The azure sea, but a lonely, fulfilled life.

"Hmm? You mean, you want Hachiman to stop gazing at the girl he likes, so he can let go of his obsession and properly date another girl?"

"Bing Gou! You're absolutely right."

Iori snapped his fingers. While it was certainly fun for brothers to prank each other, when it came to serious matters, the bigger picture had to be taken into account.

Hachiman had helped him before, and he didn't want his best friend to waste his life on a fantasy that was both desirable and unattainable.

He's going to turn all of this back on track!

--split line--

"arrive!"

Iori stared at the izakaya in front of him and shouted.

His boundless energy inspired everyone present. Nojima adjusted his glasses; this historic moment was finally about to arrive.

He calmed his excitement and rationally expressed his thoughts.

"Let's agree on a code first."

"signal?"

"Hmm, use the direction pointed by the tip of the chopsticks to indicate the girl you like. If you don't like any of them, point them towards yourself."

Wow, that's a veteran's comment. How many social events have you attended? How come you're still single after attending so many?

Hachiman thought to himself, "This guy with a similar voice doesn't seem to have much luck with women like me."

“I see, that’s a good idea,” Iori said in agreement. That way, things will be clearer later.

"Are you kidding..."

Yamamoto's voice came through, his face dark and he spoke in a low voice.

“Yamamoto…” Everyone looked at him.

"I don't need this code."

"But……"

“I’ve already made a silent vow in my heart.” His tone turned melancholy, and he looked up with a relieved expression. “No matter what kind of woman she is, I must graduate from virginity tonight.”

Hearing his words, all four people present were shocked.

What a powerful display of masculinity!

"He's just like a general in the army!"

Iori and Kohei sighed, leaving Hachiman completely bewildered.

Isn't this just a complete scumbag who doesn't discriminate at all?

"He's just a scumbag who doesn't pick and choose women."

Wow, it seems that not only are their voices similar, but their thoughts are also quite alike.

Hachiman shook his head: "Anyway, let's go. If we finish early, we can go back and have dinner."

"That's right!"

Yamamoto placed his hand in the air and looked around at everyone. His meaning was very simple. Urged by their gazes, Hachiman placed his hand on the hands that were overlapping each other.

"Then, may our night be a success, and may we step into a new world!"

Everyone pressed their hands down and walked into the shop, with Iori and the other three looking spirited.

……

"Nice to meet you!" x4

My eyes... something dazzled them.

Hachiman covered his eyes, feeling as if they were tainted by heavy makeup. Iori and the others, who were witnessing the high-definition scene in front of him, almost had their eyes pop out of their sockets and quickly pointed the tips of their chopsticks at themselves.

At the other end of the Japanese-style table, just as Iori had expected, five heavily made-up girls were casually sitting in chairs, flipping through the menu.

I shouldn't have trusted the corpse monster! How could Hachiman possibly meet a girl he'd be interested in? All our plans are ruined now.

Iori sighed; it seemed she would have to wait for another opportunity.

He looked at Hachiman, preparing to whisper a message to him, asking him to tell him when he left. But unexpectedly, Hachiman was staring intently at someone.

Iori looked over and saw that he was staring at a short blue-haired girl in the group of five heavily made-up people. Hmm, this hairstyle seems familiar.

Hachiman looked at the person he recognized, his lips twitching.

"Yamada-san?"

Chapter Sixty-One: A Social Gathering? A Food Extravaganza!

Meeting acquaintances at a social gathering is generally a good thing, as it eliminates the worry of awkward silences. Even if both parties are not talkative, the interaction will be more relaxed than with strangers.

Hachiman Hikigaya initially thought so, but when he looked at the other person's face, which seemed to have been devoured by lipstick and foundation, and saw that after receiving the menu, the other person kept muttering to himself that this looked delicious and that looked delicious too, and that body shape was just a burden, he couldn't help but want to take back his action of blurting out the other person's name.

Yamada-kun, I know you do have a good appetite, but at least consider the atmosphere! This is a mixer, and your actions have attracted all the girls' attention, leaving the boys in a completely awkward silence!

Yamamoto's smile was almost frozen, as stiff as a salamander living in water at minus twenty degrees Celsius.

"Hey, Kitahara, something's not right with the air here."

Nojima held his right palm vertically against his left cheek and turned to ask Iori, who was sitting upright to the side. At first, he was frightened by the group of corpse monsters in front of him, but after looking at them for a while, he didn't feel much anymore. Although he had gotten used to it, he didn't find it cute or bizarre.

He had already decided to give up this opportunity to find a partner at the social event, but Yamamoto, who was with him, persisted. Even though he was ignored, he still smiled, showing that he really wanted to fulfill his wish of graduating from virginity.

If before entering the shop he thought of him as just a starving wild boar, now he sees him as a warrior. As a warrior's partner, he is determined to help him defeat the demon king known as the Five-Finger Girl.

Even though he wanted to help, the girl on the other end wasn't even looking at them. What was with that girl with the indifferent tone? Why was she talking about food the whole time, and she ordered way too much! Could she really finish it all?

His question made Iori smile awkwardly. He didn't know what the situation was like either. As the main figures on the dating side, they seemed to have no appeal at all.

Iori tried to give Yoshihara Aina a look, but was ruthlessly blocked by the order board. Once the girls' lively atmosphere was set off, it was difficult for others to break in.

So he could only turn his head to look at Hachiman, who was looking down and eating edamame on his plate, which was almost empty.

"Are you hungry?"

