members, thus becoming close to each other. If the relationship progressed further, they might even live together. Once this happened frequently, a tribal group would be formed.

If there are many members in a group, then it is impossible for a species to maintain the same feelings with all other members of the group, which is what we call subdivision.

They can differentiate between several different relationships based on how they feel when they are together and what the other person says. For example, if it hit me today, I am unhappy, so I don't like it, and that is an enemy.

For example, today it took me to a place with lots of bugs where I could eat my fill. I was very happy, and I really like it. That's what a friend is.

Therefore, the definition of making friends is to see how much benefit the other person can bring to you, or whether you feel comfortable when you are with them. If these two points are met, you can become friends.

Now that you know the definition of a friend, all you need to do next is forget everything I just said, because I was just talking nonsense.

……

Hachiman made way for the three women and sat at the very edge of the steps. He was thinking about whether it was time for him to retreat. Their companions had arrived, so as another friend of theirs who was not very familiar with them, he should naturally follow the natural law of respecting the crowd and choose to leave.

The bonds between people are defined by space. In each different space, there are certain people you know. This is easy to illustrate, just like how you like to create different relationship sections on your social media and categorize the contacts you collect into different places.

You feel comfortable with friends, and you feel unrestrained with family. But you feel constrained when you're with people you've only met a few times and whose relationship ends at knowing their names.

You treat different relationships with different feelings and maintain them well, but when two people with different relationships are in your chat at the same time, you will inevitably care more about the person you are closer to, thus neglecting the person you are not so close to.

This is human nature, and most people probably wouldn't care. But someone as sensitive as Ichiri Goto might feel guilty afterward. So, to avoid this situation, it's best for him to find a reason to leave.

Just as he was about to speak, the blue-haired girl sitting next to him turned to look at him and spoke in a voice that was still calm but whose tone had softened slightly.

"Your scrambled eggs are delicious. Do you plan to open a shop in the future? If so, please let me know the address and I will come to support you."

"...Thank you for the compliment, but I don't have that idea at the moment."

Hachiman, who had been inexplicably showered with compliments, looked at the blue-haired girl with a gentler gaze. She seemed like a good person.

At first, I thought she was a strange person because she forgot to pay the bill and was going to use her bass guitar to pay off the debt. But I didn't expect her to be a discerning person with the same taste as Kohei.

Unfortunately, he's already prepared to be a kept man by wealthy women, so it's impossible for him to go out to work.

It's impossible for me to work; I can only rely on rich women for support and have to sell my body to barely make ends meet.

"Hey? Is this student's scrambled eggs delicious?"

The red-haired girl, who had been keeping an eye on things, grasped the key point.

"Yeah, it's delicious."

"Since Senior Ryo says so, I'm suddenly very interested. May I ask where the club's booth is? I'd like to buy some too."

This person is an angel too. He could almost see rainbow-colored light emanating from her. Just as he had guessed, if a group is willing to accept someone who doesn't fit in, then at least half of the original members must be understanding.

"Okay, it's near the cherry blossom trees in the courtyard. The club is called 'Grand Blue'."

"Diving club?" Upon hearing the name, Ichiji Nikka turned her head and asked.

"Ah."

"Eh—has Nijika-senpai heard of her?"

“My seniors at the school told me about it,” Nijika Ichichi repeated what her seniors had said. “The members there are all a very free and easy-going group of people.”

Rather than describing it as free and unrestrained, it's more accurate to describe it as bold and unrestrained, or you could simply use the last word of the former to represent it.

Are you Little Pochi's friend?

She looked at Hachiman and asked, her eyes scanning him. Little Pochi was too introverted and naive, and easily deceived. Since they were in different schools, she couldn't keep an eye on him all the time. It would be best if she could find someone to ask for help.

But this person in front of me is far too decadent. Although his eyes are clear, I always feel that he is someone who is good at disguising himself.

It was a classic scene of a protective mother. Hachiman didn't feel uncomfortable with the way she was looking at him. He had encountered a similar situation when he first met Yukinoshita's sister. Compared to that person's subtle but sharp gaze, this simple and direct questioning seemed like child's play to him.

“Strictly speaking, Goto and I have never acknowledged a friendship; in most respects, we were just classmates at school,” he calmly replied.

So...we weren't friends after all?

Goto Ichiri's face gradually turned pale, as if it were about to dissipate like lime powder. She thought she had made a lot of progress and that she could make friends even without the help of fighting.

"Of course, besides that, I'm a fan of Goto-san, so naturally I would like to befriend her, but I don't know what Goto-san thinks."

"of course can!"

Seeing Goto Ichiri hastily agree to be friends with her, Ichichi Nijika felt not relief or joy, but rather a bit of a headache.

With that level of intelligence, she felt that if she were a man, she could trick little Boqi into bed and have a whole football team of kids.

What do you think, Liang?

She wanted to ask her best friend's opinion, only to find her staring blankly at the ahoge (cowlick) on Hachiman's head that was swaying in the wind.

"cold?"

"Would black grass taste good...?"

"That would only cause poisoning!"

Ijichi Nijika delivered a chop to Yamada Ryo's head, shaking her shoulders.

"Didn't we just have scrambled eggs?!"

"Hungry again."

"Then, Senior Liang, let me treat you to something to eat."

"Returning home..." Kita Ikuyo took out her wallet, which was full of banknotes. Hachiman couldn't help but glance at it a few times because of its wealth.