Chapter 323: The Crumbling "Friendship"
Watching Hachiman and his group enclosing themselves, the few young girls finally grew fearful. It was unclear who couldn't resist and apologized.
"I'm sorry," unfortunately, Hachiman and his group wouldn't let these girls off so easily.
Yumiko kicked a nearby tree trunk, her tone harsh as she interrogated, "Who allowed you to apologize? I'm asking, who said it earlier."
The group of girls huddled together, none daring to speak.
Observing this, Tobe took a step forward, wearing an exaggerated expression on his face.
"Speak up! Are you looking down on us?"
"Let us educate them," Yumiko chimed in.
"After all, teaching you to respect your seniors is part of our duty," Tobe added.
Hearing their words, the girls became even more fearful, afraid that the two might resort to violence.
However, Tsurumi wasn't as scared; instead, she looked at Hachiman with curiosity.
Hachiman blinked at her and stepped forward.
"Don't worry; we're not monsters after all."
Upon hearing Hachiman's words, the girls regained a glimmer of hope. However, his next statement dashed their hopes again.
"We can spare you, but you need to leave half of your group behind. The other half can go. As for who stays, that's for you to decide."
"Half... half..."
The girls looked at each other, uncertain.
"Hey, stop dilly-dallying. Decide quickly," Tobe threatened appropriately.
At this moment, Tsurumi finally understood the intentions of Hachiman and his group.
If they had to leave half of the group behind, as the ostracized one, she would undoubtedly be pushed out. Additionally, there would likely be others designated as "hostages." This way, she might have the chance to interact with those fellow "hostages" and potentially rebuild friendships.
However, in doing so, Hachiman's reputation would be at stake...
With these thoughts, Tsurumi looked worriedly at Hachiman, but he reassured her with a glance.
"Decide quickly, or else all of you stay," Tobe pressured once again.
"Ah... Please, no..."
Upon hearing this, the group of girls finally reacted. One of them, seemingly the leader, turned her gaze towards Tsurumi.
"Tsurumi... You stay."
Tsurumi wasn't surprised by this; after all, she had been the one ostracized before. It was only natural for them to push her out.
Watching the pushed-out girl, Hachiman sighed inwardly, maintaining his indifferent expression.
"This is just the first one; two more to go. Hurry up."
Hearing this, the remaining four girls trembled slightly, distancing themselves from each other. They knew that two more would be pushed out, and none wanted to be that person.
At this moment, the once-close group was beginning to show cracks.
Meanwhile, Yukino and Yui had approached a nearby thicket.
Observing Hachiman's sinister expression, Yui couldn't help but comment, "Ah, Hikki really looks like a villain."
Yukino nodded, "True, this guy doesn't seem like a good person."
After saying this, the two exchanged glances, both wearing smiles.
"Achoo!"
Hachiman, playing the villain, sneezed, and couldn't help but wonder if someone was cursing him.
His sneeze startled the group of girls.
Rubbing his nose, Hachiman signaled to Tobe.
Understanding, Tobe approached one of the girls, exaggerating his expressions once again.
"Decide quickly, or it seems we need to teach you a lesson."
It had to be admitted that Tobe, with his long hair, indeed looked like a delinquent, especially coupled with his exaggerated expressions—a perfect scare tactic for kids.
Under another round of pressure from Tobe, the conflicts within this small group finally erupted.
"If Yuka hadn't said those things just now, everything would be fine," one girl spoke up.
Another girl chimed in, "Exactly, it's Yuka's fault."
Yuka, looking surprised, stared at the two who spoke.
"No, it was Nami who spoke first."
"I didn't say anything, it's not my fault!" The girl who initially spoke retorted.
"It's all because of Komori's bad attitude that the big brothers got angry."
This statement acted as a spark, rapidly igniting the conflict.
"Yeah, that's right. Komori is always like this, even with teachers at school."
Komori, the leader of this small group, who usually led others in excluding Tsurumi, widened her eyes, looking at her usual "close friends."
"What does this have to do with anything right now?"
