Hikigaya Hachiman is still in the dark

"Oh, but I've already eaten."

"It's okay. I'll just make some dishes suitable for after-meal eating. You can just eat a little."

After hesitating for a while, I looked at Kawasaki's earnest eyes and thought that there was nothing to do if I went back. Besides, we hadn't seen each other for a long time, so it would be embarrassing to refuse at the beginning. So I agreed.

"Then I'm sorry to trouble you."

"Yeah." Kawasaki responded happily and walked into the kitchen, while I sat on the sofa.

It is subtly similar to the scene just now, but the difference is that the people doing things are reversed. It feels so subtle.

Basically, as a pacifist, I always keep a safe distance from girls so as not to be misunderstood by others. So I have never entered a girl's room until now, but I have been to my lovely sister's room many times... Strictly speaking, my sister's room should not be considered a girl's room, because even if a creature like my sister takes off her clothes and stands in front of you, you will only wonder if she will catch a cold! Apart from that, you will not have any strange feelings. If you insist on saying more, I guess it will only be questions like "is the weather too hot?" or "is the air conditioner broken?"

Because I was very curious, I kept looking around. It was a little different from what I had imagined a girl's room to be. Kawasaki's room did not have as many decorations as I had imagined. Rather, her room was very tidy and spotlessly clean. Everything was arranged very neatly and the furnishings in the room were also very conventional.

I thought girls' rooms were filled with dolls, cosmetics, or fashion magazines. It seems that not all girls are like Komachi. If you think about it carefully, Kawasaki is a very special girl. She has been helping with housework at home since she was a child. It seems that she started working part-time very early, so Kawasaki probably likes the simple style like now.

By the way, Kawasaki is really awesome now. Is he the manager of a company? It should be a great job for a fresh graduate. If he doesn't have the qualifications and background, then he must have gotten this position by his ability. Kawasaki and I are both students who just graduated this year. In comparison, I feel a little bit inferior...

However, I had a feeling that Kawasaki could do this a long time ago. She was good at housework, had good tailoring skills, and lived a simple life. More importantly, Kawasaki's current qualifications allowed her to be a manager, so her future was bright. No matter how I thought about it, Kawasaki seemed to be a very good candidate to be a househusband, and I felt that if she could succeed, she would definitely live a better life than I imagined.

What should I do? I'm totally moved...

Chapter 66 A lot has changed

However, judging from the current situation, it seems that I will have to pay the rent for two apartments for the time being, and I estimate that for a long period of time, at least before Yukinoshita finds a job, I will be responsible for the expenses of both of us. Although finding the previous editor should be able to solve these problems for the time being, the novel will definitely not bring many direct economic benefits in its early stages.

To be honest, the fact that my previous novel became so popular was totally beyond my expectation. How could a novel full of my decadent thoughts and complaints about reality be so popular? It turns out that there are a lot of boring people in this world.

After talking to editor Kunihara about the new novel, I have a rough idea of ​​it, but that is just a delaying tactic. In fact, I have no idea what to write about the new novel. Should I write the same type of novel as before? Add the word "post" to embellish it? Something like "My post-youth romance story has problems, as expected"? Forget it. That would be completely cutting corners, and I don't think I will be successful like that again. I'm sure editor Kunihara won't agree. After all, Kunihara is the man I have been fighting with for so long, so he will definitely reject it without mercy.

If we exclude these options, the only ones left are probably hot-blooded novels or the easiest-to-write harem novels, but to be honest, these are not areas I'm very good at.

This is really troublesome. Never mind. I'll just wait until tomorrow to discuss it with editor Kunihara. I can't think of any new ideas by myself, and I don't know much about the current domestic light novel market, so it would be better to get professional advice from Kunihara.

At first I was thinking about how I could stop working, but now I have to worry about my livelihood. It turns out that once I become a corporate slave, I have no human rights. I remember that I was constantly threatened by some people who called themselves the "urging party" to update. Tsk... It turns out that I have failed at work. It is better to say that I have failed as a member of society. If possible, I really want to stay at the age where I don't have to graduate forever.

Thinking that the next few days would probably be extremely busy, I sighed softly.

As for Sagami, after the school festival ended in my second year of high school, I decided that Sagami and I would be like two parallel lines and would never intersect again.

