Hikigaya Hachiman is still in the dark

Umi no Hoshi shrank back exaggeratedly, and took a defensive posture as if she saw a pervert. "Of course it's because I have to prevent air pollution when I'm in the same club room with Hikigaya-sensei. It's much more terrible than the flu."

Doesn't this person know that he is committing a crime of speaking inappropriately?

"Oh, so, thank you for your hard work." I responded to Hai Zhixing a little angrily, and I stopped talking and began to concentrate on my work. However, Hai Zhixing's posture just now was a little unnatural. Forget it, she should have made such an exaggerated performance to express her disgust for me...

The office fell into a strange silence, because Hai Zhixing and I didn't have anything special to talk about. Since the work communication was just the finishing work, there was nothing much to communicate. So, the only sounds in the office were the typing of keyboards and the ticking of clocks.

Because I was afraid of being late, I kept looking at the clock out of the corner of my eye.

"Mr. Hikigaya, if you need anything, it's okay to leave first. Your role is minimal anyway. To use an analogy, you are like bacteria."

"Isn't it totally pointless to be hungry?"

"Huh? Really? Some probiotics can be very useful."

"That's right. No, why are you discussing this based on the premise that I am a bacterium?"

“Isn’t this natural?” Sea Star looked at me in surprise. Although I couldn’t see her expression, her forehead turned very red. She must be laughing at me.

"How can it be taken for granted? Please stop being distracted and work hard."

"Hi!" The voice was unusually drawn out, and completely lacking in spirit compared to before.

"Hai Zhixing, are you really okay? You didn't sound well just now." He asked with a little concern. After all, Tamasaka had a cold. Although physical condition was partly the reason, the sudden cold weather yesterday should be the main reason.

"Huh? I told you not to worry, Mr. Hikigaya. Are you the old lady next door? You'd better take care of yourself more. I remember that bacteria cannot tolerate cold." He's still worrying about me. This guy is such a bastard.

I felt like no matter how I responded the conversation would take it in a strange direction, so I continued to concentrate on my work.

About half an hour later, I looked at the clock carefully. It was around 5:45. It was getting late. It seemed that I had to work harder.

"That's all for today. I'll take the document to confirm first, and you can go home by yourself." After giving these instructions, I quickly ran towards Mr. Hiratsuka's office with the USB flash drive.

After handing the electronic version to Mr. Hiratsuka, I realized that I had not put away my notebook in my rush. I had no choice but to take a detour back to the special building.

When I walked to the door of the department office in the special building, subconsciously, I thought that Hai Zhixing had left, so I took out my key. As a result, as soon as the key was inserted into the keyhole, the door was pushed open due to the thrust?

Not going back? Thinking of this, I walked into the club room.

"Star of the Sea, you haven't left yet?" I asked in a voice to confirm. As it was getting close to evening, it was a little dark in the office, so I couldn't see the situation inside clearly. However, no one answered me. I opened the door of the office, and then I saw Star of the Sea lying on the table.

"Star of the Sea!" He hurriedly ran to Star of the Sea and took off Star of the Sea's mask with his hands. He could clearly see that Star of the Sea's face was stained with a red blush from a cold and his breathing was still slightly disordered. He put his hand on Star of the Sea's forehead. It was super hot!

This idiot, he's still trying to be strong even though he has a cold.

But I didn't have time to complain. I quickly put Sea Star on my back and ran to Mr. Hiratsuka's office with all my strength.

"Teacher Hiratsuka, please drive Hai Zhixing to the hospital quickly. She is sick." I pushed open the office door anxiously and shouted loudly.

"What's going on?" Teacher Hiratsuka also ran towards me quickly, and after helping me lay Hai Zhixing down on the sofa, she also confirmed the temperature of Hai Zhixing's forehead, and then she looked at me in shock.

"How can it be so serious? Hikigaya, explain it to me. This is definitely not a temperature that can be reached in a short time!"

Yes, how could she get sick right away and reach such a temperature? Hai Zhixing might have had the flu since yesterday. She should have insisted on teaching all day today, and finally helped me finish the work of the school magazine. In fact, I should have noticed it a long time ago. The unnatural blush on her forehead, the listless tone, the mask she wore was actually to cover up her flu symptoms, and even the awkward posture was due to the unbearable cold. There were obviously many such details, but I ignored them in Hai Zhixing's usual quarrels.

