Chapter 15: Ushiro
Returning to his room, Hikigaya saw that his phone screen displayed several missed calls.
He opened it and checked.
The calls were from Seishuin Ena, Mariya Yuri, Yukinoshita Haruno, and Liliana Kranjčar.
Except for Mariya Yuri, the others had also sent messages, which generally stated that they had settled their affairs and were already traveling to the location.
Hikigaya hadn't invited Mariya Yuri to Hinata Mansion, so her call was likely for something else.
After Hikigaya helped her find her sister, the girl had also started calling him like a friend. Speaking of which, she really was easy to understand; in the original novel, after Kusanagi saved her once, she entered the lineup for Kusanagi Harem.
In this world, Hikigaya saved her, but Hikigaya had absolutely no feeling for the style of making a simple rescue widely known.
Mariya Yuri only recently learned that she had originally been reduced to a mere "tip" during a sparring match between Voban and Hikigaya—well, perhaps the equivalent of a recommendation ticket.
However, Hikigaya had saved her more than once. He later rescued her again from Phoenix Mountain. After that incident, her attitude shifted to one of great respect. Recently, after rescuing Hikari, her attitude shifted again from respect to closeness.
Grinding reputation is that simple.
Hikigaya Hachiman stated that his heart was completely unaffected by this.
He returned one call, but hung up when it rang three times with no answer.
So he walked to the dining hall to fix himself a bowl of noodles. While there, through the dining hall window, he was relieved to see that Komachi and her friends had left for school on time. The paper-ball swordsman, who had thrown a tantrum and quit after only two moves, was among them. She looked like she had integrated well into the new group.
After savoring a delicious bowl of noodles, he washed the bowl, put it away, and went down the steps from the other side of the dining hall, entering the General Store (Yorozuya).
When he reached the front room, only Moe was there—unlike Hikigaya, who was usually playing games, Moe was diligently sweeping dust with a feather duster.
"Hachiman." Seeing Hikigaya, Moe immediately waved the feather duster happily.
Hikigaya's first thought was that he had dust on him.
"Have we had any customers today?" he asked.
"No, not a single one," Moe said happily.
Hikigaya: "..."
Was that really something to be happy about...?
Thinking this, he pulled out his phone and sent the General Store's address to Ena and the others, instructing them to come directly to the shop when they arrived.
Who said there were no people? He was a man with a harem of chicken wings!
Having done that, he sat back down in his special seat behind the counter and opened his computer to watch videos.
As mere AI, he genuinely would not play games today.
After a while, Moe, having finished cleaning, got bored and watched with him.
As an aside, Hikigaya was watching an American TV series. This world also had Game of Thrones, and the progress was roughly the same.
After watching for a while, he gave the seat to Moe and casually switched to a cartoon.
Children should watch what children should watch; what was the deal with watching explicit scenes with him?
He walked to the shop door and looked around. The daytime on this hot spring street was clearly not bringing in much business; there were few people to be seen on the road.
"It really is boring when it's so unpopular..." he muttered to himself.
What was that kid's name last time? It seemed to be Handa. Perhaps he should go and see if the other party was making good use of his item.
As a good boss, one should always pay attention to the situation of sold goods.
Pulling out his phone again, confirming that his "chicken wings" still hadn't replied, Hikigaya decided to go find his first customer to verify the situation.
Taking a step out of the shop door, he dissolved into the air, becoming the wind, and ascended into the sea of clouds.
Accompanied by the cloud energy, Hikigaya quickly confirmed the item's aura. He followed this aura and descended.
As he got closer, he realized it was an elementary school.
That's strange. Handa Kiyoshi was a high school student, so it seems he gave the item away. That took courage.
Hikigaya's items could not be discarded before they were used up, as they would trace the customer's life aura and find their way back. But giving them away was fine.
Ultimately, Hikigaya modifies items using the power of life, which follows a life-force binding. It doesn't matter who the item is bound to; as long as both parties agree, the service recipient can naturally be transferred.
Hikigaya carefully sensed the area and found that not all of the item he sold to Handa Kiyoshi was here; there was only one sheet of paper.
Manifesting his body in an unoccupied area of the school, Hikigaya first walked to the gate to check the school's name.
Tōmori.
This name gave Hikigaya a strange feeling of familiarity and closeness.
Returning inside the school, Hikigaya walked into the teaching building.
To avoid being disturbed, he cast the magic he used to conceal himself.
After the Authority was liberated, he lost the original ability to deceive humans from the perspective of the Authority. The Eye of Horus could only be used on those who held malice toward him in this regard, but he could still use magic to achieve the same effect.
Hikigaya had studied Egyptian magic to better understand his Authority. Now, his understanding of the Authority's power had begun to inversely affect his use of magic.
Today, he could proudly call himself proficient in both magic and martial arts, even though the magic he studied was obscure and ancient.
Judging by the indelible marks of time left on the building, this was an old school, although it had undergone renovation and redecoration.
Hikigaya passed through the corridor. The item's aura came from the end of the hall.
In the classrooms on both sides of the corridor, teachers and students were having classes. It was clear that the teaching effect wasn't particularly great; these elementary school students were quite rowdy.
Hikigaya temporarily ignored this. He quickly crossed the corridor and arrived at the location of the item's aura.
It was the faculty office.
Hikigaya slipped straight through the crack in the door. When he reformed his body, he found there was only one person inside.
A man with long hair sat at an office desk. On the desk was one of the sheets of paper Hikigaya had sold to Handa Kiyoshi.
Hikigaya looked at the nameplate on his desk, which read "Ushiro."
It must just be his surname, he thought.
Just as he was thinking, the man named Ushiro suddenly looked up, glanced at the area where Hikigaya was standing, and a look of confusion appeared on his face.
"Must be my imagination..." he murmured to himself, burying his head back down. "I never expected to get such a good thing. It would have been a waste in that student's hands. Thankfully, one sheet was left."
Ushiro looked at the spiritual paper Hikigaya had created, his eyes filled with longing.
"The Ghost Shop, huh... I really want to find it..."
Read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting