Chapter 73: Your Name

  "Sorry, Hachiman-kun. Our cssmates have caused you trouble, and I truly apologize," Hiyori said, lowering her head and looking uneasy as she apologized to Hachiman. She seemed like a completely different person from the strong-willed Hiyori from earlier.

  "This isn't your fault, Shiina-san," Hachiman said, shaking his head. The instigator of the whole issue was Ryuen, and it had nothing to do with Hiyori. With a complicated expression, he sighed, "Rather, I should thank you for showing up when you did. How could I bme you?"

  At this point, Hachiman couldn't help but smile bitterly. Of course, he wasn’t a masochist. He had already pnned things out before he ‘bit the bait.’ If Hiyori hadn't shown up tonight, Hachiman would have inevitably been beaten up, enduring physical pain. However, if things were handled well afterward, Hachiman was at least 70% sure he could make Ishizaki and the others pay a heavy price, and they might even be forced to drop out.

  So in a way... Hiyori’s appearance had saved Ishizaki and the others. Her kindness had unknowingly saved them, and it also protected Hachiman from the beating.

  "Actually, Ishizaki-kun and the others aren’t bad at heart. They just did these excessive things because they were following Ryuen-kun’s orders!" Hiyori said, sounding angry. Her pouty expression made Hachiman feel a bit amused and fond of her.

  "I understand," Hachiman replied.

  He didn’t particurly harbor any resentment against Ishizaki or the others. He understood that the actions of both sides were due to differing positions and interests, and that’s what led to what happened today.

  Just like how they intended to teach him a lesson, Hachiman also lured them in and plotted against them. Neither side was any better than the other. Many things in society don’t have clear right or wrong answers; it’s all about different positions and conflicting interests.

  But this situation wasn’t so simple, and Ishizaki and the others’ appearance had been completely unexpected.

  Looking at the guilty and worried Hiyori, Hachiman suddenly felt a sense of regret. She had defied Ryuen's orders to protect him, yet he was scheming against Css C.

  Even worse, he had pnned to make Css C have dropouts. Hiyori had said she wanted to protect her cssmates and not see them expelled, yet he was trying to destroy what she was trying to protect. Hachiman... you’re such a jerk!

  "What’s wrong? Are you worried about something?" Hiyori asked, noticing Hachiman’s sudden silence.

  Hachiman thought for a moment before speaking, "Shiina-san, what would you do if... if I took revenge on your css?"

  When he asked this, Hachiman had already prepared himself mentally.

  Hiyori looked down, silently thinking for a while before slowly raising her head to look at him. "Hmm, I wouldn't bme you, Hachiman-kun, because this... was originally Ryuen-kun’s fault. I understand how you feel, so I can’t say things like 'don’t take revenge, can’t we all be friends?'"

  Her expression turned a little downcast, but then her gaze became determined as she looked at him. "But, no matter what Ryuen-kun does, he is still a student in our css, and he’s always been working for the css, even though his methods might be extreme and not entirely right.

  But I can't deny that he has this kind of awareness. So, I will bear the consequences of his actions together with Css C."

  Hachiman opened his mouth, his expression complicated, before sighing, "I understand."

  "If, because of me, Hachiman-kun decides to give up on taking revenge, I would be very touched and happy," Hiyori said suddenly, grabbing Hachiman’s hand. Her clear eyes were serious as she looked at him. "But at the same time, I would feel very uneasy. The competition between csses is inevitable, and perhaps one day we’ll have to stand on opposite sides. But when that time comes, I hope we can face each other honestly, giving our best effort, without any regrets.

  So... please, Hachiman-kun, don’t change yourself just to spare my feelings. If that happens, I’m afraid we will lose this rare and precious friendship one day."

  Hiyori’s thoughts were simple. She wouldn’t stop Hachiman from taking revenge but would choose to bear the consequences of Ryuen’s actions with her cssmates. She wouldn’t bme Hachiman for it.

  At the same time, Hiyori had also keenly noticed the shift in Hachiman’s heart. She realized that because of her, he was caught in a dilemma. If one of them accommodated the other, then their pure friendship would carry a trace of impurity, pnting the seeds of a rift, and that was the st thing Hiyori wanted to see.

  "I understand," Hachiman said, his heart mixed with many emotions. How could he not understand what Hiyori meant? Because he understood, it made his heart more tormented and guilty.

  But sorry, Hiyori, maybe I can’t completely disregard 'your kind and gentle feelings.'

  "By the way, Shiina-san..."

  Hachiman was about to speak when Hiyori suddenly frowned slightly and unexpectedly raised her hand to interrupt him. Hachiman thought she might have something important to say, but Hiyori seemed hesitant, struggling to get the words out.

  After a deep breath, Hiyori closed her eyes, adopting an attitude of 'I don’t care anymore, I’m going for it.' "Um, Hachiman-kun, don’t you think there’s a sort of distance between us?"

  "Is... is that so?" Hachiman asked, confused.

  Hiyori quickly nodded. "Even though we’re friends, there always seems to be an invisible barrier between us. It feels like we’re walking on clouds without any real sense of grounding, and we can’t move forward in our communication."

  Hachiman was a little surprised by how much Hiyori seemed to care about the idea of 'friends.' Or rather, he realized that Hiyori valued the word 'friend' much more than he had imagined.

  Hachiman understood what she meant. What Hiyori wanted from a friend was someone with whom she could truly share her heart and be honest, a 'close friend,' not just a superficial social connection.

  As Hiyori had said, in today’s society, many people call each other friends, but in reality, everyone knows it’s just a social nicety.

  These fake retionships were so common. So-called friends were just the result of shared interests. One moment, people could be shoulder to shoulder calling each other 'close friends,' and the next, they would be strangers saying, "Who are you? I don’t know you."

  In Japanese society, becoming friends is easy, but truly getting close to someone is very difficult. Various complicated customs and social norms weigh everyone down, creating a sense of distance that’s hard to overcome.

  Everyone needs to wear a mask, afraid to show their true thoughts, always 'reading the air' and being cautious about others' opinions, afraid of causing trouble, and so on. This leads to a distorted social retionship.

  "So, Shiina-san, what do you think we should do?"

  Faced with this complicated social issue, Hachiman didn’t know how to solve it. If he could, he wouldn’t be a loner. More importantly, he wanted to understand what the girl in front of him was thinking.

  "I... I think we can start with names," Hiyori said naturally.

  "Names?"

  "I’ve read in books that the main characters always start by calling each other by their names. Hachiman-kun, you can call me by my name from now on. What do you think?"

  The sparkle in her eyes was full of eager anticipation.

  "..."

  Hachiman stood frozen, and then he couldn’t help but suck in a breath.

  He had never imagined that the girl in front of him would make such a request. The only reason he could call 'Yano' without hesitation was because of the previous 'familiarity' and her heartless, extremely calcuting personality. But this girl...

  Did she not realize that calling each other by names is such an intimate thing between a man and a woman?

  But as Hachiman observed her expression carefully, it seemed she hadn’t thought of it that way. She probably just wanted to imitate the characters from her books who did the same. It was as simple as that... right?

  After saying this, Hiyori seemed to be completely giving up on restraint. "If Hachiman-kun doesn’t say anything, I’ll just assume you agreed!"

  "But... but..."

  Hachiman was about to speak when he saw Hiyori’s face frown and her cheeks puff up, looking very displeased and aggrieved. He immediately sighed and reluctantly said, "Hiyori... please take care of me."

  Upon hearing this, Hiyori’s face lit up, her previous frustration and gloom vanishing in an instant as she smiled brightly, like sunshine.

  "Hachiman-kun, please take care of me~"

  As expected... the girl in front of him hadn’t thought much of it. She simply wanted to become 'real friends.' Hachiman’s face tightened, realizing he had just experienced the "three big misconceptions of life," thinking she liked him. With that thought, Hachiman couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. Thank goodness he didn’t repeat the humiliating history of his middle school days!

  Because he got along well with someone, he mistakenly thought that person liked him, then confessed and was promptly given the 'good guy card.' Even recalling it slightly made Hachiman almost lose his composure. It was so... so embarrassing!

  Hachiman looked at the girl in front of him, full of joy. How could such a kind, gentle, and strong girl ever like someone like him, a loner with dead-fish eyes?

  Haha... Just because she’s kind, I mistakenly thought I had everything. I should have known better; a gentle girl is kind to everyone, not just me...

  Hachiman, you were truly fantasizing!

  Bckghosts