Chapter 131: He Wants Me to Give Birth to That Many
"As I thought."
Hikigaya Hachiman felt a sense of helplessness when he received the report from the Kamo family the following day.
The application for "Toyokawa Logistics" had actually been submitted as early as the beginning of the year, but it had only recently yielded results, which gave the impression that it had appeared out of nowhere.
Furthermore, it was just as Hachiman had suspected: the Kamo family knew about it all along; they simply hadn't mentioned it.
In other words, it wasn't just the Kamo family—it was the entire Big Three Families.
The old guard of the Jujutsu world held rather antiquated views, still stuck in the mindset that sorcerers must fight with their own two hands. The mecha manufactured by "Toyokawa Logistics" were, in their eyes, nothing short of heresy.
Because the Big Three Families looked down on it, only the Jujutsu Headquarters had taken over the project. Consequently, the Kamo family—being one of the Big Three—naturally wouldn't report such a thing to Hachiman.
However, it didn't really matter. He wouldn't know the specifics until Saturday, when he planned to visit the factory to see for himself. He wanted to see exactly which idiot had copied his design and managed to make it look so terrible and ugly.
"Hikigaya-senpai."
Hachiman turned his head and saw Ishigami Yu, who was acting very constrained.
"Hello, Ishigami-kun."
Seeing how stiff he was, Hachiman gently patted his shoulder, telling him not to be so nervous when facing him and to relax a bit.
"Are you adjusting well to school these past two days?"
After all, Ishigami had been suspended for nearly half a year. Returning to school now, it was inevitable that he would feel somewhat out of place. Additionally, most of his classmates had come straight up from the junior high division and were familiar with each other. They were also aware of what Ishigami had supposedly "done" in the past, which was exactly why Hikigaya Hachiman had cleared his name.
If that matter hadn't been resolved, Ishigami wouldn't be able to hold his head high even if he returned to school. It would have been far too unfair for the Ishigami who had sacrificed himself.
"It's... alright."
Over the past few days, Ishigami's most common experience was having classmates who had previously spoken ill of him come up to apologize, feeling extremely embarrassed after realizing they had been wrong. Moreover, since it was Hikigaya Hachiman who had cleared Ishigami's name, even the students who were still skeptical kept their mouths shut.
Ishigami found it hard to believe himself. When he was at his lowest, everyone couldn't wait to trample on him. But now? Poof—his reputation had completely flipped.
This only made him see their true faces more clearly. Hypocrites.
"Everyone is very friendly," Ishigami said regardless.
"That's good then."
Hachiman felt relieved hearing that Ishigami was being treated normally by his classmates.
"The Student Council's work today should be minimal, not too much."
"Good work. Let's share the load a bit."
If one person did it, the workload would be heavy, but split between two, it was nothing and could be finished quickly.
"Also, although some things have happened, everyone is actually a good person," Hachiman said with a smile.
Last time, Fujiwara Chika had run out of the Student Council room crying, looking as if she had been bullied. Furthermore, Hachiman could see that Ishigami seemed unable to hide his fear of Shinomiya Kaguya. It was clear that Ishigami's first impression of the Student Council was quite profound—and not in a good way. Hachiman felt a little explanation might help.
"Yes, President Shirogane told me yesterday. It was all a misunderstanding."
Ishigami recalled President Shirogane's words about "trusting your comrades," and now Hikigaya-senpai was saying it too. Ishigami truly felt that he might have some misunderstandings regarding those two upperclassmen.
"I feel like everyone is actually quite friendly."
When Hachiman and Ishigami arrived at the Student Council room, most of the members were already there. Miyuki was sitting in his seat as President, already processing paperwork. Shinomiya Kaguya was brewing black tea and coffee. Fujiwara Chika was sitting there, no longer crying like yesterday; she looked very happy again, eating cake.
Chika had a lot of snacks because a girl in the Tabletop Gaming Club whose family owned a cake shop often provided them. It was perfectly normal for her to have snacks and cakes.
Chika was currently giggling, looking as if little flowers were blooming over her head. This was her normal state—heartless and carefree. When she noticed Hikigaya Hachiman looking at
her—or more accurately, looking at the cake in her hand—she immediately took on a guarded expression.
