.
[-Continuation-]
[-After A While-]
.
[Hachiman's POV]
After my chat with Yukinoshita, I politely excused myself from the group, not feeling up for playing in the river with Yuigahama and Komichi.
Instead, I patiently waited for the upcoming Main Quest, deciding to take refuge under a tree for now.
A cool wind blew, as if ushered by the murmur of the stream, as I continued to peacefully wait for the supposed 'unexpected' visitor.
The sunlight filtering through the trees felt pleasant against my skin. I leaned against a tree and watched the others play around from a distance.
–tap!tap
As I watched how everyone was doing, I started nodding off, only to hear footsteps from the path close by that were similar to yesterday's 'unexpected visitor'.
When I looked at the source of the noise, I once again spotted the same familiar girl.
Yep, it was the elementary schooler - Tsurumi Rumi.
"Yo." I called out to her, offering a greeting wave as she drew nearer.
"...*nod." Rumi greeted me with a nod as she approached and took a seat next to me without saying a word. "…"
"..." Not minding her, together, without saying a word, we watched everyone else play in the river.
…
.
The silence continued for a while, but then Rumi spoke up as if she had gotten tired of waiting. "Hey, why are you by yourself?"
I shrugged, a wry smile playing on my lips. "I am not much of a [Player]. And you?"
She replied, catching me off guard. "You seemed like one yesterday night, though, hitting on that sister."
...damn, where did that come from?
"Hah, trust me, that's an exception." Surprised by her boldness, I couldn't help but laugh.
I actually meant to say she is an 'exception', but I don't think it is required.
"...." Rumi took my word for it and didn't press any further.
"And also, where did you learn those words?" I asked, shaking my head in amusement.
"School…" She replied casually.
When did the education curriculum of elementary schools start teaching such useful [Skills] in schools? No one taught me. Is this one of those cases where everything changes once you graduate?
"So, why are you here again?" I redirected the conversation, returning to the main point.
Her reply was tentative, accompanied by a sad look. "We have free time right now. I went back to my room once breakfast was over, but no one was there."
"..." - "..." After her reply, we both fell silent.
Rumi and I gazed blankly at the river for a while.
That prompted Yuigahama to glance our way.
After that, she whispered something to Yukinoshita, and just when I thought they would strike up a conversation, the two of them went upstream.
They picked up the towels placed on a nearby blue sheet, used them to wipe their bodies, and then walked over to us.
As Yuigahama dried her slightly dripping hair with her towel, she squatted down in front of us. "Um… do you want to play with us too, Rumi?"
"...*shake…" But Rumi shook her head stubbornly. On top of that, she wouldn't even meet Yuigahama's eyes.
"I-I see…" Yuigahama hung her head, her expression drooping.
"Can't you see that she's with me?" I interrupted, watching this from the sidelines.
Yukinoshita chimed in. "That's precisely why we are here, actually. If she were herself, I wouldn't have come. We can't let a vulnerable child be influenced by you, can we?"
"That was mean. Like really." I retorted.
"Hee-hee!" - "HaH-ha!"
But for some reason, Yuigahama and Rumi found my indignity amusing.
"..." I shot them a sharp glare, causing their laughter to subside, though small smiles still lingered on their faces. "..ppf…"
I let it slide, not wanting to get upset in front of a child, but I couldn't say the same for Yuigahama.
With a sigh, I leaned back against the ground, closing my eyes, ignoring everything, and letting the cool shade of the tree envelop me.
"..." Feeling Rumi's gaze upon me, I braced myself for her next words, no doubt because she was scared of Yukinoshita. "Hey, you know, Hachiman."
No honorifics…? Well, not that I mind.
I opened my eyes. "Ask away, Rumi."
"Are you still friends with anyone in elementary school?" When she asked this, her gaze was earnest, tinged with a hint of anxiety, as if she were searching for something in my response.
Rising from my reclined position, I regarded her seriously. "Nope…"
Far from being neglected, I never formed a connection to begin with.
My gaze drifted to Yuigahama and Yukinoshita, who were listening intently. "And I would wager that's true for most, if not all, of us. So, if you are lucky enough, once you graduate, you will likely never cross paths with them again."
"That's just you, Hikki." Yuigahama insisted.
"Yeah, so how many middle school friends do you still have?" I questioned.
Yuigahama paused, scratching her cheek in thought. "Let me think…"
But before she could respond, I interjected. "Two…? One…? At this point, that's basically an extinct category."
I added. "Even someone as Yuigahama who has almost Max stats in both [Charm] and [Sociability] has almost negligible friends from her middle school."
"Eh…?" - "..." Both Yuigahama and Rumi wore confused expressions, seemingly puzzled by my words.
"He said you are beautiful and friendly." Yukinoshita explained.
"I am beaty? Hehe~" Yuigahama giggled, blushing bright red.
"Yuigahama, that wasn't exactly a compliment." Yukinoshita pulled Yuigahama, who had momentarily gone off into fairyland, back into reality.
Turning to me, Yukinoshita spoke without missing a beat. "Well I have to agree that I haven't seen anyone of mine, either. "
She added, her tone was thoughtful. "But does that really qualify as something fortunate?"
"Exactly." Ignoring the latter part, I chimed in, flashing her a knowing smile and giving her a thumbs-up.
Yuigahama let out a resigned sigh, her expression softening as she turned her attention to Rumi. "You know, Rumi, these two are a couple of unique cases, so…"
I decided not to comment on that one.
"Then what if luck isn't on my side?" Rumi's question hung in the air, laden with uncertainty.
…..already straight out thinking about negative outcomes, are we?
"Well, that's unfortunate, it means all your plans for leading a better life in high school hit a dead end right from the start." I bared out the harsh truth that Rumi clearly didn't want to hear.
Yeah, I think when children express their eagerness to graduate quickly, especially those in elementary school, it's not always about a burning desire to grow up. Sometimes, it signifies a deeper longing to break free from their current circumstances. It could be that they're facing challenges or setbacks that make it difficult for them to thrive in their current grade, unlike their fellow mates.
However, that wasn't exactly what happens in reality, even after you graduate from your grade.
I concluded. "So, don't expect that the moment you step into high school, everything bad that happened in your life will magically turn into a thing in the past."
In that case, aren't I pretty lucky?
Hmm, maybe not so. I thought to myself, remembering a certain individual from my dark past who might cross paths in the future. Welp, no use in thinking about it now.
"H-hikki!" Yuigahama sounded disappointed with my blunt words.
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[To be continued….]
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