Chapter 8: I'll Be Right There
Hikigaya Hachiman still requested a day off for Yuigahama Yui. The fact that she was traumatized meant she needed time to recover at home.
Although exams were approaching, given her grades, there wasn't much difference between her attending class one day more or one day less.
Hikigaya Hachiman was now in the Kamo Clan's car on his way to school. Just thinking about it made him angry: his bicycle was completely totaled by the debris from the burnt-out car.
"We found it, Young Master."
The black-haired man wearing glasses who was sitting in the passenger seat in front of Hikigaya Hachiman was Kamo Takeyasu. He was about 10 years older than Hachiman.
"The student who was in that area at the time."
Hikigaya Hachiman took the tablet from the man's hand upon hearing Kamo Takeyasu 's words.
" Okkotsu Yuta.
Sixteen years old."
Hikigaya Hachiman saw a boy displayed on the file who looked extremely distraught, with heavy eye bags that made it look like he had triple eyelids.
"Young Master, this guy has already been targeted by the Sorcerer Association and mandatory measures will be taken against him soon."
Kamo Takeyasu summarized everything he saw, his tone full of apprehension.
"The danger level given by the Sorcerer Association is the highest grade, Special Grade."
That's Special Grade, and there are only three people in the entire Sorcerer Association at present at that level.
"Furthermore, I've heard rumors that the Gojo Clan's GojSatoru o is also quite interested in him."
"Special Grade Cursed User Okkotsu Yuta, and Special Grade Vengeful Cursed Spirit Orimoto Rika."
Currently, Okkotsu Yuta's file has been completely locked and classified as top secret.
However, the Kamo Clan is one of the Three Great Families, so they are also authorized to view this information.
Hikigaya Hachiman asked, "How many people is the Sorcerer Association sending to surround him?"
"It seems they plan to dispatch a joint team consisting of one Grade 1 Sorcerer and three Grade 2 Sorcerers to subdue him."
Although it sounded impressive, Hikigaya Hachiman quickly made a judgment, recalling the scene he had witnessed earlier.
"They really want them to die, Huh."
One reason why he is not fond of the Sorcerer Association is that he feels those old men are not much different from the useless nobles he had seen in the past.
It would take at least someone of Gojo Satoru 's caliber to safely take down Okkotsu Yuta.
But the Sorcerer Association suffering major losses has nothing to do with him.
"Thank you all for everything."
Although Hikigaya Hachiman knew the Kamo Clan coveted him, they did provide him with a considerable amount of convenience.
He wasn't the type of person to eat the meat and then curse the provider.
Kamo Takeyasu quickly waved his hand and replied respectfully.
"It is our honor to be able to help the Young Master.
If anything, we, and the Elders, would be happier if you could rely on us more."
"I see."
Hikigaya Hachiman didn't continue the conversation on that topic.
"By the way, whose car was that?"
The person was wearing a uniform and looked like a driver. What terrible luck, an unexpected disaster.
Kamo Takeyasu 's tone was clearly a bit strange, but he still answered.
"We checked the background. The vehicle belongs to the Yukinoshita family.
That car was bought by the Yukinoshita family's eldest daughter, Yukinoshita Haruno, for her sister's commute to and from school.
Yes, that's your neighbor, Young Master.
Based on the driver's call records, he received a call from their young lady asking him to pick her up for school early today."
Hikigaya Hachiman's expression was particularly odd upon hearing this.
Well done, a complete set.
"Right, let's keep this news under wraps."
The meticulous Hikigaya Hachiman thought for a moment and decided not to let this incident spread.
Because he himself was involved, he was concerned that opportunistic people might unnecessarily cause trouble for the Yukinoshita family in an attempt to curry favor with him.
It wasn't self-praise; some people would stop at nothing to get on Hikigaya Hachiman's good side.
Although Hikigaya Hachiman is very low-key at school, there are many people who want to get acquainted with him.
However, the reality of what happened compared to what Hikigaya Hachiman thought was quite different because it was even more dramatic.
Hikigaya Hachiman's absence until the first class today caused a huge uproar at school.
Everyone knew there was an unprovokable force in Shuchiin, and even senpais had been disciplined by him at some point.
When he was in the Disciplinary Committee in his early years, his methods were truly iron-fisted.
He demanded strict adherence from all students in the school, forbidding any outrageous behavior or violation of school rules.
Under Hikigaya Hachiman's tenure, the entire Shuchiin suffered for a year.
Yet, the students also greatly admired him because his standards for himself were extremely high, reaching an almost harsh state.
But this unprovokable force being late and absent today was unprecedented.
The campus forum was flooded with news of Hikigaya Hachiman's absence, with threads stacking up one after another.
There were various conspiracy theories about whether the Young Master of the Yakuza had been kidnapped.
Until one person came forward to share their experience, saying that the "unprovokable force" had been in a car accident, providing visual evidence.
The photo showed Hikigaya Hachiman's bicycle, violently twisted and mangled by car parts.
There were also pictures of the ambulance.
Some people were simply gloating, while others were genuinely worried.
Indeed, just as Hikigaya Hachiman had thought, some opportunists considered trying to "educate" the person who hit him, but in the end, nothing came of it.
That's the reality: some people are naturally the center of attention, and even the smallest incident concerning them will be magnified several times over.
It wasn't until Hikigaya Hachiman returned to Shuchiin completely unharmed that all the rumors were dispelled.
"How boring, these people really have nothing better to do."
Hikigaya Hachiman returned to his classroom. Seeing that he was completely uninjured, his classmates immediately knew it was just a rumor.
"Hikigaya-kun, that's great, you're okay."
The speaker was the girl sitting in front of Hikigaya Hachiman, a very beautiful blonde with her hair tied in a side ponytail.
Her attire looked quite fashionable and was unlike the conventionally obedient Ojou-sama. Her brown jacket was tied around her waist like an apron, and she even had lightly colored nails.
The top button was undone, cleverly exposing her delicate collarbone.
Judging by Hayasaka Ai's attire, it was clear she was someone who enjoyed challenging rules and exploiting loopholes.
Hayasaka Ai wasn't just Hikigaya Hachiman's seatmate; she was also a key target of the Disciplinary Committee's focus.
This was because her clothing was constantly pushing the boundaries of the school dress code.
"Thank you for your concern, Hayasaka-san."
Hikigaya Hachiman knew her true identity: she was the personal attendant of Shinomiya Kaguya, who was also in the Student Council.
Although she hid it well, he had seen through it from the very beginning.
"By the way, Yuigahama-san is sick today."
Yuigahama Yui and Hayasaka Ai were good friends, a friendship he had facilitated.
It was evident from their attire that Hayasaka Ai and Yuigahama Yui shared a similar gyaru style, and the two girls had much in common.
"Mhm, I know, Yui told me."
But while Hayasaka Ai was texting with one hand, seemingly replying to Yuigahama Yui's message, she was actually sending a message to her mistress, the Young Lady.
"Young Lady, Hikigaya-kun is safe."
"Hikigaya-kun, someone is looking for you."
Hikigaya Hachiman heard this, looked out the window, and saw a familiar figure.
"I got it."
Hikigaya Hachiman walked out and asked, "What is it, Maki?"
And Hayasaka Ai, seeing this scene, quietly added another line to her message.
" Shijo Maki, the Young Lady of the Shijo family, is here to see Hikigaya-kun again."
Unexpectedly, a reply came quickly from the other side.
"???"
"I'll be right there."