Chapter 68: I Got Seen

"Thank you for saving me." Once she regained the ability to move, Yukinoshita Yukino immediately pulled the blanket beside her over to cover her body. "No problem." Hikigaya Hachiman shook his head and, seeing Yukino's action, turned away awkwardly. Though he hadn't actually seen anything... "That guy has already been taken care of. There's no danger nearby anymore..." After dealing with Otani Kazuki, Hikigaya immediately had the system scan the entire house and the surrounding half-kilometer radius. At the moment, there were no evil spirits in the area, so Hikigaya wasn't worried that Yukino would fall into danger again after he left. "Are you going to leave now?" Hearing Hikigaya's words, Yukino immediately guessed his intention. "Of course." Scratching his cheek sheepishly, Hikigaya glanced at the girl curled up on the bed, then quickly looked away again. "I see..." Noticing Hikigaya's gaze, Yukino regained her usual composure after the initial panic. She looked down at her body wrapped in the blanket, her face instantly flushed red. "Anyway, if anything happens, we'll talk about it after school tomorrow..." Looking at Yukino's pale red skin, especially her appearance after crying earlier which made her look pitiful, Hikigaya suddenly felt his throat dry up. Not daring to stay longer, he left a brief word and then hurriedly escaped from the Yukinoshita residence. "Pft..." Watching Hikigaya's fleeing figure, Yukino was first stunned. Then she understood why he ran away and laughed happily. It was the first time since returning to the Yukinoshita household that she had laughed so freely, so lightly. "What the heck, you already have that kind of power, but you're still a virgin who gets shy just seeing a girl's body?" Wiping tears from the corners of her eyes, Yukino murmured to herself while looking at her reflection in the glass door. For the first time, she realized that the guy who usually gave off a rotten aura beside her was actually kind of cute... After leaving the Yukinoshita house, Hikigaya stopped a taxi by the roadside and headed straight home. Since getting his big payout, this kind of luxury travel had become one of his choices, which honestly brought tears of joy to his eyes. But thinking about how he had fled in panic earlier, Hikigaya couldn't help but cover his face with both hands, ignoring the confused look from the driver in front of him. "Ahhhh!! I want to die! Why did I choose to run away just now?!" No need to think hard — the next time he argued with Yukino, she'd definitely bring up how he ran away today! After all that fuss, Hikigaya finally arrived home. But just as he stood in the corridor, ready to enter his room and rest, Komachi came out of the steaming bathroom in light pajamas, drying her wet hair. The two locked eyes for a few seconds before Komachi suddenly gave a playful wink and lifted one shoulder strap teasingly at Hikigaya. "Onii-chan, do you want to see?" This girl was getting bolder lately. Looking at Komachi's deliberately exposed shoulder, Hikigaya felt no emotion, not even a flicker of excitement—he almost wanted to laugh. "You do realize what I just saw, right?" A mere exposed shoulder like that was just a minor trick — it couldn't shake his resolve! "Put on your clothes properly. You just finished showering; don't catch a cold..." After a simple glance at Komachi, Hikigaya calmly reminded her and walked into his room. "Huh?" Komachi tilted her head in confusion at her brother's reaction. She'd only been gone for a little over an hour, so why did Onii-chan suddenly seem so mature? Before, he'd blush just from accidentally glimpsing her thigh; now, even with such a bold move, his reaction was so calm... That Hikigaya was way too arrogant! After making a few funny faces at his bedroom door, Komachi obediently followed his advice, put on her clothes, and dried herself off. After all, it wouldn't be good if she got sick and worried Onii-chan. Meanwhile, lying on his bed, Hikigaya was checking his status panel. Name: Hikigaya Hachiman Age: 17 Occupation: Mage Exorcist Spirit Power: 36/110 (Basic Cultivation Method) Skills: Spirit Flow Technique (Beginner), Mother's Rosario (Intermediate), Breath of the Sun (Advanced), Shield (Intermediate) Equipment: Advanced Demon-Slaying Sword, Gatling Gun (Unlimited Ammo), High-Concentration Molotov Cocktail (4), High-Explosive Grenade (3) Spirit Coins: 8000 ... "Not a demon-slaying exorcist but promoted to mage?" Looking at the change in his rank, Hikigaya showed a contemplative expression. "Is this recognition of my power in this world?" Covering his face with his hand, Hikigaya suddenly laughed. In Japan, being called a 'mage' was usually a title reserved for venerable old monks in temples. But Hikigaya just went out, wandered into another world, and casually got promoted to mage. It felt unreal. "Have I really gotten this strong?" He asked himself silently, but unfortunately, no one else could answer. Oh well, better keep training... Rather than obsessing over whether he'd gotten stronger, it was better to focus on increasing his spirit power limit. With that thought, Hikigaya closed his eyes and concentrated on circulating his spirit power according to the basic cultivation method. No further incidents overnight... The next day, when Hikigaya sat at his usual seat, he found a blackened little cookie pack mysteriously added to his desk drawer. "Did that girl give this to me?" After examining one cookie carefully, Hikigaya popped it into his mouth and chewed. Despite a slightly burnt smell, it actually tasted surprisingly good. With a gulp, Hikigaya swallowed the cookie, then gave a thumbs up to Yui Yuigahama, who was sneaking glances at him. "That's great..." Seeing Hikigaya's reaction, Yui sighed in relief, patting her chest. But she didn't notice that Miura Yumiko was quietly standing by the classroom door, watching the entire interaction. Important Announcement! New Fanfiction! Please Play FGO With Me Emiya Shirou (now called Hikigaya Shirou) reincarnated in a peacefull world. His dream of becoming a Hero seems impossible in this world, where there is only peace. Until one day a pink-haried kouhai changed his life after convincing him to play a mobile game. Mash: "Please Play FGO With Me Senpai!" Multi Crossover Fanfiction: Fate Stay/Night FGO Oregairu SAO and more As always read ahead (60 chapters) on my patreon! There you can also read my other 9 Fanfiction