What is this? Have I been completely fooled by this guy? Why didn't I notice it? Why am I still watching Yukinoshita collapse from exhaustion at the school festival like before? Why is this?

I bit my lips unwillingly, clenched my fists so tightly that my nails dug into my palms, but the pain could not hide my sadness at all.

Seeing that I didn't respond, Mr. Hiratsuka took a deep breath and said, "Hikigaya, I have to go to a very important meeting right now. Although I am worried, I really can't get away. I will give you my car keys, and you can quickly send Hai Zhixing to the hospital."

After saying that, she handed me the keys. “Thank you.” I put the keys away and quickly ran to the parking lot with Star of the Sea on my back.

When the door closed, I seemed to hear Mr. Hiratsuka sigh.

"You're still like this, caring about the people around you. But, Hikigaya, I told you before, people will hurt others as long as they are alive, even if it's a gentle act..."

Because I was in such a hurry, I didn't hear clearly what Mr. Hiratsuka said.

After arriving at the parking lot and finding the teacher's car, I helped Hai Zhixing to the passenger seat and fastened her seat belt. Then I sat in the driver's seat. As soon as I started the car, Hai Zhixing's body leaned uncontrollably on my thigh.

"Mom, I didn't lie, it was Xiaochun..." Hai Zhixing frowned, as if she was having a nightmare.

"So I've already told you why you all like to show off so much!"

I started the car quickly and drove towards the hospital.

"What happened to Xiaoqi?" Yuigahama stood at the airport, holding her phone anxiously. "Because there was not much time left, I thought he had already arrived. Why is he not here now? I can't get through to his phone either."

"Hey, isn't this Yui-chan?" The familiar voice made Yuigahama look up at the owner of the voice. At this moment, Yukinoshita Haruno was looking at her and waving at her with a smile.

"You're here as expected." Yang No said happily, looking around, then she looked at Yuigahama with a devilish smile.

"Hikigaya-kun, did you go to the bathroom because you were too nervous? You're such a cute child." Yuigahama didn't know how to answer. She held the phone tightly against her chest. After a moment of silence, Haruno's smile gradually faded. She looked at Yuigahama with an unusually cold expression. Frightened by Haruno's face, Yuigahama lowered her head unconsciously.

"Isn't that so? Didn't he go to the bathroom?" Without looking at Yuigahama anymore, Yono turned her head to look at the stars in the sky, and said as if talking to herself: "Hikigaya-kun, you didn't keep what I told you when we graduated."

Her voice was low, like a volcano about to erupt.

"Xukino, congratulations on coming back." Along with the crowd, Yukinoshita walked out of the airport. She was carrying a large suitcase and was wearing a white sweater and black cotton pants. It seemed that she was still a little cold after getting off the plane. Yukinoshita stopped to the side, loosened her hand holding the suitcase, and blew into her sleeves.

Chapter 48 Will You Definitely Come?

"How cold you are, Yukino-chan. I came here to pick you up on behalf of your parents. I'm pretty busy, after all. I took time off to pick you up, but you didn't show any reaction at all."

"I don't remember asking you to pick me up."

"It's so heartless."

"Xue, long time no see." Yuigahama said as she jumped up and hugged Yukinoshita.

"Xue-no, is your life over there good? Have you gained weight?"

"Yuigahama, you're hugging me too tight." Yukinoshita said helplessly, but she did not push Yuigahama away.

"Because I haven't seen Yukino for a long time, Yukino's body is still so comfortable."

"What you just said was a sexual line."

"What's wrong with that?"

"You." Said gently, Yukinoshita looked around with a little anticipation. As if noticing something strange about Yukino, Haruno smiled happily.

"As for Hikigaya-kun, he didn't come." Yuigahama felt Yukinoshita's body tremble, and the warm air that had just been warmed by their reunion swept over Yuigahama and Yukinoshita's bodies again. Feeling something unusual about Yukinoshita who was standing there in a daze, Yuigahama let go of her hand at a loss, and swayed there in panic.

"No, Yukino-chan, Xiaoqi just called me. Xiaoqi will definitely come!"

