Life As Hikigaya Hachiman

Chapter 574: Hachiman's Game Outlook

After dinner, Hachiman also excused himself to leave.

"Mrs. Miura, I'll be heading home for today."

Perhaps because of the awkwardness caused by the earlier bathroom incident, Mrs. Miura didn't try to persuade him to stay.

She simply nodded and then spoke to her daughter.

"Yumiko, see Hachiman off."

"I know."

The girl didn't refuse.

She stood up and walked out of the living room with Hachiman.

Standing outside the door, Yumiko let out another sigh.

"If it weren't for my mom today, we would have..."

Seeing this, Hachiman chuckled and shook his head slightly, giving the girl a light kiss on the lips.

"Alright, it's not like we won't have chances in the future. Why are you in such a hurry?"

It's just that I'm worried that woman Yukinoshita will beat me to it.

Thinking this, Yumiko rolled her eyes at him.

"Let me tell you, Hachiman, Yui is one thing, but before me, you are not allowed to do that kind of thing with Yukinoshita."

Hearing this, Hachiman felt a bit helpless.

He hadn't expected Yumiko to compete with Yukino over something like this.

Although he did want to do that kind of thing with Yukino, honestly, their interactions so far were limited to kissing and hugging.

They hadn't even gone as far as touching.

Well, maybe that's because Yukino doesn't exactly have anything to touch.

With other girls, Hachiman could easily find places to grab hold of.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it," he said with a resigned tone.

Hachiman merely shrugged at the girl's demand.

Seeing his indifferent attitude, Yumiko couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

She had often heard people say that men were easily swayed and incapable of resisting temptation.

If that woman Yukinoshita were to actively seduce him, Hachiman would definitely lose control.

No, she had to take care of this matter as soon as possible.

Although she couldn't have Hachiman all to herself, at least she could use this to provoke Yukinoshita a little.

Unconsciously, Yumiko had come to terms with the reality of sharing Hachiman with other girls in the future.

After all, being a "hero" came with its own unique status—it was only natural that he wouldn't belong to just one person.

Besides, Yumiko understood that at this point, no matter who Hachiman gave up on, it would cause irreparable pain for that person.

The beach, summer festival, school festival, sports festival…

Hachiman had already shared too many experiences with all of them.

The bonds formed through these moments were impossible to sever.

Despite her outwardly proud and stern demeanor, Yumiko was, at heart, a soft and kind girl.

She genuinely didn't want to hurt anyone—not even Yukinoshita, with whom she often clashed verbally.

But... teasing Yukinoshita a little was another matter entirely.

For instance, if she could win Hachiman over before Yukinoshita, she could use that as ammunition to mock her later.

With this thought in mind, Yumiko firmly made up her mind.

Today was definitely not the right time, but Yumiko decided she needed to find an opportunity in the next few days to seal the deal with Hachiman—better safe than sorry.

"Alright, you should head back. Be careful on your way."

"Yeah, I'll get going then."

Hachiman, of course, had no clue about what Yumiko was planning. But even if he did, would it really matter? Who would turn down such a fortunate event?

"Goodnight, Yumiko."

As he spoke, he hugged the girl in front of him one more time before turning to leave.

Watching Hachiman's figure fade into the distance, Yumiko's lips curled into a soft smile before she stepped back into the house.

Bang!

The sound of the door closing echoed through the quiet street, returning it to a peaceful silence.

The streetlights flickered on one by one, their warm glow illuminating the road, while the moonlight poured down like water, adding a serene charm to the scene.

...

Friday.

As the final exams loomed closer, the atmosphere in the classroom grew increasingly tense.

However, Yui's face showed little sign of worry. Normally, she would be fretting at the thought of exams, but this time she radiated confidence.

After all, Hachiman had helped her with tutoring just yesterday.

As for what kind of tutoring…

Well, that wasn't important.

What mattered was that Yui's [Learning] module had leveled up to three, granting her the equivalent knowledge of someone ranked in the top 50 of the grade. With that, tackling a final exam was no longer an issue.

Eager to take advantage of her newfound smarts, the girl diligently absorbed as much knowledge as she could, seemingly trying to make up for her past procrastination.

Meanwhile, Hachiman had no concerns about the exams at all.

With a maxed-out [Learning] module, his position at the top of the year's rankings was unshakable. A mere Sobu High final exam posed no challenge, and even Japan's national exams would be a breeze for him to ace.

His mind was preoccupied with something else recently—the development of Fate/Grand Order (FGO).

The publication of Kara no Kyoukai was progressing smoothly.

It was already on the sixth volume, and its reception was excellent, with each volume selling over a million copies.

As for Sword Art Online, the series was nearing its conclusion.

With that wrapped up, Hachiman planned to dive into Type-Moon's next project: writing a story centered around the Holy Grail War.

Once readers became familiar with the concept of Servants and the Holy Grail, he could seamlessly transition into launching the FGO game.

Since making a game required a proper game company, Hachiman had been considering the acquisition of one lately.

However, this wasn't his area of expertise. Ultimately, he decided to entrust the task to Erina and Senzaemon. With the resources of the Nakiri family, they would likely be able to find a suitable game company in no time.

Having made up his mind, Hachiman drifted back into his usual daydreaming.

Time flew by, and before he knew it, it was time for school to end.

Packing up his things, Hachiman left the classroom.

As he turned the corner at the staircase, he came face-to-face with a familiar figure.

Her long black hair cascaded over her shoulders, framing an exquisitely beautiful face. Her slender and well-proportioned limbs, perfectly toned waist, and natural elegance made her stand out effortlessly, even in a simple school uniform. The combination of her over-the-knee socks and the hem of her skirt created a "forbidden zone" that was particularly alluring.

It was none other than Yukinoshita Yukino.

Seeing her, Hachiman greeted her with a smile.

"Yukino, good afternoon."

Not expecting to run into Hachiman, Yukino also flashed a rare, charming smile.

"Good afternoon."

Noticing the bag slung over her shoulder, Hachiman raised an eyebrow.

"Heading home? Want to walk together?"

"Sure."

Yukino's response was simple, but her tone carried a subtle warmth.

Yukino didn't refuse Hachiman's suggestion.

Thus, the two left the school together.

Walking side by side, their hands naturally found each other and intertwined as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Before long, they arrived at the apartment building where Yukino lived.

Looking at Hachiman standing in front of her, Yukino hesitated for a moment before extending an invitation.

"Would you like to come up and sit for a while?"