Hikigaya Hachiman is still in the dark

“I also have many difficulties…”

In fact, it was me who was causing trouble for Senior Shaojun, so I had nothing to explain and could only speak with embarrassment.

I can still control my study in the United States, but as for editor-in-chief Xiaozhi, I don’t want to leave my name in the cemetery so early.

"This situation is understandable. After all, it will be very troublesome if Xiaozhi becomes in his current situation." Scratching his head helplessly, the senior seemed to acknowledge this situation.

"Xiaozhi, stop making trouble." The senior pulled Xiaozhi back to his side while she was staring at Liumei. His words and tone were like a mother scolding her child. Every time I see such a situation, I feel it is very subtle. How did the senior, who is so strong-willed, make Xiaozhi obedient? I really want to ask the senior.

"Brother, she was the one who provoked me first. She is obviously just a high school student." Although the editor was stopped by his senior, he still pointed at Liu Mei unwillingly and said to his senior with a wronged look on his face.

The style changed too quickly. I have to admit that the current seniors look tall, mighty and domineering, and I lose.

"You are the one..."

"Stay in the United States, stay in the United States, that's all."

I spoke as gently as possible, and she seemed to notice my embarrassment, so she struggled for a while before calming down.

"Well, as a thank you for calling me out so late at night, it shouldn't be too much to treat me to a midnight snack, right?"

Senior Ai Shang pointed to the ramen shop nearby. After hearing what he said, Editor-in-Chief Xiaozhi, who was leaning on Senior Shaojun's legs, glared at me fiercely, while glancing at Senior Ai Shang constantly.

"Let's have a midnight snack together." This seemed to be the message conveyed, and it looked like he was planning on letting me treat him.

"Of course, no problem. Editor-in-Chief Xiaozhi is also invited. It's okay. If we meet in the evening, let me treat you."

After saying that, Liumei looked at me with a very dissatisfied look. Maybe Liumei didn't want to have supper with the editor-in-chief. But I'm sorry, Liumei, adults have all kinds of reasons, so I have to inconvenience you a little here.

"I really can't do anything about you. Although I think it's troublesome, after all, you begged me, so I will reluctantly accompany you for dinner."

This kind of tsundere is really unbearable. If you find it troublesome, don't waste your time here. Please be more aware of yourself as a social animal. "Is it okay? I remember you can't eat anything with a strong taste."

"It's okay, a lighter ramen is still acceptable." Senior Shaojun and Editor-in-Chief Xiaozhi exchanged greetings as they walked into the ramen restaurant.

"Hey there! Welcome."

As soon as I entered the store, I heard the boss's energetic voice greeting me. This kind of voice always makes me feel a little more energetic. It turns out that energy can be contagious. Maybe this is why I like this ramen restaurant. I put my scarf on a stool beside me and sat down.

Looking around the store carefully, we were the only four customers in the store, probably because it was late and the weather was cold. But even though the store was deserted, we could feel the warmth as soon as we entered. It seemed that the new air conditioner installed by the owner was working well.

"Yo, Hikigaya, you brought a different girl this time."

The ramen boss specifically greeted me after the formal greetings. We were regular customers, and the boss was also a very outgoing person, so we got to know each other naturally.

"Could you please not use such a misleading expression?" I had no choice but to explain in the face of Shaojun's playful look and Liumei and the editor-in-chief's disgusted looks.

"Hahaha, it's almost the same. I believe you are a self-disciplined person."

“I don’t deny that.”

"After all, Hikigaya doesn't look like someone who has a girlfriend." The editor-in-chief looked at me with a smug look. What a straight punch...

"I don't think so. Hachiman is an excellent person. He doesn't have a girlfriend just because other people don't have good taste."

Liu Mei said this firmly, and his tone was so firm that I was a little touched. However, it is better to get rid of this wrong perception as soon as possible.

The editor-in-chief looked at Liu Mei in shock, his expression as if he had seen a rare animal.

"Hikigaya..." The editor-in-chief looked at me with an expression more serious than ever before.

"Slightly..." The editor paused, then looked at me sternly: "What kind of wrong ideas have you instilled in her? This level can already be regarded as a cult."

I know this is a wrong perception, but it is too much to call it a cult! And I don't think my eloquence can attract believers. Even the seemingly famous quotes in my previous novels were all thought up by me when I was bored. If this is how you can start a cult, then the entry threshold for this profession is really low.

"Xiaozhi, no matter what, you can't talk to others like this." Senior Shaojun said sternly, and the editor-in-chief made a strange "Ah" sound and stepped aside.

"Feel sorry."

"It's none of Senior Shaojun's business..."

Apart from his dark side, this guy handles other things impeccably, so it's no surprise that he is very popular with women. The only thing to say is why he is still single. Although he has a good relationship with the editor-in-chief, it only remains at the level of "brother and sister".

