Chapter 28: Soyo: Mom, What Are You Doing?
"Thank you."
Realizing that Hikigaya Hachiman was holding the elevator for them, the mother and daughter quickly walked toward it. Nagasaki Soyo's mother was the first to express her gratitude to Hikigaya Hachiman.
"It's nothing. Which floor?"
"45th floor."
Hikigaya Hachiman helped them press the 45th floor. Sure enough, his memory was correct.
After pressing the button, Hikigaya Hachiman naturally took out his phone to check for new messages, no longer paying attention to the mother and daughter.
Sensing that the other party's gaze was not focused on her, Nagasaki Soyo's feeling of embarrassment slowly subsided.
Nagasaki Soyo quickly recognized him as the boy from Shuchiin Academy whom she had encountered with Mutsumi in the underground parking garage earlier.
Seeing the cello bag slung over Hikigaya Hachiman's shoulder, Nagasaki Soyo couldn't help but think,
'Did he just finish a cello lesson?'
Nagasaki Soyo herself started by practicing the cello before switching to bass, so she recognized the bag Hikigaya Hachiman was carrying as a cello case.
'And doing it this late?'
Nagasaki Soyo, the homebody, was already curled up in bed playing on her phone.
The fact that he was still practicing the cello so late made Nagasaki Soyo feel a hint of respect for him.
Cello lessons are very monotonous. Practicing until late at night—his perseverance is astonishing.
However, even if Nagasaki Soyo racked her brain, she would never have guessed that the bag Hikigaya Hachiman was carrying didn't contain a cello, but a chainsaw sword that could disembowel a person.
Nagasaki Soyo also noticed the other bag Hikigaya Hachiman was holding. It was a brand of dark chocolate that tasted quite good, which even girls mindful of their figure could indulge in a little.
The bag of snacks her mother bought for her also contained this chocolate.
Nagasaki Soyo hadn't expected that merely looking at the unfamiliar boy a couple of times would give her mother some other ideas.
Nagasaki Soyo's mother saw her daughter's gaze constantly and secretly fixed on the handsome boy, and a mischievous smile played on her lips.
She thought to herself, Soyo is at that age now.
Ignoring family background for a moment, the boy was wearing a Shuchiin uniform.
It was embarrassing to admit, but Shuchiin was originally her first choice for Soyo, but the school outright rejected families like theirs, which were more like the nouveau riche type.
That's why they chose Tsukinomiya.
Furthermore, the simple actions the boy displayed earlier, and his appearance as if he had just diligently returned from a cello lesson, all subtly reflected a person's character.
'It's alright, Soyo. Mom's got this.'
Nagasaki Soyo's mother thought for a moment, then spoke with an apologetic expression.
"I'm truly sorry just now for troubling you, student."
"It's fine."
Hikigaya Hachiman considered it a simple courtesy and assumed she was just being polite.
He never expected Nagasaki Soyo's mother to take some of the snacks originally bought for Soyo out of the bag, wanting to share them with him.
"If you don't mind, please accept these as a token of thanks.
To be honest, my daughter was just complaining that I, her mother, bought too much. It would be great if you could help me lighten the load a little."
Hikigaya Hachiman isn't very good at dealing with overly enthusiastic people. The smiling woman in front of him was just like Yuihama's mother, which made him feel a bit overwhelmed.
Hikigaya Hachiman looked at the huge pile of items being pushed toward him and could only say,
"Thank you, ma'am."
He only symbolically selected a few inconspicuous items and expressed his gratitude.
"But this is enough. I live alone and can't eat too much.
Also, if you don't mind, I still have some cucumbers here.
They're very fresh, you know."
Hikigaya Hachiman prefers meat and can only tolerate a small amount of vegetables.
If he had to eat the entire bag of cucumbers Mutsumi gave him, he probably wouldn't finish them before they went bad.
Why not share some with them?
Nagasaki Soyo's mother, who is busy with social engagements, also fully understands the principle of reciprocity and did not refuse this time either.
Besides, her daughter has been on a long-term vegetarian diet and highly favors diet-friendly vegetables like cucumbers.
Nagasaki Soyo on the side had long been dumbfounded. She stared blankly at her mother, unsure what to say for a moment.
And the bizarre way of holding cucumbers in a chocolate bag—Nagasaki Soyo felt like she had seen this somewhere before.
Nagasaki Soyo's mother utilized her fluent negotiation skills, the same ones she uses with clients, and skillfully obtained the name and other information of the handsome young man in front of her without making him uncomfortable.
Hikigaya Hachiman. That was his name. A second-year at Shuchiin.
He was even part of the student council at the school.
Nagasaki Soyo's mother was quite surprised; she had struck gold.
To be able to stand out from such a vast group of young masters and ladies meticulously cultivated by their families, and stand above them all—just how excellent must he be?
However, Nagasaki Soyo's mother didn't forget her main purpose and naturally wouldn't let her be the only one doing the talking. She very naturally introduced her daughter to him.
This well-meaning mother simply wanted to use herself as a stepping stone for the two young people to get acquainted.
There's no harm in getting acquainted.
If she could become friends with an excellent person, that would be best.
If not, there was no loss.
However, this was the limit, as the 24th floor arrived quickly.
"I live on the 24th floor. If you ever need anything, feel free to ring my doorbell. I'm usually home if I don't have anything going on.
Goodbye, ma'am, and Nagasaki-san."
Thus, Hikigaya Hachiman left the elevator under the watchful eyes of the enthusiastic Nagasaki Soyo's mother and the puzzled Nagasaki Soyo.
When the elevator doors closed, Nagasaki Soyo's mother hugged her daughter and sadly said,
"Darn it, I lost."
She knew that while her daughter was very sensible, she did have some personality flaws, and the gap became apparent when compared to an excellent peer.
Clearly, the other person seemed more mature and independent, not timid when facing strangers, confident, and knew their boundaries.
"Mom, what are you..."
A question mark slowly appeared above Nagasaki Soyo's head.
"Mom was just thinking that she wanted to give Soyo more opportunities to meet excellent peers."
Meanwhile, Nagasaki Soyo thought to herself,
'Friends? But the only friend I want is Sakiko.'
Hikigaya Hachiman entered his apartment, quickly dismissing the enthusiasm of the mother and daughter; they didn't bear him any ill will.
He looked at the cucumbers in the bag, took one, rinsed it, and took a bite.
It was very crisp and had a lot of moisture.
I should give some to Yukinoshita tomorrow, too.
Hikigaya Hachiman picked up his phone and sent a message to Mutsumi.
"The cucumber was delicious."
Immediately, [Read] appeared next to the chat box.
And it was an instant reply.
"Mm."
In the dimly lit room, Wakaba Mutsumi was lying on her side on the bed, holding her phone with both hands, staring at the empty chat box on the screen.
Hikigaya Hachiman thought that he would take a break tomorrow, and his day off schedule was already jam-packed.
The day after tomorrow, he'll go to the company to be a judge. If possible, he still wants to personally select the Blood Angels' battle hymn.
The day after that, he'll go to Shinomiya Kaguya's older brother(Shinomiya Oko)'s place.
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