The azure sea, but a lonely, fulfilled life.

"It's because Ryo-senpai lent out so much money that Goto-kun is so good with numbers, probably because he needs to remember the amounts."

"It has nothing to do with it! It's just that Pochi-chan wants to study science."

"Yeah."

"Ok!"

Yamada Ryo nodded firmly. This had absolutely nothing to do with her. How could it be possible that borrowing money led to the development of Bochi's talent for mathematics? That's just too far-fetched.

Speaking of which, how much did she still owe him? Hmm, I can't remember at all.

Hachiman Hikigaya observed the girl's pensive expression. Well, whether he believed it or not was no longer important, since even Ryo, the instigator, was starting to doubt herself.

Yili, you really have had a lot of ups and downs in life.

……

She bought a taiyaki from the supposedly super delicious shop, and although Hachiman Hikigaya had said he would treat her, Ryo Yamada still promised to pay her back.

Hachiman Hikigaya was both pleased and somewhat disappointed. Ever since the last time, he had been wondering how the other party could pull out two or three basses from behind his empty back. Could it be through the legendary four-dimensional pocket?

The two walked back to the izakaya, and after figuring out which private room they were in, he returned to the party that was giving him a headache.

At this moment, the scene was in full swing, but Iori and the other three were still chatting away with the girl named Kanako, as if they were talking about a very popular TV series.

As someone who neither follows celebrities nor enjoys watching TV, and whose only electronic devices are game consoles and mobile phones, Hachiman Hikigaya naturally couldn't understand why they would have such a strong interest in a fictional story.

"Really? That's interesting."

"Indeed, especially the scene where the male and female protagonists kiss on the cruise ship. That scene, accompanied by touching background music, almost made me cry when I saw it."

Oh, he'd seen this scene before, in a famous maritime disaster movie. When he saw a bunch of people sinking to the bottom of the sea with the giant ship, his first thought was, "Thank goodness I'm poor and can't afford this thing." You have to admit, sometimes being poor really is a kind of luck.

"That's right, that's right. Also, the scene where the male and female protagonists transform into butterflies after going through a series of twists and turns due to their families' lack of support is also very impressive."

Hmm? How are these two scenes put together?

"But the most memorable scene is when the male lead finds a rose and gives it to the female lead, saying, 'Life itself has no meaning, but if you live, you might encounter interesting things, just like you encountered a flower, and I encountered you!'"

As another chorus of praise rang out, Hachiman Hikigaya realized that the others were completely spouting nonsense.

After all, the scene depicted the female protagonist seeing a growing rose in the desert, and then encountering the male protagonist who came to transform the desert and plant trees. The male protagonist, seeing such a beautiful flower growing in the desert, felt that his rash action was justified, so he said to the rose, "Fortunately, I met you," and then put the rose in a glass case to preserve it. However, because it did not receive oxygen, the flower quickly withered. In the end, the male protagonist also went bankrupt after spending a lot of money because the saplings could not grow in the desert.

The story then unfolds as the male and female protagonists reunite. The female protagonist sees the male protagonist, who looks like a beggar, and says, "Sir, this is the city center. Begging is not allowed here." The film ends there.

Hachiman Hikigaya wiped away non-existent tears from his eyelids and sighed.

It's such a realistic and educational story. He was deeply moved after reading it and has hated roses ever since.

He was too delicate. When Komachi bought a rose sapling and raised it at home, he only watered it a little too much, and it wilted the next day. On the third day, it was even worse; it just died. To avoid upsetting Komachi, he even used his mother's ultra-thin stockings, smeared them with red ink, and made a fake rose.

As a result, he not only got a lecture from Komachi, but his mom also cut his allowance for the next month.

"Um, we were just talking about school romance movies, right?" Kanako Iida was a little flustered by the four people's attentiveness. She looked at Mana Yoshihara, hoping she could help her out.

"I'm saying, aren't you guys going a bit too far?"

Upon receiving the signal, Yoshihara Aina spoke up to dissuade him.

Upon hearing this, the four looked at each other.

Iori spoke up: "Yes, that's a bit much."

Hearing this, Aina nodded in satisfaction.

Kohei: "At times like these, it's definitely better to drink and chat at the same time."

Nojima: "Indeed, how could we forget about drinking?"

Yamamoto: "Please, three more cases of draft beer!"

"You guys!"

Hachiman Hikigaya shook his head helplessly. Just as he was about to dissuade him, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He took out his phone and saw a text message from Chisa.

"I've put dinner in the fridge for today. If you're not full, just heat it up. Also, could you buy some toilet paper at the convenience store on your way back? I'll transfer the money to you then."

Looks like it's time to go back.

Hachiman Hikigaya stood up and walked to Iori's side: "I have to go back now. Chisa asked me to buy something."

"okay."

Iori nodded, looked at his back, and waved.

"Take it easy on your way back, Hachiman."

"Ah."

Okay, let's continue.

Iori looked at Kanako, then pressed on. If this matchmaking event made a good impression on her, then she wouldn't have to worry about future matchmaking opportunities. Then she could easily find a partner and become a superior person!

"Hachiman..."

Just as Iori was about to continue his smile offensive to win the other party's favor, he heard the girl's whispered words and his eyes twitched slightly.

"Um, Kanako-san."

"...Sorry, I was daydreaming."

Kanako Iida snapped out of her daze and then smiled.

“Your partner shares the same name as someone I know, but the person I know is a bit more outgoing.”

"Haha, it's quite common to have the same name."

"Yes, that's true."

Chapter Sixty-Four Diving License

At dawn, the first rays of sunlight climbed the branches and drifted along the window sill in a wind-driven carriage through the gaps in the leaves. The sound of the alarm clock woke Hachiman Hikigaya from his sleep. After washing up, he went downstairs full of energy.

Today is the first time he has officially participated in a club activity. Having joined the diving club without really knowing why, he is finally going to fight against his long-standing fear.

He was going to conquer the ocean of Izu and become a man of the sea!

"Good morning, Nanaka-senpai."

Good morning, Hachiman.

When Nanaka Kotegawa, who was preparing breakfast, heard his energetic greeting, she couldn't help but cover her mouth in surprise.

Yes, yes, it's unbelievable to see someone who's never been very talkative suddenly greet you on their own initiative. After all, it's as rare as Iori drinking while wearing clothes.

"Is Hachiman really looking forward to today's official diving trip?"

Nanaka Kotegawa placed the dried fish on the grill, bent down and turned the button. The faint sound of the machine running mingled with the bubbling of the miso soup. She lifted the lid, and a light, fresh aroma spread, filling every corner of the hall.

"Well, there are some."

Hachiman smelled the aroma and felt his appetite rising. He had thought that he had been eating fried noodles all this time because Nanaka-senpai only knew how to make that. He didn't expect that she was also good at making formal dishes. She really is a typical representative of Yamato Nadeshiko.

"Chisa will be very happy to hear what you said."

Nanaka Kotegawa smiled slightly. Whenever she saw the joy of others, her own emotions would rise as well. Therefore, she always hoped that the people around her could be happy every day.

As people who became her concern at almost the same time, Hachiman was different from Iori and Kohei. She could sense that there was a cloudless but gloomy sky in his heart, with fine rain soaking the nearly barren grassland beneath the sky all day long.

When she learned that he was afraid of the ocean because of painful childhood memories, she worried that he might leave 'Pab' and become estranged from them.

Although she initially thought he was a strange child, through conversations with him and his daily actions, she came to understand that he was simply a person with an awkward personality, sensitive to external things, but with a very gentle heart.

Have you washed up yet?

"Ah."

"Would you like a bowl of miso soup first?"

"Ok."

Scooping a spoonful of miso soup into a bowl, Nanaka Kotegawa turned around, picked up the plate and prepared to walk to the table, but then stopped, turned back and grabbed a spoon.

She placed the plate on the table, put the spoon in the bowl, and held it in front of him with both hands.

"It's a bit hot when it's freshly cooked, so drink it slowly. Also, there might be some fish bones in the soup. Even though I cut them into small pieces, if any are left over or are large, please don't swallow them."

