Yukinoshita Yukino was stunned for a moment, then smiled, "Yeah, we are all the same."
——————
At the same time, a bee-like Gurongi appeared in the sky above the Chiba area - Mei Bakis Ba.
It stared at a middle-aged man who was talking on the phone below with its eyes, and glanced at the protruding needle with a cold glow on his right wrist.
"The first one succeeded!"
As the words fell, a needle shot out from his wrist, piercing through the middle-aged man's brain at an extremely fast speed, leaving a small hole in the ground with its power undiminished.
After taking a glance at the body of the middle-aged man, Mei Bakis Ba flew away, "There are 99 left."
Chapter 30: Initial suspicion
"Hachiman~ It's time to get up, Hachiman~"
In a daze, Hikigaya Hachiman seemed to hear the voice of an angel.
[This dream is so great, I can actually hear the voice of an angel.]
Immersed in that gentle and soft voice, he felt even sleepier.
"Hachiman~ hurry up and wake up, Hiratsuka-sensei said we should go help make dinner."
It seemed that he was angry because he couldn't wake up Hikigaya Hachiman. This time, even in his sweet sleep, he felt a very obvious push. This real touch, which was obviously different from a dream, finally awakened him who refused to wake up.
"Ah~"
I opened my sleepy eyes, and the hazy vision slowly became clear.
"Huh~ Hachiman, you finally got up."
This time, Hikigaya Hachiman not only heard it, but also saw the existence of the angel.
"Make me miso~"
He was halfway through his words when the angel's background began to become clear, and he quickly stopped the words that were about to come out of his mouth before something socially fatal happened.
"Make dinner, right? Okay, let's go, Totsuka."
Hikigaya Hachiman finally regained consciousness from the distraction of his "married" life with Totsuka Ayaka. He quickly stood up and walked towards the door, ignoring Totsuka Ayaka who was looking at him blankly.
[Huh~ I guess this is too much of a stretch. I was planning to finally take a nap today to replenish my energy, but I didn't expect to be asked to volunteer.]
[I'm working overtime for free before I even start working, even though I just want to be a househusband.]
Hikigaya Hachiman has already remembered why he was sleeping.
Because he had used the Pegasus form too much in the past two days, which resulted in too much mental exhaustion, and he had walked for such a long time in the scorching summer sun, so he... had heatstroke.
[However, based on my understanding of Hiratsuka-sensei, she would not ask me to get up and make dinner when I have a heat stroke.]
He seemed to have guessed something vaguely, but without that flash of inspiration, he was unable to piece together the truth that was still shrouded in mystery.
"Hey~ Is Hikigaya up? Are you feeling better?"
He was interrupted in his thoughts. He looked up and saw Shizuka Hiratsuka walking slowly towards him. He nodded and said, "Teacher, I'm not feeling well yet, so I'm applying for a break."
Without caring about the unthinkable truth, since there was such a good opportunity without having to work, Hikigaya Hachiman decisively chose to make use of it to the end.
To hell with work!
"Still feeling uncomfortable?"
"Yes, I feel the head..."
Before he could finish his words, he sensed an unpleasant flow of wind. He subconsciously tilted his head slightly to the side, and his corrupt eyes began to become serious, flashing a terrifying edge.
That was the look in Hikigaya Hachiman's eyes when he entered the battle.
His hand clenched into a fist inadvertently, and when he was about to dodge the oncoming punch and prepare to fight back, his rationality came into play and suppressed his subconscious.
"Wuuuuuuuuuuuuu~ Teacher, what are you doing all of a sudden~"
He stepped back with a terrified expression, perhaps because he was too surprised by the sudden attack, his left foot accidentally tripped over his right foot and he fell to the ground.
"It hurts~"
"Sorry, I just wanted to see if you wanted to be lazy again. Are you okay, Hikigaya~"
Seeing the student fall to the ground, Shizuka Hiratsuka hurriedly walked forward, stretched out her hand to pull him up, and brushed the dust off his body somewhat embarrassedly.
"It's nothing, but teacher, can you please stop joking like that? I'm really not feeling well, so..."
