Zongman: Unknowingly trapped in the hatchet

"Oh my! Isn't this Hikigaya? A super rare character."

Following this cheerful greeting, Yui and Ayaka simultaneously turned their gazes towards the source of the voice.

I saw a girl with smooth brown shoulder-length hair, a smile as warm as the spring sunshine, and a generous and bright temperament. She and her other companion were standing not far away. At this time, her lips were slightly open, as if she was surprised by Hikigaya's appearance.

"Hachiman, do you know her?" Ayaka broke the silence first, with a hint of subtle nervousness unconsciously in her voice.

[Who is she? What is her relationship with Hachiman? ]

This thought filled Ayaka's mind for the first time, but after seeing Hikigaya's subtle movements, this thought was immediately overshadowed by her worry about Hikigaya.

[Why is Hachiman so nervous? Did something happen between him and her? Could it be...? ]

"Well...if I must say, we were classmates in middle school, so we can say we know each other..."

Hikigaya obviously didn't want to bring up this topic. His eyes kept avoiding while he spoke, and in the end he just kept staring at the free cup of warm water on the dining table. His hand holding the cup was trembling slightly, as if it was the only support he could hold on to now.

After waiting for a while, the brown-haired girl saw that Hikigaya had no intention of replying to her greeting, so she said to her companion, "Sorry, I'll go over there to say hello first," and then came to the table of Hikigaya and his group.

"Hikigaya-kun, it's very rude not to respond when someone greets you."

"...Really? I didn't hear you just now. Sorry..."

What Hikigaya was most worried about happened. Why did this woman have to be so familiar with him? Why did she come over even now? Give me more time to see the atmosphere, you bastard.

Damn it, if I had known I wouldn’t have come out today. You know the person I least want to meet is her.

When Hikigaya thought about the things that happened in middle school, he felt so embarrassed that he wanted to die.

But he knew clearly that the other party had done nothing wrong, because gentleness is a lie, and lies are sins, so gentleness is essentially a sin!

And I was the truly foolish one who believed in this sin. Fortunately, I have completely awakened and grown since then, and will no longer sink into this false lie.

Also, gentle girls and the like, I, Hikigaya, really hate them the most!

Suddenly, the corner of his clothes was gently pulled by a gentle force, interrupting Hikigaya's thoughts.

Who was sitting next to me?

He turned his head naturally, and then he saw that Caijia's eyes were full of deep concern, as if she could see through every fluctuation in his heart. Those bright eyes were locked on his face gently, revealing the self-evident care.

At the same time, Caijia unconsciously clenched his other hand into a fist, his fingertips turning slightly white due to the force. This subtle movement silently conveyed his inner worry and tension.

Then, she gently, almost tenderly opened her red lips and called out the familiar name:

"Hachiman..."

The voice was soft and warm, like a spring breeze blowing across the lake, creating layers of delicate ripples, which made Hikigaya feel a warm current in his heart.

Wait, I, Hikigaya, must reiterate once again that I have objections to what I just said!

If it's Caijia, I like it the most!

No, Caijia is not a woman, what am I thinking about?

Sure enough, it was because of the loss that my thoughts were in a mess. Damn it, could this woman just leave quickly? Don't disturb the happy time between Ayaka and me!

As for Yuigahama Yui, she was obviously ignored...

Hikigaya gave Ayaka a reassuring look in return, and the hand that had been tightly holding the water cup no longer trembled slightly. Although embarrassment, nervousness and various unknown emotions still filled Hikigaya's heart, at least he had more courage at this moment.

Come on, Orimoto, do you think I, Hikigaya Hachiman, am still the same Hikigaya Hachiman as before? I don't care what you say next, just say hello and go back to your companions!

This is the roar and snarl of Hikigaya, who receives the courage from Ayaka, facing the things trapped by his youth.

"Hikigaya-kun is still the same. This won't do. Be careful that you won't be as unpopular in college as before~"

"...Don't worry about that."

"So..."

