Chapter 60: "Haru no Kage" and the Traitor
The clouds were light.
In the luxury apartment parking lot,
"Wait for me a moment, I'm going to change clothes."
Hikigaya Hachiman said to Togawa Sakiko, who was sitting in the passenger seat.
"I left the car running. If you feel the air conditioning is a bit cold, turn it up."
The more considerate Hikigaya Hachiman was, the more Togawa Sakiko felt that her actions earlier had been completely self-centered, making her feel extremely ashamed.
"Um, Sensei, aren't you curious about what I just said?"
If she thought about it carefully, Togawa Sakiko was essentially inciting Hikigaya Hachiman to drive dangerously, as they were just two seconds away from the light turning red.
Hikigaya Hachiman unbuckled his seatbelt and simply responded.
"I'm just a driver. I drive the way my passenger tells me to, nothing more."
With Hikigaya Hachiman as the experienced driver, an accident was impossible.
Furthermore, although this car's power was not comparable to the vehicles Hikigaya Hachiman drove in his past life, flooring it occasionally was still barely enough.
After saying that, he patted the car door and left without taking anything else with him.
Hikigaya Hachiman felt that the ring he got from Fujiwara no Yoshifusa was quite useful. The storage space inside was very convenient, as he even stored his chainsword in it.
From now on, he could free his hands. Hikigaya Hachiman even thought about keeping a few sets of clothes in the ring, saving him the hassle of running around like he had to today.
As for Sakiko's behavior just now, he assumed there was someone in the crowd she didn't want to face.
Hikigaya Hachiman would not interfere with others' lives, unless it was a proactive request for help, like Misumi's, or a friend suffering unfair treatment.
He checked the text message that came up on his phone. The profile picture indicated it was from Uika.
"Good morning, Hachiman."
In another luxury apartment, Misumi Uika was lying in bed, holding her phone up with both hands, humming a song, seemingly in a very good mood.
"Good morning, Uika."
When she received an instant reply from Hachiman, Misumi Uika's smile widened even further.
Yay! A beautiful day starts with exchanging morning greetings with Hachiman.
"Hachiman, have you had breakfast?"
Misumi Uika wanted to send this message, but she kept deleting and revising it, feeling very conflicted, and ultimately didn't send it.
Because this kind of dry conversation was too awkward, like chatting just for the sake of chatting.
Moreover, even after waking up, Misumi Uika couldn't help but hug her blanket and roll around in bed whenever she recalled her own assertiveness last night.
Before the girl could get too conflicted, Hikigaya Hachiman's text message arrived.
"Uika, have you had breakfast?"
But when Hachiman sent it, it was different. Hachiman naturally had his reasons.
"Not yet, what about you, Hachiman?"
"I have."
Hikigaya Hachiman replied to Uika's message with a voice note while opening the elevator door.
"Uika, even if you are an idol who needs to manage your figure, you shouldn't be careless about breakfast."
Having a simple slice of bread for breakfast, like Sakiko's, was too meager.
The rent for this luxury apartment was quite expensive and unaffordable for the average early-rising corporate worker. So, even close to rush hour, the elevator was unobstructed.
Hikigaya Hachiman didn't forget to remind Uika.
"By the way, it's getting late. Be careful not to be late for school."
He had seen Nagasaki Soyo heading out for school on the road earlier, so he knew it wasn't that early anymore.
Uika seemed to be a first-year student at Hanasakigawa Girls' Academy. Being an idol wasn't easy; she constantly had to shuttle between school and the agency.
Uika carefully held her phone near her ear, as if answering a call.
"Thank you for the reminder, Hachiman."
"I won't be late. I planned my time well, and besides, our school is very lenient."
Hikigaya Hachiman needed to be fast. When the actual rush hour came, the car would be slower than a bicycle.
"Well, Uika, I should leave now."
"Okay, drive safely."
Hikigaya Hachiman ended his conversation with Misumi Uika. He glanced at the door opposite his; Yukinoshita seemed to have already left.
He took the fastest shower, changed into a set of clean clothes, grabbed his school bag, and headed out.
He barely kept Togawa Sakiko waiting below before the car door on the right opened again.
Dressed in the Shuchiin Academy uniform, Hikigaya Hachiman looked much younger and less mature than he had in the suit.
This appearance made Togawa Sakiko look at him twice.
And was that the smell of body wash coming from him after his shower? It smelled so nice.
"What's wrong? Is it strange?"
