Chapter 78: Your Head is Full of Yourself
"I'll do it myself, Hikigaya-kun."
Nagasaki Soyo tried to take the bowl she had used for the hangover soup and put it in the sink. Hearing her words, Hikigaya Hachiman stepped aside to give her room.
Hachiman looked at the gentle-faced Soyo beside him. It was hard to connect her current appearance with the dark-faced, disheveled, and fiercely aggressive version of her he had seen in the dream.
"Does your head still hurt, Nagasaki-san?"
"You can just call me Soyo."
Soyo's voice was very soft, but if one listened closely, they could hear the girl's voice trembling as she spoke.
"Lady Soyo" was forcing herself to stay calm. She carefully wiped the bowl dry with a cloth before placing it on the rack inside the sterilization cabinet.
"Thank you for the hangover soup, Hikigaya-kun. I feel much better now."
Dreams were dreams; reality was reality.
Even if the Soyo in the dream was brave enough to explode like Nina and land a harsh slap on the "Saki" substitute, in reality, Soyo Nagasaki was just an ordinary girl who had never been in love.
Realizing that she and the boy next to her had spent a night together under the same roof was stimulating enough for her. Soyo was only able to speak normally to Hikigaya by suppressing the throbbing in her heart.
However, she could only blame herself for this situation. He had stayed behind and taken care of her all night because he was worried about her being drunk; for this, Soyo felt a significant amount of guilt.
Of course, out of a girl's natural caution, Soyo had briefly checked her clothes and the lining of her skirt. There were no signs of anything having been undone. After all, one must always be wary of others.
Everything was normal, indicating that Hikigaya Hachiman hadn't done anything strange to her while she was unconscious.
"I'm sorry, Hikigaya-kun."
Soyo's tone was full of apology. Beneath the table, her slender fingers were interlaced, unconsciously squeezing each other, betraying her unsettled state of mind.
"It's fine."
Hikigaya Hachiman hadn't really lost out either. His technique, [Nightmare Murmurs], allowed him to absorb and feed on the negative emotions generated by others when they encountered "painful experiences" they wished to avoid.
Soyo's "flavor" was quite good.
Specifically, when Soyo was dreaming about Togawa Sakiko, that single slap she delivered was the moment her negative emotions reached their peak. The negative energy Hachiman tasted was exquisite—the flavor of high-grade ingredients.
Furthermore, Soyo wasn't as "beyond saving" as he had thought; she had shown him just how terrifying "Lady Soyo's" anger could be.
"Breakfast will be ready in a moment. Go sit at the table first."
"Okay."
Even though this was her own home, Soyo—who was somewhat soft-hearted—didn't dislike this firm display of concern. Back in "CRYCHIC," it was usually Soyo who looked after the band members; rarely did anyone pay attention to her own thoughts.
Hikigaya was the first person, other than "Saki-chan" and her mother, to show her this kind of care. Soyo even felt a spark of greed, wanting more of it.
'Soyo, what are you thinking?'
Soyo sighed to herself. Although she craved concern from friends, wasn't she being too unsightly?
Hikigaya Hachiman took the toasted bread out of the toaster and plated it. He had made a Western-style breakfast based on the ingredients he found in Soyo's fridge, so he didn't need to ask about dietary restrictions.
"By the way, Soyo, check your messages."
Hachiman suddenly remembered the text messages he had seen on his phone earlier. Since he was in the same band group chat, he could see the messages they were sending.
It really was quite noisy early in the morning.
"The band you just joined yesterday," Hachiman reminded the somewhat dazed Soyo. "Your new friends are quite worried about you."
Only then did Soyo remember her phone. Unlike her usual habit of clutching it in her hand, her attention this morning had been entirely on Hikigaya, causing her to forget about it completely.
"That's strange."
Soyo quickly found her phone on the table, but the screen didn't react when she pressed it.