He saw the plate was almost full just a minute ago, how come this guy is eating so fast?

No wonder they said before we went in that if we went early we could go back for dinner; they're probably already losing health points.

"Fortunately."

Hachiman stopped eating beans. He just didn't know what to do. Before he came, he had said that he was only there to keep the guests company while they ate. Let the sexually repressed people do the emotional stuff.

Also, Yamada, please stop staring at him with that pitiful look. He didn't even eat much of the beans on his plate.

"Let's order something to eat."

Iori picked up the menu and looked at the dazzling array of dishes. Indeed, just looking at the pictures, every dish looked very appetizing.

"That's right."

Kohei agreed, and he also gave up the opportunity to find a partner at this matchmaking event. After all, no matter how you looked at it, the five corpse-dressing monsters in front of him didn't seem like people who would be interested in otaku culture.

If you can't force your way into the atmosphere, you shouldn't neglect yourself.

"That's all."

Nojima sighed softly.

"Hachiman, what would you like to eat?"

"I also can."

"Tsk, don't you know that's the most annoying answer?"

And so, the social gathering fell into an awkward atmosphere. The young man and woman stared at the menu and discussed the food, their words filled with longing for the food, but without a trace of any intention to develop a relationship.

Of course, aside from Yamamoto, he still adheres to his original intentions.

cuckoo-

Even though he was very hungry.

……

"Huh? Really? Crabs walk upright so they can share with everyone, so they grow many legs, but then they can't move forward or backward?"

"Yes."

Yamada Ryo nodded. This story was told to her by Nijika. At the celebration party after a perfect performance, the manager ordered a crab drink for them as a reward. While Kobochi was delusional because of what Hiroi-senpai said and her whole body turned into the shape of radio waves, she secretly ate a lot of crab legs. After Nijika found out, she scolded her and then told this story.

"What an interesting story! Yamada-senpai knows so much!" Mana praised. This second-year senior is really unique. It was definitely the right decision to bring her along.

With her there, this social gathering is sure to be lively!

...A social gathering?

She suddenly remembered, oh right, today was the get-together she promised Iori and the others! Why were we so focused on talking about Yamada-senpai? Where are the others? Why were they so quiet just now?

Aina turned her head to look at the boys' group.

"Which bastard ordered these hairy crabs? Are you out of your mind? Don't you want to live like this for the next month?!"

Iori roared, his heart bleeding. This was AA! His wallet was already empty, and after this meal, he might only be able to eat black bread for lunch for the next few days!

"Didn't you order pufferfish sashimi yourself?"

Yamamoto pointed his index finger and angrily retorted, "What's wrong with hairy crabs? Now is the time when female crabs are plump and delicious. If we don't eat them now, when will we?"

"Both of you shut up. I'm more interested in knowing who ordered the red bean paste balls. We're going to be drinking later, don't you think it's a bit inappropriate to eat sweets?"

Nojima was puzzled. Who drinks alcohol while eating sweet dumplings? It looks disgusting. If you can't drink, go sit at the kids' table.

Sugar is an essential part of our daily diet.

Hachiman explained that since he couldn't drink Max coffee, it wasn't unreasonable to let him eat similar desserts instead.

"In the end, none of you are right."

Gengping was speechless. How could these people order such things at a social gathering?

"Hello, the omelet rice you ordered is here."

"Okay, um, could you please write 'Kouhei Onii-chan is the best' on it in ketchup?"

"Sorry, this will cost extra."

Aina stared in disbelief at the scene. What were these guys doing?! This was supposed to be a matchmaking event! It was supposed to be a scene where strangers of different men and women could increase their liking for each other through interaction, so how could it turn out like this?

Just as she was racking her brains trying to figure it out, she heard a low chuckle.

"Huizi."

The red-haired girl with a single ponytail smiled, looked at Mana, and whispered, "Isn't this fine too?"

Social gatherings should be lively and fun, so that people can easily open up to each other.

Chapter Sixty-Two: A Very Individualistic Girl

"What would you like to drink?"

"Beer will do."

Just like what Suzuki Keiko said earlier, after this discussion about food, the atmosphere in the room became more lively. Yamamoto, who was waiting for the crabs to arrive, finally remembered his original purpose. He then revealed a silly smile and pointed the tips of his chopsticks at the girls' table, ready to change targets at any time.

"Now, let's begin with self-introductions."

The petite girl with purple hair raised her hand with a bright smile. She closed her eyes and said, "I am a first-year student at Qingnv Academy, and my name is Kamio Kiyoko."

Less than a second after she finished speaking, Yamamoto straightened his right arm, his smile turning into a ferocious grin as sweat streamed down his face. Like a primary school boy answering a teacher's question, he loudly proclaimed, "What are your hobbies?"

This overwhelming eagerness made the other four boys lower their eyes. It's too oppressive, Yamamoto. This might scare them.

Kiyoko Kamio paused for a second, then smiled and said, "Bet on horse racing and pachinko."

"Where did this middle-aged unemployed uncle come from?" Hachiman and the other four shook their heads. "This won't do; he'll bring bad luck."

Yamamoto understood this as well, so he immediately pointed the other end of his chopsticks at the second girl with red hair and a ponytail who was chatting and laughing with the girl next to her.

Seeing this scene, Iori and the others couldn't help but shed tears. Yamamoto, you will definitely succeed in the future because you are a persistent and undemanding man.

"Is it my turn? My name is Suzuki Keiko, and I'm also a first-year student at Qingnv Girls' High School."