In the anime, cultivating a girlfriend starts from childhood

"Hiratsuka, can I ask you some questions?" Hikigaya Hachiman looked at the river with his back to Ryosuke.

He was very confused and wanted to find someone to talk to, but he found that the only people he could talk to were Zaimokuza and Komachi.

But this kind of topic is not suitable to talk about with these two people.

Hiratsuka Ryosuke walked to Hikigaya Hachiman's side, and they stood on the riverbank together, looking at the surging waves on the river.

"You can ask, but I may not answer." Ryosuke doesn't like lying, so he made it clear in advance.

Hikigaya Hachiman mustered up his courage and told him everything about the girl and his own confusion.

after a while.

"Hikigaya, are you sure that girl is interested in you?"

"Not sure, but she and I email each other every day."

Hearing what Hikigaya Hachiman said, Ryosuke sighed secretly.

In fact, many people are confused about love.

Some are not sure whether the other person likes them.

Some people know that the other person doesn’t like them, but deep down they are unwilling to admit it.

The latter often engage in self-deception in order to deny this fact.

Try to turn the other person's dislike into like.

More extreme people will become more and more unscrupulous and humble because of this transformation process.

Hiratsuka Ryosuke actually belongs to the former. Before he knows Morika's feelings clearly, he doesn't dare to test them easily.

He stood here, his thoughts going back to the rainy day when he graduated from elementary school.

Looking back, I was suffering from the Chuunibyou syndrome with Morika at that time.

Although it is shameful, if he were to do it again, he would do the same thing without hesitation.

Thinking of this, Hiratsuka Ryosuke turned to look at Hikigaya Hachiman and sighed, "I'm sorry, I can't give you any advice, because I can't guess what a girl is thinking, Hikigaya."

Then he changed the subject, "I'm not sure if that girl has a crush on you, so do you have a crush on that girl?"

"Of course, Orimoto is special." Hikigaya Hachiman blurted out.

Hikigaya's straightforwardness was a little beyond Ryosuke's expectations. Ryosuke hesitated for a moment and continued.

"Hikigaya, follow your innermost thoughts and do it bravely. No matter what the outcome is, at least you won't regret it in the future. I'm just reminding you that the possibility of failure is very high."

Ryosuke Hiratsuka gave a relatively objective answer.

To be honest, he was not optimistic about the ending of Hikigaya and Orimoto.

From what Hikigaya said, it seems like Orimoto is friendly to everyone and is only dealing with Hikigaya Hachiman.

After all, they had been classmates for six years, so Ryosuke knew exactly what Hikigaya Hachiman was like during his elementary school years.

Hikigaya now is like a lone walker who has been in the dark for a long time, wrapped in endless darkness and coldness.

Just the faint light of a candle in the distance made him think he saw the sun.

After listening to the answer from Hiratsuka Ryosuke beside him.

Hikigaya Hachiman seemed to have returned to elementary school.

In a trance, he saw the boy who was isolated by other classmates like him.

No matter what difficulties he faces, the boy always has the courage to break through them.

In the year before graduation, he also saved a hearing-impaired girl.

In the neon-colored campus, those who don't follow the crowd will be isolated and excluded.

To blend in, to go with the flow, to become a perpetrator or a bystander, is to integrate into the collective.

How sick and ridiculous.

But even so, when faced with bullying, Ryosuke Hiratsuka actually fought against the group alone.

Finally, a "heroic feat" was accomplished.

Hikigaya Hachiman stared at Hiratsuka Ryosuke in a daze, and suddenly laughed.

Then he turned his head and looked at the surging river, and the confusion in his eyes disappeared.

He said sincerely, "I understand, Hiratsuka, thank you."

Only cowards would just run away. This time, I, Hikigaya Hachiman, am not going to escape from the battlefield. Instead, I choose to be my own hero.

Chapter 57: The so-called youth is nothing but a lie to deceive oneself and others

What is youth?

An encounter under the cherry trees in spring, a carnival by the sea in summer, a stroll among the red leaves of Kiyomizu Temple in autumn, or holding hands on Christmas Eve in winter?

Hikigaya Hachiman has never experienced youth, so he doesn't know the answer to this question.

"Morning, Hikigaya."

A vibrant female voice came from beside Hikigaya Hachiman.

"Good morning, Orimoto-san."

Hikigaya Hachiman raised his head in response, then leaned on the table, blushing and smiling slightly.

