Chapter 39: The Overly Confident Man
"Even the unspoken words, longing can surpass a thousand words."
Misumi Uika had comforted herself with this for the past ten years, but only upon truly reuniting with her dear friend did she realize how ridiculous her original thought was.
"And how refreshing it is to talk face-to-face."
Misumi Uika wasn't typically a talkative person. Maintaining a bright, professional smile on the big screen usually took all her strength.
But facing Hikigaya Hachiman, countless words surged in her heart, as if she needed to reclaim all the time lost while separated from her dear friend, releasing all the unspoken emotions.
Hikigaya Hachiman quietly listened.
"I am truly grateful to you, Hachiman."
Misumi Uika remembered how difficult things were when she first debuted. She was constantly on edge.
"Every time I was about to give up, looking at our picture together gave me the courage to go on."
"That's exaggerating."
Hikigaya Hachiman poured a cup of jasmine tea for Misumi Uika.
"I haven't done anything worth thanking me for."
"That's not true! You've helped me so much."
Misumi Uika took the teacup, drank a sip, put it down, and smiled sheepishly.
She played with her hair with her fingers, looking out at the beautiful sky with a relaxed tone.
"Just thinking that Hachiman might be watching me on a screen in some city fills me with motivation.
I have to try even harder..."
Hikigaya Hachiman felt that Misumi Uika wasn't lying; this was her genuine feeling.
It was quite remarkable that a childhood friend still held such deep affection for him after ten years—no, it was practically a miracle.
The fact that she used their childhood photo as her phone's home screen was enough to demonstrate the depth of their bond.
Just because they were friends as children didn't mean they would still be friends upon meeting again as adults.
Hikigaya Hachiman quickly learned Togawa Sakiko's story from Uika.
Togawa Sakiko was the wealthy young lady Misumi Uika encountered by chance in the big seaside villa on the island, the year after Hachiman left.
The Togawa family always vacationed there in the summer. They quickly became close friends and remained in contact until now.
Had the Togawa family fallen on hard times?
Uika could tell Togawa Sakiko seemed to be struggling financially, and Hikigaya Hachiman had no reason not to notice her slight discomfort when paying for the coffee.
"Hachiman, I didn't mean anything by it."
Misumi Uika was simply introducing Saki-chan to Hikigaya Hachiman because she was truly charming, but as she spoke, she felt something was off, as if she were subtly complaining to Hachiman.
Something along the lines of how she could have fun with other friends even without him.
Furthermore, the contrast was stark: Uika and Sakiko, who met later, remained in contact, while Hachiman, whom Uika knew even earlier, had been out of contact for ten long years before finally reconnecting.
Hikigaya Hachiman did not read that deeply into Misumi Uika's cautiousness.
He just felt strange, as Uika's description made it sound a bit like she was treating Togawa Sakiko as a substitute.
"Excuse me."
Misumi Uika's phone vibrated. Seeing the message, her previously bright smile froze instantly, but she quickly covered it up in front of Hikigaya Hachiman.
"Sorry, Hachiman, the company needs me for something."
Misumi Uika leaned forward, clasping her hands together in an apologetic gesture.
"I was really happy to see you.
Can I ask you out next time?
Ah, if you're busy, never mind."
The considerate Misumi Uika helped Hikigaya Hachiman save face, in case he wanted to decline.
"You don't have to be so careful around me, Uika."
Hikigaya Hachiman's social circle was not wide. Aside from pre-arranged meetings, his time was quite flexible.
"Besides, Komachi would be very happy.
But since your company is calling, I'll go with you."
Hikigaya Hachiman quickly called the waiter to pay the bill.
"I accepted Togawa's manuscript unilaterally, I haven't told your company yet."
This was a lie. Hikigaya Hachiman was quite sensitive to changes in others' emotions.
Coupled with what he observed earlier at the company, Uika's situation was not ideal.
As for what Misumi Uika was going through, if she didn't want to talk about it, he was tactful enough not to ask.
Misumi Uika's expression flickered before returning to normal.
"Okay, let's go together then."
Hikigaya Hachiman and Misumi Uika put on their baseball caps again. When he noticed her subtle smile,
"What is it?"
"I was just thinking that we seem to have similar taste."
Misumi Uika had noticed when she first saw Hikigaya Hachiman that they were wearing the same style of hat.
Now that she knew he was her friend from ten years ago, she was even happier.
"That's just because I have to keep a low profile walking with a big celebrity like you."
As Hikigaya Hachiman walked downstairs, his gaze landed on a man flirting with someone below.
"Huh?
No way, if we're talking about fame, you're the big author."
Misumi Uika playfully nudged Hachiman's arm, tilting her head and saying with a giggle,
"Hachiman?"
"That's true."
Hikigaya Hachiman looked at the man and the black-haired girl he was talking to. Unfortunately, he knew both of them.
The man was Ogino Ko, the scumbag who dared to bring a Curse to school, resulting in an unexpected three-day vacation for all Shuchiin Academy high school students.
Ogino Ko's Cursed Energy fluctuation was incredibly weak—he couldn't even be called a sorcerer.
He showed absolutely no sign of the anxiety of a wanted man, daring to show up here.
Truly audacious.
The girl was the same person Hikigaya Hachiman and Yukinoshita encountered after school before: the fool who was too young to know fear and dared to use her powerful spiritual sight to stare at him.
The two didn't know each other; Hikigaya Hachiman was sure of this because the black-haired girl's face was strained.
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Yotsuya Miko was miserable.
To escape the dirty things she could see for some reason, she noticed the power of the great deity was manifesting and hurried to follow it.
She didn't expect to be targeted by this weird guy now.
Yotsuya Miko could see black stuff surrounding the man who looked like a sleazeball, so she couldn't help but look twice.
The man immediately assumed Yotsuya Miko was interested in him and started shamelessly pestering her.
"You're so cute. What kind of perfume are you wearing? It smells so good.
You looked at me a lot just now.
Can I get your contact information? If you're free, let's grab dinner tonight."
Ogino Ko was the type of guy who would lose all sense of direction if a pretty girl looked at him twice.
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