Chapter Sixty-Seven: The Benefits of a Typhoon / Chapter Sixty-Eight: Edinburgh Travelogue I

Ah, it's in my bag.

As she spoke, Haruno took a document out of her bag.

Hachiman took it, glanced over it a few times, nodded, and handed it back to Haruno.

"Go up once Hayama and the others come down. Just say what I taught you."

"Ugh~ You really are awful. I suddenly feel so sorry for that... What was that woman's name again?" Haruno mused.

"Never mind."

Haruno waved dismissively. When she saw Hayama and the others returning from the stage, she stood and walked over.

"Nice work."

Haruno patted Hayama on the shoulder, took the charged microphone from Meguri Shiromeguri, straightened her appearance, and walked onto the stage with a perfect smile.

"Students and teachers of Sobu High School, as well as all the guests who took time out of their busy schedules to visit us."

Haruno spoke with a bright smile.

After reading the closing remarks from the card in her hand, Haruno looked at the restless audience and said,

"After everything I've said, some of you may still not know who I am."

"Well, allow me to introduce myself. I was a student at Sobu High School several years ago, so you could say I'm all of your upperclassman."

"Some of you may be wondering why I'm the one hosting this closing ceremony."

"Actually, we had no choice. This was originally the responsibility of the Executive Committee Chairperson, Sagami Minami, but we only just found out that she has no idea where she is now."

"Therefore, I could only step in at the last moment and help my dear underclassmen through this crisis."

"I won't waste any more time. Next are the award recipients for the Excellence Award and Regional Award, which everyone has been eagerly awaiting."

Hachiman did not listen to Haruno announce the winners. Instead, he watched from backstage as the school administrators' faces turned ashen.

"Sagami Minami... the Cultural Festival is over."

Hachiman murmured softly, took Yukino's hand, and quietly left amid the constant applause and cheers.

The Benefits of Typhoons

Hachiman knocked on the teachers' office door, but no one responded for a long time. Puzzled, he grasped the handle and gently pushed the door open.

Moving stealthily on instinct, he made no sound at all as his hard-soled indoor shoes touched the floor. He quietly closed the door behind him and crept up behind Shizuka Hiratsuka.

At that moment, Little Shizuka was slumped in her chair, wearing Earphones and staring intently at her computer screen while humming a tune contentedly.

Hachiman sneakily glanced at the anime playing on her computer. Toradora?

He reached out and gently rubbed Shizuka Hiratsuka's head, startling her into jumping up with a "Yaaah!"

When she turned around and saw Hachiman shaking the bag in his hand, she hurriedly closed the open Niico webpage, her face flushed with embarrassment.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Shizuka Hiratsuka pretended to be furious as she covered up her embarrassment.

"Can you really blame me? Weren't you the one who called and asked me to buy you food?"

Hachiman looked innocent as he handed her the bag.

"Mm..." Shizuka Hiratsuka had nothing to say. She made a small, indecipherable sound and took the bag from Hachiman.

"Pork Cutlet Bowl and Tempura Soba. That'll be 2,400 yen."

Hachiman held out his hand toward Shizuka Hiratsuka.

"You're so rich. Do you really care about this little bit?" Shizuka Hiratsuka ignored him and shamelessly played dumb.

"Please pity this low-income teacher."

"A low-income person who drives a supercar? That car cost tens of millions."

Hachiman recalled Shizuka Hiratsuka's luxury car and complained inwardly.

"Did Haruno tell you that?"

Hachiman sat down across from Shizuka Hiratsuka without ceremony.

"Ah, what about it? It came up while we were chatting."

Shizuka Hiratsuka opened the bag and took out the greasy noodles first.

She used her teeth and right hand to snap apart the disposable wooden chopsticks, her every movement exuding the bold, middle-aged-man-like air of a hearty uncle.

"Let's eat!" she mumbled, already beginning to eat.

"Mm, do you want some? This restaurant's ramen is really good."

Shizuka Hiratsuka looked up at Hachiman, who had been staring at her, without the slightest embarrassment.

"No, I've already eaten."

Hachiman replied calmly, though his eyes remained fixed on Shizuka Hiratsuka as she battled the extra-large serving of ramen.

"I see."

Shizuka Hiratsuka nodded, then lowered her head and continued gulping it down.

Once Shizuka Hiratsuka finished the extra-large serving of ramen that had left Hachiman feeling full just from looking at it, she naturally opened the Pork Cutlet Bowl.

The corner of Hachiman's eye twitched as he watched Shizuka Hiratsuka continuously stuff food into her small mouth.

"Mm, I'm so full. I can't eat anymore."

Shizuka Hiratsuka looked troubled as she gazed at the remaining third of the Pork Cutlet Bowl.

"Here~ Finish it."

She held it out in front of Hachiman and passed him the chopsticks as well.

"Huh?" Hachiman stared blankly at Little Shizuka.

"If you can't finish the rice, at least eat the pork cutlet. It would be wasteful."

