The Exorcism Tale of Hachiman

After what happened at noon, Yotsuya Miko and her friend never appeared in his sight again.

As a result, the classmates who had been paying attention to Yotsuya Miko because of her lunch delivery also shifted their attention to other interesting things.

Hachiman Hikigaya was naturally pleased to see this.

After enduring the tedious three periods of classes, the school bell rang over the loudspeaker, signaling the end of the school term.

In an instant, the once silent school came alive.

In the short time it took to pack their schoolbags, the once empty playground was already packed with all sorts of club activities, and even the corridors were filled with all kinds of students.

Carrying his schoolbag, Hachiman Hikigaya looked up at Saki Kawasaki.

Coincidentally, Kawasaki Saki was sitting in her seat at that moment, staring intently at him.

The two exchanged a glance, and he instantly understood what Kawasaki Saki meant by urging him on.

With a sigh, Hachiman Hikigaya abandoned his idea of ​​going to the Service Club to clock in and sit for a while.

He could understand Kawasaki Saki's thoughts. After all, this concerned the lives of Kawasaki Saki's family, and she naturally wanted to resolve it as soon as possible.

After tilting his head at Kawasaki Saki to signal her to follow, Hachiman Hikigaya picked up his schoolbag and slung it over his shoulder as he walked out of the classroom.

First, he passed by Hiratsuka Shizuka's office corridor and, after confirming that she was chatting with other teachers inside and didn't have time to drag him back, Hachiman Hikigaya quickly went downstairs, changed his shoes in front of the shoe cabinet, and then waited by the school gate.

A little over a minute later, Saki Kawasaki came into his sight.

"Shall we go to your house now?"

Looking at the bustling street in front of him, Hachiman Hikigaya asked calmly.

"Ok!"

Saki Kawasaki nodded without hesitation.

She naturally hoped to get rid of the phantom she suddenly saw as quickly as possible.

Along the way, when passing a cake shop, Hachiman Hikigaya suddenly stopped.

After saying "Please wait a moment" to Kawasaki Saki, he entered the cake shop. When Hachiman Hikigaya came out again, he was carrying a box containing a cake.

"What are you doing?"

Saki Kawasaki frowned as she looked at the cake in Hachiman Hikigaya's hand.

She was the one who asked him to exorcise the spirit at her house, and it was already very kind of him that he didn't charge exorbitant fees like those monks. How could she possibly ask him to buy a cake as well?

Thinking of this, Kawasaki Saki took out her somewhat worn wallet and wanted to give the money for the cake to Hachiman Hikigaya, but he blocked her with his hand.

"Isn't it normal to bring a gift when visiting someone's home?"

Hachiman Hikigaya pressed Saki Kawasaki's hand back down and stared into her eyes as he spoke.

Based on what Kawasaki Saki had said that morning, he could easily conclude that Kawasaki Saki must be very short of money at the moment.

"Well... okay..."

Seeing the look in Hachiman Hikigaya's eyes, Saki Kawasaki gritted her teeth and gave up the idea of ​​paying.

However, Hachiman Hikigaya clearly sensed the resentment in Saki Kawasaki's tone.

She seemed very reluctant to owe anyone a favor.

Realizing this, Hachiman Hikigaya began to ponder.

If the target is her, that plan seems feasible?

However, we'll have to wait until he goes to Saki Kawasaki's house and deals with the evil spirits before we can make a judgment...

After the cake incident, perhaps because she felt she owed too much, Saki Kawasaki's attitude towards Hachiman Hikigaya changed significantly.

For example, the distance between the two walking has changed from Kawasaki Saki leading the way and Hikigaya Hachiman following behind to the two walking side by side.

The two remained silent.

He thought the silence would continue all the way to Kawasaki Saki's house, but while waiting at a traffic light, Hachiman Hikigaya heard a surprised shout.

"Staying at home?!"

Staying home?

What kind of strange name is this?

With this question in mind, Hachiman Hikigaya turned around to look for the person who had just spoken, while his eyes searched around for the unlucky guy who had been publicly called a "squatter."

Being called such a shameful name in public—if that person were him, he would probably be blushing with embarrassment and wishing he could disappear into the ground right now.

However, after looking around, Hachiman Hikigaya found that apart from easily spotting the girl who had called out in front of a bubble tea shop, there was no trace of the person known as the "homebody."

Did you run away because you were too ashamed?

Hachiman Hikigaya felt a little disappointed.

