Chapter 295: We Are the Ones Who Aren't Normal
"......."
Hearing the busy signal coming from her phone, Yotsuya Miko's right hand, still gripping the device, slumped weakly to her side.
"Something about 'doing my best'..."
Suddenly, Hikigaya Hachiman's voice drifted over from beside her.
Turning her head curiously, Miko caught sight of Hachiman's expression of utter helplessness.
"Did Komachi stand you up?"
Combining the look on Hachiman's face with the information he had just mentioned, Miko guessed what had happened to him.
"Yeah..."
A bitter smile appeared on Hachiman's face. His eyes continued to scan the surroundings, trying to pick out Komachi and Sakura, who were likely hiding nearby.
"Pffft..."
Hearing Hachiman's affirmative answer, Miko suddenly covered her mouth and let out a laugh.
"What is it?"
Hachiman looked at Miko in confusion, not understanding why she had suddenly burst into laughter.
"Is Hikigaya-kun still being kept in the dark?"
Wiping away the tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes, Miko patted her cheeks to compose herself. She looked up at Hachiman, her eyes sparkling with a hint of pride—the pride of someone who had seen through the trap one step ahead of him.
"In the dark?"
Hearing Miko's words, Hachiman's expression instantly turned peculiar.
'Strictly speaking, wasn't Miko the one truly being kept in the dark?'
"That's right. Today's events were probably a joint plot between Hana and Komachi..."
As she spoke, Miko lowered her head, her face turning slightly red.
She wasn't an idiot. To "coincidentally" bump into Hachiman at the agreed-upon location, and then for both of them to "coincidentally" be stood up at the same time—no matter how you looked at it, the situation reeked of a conspiracy.
However... she didn't exactly hate that this was happening. After all...
Thinking of this, Miko stole a glance at Hachiman beside her.
What would he do next? Given his personality, it wasn't impossible for him to say something like, "Since we've been stood up, let's just go home."
"Then... shall we go to Tokyo? Just the two of us..."
To Miko's surprise, Hachiman actually took the initiative to issue an invitation.
Because she was so startled, Miko's eyes widened. She didn't snap out of it until Hachiman, seeing her lack of reaction for so long, called her name again.
"Of course I'd go!"
Miko suppressed the excitement in her heart and gave a gentle nod.
Though they were just going to "hang out," since only the two of them were headed to Tokyo today, the nature of this outing could completely be defined as a date, right?
Without much hesitation, Hachiman and Miko stepped into the station and boarded the train bound for Tokyo.
.
.
.
"Komachi-nee, aren't we going to follow them?"
In the restaurant, Sakura sat beside Komachi. After watching Hachiman and Miko disappear from her sight together, she turned and asked Komachi.
"No need. If we follow too closely, it's very easy to be discovered."
Reality wasn't like novels where you could just put on a simple disguise and become unrecognizable. If a person's gaze is fixed on someone for a long time, that person will sense it—and that was for ordinary people!
The reason the two of them hadn't been discovered by Hachiman yet was entirely due to the massive crowds near the station. If they followed them now, they would definitely be caught.
-
-
-
The train was crowded. Unable to find empty seats, the two of them had to stand in a small corner by the carriage door to avoid being crushed by the throng of people.
Because they were standing so close, Miko could clearly feel Hachiman's breath.
Her porcelain-white neck instantly turned crimson. Miko lowered her head and subconsciously began fidgeting with her hands.
"How have you been lately, Hikigaya-kun?"
"Resting at home."
"....."
Miko never expected Hachiman's answer to be so blunt. For a moment, she didn't know how to keep the conversation going.
"Is there anywhere you want to go today?"
Perhaps sensing Miko's awkward predicament, Hachiman looked at their reflections in the window and asked about her plans for the day.
"Um, well, since we're going to Tokyo, I'd like to see Tokyo Tower..."
It was the expected answer. Hearing Miko's response, Hachiman wore a "just as I thought" expression.
But it was only natural. After all, few people visit Tokyo without wanting to see Tokyo Tower.
"And where do you plan to go, Hikigaya-kun?"
If it were just her and Hana Yurikawa, Miko's plan would naturally be to visit as many of Tokyo's famous landmarks as possible. But since she was with Hachiman, she felt she should restrain her feminine instinct for window-shopping and consider Hachiman's opinion.
"Nothing in particular. Wherever you want to go today, Miko, I'll just go with you."
Regarding today's destination, Hachiman expressed that he was quite indifferent. After all, he wasn't like those "normie" groups at school. Compared to going out, he preferred lying at home playing games or watching TV.
Of course, if he were alone, he would have wanted to visit the "Holy Land" of Akihabara. But since Miko was here, he decided to kill that idea for the time being.
-
-
-
Several dozen minutes later, Hikigaya Hachiman and Yotsuya Miko finally stepped onto Tokyo soil.
However, just as they stepped off the train, a low-level evil spirit suddenly lunged at them from beneath the platform.
"Ah!"
Caught off guard, Miko saw the spirit pouncing toward her. Her body instinctively lunged toward Hachiman beside her.
"I almost forgot... my own world isn't normal either..."
Compared to Miko, Hachiman's reaction was much more subdued.
Although he was also momentarily stunned the second he saw the spirit, he quickly regained his composure. Attaching a trace of spiritual power to his palm, he struck the spirit that had frightened Miko, instantly obliterating it into nothingness.
"Why... why does such a thing exist here?"
The dying screech of the spirit echoed in her ears. Miko looked up at the spot where the spirit had appeared.
After realizing the spirit had been completely dealt with, she let out a long sigh of relief. Then, realizing the position the two of them were currently in, her face flushed red. She hurriedly let go of Hachiman's clothes, which she had been clutching tightly, and took a few steps back.
"I should say that this is actually the normal state of things."
Hachiman didn't think it was strange to encounter an evil spirit right after getting off the train. On the contrary, Chiba—where spirits had practically vanished because the Ghost King was killed and Inari foxes patrolled day and night—was the true outlier in this world.
Read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting