Chapter 82: Selflessness is a Disease

  Nameless Teahouse.

  This was the pce where Hikigaya and Haruno first met at this school. Later, he visited it multiple times, thanks to Shizuka-sensei.

  Hikigaya had once curiously asked about the name of the shop, only to always receive the same response: "It has no name." So, he simply called it the Nameless Teahouse.

  This Nameless Teahouse was not one of those refined tea houses found elsewhere. It was more like a café in another form, though it served traditional Japanese tea snacks at reasonable prices.

  As for why they also sold fast-moving beverages like MAX Coffee, that remained a mystery.

  Surprisingly, very few students knew about this pce, making it a well-kept secret where one didn’t have to worry about being disturbed.

  "Even though this shop looks a bit strange, the tea snacks here are really good!"

  Hikigaya introduced the pce to Hiyori, who was visiting for the first time, as well as Sakura, who had been dragged here by Hiyori.

  "Uh… shouldn't the real question be why a teahouse sells coffee?"

  Hiyori tilted her head, a few question marks practically appearing above her head.

  Sakura nodded as if she understood, curiously scanning her surroundings. She was excited and looking forward to having a meal with friends for the first time.

  Back at the library, when faced with Hiyori's gloomy mood on that cloudy day, Hikigaya, feeling guilty, had suggested treating her to a meal. After considering his options, he decided that the Nameless Teahouse was the "most suitable" pce. And no, the reason for choosing this pce was definitely not just because it was the only one he knew!

  Well, at least here, he wouldn’t have to worry about running into acquaintances or experiencing the same awkward atmosphere as st time.

  Just thinking about his previous… date—no, meal with Hiyori gave Hikigaya a sense of impending doom. Back then, in an effort to ease the awkward atmosphere between them, he had been forced to reveal himself as an otaku, completely socially annihiting himself.

  And inviting a girl to a restaurant for a meal? That would absolutely be interpreted as "Are you trying to pursue me?" or "Are you about to confess?"—leading to him being publicly executed in css the next day.

  And please, don’t ask why someone named Hikigaya Hachiman knew this so well. Because knowing would only bring misfortune.

  Hikigaya had been to this Nameless Teahouse multiple times before, often accompanying a certain unmarried, older teacher. Compared to the cafés and Western-style restaurants more popur among students, Hikigaya preferred this shop, which felt like a pce only "working adults" would frequent.

  Before long, the tea snacks they had ordered were served.

  "Hey, Hachiman, you're doing pretty well for yourself~"

  Just as they were leaving, the shop’s mysterious owner—of an unknown age—gave Hikigaya a firm pat on the shoulder, shooting him a knowing look that implied "You get it," even though Hikigaya absolutely did not get it.

  With a mischievous smile, she quickly jogged back to the cash register, whispering something to a young female employee beside her. Their gazes inexplicably drifted toward Hikigaya and his group.

  “Eh? Could it be that Hikigaya-kun is very familiar with the owner of this teahouse?”

  Hiyori’s bright and clear eyes were filled with curiosity.

  “Uh, I’ve been here a few times, so I just became a regur.”

  Hikigaya expined helplessly, but for some reason, he had a feeling that the shop owner had done that on purpose.

  Pink, soft, and refreshing Sakura mochi, the summer-exclusive Minazuki, exquisite mizu-yokan, and a pot of fragrant and mellow green tea.

  Some say that eating when you're unhappy can turn grief into appetite. Hikigaya found this to be true—good food always had a way of dispelling inner gloom.

  Life, after all, was like seasoning. Sometimes, bitterness was inevitable, so one had to learn to add a bit of sweetness.

  Through this meal, Hiyori’s mood gradually shifted from gloomy to bright, and even the socially anxious Sakura managed to gather the courage to speak up at the table. The atmosphere was unexpectedly harmonious—food, after all, was a bridge for communication.

  Their conversation gradually drifted from food to personal interests. Most of the time, Hikigaya simply listened quietly, unwilling to disrupt this rare moment of ease.

  However, the topic eventually took an unexpected turn. Somehow, the two girls started talking about Pretty Cure—and, to Hikigaya’s surprise, Sakura turned out to be an otaku as well?!

  At first, Sakura was hesitant, afraid of being disliked or receiving well-meaning but condescending advice. But when she realized that Hiyori was also a fan of Pretty Cure, she was both astonished and overjoyed—she had found a kindred spirit.

  "Actually, I have Hikigaya-kun to thank for this!"

  Hiyori didn’t seem to notice Hikigaya’s utterly horrified expression and even sighed nostalgically.

  “When I was a kid, the children around me loved watching Pretty Cure, Dr. Slump, Floral Magician Mary Bell, and other anime. But back then, I only had eyes for books, completely immersed in detective stories about Akechi Kogorō, Kōzō Kindaichi, Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, and the like.