At that time, at the corner of the academy, we met again by chance, and that last eye contact, I was sure that I had thought of it a long time ago, but now, Sagami has reappeared in my life.

Now my relationship with her is that of a colleague, and for work, it seems that I must handle my relationship with Sagami very seriously... I also have to take care of the matters concerning Uminohoshi and Tamasaka. Now I have completely confirmed what Mr. Hiratsuka said, and I will continue to work hard to correct their personalities.

So many things happened in one day that even I felt a little overwhelmed.

I rubbed my forehead worriedly. If it were my current self, I would probably be able to perfectly play the role of the homeless man in Waiting for Gaddo.

"What's wrong? You look very tired." Kawasaki's voice sounded at the side at this time. I came back to my senses and looked to the side. She was holding a cup of coffee in her hand. Because it was freshly brewed, hot steam kept overflowing from the cup.

"Oh, thank you." I took the coffee and put it on the table. Because it was cat tongue, it was too hot to drink.

Kawasaki saw my actions and looked at me with some concern: "Don't you like coffee?"

"Ah, that's not the case. Rather, coffee is one of my favorite drinks. It's just that I have a cat tongue, so I want to wait until it's a little cooler before drinking it."

"Oh, so that's how it is." Kawasaki's expression softened and she sat down opposite me.

"Are you done?" I asked. Not much time had passed, so I thought she probably had some unfinished business. "If there's still work, you're welcome. I'll help."

"No need for that. In fact, I always eat very simple meals when I'm alone, so I'm used to it." Kawasaki waved his hands in panic, then lowered his head with a blushing face.

Why are you so panicked?

This pace of life is probably largely due to work. Well, my parents often cannot eat at normal times due to work, so naturally the task of cooking falls on me as the older brother. It is quite hard to supervise Komachi's cooking, but later I became more aware of that aspect. After the advancement of technology, everything becomes very convenient.

But the way things are now, Kawasaki probably won't be taken care of by his sister. If I remember correctly, Jinghua is in high school. As for Daishi, although he has grown up to the point where he can take care of others, he should be living separately from Kawasaki now.

With this comparison, Komachi is indeed the world's number one sister, Komachi is so cool!

"Is it okay? Your body, if you don't eat well."

"Well, I've never been very good at cooking. Even now I can only cook some home-cooked meals, so my requirements for eating are not that high." Perhaps feeling a little thirsty, Kawasaki took small sips of the water in front of him.

"I can still take in the basic nutrients, and the combination is pretty good. Anyway, I think my current life is still quite healthy."

"Oh, I see." I nodded. Although Kawasaki's life was not something I should ask about, I had received a lot of care from Kawasaki in the past, so it was natural for me to care about him.

In fact, my life is probably much less healthy than Kawasaki's. I rely on instant noodles or bento for three meals a day. I have no right to question Saki, but human beings are like this. They always ask others to do what they cannot do themselves.

"By the way, Hikigaya, are you a teacher now?"

"That's probably true."

"Hey, I thought you would become a detective or something like that."

What kind of thinking circuit can reach such a conclusion? Detective, although I feel very powerful, I don't want to be a primary school student who drinks milk all the time but never grows taller, nor do I want to be a person who is unkempt and has a handsome man by his side and is rumored to be cheating.

"Why do you say that?" Let me ask you the reason.

"Eh?" Kawasaki held his chin with his hand and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Look, didn't you often do similar things in high school? Tracking, reasoning, confrontation, and so on!"

Everything seems right, and yet nothing seems right...it's a really strange experience.

No way, that's not right at all. Does the literal meaning of the word mean that I'm not completely a pervert?

"Those were just commissioned jobs! Although I did do that, I was only commissioned by someone else. I didn't do it on purpose."

"Isn't this what a detective should do?"

I can't refute it. I can't refute it at all. If I think about it carefully, Kawasaki's words are also very correct. Basically, detectives are commissioned by others and then do such things. So in a sense, my high school club work can indeed be said to be a detective profession...

"I can't really be considered a detective. We've done a lot of other work, too..."

"Indeed, I've always felt that you're having a hard time in a club like that in many ways."

Normally, it's quite relaxing, just drinking tea in the club room, reading paperbacks, and occasionally listening to the conversations between Yukinoshita and Yuigahama. It's really a very idle club. If it's so idle, why do you ask others to go there every day after school? Is this kind of management really okay? I think we need more humane management...