"Okay, you can take a rest first. I'll have someone notify you when the meal is ready."
"Then I'll go back first."
"Well, take some rest."
Hiratsuka Shizuka watched Hikigaya Hachiman leave, said a few words to Totsuka Ayaka who was coming towards her and didn't know what was going on because of the time difference, then turned and left.
[His body is indeed getting stronger day by day, and the speed of the punch just now was already my limit, but he had already noticed it and dodged before I could hit him.]
She narrowed her eyes as she recalled what had just happened.
[Also, he was about to throw a punch, right? Plus that look, and after talking to Komachi, I learned that Hikigaya didn't exercise at home. And he came home late for several days.]
[Sure enough, he must be hiding something. Learning fighting skills is definitely not that easy.]
Shizuka Hiratsuka turned around and took a deep look at the closed door.
[It seems necessary to investigate clearly.]
After returning, she briefly told Hikigaya Komachi about her test, and also comforted her as she was worried about Hikigaya Hachiman's health.
——————
"It seems that I've been suspected. No wonder she's been watching me so closely these past two days. It should be that the teacher has noticed my physical condition. After all, I get beaten up by her every day. It's impossible to hide it."
Hikigaya Hachiman lay on the futon on the tatami and sighed helplessly.
He had his own understanding of Shizuka Hiratsuka's strange behavior just now, but he didn't have a good way to deal with it. Shizuka Hiratsuka was the only person he knew who knew fighting skills.
It's not that he hadn't searched the Internet before, but all the information he found was just fancy stuff and completely useless. The skills that Shizuka Hiratsuka taught him were nothing like what could actually be used in actual combat.
I believe that as long as he studies for a while longer, he won't have to continue to fight with injury-for-injury tactics, and can directly rely on his own strength to crush and win.
After all, being injured is very painful, and more importantly, it will delay your return home, which would be bad if it arouses Hikigaya Komachi's suspicion.
Therefore, considering all the reasons mentioned above, he could not avoid Hiratsuka Shizuka at all. All he could do was to follow her step by step, otherwise there was no other way.
"Forget it, don't think too much about it. It's rare to have time to rest. Otherwise, if there is a battle later, I will just be a delivery boy with my current health."
Since there was no solution to the current situation, Hikigaya Hachiman didn't think too much about it. He closed his eyes and rested, replenishing his energy.
[Training must be planned well in the future, otherwise it will be disadvantageous in combat.]
The thought flashed through his mind, and Hikigaya Hachiman soon fell into a sweet sleep.
——————
"Komachi, are you still worried about Kotsugi?"
Yuigahama Yui asked Hikigaya Komachi who was distracted beside her.
Hikigaya Komachi shook her head and said, "No, Komachi knows that my brother is not a stubborn person. He agreed to accompany me shopping today, which means that he is fine. Otherwise, he would definitely not accompany Komachi. I still have confidence in this."
"What a convincing reason!" Yukinoshita Yukino smiled faintly, "After all, that guy is a complete sister-con!"
"That's right, so brother will never do anything to make Komachi worried or scared. Even if he does, it's for Komachi's own good!"
After saying that, she seemed to feel ashamed of what she had just said. Hikigaya Komachi found that the two of them were also stunned by her words, so she quickly changed the subject, "Okay, okay, Sister Yukino, Sister Yui, let's help make curry quickly, otherwise we will be too late."
He quickly walked behind the two of them, stretched out his hands, pushed them on the back, and walked towards the crowd who were busy cooking curry.
As the saying goes, there is strength in numbers!
Even though they were only sixth-year elementary school students, they quickly completed the cooking task with the help of high school students like Yukinoshita Yukino. The delicious aroma of curry began to waft through the operating table in this village called Chiba, which was used to provide collective cooking for travelers.
"Okay, everyone has done a great job. Now enjoy your delicious dishes with your classmates in the same group."
"Okay~"
After responding to the school leaders with great enthusiasm, the primary school students began to enjoy the fruits of their labor.
"Brother, hurry up and get up, everyone is waiting for you to eat."
Hikigaya Komachi woke up Hikigaya Hachiman, who was dreaming about something and frowning, and asked him with a smile: "Hehe~ Brother, I saw you frowning when you fell asleep just now, did you have a nightmare?"
"…"
"Hey, brother, are you awake? Why are you staring at Komachi?"
Hikigaya Komachi was stared at by her brother with a confused look, and she didn't know why she felt uneasy.
"Nothing. I just had a nightmare about my stupid sister failing the exam and crying to me."
Hikigaya Hachiman pretended to sigh in relief, then stood up and said to his sister who was staring at him fiercely with puffed cheeks: "Okay, let's go eat quickly. It's not good to keep everyone waiting too long."
"Okay~"
Hikigaya Komachi hurriedly followed him, and after walking for a while, she looked at him anxiously, "Hey, brother, do you think I won't fail the exam?"
"Don't worry, Komachi will be fine. Even though you're a fool, you still have a reliable brother like me, right?"
"Eh~ I suddenly feel even more hopeless!"
"Um, Komachi-san, even my brother would be hurt if he heard you say that!"
"It's because your dead fish eyes are so unconvincing, brother."
"What do you care about..."
Just like that, the brother and sister walked towards the place where their group of volunteers were having dinner, noisily as usual.
"Xiaoqi, too slow~"
This is the voice of Yuigahama Yui complaining.
"Your physical condition really matches the temperament of your eyes!"
This is the sarcastic voice of Yukinoshita Yukino.
"Hachiman, are you feeling better?"
This is the caring voice of an angel.
"Okay, now that everyone is here, let's get started!"
This was the voice of Shizuka Hiratsuka coming to the rescue.
The strange atmosphere caused by Hikigaya Hachiman's arrival faded a lot after these words were spoken.
"Yes, I'm glad that Hitoki-kun is okay. Eat more to replenish your energy. Next time you feel uncomfortable, tell me earlier. You don't have to force yourself. It's good to be responsible, but it's not good to push yourself too hard."
After Hayato Hayama's clear voice fell, the strange atmosphere immediately dissipated. Everyone put their hands together and said "I'm starting" in unison, and then provided food for their already hungry stomachs.
There was not much conversation at the dinner table. Since they saved time talking, they naturally ate faster. Soon everyone had finished their meal and the atmosphere began to become tense and heavy.
Perhaps sensing the change in atmosphere, Shizuka Hiratsuka leaned back on the table, exhaled a puff of cigarette, and whispered, "What's wrong? Is there anything you're concerned about?"
"There's a child who's been left alone."
Hayato Hayama glanced at the cold girl sitting diagonally opposite him imperceptibly, and a series of dark and heavy memories emerged in his mind, making him feel terribly heavy and as if he could not breathe.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, pushing the heavy memories surging in his brain back to the edge of his memory. A certain oath in his heart once again surged into his mind, suppressing the discomfort that was filling his body at the moment.
He opened his eyes burning with a strong will and spoke word by word.
"I want to help her!"
The words carry the strong emotions infused by the owner, allowing those who hear them to deeply appreciate his determination, and have a special appeal that helps him achieve his inner wishes to the best of his ability.
"Hayato~"
"Miura Yumiko, who had a good relationship with him," Tobe Sho whispered. Just as he was about to say something in support of her, he was interrupted by a voice that was even colder than he remembered.
"You can't do it? Didn't you know that a long time ago?"
Hayato Hayama looked at Yukinoshita Yukino's emotionless gaze diagonally opposite him and opened his mouth to say something, but with the fragments of memories about to surge up again, he could only lower his head bitterly.
Seeing that the atmosphere was getting weird again, Hiratsuka Shizuka asked, "Yukinoshita, what do you think?"Hearing this, Yukinoshita Yukino asked back: "Teacher said before that this is an activity of the Service Club, right?"
After seeing Hiratsuka Shizuka nod, she continued: "Then, this falls within the scope of the Service Club. If that child asks me for help, I will do my best to help her."
"But will the child speak?"
Yuigahama Yui's voice suddenly rang out in a low voice, and because her tone seemed to contain some strong emotions, everyone present turned their attention to her.
