The faint pain in his right shoulder reminded him that having his right hand cut off by Lord Hayashizaki wasn't a nightmare but a real event.
Regrowing a limb, such a thing really exists...
"His right hand... grew back!?"
Yukinoshita Yukino exclaimed in disbelief in her heart.
"Reversal technique,"
Hayashizaki seemed to hear Hikigaya Hachiman's thoughts and explained to Yukinoshita Yukino,
"Curse energy is negative energy. It can strengthen the body but can't regenerate it. So, you need to stack negative energy, and negative x negative becomes positive energy to heal yourself."
"As long as your brain isn't destroyed or your head isn't cut off, you can be saved,"
Hayashizaki said with a playful smile.
"Even if you're cut in half, you won't die."
"Really..."
Hikigaya Hachiman's eyes widened. Just regrowing a limb was shocking enough. Can even being cut in half be healed? Sorcerers are really hard to kill!
As if reading his thoughts, Hayashizaki shrugged and said,
"It sounds simple, but it's not easy to do. Only a few sorcerers can do it, but for curses, it's very simple."
"Alright, enough talking. Yukinoshita is getting upset."
Hayashizaki finished and quickly disappeared, blocking Yukinoshita Yukino's voice.
Hikigaya Hachiman then noticed that the girl in front of him didn't have the black markings that indicated Hayashizaki's possession, just four eyes open.
After Hayashizaki submerged, Yukinoshita Yukino's playful expression disappeared, replaced by a deep frown, looking very unhappy.
What is that guy thinking!? Doing such reckless things at school, what if someone else saw it? And that crazy teaching method, even if it can heal, putting people in deadly situations to trigger their potential is too inhumane!
And after doing all this, he ran away, leaving her to clean up the mess. No matter how much she called out in her heart, there was no response.
She couldn't scold him, couldn't hit him, it was really frustrating.
What worried her more was that Hayashizaki could now take control of her body without her permission. Saying she could take back control anytime was a lie to make her lower her guard!
Without any means to balance it out, Yukinoshita Yukino had no idea what that annoying guy would do with her body in the future.
Yukinoshita Yukino rubbed her temples with a headache, then looked up at Hikigaya Hachiman with an apologetic face.
"I'm really sorry. I didn't know my strength would suddenly increase so much, and I didn't expect Hayashizaki to..."
"Uh, it's okay. I didn't die, and my severed hand grew back, just like the original."
Hikigaya Hachiman, surprised by Yukinoshita Yukino's apology, responded after a moment.
"Besides, it's not your fault. You don't need to apologize to me."
As for asking Hayashizaki to apologize, Hikigaya Hachiman didn't even dare to think about it.
"But even if the wound healed, the pain when you were injured wasn't fake, right?"
Yukinoshita Yukino recalled the scene of Hikigaya Hachiman screaming in pain when his arm was cut off and said softly, feeling a bit sorry.
"But thanks to that, I seem to have successfully mastered curse energy now."
Hikigaya Hachiman said, raising his right fist and trying to concentrate curse energy in it as he had felt before.
"..."
"..."
Nothing happened.
"Huh? It worked like this before,"
Hikigaya Hachiman said awkwardly, regretting his earlier boast.
"Something must have gone wrong somewhere. It seems Hayashizaki isn't coming out to explain,"
Yukinoshita Yukino said. She knew that Hikigaya Hachiman had succeeded before, as she was almost hit by his magic-covered fist.
"Anyway, let's go back."
However, when the two of them returned to the Service Club, Yukinoshita Yukino realized she had gotten angry too soon.
The once tidy clubroom was now a mess. The windows were shattered, glass shards were scattered everywhere, and the floor was stained with Hikigaya Hachiman's blood. Even the walls were streaked with red.
A severed arm, like a prop from a horror movie, lay alone in the shadows.
The strong smell of blood filled the air. As soon as Yukinoshita Yukino stepped into the curtain-enclosed clubroom, she almost threw up. Hikigaya Hachiman didn't feel well either.
He looked at his broken hand with mixed feelings, not knowing what expression to make:
"How... should I deal with this?"
Yukinoshita Yukino was also a bit dumbfounded. Although she had knowledge in various fields and could be called a walking encyclopedia, dealing with a severed limb was truly beyond her expertise.
Hayashizaki, who had been watching quietly, sighed at their helplessness. He then forcefully took control of Yukinoshita Yukino's body again and used fire to help deal with Hikigaya's severed limb.
After Yukinoshita Yukino's uncontrollable snap of her fingers, she regained control of her body and said angrily,
"You took control of my body without my permission again!"
"I was just trying to help, and you scold me. You're so heartless, Yukinoshita is a bad person~"
Hayashizaki's mouth appeared on her cheek, pretending to be wronged.
"This is all your fault!"
His exaggerated tone made Yukinoshita Yukino's skin crawl.
Hayashizaki pretended not to hear and turned to Hikigaya Hachiman.
"Think more about the essence of curse energy, and you'll understand why you failed earlier. Truly mastering curse energy isn't easy, but you're doing better than Yukinoshita. She hasn't succeeded yet."
After saying this, he disappeared again, leaving Yukinoshita Yukino blushing with anger.
His skillful use of praise and criticism successfully raised the girl's blood pressure. In terms of getting under Yukinoshita Yukino's skin, Hayashizaki was unmatched.
With nothing else to do, the old man found amusement in teasing his host.
"Um..."
Hikigaya Hachiman raised his hands in a French military salute, indicating it had nothing to do with him.
Yukinoshita Yukino sighed.
"I don't mind. He's telling the truth."
Do you really not mind? I saw you almost grind your molars to dust just now.
Hikigaya Hachiman silently muttered to himself.
"Anyway, let's clean this place up first. As for the broken window, we'll have to cover it with the curtain for now. I'll order a new window of the same style and install it on Saturday."
"Got it."
The two of them worked hard and finally cleaned the Service Club room before the school security started to chase them out.
"I'll be going now."
Hikigaya Hachiman said goodbye to Yukinoshita Yukino at the school gate and rode his bike home.
When he stood at his front door, he felt a strange sense of having been away for a long time.
Opening the front door and changing into slippers at the entrance, a middle school girl popped her head out from behind the living room wall upon hearing the door open,
"Welcome back. Why are you so late today?"
Hikigaya Hachiman looked at Hikigaya Komachi, who was wearing an apron and seemed to be preparing dinner. After a moment of daze, he couldn't help but shed tears of emotion.
Ah, it's my lovely sister Komachi!
"Aren't you going to say 'I'm back'? By the way, it's gross for a brother to cry as soon as he gets home,"
Komachi said with a disgusted face. But even so, she still looked very cute in Hikigaya Hachiman's eyes, as if an angel's light was shining behind her.
"Did something happen?"
Komachi asked.
"No, it's nothing... I'm back."
After being scared by the curse spirit, threatened by Hayashizaki, having his arm cut off, and being thrown from the fourth floor by Yukinoshita, Hikigaya Hachiman smiled at his sister with relief.
...
...