"But it's really amazing, because haven't you solved a lot of students' problems?"

"Ah, it can't be called a solution. I just did what I could..."

Many problems could not be said to be solved, whether it was studying in the United States, the commission from the Ministry of Revenue, or even our respective commissions, none of them were completely completed. It is better to say that in the end we solved the commissions by evading them. Such a result does not allow me to confidently say that the commissions have been completely solved.

After hearing what I said, Kawasaki looked me up and down very seriously and said, "Hikigaya-kun, you have really changed. If you were the old you, you probably wouldn't say that to a woman."

"After not seeing each other for so many years, it's natural for some changes to happen. It would be a little strange if there were no changes."

Without thinking, I quickly said this sentence. There was nothing wrong or rude in saying such words, but when I said it, I quickly fell into thought.

How would I answer such a question in the past?

I would probably just complain with an impatient look on my face, saying things like, "I really hope they can solve it themselves if possible," or "Isn't it stupid for a high school student to still be like this?" That was my past self, but now I can answer like this too.

Zaimokuza has also become more reliable, and perhaps I am a little better now than before.

"Well, that's true. However, Hikigaya is still the same in some aspects as before. I am still..." Before Kawasaki could finish his words, a sound similar to a train whistle came from the kitchen. Hearing this sound, Kawasaki quickly jumped up from the sofa and ran to the kitchen anxiously.

"Oh no, I forgot to set the cooking time." He ran to the kitchen in panic. He could see Kawasaki hurriedly tidying up the cooking utensils in the kitchen. It seemed that he forgot to set the time when he was making soup, so he was a little panicked now.

I didn't feel anything at first, but after I looked into the kitchen, my nose was soon filled with the aroma of cooked ingredients. Even though I had just eaten dinner, I couldn't help but feel hungry. Although I didn't have a good appetite at dinner due to fatigue, which made me not eat as much as usual, to be honest, the food made by Kawasaki successfully aroused my appetite.

Although cooking is a necessary skill for a househusband, I once tried very hard to learn it. However, after trying hard, I didn't master it well because it was too difficult, so I simply gave up.

There are things like takeout and convenient bento in the world. If all else fails, I still have instant noodles. Yeah, Hikigaya Hachiman will not starve so easily!

While I was thinking this, Kawasaki had already started to move the food to the dining table. Realizing this, I quickly stood up and helped Kawasaki move the food to the table.

"It's okay if you don't help me. Normally, I'm responsible for everything myself."

"It doesn't matter. It's boring to sit there."

"Well, thank you."

Chapter 67 Gradually, Hikigaya Hachiman began to miss the past

In this way, I helped Saki to bring all the dishes to the table. Sitting at the table, I was even more impressed by Kawasaki's cooking skills. Maybe it was because of his personality. Kawasaki made ordinary dishes that can be eaten at any time at home, which was different from the gorgeous dishes made by Yukinoshita. But this aroma is really fascinating. To be honest, looking at these dishes makes my appetite come back.

Kawasaki and I ate in silence. Although I wanted to start a conversation, I didn't know how to start. How should I put it? I felt very awkward. After all, eating with young girls always feels a bit weird. Unlike the situation just now, when Yukinoshita and I were eating, Haruno and Komachi were also there, so I didn't feel unnatural. But the current situation is still very awkward.

Human beings are always at a loss when faced with unexpected situations.

After finishing the meal in such an awkward manner, I stood up and cleaned up the table with Kawasaki. Then I was ready to leave. After all, if I stayed here all the time, I would always feel a very strange illusion.

If it were the me before, there would probably be some strange misunderstanding, and then I would fall into my own imagination and do something that would lead to misunderstanding.

But in fact, in my current view, that kind of self is not unacceptable. I can even say that I gradually miss myself at that time. Like ordinary people, when I lose something, I think that I was really good at that time, and maybe even quite cute.

Having acknowledged my past and affirmed my present, where should I go in the future?

"Hikigaya, what's wrong with you?"

"Ah, nothing."

When I came to my senses, I was standing stiffly at the entrance. Kawasaki seemed to notice my distraction and reminded me.

"Oh, right." Kawasaki was shy and took out a piece of paper from her pocket. With a quiet smile and her head slightly tilted, she handed the note to me.

