10. Jabami Yumeko Wants to Fall into the Abyss
"Well then, we part ways here. See you tomorrow, Hikigaya-kun~"
"Goodbye."
Hikigaya nodded calmly and watched Jabami Yumeko board the public bus.
"The seventh stop on Line 101 is..." Hikigaya subconsciously recalled the address Yumeko had mentioned during dinner and looked over at the stop list.
The seventh stop was the University of Tokyo Hospital.
'Yumeko lives around there? Or... does she have some kind of health issue?'
Maybe it was the curiosity of a mystery novelist at work, but Hikigaya found himself puzzled. His curiosity toward this compulsive gambling girl deepened a little more.
Still, he didn't dwell on the thought for long. After all, they'd only just met today as classmates.
Well, calling her just a classmate seemed a bit cold—perhaps it was better to say they were on friendly terms, a female friend he got along with.
[Exceptional gambling skills, well-educated, cultured and knowledgeable. Her current family situation doesn't seem very good.]
'From a personal perspective, Yumeko could be considered a good friend.'
'But since I've already set my goals, I can't afford to stay complacent. Tomorrow, I should try to befriend more second-generation elites.'
'Making friends, huh...'
Looking at the red clouds in the sky through the cab window, Hikigaya felt a pang of melancholy.
That was much harder than gambling.
.
.
.
University of Tokyo Hospital.
Inside a certain VIP hospital room.
Jabami Yumeko gently pushed the door open and stepped inside.
All around her were countless paper cranes folded from white paper.
Densely packed, impossible to count. On the floor, the medicine tray, the cabinets, even the pristine white bedsheets.
Yumeko, however, was not surprised by any of this. After hanging up her small bag, she bent down and, using her slender index finger, slipped off her shoes by hooking between her heel and the shoe's edge, placing them neatly at the door.
Her two round and dainty feet in black stockings touched the ground, moving happily and lightly.
She gently picked up the paper cranes scattered along the path to the bed, one by one, cradling them in her arms as she walked to the bedside.
On the bed sat a young woman whose features were seventy percent similar to Yumeko's.
Her face was thin, eyes lifeless, showing no response to Yumeko's arrival as she continued folding paper cranes on her own.
Yumeko lay down across the woman's lap.
"Big sister, do you know? I met a very interesting person today."
"Even though the gamble was completely unfair, he managed to reverse the situation entirely."
"While we were eating, he told me that he had already known before the gamble started that Saotome-san would control the other classmates to cheat."
"His exact words were, 'Roughly twenty people… the way they looked at Saotome-san was filled with fear and helplessness. Coupled with this school's system of determining social status through gambling, it's likely Saotome is a master at this, and is using that skill to coerce her classmates into working for her.'"
"He said that the outcome of the gamble had been decided from the very beginning. From start to finish, he treated it as a stage play to gain fame."
"That's something even I didn't notice. His observation skills… they really fascinate me."
"Gentle people always struggle to survive. You're that kind of person too, big sister."
A sickly flush spread across Yumeko's cheeks. Her eyes gleamed red, and with trembling hands, she gently lifted the hem of her pleated skirt and slipped her hand inside.
As she spoke, the pleats of her skirt seemed to flutter as if caught in an invisible wind, rising and falling. In contrast, Yumeko's head tilted back high, as if lost in ecstasy.
"Sis, I really, really want to drag him down into the abyss with me."
"What should I do, big sis~?"
"Ah~"
.
.
.
Hikigaya Hachiman had just finished taking a shower. He wiped his wet hair with a towel, pulled out his phone, and opened the message screen.
This was one of the rare times in his day that he had for himself—time he could use freely. He gave himself a strict limit of ten minutes, during which he could indulge in his internet addiction. Only then could he fully, without reservation, devote himself to his creative writing.
First, he initiated a video call with his family.
"Konbanwa, Onii-chan!"
The video call was answered almost instantly. As a reward for Komachi's successful admission into Chiba Sobu Middle School, Hachiman had used his manuscript fee to splurge on buying her the latest iPhone.
On the screen, due to the distortion of the lens, Komachi's face filled the entire frame.
Seeing that, Hikigaya Hachiman gave a genuine smile. No matter how mature or ambitious he became, family would always remain the unwavering lighthouse in his heart.
"Good evening, Komachi."
"Onii-chan, seriously! Why did you have to go all the way to Tokyo to study alone?" Komachi launched straight into her complaints:
"Do you know how many times Mom went on and on about you today? She's worried you'll starve to death out there."
"Uh, I'm really not as helpless as she imagines. Sure, I'm not great at cooking, but using my phone to grab a bite outside or order takeout is no big deal."
"Hmph! Anyway, it's all your fault, Onii-chan!"
Komachi crossed her arms over her chest, her little cheeks visibly puffing up.
Her sneaky eyes sparkled as she suddenly took on a mysterious tone, "Onii-chan, guess who came to see me today?"
"Who?"
"It was Yukinoshita Yukino-onee-san~ She came to the middle school building today to ask me why you ran off to Tokyo without saying goodbye."
Ah...
More trouble was brewing.
Hikigaya scratched his head, feeling a vague sense of unease.
He did have certain complicated feelings toward Yukinoshita Yukino.
So to leave without saying a word and even go as far as asking her older sister for help—it did make him feel like he'd acted pretty shamelessly.
He couldn't help but imagine a scene in his mind: Yukino, with her cold expression, standing in front of Komachi, her voice tinged with a mix of nervousness, anxiety, anger, and just a bit of reluctant concern, asking where he'd gone.
"And what did you tell her?"
"I told Yukino-onee-san that you met a beautiful woman online who lives in Tokyo, and that's why you suddenly decided to move there for school."
"Hehe, smart of me, right?"
Komachi leaned back with her hands behind her head, flashing her bright white teeth in a dazzling smile, as if saying, 'Praise me!'
"Pfft—"
Just as Hachiman took a sip of plain water from his cup, he spat it out all at once.
His face darkened:
"Wow. Thanks a lot, Komachi. You really did me a huge favor. Tell Mom and Dad I said hi."
"Hey—hey! Onii-chan!"
Without giving her a chance to explain, Hikigaya Hachiman hung up the call with a single tap.
These messy emotions that can't be cut clean, these tangled feelings that defy reason—this was the stuff of heartache.
And not something logic could solve. When it came to these matters, Hachiman had decided: screw it all.
He pulled down his message list again—only to see that both Jabami Yumeko and Yukinoshita Yukino had sent him a LINE message at nearly the exact same time.
"..."
He glanced at the time.
The ten-minute break he had granted himself had ended.
Letting out a relieved breath, he decisively closed LINE, shut off his phone, and pulled out his laptop.
He began hammering away at the keyboard to pour out all the longing and sorrow bottled up in his heart.
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