Chapter 254: The Girl Gradually Getting Used to It
If Hachiman were to know what the graduates were thinking, he would surely exclaim, "I, Hikigaya Hachiman, am not cheating!"
All these achievements are the result of my diligent effort to level up proficiency.
Diligent effort...
Well, probably.
Unfortunately, Hachiman is unaware of their thoughts. Instead, he reminds Soma, "Yukihira-kun, where's your headband?"
Upon hearing this, Soma looks down and indeed notices that his headband is missing.
"Oh no, I must have forgotten it in the room. Takumi, wait for me; I'll go quickly fetch it from my room," he says, rushing towards the stairs.
After a short while, Soma returned, now with the familiar white headband wrapped around his hand.
"Haha, thanks for reminding me, Hikigaya-kun. I would have definitely forgotten it," Soma expressed his gratitude.
Hachiman simply smiled in response. "It's nothing. I just noticed you've been wearing it these past few days. When I didn't see it today, it seemed a bit strange, so I mentioned it."
"Haha, well, thanks anyway."
The time was almost up, and it was time for the students to board the bus back to school. At this point, graduates had mostly abandoned their invitations. It wasn't only the members of the Polar Star Dorm; almost all the outstanding students in this training camp received invitations, including Akira Hayama, the Aldini brothers, and others.
However, the gains were minimal since each had their own aspirations.
Once the students boarded the bus, the previously lively hall instantly quieted down, leaving only the graduates.
"Hikigaya-kun, when do you plan to leave?" asked Dojima, looking at Hachiman, who hadn't left yet.
"Oh, I'm waiting for my friends to finish packing. They should be down soon," Hachiman replied.
As soon as Hachiman spoke, Yui's voice rang in his ears.
"Hikki, we're ready."
At the sound of her voice, Hachiman turned to see the girls coming down with their luggage.
"Alright, Dojima-senpai, I'm leaving too. We'll stay in touch."
Since the girls had finished packing, Hachiman didn't linger. After bidding farewell to Dojima and the other graduates, he left the hotel with the girls.
However, as the group prepared to board the limousine, an awkward situation unfolded – there was no available seat for Hachiman.
Even though they had rented a limousine, the number of people was quite large, and when the girls arrived, they barely found enough seats. The only available space was filled with luggage.
Seeing this, Hachiman felt a bit exasperated.
"Why bring so much luggage when we're only going for two days? I didn't see you changing clothes that much either."
Hachiman thought and glanced at Yumiko, who blushed, feeling a mix of embarrassment and frustration.
"Looking at what? What's wrong with bringing a bit more stuff? Many things might not be necessary, but we can't be without them. Do you understand that?" Hachiman sighed at her words.
"Alright, you girls go ahead. I'll find Dojima-senpai and ask him to arrange a car for me."
With things having come to this point, it seemed the only option. After all, they couldn't just throw away the luggage.
Glancing at the girls in the distance, Hachiman turned around to find Dojima. However, as he turned, he encountered a familiar face.
With dazzling golden hair, violet eyes, and a graceful figure, it could only be Erina. Seeing her, Hachiman greeted her with a smile.
"Hey, Erina, haven't you gone back yet?"
"Huh? What are you doing here?" Erina was also surprised to see Hachiman.
"Well, I was planning to go back too. We rented a limousine, but there's no space for me. So, I'm going to find Dojima-senpai and ask him to arrange a car to take me back to Chiba," Hachiman explained with a hint of helplessness.
"What about you, Erina? Why didn't you take the bus back to Totsuki?"
"I went back to my room to get something, so I missed the bus," Erina explained.
"Back to get something?"
Upon hearing this, Hachiman noticed the photo album-like object Erina was holding.
"Is this a photo album?"
"Yeah, it's a precious childhood memory. I can't afford to lose it," Erina said, and a faint smile appeared on her lips when she spoke of her childhood.
For her, those childhood times were the happiest.
Before undergoing Azami Nakiri's "training"...
"So, that's how it is."
At this moment, Hachiman recalled a similar plot from the original work. Indeed, there was a scene where Soma missed the bus because he went back to get his headband, and he encountered Erina, who missed the bus for a similar reason.
However, he remembered that in this photo album, there was a special picture of Erina and Joichiro. Moreover, the girl cherished this photo quite a bit.
Thinking of this, Hachiman spoke up, "Erina, can you show me the album?"
Hesitating for a moment, Erina eventually agreed.
Taking the album, Hachiman started flipping through it.
The photos inside were similar to the ones Soma showed him before, but one stood out.
From the worn-out corners of this particular photo, it seemed like it had been turned over many more times than the others, indicating the girl's special attachment to it.
And this photo was of Erina and Joichiro together.
"Wow, isn't this Uncle Joichiro? I didn't expect you to have a photo with him, Erina."
"Ah, give it back, you jerk."
Hearing his words, the girl became somewhat excited and reached out to snatch back the photo.
However, Hachiman naturally wouldn't let her succeed, continually evading the girl's reaching hand.
"It seems Erina values this photo a lot. I might get jealous," he teased.
Failing to snatch the photo, Erina turned her head with a huff, "Hmph, what does your jealousy have to do with me?"
Hearing this, a mischievous smile formed on Hachiman's lips as he slowly approached the girl.
"Really, no connection at all?"
Watching him come closer, a faint blush appeared on Erina's face, and her voice softened, "It really has nothing to do with me."
"What are you trying to do..."
"Hehe, of course, prove that this matters to me."
With those words, Hachiman leaned in and kissed the girl's tender, red lips.
Caught off guard by the sudden attack, Erina widened her eyes. However, after a moment, she succumbed and slowly responded.
After an indeterminate amount of time, their lips parted. At this moment, Erina's face was flushed, and her tone carried a hint of coyness.
"What's gotten into you, doing that out of nowhere?"
"Of course, proving that this matters to me. Erina, you belong to me. I'd get jealous if you had other men in your heart, even if it's a middle-aged guy," Hachiman smiled faintly.
Hearing his somewhat possessive words, Erina couldn't help but give him a disdainful look.
However, what the girl didn't notice was that she didn't feel the slightest aversion to Hachiman's kiss. Instead, there was a sense of gradually getting used to it.
In her heart, Joichiro's presence had also lightened a bit, while Hachiman's had gained a few more points.
At this moment, the car arranged by the resort for Erina was ready.
Naturally, Hachiman comfortably joined her in the car, and together, they headed back.