Observing the escalating argument among her companions, a somewhat timid girl couldn't hold back her tears.
"Stop arguing, let's apologize to the big brothers together."
Unfortunately, Yumiko didn't give them a chance. "Don't think crying and apologizing will make us forgive you. Not all problems can be solved by shedding a few tears."
"You have thirty seconds. Two more to go. Hurry up." Hachiman, with a stern face, spoke. Tobe, on the side, continued to wave his fists, intimidating them.
"If you had exposed us just now, we can't guarantee what would happen. Anyway, I've remembered your faces."
Witnessing this scene, Yukino and Yui, squatting in the bushes, felt somewhat speechless.
These three, they seemed naturally inclined to be villains.
"You have twenty seconds," Hachiman continued to press.
Yumiko also added, "Hurry up and make a choice. Do you want me to help you decide?"
Hearing this, the girls panicked because no one wanted to be left behind.
"Blame it on Yuka."
"Yeah, so Yuka, you stay."
"I agree too."
The three girls simultaneously turned their attention towards Yuka.
The girl named Yuka looked in astonishment at her "companions."
But before she could respond, the three pushed her out.
"Alright, go."
"Yeah, Yuka, you stay too."
"Sorry, but there's no other way."
Being forcefully pushed out by the three, Yuka reluctantly approached Tsurumi, displaying a wry smile.
Hachiman coldly observed the scene.
In this world, there are two things one cannot directly confront.
One is the sun, and the other is human nature.
Everyone has a dark side, suppressed by subjective emotions most of the time.
However, when those emotions spiral out of control, the dark side emerges, as it does now.
Having "chosen" another person, the remaining three breathed a sigh of relief.
Unfortunately, the next moment, Hachiman's somber voice echoed once again.
"There's one more."
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Chapter 324: Hachiman Enjoying the Blessings of Being Together
"Only one left," Hachiman remarked. The three remaining girls exchanged uncertain glances, unsure of what to do.
Unfortunately, Hachiman didn't give them any time to think as he began the countdown. "10...9...8...7..."
As the final moments passed, the three girls still couldn't come to a decision, so they tearfully huddled together. Meanwhile, Tsurumi Rumi closed her eyes, lost in thought.
"4...3...2...1..."
As the last second ticked away, the three girls still hadn't made a choice. Just as they began to feel hopeless, Tsurumi Rumi suddenly raised her hand. "Wait."
Observing the girl's action, Hachiman raised an eyebrow. Is she still going to go through with it?
With that thought, he narrowed his eyes.
Tobe and Yumiko were also intrigued by Tsurumi Rumi's action. As their gazes shifted towards her, a sudden burst of white light exploded before them.
It was the flash from the digital camera hanging around the girl's neck.
"What's that?"
"Can't see anything."
Due to staring directly at the dazzling white light, both Tobe and Yumiko covered their eyes, their vision blurred.
"Run!"
Seizing the opportunity, Rumi grabbed Yuka and sprinted away, shouting to the other three.
The remaining three girls quickly followed suit, running into the distance.
Having squinted his eyes beforehand, Hachiman wasn't greatly affected and simply watched them leave quietly.
"What was that all about?" Yumiko complained while rubbing her eyes.
"It was the flash from the digital camera," Hachiman explained.
Watching Rumi and the others gradually disappear, Hachiman averted his gaze.
At this moment, Yukino and Yui emerged from the bushes.
"It seems like that child saved the others," Yukino said casually.
Yui chimed in, equally puzzled, "Could it be that the child actually has a good relationship with them?"
"How is that possible," Hachiman shook his head.
"From what we've observed these past few days, it doesn't seem like they have a good relationship at all."
"That child is very clever, perhaps she guessed our intentions and decided to refuse in this manner," Hachiman suggested.
"Well, then it seems like we've wasted our efforts tonight," Yumiko grumbled, feeling annoyed at having played the villain for nothing.
"Don't worry, this situation was within my expectations," Hachiman said with a slight smile.
"Even though they knew it was fake, they still offered help, which shows true friendship," he continued.
