Chapter 25: Isshiki Iroha’s Unlucky Day

The Line app had just loaded when the cute "peace sign" avatar of Komachi started flashing nonstop. Hikigaya Hachiman focused and saw that since he told Komachi after school that he might be late coming home, she had sent him more than twenty messages! And as time passed, Komachi's typing tone grew more and more anxious. "Ah, this is bad..." Suddenly recalling the time Komachi cried, Hachiman felt uneasy and quickly typed a reply. Komachi: "Big brother, where have you been?!" As soon as the message was sent, Komachi's reply appeared on the screen. It was obvious she was waiting by her phone for Hachiman's message. Hachiman: "Sorry, I just handled some things. I'm on my way home now." Komachi: "Handled things?" Hachiman: "Yeah, just helping a friend a little. Don't worry, I'll be on the train home soon!" Train home? Looking at the message Hachiman typed, Komachi, who was lying on the sofa hugging her teddy bear, raised an eyebrow. In the morning, Hachiman had ridden a bicycle to school and even gave her a ride. But now he said he would take the train home, and after visiting a friend's house... This meant that Hachiman had left his bike at school and walked to his friend's house. But from what she knew, because of his introverted personality, Hachiman had only one real friend at school: a chubby otaku named Zaimokuza Yoshiteru. And when Hachiman went to his house before, he would ride his bike. So this time, the "friend" Hachiman mentioned wasn't Zaimokuza Yoshiteru! "How could that be?" Komachi flipped on the sofa, lying down with her small, white feet shaking in the air. She stared at the screen, hesitated, and finally sent her guess. Komachi: "Big brother, could the friend you mentioned be a big sister?" ... One minute passed. Hachiman still hadn't replied. Okay, the guess became reality. Komachi threw her phone on the sofa and hugged her teddy bear again, lying back. Looking at the dark ceiling, a trace of confusion flashed in her eyes. How does Hachiman even have contact with girls? Staring at Komachi's question on the phone, Hachiman didn't respond. Not because he didn't want to or couldn't answer, but because while waiting for the train at the station, he unexpectedly saw someone he knew. A rather cute girl. She had short, shoulder-length light blonde hair, was wearing the first-year uniform of Sobu High School, but her figure was curvy and well-shaped. She radiated youthful energy, and though her pure face was slightly furrowed in a worried expression, she immediately caught the attention of the males around her. At least from Hachiman's observation, most of the men waiting at the station were staring at her. But what caught Hachiman's attention wasn't the girl herself, but the evil spirit crawling on her. This was the first time Hachiman had seen an evil spirit committing mischief at night. He was curious how these spirits could do harm while being invisible to ordinary people. But soon, Hachiman noticed something was off. Though the girl looked distressed, her life energy hadn't diminished. With suspicion, Hachiman stepped closer to the girl to see more clearly why. . . . Isshiki Iroha had had a very troublesome day. Since yesterday afternoon, after playing a small prank on a daring couple she found in the school building, she felt like something was stalking her. She woke up early feeling weak all over, as if she hadn't slept but endured some intense physical activity. When she got up and changed, she felt like eyes were watching her. That feeling followed her to school. At lunch, the delicious food suddenly tasted strange, and she lost her appetite just by smelling it. In the end, she bought a piece of bread from the convenience store just to fill her stomach. After all this, during soccer club training in the afternoon, she messed up badly. She not only called the seniors by the wrong names but also fell in front of Hayama Hayato while carrying the ball, making a complete fool of herself. "What on earth is wrong with me today?" Standing on the platform, Isshiki Iroha stared at the wall across the railway, troubled. At that moment, she noticed someone in the Sobu High School uniform in her sight. She glanced at the tie indicating the grade level. It was a second-year senior! Isshiki Iroha quickly put away her worries and tried to act her best as usual. She also secretly turned her head to see who the senior next to her was. What met her eyes was a pair of eyes emitting a decaying aura from the inside out... What the heck! Isshiki Iroha immediately pouted in dissatisfaction, and her previously feigned cuteness vanished, replaced by a listless look. She had expected a handsome senior to come by and soothe her tired heart. But instead, it was a pair of dead fish eyes! No doubt, this was the guy who she had locked with Yotsuya Miko in the classroom yesterday! While Isshiki Iroha was sneaking a look at Hachiman, he was also studying her. Although yesterday Hachiman hadn't clearly seen who was outside, he firmly remembered the aura of that person. Now, Isshiki Iroha's aura completely matched his memory, meaning she was the annoying person from yesterday! Realizing all this, Hachiman immediately wanted to leave. But as soon as he turned around, he heard Isshiki Iroha sigh. Turning back, Hachiman saw the girl with a troubled frown, and the evil spirit lurking behind her. 'Looks like I really can't just ignore this.' Covering his face, Hachiman thought helplessly. He knew that if he helped, the girl might not appreciate it, or might even misunderstand his intentions, but seeing the evil spirit on her, he couldn't just stand by...