"No, I just feel like Sensei looks a little more approachable in the school uniform..."
Togawa Sakiko, suddenly realizing the nonsense she was spouting, lowered her head self-consciously.
"I apologize for saying something strange."
The suit was the look of a mature adult, while the black school uniform gave off a feeling of closeness.
"I don't usually wear suits. It's just that when others invite me to a business banquet, I have to wear such clothes for formal occasions."
After Hikigaya Hachiman got in the car, he connected the car's system to his phone. He felt the atmosphere was too tense earlier, and playing some music would be better.
"Is there anything you want to listen to? My playlist is filled with songs shared by my sister."
"Sensei, you have a sister?"
"Yes, my younger sister."
Hikigaya Hachiman nodded.
Komachi had once said that the songs her brother liked would scare off any girl sitting in the passenger seat.
Hikigaya Hachiman only liked songs with a slightly more aggressive rhythm, such as The Warrior Song.
The lyrics were all like: "I am a killing machine, armed to the teeth, blood will splash at the flash of fire." Which was clearly quite refreshing.
However, Hikigaya Hachiman still adopted Komachi's advice and didn't open his own playlist.
He asked Togawa Sakiko.
"It's fine, anything is okay."
Togawa Sakiko also modestly shook her head. She didn't particularly enjoy listening to music; she preferred playing the pieces she composed herself over listening to music.
Togawa Sakiko would go to the performance club to play the piano for a while before school and before club activities started.
"Then I'll just put it on shuffle."
Hikigaya Hachiman pressed shuffle. Coincidentally, the first song was SUMIMI's HERE, THE WORLD!
This song was quite popular. The music video, performed by Uika and Sumita Mana
had appeared on large screens in malls everywhere.
Starting the new day with the vibrant voices of the girls made one feel relaxed and pleasant.
However, hearing the voice of her childhood friend, a hint of worry appeared on Togawa Sakiko's face.
The image of Uika walking out of the office earlier, hugging a box of her personal belongings, made her feel uneasy.
"Are you worried about your friend?"
Hikigaya Hachiman glanced at Togawa Sakiko, seeing that she wasn't very enthusiastic when listening to the song sung by her friend.
Uika had already told Hikigaya Hachiman that Sakiko was also her childhood friend.
"About that, Sakiko, you don't need to worry.
When I attended a dinner party yesterday, I heard from another company president that Misumi Uika of SUMIMI has been transferred to an agency under the Shinomiya Group."
"Really?"
Togawa Sakiko, whose expression had just been sad because she couldn't help Uika, immediately brightened up.
That was the Shinomiya Group.
Although the Shinomiya Group's public reputation wasn't the best, the company alone contributed a significant amount of GDP; it was a super zaibatsu.
Even the Togawa family at its peak couldn't compare to a fraction of the Shinomiya Group's size.
Mentioning the Shinomiya family, Hikigaya Hachiman suddenly remembered that he had sent a message to Hayasaka Ai yesterday confirming the completion of the mission. When would the final payment from the Shinomiya family be settled?
"The CEO of that entertainment company is very well-informed. It couldn't be false.
I presume that soon, we will see news of Misumi Uika joining a new group."
Togawa Sakiko didn't really doubt Hikigaya Hachiman's words.
"Oh, so that's what happened."
No wonder Uika's expression hadn't looked great at the time. She must have been sad to part with her former group members?
"But with the resources of the Shinomiya Group, Uika should be able to become an even more impressive idol, right?"
Togawa Sakiko was very happy that her childhood friend was doing so well.
Togawa Sakiko silently offered a blessing, looking at the smiling Misumi Uika on the large screen.
Suddenly, the car's central control screen flashed, and the song briefly paused. A new text message had arrived on the phone.
The content of the message made Togawa Sakiko gasp upon just a quick glance.
It was a bank notification text message for a deposit.
"Shinomiya Bank has just transferred funds to your account ending in XXXX: ¥150,000,000."
Afterward, a short message window popped up on the Sensei's social media account.
Hikigaya Hachiman tapped the screen. It was a message from Hayasaka Nao, presumably Hayasaka-san's mother.
"Mr. Hikigaya, thank you very much for your help. The payment of ¥150,000,000 has been transferred to your account."
At this point, Togawa Sakiko didn't even need to count the zeros; she knew the exact total.
"How much?"
"One hundred and fifty million!"
Earlier, Sensei had offered ¥5,000,000 for the exclusive rights to Togawa Sakiko's composition, which she thought was quite high.