"Is the battery dead?" Hikigaya asked as he watched her fiddle with it. "Actually, I wanted to charge it for you yesterday, but I didn't see a charging cable downstairs. I didn't go into your room."
"I see."
Soyo's face flushed. She finally understood why she had been left on the sofa in the living room. It was simply because Hikigaya felt it wasn't right to enter her bedroom.
Soyo toyed with a lock of her flaxen hair, her expression looking very unnatural. A faint blush crept across her cheeks.
"Actually... you could have just told me the next day."
Soyo wasn't an unreasonable girl. If he had just explained it the next day, she would have certainly understood.
Hikigaya Hachiman slid his phone toward Soyo, letting her see the new messages from the band members.
"Is Soyo-chan awake?"
Soyo saw Subaru Annaka's avatar on the screen. "486" (Subaru) was worried because it was Soyo's first time getting drunk and she might not know how to handle it, so she had messaged early. Subaru's avatar was a cool-looking rabbit wearing a gas mask.
"If your head hurts, you can mix honey with hot water," Nina Iseri immediately offered her advice. Nina's avatar was simple and direct: the name "Nina" in a red and white artistic font.
"Soyo-chan, if you don't have honey, drinking some milk can also help with a hangover."
"By the way, Momoka-san stole a glass of my milk last time!"
System Notification: Nina Iseri poked Kawaragi Momoka.
Unfortunately, her Momoka-san was still sleeping and hadn't seen the message at all.
Soyo's hands, resting on her knees, tightened unconsciously. Subaru and Nina seemed to have thought of her the moment they woke up. Being worried enough to send those messages so early in the morning really made her heart feel warm.
The caring words of her friends felt as though they were jumping through the screen to present themselves right before her eyes. Soyo craved this kind of affection between friends immensely; the smile on her face became even more serene.
The reason Soyo always clutched her phone was because she didn't want to miss a single message from her friends. She would reply instantly to any message because, in her eyes, that was her way of responding to her friends' expectations.
Soyo didn't ask for much—just simple communication that made her feel less lonely.
Unfortunately, in CRYCHIC, aside from Sakiko before "the incident," the entire group consisted of "problem children" who lacked communication and couldn't express their true feelings. Soyo was always the one who had to care for the others.
But this new three-person band was different. Everyone was lively. Nina, especially, wouldn't hide things; if there was a problem, she would say it directly. This was one of the reasons Soyo wanted to join them—she was truly fed up with band chats where no one spoke.
"Thank you for your concern, everyone. I'm doing well."
Soyo immediately grabbed the phone and began typing.
"I'm completely fine now!"
She even wanted to send an emoji to express her emotions. But it was the emojis that made her realize something was wrong—all the stickers she usually used were gone.
At that moment, Nina Iseri seemed to see the message sent from Hikigaya's account. The simple-minded Nina didn't understand why Hikigaya-kun was answering for Soyo-chan.
She asked directly: "Hikigaya-kun?"
Only then did Soyo realize that the phone she had just used wasn't hers. Her own phone was still sitting silently on the table.
'Am I... an idiot?'
Once she realized, Soyo immediately understood how ridiculous her action was. How could she have sent that from Hikigaya's social media account?
Suddenly, Nina Iseri—either guided by an expert or having figured it out herself—immediately unsent her previous "Hikigaya-kun?" message. She changed it to "Good morning, friends," instantly avoiding the awkwardness.
Realizing her mistake, Soyo also clicked to unsend her message. Even though she had been drinking, she knew that messages could be retracted within three minutes.
Looking at the screen showing two retracted messages, Soyo finally put the phone down and let out a long sigh of relief.
"Hikigaya-kun, I'm sorry. I used your phone to reply to the messages."
Hikigaya Hachiman placed a plate with an exquisite Western breakfast in front of Soyo. He had originally just wanted her to see how much the band members valued her; he hadn't expected her to reply using his phone.
He shook his head. It was already sent, so what could he say?
"I'm sorry, Hikigaya-kun. I'll go grab my charging cable from upstairs before I eat."