"And after this incident, that small group is bound to fall apart. Regardless of whether Rumi can regain her friendships, her days in the class will be better off," he concluded.
Upon hearing his words, everyone nodded in agreement.
"Alright, we've done all we can. Let's head back," Hachiman smiled.
"To reward everyone, I'll personally make some delicious food for you tonight," he added.
"Yes!" Yui cheered.
Just the thought of Hachiman's cooking made even Yukino and Yumiko's mouths water.
Only Tobe seemed a bit puzzled.
...
Back at the campsite, the bonfire party was still going strong.
The bonfire in the center of the clearing burned brightly, while the children gathered in small groups, enjoying themselves and dancing.
In one corner of the clearing, the group that had escaped earlier had gathered.
Tsurumi Rumi still sat alone on the ground, while the other four who were supposed to be close were now keeping some distance from each other.
After all, after what had just happened, this small group couldn't return to how they were before.
In another corner of the clearing, Hachiman and the others were gathered.
Sizzle—
Chunks of meat, tender and juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside, sizzled on the iron griddle. Hachiman held a pair of tongs, flipping and pressing the meat slices from time to time.
To reward everyone for their hard work tonight, Hachiman personally prepared dinner.
However, due to limited ingredients and utensils, they could only opt for an outdoor barbecue.
"Alright."
After distributing a batch of freshly grilled meat slices to everyone, Hachiman replenished the supply.
"Onii-chan, come and eat too," Komachi called out.
Hachiman smiled and shook his head, "You guys go ahead and eat, I need to tend to the grill."
"Mmm, this is delicious."
Tobe exclaimed exaggeratedly as he tasted the meat slices.
Beside him, Hayama wore a look of admiration, "Yeah, I didn't expect Hikigaya-kun's cooking skills to be this good."
"Haha, so satisfying. Your cooking is really the best," Shizuka said, enjoying the barbecue and beer, feeling relaxed and comfortable.
"I heard your plan failed today?"
"But it's for the best. If anything had gone wrong, it could have turned into a big problem."
Flipping the meat, Hachiman smiled, "It can't be considered a failure. At least my main goal was achieved. From the beginning, I never imagined that everything could be resolved in one go."
Indeed, even if today's plan had succeeded smoothly, building friendships doesn't happen instantly. So today, he merely gave Rumi a chance to rebuild her interpersonal relationships.
"You always have so many tricks up your sleeve," Shizuka said with an admiring expression.
Hearing her words, Hachiman shrugged, taking it as a compliment.
Just then, Komachi held out a piece of meat to his mouth.
"Ah, Onii-chan, you've worked hard. Let me feed you," she said.
Hachiman didn't refuse Komachi's offer to feed him. After all, they were siblings, and there was nothing taboo about it.
After Komachi fed Hachiman the meat, she winked at the other girls.
Seeing this scene, the other girls also caught on. They looked at the meat on the plate, then at Hachiman who was still grilling nearby, and couldn't help but feel a bit moved.
The first to act was Saeko, who had already expressed her feelings openly.
"Ah, Hachiman-kun, you've worked hard," she said as she fed him.
Hachiman didn't hesitate to accept the feeding from Saeko, considering their close relationship.
Next was Kotonoha, who was a bit shy but gained courage with Saeko's lead.
"Ah, Hachiman-kun, please...please eat," she said, offering him a piece of meat.
Hachiman accepted Kotonoha's offer without hesitation.
Then came the other girls, one by one, feeding him.
Yui: "Hikki, you've worked hard."
Yukino: "Consider it a reward for your efforts today."
Yumiko: "Don't get the wrong idea, I'm just acknowledging your hard work in grilling the meat."
Shizuka: "Kid, open up."
The girls had an unspoken understanding, and Hachiman seemed to enjoy the attention.
Aside from them, Ebina and Saika were also intrigued.
Saika wanted to get closer to Hachiman, while Ebina just wanted to join in on the fun.
However, before they could make a move, a loud roar interrupted everything.
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