Hikigaya Hachiman is still in the dark

"Ishiki, um, I..."

"Don't worry, senior! There's a shop selling Mr. Pan's products in front of the station." Isshiki turned her head and showed her signature smile, which was different from usual, with a little loneliness and a devil-like smile.

"So, senior, please take me to the station."

"Sure, if you're shopping on the way." I don't know why, but when I saw everyone smiling, I felt a little stuffy in my chest.

Isshiki Caiyu, it was the first time I failed to see through her smile.

"Good morning, Mr. Hikigaya." Reina greeted me gently as I walked into the office.

"Ah, good morning to you too!" I yawned, feeling so sleepy. I helped Zaimokuza think of a novel last night, and I haven't recovered yet. I have dark circles under my eyes and rotten fish eyes. If I stay like this, I can probably go to star in Resident Evil without makeup.

"Oh, Mr. Hikigaya seems to be in low spirits? Did something big happen last night that changed your life?" Mita said with a chuckle.

"Mitsuta, please don't compare my lifestyle with yours. Last night, a friend just asked me for help."

"How boring, Hikigaya-kun." Mita muttered a little dissatisfiedly. At the same time, he leaned towards me and said, "How can your life be so boring?"

How can I let you down by saying that my life is boring? If you have the ability, go and create an interesting life yourself. Please also note that I use the word habit. I don’t treat you as one of my own, so please stay away from me!

"Eh? What did Hikigaya's friend want to talk to you about late at night? Was it a man or a woman?" Reina looked at me with a puzzled look, and then asked a little nervously, was she worried about my safety? How gentle, Reina.

"He's just an ordinary male writer who came to talk to me about the progress of his novel."

"Hikigaya-kun, do you know any novel writers?" Mita stood up excitedly: "Isn't that amazing?"

"It's just a light novel writer, there's no need to get so excited."

"Hikigaya-kun, you don't understand. The competition among light novel writers is very fierce. I always wanted to be a light novel writer, but because the competition among my peers was too fierce, I had to give up!"

"That's just because you're not persistent enough." I thought of Zaimokuza. As expected, even if you're a fool, as long as you persist and work hard, you can succeed, right?

"Hikigaya-kun." Mita looked shocked. "It's really hurtful for you to say that. After all, I have tried my best."

"If I can only consider myself to have tried my best, then it is undoubtedly just self-satisfaction, right? Only those who keep working hard can succeed." I pushed my glasses trying to look cool. After all, I am quite confident in my appearance. As long as I get rid of the threat of those dead fish eyes, however, this only flaw is now also concealed by the beautiful glasses.

Yes, now I am the ultimate version of Hikigaya... That sounds pretty cool.

Well, the rot and lack of motivation are still the same as before.

Wait, if that's the case, can't I now perfectly carry out my great plan of being a gigolo? Come on, me! Not giving up on my ideals is my way of ninja!

"Mr. Hikigaya, um, your smile...suddenly became a little strange!"

"Hikigaya-kun? Are you possessed again?"

"Eh?" I woke up from my fantasy and unknowingly showed the same rotten smile as before. This was not okay, so I quickly adjusted my facial expression.

"By the way, I've never seen Hikigaya without his glasses!" Mita said as if he had remembered something: "Hikigaya-kun, for the sake of our friendship as colleagues, please take them off."

Who would take them off? And if possible, could you please use the word "take off" instead of the misleading word "take off"?

"Hehe, Hikigaya-kun doesn't seem to be good at sports." Mita said this, and stretched out his magic hand to my cheek, ready to forcibly take off my glasses. I struggled hard. This is the only weakness of Hikigaya Hachiman that I sealed with great difficulty. How can I let you unlock it!

"Stop it now, are you a caveman? Using such primitive and violent means to achieve your goals?"

"Hey, Hikigaya, just accept your fate and take off your glasses so that we can see your beautiful face."

Did some weird words get mixed in? Let go of me now. If you are curious, go and find out why Yukinoshita's breasts defy genetics, why Shizuka Hiratsuka doesn't get married, and why you don't have a girlfriend. Please don't dwell on my glasses or anything like that!

"Teacher Yuexia, please stop this guy quickly." I asked Reina for help. You, who are so gentle, will definitely help me, right!