"Is that really the point?" Hachiman thought, only to discover that Shizuka Hiratsuka had already started smoking with complete ease.

Hachiman indifferently brought the pork cutlet to his mouth, but then suddenly noticed another unopened pair of disposable chopsticks in the bag. He quickly finished the food, pretended he knew nothing, and cleaned up the trash.

"Hachiman."

Shizuka Hiratsuka called out lazily.

"What is it?" Hachiman asked warily as he sat down, feeling somewhat guilty.

"What am I supposed to do with you? You went a little too far this time."

Shizuka Hiratsuka stared at Hachiman with a complicated expression, a trace of reproach in her voice.

"I don't think I did anything wrong. Things happened suddenly, and this was the best choice."

Hachiman looked calmly at Little Shizuka.

"So? Are you satisfied now?" Shizuka Hiratsuka sighed.

"Do you know what punishment the school is giving Sagami?"

"I don't."

Hachiman clearly had no interest in finding out.

"Normally, even if the Executive Committee Chairperson didn't do a good job, it wouldn't matter. She would still receive the Recommendation Qualification. That's the confidence of Chiba City's top high school, Sobu High School."

"But with Sagami's situation, she can forget about the Recommendation Qualification. She may even have trouble with ordinary further education now."

"In Japan's social environment, do you understand what it means for that label to be stamped on her record?" Shizuka Hiratsuka sighed.

"I don't understand what you're talking about."

Hachiman continued calmly staring into Shizuka Hiratsuka's eyes.

Rather than saying this was Hachiman's revenge, it was the consequence of Sagami Minami's own actions. Hachiman had merely blown a breath at Sagami Minami as she stood on the edge of a cliff, and she had followed the breeze over it.

She had acted on impulse, only to regret it bitterly afterward. Yet she had never repented for her own actions, instead believing that her current circumstances were entirely due to others pushing her.

"To have desires is to suffer; to have no desires is to be unyielding."

Human beings possessed an extremely strong sense of autonomy. The reason other people's words and actions could influence our behavior was that, at a subconscious level, we had already accepted them. Otherwise, no matter how beautifully someone else put things, we would not be so easily swayed.

Most of what Sagami Minami was suffering at that moment stemmed from the jealousy in her own heart. Blinded by emotion, she had never considered the consequences. In the end, she could only swallow the bitter fruit she had planted herself.

"If you believe there was nothing wrong with what you did, then there's nothing I can say."

"But, Hachiman-kun, promise me this: never become the kind of person who toys with people's hearts and acts recklessly."

Shizuka Hiratsuka sincerely took Hachiman's hand and spoke with a hint of nervousness.

Hachiman felt the fine sheen of sweat in Shizuka Hiratsuka's palm, along with its uniquely delicate warmth, and nodded seriously.

"If there's ever something you can't figure out, don't act out of pride. Come discuss it with your teacher first, all right?" Shizuka Hiratsuka smiled gently.

"Hey! That's cheating! Someone, hurry up and marry her! If she were ten years younger, I'd really want to do it myself."

Hachiman thought this with a flushed face.

"Well, that settles it."

Shizuka Hiratsuka returned to the computer. Then, as if she had suddenly remembered something, she said, "Today's meal only counts as one! You still owe me four more."

"I really was imagining things..." Hachiman complained weakly.

"All right, you can go. Remember to lock the door."

After saying that, Shizuka Hiratsuka put her Earphones back on.

When Hachiman returned to the Service Club, Yui was still asleep, her drool having dampened part of the desktop.

"What's wrong with this girl? Alzheimer's?" Hachiman joked with Yukino, smiling.

With a swish, Shizuka Hiratsuka opened the door and walked in.

"I forgot to tell you earlier. The school is worried about the typhoon, so we're taking a week off starting tomorrow."

"What?! A break?!" Dango instantly woke up. Her face was still smeared with drool, but her eyes were shining.

After saying that, Shizuka Hiratsuka turned and left.

Yukino and Hachiman were left staring at each other, along with Yui, who was cheering excitedly.

Edinburgh Travelogue I

At around seven in the morning, accompanied by the roar of its engines, the plane slowly came to a stop at Edinburgh Airport. Hachiman and the others filed out of the cabin, then handed the immigration cards they had requested from the flight attendant and filled out on the plane to the customs officers.

"How many days will you be staying here?" the officer asked routinely.

"Five days."

Yukino answered in fluent English.

"Where are you planning to go?"

"We'll just look around Edinburgh."

"When will you be leaving?"

"On the evening of the fifth day."

"Okay."

After saying that, the officer stamped their passports one by one and indicated that they could leave.

"Enjoy your stay."

Hachiman and the others strolled along leisurely with their luggage. Not far away, they spotted a Starbucks.

Yukino went ahead and studied how to get to the city center, while Hachiman led the other three into the passage beside it. After walking along the passage for a short while, they saw a tourist information center on the left.

After taking some free maps, Hachiman suddenly felt an urgent need to urinate. He turned, handed what he was holding to Yui, and instructed her,