  Thinking about it now, I may have missed out on the fun that children should have had at that age. So, revisiting these childhood feelings now might actually be a good thing.”

  To be honest, that day, Hikigaya had merely been trying to divert the topic and dissolve the awkward, ambiguous atmosphere. The only thing that came to mind was a genre that adults found "childish" and that teenagers considered "embarrassing and difficult to admit liking"—tokusatsu shows. It was like fighting magic with magic: the only way to defeat awkwardness was with something even more awkward!

  Of course, in Hikigaya’s mind, Pretty Cure was the fourth great tokusatsu series.

  Produced by Toei, featuring transformations, heroes fighting vilins, and airing on weekends—yep, it was tokusatsu!

  What he hadn’t expected was that after returning to the dormitory, Hiyori actually started watching Pretty Cure for real. She even discussed the plot with Hikigaya over chat.

  A literary girl who should have been swimming in the sea of knowledge… was now holed up in her dorm watching Pretty Cure?

  Hikigaya felt a deep sense of guilt.

  “Eh? Hi-Hikigaya-kun, you… you like Pretty Cure too?”

  When Sakura heard this shocking revetion from Hiyori, she froze in pce, her mouth agape, unable to speak for a long time.

  Meanwhile, Hikigaya tried to maintain a calm and composed appearance.

  Yeah, as if!

  Originally, only Komachi and Zaimokuza knew this secret. Then, due to unavoidable circumstances, Hiyori found out. And now, Sakura too? This was practically a death sentence for Hikigaya Hachiman!

  Also… was this even a secret anymore?!

  Hikigaya wept silently in his heart, while on the other side, the two girls were chatting animatedly. Sakura, in particur, was unexpectedly lively when talking about Pretty Cure. Even her number of spoken words and the frequency of her smiles had increased significantly—so much so that she herself didn’t seem to notice her change.

  "By the way, at the library today, were you tutoring Airi?"

  At some point, Hiyori’s way of addressing Sakura had changed to "Airi," and Sakura shyly lowered her head.

  After Hikigaya briefly expined the situation, Hiyori offered to lend her review materials, saying that since Css C no longer needed them, it would be better to provide them to someone who did.

  “No.”

  Hikigaya refused Hiyori’s offer outright, without a moment’s hesitation. Instead, he sternly warned her, “Hiyori, if your cssmates find out about this, your situation will become very troublesome.”

  Hiyori may have acted out of kindness without considering the consequences, but Hikigaya had no choice but to think about the implications for her future.

  Hiyori frowned and was about to argue when Hikigaya cut her off.

  "I know you mean well, Hiyori, but we can't take goodwill for granted."

  “Hikigaya-kun, that’s so harsh!”

  Hiyori seemed a little angry. “Can’t this just be mutual help between friends? I believe my cssmates would understand. Besides, this school isn’t just about css competition—there are many other things worth pursuing!”

  However, the more Hiyori insisted, the more resolute Hikigaya became in his rejection.

  Shaking his head, he remained unmoved by her words and responded calmly, “No, Hiyori. Precisely because you see them as friends, you have to separate this matter from personal feelings. Deep down, you already know the truth, don’t you? The Hiyori I knew before wasn’t like this. You’re actually trying to use this as a small form of revenge against your cssmates, aren’t you?”

  “I…”

  Hiyori was momentarily speechless.

  “But in doing so, you’d only be hurting yourself.”

  Hikigaya knew all too well what would happen if Hiyori used Css C’s review materials to help students from other csses. Did Hiyori really not understand? No—she simply didn’t want to view human retionships so cynically. She didn’t want to think of her cssmates as bad people.

  Because in her world, she always imagined people to be better than they really were.

  Was there no better way to handle this?

  There was. In fact, it was quite simple—Hiyori just needed to give her cssmates a reason. Whether it was for her personal benefit or for the css’s collective benefit, as long as profit was the motive, it would be fine. But what she absolutely could not do was offer it out of pure goodwill, without expecting anything in return!

  Unlike ordinary schools, this was an institution built on meritocracy. Here, benefits were what motivated the majority of students.

  Her cssmates could accept Hiyori’s betrayal if it was for her own gain or the css’s advantage. But they would never accept an action driven purely by kindness or friendship!

  This was something Hikigaya had learned from Horikita Manabu—how to “communicate” within this school.

  The driving force of self-interest.

  That was the fundamental difference between this school and regur schools.

  As Horikita Manabu had once said, the best and most suitable way to handle interpersonal retionships here was through gains and losses.

  Hikigaya was teaching Hiyori a lesson. Was it cruel?

  Perhaps.

  But it was also the best way to maintain a retionship.

  One should never attach immeasurable value to something they hold dear.

  Bckghosts