"Haah..."
Hikigaya Hachiman sank into the bathtub, letting out a long sigh.
The warm water surrounded him, his pores opening as the exhaustion of the day slowly melted away.
His sigh was so deep that even Komachi, who was lounging on the living room sofa, heard it loud and clear.
Surprised, she commented, "Wow, that's rare. Big bro actually let out a tired sigh from work."
"Yeah… I never thought it would be this exhausting either." Hikigaya Hachiman sighed as he heard his sister complaining in the living room.
He had only planned to slack off, and he was indeed slacking. He hadn't even thought about how to make the cultural festival a success—just doing the basic duties of the executive committee president.
And yet, even that was already wearing him out.
They supposedly had a month to prepare, but it wasn't like they could turn everything in at the last minute like a light novel author meeting a deadline. At the very least, everything had to be wrapped up a few days in advance, with time left for rehearsals.
There was a lot to do, and not enough time.
"Maybe I should squeeze a little more work out of the other committee members. That should be my right as the president, right?"
Hikigaya Hachiman mumbled to himself, letting his mind drift into space.
Ring ring!
Just then, his phone, which was sitting on a rack next to the bathtub, suddenly started ringing. He reached for it, and the moment he saw the caller ID, his relaxed expression instantly froze.
After a brief pause, he still picked up the call. "Hello, Mr. Ijichi. What's the matter?"
"Hikigaya, sorry to bother you so late at night." Ijichi Kiyotaka's serious voice came through the phone. "I have a job for you."
"…Is there no other sorcerer who can take it?" Hikigaya Hachiman asked stiffly.
"In our line of work, being short on people is the norm," Ijichi Kiyotaka said. "Besides, the mission site is pretty close to you—it's in Chiba."
"I got it. Send me the details by email," he sighed in resignation.
"I already did. Check your inbox."
After hanging up, Hikigaya Hachiman quickly skimmed through the mission briefing from Ijichi Kiyotaka. He rubbed his temples in frustration and let out another long sigh.
Now he was starting to understand why Yukinoshita Yukino had decided to transfer schools.
When it rains, it pours.
As much as he was overwhelmed by his duties on the executive committee, he knew how to prioritize. Between schoolwork and a Jujutsu mission, the choice was clear.
The latter involved real lives.
…
"Huh!?"
The girl with the bun hairstyle stared in shock at Hiratsuka Shizuka, who had just delivered the news.
"Hikki took a leave of absence? Why? Is he sick?" Yuigahama Yui asked anxiously.
"Calm down first." Hiratsuka Shizuka shook her head with an amused smile, cutting off her rapid-fire questioning. "Hikigaya didn't take sick leave—it's personal leave. As for what he's up to, I have no idea."
"Oh… I see…" The bun-haired girl finally came back to her senses, realizing she had overreacted. A faint blush crept onto her cheeks.
"What's this? You seem pretty concerned about Hikigaya," the still-single teacher in her late twenties teased with a grin.
"N-No, I'm not!" Yuigahama Yui's face turned an even brighter shade of red.
"If you're not, then get back to work! With the committee president gone, his responsibilities fall on you as the vice president!" Hiratsuka Shizuka, who had just been speaking gently, suddenly switched to a stern tone.
"Got it! On it!" The girl forced an awkward laugh and quickly returned to her seat.
"You all heard that—the president is absent today, so let's pitch in and cover for him!" After dealing with Yuigahama Yui, Hiratsuka Shizuka turned to the other committee members, who had been snickering at the scene.
"Got it~"
Everyone was familiar with this warm-hearted teacher, so they responded in a relaxed, teasing tone rather than taking it too seriously.
After all, they had all noticed the little hints of amusement in Hiratsuka Shizuka's attitude toward the bun-haired girl.
In the students' eyes, Hiratsuka-sensei had long lost any sense of authority.
Of course, that was as long as she didn't resort to force.
After all, she wasn't nicknamed the "Iron Fist Teacher" for nothing. You could get someone's name wrong, but never their reputation.
When Hiratsuka-sensei got mad, she was terrifying.
Once the playful banter settled down, everyone refocused on their tasks, throwing themselves into work.
Before long, a pile of thick documents stacked up in front of Yuigahama Yui. Just looking at them made her feel dizzy, and her face scrunched up in distress.
So, being the student council president is this exhausting…?
Now she truly understood how much work came with the position. No wonder no one wanted to take the job at first.
But with Hikigaya Hachiman absent, she had no choice but to grit her teeth and handle his workload. For anything she didn't understand, she could only ask him through her phone.
…
"Hey, aren't there still sorcerers available to take the mission…?"
As soon as Hikigaya Hachiman opened the car door, he saw a familiar figure sitting in the back seat, waving at him with a grin. His mouth twitched slightly.
"Only Grade 2 sorcerers and above take on solo missions. Grade 3 sorcerers usually work in teams," Ijichi Kiyotaka explained.
"Hikigaya, long time no see," Yoshino Junpei greeted him with a smile.
"Oh, yeah, been a while." Hikigaya Hachiman got into the car and casually said, "You look like a completely different person."
The first time he visited Jujutsu High, Yoshino Junpei had been out on a mission with Nanami Kento. And during the battle in Shinjuku, Hikigaya Hachiman hadn't seen Yoshino Junpei either.
Hikigaya Hachiman first met Yoshino Junpei when Itadori Yuji invited him out.
He had no idea how Itadori Yuji even found out where he lived, but one weekend, Yuji showed up at his doorstep with Fushiguro Megumi and Hayato.
When Hikigaya Hachiman saw a bunch of people he barely knew, he wanted to make up an excuse and turn them down. But under pressure from Komachi, he had no choice but to go with them.
Back then, Yoshino Junpei had long bangs covering the right side of his face. He looked lifeless, with a trace of confusion in his eyes.
But now, not only had he cut his long black hair short, but he also seemed much brighter. A gentle smile was always on his face.
"What made you decide to cut your hair?" Hikigaya Hachiman asked curiously.
"The burn scar on my forehead from a cigarette was healed by Miss Ieiri Shoko, so I no longer needed to keep my hair long to cover it," Yoshino Junpei said with a smile.
"Besides, I wanted a fresh look—to mark the start of a new life."
…
(End of Chapter)
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