"This is my contact information. Please keep in touch if you are free in the future."

"Okay, I understand." I took the note and nodded.

"Then, goodbye."

"See you next time. Thank you. The food is delicious."

Then I walked out the door and closed it. I leaned against the door, sorted out my thoughts, and slowly opened the note Kawasaki handed me. There was beautiful handwriting on it, with my phone number and Twitter account.

It seems that the present is a continuation of the past. I laughed to myself for no reason, stood up and adjusted my collar, then slowly walked back to my apartment.

When I returned to the apartment, Komachi was already lying on the sofa watching TV. She seemed to have taken a shower, and her hair was still wet and stuck to her forehead. Komachi was wearing pajamas and it seemed that she was going to bed.

"Ah, welcome back, brother."

"Yeah." After nodding in response to Komachi, I also sat on the sofa.

"Speaking of which, brother, why did you stay at Kawasaki sister's apartment for so long?" With a malicious look, ah, it was just such a look, completely consistent with those paparazzi who gossip about this star. However, this guy has always paid attention to my interactions with other girls. He is really a professional paparazzi of mine.

But sometimes I still hope she can restrain herself a little. It feels so scary to have others know my whereabouts.

"Well, I had a quick meal."

"Hey, didn't you have dinner already? Why did you go to Sister Saki's place to eat? It's so suspicious..." Excitedly jumping up from the sofa, Komachi ran to me, and then approached me with the posture of a cheetah sister hunting. Wait, if you look closely, isn't Komachi wearing my sportswear? A few years have passed, and my sportswear has become looser than Komachi's. Not good, very not good, although I don't feel anything special.

Komachi showed a cute devilish smile slyly, revealing her distinctive fangs: "Confess, brother, what happened?"

The slight feeling of pressure made me lean back and look away. Even though she was my younger sister, this posture was still not good. And to be honest, Komachi was much scarier in every sense than before.

"Anyway, there are all kinds of reasons. By the way, Komachi, why are you wearing my sportswear?"

"Eh, this?" Komachi looked at her collar carelessly and tugged at her sportswear. "Because I didn't bring pajamas, I had to make do with brother's. No, brother, don't change the subject. Why did you stay at Saki-san's for so long? You have Yukino-san..."

What does my going to Kawasaki have to do with Yukinoshita?

"I just met a friend today who I haven't seen for a long time. The reason I had dinner with him was because I didn't have a good appetite after dinner, and Kawasaki's food was pretty good, so I ate some more."

"Hey." Komachi sat up on the sofa and said a little aggrievedly, "Doesn't it sound like the food that Yukino and I cook can't impress my brother?"

"That's not the case at all. I was just tired after a day of work and had no appetite." I smiled slightly and reached out to touch Komachi's head as if to comfort her.

"You are such a cunning brother, but since you are my brother, Komachi will forgive you." Komachi said this with a blushing face while enjoying my pat on the head.

Leaning over, Komachi gently placed her head on my shoulder, and confidently put the weight of her body on my shoulder.

"Brother, it's been hard living alone in recent years."

"Nothing."

Although I did encounter many unexpected troubles, to be honest, it wasn’t to the point where I couldn’t deal with them. Most of the difficulties were solved by me “perfectly”, so maybe it wasn’t as bad as I imagined.

"Yeah." Komachi shook her head. "Brother must have suffered a lot of grievances outside. Since brother doesn't want to talk about it, then Komachi won't ask too much. Brother, Komachi will be a junior soon, and will have a lot of free time. Komachi will definitely come to look after brother often. Ah, what I said just now scored a high score!"

"Well, thank you for your hard work." I touched Komachi's head lovingly, and Komachi laughed happily.

At this moment, I am probably the happiest brother in the world. Ah, my words just now scored very high, but I can’t say it out loud, otherwise Komachi will become complacent again.

Looking at Komachi's smiling face, I gradually started to smile too.

Really, very happy!

"Brother, Komachi will be back to school tomorrow. What do you want to eat? Komachi, help brother prepare lunch!"

"Lunch." I lowered my head and thought for a moment. I have a conversation with editor Kunihara tomorrow morning, and I seem to have a faculty meeting in the afternoon and a party in the evening. It seems that the whole day is basically booked, and there seems to be no time for lunch.