The azure sea, but a lonely, fulfilled life.

"His troubles might be more than all of yours combined." The shopkeeper revealed his hand. The more law-abiding a person is, the more bitter they are inside. Even when there are no rules, they will stubbornly follow their own beliefs, just like monkeys wearing golden headbands.

"So many?" Ochiai Sen was surprised. She thought her problem was big enough, but she didn't expect Hachiman to be even more troublesome than her.

"Not much, just a little."

Hachiman retorted that he didn't think he had anything more frustrating than not being able to make friends, even if the friends he did make were a bunch of jerks.

"Tell us about it?" Ichiji Nijika looked at him. If she could know something about his private life, maybe she could bring the brainwashed Pochi back to their side.

Honestly, how could they have filled out their college application forms incorrectly? This just gave someone a chance to take advantage of their proximity.

They are determined to make "Bond Band" famous in every corner of Japan, and without Boch, they would not be able to do so.

Most importantly, she didn't want Xiaoboqi to be deceived by this guy. There was a murderous knife hidden under Ijichi Nijika's smiling face. She had seen it last time. This guy was also very close to another girl, and even Ryo had been talking about him occasionally lately.

[Yamada Ryo: I'm out of money. I wonder if I could mooch a meal off Hachiman.]

This person, who seems so proper on the surface, is actually exuding a frivolous aura from every corner of his body.

"There's nothing to say, I'm a very pure person."

"welcome."

"Are you done eating?"

Chisa stepped out from under the curtain and looked at Hachiman.

The boss coughed again, raised the sign in his hand, and pointed to the third one.

"Feel sorry."

After she finished speaking, she stood next to Hachiman, as if all the seats next to him were occupied and she wanted to sit down.

"If you don't mind, I'll let you have my way."

Ichi Nijika's eyes curved slightly, and as she stood up, she glanced at Hachiman unintentionally. He was indeed very innocent. Of the four people present, two of them were related to her. If Pochi were here, they could make a mahjong table.

"Is it okay?"

"It's okay, I was planning to leave anyway."

Nijika waved her hand to indicate that she didn't mind. In a little while, they would be going on stage to perform, and before that, she still needed to comfort little Pochi.

She lifted the curtain, and just as she was about to go out, she remembered something, turned back and smiled at Hachiman.

"By the way, you are all welcome to come and support our performance."

"oh oh."

Everyone watched her departing figure until she was out of sight. Hachiman then withdrew his gaze. Although some people had left, his situation remained unchanged.

He was still sandwiched between two very different beautiful girls.

"Now that the drummer is gone, young man, if you don't mind, please speak."

The shop manager keenly sensed that the people present were all very familiar with each other, and with a smile, he allowed Hachiman to vent his frustrations without restraint.

"Eight, does this gentleman have something to complain about?"

Chisa asked doubtfully, "Could it be related to diving or Iori and the others?"

"Oh, it's nothing really." Hachiman scratched his head and smiled. He really didn't have much to say. If he had to complain about something, it was that he suddenly needed to go to the bathroom, but the two people next to him had just sat down, and if he, as the middleman, were to leave, the atmosphere would be very awkward.

Is there anyone who can save the day?

Why is it that only Chisa came back? Where is Nanaka-senpai?

The rustling sounds echoed outside the awning, and a clear sentence reached everyone's ears.

"It looks like a fight broke out at the izakaya."

Chapter Twenty-Two: Morning Glories and Lilacs (Part Five)

An izakaya? Isn't that where Iori and the others went?

Hachiman Hikigaya leaned back, looking at the crowd that was gathered not far away. That's how it is in Japan. If someone breaks down or is dressed strangely, or even if someone is completely naked, no one will be surprised. But if it involves fighting or being involved in organized crime, then it will definitely attract a crowd.

However, it probably wasn't Iori and the others. After all, those two were just going out for a few drinks, and unless it was about women, they wouldn't have gone berserk.

Hachiman Hikigaya held his cup and slowly sipped his coffee. Then he looked at Chisa beside him, who was also looking in that direction and was already trying to stand up to see what was happening.

It's good to be safe.