After saying hello, the girl walked over to Hikigaya and sat down, chatting and laughing with the person next to her.

Hikigaya Hachiman closed his eyes and his thoughts went back to the first day of school.

Because of Ryosuke Hiratsuka, Hikigaya Hachiman plans to make some changes in junior high school.

But Hikigaya Hachiman has never been the kind of kid who would actively say to others, "I want to play too."

While everyone was exchanging email addresses, he, who had no experience, could only stand there stupidly.

A man was holding his cell phone and looking around blankly.

Just then, the girl at the front table turned around and spoke to him with a sunny and cheerful smile.

"Your name is Hikigaya, right? Hello, my name is Kaori Orimoto, would you like to exchange email addresses?"

She shook her cell phone, and the smile on her face seemed to melt the snow in the cold winter.

Hikigaya Hachiman's heart was also melted by the girl's smile.

"okay."

Hikigaya Hachiman was a little nervous, but he still took out his cell phone and exchanged contact addresses with the other party.

Since then, Kaori Orimoto's smile always appeared in his mind.

At night, Hikigaya would take the initiative to find excuses to send emails to the other party.

"have you slept?"

"Are you there?"

"I read an interesting book today. Are you interested in reading it?"

Every time he sent a message, he would feel nervous and wait for the girl's reply.

I'll be happy when she replies to my emails.

I would also feel disappointed if she didn't reply to my email.

Regardless of whether she responded to the email the night before.

Every morning, when Zheben arrived at the classroom, he would still take the initiative to greet him.

The girl's smile can dispel the haze in Hikigaya's heart.

I might fall in love with this sunny and cheerful girl.

Hikigaya thought so as he silently observed Kaori Orimoto who was laughing and joking with the people around her.

In the blink of an eye, it was time to go home from school in the afternoon.

The students either went home or participated in club activities. There was no one else in the classroom except the student on duty.

This was the first time that Hikigaya Hachiman felt lucky because he saw the words in the corner of the blackboard.

"Duty list: Orimoto Kaori, Hikigaya Hachiman."

"Come on, Hikigaya, finish your duty early because I still have to participate in club activities!"

Kaori Orimoto seems to have endless energy and is always full of vigor.

"OK, all right."

Hikigaya Hachiman responded briefly, but his mind was filled with mixed feelings.

This is a rare opportunity for me to be alone with Orimoto, a godsend.

But does she really like me?

He greets me with a smile every day, so I guess he has a good impression of me.

After a while, the two finished cleaning the classroom and stood in the quiet corridor.

The setting sun shines on the young boys and girls in the corridor, covering them with a faint red glow.

"Hikigaya, I'm going to go now. My friend will be meeting me soon for club activities. See you tomorrow!"

Kaori Orimoto still had that sunny smile on her face and waved to Hachiman Hikigaya.

"Um, Oriben, please wait a moment."

Hikigaya Hachiman called out to the other party.

It was hard to tell whether the blush on his face was due to the setting sun or the boy's own shyness.

Hikigaya Hachiman's heart was beating very fast, something he had never experienced in his life.

"Hmm? Anything else? Hikigaya."

Kaori Orimoto tilted her head, a look of doubt appearing in her watery eyes.

Hikigaya Hachiman swallowed hard, mustered up all his courage and spoke.

"Um... Orimoto, do you have someone you like?"

"Eh? Yes."

Orimoto Kaori answered without hesitation.

Hearing the other party's words, Hikigaya Hachiman's heart tightened.

Did she already have someone she liked?

His heart sank gradually, but soon his eyes lit up and he thought of another possibility.

"Then...can you tell me the initials of his name?"

Hikigaya Hachiman spoke hesitantly, with a look of anticipation on his face.

"H."

Kaori Orimoto thought about it and replied decisively.

H?

Hikigaya Hachiman? !

Did I really guess that possibility correctly?

Hikigaya Hachiman excitedly pointed at his face, "Is it me?"

Orimoto Kaori was stunned at first, then laughed out loud, "Haha, Hikigaya, what are you talking about? Of course not, do you like me?"

Her voice was as clear as a silver bell, but Hikigaya Hachiman's fiery heart felt like a bucket of cold water was poured over it.

"Ahaha, it's okay, I was just joking, just asking casually."

Hikigaya scratched his head and said awkwardly.

At this moment, several girls from a distance also came into the corridor.