"Will you definitely come?" Yukinoshita's voice was cold, and there was a bit of loneliness that did not belong to her. She walked to her luggage and held it again.

"Let's go. There's no point in waiting here if we can't get in touch." After saying that, Yukinoshita quickly walked in front of Haruno and Yuigahama.

"Wait a moment, Yukino." Yuigahama reacted and ran towards Yukinoshita in front of her.

Yukinoshita wrapped her clothes tightly and ignored Yuigahama's rapid walking. Then she suddenly stopped, feeling a little surprised at the wet touch at the corner of her mouth. The bitter, salty taste spread through her tongue throughout her body.

"What a strong wind..." The low voice sounded as if it was murmured to oneself.

Standing at the door of the hospital ward, the doctor was looking at me with the medical record in his hand. His serious expression and critical eyes showed the seriousness of the situation. It was no wonder, after all, it was a severe cold, and it had been delayed for so long. Strictly speaking, it could have developed into pneumonia.

"Why didn't you send the patient to the hospital earlier? As an adult, you should understand that a cold can be serious or minor. Timely treatment is only a minor illness. If it is delayed, it will have serious consequences. What if it worsens into pneumonia?" I could only stand there stiffly without any words to refute the doctor's criticism.

"Sorry, I'll pay more attention next time."

"Really? Pay more attention to your daughter and take more responsibility as a father."

It seems that he mistook me for the father of Sea Star. What a huge misunderstanding.

"No, I'm not her father. I'm her teacher."

The doctor gave me an even more suspicious look, as if he didn't quite believe what he heard.

"Normally, you shouldn't go to school with a fever of this magnitude. Are you really a teacher?"

"Yeah." I took out my wallet and handed my teacher's ID to the doctor. Doctor Hoist nodded when he saw my ID. "It looks like you are really a teacher. But I'm curious about the child's parents. Why didn't they come to visit when the child is so seriously ill?"

"I'm really sorry. Although she is a student of our school, she is not in our class. I don't know much about her family situation. In addition, I forgot to bring my cell phone because I was in a hurry, and I couldn't get her parents' contact information through other teachers."

"Doesn't the hospital have a public phone?" The doctor gave me a suspicious look again.

"Well, I can't quite remember my colleague's phone number." Rather, I have very few opportunities to call my own phone. For me, the main functions of a mobile phone are just to tell time and read news.

"Eh? As an adult, it's better to memorize some emergency numbers." The doctor tore off the medical record and handed it to me. "This is the record of this visit. Next, you just need to help change the wet towel next to her. If there are no accidents, you can be discharged tomorrow."

"Thank you." I bowed sincerely to express my gratitude.

"It's just my job. Go take good care of the patients." After saying this, the doctor left the ward. Maybe there were other emergency patients who needed his treatment, so he left quickly.

I took the medical record and pushed open the door of the ward. The pungent smell of disinfectant instantly filled my nasal cavity. Frowning, I came to the bedside of Star of the Sea and found a chair to sit down.

The Star of the Sea on the hospital bed looked very peaceful. It might be because her fever had not completely subsided, so her cheeks were still a little red, which contrasted with the white quilt. At this moment, the Star of the Sea looked like a cursed Sleeping Beauty. This girl was so beautiful when she was quiet, but for some reason she had such a poisonous tongue that made people embarrassed.

At this time, Sea Star frowned in pain, as if she was having a nightmare. Her eyebrows trembled slightly, and her lips kept moving, probably as if she wanted to say something.

I remembered that the doctor had told me to cover Hai Zhixing with a wet towel, so I quickly brought cold water and a towel from the table next to me. After soaking the towel, I first used the towel to wipe the sweat off Hai Zhixing's face, and then folded the towel in half and placed it on Hai Zhixing's forehead.

After doing all this, Hai Zhixing finally showed a comfortable expression, not as painful as before. I put down my worries and sat back on the chair next to the bed. I looked at Hai Zhixing lying on the bed seriously. Because my eyes were sore, I took off my glasses and put them on the cabinet beside me. The room suddenly became very quiet, with only the slight sound of the wind blowing from the window. I looked out the window with a little melancholy, as if my heart was filled with something that even the sky could not hold.

I don’t hate stubborn people, but I have hated stubborn people who don’t say it out loud for a long time. They work hard on their own, take on things that they shouldn’t share, endure in a place where no one can see, and work hard alone...