Chapter 97: Seeing Beyond the Surface of Things

The editor-in-chief is obviously more than one or two years older than Senior Shaojun, but they treat each other as brother and sister. It's really scary. I asked Senior Shaojun tentatively about this before when I was at the publishing house, but he just glossed over it... Although there was no result, I am still very curious. After all, he subdued such a terrifying editor-in-chief, Xiaozhi, and the process might be enough to write a best-selling novel.

"Give us one serving of tonkotsu ramen. And one serving of clear broth ramen, with less salt if possible."

"Hey!"

While I was thinking, Shaojun had already ordered the ramen he wanted to eat. After I reacted, I turned my head to look at Liumei.

"What to eat?"

"I don't have that many taboos, and I've only eaten a little ramen before, so I'll just let Hachiman recommend it."

"How about soy sauce ramen?"

"It's ok."

Rumi nodded to me, and after confirming, she told the boss what kind of ramen she wanted. Naturally, I ordered the tonkotsu ramen that I really wanted to taste. "Hikigaya, it seems that you like tonkotsu ramen too."

"That's nothing. After all, tonkotsu ramen is the signature dish of this ramen shop."

"What my brother likes has its reasons. Hikigaya is just following the crowd!"

This is extremely excessive discrimination... "Hachiman is not the kind of person who goes with the crowd. There must be a special reason why Hachiman likes tonkotsu ramen!" Liumei next to me said to the editor-in-chief. The two of them looked straight at each other, and their gazes turned into lightning in the air, and you could even see sparks faintly.

My senior and I looked at each other and smiled bitterly. Perhaps the reason why he and I like tonkotsu ramen is the same, simply because it tastes good and suits our taste.

They can even quarrel over such a reason. How bad are the compatibility of these two people?

"By the way, Hikigaya, what do you think of your new editor?" The senior turned to look at me and handed me a cup of hot tea. This was supposed to be the waiter's job, but the senior took over naturally.

"We haven't officially started working together yet. We haven't even had a chat about the novel yet. I don't know how good the work is right now, so I can't comment too much."

"Oh, so that's it!" I don't know why there was a very obvious tone of disappointment in my senior's voice. Anyway, I naturally poured tea for Liumei and the editor-in-chief. It was a perfect performance.

"So, let's change the subject. What do you think of your high school's student council president?"

“Eh?” I looked at Senior Shaojun in confusion. Senior Shaojun still looked very serious and didn’t seem to be joking. But why was the same person asking the questions?

"Although the student council president is lazy, often pushes work away, and particularly likes to take shortcuts, is vain and pretentious, she is still reliable at critical moments and should be considered an excellent student council president..." For some reason, the senior looked a little uncomfortable. He took a sip of black tea with difficulty, and then spoke slowly again.

"Hikigaya, what do you think of Isshiki Iroha?"

When the senior asked this question, he had his usual sinister expression on his face, which seemed to indicate that I couldn't escape.

Why should I run away? It's you, senior, who's been beating around the bush, okay?

"Isshiki? Maybe he's just a difficult junior..."

Senior Shaojun looked at me with a very depressed look. What was the reason for such obvious disappointment?

"I see. Although I feel sorry for that guy, he's Hikigaya after all so there's nothing we can do. Never mind, let's see how things develop in the future..." After saying this, the senior looked at the two people who were still glaring at each other, as if the other had to admit defeat first, and rubbed his brows with a headache.

"I say, Xiaozhi, how long are you going to stare at me?"

"But brother..."

“Don’t make any unnecessary movements while waiting for your meal.” Under the gaze of his predecessor, Editor-in-Chief Xiaozhi had to retract his gaze, but he still looked unconvinced.

After editor-in-chief Xiaozhi looked away, Liu Mei also withdrew her gaze and sat there quietly.

Soon after, the boss brought the four bowls of ramen we ordered. Due to the boiling heat of the ramen and my tiredness after a whole day of work, my appetite was immediately aroused.

"But why does it feel more than usual?" I asked the boss, because I always felt that the quantity was a lot more than usual, both the noodles and the toppings were a lot, almost exceeding the maximum capacity of the ramen bowl.

"There are not many customers today. Just consider it as a benefit for your continued visit." The boss said with a smile, holding a soup spoon.

"Thank you very much."

"Small question. Speaking of which, little brother, the girl next to you is wearing the same uniform as my daughter. You mentioned before that you are a teacher. Are you a teacher at Seaside High School?"

"No, I'm a teacher at Sobu High School. It's just that our school and Seaside High School are co-hosting an event recently. It's a bit late, so I'm sending this kid home."

"That's a shame..." The boss shook his head regretfully. "I thought you were a teacher at Seaside High School. Actually, my daughter is studying at Seaside High School. I thought I could ask Hikigaya to help me."

“That’s a pity.”

