Meritocracy Classroom of Hachiman Hikigaya

Since the two sides were now seated together, Hachiman and Ichinose sat on one side, while a mother and daughter sat opposite them.

The mother looked somewhat like Ichinose, though older. Perhaps because life had been difficult, her face also bore traces of hardship.

She was Ichinose's mother, Haruko Ichinose.

Beside her sat Ichinose's younger sister, Kanade Ichinose.

What made things even more delicate was that the four of them were in the steak restaurant run by Ichinose's class.

"Sizzle—"

They could hear the sound of steaks freshly lifted from the griddle and smell the rich aroma of grilled meat.

The steak came with pasta and a fried egg.

There was also a self-serve fruit salad, including the recommended cantaloupe and watermelon—not especially sweet, but refreshing—as well as blanched green beans and pickled radish.

Overall, dining here was quite enjoyable.

And from eleven o'clock onward, the steakhouse run by Ichinose's class had become packed.

The yakisoba from street stalls looked good, but during the daytime, eating in a restaurant was simply more comfortable. Even if it cost a little more, there was air conditioning.

As a result, Ichinose's class had been rewarded for their efforts.

And with so many customers around, finding an empty table was no easy matter.

Fortunately, Ichinose had excellent relationships with her classmates, so they had deliberately saved this table for them and restrained themselves from coming over to eavesdrop.

Or rather, they already knew Ichinose's family members would be coming, but they had not expected Hachiman to be sitting with them when this was supposed to be a family reunion.

Still, everyone in Ichinose's class was a little angel. Though they found it strange, they did not think too deeply about it.

Those who did think deeply about it, however, found their spirits lifting.

Because