Looking at Chika's face, it was as if she were undergoing a very serious internal debate.
"Just a little bit... I can only give you a little bit, okay?"
Hachiman finally realized that Chika was talking about her cake.
"Chika, you can just eat it yourself."
Chika's tense little face immediately relaxed.
"Then I'll eat it all!"
Although Hachiman liked sweet things, he didn't particularly enjoy foods as cloying as cream cake. After Chika finished the cake in her mouth, she suddenly remembered something Hachiman had instructed her earlier.
"Grandpa said you are very welcome to visit."
"I understand."
Hachiman had almost forgotten himself. It was regarding the items entrusted to him by Fujiwara Yoshifusa. Yoshifusa had asked him to see if the descendants of the Fujiwara family were "usable." If they weren't, then everything was to be handled by Hachiman as he saw fit.
However, Hachiman never intended to keep everything for himself. He had already looked through most of the materials; they were essentially methods for practicing the Fujiwara family's unique Jujutsu. Hachiman's own Jujutsu and philosophy didn't quite align with them. Moreover, he had already mastered their strongest techniques, like [Izanagi] and [Izanami]. As for the rest of the Fujiwara techniques, he didn't think they were that important.
"Then, Hikigaya-senpai, I'll go to President Shirogane first to handle today's work," Ishigami Yu said proactively, seeing the upperclassmen talking. He briskly pulled another laptop out of his bag.
Spreadsheets were generally sent by teachers to the President. Shirogane only needed to send the file to Ishigami's phone, and then Ishigami would operate on the laptop. Seeing that the atmosphere in the Student Council was quite good, he thought he might have been too subjective before.
But just as Ishigami was thinking this, he happened to look up as he passed by. In an instant, he saw the dark-faced Shinomiya-senpai, and the heart he had just let settle hung in suspense again.
'It's overflowing, it's overflowing!'
Ishigami saw Shinomiya-senpai holding a kettle, but the tea in the cup was already overflowing, yet she continued to pour.
"So scary."
Shinomiya-senpai was terrifying.
Ishigami firmly believed he could see a person's true nature through their eyes. His hands holding the laptop were trembling.
'Trust your comrades...'
Last time, he had seen a murderous intent in Shinomiya-senpai's eyes directed at the pink-haired Fujiwara-senpai. There was no mistake.
The reason Shinomiya Kaguya's eyes were so cold was that Fujiwara Chika had invited Hachiman to her house. However, it was only a slight unpleasantness. After Hayasaka Ai's persuasion, Shinomiya no longer saw Chika as a threat. Fujiwara Chika's personality was mostly just playfulness; she likely didn't have the intentions Kaguya feared. If Chika wanted to fall in love, she was ten years too early.
Under the analysis of Kaguya's "strategist," Hayasaka, she had realized long ago that Chika had no intention of competing. The Young Lady didn't need to treat her as an imaginary enemy or waste too much energy on her. Being wary of Chika would only cause mental exhaustion.
Shinomiya felt this made sense. She knew exactly what her friend had been like over the years. Getting serious with her was indeed ridiculous; Fujiwara Chika was an expert at pulling others down to her level of intelligence to act stupid together.
Chika suddenly thought of something and beckoned Hachiman over, telling him to sit beside her. Having eaten and drunk her fill, Chika wanted to find some fun again.
"Hachiman, after we finish the work, let's play a psychology test!"
Chika secretly pulled a thin book from her skirt pocket and showed it to Hachiman.
"Everyone, come play too!"
Psychology tests like these were mostly based on the Barnum effect—they looked accurate but were actually just playing on your psychological biases. They were fine for fun, but if taken seriously...
Hachiman looked at the book, feeling a bit strange. Where did she get this?
"It's here."
Seeing the book, Shinomiya Kaguya was not surprised, because she had deliberately placed it on a path Fujiwara Chika was likely to take. Knowing Chika's personality, she would definitely pick it up and take a good look. And she would definitely bring it to the Student Council room to share with everyone.
Kaguya had already memorized every question in that book. Her purpose was to gain information about Hachiman.
"This is war!"
Shinomiya allowed herself not a moment of slack. To know oneself and one's enemy is the way to victory. The Young Lady had to take the initiative; time waited for no one.
However, Hayasaka Ai was also keeping things from Shinomiya. She hadn't told her lady about awakening her Cursed Energy, nor had she mentioned that she was secretly receiving guidance from Hikigaya Hachiman.
Well, there was no rule saying only the Young Lady was allowed to work hard. What was wrong with her putting in some secret effort on her own?
Thus, "Secretary-chan" was pushed forward by Hayasaka to be used as Kaguya's pawn to test Hachiman. All the questions in the book were about personality and preferences—perfect for analyzing Hachiman's subjective consciousness.
Actually, the reason Shinomiya accepted something she once considered stupid was simply because, as Hayasaka Ai said, she received great "emotional value" from Hachiman. When Shinomiya wanted to make a small change in her appearance, Hikigaya Hachiman praised her, saying she "smelled nice." A tiny change like wearing perfume resulted in a compliment, and a fitting one at that. This made Shinomiya—who felt she lacked femininity and competitiveness—feel a ripple of joy in her heart. That's why she proceeded with this battle plan.
As for Ishigami Yu, he had been frightened by Shinomiya's dark expression earlier. In his impression, a so-called "psychology test" was definitely not a simple matter.
Ishigami walked trembling to President Shirogane and said:
"President, I... I won't participate in the psychology test. I'm afraid I'll disturb you guys. How about I take the work back and do it later?"
Before Ishigami could finish, he felt a pair of crimson pupils land on him. He immediately felt a heavy pressure; the terrifying gaze made him unable to even continue speaking.
His expression was one of utter horror. There was only one meaning in those eyes: Don't you dare refuse.
Shinomiya's gaze was incredibly terrifying as she stared down the junior who wanted to back out. She was afraid that if someone refused, Hachiman might follow suit. Given his serious personality, he wouldn't be very interested in such tests; if someone said they didn't want to participate, he certainly wouldn't either.
Therefore, Shinomiya had to plug this final loophole. In other words, this newcomer, Ishigami, had to participate.
"I... I love psychology tests the most!"
Ishigami's heart was bitter. He still remembered the President's words about "trusting your comrades," but these comrades were making him a little scared. He felt that if he said "no," he might be stabbed several times—no, it would be a fate worse than that. Thus, the words of refusal could not be uttered.
Hearing this, Shinomiya finally moved her gaze away from Ishigami, satisfied.
"Calm down, Ishigami-kun. This is just a Student Council activity," Shirogane Miyuki said. Seeing Ishigami tremble, he thought he was just intimidated by Kaguya. Shinomiya did sometimes make scary faces and eyes, but she didn't mean any harm.
Because of the upcoming test, their work efficiency was very high. Even the usually loafing Chika proactively shared some tasks.
"Good, good, good! Shinomiya-san, sit next to me!" Chika, being very fond of Shinomiya Kaguya, subconsciously wanted her to sit by her side.
"Chika, shouldn't you be the one reading the test?" Hachiman reminded her. "If you can see the answers, how will that work?"
Hachiman pointed out that as the questioner, Chika should remain independent from the participants.
"Oh, you're right!" Chika giggled and stood up, moving to the side of the coffee table.
As a result, Hikigaya Hachiman and Shinomiya Kaguya sat together, while Shirogane Miyuki and Ishigami Yu sat together.
"Okay, I'm going to start!"
"Question one: Suppose there is a doghouse in front of you. How many puppies do you think are inside?"
Hearing a normal question, Ishigami's heart finally lowered slightly.
"Come on, Hachiman, please answer."
Hikigaya Hachiman thought for a moment before replying, "Eighteen, I guess."
"Eh?! That many? Why?" Fujiwara Chika, holding the book, looked extremely excited.
Meanwhile, the high-and-mighty Shinomiya Kaguya reacted even more exaggeratedly. Her mouth was slightly agape, and while she was surprised by Hachiman's answer, her heart was filled more with shyness.
Hikigaya-kun... wants me to give birth to that many?!*
Because the answer to that psychology test was: The number of children one wants to have.