Chapter 372: Mafuyu's Request
Dinner concluded, and Hachiman left the Busujima residence.
With his exceptional cooking skills, he effortlessly won over Masao, his prospective father-in-law.
It was already past seven o'clock, and the sky outside had completely darkened.
Walking through the relatively quiet residential area, he arrived at the commercial street.
Despite the darkness, the streets were bustling with people, with small stalls adding to the liveliness, giving off a more vibrant atmosphere than during the day.
The city did not lose its glamour with the nightfall; the towering buildings still glowed with lights, and the neon signs in front of shops continued to flicker, casting the whole street in a dreamlike ambiance.
Crossing a traffic light intersection, Hachiman arrived at his residential area.
The world seemed to quiet down now, with the residential area exuding a serene beauty compared to the previous hustle and bustle.
The summer night relieved the daytime heat, bringing a refreshing sensation.
The full moon hung high in the sky, casting its white light onto the earth, as if draping it in silver.
A cool breeze rustled the leaves along the roadside, accompanied by the chirping of cicadas, adding a unique charm to the summer night.
With the familiar route in mind, Hachiman soon reached his neighborhood.
Just as he was about to reach his doorstep, he noticed a familiar figure.
With her cherry-colored hair cascading down her shoulders, and her alluring figure visible from behind, it was his teacher and neighbor, Mafuyu Kirisu.
She was carrying a shopping bag and seemed to be murmuring to herself.
With Hachiman's acute hearing, he could faintly catch snippets of her words.
"What should I do..."
"... tomorrow..."
"But the room..."
Approaching quickly, Hachiman greeted her.
"Good evening, Mafuyu-sensei."
Startled by someone calling her name, Mafuyu turned around, recognizing Hachiman's familiar face.
"Hey... it's Hikigaya-kun, good evening!"
"Good evening, sensei. Did you go shopping?" Hachiman asked with a smile, noticing the shopping bag in Mafuyu's hand.
"Yes, I bought some daily necessities."
Seeing Hachiman's familiar smile, Mafuyu felt oddly reassured and even opened the shopping bag to show him.
Glancing inside, Hachiman saw shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and other daily items, along with a budget bento box. Additionally, he noticed a box of what seemed to be lacy fabric, perhaps lingerie.
Wait... is that underwear?
The realization made Hachiman's expression a bit strange.
Mafuyu, on the other hand, also recalled the underwear in the bag and quickly closed it, a blush creeping onto her face as her inner theater started up again.
[Did he see it?]
[Does Hikigaya-kun know?]
[What am I doing?!]
[Does he think I'm intentionally showing it to him?]
[How could I forget buying underwear?]
[Being seen wearing underwear by my own student...]
[Humiliation!!!]
[Not only was he seeing my underwear, but he also princess-carried me a few days ago, and I even dreamed of kissing him at night.]
[Could it be...]
[No, I can't think like this. I'm his teacher.]
[This is unacceptable...]
[But Hikigaya-kun will graduate in two years. Maybe then...]
[No, what am I thinking?!]
[Mafuyu Kirisu, you're so shameless.]
[As a teacher, how can I have such thoughts about my student? We have a few years' age gap; it's like robbing the cradle.]
Meanwhile, Shizuka, who was reading manga in her apartment, sneezed inexplicably.
[But Hikigaya-kun is really nice. He helps with household chores and cooks well.]
[No, no, Mafuyu Kirisu, how could you entertain such thoughts about a student? Are you going through a spring fever or something?]
[...]
Lost in her thoughts, Mafuyu was snapped back to reality when Hachiman awkwardly cleared his throat and changed the subject.
"Are you having the bento for dinner, sensei?"
Hearing Hachiman's question, Mafuyu snapped out of her inner turmoil and quickly replied, "Ah, I bought it while I was at the convenience store shopping for other things."
"Hikigaya-kun, did you just come back from outside too?"
"Yeah, I had some things to take care of, so I just got back," Hachiman smiled, certainly not mentioning that he had just met with his girlfriend's parents.
"I see." Mafuyu nodded, then looked at Hachiman with a hesitant expression.
Seeing her like this, Hachiman couldn't help but feel curious.
"What's wrong, Sensei? Do you need my help with something?"
"Well... um..."
Hesitantly, Mafuyu began to speak.
"Could you please come back to my place with me, Hikigaya-kun?"
"Huh?" Hachiman was taken aback for a moment, then nodded. "Sure."
Relieved to hear his agreement, Mafuyu said, "Thank you, Hikigaya-kun. Let's go."
With that, she led Hachiman to her apartment.
Soon, they arrived at Mafuyu's apartment door.
Taking out her keys, she opened the door to reveal a cluttered and messy room.
Piles of books were haphazardly stacked, bags of sorted but unthrown trash lay around, and the kitchen sink was piled high with unwashed dishes.
Hmm...
Hachiman couldn't shake the feeling of déjà vu; it seemed like he had seen this scene before when he first visited Mafuyu's place.
Didn't they just tidy up recently? How did it get so messy again in such a short time?
Mafuyu looked a bit embarrassed, but compared to last time, it was much better. After all, Hachiman had already seen her messy side.
Then she explained why she had asked Hachiman to come over.
"Could you please help me clean up the room, Hikigaya-kun? My sister is coming over tomorrow, and I don't want her to see the place like this."
Compared to being seen by others, Mafuyu Kirisu was actually more accepting of Hachiman seeing the state of her room.
In her mind, since Hachiman had already seen her messy room last time, seeing it again wouldn't make much of a difference.
Upon hearing Mafuyu's request, Hachiman understood.
So she wanted him to help clean up the room.
Well, he didn't have anything else to do anyway, so he might as well make up for the glimpse of her underwear earlier.
With that in mind, Hachiman nodded.
"No problem, leave it to me."