"Boss, check out."

"it is good."

He and Chisa stood up, and he said to Ochiai Sen, who was standing next to him, "I have a friend over there, let's go take a look first."

The girl wasn't interested in the fight, but when she heard it was a friend of a friend, she quickly swallowed the tofu.

"I'll go too."

Chisa glanced at her. This wasn't the first time she had met Ochiai Sengen, but it was the first time she realized that she was acquainted with Hachiman. Well, that guy was incredibly lucky with women; he could run into a female friend wherever he went.

"also."

Hachiman Hikigaya had no objection to the girl's suggestion. He stood up, led the two girls to the side of the crowd, glanced inside, and clicked his tongue.

"It's them?"

Chisa took in his reaction. The only ones who could elicit such a reaction from him were Iori and the other person. She turned her gaze to the center, but couldn't see anything. She could only squeeze in while saying, "Make way, my friend is inside."

"Shan Yan, you can stay here."

Hachiman cautioned that this matter had nothing to do with her and that she should not be involved.

He squeezed through the crowd, looked at the stranger lying on the ground, and walked to Kohei, whose face was injured. Behind the two of them was a girl.

Hachiman vaguely remembered the girl and shook his head. Today was truly a mixed bag; one person after another had come to visit.

"what happened?"

Iori and the other two breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Hachiman and Chisa arrive.

"I also want to know what happened."

Iori began to explain in detail.

-

"I have to say, the wine outside is definitely much better than the wine at home."

Iori hugged the tequila, burped, and felt a dizzying white and yellow light in the izakaya. Soft music filled the air, and a girl's gentle voice seemed to melt into the drink like cream.

"That's natural, otherwise we wouldn't be able to spend so much money."

Kohei squinted his eyes, slightly tipsy, and finished the last bit of wine in the bottle before standing up.

"I need to go to the restroom, it's urgent."

Iori waved her hand: "Go check on Hachiman and the others while you're at it, lest you cause any problems."

Kohei gave an OK sign and walked out of the store.

-

"And then?" Hachiman asked.

"Then I waited in the store for a long time but he never showed up. When I came out to look for him, I heard the clerk at the counter say that people were fighting over there." Iori loosened his arms. He hadn't hit anyone in a long time and was so rusty that he almost cramped up.

"You thought it was Kohei, so you went over there."

"No, I just wanted to go see what was going on, but when I got there I saw this guy being beaten up on the ground." Iori spread his hands, looking innocent. "I tried to talk them out, but they wouldn't listen."

"Bullshit, it was clearly an evenly matched contest. I was only defeated because they outnumbered me." Kohei rubbed his face, the stinging pain making him wince. Oh no, he's going to be disfigured.

"So what happened? How did you end up fighting with them?" Chisa asked, glancing at the group of people who had gotten up and were dressed up like parrots, before hiding behind Hachiman.

The way these people looked at her was truly unpleasant; their desire was so intense it was almost overflowing.

"They've been holding me captive..."

Before Kohei could speak, the girl behind him explained for him. Chisa looked at the girl and exclaimed, "Eh?" She recognized the girl.

The old-fashioned braids and the oversized glasses that could cover her face—wasn't this the girl from the literature club who participated in the women's beauty pageant with her? I think her name was Yoshida... Saki?

"Saves the damsel in distress, what an old-fashioned way to pick up girls, Kohei," Iori complained. Although he had already complained about it not long ago, he still wanted to, since Kohei was completely out of place in this kind of situation.

"Go ahead, this is the easiest way to increase affection in a visual novel."

That's what he said, but Kohei wasn't in the mood for such romantic things at all, and besides, he didn't like effeminate girls.

Just because someone looks old-fashioned doesn't mean they're a homebody! Reality isn't anime or novels! A flat chest covered by clothing is a flat chest; there's no such thing as a woman with huge breasts when she takes off her clothes!

Therefore, a "rustic girl" is definitely not suited for ACG (Anime, Comics, and Games). She's probably the kind of person who, when talking to others, can talk about what books she's recently read, mention many foreign classics, and even quote a line from one of them, commenting that it's one of her favorite lines.

