Chapter 133: When Did Brother Get So Capable?
"What about Hikki?"
Having just been surprised by Yukinoshita Yukino's answer, Yuigahama Yui asked the moment she saw Hikigaya Hachiman approach. She wanted him to answer as well.
"As it happens, someone already tested me with this book at noon," Hachiman replied.
"Oh, I see."
Hearing this, Yuigahama's excitement dampened quite a bit. It wouldn't be fun if Hikki already knew the answer.
"Eighteen."
However, Hachiman didn't plan on keeping his answer from them. He set his things down and spoke with a touch of helplessness. "The answer I gave back then was eighteen."
Hachiman found the question strange no matter how he looked at it.
"Hikki's number is that high too?"
Upon hearing this, Yuigahama similarly covered her mouth slightly, a faint blush creeping onto her face.
On the other hand, Yukinoshita Yukino had sensed something was off with Yuigahama ever since she had given her own answer. Now, seeing that Hikigaya's number was considered "high" in Yuigahama's eyes, she found it very odd.
Wasn't the answer to this question "the more cats, the better"?
Seeing Yukinoshita's confusion, Hachiman explained directly: "The number of cats you imagine represents the number of children you want to have in the future."
"What!"
Upon hearing this explanation, Yukinoshita Yukino began to cough violently, her face gradually turning red.
"One hundred cats means, Yukinoshita, you want one hundred children."
Seeing Yukinoshita's reaction was quite interesting, Hachiman continued to explain.
Yukinoshita's fair cheeks were now completely flushed; she was mortified to have said out loud in front of Hikigaya-kun that she wanted a hundred children. The [Abe no Seimei/Hagoromo Gitsune] inside her, regardless of her "beautiful girl" image, was currently lying on its side, slapping the floor and laughing hysterically at her.
"Very good, little girl. A hundred—now that's some spirit!"
"Let's say you have twins every year; how long are you and your little boyfriend going to have to work at it?" the fox teased playfully.
"No... how can one question dictate the number of children I want?
W-Who even came up with this?"
Yukinoshita was no longer composed. Her sentences lost their flow; she was clearly becoming incoherent.
"Calm down, Yukinoshita. It's just a psychology test."
Seeing her so embarrassed she didn't know what to do with herself, Hachiman advised her to be calm. Besides, the number 100 wasn't exactly an unreachable goal for Jujutsu Sorcerers like them if they put in the effort. Unless a sorcerer died young in a Cursed Spirit attack, they generally lived for a long time without their bodily functions declining.
So, theoretically, it was feasible.
"Yes, yes, Yukinon. It's just a normal psychology test."
Yuigahama Yui gave an awkward laugh, thinking that both Hikki and Yukinon were "heavyweights" when it came to wanting children—both of them were amazing.
"Yuigahama-san, if you were to choose, how many would you want?"
Yukinoshita's stubborn personality wouldn't let her drop the matter so easily, so she wanted to know Yuigahama's answer.
"For me, one cat and one dog would be enough. I couldn't raise any more than that," Yuigahama answered honestly.
"You see? As soon as you involve reality, the number drops significantly. This proves the question has no factual basis at all."
"Oh, right!"
Yuigahama Yui had a sudden flash of inspiration. She proposed: "Since Hikki said he's seen this book, I'll look one up online that no one has seen before. I'll only look at the question, not the answer."
"Then we can all say our answers together."
Yukinoshita Yukino, who had just been psychologically scarred, rubbed the bridge of her nose and said, "I think I'll take a break. Yuigahama-san and Hikigaya-kun can play first."
Being tested and told she wanted a hundred children was a bit too much stimulation for the romantically inexperienced Yukinoshita.
"What does it matter, Yukinoshita?" Hachiman chuckled. "I said a ridiculous number too. Psychology tests are just for everyone to have a laugh together; it's nothing."
"Yeah, yeah!" Yuigahama clung to Yukinoshita's arm, acting spoiled. "Yukinon, just one last time."
Ultimately, Yukinoshita couldn't withstand Yuigahama's enthusiasm. She let out a helpless sigh and said, "Just one last round, okay?"
"Mhm, mhm!"
Yuigahama nodded vigorously, picked up her phone with a smile, and began searching seriously. "Let me see..."
During this time, Hachiman ate a biscuit.
"Found it! It's a very cute-looking test."
Yuigahama showed her phone screen to her two friends and cleared her throat.
"Imagine you are in an endless garden. How many flowers do you want to pick?"
"It specifically says here that they are free—you can take as many as you want."
Yuigahama finished explaining the new test.
"An endless sea of flowers... how many to take?"
Yukinoshita repeated it softly. This time, she was much more careful, reading the question over several times.
After imagining the sea of flowers, Hachiman already had an answer in his heart. If possible, the first thing he wanted to do was transplant this sea of flowers to Baal, the homeworld of his former [Blood Angels]. Baal was a desolate, desertified world with an exceptionally harsh environment.
Having seen the beauty of other homeworlds, Hachiman desperately wanted to develop the Blood Angels' homeworld into one brimming with life. Unfortunately, he could never go back. To Hachiman, Baal was now like the stars in the sky—visible but unreachable. That was the real reason he loved looking up at the stars.
"I'll go first this time," Yuigahama provided her answer. "I'd probably tie all the flowers into bundles to give to my friends... maybe bundles of 999 flowers each."
Yuigahama was clearly very generous.
Hearing her finish, Yukinoshita thought for a moment and said, "As for flowers, I don't really have a favorite species, but picking a few to tie into a bouquet would be fine."