But compared to the Sensei's receipt amount, her money wasn't even a fraction of one of his payments.
The amount was so large that Togawa Sakiko's brain didn't even register when she accidentally saw her good friend Misumi Uika's profile picture flash past in the chat list.
It was a number that Poor Sakiko wouldn't dare to imagine.
Hikigaya Hachiman had just been wondering when the Shinomiya family would settle the final payment. He only thought about it, and it arrived shortly after.
The Shinomiya family truly was loaded, just as Mei Mei had said. They were incredibly rich.
The originally agreed-upon price was one small goal ¥100,000,000, but he didn't expect the other party to be so perceptive as to adding an extra fifty million.
Hikigaya Hachiman planned to transfer this money to Nanami when he got to school, letting him continue to multiply the money.
Speaking of which, receiving money from the Shinomiya family felt a bit awkward.
What they considered an ominous ancient tomb was actually a rare opportunity for Hikigaya Hachiman.
Putting aside the Special Grade Cursed Tool, Hikigaya Hachiman directly became rich overnight under the dual Cursed Techniques of [Izanagi] and [Izanami].
"Sakiko, were you working customer service last night?"
Hikigaya Hachiman had absolutely no signal in the ancient tomb, so he hadn't called the Sorcerers Association's number for Sakiko.
"Yes, actually, it was almost overwhelming last night."
Togawa Sakiko, having just recovered from the shock of the large number, spoke with lingering fear.
"The Sorcerers Association was completely chaotic.
I heard the senpais say that a truly terrifying Special Grade Cursed Spirit appeared in the outskirts of Tokyo. Everyone was saying that this was it."
The Sorcerers Association had told them, the customer service staff, to contact all available Sorcerers and all possible forces.
This made them believe the Special Grade Cursed Spirit was not simple and that Tokyo might be doomed.
But they never expected it to be much ado about nothing; nothing happened.
The monster seemed to have been killed by someone before the Sorcerers Association even arrived.
"That payment was the reward for me killing that Cursed Spirit."
Since Togawa Sakiko was essentially an insider, Hikigaya Hachiman didn't hide it.
"Ehhh!!!"
Togawa Sakiko's eyes widened. She had been wondering what kind of project could result in such a deposit early in the morning.
It turned out to be the reward for her Sensei solving that terrifying Special Grade Cursed Spirit.
Now, thinking about it, she felt that the ¥150,000,000 was too little because eliminating that terrifying Special Grade Cursed Spirit was essentially life insurance money.
If Togawa Sakiko had only felt envy before, now she felt only respect.
"Are you alright, Sensei?"
A worried expression appeared on Togawa Sakiko's face again.
However, Togawa Sakiko suddenly remembered that her Sensei could use the [Reverse Cursed Technique]. Even if he had injuries, they would have been automatically healed, which is why he could speak of it so lightly.
Hikigaya Hachiman let out a soft laugh.
"It's alright. I am very strong."
"Sensei, while this might sound presumptuous, please try not to overexert yourself on a daily basis."
Togawa Sakiko said cautiously.
"Cursed Spirits are endless, and your body is more important."
Given the trend in Japan, Cursed Spirits would only continue to increase. Her senpais complained that work got busier every year.
For someone like Sensei, who already held considerable social status, to remain active on the front lines of killing Cursed Spirits was truly an act of boundless love.
Hikigaya Hachiman knew his own body well. Even if he fought continuously for a week, his body wouldn't break down, but he still accepted the other person's good intentions gracefully.
"Thank you, Sakiko, I understand.
I will be more careful."
"No, no, I'm just making a suggestion."
Such a serious response made Togawa Sakiko feel surprised.
Hikigaya Hachiman shook his head.
"I always accept the advice of my comrades-in-arms."
The topic of a high school student saving the world was too heavy, so Hikigaya Hachiman changed the subject.
"Oh, right, right.
Sakiko, I showed the composition you made to professional musicians, and they all praised you highly."
Because Hikigaya Hachiman had specifically instructed them to release the music video early, the record company was working overtime even on the weekend.
"They said you are very talented."
"Really?"
Hearing the affirmation, a gentle smile spread across Togawa Sakiko's face.
"I just mess around. I can't compare to those professional Senseis."
"Hmm."
Hikigaya Hachiman ignored Togawa Sakiko's modesty and continued,
"Sakiko, you are very talented. In my opinion, your natural skill in composing is absolutely on par with my literary achievement.
