Chapter 25: Mutsumi Really Likes Cucumbers
"Thank you, for saving my young daughter."
A middle-aged man resembling Wakaba Mutsumi lowered himself significantly, expressing his gratitude with utmost respect.
As someone who frequently moved in high society, Wakaki was aware of the existence of Curses and, furthermore, knew that the Sorcerer Association, a special organization in Japan, held a transcendental position above all other social strata.
Naturally, he would not judge a hero by their age.
He felt that the young man before him, who was about the same age as his daughter, must be a major figure in the Sorcerer Association and should not be slighted.
"It's my duty."
Hikigaya Hachiman withdrew his hand after shaking Wakaki's. He knew Wakaba Mutsumi's father well—a quite famous comedian whose shows Komachi absolutely loved to watch.
However, unlike his humorous persona on the show, he seemed particularly serious at home.
In this respect, he was quite similar to Wakaba Mutsumi.
Hikigaya Hachiman glanced peripherally at the girl behind him.
"But what's up with this child?"
Wakaba Mutsumi, the person involved in the Curse attack, showed no emotional fluctuations on her doll-like, exquisite face, except for a slight fatigue.
She was just standing silently behind Hikigaya Hachiman, clinging to his coat corner, as if grasping a lifesaver and refusing to let go.
The girl wasn't good at expressing herself, giving off a somewhat reserved and stiff impression.
Hikigaya Hachiman just assumed she hadn't recovered from the bad memories she witnessed during the Curse attack.
The place Hikigaya Hachiman recommended for her was naturally the Service Club. Offering help to people in trouble was the original intention behind Yukinoshita founding the Service Club.
Helping one person is just as good as helping another.
"Mutsumi, that's very impolite."
Upon hearing her father's stern tone, Wakaba Mutsumi silently released her grip, but the expression on her face became slightly gloomy.
"It's alright, Mr. Wakaba," Hikigaya Hachiman said, not feeling bothered by it.
"Ms. Wakaba, I've already performed the Exorcism of the Remnants for her.
A little rest and she'll be absolutely fine for school tomorrow."
"Understood, thank you very much."
"I still have follow-up work to do, so I won't trouble you any longer."
Hikigaya Hachiman proposed to leave with great decisiveness. His Chainsaw Sword was already stored inside his cello bag.
Meanwhile, Wakaba Mutsumi, upon hearing this, looked up, wanting to say something, but as always, the words caught in her throat and would not come out.
Just then, the maid who looks after Wakaba Mutsumi hurried over from the corridor leading to the garden. She quietly handed Wakaba Mutsumi a bag of chocolates.
Meeting the maid's encouraging gaze and sensing the familiar texture inside the bag, Wakaba Mutsumi suddenly found her courage.
"Wait."
Although the girl's voice was very soft, it still made Hikigaya Hachiman stop.
Hikigaya Hachiman turned his head and saw Wakaba Mutsumi quickly approaching, holding the bag in her hands.
The way she took these quick, short steps was somewhat amusing.
As the two faced each other and her eyes met his calm gaze, the stopped Wakaba Mutsumi couldn't help but feel a sudden nervousness. Her fingers, clutching the bag, tightened slightly.
She took a deep breath and handed over the item.
"Token of gratitude."
Hikigaya Hachiman did not refuse and took it from Wakaba Mutsumi's hand.
"Thank you, Ms. Wakaba."
Wakaba Mutsumi, who had been slightly happy about successfully presenting her thanks, immediately felt a little sad when she heard Hachiman's distant way of addressing her.
"Mutsumi."
Not getting a reply, Wakaba Mutsumi couldn't help but say it again.
"Mutsumi!"
Thinking that it was already very difficult for the other party to manage this much, Hikigaya Hachiman finally nodded, addressing Wakaba Mutsumi as Mutsumi.
"Thank you, Mutsumi."
Although it was only a simple change in address, it caused a faint smile to appear on the face of the taciturn, green-haired girl.
This made the expressions of the two people watching on the side change slightly, especially the maid who looks after Wakaba Mutsumi.
Ever since Ms. Mutsumi's previous band broke up, she had essentially been practicing guitar alone in the basement practice room every day, looking glum.
Even when watering the thriving cucumbers, a smile was absent from her face.
"Oh, right, Mutsumi, let's exchange Line IDs. Contact me if anything happens."
Hikigaya Hachiman recalled that Mutsumi was the first client he had brought to Yukinoshita, and he couldn't let her get away.
"I'll scan yours."
"Mm."
Hikigaya Hachiman added Wakaba Mutsumi.
Soon, the profile picture on the girl's social media account popped up; it was a blooming cucumber flower.
"Done."
Upon seeing the friend request accepted, Hikigaya Hachiman said,
"Bye-bye, Mutsumi."
After exchanging Line IDs and saying goodbye to Mutsumi, Hikigaya Hachiman walked out.
"Mm."
Wakaba Mutsumi was still staring blankly at the newly added contact on her phone. This was the first friend she had added outside of her Crychic bandmates.
Wakaba Mutsumi herself didn't realize that a faint smile had actually been on her face since a moment ago.
"Today... was very happy..."
Hikigaya Hachiman, with the cello bag slung over one shoulder and the bag Mutaba Mutsumi gave him in the other hand, walked out.
When he discovered that the bag contained cucumbers, Hikigaya Hachiman's lips curled up slightly.
The place where Hikigaya Hachiman rescued Mutsumi was a small vegetable garden, and the most common thing grown in it was cucumbers. Furthermore, Mutsumi's profile picture was a blooming cucumber flower.
Mutsumi really likes cucumbers, doesn't she?
.
.
.
Outside the villa, it was still quite busy. Sorcerers from the Sorcerer Association were patrolling, searching for Curses that might appear.
The Remnants scattered by the Domain Expansion released by that Grade 1 Curse would attract new Curses if not dealt with promptly.
Shirogane Miyuki, who had come with Hikigaya Hachiman, had been sent home by a specialist after a kind-hearted person messaged them earlier.
What was currently happening on the scene was truly not good for ordinary people; those Remnants could endanger the health of non-sorcerers.
"Finished with the serious business?"
Hikigaya Hachiman saw a familiar figure leaning against the wall, as if he was specifically waiting for him to emerge from the villa.
However, the tone felt somewhat sarcastic.
It seemed to imply that while the Sorcerers were doing the cleanup work, Hikigaya Hachiman was busy developing a relationship with a girl.
"Same goes for you, Gojo-sensei."
Satoru Gojo, like the Kamo family who wouldn't leave Hikigaya Hachiman alone, is the next head of the Gojo family, one of the Big Three Sorcerer Families.
"Capturing the mastermind must have worn you out, right?"
Hikigaya Hachiman had already sensed the presence of the current strongest person in the Sorcery world when he previously activated his automatic search technique using probes.
Furthermore, the Sorcery on the person Gojo was carrying earlier was identical to that on the Grade 1 Curse Hachiman had exterminated.
At that time, Hikigaya Hachiman knew that the grotesque figure he killed must have been a Shikigami or a similar entity.
"Such a weak guy really didn't get me fired up at all," Satoru Gojo said, his eyes under the blindfold emitting a faint blue light as he looked at Hikigaya Hachiman.
"But you..."
He couldn't help but suggest,
"I know that Grade 1 Curse before wasn't even a warm-up for you. How about we spar a little?"
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