The azure sea, but a lonely, fulfilled life.

"Those are just low-alcohol sake!"

As a young Japanese man, Iori had never drunk sake before, but he had heard that sake generally has a low alcohol content, and if it is not strong, then it must be weak to drink.

“What’s wrong with sake? Isn’t Dassai sake the most famous sake in Japan?” Hachiman retorted.

“Well, Dassai sake is generally not something that people drink.” Nanaka raised her hand and said. Due to its high price and the fact that the flavor variations caused by rice variety, water quality and season have been weakened in recent years, Dassai sake has disappeared from the public eye and is mostly used as a commodity for business or rituals.

"..."

“There are other good sakes too, like Kikumasamune or Gekkeikan,” Chisa kindly helped Hachiman out of the predicament. “I also want to get something to eat. I didn’t eat much tonight, and I’m a little hungry now.”

"In that case, why don't we split up and go our separate ways?"

"Alright."

-

Arriving at the food street near the performance hall, compared to the alley we had just walked through, this place was noticeably more lively, with vendors calling out their wares and the sounds of bustling about. The aromas of all kinds of food mingled together, making one's mouth water.

"Well then, Kohei and I will go have some drinks first, see you later." After saying that, Iori and Kohei walked towards a certain place. They had a keen sense of smell, and the shop sign in the direction they were heading had a large character for "alcohol" written on it.

Hachiman watched their retreating figures, then turned to the two women and asked, "Where do Chisa and Nanaka-senpai want to go?"

"I don't have any particular place I want to go."

Nanaka shook her head. In her opinion, it was enough for her to be with Chisa.

"Is there anywhere you'd like to go?" Chisa looked into his eyes and asked in return.

"I'm planning to check out the oden shops over there."

Hachiman pointed to a small stall that had no customers. The bubbling steam blew the blue curtains. Unlike the incandescent lights used by other shops, the stall used old-fashioned light bulbs that emitted an orange glow.

"Really? Then I..."

"Little Chisa, can you come with me somewhere?"

Chisa looked at Nanaka, who had interrupted her, hesitated for a moment, then nodded. She turned back to Hachiman and waved. "Then my sister and I will go somewhere else first. See you later."

"Yeah, have fun."

Hachiman also waved goodbye.

That's not bad either. When you're eating alone, you can think about all sorts of things, and maybe you can even grasp some of the mysteries of the universe during that time.

Watching the two women leave, Hachiman walked towards the shop he had just seen. When he arrived at the shop, he realized that even the cart used for moving around was made of wood.

It's so rustic! Was it designed this way on purpose? But boss, these days, the more trendy something is, the more people will appreciate it. Nobody cares about old things anymore.

Hachiman looked up at the signboard. Even the name was so strange. No wonder business was bad.

Inside the small shop, an old man wiping wooden boards looked up at Hachiman standing in front of the shop. He looked to be over sixty years old, and when he smiled, his eyes were almost invisible.

"Oh, you're a guest. Welcome, welcome! It's an honor to have you visit our 'Grumble House.' Feel free to voice your grievances right here."

"excuse me."

Chapter Twenty-One: Morning Glories and Lilacs (Part Four)

"Grumbling House" is truly a unique name. In the past, shops would choose names that matched their products, themselves, or the place name. But this old gentleman is different. It's an oden shop, yet he has chosen such a strange name.

"Complaining?"

Hachiman sat on the bench, grumbling to himself. The recent misfortunes alone were enough for him to pour out his grievances. However, he knew that telling his troubles to unrelated people would only make them look bad.

"Boss, give me a skewer of fish cake and an egg first."

He shook his head, dismissing the idea of ​​sharing his distress with others, knowing that talking about it wouldn't change anything.

"Okay, would you like something to drink?"

Hachiman opened his mouth, intending to ask for a bottle of sake, but then he realized that apart from 'pab', probably no one would sell him sake. Although he could lie and make himself look older, he figured that in these moments of solitude, he should drink something he truly wanted.

Do you have condensed milk coffee?

"Yes, but is it okay to eat it with coffee when it's hot?"

"Yes, I like this combination."

The shop owner smiled and looked down, searching under the wooden planks.

"The young man seems to have a lot of worries. Maybe drinking would be better for him in this situation."

"Drinking won't make you forget anything; you're just using a headache as an excuse to avoid it."

He wasn't that timid.

"I do have those thoughts sometimes, but people need ways to relax, whether it's beer, cigarettes, games, or women. If you keep all your worries inside your brain, it will eventually burst."

The store manager said with a smile, and took out a sign that read "Store Rules".

First, vent your frustrations.

Secondly, he came alone.

Third, even when you encounter acquaintances, pretend you don't know them.

Fourth, anything heard here should be immediately forgotten and never divulged.

"There are some things you can only say to strangers."

The shop manager poured condensed milk coffee into a cup and handed Hachiman a small plate containing cooked fish cakes.

"That being said." His complaints must be very annoying.

Hachiman's dead fish eyes revealed a helpless expression; even if he could voice his complaints, he didn't know where to begin.

"good evening."

"welcome."

A person lifted the curtain and walked in. Hachiman looked up and saw a blonde girl with a single ponytail whom he had met a few times before. He had forgotten her name a little, but it seemed to be something like I-something-kun. She was a member of the same band as Goto-kun and was in charge of the drums.

The blonde girl noticed him too, but didn't acknowledge him. It seemed she was a regular at this place. Well, that was the only explanation. He would never admit that she had forgotten him, even though he had already forgotten her.

Hachiman tactfully moved to the side, making room for the other girl, who didn't mind at all and sat down immediately.

"Boss, I'd like some konjac noodles, plus an egg and tofu balls."

"Alright, you still have a great appetite today."