You may not realize it, but no one else can match you.
When chased by a bear, you only need to run faster than your companion. This is also true in the field of artistic creation.
I only look superior because my peers serve as a foil. That's why I stood out among many works."
"'Peers as a foil,' Sensei, if others heard you say that, they would probably be furious."
Togawa Sakiko was amused by Hikigaya Hachiman's "high-and-mighty" remarks, she said.
"That's the truth. Even if they get angry, what can they do?"
Hikigaya Hachiman felt that Togawa Sakiko lacked confidence; she couldn't stand tall.
"The achievements I've attained are something they couldn't get by writing any number of books. That's my confidence.
So Sakiko, hold your head high. You are better than you think."
"Sensei..."
Togawa Sakiko rubbed her eyes, saying with a smile,
"What if I become arrogant after you say that?"
"..."
"There's no 'what if'..."
Hikigaya Hachiman shook his head.
"I'm actually looking forward to cooperating with you in the future.
Not only as comrades-in-arms on the same front but also in musical collaboration."
Hearing her Sensei's words, Togawa Sakiko felt the same unique heart-pounding sensation she had when she and her friends first formed a band.
Taking a deep breath, Togawa Sakiko tightly gripped her school bag. Her thoughts spontaneously slipped out.
"We are practically soulmates..."
Togawa Sakiko's original words were:
"From now on, we are a band, soulmates playing music together!"
And now, with her Sensei, she felt a deeper connection and a more powerful stirring than she had back then.
A scholar will die for his confidant!
That was absolute trust, a comrade-in-arms on the same front, a true soulmate.
"Soulmates?"
"Sorry... that was just me talking to myself."
Togawa Sakiko wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes. She would not disappoint her Sensei.
"Please take care of me from now on, Sensei."
Her weak former self was gone. She absolutely could not repeat the same mistakes, or Togawa Sakiko would never forgive herself.
Hikigaya Hachiman repeated the phrase, muttering to himself,
"Soulmates."
It sounded a bit exaggerated, but if it was understood as comrades who could entrust their backs to each other, then it wasn't incomprehensible.
Hikigaya Hachiman could almost see Haneoka Girls' Academy. He asked,
"Should I stop at the school gate?"
"No need, stopping at that intersection will be fine."
Togawa Sakiko always kept a low profile at school, and getting out of her Sensei's car might attract unwanted attention.
"Thank you, Sensei, for today.
It's really great to have met you."
"I told you, you don't need honorifics. Hachiman is fine."
Just as Hikigaya Hachiman was about to slow down and park the car by the roadside, the playlist switched to the next song.
The song playing on the car's center console screen was a live recording, which was a bit noisy because the sound of the audience cheering was also recorded.
It started with soft keyboard music. Hearing the familiar melody and the sound of the lights, Togawa Sakiko froze.
"Frozen heart, trembling eyes..."
Isn't this Haru no Kage (Spring Light)?
Why did the Sensei's playlist have Haru no Kage?
The familiar melody, along with the memories that had died, began to attack her.
Haru no Kage was a song Togawa Sakiko and her friends had created together. Togawa Sakiko was the composer, so no one was more familiar with it than she was.
Every rhythmic point in the piece had been carefully considered by Togawa Sakiko.
"This is a recording my sister took when she went to the live show. She put it in her playlist."
Hikigaya Hachiman explained.
"It might not be very clear.
Is it strange? I can switch the song."
Togawa Sakiko shook her head. Since she had been encouraged by her Sensei and become stronger, her heart wasn't so turbulent when hearing the song now.
"Then, Sensei, what do you think of this song, especially the composition?"
Alright, Togawa Sakiko still cared a lot. She bit her lip.
Hikigaya Hachiman parked the car by the roadside and engaged the electronic parking brake.
"I think it's excellent. My sister told me it was put together by a student band from elementary school. It's very difficult to create a song like this at their age.
It's just that my sister complained to me that she was looking forward to their second live show, but strangely, the band disappeared right after the first one."
"I'm sorry..."
Togawa Sakiko, who had just been praised by her Sensei for her composition, fell into momentary depression again, because she was the one who had ended the band.
Togawa Sakiko took a deep breath.
"I can't show such a failure of myself in front of Sensei."
She had to cheer up. She couldn't dwell on the past; she had to ruthlessly cut it off.