Is this a conversation with a child?

Hachiman Hikigaya found it somewhat amusing, yet also deeply moving. He hummed in agreement and brought the bowl to his lips.

The rising steam touched his skin, forming droplets that condensed on the bridge of his nose. He gently blew out a few breaths, slightly pursed his throat, and the delicious soup flowed down his throat into his stomach. The warm liquid was enough to wake his still hazy mind, making even the world before him clearer.

[Swoosh-ring-ring-click——]

The shop door was pushed open, and turning around, Iori and Kohei walked in, clutching their stomachs. Their faces showed signs of exhaustion and weakness, and they looked as if their souls had been drained.

Did those two guys not come back after their social gathering last night? Judging by their appearance, did they manage to get what they wanted and have been up all night? You really can't underestimate them.

"Iori! Did you two spend the night out again last night?"

Nanaka Kotegawa raised her iron spoon, pointing at Iori with displeasure. She had already warned him that no matter how much he drank, he had to go home to sleep at night. The world was chaotic, and if he didn't come home one night, he might be in another country when he opened his eyes the next day. He had to be more careful!

"...Excuse me, Nanaka-nee."

Kitahara Iori was about to explain when a wave of nausea surged in his stomach. He covered his mouth and quickly looked around, searching for something.

A hand handed him a trash can, which Iori quickly took and began to vomit. The foul smell of alcohol made his vomiting process much smoother.

"Um, uh—"

Soon, another contestant, Kohei, joined in. The two, both suffering from hangovers, fought over the right to use the trash can, grabbing each other's faces and twisting them into something even scarier than a ghost's face.

Upon seeing the expression on each other's faces, the two couldn't help but gag a few more times.

"How much did you guys drink last night...?"

"not a lot."

The two men sat down on the chairs with trembling legs. Last night's results were just a drop in the ocean compared to usual; they had only drunk six bottles of baijiu, three bottles of red wine, and a little over forty bottles of beer.

"I caught a chill from the cold wind on the way back."

Iori slumped over the table, explaining weakly.

Despite her many grievances, seeing the two of them looking so listless, Nanaka Kotegawa had no choice but to squat down and search for the hangover medicine stored in the wooden cabinet. Hachiman, on the other hand, went to get two bowls of miso soup and brought them to the two of them.

While they were drinking, Hachiman asked about the party he had attended the previous night. As someone who had left suddenly, he was afraid that his actions might make the atmosphere awkward, even though he didn't like attending parties.

"So, did it succeed? Last night."

He did not receive a reply after inquiring.

Hachiman looked at the two curiously, only to see them staring at him with empty eyes, their expressions filled with a hint of grief and indignation.

"……What's wrong?"

Could it be that his sudden departure really caused the otherwise pleasant atmosphere to fall flat? That shouldn't be the case; he was just a background character last night, he didn't have any scenes to perform.

Iori pointed at him, her fingertips trembling: "Just how many beautiful girls do you know?!"

"Are you trying to open a Crystal Palace?! You bastard, you beast!!"

"Wait, what are you talking about?"

Hachiman looked completely bewildered. Him, Crystal Palace? Wasn't he a bachelor right now? How did he suddenly jump to such a high level?

He thought of Liang. Could it be that these two guys didn't recognize her last night?

"You've all met Yamada-kun before, right?"

To avoid revealing that he could address the other party by their first names and thus incurring their anger, Hachiman chose to use their surnames.

"I'm not talking about that rich and beautiful girl!"

...Did he wake up and find himself transported to a parallel world? Is the word "rich" really related to Liang?

Seeing his blank expression, Iori said loudly, "I'm referring to Kanako Iida! You actually knew her all along, but you pretended not to know anything last night, just to make fun of us, right!"

Kanako Iida? That long-haired girl with light brown hair? He knows her? Is that true?

Hachiman Hikigaya lowered his head in deep thought. His action made Iori and Hachiman both gasp. Had this guy reached the point where he had so many female friends that he accidentally forgot about one or two?

What a jerk! Absolutely a jerk! I'm so envious! Ugh! He deserves to die!

"Oh, Chisa, you're awake."