"Well." Reina swung her feet gently, her hands shaking irregularly at the edge of her skirt: "Actually, I'm also curious about what Mr. Hikigaya would look like without his glasses." There was a hint of shyness in her voice.

It's over! This guy didn't seem to stop me at all, on the contrary, he seemed quite interested...

Perhaps with Reina's support, Mita's strength became stronger and stronger. Just when I was about to surrender, the door of the faculty was suddenly pushed open. Then, Mita immediately stopped his movements and stood there in a daze.

"Well, Mr. Fujiwa, good morning." Mita greeted Mr. Fujiwa awkwardly, and Mr. Yuexia was so scared that he said, "Hey, hey, that, it's not like that." Such meaningless lines.

So, how afraid are you of Fujiwa-sensei? I am a little afraid of him too.

Teacher Fujiwa still maintained a serious expression this morning, wearing his usual old but elegant suit, and a pair of thick glasses. Due to his age and work, his temples have been dyed with white hair, and there are many wrinkles on his face. The wrinkles make Teacher Fujiwa look a little vicissitudes, but at the same time, they also give Teacher Fujiwa a lot of majesty. When Teacher Fujiwa walks on the campus, the noise of nearby teachers and students will quiet down.

It can be said that Fujiwa-sensei is the most effective way to calm the noise in this school.

Teacher Fujiwa arrived and helped me out, but soon the office was filled with a solemn and tense atmosphere again. I vaguely felt that something was wrong with Teacher Fujiwa today. Although Teacher Fujiwa usually gives people a kind of pressure, it is definitely not as suffocating as it was today.

"Well, Mr. Fujiwa, we're going to hold a thank-you party this weekend to thank you for your help all the time." I spoke carefully. After all, if we continued to let this awkward silence continue, we would definitely go crazy.

"Thank you?" Teacher Fujiwa looked at us with a somewhat incredulous expression: "How many of you?"

"Well, after all, I have received a lot of care and guidance from you." Mita answered in a low voice, but his words seemed unusually sincere.

"Well, I've been grateful for your care all this time, so I wanted to repay you." Reina said with courage.

"Eh?" Teacher Fujiwa looked around at us, and we all stood up straight involuntarily.

"You don't have to be so nervous." Teacher Fujiwa's expression relaxed for a rare moment. "I'm not as conservative as you think. When I was young, I confessed my love to the most beautiful female teacher in the school at a morning meeting."

"Eh? Really?" Mita asked in surprise. This guy would become inexplicably excited whenever he talked about gossip. In fact, being a novelist is really not suitable for you. You definitely have the potential to become a gossip reporter that celebrities fear.

"Really? Even though I was rejected at that time." Mr. Fujiwa scratched his head a little embarrassedly, and then he continued with a proud smile: "But she still couldn't escape my grasp and became my wife."

"Hey, why?" Yuexia asked puzzledly.

"There are many stories to tell. I arranged some seemingly accidental encounters, bribed her bestie, and created a lot of romance. In short, after I exhausted all my tricks, we got together."

"Senior!" Mita's eyes sparkled: "Please talk to me in detail!"

"Sure. But after all, I'll be back to work soon. I'll tell you in detail next time when I have time." I don't know if it was because he was talking about his past, but Teacher Fujiwa had a peaceful smile on his face. It was a smile I had never seen before, and this smile made Teacher Fujiwa look younger and more approachable.

However, Mr. Fujiwa must be hiding something from us, something that makes him behave so abnormally.

For human beings, the opportunity for change is either to arrive in a new environment or something major happens to them, and it must be the kind of event that can affect their state of mind.

"Um, Mr. Fujiwa, what happened?" I carefully adjusted my tone of voice: "If I can, I will try my best to help."

It seemed as if Mr. Fujiwa had known that I would ask this question. He looked at me meaningfully:

"Hikigaya, I can't hide it from you. Actually..." Teacher Fujiwa raised his voice. Although his voice became higher, he still sounded calm.

"I'm retiring soon, and I probably won't be coming to work next week."

"So soon? I remember that Mr. Fujiwa should not have reached the retirement age yet." Although Mr. Fujiwa is indeed old, but if I remember correctly, he should not have reached the retirement age. Retiring before reaching the retirement age, this does not seem like the attitude of this country towards office workers. If possible, please let me become one of them!