Togawa Sakiko thought that it was better to cut the thread cleanly than to remain entangled. She would delete Nagasaki Soyo's contact information later.
He who hesitates invites disaster!
She needed to move forward.
Because there was someone more worthy of her anticipation waiting ahead.
"Sensei, thank you very much."
Togawa Sakiko opened the car door and stepped out. After carefully closing the door, she didn't forget to give a slight, ladylike bow.
"Meeting you has truly been the luck of my life!"
This was heartfelt. Togawa Sakiko had experienced the tragedy of her world collapsing overnight and had seen the wickedness of human nature.
If she didn't cherish someone who treated her with such genuine kindness as her Sensei did.
She would definitely incur the wrath of the gods!
From a distance, a short-haired girl who looked very timid and wore the same school uniform as Togawa Sakiko saw this scene unfold at the intersection.
Hikigaya Hachiman said goodbye to Togawa Sakiko and drove off.
"The luck of her life, huh?"
Hikigaya Hachiman, who was thanked so profusely, felt that maybe it wasn't so bad.
Hikigaya Hachiman drove to Shuchiin Academy. The car headed toward the back gate of Shuchiin, where there was a large parking lot.
Faculty members usually parked there. Compared to the crowded front gate, the back gate had few people in the early morning and seemed very deserted.
After finding a parking space, Hikigaya Hachiman didn't rush out of the car. Instead, he sent a text message to Yukinoshita.
"Yukinoshita, I'll take you to the Student Club Association at noon."
It had been agreed upon last time that all clubs at Shuchiin Academy belonged to the Student Club Association, including Yukino Yukinoshita's Service Club.
With the support of the Student Club Association, it would be a little easier for Yukino Yukinoshita to carry out activities at Shuchiin.
"Okay, thank you, Hikigaya-kun."
After seeing the text message, Hikigaya Hachiman got out of the car with his school bag.
There was a long distance from the back gate to the main teaching building at the front, so there were virtually no students on the road.
However, on the road where there should have been no students, Hikigaya Hachiman heard a deliberately suppressed voice coming from behind the teaching building, seemingly on a phone call.
The voice was very familiar to Hikigaya Hachiman, but compared to the intentionally sweet tone she usually adopted.
It was now very cold, irritable, and annoyed.
Hikigaya Hachiman, curious, walked a little closer and saw a flash of blonde hair.
It was Hayasaka Ai, the person who sat in front of him.
After realizing it was an acquaintance, Hikigaya Hachiman didn't stop.
He wouldn't eavesdrop on others' conversations, and he disdained doing so.
"Why are you calling me at this hour? I'm at school."
Hayasaka Ai said with a gloomy expression, in a low, annoyed voice.
"I report everything about the Young Mistress to you every night, don't I?
What if I get exposed?"
Hayasaka Ai had a secret buried deep in her heart, one she absolutely did not want anyone to discover.
That was the fact that she had been a despicable traitor very early on, almost since the moment she first served as Kaguya-sama's attendant.
The Hayasaka family was a vassal of the Shinomiya family, firmly bound to it.
Hayasaka Ai's parents were executives in the Shinomiya family. Her mother was a confidante of Shinomiya Oko, and her father was the secretary to the Shinomiya family head, Shinomiya Gan'an.
She was ordered by Shinomiya Oko to monitor everything about his sister, Shinomiya Kaguya. She couldn't resist.
What Young Mistress Kaguya likes to eat, who she meets every day, who her friends are, whether she has a crush, and so on...
Hayasaka Ai had no choice but to report this daily schedule and behavior to Shinomiya Oko's people.
This left Hayasaka Ai constantly facing her Young Mistress with intense guilt, deeply hating this aspect of herself.
But the phone number she used to contact Shinomiya Oko's side had inexplicably called her during the day today.
Hayasaka Ai's face was full of resistance, yet she still had to answer.
A call initiated now could not possibly mean anything good.
"Please watch your tone, Miss Hayasaka.
This is an order from Oko-sama!"
"What?"
Hayasaka Ai clearly heard something she hated on the other end of the phone, and the expression on her face showed sheer disgust.
"Assist Young Mistress Kaguya. Miss Hayasaka, act as the wingman."
Hayasaka Ai never expected that man would use his own sister as a bargaining chip, making her a tool to curry favor with others.
"If the Young Mistress doesn't succeed, Miss Hayasaka, you understand the consequences."
Hayasaka Ai's hand, holding the phone, was trembling.
"What do you take me and the Young Mistress for?"