As if she didn't realize that she had become the focus of the whole audience, she said to herself: "Didn't Liumei say that being bullied happens all the time? Because I kept my distance at that time, so could she not allow herself to be helped by others? I don't think it's just Liumei's fault, everyone is probably wrong... Even if you want to strike up a conversation or get along well with others, you can't do it in that environment. And it will leave you feeling guilty."
At this point, she seemed to feel that what she said was different from her usual self, and she laughed, as if she wanted others to forget the different style of herself just now, "Oh, come on... I said something very embarrassing. It turns out that since no one around me talks to me, it takes a lot of courage to talk to them."
[Courage? It seems to me that you have never lacked courage!]
Hikigaya Hachiman recalled the scene when they first met, when she spoke to him and Yukinoshita Yukino, and also the scene when she spoke to him in class. The corners of his mouth slightly raised, and he looked at the girl with a gentleness in his eyes that he himself did not notice.
[So, a fool like you will never become a slave to power.]
[Because, gentle fool, what you are best at is hurting yourself!]
"But, isn't it also because Rumi-chan's class is doing this for this reason that they can't read the atmosphere? Everyone thinks 'if you start a conversation, you'll be isolated', so they keep their distance, or they hope to have more time to prepare themselves mentally or something."
"Maybe I'll stay like this forever... Uh, wow! I felt like I just said something really rude?! Is that okay?"
Driven by her inner emotions, Yuigahama Yui said something completely different from what she usually said to suit the atmosphere of the scene. When she realized it, she quickly laughed it off, while carefully observing the attitudes of those around her.
There was no malicious gaze in his eyes, but instead a kind smile.
"No, that's very much your style, isn't it?"
When Yukinoshita Yukino finished speaking, everyone couldn't help but nodded in agreement.
"Hehehe~ Really?"
Yuigahama Yui scratched the back of her head embarrassedly and smiled silly again.
Next, a discussion began on how to help the isolated elementary school student, Tsurumi Rumi, get out of her predicament.
However, everyone's suggestions were rejected, and as it was already late, Shizuka Hiratsuka asked everyone else to go back and rest and see what to do tomorrow.
After returning to the room, Hikigaya Hachiman first took out his mobile phone to search for any news about unconfirmed life forms. When he found none, he began to search for bizarre death cases, but still found nothing.
[Could it be that the Gurongi of the Mei Group haven't started the game yet? According to Rixon's memory, this is impossible. Could it be...]
He secretly glanced at Totsuka Ayaka, Hayama Hayato, and Tobe Sho, who were busy with something on their mobile phones. They didn't notice him, so he secretly left the room and called Sakaki Gami.
Chapter 31: Changing Thoughts
In the Chiba Police Station, Sakaki Gami was standing in the morgue, looking with a sad face at the bodies in front of him that were covered with white cloth and had lost their breath and temperature. They were once called human beings, but now they were called the dead.
"Has the cause of death been confirmed?"
The forensic doctor beside him nodded solemnly. "The deceased died instantly. Combined with the sound heard by the witnesses, the needle hole found on the deceased's head, and the needle found in the hole on the ground at the scene, the test showed a component similar to that of a wasp. So I guess it was an unidentified life form of the wasp type that released a needle from a high altitude and hit the deceased, which went all the way through the brain and body to the ground."
At this point, the forensic doctor looked at the police legend next to him with a heavy face, "Gamisan, from the previously unconfirmed life forms, we know that they all have abilities similar to those of animals in appearance, so I also tested for toxins in the needle."
"For humans, it is fatal..."
"If you wipe it, you will die!"
Hearing this, Sakami took a deep breath and shook his head slightly, "Will I die if I wipe it?"
"What a frightening phrase!"
He held his chin with his right hand, closed his eyes and thought for a moment, "Since it is an unconfirmed life form similar to a wasp, then the growth rate of its stinger should have a time limit. Otherwise, it would not be consistent with the behavior of the unconfirmed life forms that appeared before when killing people. They will not let go of the prey in their eyes. There is no reason for them to just kill one person and leave."
"Since everything is fine here, I'll go and get busy first. Don't try too hard, San Tiao."