"I don't think this is the right topic to discuss right now." Hachiman Hikigaya looked up at the approaching mohawk-haired man and sighed. He really wasn't good at dealing with people who were clearly not going to listen to him.

"I can take on three, Kohei can take on one, and the remaining five are yours, Hachiman." Iori allocated the number of people according to the strength of his side, which was a simple and reasonable allocation, and the chances of winning were increased to the power of one square.

Why do you have such high expectations of me?

Hachiman was speechless. Although he trained regularly, he had never fought anyone before, let alone five.

Damn it, this is no time to solve the problem by self-destruction. Can't he apply for a new account? It doesn't have to be anything special, just borrow that top spy's account for a minute.

"Well, I think with so many people here, continuing this commotion won't benefit either of us. Let's just call it a day."

Hachiman looked at the mohawk in front of him and tried to dissuade him. Whether he was being hit or hitting someone, both sides would be punished. It would be best to calm down if possible.

However, this possibility seems rather slim.

"Stop? One of your guys just gave me a flying kick, he almost broke my back, and you're saying stop?" The leader, a punk with purplish-red hair, revealed a twisted smile that was three parts unruly, three parts cold, and four parts accusing. "Sure, each of you kowtow three times on the ground and pay us five million in medical expenses, and we'll call it even."

"That request is a bit excessive, isn't it?" Hachiman chuckled.

"Excessive? You're the ones who are going too far! We just wanted to ask that lady to keep us company for a while, and your friend tried to snatch her away without saying a word. Isn't that going too far?"

The purple-red punk, feigning weakness, spoke while his henchmen behind him shouted that it was excessive and demanded compensation.

“You have to consider the person’s wishes before inviting them,” Iori said. “This girl has already made it clear that she doesn’t want to play with you, so why force her?”

"Did she say that?" The purple-red punk rocker feigned surprise.

“No!” the person next to him immediately echoed.

"See, there isn't any." The punk shrugged, a smirk playing on his lips.

"I clearly do!" Yoshida Saki didn't want the person who helped her to be wronged like this, so she shouted, but after being glared at fiercely by the punk, her voice weakened.

This situation is really difficult to resolve; the other party can make it seem like nothing happened, whether it's good or bad.

"There are surveillance cameras on the streetlights now. Otherwise, how about we wait until the police come, review the footage, and then talk about compensation?"

Hachiman pointed to the camera above. "It's the 21st century. The police are becoming more efficient with the advancement of technology. With this trump card, I believe the other side will back down."

"A camera, huh." The punk sneered.

Hachiman narrowed his eyes. What if he was about to say the classic line, "The camera has been broken for a long time"? That would be too much of a coincidence, just like a cleverly designed detective drama.

"We'll meet again someday."

Fortunately, they couldn't be sure whether the camera was working or not, so they left after saying something harsh.

"Should we call the police?" Iori asked from the side. He wasn't very good at writing, so he hadn't said anything until now.

"You should have broken that guy's ribs just now." Hachiman touched his neck. Really, today should have been a good day. "Never mind, forget I said that."

He was having a hard time deciding whether to call the police or not. If he did, he would definitely face retaliation from those people. They all looked like scoundrels and were definitely not in their right minds. But if he didn't call the police, since they had already made threats, it meant they were going to retaliate. Wouldn't it be a waste not to call the police?

So he looked at Yoshida Saki, who was struggling with her lack of courage to confront him, and asked, "What do you think, classmate?"

"Huh? Me?" Yoshida Saki pointed to herself in a panic. It was the first time she had encountered something like this, and she had no experience. Driven by instinct, she looked at Kohei, who was holding his face. "So, should we report it or not?"

"Report it."

"Okay, Iori called the police."

They have witnesses and physical evidence. After reporting the incident to the police, the officers will definitely give them a reason for legitimate self-defense once they understand the details. There is absolutely no need to worry about being sentenced.

The main thing to think about now is what's to come.

-

After meeting up with Nana, the group explained the situation to the police. After reviewing the surveillance footage, the police let them leave and promised to catch and sentence the group of "emo" girls.