"He's definitely a regular customer," Hachiman thought to himself as he slowly sipped his coffee. "Eh? Does that mean he often has complaints he wants to vent about? Who is it about?"

"It's very cold tonight."

Ijichi Nijika spoke, looking at Hachiman.

"Are you here to vent too?"

"Uh, I just came here for oden." Hachiman ate the fish cake in his mouth. "I didn't expect this place to be so unique."

“Yes, it’s amazing that there are still stalls in this society that are willing to listen to other people’s troubles.” Ijichi Nijika smiled brightly. “That’s quite unique.”

"If you keep praising me like this, this old man is going to fly to the sky."

The shop manager picked up the boiled egg, placed it in a bowl, and handed it between the two people. After all these years of complaining, he had some sense. The young man and woman in front of him clearly knew each other, but they pretended not to know each other, following his shop rules. What a polite young man.

"Is the drummer here to complain about that quirky girl again today? Is she behind on her loan payments again?"

Is the "delaying payment" referring to Liang?

"No, this has nothing to do with her." She picked up an egg from the bowl, put it in her mouth, and chewed it. She didn't have a cat's tongue, so she didn't feel the heat.

Ichi Nijika glanced at Hachiman, unsure whether she should say it to his face. After all, it would be a bit embarrassing if word got out that she was talking about her friend behind his back.

"Ahem." Hachiman cleared his throat and pointed to the fourth rule of the shop. He wasn't very interested in listening to other people's complaints. He just wanted to eat some oden in peace and then watch the performance.

"Don't worry, Miss Drummer, this young man is a very polite and simple-minded person. He won't tell anyone about you."

"Manager, is it really appropriate to use the word 'elm wood'?"

“In that case,” Ichiji Nijika sighed and slumped onto the table. “This afternoon, during the rehearsal, the band’s guitarist kept getting distracted for some reason, which made the rehearsal a little off. I’m worried that there might be some problems with tonight’s performance.”

The guitarist, does that refer to Goto or... that guy?

That's terrible. He likes the band, but he can't even name half of the members. His fandom skills are still far from sufficient.

"Ah—that timid girl who hides in cardboard boxes, right?"

The store manager searched his memory and found the name: the drummer girl mentioned her six times out of ten when she came here.

"Is it because you're bewitched by that boy that you're so distracted?"

"A boy? Bewitching?" Hachiman asked aloud. In the afternoon, Goto had told him that she didn't have a boy she liked, so how could she suddenly be bewitched?

Besides, does she even know other men? I've never heard of that before.

"I don't know, but that's possible." Ichiji Nijika looked at Hachiman blowing on an egg and said quietly. "After all, she was with that boy at noon."

Hachiman was stunned, and he pointed at himself with his chopsticks.

Are you talking about me?

"I knew it! Shy girls tend to develop feelings for boys who don't mind their personality and stay by their side." The shop manager sighed, as if he had returned to that summer.

“There are other possibilities, for example, the afternoon sun might be too hot, which could cause him to fall ill,” Hachiman suggested.

"Now that you mention it, that's a possibility. Miss Drummer, why don't you take your friend to the hospital while you still have some time?"

“I think that’s very unlikely.” Ichiji Nijika shook her head. “It’s not like we haven’t gone out together in the summer to create summer memories before. The weather was very hot then, and my friend just melted away. She wouldn’t be spacing out like she is today.”

"Isn't melting more terrifying than being stunned?"

How come Goto's body is so biodiverse? It can even melt. How did she manage to solidify herself in the back?

Just as Ichiji Nijika was about to say something, the curtain was lifted, and Hachiman looked at the person, who was yet another familiar face.

"Eh? Hachiman, what are you doing here?"

The person who walked in was none other than Ochiai Sengen, whom we hadn't seen in a long time. She was wearing a casual white shirt and jeans, and her shiny black hair was adorned with a rabbit hair clip, making her look very innocent.

"Ahem." The shop owner coughed and pointed to the third rule of the shop.

Upon seeing the words above, Ochiai Sen immediately bowed and apologized: "I'm sorry."

"Well, new customers always get special treatment."

The store manager waved his hand, magnanimously indicating that he didn't mind.

"Come on, ladies and gentlemen, give up your seats for the new lady."

Just as Hachiman was about to move aside, he saw Sengen stand in the seat next to him. He looked up at her and thought, "That's true, people who know each other will definitely want to sit together."

So, the seating arrangement changed so that he was sandwiched between the two women.

"This gentleman is really popular with women."

"..."

Hachiman looked at Ijichi Nijika on his left. What he said sounded strange. Had he become a scumbag? But he didn't even have a girlfriend.

Although he felt a little strange inside, he didn't have the confidence to refute it, because it seemed that he was indeed quite popular with women, at least the girls around him were all top-notch beauties.

Is this considered a complaint?

"No, it's just an affirmation of the facts."

"Um, I'd like a serving of squid balls and a tofu skin roll."

"it is good."

Hachiman narrowed his eyes. This girl seemed to have a biased opinion about him from the very beginning, but he had never offended her. Besides, he was a fan of theirs. How could the idol be so indifferent to her fans?

"Miss Drummer seems to have a lot to say today," the shop manager joined in, trying to console Nijika with a laugh. "That's exactly right, letting it all out makes you feel much better."

Indeed, his frustration only intensified as he couldn't vent his emotions. Hachiman picked up his coffee, downed it in one gulp, and raised his cup.

"Manager, another cup, please."

"Oh, no problem, buddy."

The shop manager took the cup and poured coffee into it.

"You see, buddy, if you don't get your complaints out in time, they'll be like a balloon that's kept being inflated—it'll burst one day."

"Eight, does the young master also have troubles?" Ochiai Sengen asked while waiting for food.