Chapter 16: Parting is always so sad

"Yes, Senior Fujiwa, you should be able to work for a few more years." Mita also said.

"Did we accidentally do something wrong and cause your dissatisfaction?" Reina seemed to think that she had caused trouble for Teacher Fujiwa.

Teacher Fujiwa shook his head and said, "You have done very well, very well. Seeing you like that, I can retire with peace of mind. The profession of teacher cannot just focus on the retirement age. Due to long-term preparation for lessons and late sleep, sometimes staying up late to mark papers intensively, and always worrying about the safety of students. It can be said that the profession of teacher is very prone to occupational diseases. When I went for a follow-up check last week, the doctor told me that my body no longer allowed me to continue working, and the retirement work was almost completed, so this week is probably my last week at school."

I see. Because of this reason, Mr. Fujiwa was often not in the office last week. He must have gone to complete the procedures for leaving school.

The room suddenly became quiet.

Sometimes you have only known someone for a short time, and nothing special has happened between you that is worth remembering for a lifetime. It is just an ordinary relationship, ordinary communication, and ordinary care. Sometimes you are just an acquaintance, and it is even more likely that you still have a little aversion to this person, but when this person suddenly leaves, you still feel reluctant to let him/her go.

I always feel like there's something missing.

People will be reluctant to give up things that are not particularly important. This is the most essential possessiveness of human beings, which means they do not desire to change the peaceful present.

Silence, awkward silence.

"You don't have to be so sad. I told you that I will retire only after I feel relieved. Looking at young people like you always gives me hope. By the way, you don't have to go anywhere else for your welcome party, just go to my house and let you taste my wife's cooking. It will be fun this way. We can hold the farewell and welcome parties together..." Teacher Fujiwa's voice became smaller and smaller, then he stopped his amiable smile, revealing his usual stern but reassuring face.

"So you have to work hard and treat your students well." Teacher Fujiwa's last voice seemed to come from afar. Perhaps, this was his last teaching and hope for us.

"Okay, go to work." Teacher Fujiwa's voice was filled with smiles.

"Yeah." The three of us responded in a low voice, and I suddenly felt that teachers have to bear much more than I imagined.

Teacher Fujiwa is different from me. He must love the profession of teacher, love every student in this school, and love every tree and grass in this school. That's why he can work so hard for such a long time without complaining, and that's why he can smile and encourage us to work hard in the end.

If you really love this job, you will be happy at work and laugh unconsciously. Thinking about it this way, half of Mr. Fujiwa's previous strictness was probably fake, because every group needs a person who is old-fashioned, rigorous, and can make people feel at ease at critical moments. Although sometimes such a person can make people feel very depressed, more often such a person will become a benchmark for everyone and a vane for the team's progress.

I don't hate people like this.

"Mr. Hiratsuka, would you like to go to Mr. Fujiwa's house for dinner this weekend?" I said with deep regret in my voice.

Yes, it is a pity... The beautiful teacher in front of me is wearing a white coat that never changes, and a black suit that can barely be called professional clothing. Her good thigh curve shows her slender legs, but, but, the owner of such beautiful legs is eating barbecue takeout at the moment, and she eats like an uncle. Please realize this quickly, otherwise you will really not be able to get married! If you continue like this, maybe you will be lonely for the rest of your life, and I will end up taking care of you...

If you think about it carefully, this doesn't seem to be a bad idea... At least it makes you feel safe, and you don't have to worry about thieves or anything like that when you put it at home.

"I don't know why, but your tone makes me feel extremely angry." Teacher Hiratsuka frowned. This person is really sensitive in some strange places. Could it be that a woman's sixth sense makes her feel the potential malice in my words?

"What's the reason? Why did you go to Fujiwa-sensei's house for no reason?"

"There are two reasons. One is that Mr. Fujiwa is retiring and we are planning to hold a farewell party. The other reason is probably to express our gratitude to you seniors for taking care of us since the beginning of the school. It's like a thank-you party or something like that."

"I see." Mr. Hiratsuka thought for a while and said, "I don't have any plans this weekend, so I'll go."

"Yes. I will contact the teacher by email when the time comes."

"No problem, I can use my car to pick you up, so you can have more fun and go back later."