"It's not a big problem. My daughter is quite good. Please enjoy your meal." After saying this to me, the boss walked to the back to rest area.

"What an easy person to get along with. Hikigaya, you really found a good store." Senior Ai Shang looked at me and said after the boss left.

“He is indeed a warm-hearted person.”

"But the most important taste has not yet been tasted, so I'll start eating."

After saying this, Shaojun-senpai started to taste the ramen. The editor-in-chief and Liumei also started to eat ramen after saying "I'm starting".

Liumei probably rarely eats ramen, so she took a small bite of ramen first. After checking the taste, Liumei looked at the ramen in surprise, and then ate it with satisfaction. It seemed that she could accept it. After confirming that Liumei could accept it, I also began to taste my ramen seriously.

After the meal, as the treater, I naturally paid the bill, said goodbye to the boss, and we left the store together.

"It's really a good store." The senior said with emotion as he left.

"Of course, the taste of this restaurant is the best in Chiba." I said proudly.

"That's not what I'm talking about." Senior Ai Shang shook his head, but this made me feel a little confused.

"Anything else?" I looked at my senior in confusion.

"Hikigaya! Didn't you notice?" The senior paused deliberately, as if he was very dissatisfied with my failure to notice. The senior's tone made me a little anxious, as if he was accusing me. I stared at him uncomfortably.

"Brother, why are you talking so much? There's no way a dullard like Hikigaya would understand."

The editor-in-chief chimed in and said that indeed at this time she would definitely help her senior to criticize me, but to my surprise, Liumei did not refute this time, but just looked at the two of us calmly.

This situation is really disgusting.

My senior used his eyes to stop the editor-in-chief who was looking at me with disdain, and the editor-in-chief curled his lips and turned his head away from me.

"Hikigaya, I don't know if you've noticed that the tonkotsu ramen we eat is very strong in flavor. You can get a general idea of ​​a ramen shop by eating one flavor, and you should also know what kind of ramen this shop serves. In a ramen shop with such a strong flavor, even the clear soup ramen and soy sauce ramen will taste stronger than the average, but Rumi and Xiaozhi didn't show any dissatisfaction when they ate the ramen. On the contrary, it seemed to suit their tastes."

"Senior, you did emphasize this, right? Is there anything strange about this?"

It is true that the senior had reminded the boss before, so it’s okay if the boss made the taste lighter.

"If the ramen is too bland, it can't be called ramen. The boss must have deliberately remembered the tastes of various customers, so he can cook ramen that Xiaozhi and your student are satisfied with."

The words of my senior made me think deeply. Indeed, even if he had reminded me deliberately, it was still difficult to find the right balance. The boss must have put in a lot of effort to make the picky editor eat so happily.

At this time we turned an intersection, the senior stopped, and the three of us also stopped.

"That ramen shop should have been ready to close a long time ago, but the lights outside the shop were on until we disappeared at the intersection. It should have just turned off now."

I was skeptical about what my senior said, so I walked back and found that it was just as he said. The lights outside the ramen restaurant had been turned off and the street had become dark.

"I'm not wrong, am I?"

I didn't answer my senior, but just bit my lips tightly.

"Hikigaya, if you look at things too deeply, you often forget the essence of things. For example, you know that the boss is a kind-hearted person, but you only stay in the impression that he is a kind-hearted person. If you don't discover it, how can you remember the boss's enthusiasm? If there is any misunderstanding in the future, will you continue to misunderstand the boss?"

"We often don't care about things we see through at first sight, but is that really all there is to a thing or a person? Isshi Iroha, do you really know everything about her?"

"You rely on your own arbitrariness to understand the world and arbitrarily define the role you have identified. Hikigaya, don't you think such a person is arrogant?"

I froze in place, not knowing how to respond, it felt like there were fighter planes fighting in my head.

"We're leaving first." The senior said, leaving me alone and taking the editor-in-chief away.

"Hachiman..." Rumi looked at me worriedly, as if she wanted to say something.

I shook my head, and Liu Mei became quiet when she saw me like this.

"Come on, I'll take you back."

"Ah."

As I answered like this, Liumei grabbed my little hand and put the scarf back on me. I lowered my head and let Liumei put the scarf on me.

Although it was as warm as before, I just couldn't be happy.

"Brother, are you saying too harsh?" Xiaozhi walked beside me and suddenly asked me. (From the perspective of Senior Shaojun)

"Maybe." I nodded without comment, and the figure of the blonde girl and the suffocatingly tall dark figure behind her unconsciously appeared in my mind.

"Hikigaya, you don't have much time left. Before that, try hard to find your true heart, otherwise..." I didn't say anything else, but just stared blankly at the stars shining in the night sky.

"I am lost in this world, just to find the fragments of my lost heart, and for those stars, they must also be looking for another star that can illuminate each other."

Hikigaya, come on, change everything before things get too bad for you, otherwise...