Just then, he happened to meet the girl's eyes.

Hmm, why does it feel like she's looking at me?

Hachiman Hikigaya blinked in confusion, then looked at the girl again to confirm.

He was familiar with the girl in front of him, after all, she had a big bun on her head.

She was staring in astonishment at Kawasaki Saki beside her, seemingly puzzled as to how the two of them had met.

Yui Yuigahama looked at the two people standing together waiting for the traffic light, then at the cake box that Hachiman Hikigaya was carrying, and bit her lip.

Is this a setup to visit the woman's family?

"Yui, what are you doing standing here all by yourself?"

Just as Yui Yuigahama was looking at the scene before her with mixed feelings, Miura Yumiko, Hayama Hayato, and a large group of people walked out of the milk tea shop, chatting and laughing.

Seeing Yui Yuigahama standing blankly outside the bubble tea shop, Yumiko Miura's smile faltered.

She quickly looked around and soon locked her attention on Hachiman Hikigaya and Saki Kawasaki.

As her gaze swept over the box of cake in Hachiman Hikigaya's hand, a knowing look appeared on Yumiko Miura's face.

She had a pretty good idea of ​​what was going on.

"let's go...."

Just then, the streetlights turned green.

Although she was wondering if Yui Yuigahama's "squat at home" was directed at her, the most important thing right now was to help Saki Kawasaki deal with the evil spirit.

"Um..."

Kawasaki Saki glanced at the girl with her hair in a bun in the crowd, and her intuition told her that this girl seemed to have some inexplicable feelings for the boy next to her.

Hearing what Hachiman Hikigaya said, and thinking of her younger siblings at home, Saki Kawasaki had no intention of asking any further questions.

The two crossed the road and quickly disappeared into the vast crowd.

Chapter 21 My sister brought a man home!

"Is that your friend?"

Walking home, looking at Hachiman Hikigaya beside her with his expressionless face, Saki Kawasaki finally couldn't help but ask.

"What did you say?"

Hachiman Hikigaya looked puzzled.

Kawasaki Saki looked him over carefully, and after confirming he wasn't lying, she shook her head: "Never mind if it's not true. I was just curious why that girl told you to stay home..."

"Perhaps they recognized me? After all, there are tons of people like me on the street..."

Shrugging, Hachiman Hikigaya said nonchalantly.

He didn't know the girl; their only interaction was that they bumped into each other by chance on their way to school this morning.

"That's true."

Saki Kawasaki did not refute Hachiman Hikigaya's words.

With the way he walks with his backpack slung over his shoulder, if he were wearing a work suit, no one would mistake him for a high school student.

Add to that pair of fish eyes that look like they've already rotted, and he looks exactly like a corporate slave being exploited by his boss, working overtime for several days in a row without any overtime pay.

"Hey, I feel like you're thinking something very rude!"

Hachiman Hikigaya suddenly turned his head and looked at Saki Kawasaki next to him with a serious expression.

The angle at the corner of her mouth that just now definitely meant she was thinking bad things about him and couldn't hold it in, right?

You're overthinking it...

Hachiman Hikigaya guessed what was on her mind, and Saki Kawasaki quickened her pace.

"That's absolutely right, okay?!"

Seeing that Kawasaki Saki's pace had visibly quickened, Hachiman Hikigaya quickly followed.

...................

In front of a house that looks extremely old, Hachiman Hikigaya is staring at a miniature version of Saki Kawasaki.

"Alright, Jinghua, stop blocking the doorway, let us in..."

Upon seeing the little girl in front of her, Saki Kawasaki's face softened, and she gestured for her to move aside in a gentle voice that was completely different from her voice in the classroom.

The little girl, called Jinghua, didn't immediately understand Kawasaki Saki's words and move aside. Instead, she curiously pointed at Hikigaya Hachiman and asked Kawasaki Saki:

"he is?"

Hello, little friend, I'm your sister's classmate.

Hachiman Hikigaya crouched down and greeted Kyoka Kawasaki with what he considered his friendliest smile.

"Hello, my name is Kawasaki Kyoka. What's your name?"

Upon hearing Hachiman Hikigaya's words, Kyoka Kawasaki nodded politely and then inquired about Hachiman Hikigaya's name.

"Kyoto? That's a very fitting name for you. My name is Hachiman Hikigaya. Oh, right! This is a gift for you!"

With that, Hachiman Hikigaya handed over the cake box he was holding.