Soyo wanted to reply to the new band members, but her charger was in her room.
"It's fine. I should probably be heading out anyway."
"Eh?"
Hikigaya's words caused Soyo, who had just stood up, to freeze entirely. She forced out a question: "Aren't you... staying to eat breakfast together?"
Soyo had been imagining the scene of eating breakfast with Hikigaya in just a moment.
"No need. I'll just eat at my own place."
Although Hachiman had prepared two portions, he had intended to pack his own to go. He had some self-awareness; his relationship with Soyo wasn't so close that they should be eating breakfast together. Besides, Soyo hadn't changed or showered yet; having a boy there would only be inconvenient.
But for Soyo, this morning had been incredibly perfect. To open her eyes and have a friend by her side, combined with the concern from friends on her phone—this double happiness had created her good mood. But before they could even eat together, one of those joys was leaving. Hikigaya's early departure made her feel a surge of anxiety.
The smile on the girl's face stiffened completely, losing any semblance of joy.
"Okay."
But Soyo couldn't think of a single reason to make him stay. She truly wanted to eat with him. For a long time, she had always been alone. Her mother was rarely home, leaving such a large, empty house for Soyo to live in by herself, which only made her feel more lonely and desolate.
Every day after school, she returned to a lifeless, silent home. Just as Hikigaya thought, Soyo didn't feel happy living in such a spacious place. Instead, the emptiness only made her feel uneasy.
"If you feel sick or uncomfortable anywhere, remember to call me."
Having said that, Hikigaya Hachiman picked up his breakfast and prepared to leave.
Watching Hikigaya's receding figure in the narrow hallway, Soyo wanted to speak. But, just like before, it felt as if an invisible hand was clamped tightly over her mouth, preventing her from speaking.
Soyo absolutely wanted to eat breakfast with Hikigaya. Because "Lady Soyo" was afraid of loneliness, especially after having felt a rare warmth.
Suddenly, Hikigaya's voice echoed in her ears—the same voice she had heard in her dream.
"Be a bit more honest, like Nina."
If one simply refused to speak their true thoughts and kept hiding them, the only result would be falling apart. Soyo did not want to see that kind of future again.
"No!!"
Soyo suddenly cried out, losing her usual poised demeanor.
"Wait, Hikigaya-kun!"
Hikigaya Hachiman, with his back turned, suddenly felt the person behind him approaching rapidly.
"Wait!"
Hearing Soyo's cry and her rapid approach, Hachiman suddenly realized: Isn't this the same scene I watched for fun earlier, where Soyo slapped the 'Sakiko substitute'?
Soyo wouldn't explode at the slightest touch like Nina, would she?
Hachiman was happy to watch the drama, but he absolutely did not want to be the protagonist getting slapped.
However, things didn't go as he expected. His arm was suddenly grabbed and held tight by a frantic Soyo.
"Don't leave... I'm really grateful to Hikigaya-kun."
Soyo just wanted him to stop. Her voice was already choked with sobs. Because she had rushed so quickly, she looked as if she were about to kneel on the ground just to hold onto his hand.
"I... I feel safe with Hikigaya-kun. I never thought it was strange for Hikigaya-kun to be under the same roof.
I really want to be with Hikigaya-kun..."
Soyo finally dared to speak all the thoughts in her heart.
Hikigaya Hachiman sighed. He helped the girl up from the floor and said in a helpless tone:
"Soyo, your head is just full of thoughts about yourself.
But... fine. We just have to be quick."
Time was tight in the morning, especially since they needed to go to school. Just as Soyo needed to change and shower, Hachiman needed to change his clothes and take a hot shower as well. He just wanted to leave enough time for those things. They couldn't exactly do that together.
But before "Lady Soyo" could turn her tears into a smile, the doorbell at the front door rang.
Seeing the person appearing on the video intercom on the wall, Soyo's expression changed instantly.
'Why is she here?'
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