Yukinoshita's understanding differed from typical girls; she preferred practicality. To her, flowers weren't very durable; they withered easily and only lasted a few days. Receiving them was almost a burden. She answered very cautiously, giving a carefully considered response.
Seeing Yukinon looking as solemn as if she were solving a complex math problem, Yuigahama smiled helplessly and turned her gaze to Hachiman.
"Alright, Hikki is last."
"Hypothetically—I'm saying hypothetically," Hachiman spoke decisively, having already decided on his answer. "If I could move the entire garden away, I wouldn't leave a single flower behind."
"I'd take them all."
Hachiman said he wanted everything. It was even more exaggerated than the other two girls, but that was normal—he was greedy.
"Everything?"
Hachiman nodded.
In terms of intensity, Hachiman was now in first place, followed by Yuigahama, and then Yukinoshita. Part of this was due to Yukinoshita being cautious; she was still embarrassed by her previous answer and didn't dare give a large number this time.
"Then, I'll reveal the answer!" Yuigahama said giggling as she showed the result on her phone.
But the answer immediately made her face turn red again.
"What's wrong?" Hachiman saw her wavering and thought it was another ridiculous answer.
Yuigahama said bashfully: "The number of flowers you take represents how much you love a person—how deep your affection is."
Hachiman felt a bit helpless. Seriously, why are all these psychology tests related to romance?
However, since he said he wanted them all, wouldn't that mean he was the most affectionate person there?
"Hikki is actually so devoted..." Yuigahama's face was flushed, and she felt a little secret joy in her heart.
'Hehe, my affection isn't lacking either.'
Yukinoshita's pupils wavered again after hearing this, but she didn't have a full existential crisis this time. According to her cautious answer, there didn't seem to be a problem. After all, she knew she had difficulty expressing her emotions.
Seeing Yukinoshita falling into a slump again, Hachiman said, "It's all just the Barnum effect. Those who believe in it, believe in it."
"Does me saying I want them all make me the most devoted person in Shuchiin?" Hachiman felt his persona didn't really fit with being "devoted."
"I'm just a greedy person." Hachiman shook his head. "Aren't there also people who say zodiac signs determine personality?"
"That is true."
Yuigahama, having gained plenty of intel about Hikki being "devoted," knew when to stop.
"Yukinon, don't take it to heart."
Yuigahama thought for a bit and then suggested: "How about we end the club activities for now and go get some desserts together? Eating something sweet makes everything better."
In Yuigahama's view, the Service Club had no requests right now, making it the perfect time to slack off.
"Actually, I have a request," Hachiman spoke up.
The mention of desserts reminded him that Komachi was still feeling down. Her two friends had seemingly vanished into thin air, leaving her heart filled with worry. As a brother who doted on his sister, Hachiman naturally wanted to cheer her up.
However, it was unrealistic to let Nanako and Mimiko out. They were being held in secret by the Jujutsu Headquarters specifically to lure out Geto Suguru. Until then, Komachi wouldn't be able to see them. From Hachiman's perspective, if Geto Suguru was actually executed, Komachi might never see them again.
After all, one must pull up weeds by the roots; the chain of hatred must be cut cleanly at both ends before it can spread. But Hachiman couldn't say any of this to his sister, or her temper would be terrifying. So, he wanted to see if Yuigahama and Yukinoshita could help make Komachi a bit happier.
"Hikki has a sister?"
This was the first time Yuigahama learned that "Hikki" had a younger sister. This was normal, as Hachiman was so powerful that the timeline had changed. Since he was never hospitalized, Yuigahama never met his sister. And Hachiman was low-key; he hadn't gone around announcing he had a cute sister.
"Two of Komachi's friends got into some trouble—it might involve a criminal organization—so she's become very worried. Making Komachi a little happier is my request."
Yukinoshita was different from Yuigahama; she had been treated to a meal by the siblings before. Although they hadn't met many times, she had a very good impression of Komachi. Who could resist the youthful, vibrant Komachi with her cute little snaggletooth?
"I have no objections."
Yuigahama didn't express any opposition; in fact, she was quite excited about Hikki's sister. Being an only child, she had never experienced the bond between siblings. Now that there was Komachi, she even thought about treating her like her own sister.
Seeing that Yuigahama had no objections, the President of the Service Club, Yukinoshita Yukino, replied directly:
"We accept your request."
Yukinoshita accepted primarily because Hachiman wanted to cheer Komachi up over her missing friends. Seeing such a cute and sensible sister with a face full of sorrow was too much to bear.
Although she had dinner plans with Shoko tonight, that wasn't until later. There was still plenty of time during the day.
Hachiman nodded and sent a text to Komachi: "I'll come pick you up in a bit."
"Mhm, okay, Onii-chan."
Normally, Komachi would include emojis in her replies, but this time she sent none.
However, the person picking her up wouldn't be just Hachiman; Yuigahama Yui and Yukinoshita Yukino would be there too.
This made Komachi very surprised when she got into the car. She had met Yukino-san before, but she was seeing the other pretty, pink-haired girl for the first time.
'Was Brother picking her up with two sisters-in-law?'
New Fanfiction!
You call this a projection?
What is a sword?
After Shirou Emiya awakened the memories of his past life and obtained a system that allowed him to travel to other worlds, his horizons were broadened by witnessing the wonders of those realms, and he suddenly reached a moment of enlightenment.
"Only swords... how could it be such a limit!"
Shirou Emiya: "Trace on!"
"False Magician's Red"
Consequently, by the time the Holy Grail War officially began...
Rin Tohsaka exclaimed in agitation:
"This isn't Projection at all!"
Crossover with Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Jujitsu Kaisen and others.
Read ahead and finish this fanfiction by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting