Pirate's Freedom

Faculty offices a few days apart.

Hikigaya had to write a housekeeping report after skipping cooking class, but was called to the office again because of the content.

"I don't want to read this kind of thing either. No need for me to say more, just rewrite it."

After giving the order with a look of helplessness, Hiratsuka Shizuka, holding a cigarette in her mouth, flipped through the report and said unexpectedly.

"By the way, can you actually cook?"

"Yes, for the sake of the future, this is natural."

"Are you at an age where you want to move out and live on your own?"

"No, that's not what I meant."

After some small talk, the topic unknowingly turned to dreams.

"Cooking is an essential skill for a housewife."

After hearing Hikigaya's answer, Hiratsuka Shizuka blinked her big eyes covered with light mascara several times.

"You want to be a househusband?"

"This is one of my options for the future."

"Don't talk about your dreams with those dead eyes! Your eyes should at least shine!"

After a slightly dissatisfied voice, Hiratsuka Shizuka adjusted her breathing and said in a different tone.

"So, what are your plans for the future? I'll listen to it first for reference."

"Uh……"

Before speaking, Hikigaya checked to see if Porusalino was there.

"Choose a university with a decent standard and continue studying."

"Well, what then? What are you going to do?"

"Find a beautiful and capable girl to marry, and then ask her to support me."

"I asked you what [job]! Tell me the occupation category!"

"Let's just say he's a househusband."

"That's called a pretty boy! They are the most terrifying trash! They will pretend to marry you, and then suddenly occupy your house and even get the key themselves. Then they will move all your belongings here. Once we break up, they will even move my furniture. It’s super bad to leave!”

With tears in the corners of her eyes, Hiratsuka Shizuka was so excited that she couldn't breathe.

……

After a while.

"It's really not nice to call him a pretty boy, but I think it wouldn't be so bad if he was called a househusband."

Hikigaya tried to persuade people with reason and save his dream of being a househusband in front of Hiratsuka Shizuka.

"Gender equality is advocated in modern times, and women are of course becoming more and more active in society. The fact that Hiratsuka-sensei is also a teacher is proof of this."

"...Well, indeed."

"It goes without saying that as a large number of women enter the workplace, men will face the problem of too many jobs and too few jobs. After all, there has never been an endless supply of job vacancies, regardless of whether they are domestic or overseas, from ancient times to the present."

"Well……"

"Modern companies don't need as many employees as before. The popularization of computers and the development of the Internet have made them pay attention to efficiency, and their personal productivity has also been greatly improved. As a result, the society has become a situation where "it's not good for you to be too motivated." Isn't there now " A concept like time-sharing?"

"go on."

"In addition, home appliances have also made great progress. Everyone can rely on home appliances to do housework, even boys."

"..."

"In short! We have worked hard to create a society where there is no need for work, but now we are asking others to work or complaining that there is no work. Don't you think it's ridiculous?"

"Alas...you still look like you're dead."

Hiratsuka Shizuka let out a big sigh, then smiled as if he was remembering something.

"If you eat food cooked by a girl once, maybe your mind will change..."

She stood up and pushed Hikigaya's shoulders hard to leave the office.

"Wait, wait a minute! What are you going to do, teacher? My shoulder hurts! It really hurts!"

"You go to the service club and learn the value of hard work."

The door was slammed shut in front of my eyes.

"..."

After a few minutes of hesitation, Hikigaya finally sighed as if resigned to his fate, dragged heavy steps, and walked slowly towards the special building alone.

……

Today was a bad day for Hikigaya, not only before but also after.

Yukinoshita was reading in the social office as usual.

Although the increasingly low air pressure here makes people restless, for the lonely master, this is still bearable.

But next.

A girl with a glamorous appearance who sings about youth appears. After accidentally revealing that she doesn't remember that she is a classmate, her dirty look is different.

【Autistic man】

Starting with this title, a scolding battle in which he killed a thousand enemies and suffered eight hundred losses ended with an unexpected apology.

In the end, because of the secret conversation between the girls, she had to go out semi-voluntarily to buy drinks and run errands for Yukinoshita.

……

On the first floor of the special building, at the vending machine in front of the welfare club, Hikigaya unexpectedly met the teacher in charge of their class again.

"Teacher Porusalino, are you here to buy a drink too?"

After sweeping over the two of them with words like the tail of a hurricane a few days ago, Porusalino calmly left the activity room under Yukinoshita's cold gaze, and did not come back for the next few days.

As for Hikigaya personally, although he didn't feel good, such remarks were not enough to break his time-tested defense. However, Yukinoshita was another matter.

"No, Hikigaya, I don't have any money on me."

In Hikigaya's eyes, Porusalino still had the same dress and expression as before, as if he didn't feel the resentment transmitted through the air by Yukinoshita at all.

"Mr. Porusalino, it's still more than half a month until payday."

Hikigaya put two hundred-yen coins into the buzzing vending machine and bought a sports drink SPORTOP and [Wild Vegetable Life 100] strawberry yogurt.

You can't tell it from the outside, but I didn't expect that Teacher Polusalino is actually an incredible moonlight tribe.

"So, now I don't have a day's yen in my hand, let alone a place to live. How can I do it if I can't even afford tea."

"..."

To this extent, it is not an exaggeration to say that they are [Sunlight Clan].

There is one more thing that people have to pay attention to.

After a pause, Hikigaya put in another [-]-yen coin and bought a can of [Men's Café Au Laurel].

"Compared with drinking tea, the place where you live is obviously more important. Mr. Porusalino, where do you live now?"

"The cherry blossom trees in the school courtyard are in bloom at this time of year."

"..."

Hikigaya was speechless.

[This must be an Italian joke, right? Absolutely. Should I laugh out loud?In this case……】

"I spent three hundred yen, and I have three hundred yen left, and I'm about to go bankrupt."

Hikigaya tried to respond.

"I really want to go see the cherry blossoms."

"Oh, are you kidding me? Hikigaya, you can't laugh at this joke."

"..."

After receiving the comment of "can't laugh out loud", Hikigaya stepped aside silently, and Porusalino stepped forward and faced the vending machine.

"This is it, the ATM."

"No, no, no, Mr. Porusalino, although it is a self-service facility, it cannot be an ATM no matter how you look at it."

Through the transparent hard plastic, the various drinks in the window can be clearly seen.

"I heard Mr. Hiratsuka say it, but I didn't expect it to have so many functions."

"This machine is very simple, it doesn't have that many functions."

knock knock knock

Porusalino stretched out his right hand, bent his slender index finger, and tapped the coin slot directly.

"Hey, hey, can you lend me some money? I will pay you back with bank interest after your salary is paid."

"Teacher Porusalino..."

[Are Italian ATMs voice-activated? 】

Just as a question flashed through his mind, Hikigaya blurted out words that he couldn't hold back.

"Even if it's an ATM, it's impossible for me to just give you money!"

Kadang——

"..."

Hikigaya watched helplessly as the hundred-yen coin he put in was spit out by the vending machine and fell into Porusalino's open hand.

Followed by.

wow wow wow-

The silver coin was like a small waterfall, tracing a beautiful path before falling into his suit pocket.

"Oh yo yo..."

The coins kept colliding with each other, producing bursts of sweet and crisp sounds, and Porusalino couldn't help but sigh.

"ATMs are so convenient..."

"..."

Even after hearing this statement, Hikigaya could only stare wide-eyed motionlessly, staring at the silver flow at the coin slot with his sour gaze.

After a while.

"Then I'll take the first step, Hikigaya."

After patting his bulging pocket first and then Hikigaya's shoulder, Porusalino walked away calmly.

His figure just disappeared into the corner.

"..."

A moment later, amid the low hum of the machine, Hikigaya suddenly took a step forward and approached the vending machine.

"Uh-huh, cough, cough, cough..."

After coughing a few times, he turned around and looked around, then lowered his voice and whispered.

"Can you, ahem... lend me some money? When I get next month's pocket money, I will pay you back with bank interest."

"..."

The vending machine was motionless.

"Hmm... I am Hikigaya Hachiman, second-year class F at Sobu High School."

knock knock --

"Hey, hey, are you off work?"

"..."

The vending machine was unresponsive.

"Is it for identification? Where is the camera?"

Hikigaya stood in front of the vending machine, shaking his body back and forth, left and right.

"..."

The wind carrying the fragrance of cherry blossoms blew gently, and the energetic shouts of girls came faintly from the distance.

"Ah...come on..."

On the track of the sports ground, members of the track and field department were sprinting to the sound of cheers.

There was a crisp sound of 'dang', and the batter's strong hit made the baseball fly high, and bursts of cheers added a new touch to youth.

"..."

The body slowly came to stillness, and after a moment of silence, Hikigaya suddenly covered his face.

"It's so stupid, what on earth am I doing..."

"I also want to know what you are doing."

At the beginning of spring, there was still a stream-like sound of ice floes, cold and sweet.

"..."

His whole body stiffened suddenly, and Hikigaya turned around slowly like a robot.

Behind him, Yukinoshita was crossing his arms and looking at him up and down with the eyes of a rare animal.

……

"Actually, there is a ghost of a bank clerk in front of the vending machine. I saw how pitiful he was when he was alone, so I tried to find a way to talk to him."

After making a difficult decision for a while, Hikigaya finally said this.

"In view of your mental problems, please keep a safe distance of at least three meters from me and slowly throw wild vegetables to me."

Yukinoshita answered as she walked forward without looking back.

"...I will vote for you with the same momentum as when I finally came to Koshien in my senior year of high school and made a huge comeback with the last goal."

"It appears to be insanity caused by long-term autism."

Yukinoshita's voice was cold and serious, making those who heard it shudder subconsciously.

"Hikigaya, I suggest you drop out of school as soon as possible and go to a professional institution for treatment, so that the more fundamental problems can be solved."

"What is the more fundamental problem? Just say mental hospital! I don't need this unnecessary euphemism at all!"

"Of course Hiratsuka-sensei gave it to me to find a way to solve your interpersonal problems."

"This isn't a solution at all! And what about Mr. Porusalino's request?"

"..."

Speaking of Porusalino, Yukinoshita's voice paused obviously.

"The service club only provides help. As for whether your wish can be realized, it still depends on yourself."