Chapter 309: Gullible Miura
"To think I'd encounter it just by coming here for work."
Once everyone had left, the expression on Hikigaya Hachiman's face instantly became grave. As his gaze swept across the stream, a long, slender black shadow covered in tentacles abruptly surfaced upon the originally calm water.
The shadow seemed to sense the threat coming from Hikigaya Hachiman, pacing back and forth continuously not far from him. After a confrontation lasting about several minutes, the shadow, having weighed the pros and cons, finally chose to retreat.
"That guy is strong."
Hikigaya Hachiman stared at the water, his eyes flickering. Even though the shadow had been right in front of him just now, the System had not alerted him to its presence. Furthermore, he clearly felt that the thing that had bitten Yuigahama Yui did not seem to exist in the same space as him.
"Ghost Emperor level?"
Having taken down a Ghost King before, Hikigaya Hachiman knew very well that a Ghost King-class evil spirit could definitely not achieve what he just witnessed. Therefore, the shadow's strength could only be above the Ghost King level.
On the other hand, since he had once entered an alternate dimension and faced three Ghost God-level evil spirits up close, the pressure the shadow gave him just now was significantly smaller than those three Ghost Gods...
"The one ruling Chiba is just a Ghost King, yet I happen to run into a Ghost Emperor in the Chiba outskirts?"
Rubbing his temples with a bit of a headache, Hikigaya Hachiman turned around and headed toward the camp.
.
.
.
"What's the situation?"
Just as he returned to the camp, Hikigaya Hachiman ran into Yukinoshita Yukino, who was waiting for him outside.
"Not very good."
Yukinoshita Yukino did not understand the hidden side of the world, but because Hachiman knew her identity, he had no intention of hiding the situation.
"Even you can't solve it?"
Hearing Hikigaya Hachiman's reply, a look of astonishment surfaced on Yukinoshita Yukino's face. She then bit her finger, contemplating whether they should begin an evacuation.
"Ah, there's no need to be that worried."
Seeing Yukinoshita Yukino react this way, Hikigaya Hachiman waved his hand to signal her to relax. Although the opponent was likely a Ghost Emperor-level evil spirit, that didn't mean he couldn't handle it.
He had, after all, stayed in another world for a year. During that time, his strength had not remained stagnant; moreover, his current spiritual power almost never depleted, and he had the blessing of [Avalon: The Everdistant Utopia].
In summary, although Hikigaya Hachiman had not yet fought a Ghost Emperor-level evil spirit, it didn't mean he was incapable of eliminating it.
"More importantly, how is Yuigahama?"
Although it was just a bite mark, it was left by a Ghost Emperor-level spirit. Hikigaya Hachiman wasn't optimistic enough to believe Yuigahama Yui wouldn't suffer any side effects.
"For now, nothing unusual has been found. But it's hard to say about what comes next..."
"I see."
After Yukinoshita Yukino finished speaking, Hikigaya Hachiman nodded and walked toward Yuigahama Yui's tent. Previously, he hadn't checked the specifics of her calf because he was wary of the evil spirit; now that it had temporarily retreated, he naturally had to go inspect it.
Arriving at the tent, Hikigaya Hachiman ran into Miura Yumiko, who was just stepping out.
He had no reaction to seeing her, but Miura Yumiko, conversely, was like a mouse seeing a cat; her body subconsciously jumped to the side.
"...Am I really that scary?"
After the incident with Inoue Yasutaka, the two were technically acquaintances. Seeing Miura Yumiko so afraid of him, a bitter smile appeared on Hikigaya Hachiman's face.
"You aren't angry?"
Seeing that Hikigaya Hachiman was still using his usual tone with her, a flash of confusion crossed Miura Yumiko's face.
"Why would I be angry?" Hachiman asked back.
"Because of my attitude toward you earlier, obviously!"
Hearing Hachiman's question, Miura Yumiko gave the answer instinctively. However, the moment the words left her mouth, regret welled up in her heart.
She really was an idiot!
Looking at Hikigaya Hachiman's reaction just now, he had clearly forgotten about her aggressive behavior. Yet, she was stupid enough to remind him of it proactively!
"Oh, so it's about that."
Seeing Miura Yumiko's frustrated look, a hint of a smile appeared in Hikigaya Hachiman's eyes.
It had to be said that before he got to know Miura Yumiko, he always thought she was the very dominant, decisive type of woman. However, after interacting a few times, he discovered the silly personality hidden beneath her forceful exterior. This strong contrast gave him a very novel feeling...
"You were only angry before because of Yuigahama, right? Part of that was indeed my fault, so I won't be angry."
Shaking his head and denying any malice toward her, Hikigaya Hachiman stepped forward to enter the tent. However, in the next second, Miura Yumiko suddenly grabbed his arm and stealthily led him to a deserted, secluded corner.
"Is there something you need, bringing me to a place like this?"
Hikigaya Hachiman let Miura Yumiko pull him along. Once they finally stopped, he immediately asked for the reason.
"Stop playing dumb!"
Hearing Hikigaya Hachiman ask despite knowing the answer, Miura Yumiko rolled her eyes at him. Her reactions might be slow, but that didn't mean she was stupid.
Earlier, because she was too worried about Yuigahama Yui, she hadn't noticed Hachiman's reaction toward the stream. After calming down in the tent, she recalled the scene and realized something must have gone wrong.
"Was there one of those things in the water earlier?" Miura Yumiko hesitated slightly, then looked up with a trace of worry on her face.
"That's right. But don't worry, I'll handle it."
Since he had already repeated a similar conversation with Yukinoshita Yukino, Hikigaya Hachiman chose to skip the dialogue this time.
"Is that so? Then I'm relieved."
Hearing Hikigaya Hachiman's affirmative answer, Miura Yumiko patted her chest and let out a long sigh of relief.
Even though a long time had passed since the Inoue Yasutaka incident, that event remained her nightmare. Therefore, after guessing there was an evil spirit in the water, she had been on edge, fearing the spirit would suddenly appear before her at any moment...
Fortunately, all that vanished with Hikigaya Hachiman's guarantee. Having received his assurance, Miura Yumiko left with a peaceful mind.
"She really is incredibly gullible..."
Watching Miura Yumiko's departing back, Hikigaya Hachiman shook his head helplessly. He hadn't provided any proof, just a verbal guarantee, yet she had chosen to believe him without hesitation.
'Well, I guess that counts as one of her 'moe' points?'
Thinking this, Hikigaya Hachiman shrugged and finally ducked into the tent where Yuigahama Yui was resting.
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