After speaking to the forensic pathologist Sanjo, Sakaki Gami left the morgue and walked quickly towards his office, hoping to find evidence to confirm his guess from the time of death of the deceased.
"Ding-ling-ling~Ding-ling-ling~"
But before he could reach the office, the phone in his pocket rang urgently. Without slowing down, he took out the phone from his pocket skillfully and answered the call without even looking at it.
"Gami-san, is there any information about unconfirmed life forms in the past few days?"
The slightly childish voice revealed the owner's firm will, which made Sakaki Gami stop in his tracks.
He opened his mouth and wanted to say that there was no news about unconfirmed life forms, so as to prevent the boy from participating in another battle that did not belong to him and being covered in bruises, and return to his life which was distorted but still normal.
However, those death reports, and the colleagues who were being pushed towards him at this moment, forced him to retreat to the wall to let them pass, as well as the crying relatives and friends.
He finally spoke.
"30 people died today. The cause of death was a poisonous sting piercing their heads from high altitude. We found a sting in a small hole near the dead body. After testing, we found a gene similar to that of a wasp."
"…"
There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone. Sakaki Kami understood the character of the boy on the other end. He always acted as if it had nothing to do with him and was aloof, but inwardly he was a goody-goody with a strong sense of responsibility.
In a situation like what is happening now, he would obviously regard it as his own fault.
But even if he knew Sakaki Gami, he had no way to comfort the other party, because no matter how warm and comforting the "chicken soup" was, it would not have any effect in front of a cold corpse.
Because the look in the boy's eyes on that rainy night said it all.
As long as it is confirmed that no life form has been eliminated, Hikigaya Hachiman will never give up the shackles on his body and will carry them until the day of the end.
Whether the ending is the annihilation of the entire race of unconfirmed life forms or his death, it is the same!
This is his destiny!
"Yes. Judging from the conditions of the deceased, it should be an unidentified life form similar to the wasp. So far, 30 people have been killed."
"…"
The phone fell into a brief silence. Sakami did not speak. He understood the boy and knew that what he needed now was not comfort, but silence.
For Hachiman Hikigaya, who once said, "A wandering lonely soul does not need a home," the comfort of others is of no use to him.
This was because his heart had already built thick walls around it, and no matter whether it was good intentions or malice, they were all blocked outside the walls. Unless he had the words to penetrate them all at once, no matter how much he said, it would be useless.
In addition, his own family knows his own business, so his presence to persuade Hikigaya Hachiman can only have a counterproductive effect.
He is a perfection that exists in people's imagination but actually exists at this moment.
He is a person who is isolated by his surroundings, but still treats others kindly in his own way.
The two of them can be said to be at different extremes, so he can convince him, but he can't convince him.
Because everyone's experiences are completely different. If you can't empathize with others, don't expect to understand them.
"Gamisan, can you find it?"
A hopeful voice came from the other side. Sakaki Gami wanted to give a positive answer, but the cold reality prevented him from making this beautiful promise.
"Sorry, Hikigaya-kun."
"I've tried this before. I can't find any unconfirmed life forms except for No. 3 that day. I've tried it many times."
"Really..."
There was no joy in the boy's plain voice.
"Then if you have any information about it, please inform me immediately. I will rush over as soon as possible."
"Okay, I will!"
Sakami hung up the phone and sighed deeply. At this moment, he hated his own powerlessness since he had to entrust everything to a child who was not yet an adult.
"Are humans really so powerless?"
"No, there is still something I can do now. I must quickly find the trace of Unconfirmed Lifeform No. 9."
No longer confused, he walked quickly towards his office.
——————
"30 people?"
Hikigaya Hachiman felt as if his legs had lost strength, and he slowly slid down from the tree trunk he was leaning against, his cell phone falling to the ground from his powerlessly open hands.
He looked up at the dim sky with lifeless eyes, just watching quietly, letting time slowly pass by.
After an unknown amount of time, Hikigaya Hachiman punched himself hard in the face, and the terrible force quickly made his face swell up.