Since Hikigaya was sitting outside Ayaka, the girl whom Hikigaya called Orimoto bent down slightly, stretched out a finger and moved it up and down, as if criticizing Hikigaya for not saying hello just now. However, this set of actions brought her a little closer to Hikigaya.

"Hachiman, Hachiman is not unwelcome!"

Caijia seemed to have mustered up her courage, and her slightly blushing face told it all.

The sudden voice interrupted what Orimoto was about to say. Only then did she notice the petite figure sitting next to Hachiman, and the outstanding peach-pink girl opposite her, who was first-class in both appearance and figure.

So they knew each other?

Orimoto opened her mouth slightly, not hiding her surprise at all. It would be more accurate to say that she had actually seen Ayaka and Yui from the beginning, but she subconsciously thought that it was impossible for the lonely boy in that class to be so smart as to come out to eat with two girls at the same time.

After all, it was time to go home from school, so there were more people in the family restaurant than at other times, and Hikigaya was sitting at a table for eight, and there were only three people there, so she subconsciously thought that Hikigaya was just sharing the table with Ayaka and Yui.

Now it seems that they know each other?

That's right... Who would come to a family restaurant alone? It's like a two-person sport like tennis. No matter how lonely Hikigaya is, he can't play alone, haha.

"Sorry, sorry, I thought you and Hikigaya didn't know each other and were sharing a table."

Orimoto apologized to Yui and Ayaka, then left the empty seat sitting on Hikigaya's side.

"Hello, let me introduce myself. I'm Kaori Orimoto."

"Hello, hello, I'm Yuigahama Yui."

"My name is Totsuka Ayaka."

After several people introduced their names, Oriben spoke with some emotion.

"Hikigaya-kun, you're great. You've been sneaking around in college and it's gotten to this point. You're dating two girls at the same time. You've gotten better."

"It's not what you think……"

Hikigaya wanted to explain something, but when he saw Orimoto's sunny smile, Hikigaya felt a pain in his heart, and the words he wanted to say became smaller and smaller.

Damn it, how should I start?

How should I explain this to her?

No, after all, she would just be a stranger to me in the future, so was there any need to explain?

Never mind... I'll just explain it to Yuigahama and Ayaka later...

Yes, that's all, right?

"Haha, come to think of it, you may not know that Hikigaya-kun used to be very shady in class. You may not believe it if I tell you..."

[No, don't say it, that's the only thing I don't want to recall.]

[Don't say it, don't say it, please, please]

Hikigaya seemed to have anticipated what Orimoto was going to say next. If Orimoto was one of the people Hikigaya least wanted to see, then that incident was the most painful thing in Hikigaya's life that he least wanted to recall.

"Hikigaya never communicated with me before, and then he suddenly confessed to me. I was shocked. It's so weird!"

After saying that, Zheben showed his white teeth and lightly covered his mouth with one hand, but the cheerful laughter could not be concealed no matter what.

"It's not surprising!" x2

Ayaka was the first to refute, while Yui was a beat slower to respond. Ayaka was so excited that she even stood up. She usually spoke in a soft and gentle voice, but at this moment her voice actually drowned out the lively Yui.

This big commotion attracted the attention of people around, but the island is a relatively indifferent place after all, especially in Tokyo.

Besides, they were already used to such disputes happening in family restaurants.

Besides, the fight hadn't even started yet, so there was nothing to see, and the other diners turned their heads and continued talking about the previous topic.

"Hug, sorry."

Caijia also realized that her behavior was rude and quickly sat down again. Only her palm, which was a little red from slamming the table hard, remained, as if still reminding everyone of what had just happened.

"Ahahaha, it's okay."

Oriben was taken aback by the sudden scene, and all she could do was to smooth things over awkwardly.

Otherwise, I should just leave?

This was the idea that several people came up with after a moment of silence.

However, just as she was about to leave, a hearty male voice broke the awkward atmosphere.

"Hey, what is this?"

……

PS: There is one more chapter, which will be released later