Chapter 426

Because she has very few friends, she probably only reads news on the School Forum.

She ignored this place, and so did Hachiman and Itaru.

I came in at 1 p. m. and it's already 3 p. m. now.

After losing 30 games of chess in a row and having to watch over 60 ads for nothing, Hachiman chose to delete this piece of junk software.

And.

It should be about time now.

So, after putting his phone away, Hachiman prepared to leave.

"Thank you for your trouble, but I must go back now," Hachiman said.

"Please go ahead," said Sakayanagi Arisu, putting down her book. "Then I owe you nothing."

"Kindness."

Hachiman nodded, then got up and walked towards the entrance.

Meanwhile, Sakayanagi Arisu remained calmly engrossed in her book.

One book on 5 Centimeters Per Second was obviously not enough, so she switched to another one halfway through.

It's still by the same author, the Garden of Words.

It tells the story of an ordinary high school student and a female teacher who has given up on herself; it's a love story.

Certainly.

It can also be described as a healing process.

Overall, the books that Classmate Sakayanagi has been reading lately have become more romance-themed.

"Thump!"

Hachiman had already left the room and closed the door.

"Reading is so tiring," Sakayanagi Arisu said, putting down her book as if complaining.

"..."

But.

Kamuro, sitting on the edge of the bed and ignored as if he were invisible, remained expressionless.

Because.

Is Hachiman Hikigaya playing Arisu his phone on the other side of the table, while Sakayanagi reading a book?

He looks like he's reading a book.

Yes.

It just looks like that.

Because her phone was out of battery, Kamuro came out of the kitchen early and sat in a corner. Since she had nothing to do, she could only watch people.

Then.

She noticed that in those three hours, actually two hours and forty-six minutes, Sakayanagi Arisu only read for 33 minutes. Then she started to drift off, spacing out for about 19 minutes before simply propping the book up and stealing glances at Hachiman Hikigaya's profile as he focused on his phone.

Kamuro saw it with those eyes, and it was absolutely true.

In other words...

Sakayanagi Arisu, you're doomed.

You've really fallen for a guy.

Although Kamuro has no interest in romance, she knows that some people who are in love or have feelings for someone can't help but turn around to look at their crush during class.

It's not for any particular reason, but just seeing it makes me feel at ease and my heart races.

So.

Sakayanagi, you're doomed.

You've actually fallen in love.

Kamuro did not think this was a good choice.

Because Hachiman Hikigaya often has a good relationship with Kushida, Karuizawa, and Horikita, right?

Although there's no evidence of them dating, it's possible they're dating in secret.

Even if they don't interact, they still pull each other along.

So.

For Kamuro, this is like... having multiple relationships on one foot.

She hates unfaithful people.

Because she knew that she couldn't find happiness with someone who wasn't faithful.

And Sakayanagi, are you, such a clever person, destined to suffer like this?

"Um--"

At this moment, Sakayanagi gently rested his chin on his hand and said, "Okay."

She said, "Kamuro, thank you for your hard work today. You can go back now."

"..."

So why?

Kamuro instantly snapped back to his senses.

Because.

Mingming stayed with him and spent three hours in the room. Her phone ran out of battery after two hours, so for the remaining hour, she just sat on Banyan's bed, worried about what troublesome guy Sakayanagi would ask her to do next.

So she was always on standby.

But she didn't call her again for three hours.

Now that the three hours are over, they let her leave.

So why?

Since we don't need her to serve us today, wouldn't it have been better to send her back to her dorm in the first place? Why make her stay here for another 3 hours?

On the other side...

"Meow—"

Meanwhile, Honami Ichinose had already woken up from her sleep and found herself in the dark. She then looked around in the dim light.

Ah.

She realized that this was not her room.

However, the smell of the blanket seemed somewhat familiar.

It's like the study rooms that Hachiman Hikigaya provides.

She quickly determined that this was indeed Hachiman's room.

But he didn't seem to be in the room.

But.

Ichinose noticed a bowl of ginger soup on the table, wrapped in plastic wrap to keep it warm and help dispel the cold.

That's so thoughtful.

Hachiman is a really good person. If you dated him, you would definitely be very happy.

Ichinose felt that she was particularly easy to win over today.

But there's no way to avoid thinking in this direction.

Hachiman and he signed an agreement to get married after graduation, which means they both agreed. So, they can simply take the marriage registration form to the ward office to register and confirm their marriage.

An agreement is a kind of shackle; even when fulfilling its terms, one may feel some resistance.

But.

Ichinose did not have that idea.

She felt that Hachiman was a good person, and it wouldn't matter if he didn't work after they got married.

Because Ichinose didn't intend to stay home as a full-time housewife after getting married, her goal was actually to go out and work.

From this perspective, there is no conflict with Hachiman.

It's a little disappointing that Hachiman believes in a definite marriage more than in dating.

So she has another competitor, Kushida.

Kushida is cute and kind, and she's in the same Hachiman. Just looking at them as classmates, Kushida is way ahead of her.

Sometimes you can even see Kushida and Hachiman going to the movies together.

But.

She was also a little happy.

She should be the first one to be allowed to stay in his room.

And while thinking like that.

"Snap—"

She heard a sound coming from the entrance hall.

"Ichinose, are you up?" It was Hachiman's voice.

Oh.

He's back.

At the same time.

She smelled the delicious aroma of duck blood and vermicelli soup.

Hachiman even brought back his own lunch.

When Hachiman entered the room, he found the lights were on. Ichinose was still in bed, but seemed to be lost in thought.

Judging from her condition, she should be fine.

But.

She is wearing his shirt now.

I never imagined that my clothes would have such a wonderful fate, being worn by the most popular girl in the whole school.

Afterwards, if Ichinose returns it to him, he doesn't need to wash it.

"..."Yes.

Hachiman is actually a bit disoriented right now.

Because Ichinose was wearing his clothes without a vacuum.

Although her shirt was long, the first button was undone.

It makes you wonder where to look.

"It's best that you can pull yourself together," Hachiman said, finally looking at the ceiling. "One school year is over, let's keep working hard next year."

"Um."

Ichinose nodded vigorously.

She also has an advantage that Kushida doesn't have: Hachiman and she made a promise to meet again on this day next year. Then they'll reminisce together about the sadness, joy, failures, and successes of the past year.

It's like having a backup plan.