"Puff~"
He spit out the broken teeth and blood in his mouth, then shook his head with a smile, "Yeah, yeah, yeah~ Really, I'm not a god, there's no need to feel so guilty. There are too many unfair things in this world, and I can't handle them all by myself. It seems that I've become arrogant after gaining power!"
He lowered his head to look at his hands, then shifted his gaze to the red-stained broken teeth not far away, and stretched out his right hand as if trying to grab something.
"I am just one person, so I just need to grab what I can reach with my hands. After all, greed and arrogance are both original sins, right?"
After figuring it out, he stood up and prepared to go back to his room to have a good sleep and regain his strength, so as to avoid any omissions in tomorrow's battle that would result in the inability to save the lives that he could touch with his hands.
Turning around, he saw Yukinoshita Yukino walking slowly towards him with a helpless look on her face and a sigh. Since he had met her, he just said hello.
"Yo~"
"Ah~"
The other party's cute look, which was just like that of an ordinary girl when she was startled, made Hikigaya Hachiman, who was used to her "mean" side, understand what contrast cuteness meant.
"Please don't do anything that will get you thrown in jail."
"I'm just saying hello, that's not necessary, right?"
Yukinoshita Yukino crossed her arms across her chest. Perhaps she felt a little ashamed for being scared by him before, so her words became more vicious than usual.
"In the wilderness, in the dark, a creature with rotten eyes suddenly jumps out. Do you think the police will just shoot it in the head the moment they arrive?"
At this point, she seemed to have just realized what was going on and smiled apologetically, "Oh~ Sorry, it seems there is no need to go to jail, because at that time you had become a being that matched your eyes."
"…"
Hikigaya Hachiman now regretted his decision to greet Yukinoshita Yukino, otherwise he would not have received such vicious words from the other party. So in order to reduce the hurt in his heart, he decided to ignore the other party and quickly walked back to the room and continue to implement his decision to sleep.
"Hey~ have you been doing anything recently?"
As it passed by, I heard the cold voice of a young girl.
"No."
"You know that, right? I'm the type that won't admit defeat."
"what ever."
The confusing brief conversation came to an end, Hikigaya Hachiman returned to the room, and Yukinoshita Yukino held her chin and watched him leave silently.
"Now I can't see through it, but this is interesting, isn't it?"
Chapter 32: Master of Sophistry—Hikigaya Hachiman?
[Why didn't I bring a swimsuit?!]
Hikigaya Hachiman sat under a shady tree. The decay of his eyes was several times more serious than before. Even if you said that such eyes could only be found in corpses that had died long ago, no one would object.
The reason why the light in his eyes disappeared was simple.
"Hehehaha~ Komachi-chan, this is really cool~"
In front of his eyes, the angel was smiling happily.
The splashes of water collided with his body and dispersed into tiny water droplets, which reacted miraculously with the sunlight from the sun hanging high in the sky, and turned into stars emitting tiny glows. Combined with Totsuka Ayaka's angelic face, Hikigaya Hachiman, who had always been unable to resist him, could not help but stare at her in a daze.
It was also for this reason that he felt extremely unhappy that the person who was splashing water on the other person and playing happily in the creek together was not himself. However, because the other person was his most beloved sister, he could not hate her at all.
So, he could only hate himself for not bringing his swimsuit with him, so that he would undoubtedly be in heaven.
Instead of being in the dark hell like now.
[But it's nice to see Totsuka's smile.]
As usual, he began to comfort himself and unknowingly forgot about his unhappiness, happily admiring the cuteness of Totsuka Ayaka and his sister.
"Hey~ Hachiman, your smile is a bit disgusting~"
The crisp voice with a hint of disgust drew Hikigaya Hachiman away from the beauty in front of him, and he had to shift his gaze to the cute elementary school student, Tsurumi Rumi, who had been sitting next to him with her back to him.
"It doesn't matter, as long as I like it."
As if she didn't expect him to say that, Tsurumi Rumi was silent for a moment, then said: "If you want to participate, why don't you go over there?"
[I wanted to go so badly, but Komachi forgot to bring my swimming trunks. Otherwise, I would be in heaven now. Rumi-san, please stop exposing my scars!]