Chapter 288: A Meeting Reeking of Gunpowder
"W-Why are you here, Hikigaya-kun?!"
To Yotsuya Miko's ears, Hikigaya Hachiman's listless voice sounded like the low murmur of an evil spirit. At the thought of her previous loss of composure in front of the ice cream, Miko wanted nothing more than to find a hole in the ground and crawl into it.
"I should be the one saying that, shouldn't I?"
Hachiman curiously sized up the two girls, whose clothes were clinging to their frames, outlining their figures due to being drenched in sweat. This was supposed to be the neighborhood near his house; why were they appearing here?
"Uh, well..."
Hearing Hachiman's words, Miko suddenly recalled how she and Yurikawa Hana had been wandering aimlessly, unintentionally drifting toward the Hikigaya residence. Although she had been secretly hoping to run into Hachiman during their walk, it certainly wasn't supposed to be in their current disheveled state!
"Miko, which one do you want to eat?"
Compared to Miko, who stood frozen in place out of sheer embarrassment, Yurikawa Hana—who possessed zero sense of shame—had already picked out her favorite ice cream from the freezer and even scouted out two options for Miko.
Turning around to show Miko the selection for a final choice, it was only then that Hana belatedly noticed Hachiman's presence in the supermarket.
"Ara, why is Hikigaya-kun here?"
Her tone was filled with surprise and confusion as she tilted her head, pondering the reason for Hachiman's appearance. After all, in her mind, even though she and Miko had been walking for over an hour, they had simply been circling around the Yotsuya household.
"My house is nearby."
Looking at the girl with the excessively long reaction time, several black lines descended from Hachiman's forehead as he helplessly explained his presence.
"Eh?!"
Hearing that the Hikigaya residence was nearby, Hana immediately cried out in surprise. Even if she wasn't sure of the exact distance between the Hikigaya and Yotsuya homes, it shouldn't have been possible to reach Hachiman's area just by "wandering around."
"Miko..."
Turning her head toward the already blushing Miko, Hana's expression was full of teasing. Even though Miko had said over the phone that it didn't matter if they didn't see each other for the whole summer, her body was being quite honest.
"Uuu..."
With her lie exposed, Miko looked down awkwardly, pinching the corner of her shirt, unsure of what to do. Fortunately, Hana didn't seem to have any intention of teasing her further.
"What has Hikigaya-kun been doing during the summer break?"
Hana curiously observed the listless boy before her. Surely, since there was no school, he spent every day traveling to every corner of the city like a manga protagonist to eliminate those loathsome evil spirits?
"Shut in at home."
"Huh?"
Hana blinked. Had she misheard something just now? How could someone like Hikigaya Hachiman stay shut in at home as soon as summer vacation started?
"You didn't mishear. I've been staying home the whole time."
However, Hachiman showed no mercy in shattering Hana's fantasy.
Crack...
Standing beside Hana, Miko seemed to hear the sound of something fracturing.
.
.
.
A few minutes later, at the Hikigaya residence.
At this moment, the living room was filled with the faint scent of gunpowder.
"I say, Onii-chan, knowing full well that Illya and her mother are here, why on earth would you bring Yotsuya-senpai and Yurikawa-senpai back with you?"
Although Komachi spoke quite calmly, Hachiman could clearly read the word "idiot" in the look she gave him.
"Is there something wrong with that?"
Scratching the back of his head, Hachiman really couldn't understand why Komachi would say such a thing to him after he invited Miko and Hana into his home.
"There's plenty wrong with it!"
Hearing this, Komachi rolled her eyes helplessly at Hachiman. Even if there was absolutely nothing between Hachiman and Irisviel, how could Miko possibly not care or speculate about the relationship between them?!
After all, this was a beautiful woman of the opposite sex who had brought her daughter to a boy's house to play during summer vacation!
"No, you're definitely overthinking it."
In Hachiman's impression, Yotsuya Miko wasn't the type of girl who would engage in idle speculation about other people's relationships. Besides, hadn't he already explained the reason why Irisviel and Illya were at his house from the moment they stepped inside?
"Um... Iris-san?"
After a brief silence, Miko opened her mouth while looking at Irisviel, who was sitting on the sofa across from her. But looking at Illya, who was already in elementary school, sitting beside Irisviel, Miko hesitated.
In this situation, should she address the person opposite her as "Miss" or "Ma'am"?
"You can just call me Iris."
Irisviel considerately spoke up to help Miko out of her predicament; after all, she didn't care at all about the honorifics used in human interaction.
"Then, what is the relationship between Iris and Hikigaya-kun?"
Although Hachiman had already explained that Irisviel and Illya were there seeking refuge because their air conditioner was broken, when Miko arrived at the Hikigaya doorstep earlier, she clearly noticed that Irisviel's surname was not among the neighboring nameplates!
In other words, Irisviel's home was some distance away from the Hikigaya residence!
Despite not living in the immediate neighborhood, she immediately thought of seeking refuge at Hachiman's house when the air conditioner broke. This woman before her, who possessed the unique charm of a mature woman, surely had a relationship with Hachiman that was anything but ordinary?
"As for my relationship with Hikigaya-kun, we're friends!"
Hearing Miko's question, Irisviel answered immediately without the slightest guilt, showing none of the unnatural expressions Miko had imagined.
'After all, Irisviel understands nothing at all regarding that kind of knowledge...'
Sitting quietly to the side, Hachiman lamented inwardly. As a homunculus created by the Einzbern family for the Holy Grail, most of Irisviel's knowledge had been filtered and instilled by the head of the Einzbern family. As for the remaining tiny portion, it was learned during her time living with Kiritsugu Emiya.
In Hachiman's less-than-favorable impression of Kiritsugu Emiya, the man likely wouldn't have taught Irisviel anything regarding the concerns Miko had. Therefore, what could a person who completely fails to grasp the underlying meaning of the question do, other than wear a blank expression?
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