What a joke! I don’t want this kind of self-righteous contribution.

Such dedication... Such hard work... Such self-righteousness... It's simply the biggest fake in the world. I realized a long time ago that no matter how hard a person tries, he will never succeed. Whether it's Yukinoshita or me, if it weren't for Yuigahama, we would probably have ended our life in the Service Club long ago, and then I would continue with my rotten life.

Why, do you want me to go through this again? Gritting my teeth, I looked at the sky with a bit of reluctance.

"Teacher Hikigaya, your eyes are so scary." The familiar voice made me turn my gaze away from the window and look towards Umi no Xing. I don't know when Umi no Xing woke up, and at this moment she was looking at me with a look of deliberately pretended fear.

"Whose fault do you think it is?" I glared at Sea Star and said angrily.

"Wow, Mr. Hikigaya is so scary right now. I really feel my life is threatened."

The usual taunting made me extremely anxious. I felt my anger becoming increasingly difficult to control. I raised my voice and looked at Sea Star angrily.

"I'm not kidding you..." Before I could finish my words, Hai Zhixing reached out her hand from under the quilt and grabbed my clothes. The sudden action made me swallow the words that were on my lips. Like a wounded hamster, Hai Zhixing looked up at me, her slender long hair scattered on the hospital bed.

"Teacher, can you help me up if possible?" Hai Zhixing's voice was low, different from usual, like the voice of someone who was afraid of others leaving.

I didn't say anything, helped Hai Zhixing up from the bed, and then folded her pillow in half and placed it behind her.

Hai Zhixing released her hands that were grabbing my clothes and placed them on her chest. Perhaps she had not fully recovered yet, and Hai Zhixing's body was still trembling slightly.

"You don't have to force yourself. It's better to talk while lying down."

But Umi no Hoshi shook her head and bowed her head like a believer on pilgrimage: "I want to talk to Mr. Hikigaya this way."

"Teacher Hikigaya, I know about my own body." Hai Zhixing looked at me and spoke seriously.

"If you know, why don't you say it? I can complete the work by myself." I lowered my voice unconsciously.

"No, Mr. Hikigaya will definitely accompany me to the hospital without worrying about me. Mr. Hikigaya is such a person..."

Having said something that could not be refuted, I stood there staring at the Sea Star.

"Teacher Hikigaya, please don't blame yourself. I thought I could hold on, but I didn't expect..."

"It's not something worth working hard for, so it's okay to postpone it occasionally."

"I can't do that. Xiaoyou has been reading every issue of the school magazine carefully since it came out. I like Xiaoyou who smiles when she looks at the school magazine... So, I want to stick to it no matter what."

So, just like me, in order to protect my own small service club, I worked hard to help Isshiki behind the scenes.

Everyone is like this. They work desperately for what they cherish and want to protect. However, this is wrong.

When thinking, don't forget what you really want. This is what Mr. Hiratsuka taught me.

"Then what do you think Tamasaka will think when she sees you like this?"

This time it was Hai Zhixing's turn to be silent. I looked at Hai Zhixing quietly, waiting for her answer.

"Probably, I'll show an expression that will make me regret." Hai Zhixing pursed her lips tightly, squeezing out these words as if in great pain.

"Right, since Tamasaka will get hurt anyway, why not choose a method that is easier for you, no, Tamasaka, to accept... There is no world where no one gets hurt..."

Chapter 49 Much Better

Yes, there is no world where no one is hurt. The world without hurt created by sacrificing oneself is false. When you are hurt, there will be someone who feels sad for you and someone who is heartbroken. So-called people are all like this.

"Mr. Hikigaya, is that from the textbook or your own experience?"

"It's nothing. It's a little life tip from Hikigaya Hachiman to Umi no Hoshi Tsukuso." I said that with a smug smile, imitating the tone of Mr. Hiratsuka's voice. As expected, Umi no Hoshi showed an expression as if she had seen a monster.

"Mr. Hikigaya, your imitation just now was really disgusting."

"What's it to you?" I just finished speaking when Hai Zhixing suddenly approached me. The distance was so close that I could clearly see Hai Zhixing's eye shadow and even faintly smell the unique girlish scent on her.