"Yeah, normally we should be able to catch the last bus."

"It's okay. Driving is more convenient."

"Of course you can." I was a little worried that this person might drink at the party: "But, Mr. Hiratsuka, if that's the case, you can't drink."

"Ah." Teacher Hiratsuka was immediately like being struck by lightning, standing there in a daze without saying a word.

"I accidentally forgot about this. As expected, we should just walk."

How strong is this person's nerve? Please remember the traffic laws of RB. You made me afraid to go out on the streets on weekends. As expected, for safety, it is better to stay at home on weekends.

"That's probably it. If there's nothing else, I'll go back first."

"Wait." Mr. Hiratsuka called me.

"The principal suggested that you write an introduction to the club in this issue of the school magazine. You see, after all, the school has just started, and many students have not yet joined a club. Our school's rule is that every student must join a club, so the school wants to make an introduction to the club to provide students with reference."

However, such references are meaningless. It's almost a month since the start of school. If you haven't joined a club yet, it means you are not interested in it. They will probably just take a look at it and then throw it into the school's recycling bin. However, the club introduction is much better than me writing about the meaningless topic of post-youth!

"I see. This is a rare occasion for the principal to give me a simple task. The previous topics he gave me were so speechless!"

As soon as I finished speaking, Mr. Hiratsuka's face turned serious: "Hikigaya, the principal is behind you."

"Hello, Principal."

I stood up straight reflexively, bowed, and said awkwardly, "Hello, Principal. I am working hard and will finish it soon. Please wait a moment."

By the time I reacted and realized that there was no principal and that Ms. Hiratsuka had just said something casually, Ms. Hiratsuka was already laughing loudly, her hands were tapping the table non-stop, and what was even more exaggerated was that she was laughing so hard that even tears came out.

"Hahaha, what's your reaction? That's so funny, Hikigaya. Your reaction is so cute!"

You are so happy to play with other people's trust in you. Are you really suitable to be a teacher? Is it really okay for this person to be a teacher?

"I want you to manage."

"That was hilarious, Hikigaya. My stomach hurts from laughing so hard. If I record what happened and post it online, it will definitely get over 10 million hits."

When I think about it, I can become famous on the Internet, which feels pretty good... No way.

"On the other hand, I will always be grateful to my teacher. Whenever I meet her, I will introduce her to others as my high school teacher. She is beautiful and has a great temperament, but now she is almost 40 years old and is in urgent need of a marriage partner."

A heavy punch hit my waist without warning, and I collapsed on the sofa beside me in pain.

"Hikigaya, this joke is not funny at all."

"It's you, teacher, who should go first..." I didn't continue talking, because when I stood up, I saw Mr. Hiratsuka sitting weakly on the chair, looking very lost.

"Um, I'm sorry, teacher." Somehow, I felt a little sad.

"I'm just a little disappointed, Hikigaya. I wonder if I'll end up living alone without realizing it." Damn it, this situation doesn't look like it can be solved by just a punch. Is the teacher being forced to get married again?

"Well, teacher, I don't think it's time for you to give up." After hearing what I said, Mr. Hiratsuka looked up at me and said, "You don't have to go out of your way to comfort me."

"Well, you see? Isn't there a proverb that wine becomes more mellow as time goes by? As time goes by, women will become more feminine and mature, and in that way, their charm will also become greater..."

"Really?" Hiratsuka-sensei looked at me with the expression of a wounded little animal. This person was unexpectedly cute, if he wasn't also violent like a chimpanzee...

"Really? I just think you're very charming, teacher." I said firmly, just like how I answered Mr. Hiratsuka in high school.

"It's just that they don't have good vision." I repeated what I said to Teacher Shizuka Hiratsuka many years ago, without any confusion. I still feel the same way now. Teacher Hiratsuka seemed a little shy, and a blush appeared on her cheeks before she noticed it. She waved her hands nervously: "It's not as bad as you said..."

"Yes, because I am your student." I straightened my chest a little. I have always known that Mr. Hiratsuka is gentle and deserves happiness.

"I see. It seems that I haven't met someone who can truly appreciate my beauty yet. I'd better stay the same."

"Well, it's better to change it." However, my voice did not reach the happy Mr. Hiratsuka.