Chapter 17: The God Walking Among Men
Since Yukinoshita Yukino had just moved in, she hadn't prepared a lot of ingredients in her refrigerator. Considering that a boy's appetite must be quite large, she specifically decided to go out and buy more ingredients.
The apartment they lived in was near a grocery store, although it was a bit expensive because it stocked premium ingredients.
Hikigaya Hachiman pushed the shopping cart while talking to Yukinoshita Yukino.
"If the club application is approved, you will generally be given an area for activity next Monday."
It was a good time to tell her about the club's administrative matters.
"However, I think you should show your face at the Club Joint Council."
Because if they don't truly understand, it can easily lead to misunderstanding.
Yukinoshita Yukino nodded, indicating she understood. "I'm not in a hurry, it's alright.
Because I haven't even finished recruiting members yet..."
"That doesn't matter." Hikigaya Hachiman shook his head. "This school isn't without clubs with only one person.
For example, the Astronomy Club only has one member."
The Astronomy Club is Ryuju Momo's private club; with only Shirogane Miyuki joining besides herself, it only has two people in total.
"The school generally doesn't regulate clubs unless they involve criminal activities."
"Thank you again, Hikigaya-kun." Yukinoshita Yukino sighed slightly in relief; the matter of establishing the club was finally over.
"Didn't you already treat me to dinner?"
"Speaking of which, Hikigaya-kun, what would you like to eat?"
"I'm not picky about anything, I just prefer a little meat."
Hikigaya Hachiman felt that being able to easily buy ingredients in this peaceful world was truly wonderful.
Otherwise, in the past, he would just pick up a corpse on the battlefield, eat a bite to get by, and be done with it. There was nothing that peaceful.
Opening a can of MRE required three days of burning, while also preventing the canned food from mutating. In the worst-case scenario, he might even have to wrestle with the can to eat it, which was absurd.
But Yukinoshita Yukino could be deceitful, too.
Yukinoshita Yukino wasn't waiting for a taxi at all; she was simply waiting for the dinner invitation. Was she really waiting for him outside the gate for over half an hour?
After Kamo Takeyasu had dropped off Hikigaya Hachiman and Yukinoshita, he quietly sent a text message telling him everything he had seen at the school gate earlier. That's how Hikigaya Hachiman learned that Yukinoshita Yukino had been waiting for him at the entrance.
"Then how about a Wagyu platter for Sukiyaki, Hikigaya-kun?"
Yukinoshita Yukino looked at him, slightly puzzled as he seemed to be contemplating something.
"Sukiyaki, that's excellent."
Hikigaya Hachiman nodded in agreement. They bought a few things to serve as drinks and finished their shopping.
"I apologize, Hikigaya-kun, I seem to have bought too much."
Yukinoshita Yukino also bought some daily necessities, thinking that since she was out, she might as well buy a lot.
"It's fine, I'll carry it for you."
"No, I meant we should each take one side."
Yukinoshita Yukino wouldn't let Hikigaya Hachiman carry everything alone. Her tone was a little apologetic because she had troubled him again.
"Okay."
Hikigaya Hachiman grabbed one side of the bag while Yukinoshita Yukino held the other side. This way, both of them could save some effort.
.
,
,
The two walked side by side, a perfect match of handsome boy and beautiful girl, looking incredibly harmonious, which made passersby quite envious.
"Miko, look how handsome that boy is."
Since Shuchiin was dismissed a bit early today, students from other schools were only just starting to leave.
"Is he from Shuchiin? Oh no, isn't that a love story between a young lady and a young master?"
The JK (high school girl) on the other side, with short blonde hair and a great figure, pointed to her black-haired best friend next to her and tugged her arm. "Wow, they look so compatible."
But compared to her friend who was thoroughly enjoying the shipping moment, the beautiful, black-haired JK in a short skirt looked as if she couldn't believe her eyes, her head buzzing with numbness.
"So terrifying!"
"What is that!"
Yotsuya Miko had always thought her eyes could only see ghosts and monsters, but she never expected to see a God walking among men today.
An ineffable, indescribable presence.
In the surreal, hazy, blood-colored light and shadow, the figures of the young man and woman were vaguely obscured, and a chilling dark red phantasm concealed all prying eyes.
A pair of enormous, pure white wings unfolded, vast enough to blot out the sun. The feathers were pure and flawless, sacred as an angel's.
However, this pair of pure white Archangel wings was connected to a single, gigantic and unsettling eye, shaped eerily like a dripping drop of blood, incredibly ominous and terrifying.
Yet, despite this ominous existence, it inexplicably radiated a sacred and glorious golden divine light.
Depraved distortion and sanctity—completely opposite attributes coexisted here, forming a contradictory yet harmonious aesthetic.
The most terrifying thing was that around that phantasm, all the terrifying vengeful spirits on the entire street that Yotsuya Miko had always considered unbeatable were now being judged as if vampires exposed to holy light, completely vanishing into thin air. One after another, they emitted cries of agonizing pain.
Their screams echoed in Yotsuya Miko's mind, as if dozens or hundreds of war drums were being loudly beaten, nearly bursting her head.
This breathtaking spectacle left Yotsuya Miko painfully struggling between deep-seated fear and an urge to kneel and worship, unable to extricate herself.
Yotsuya Miko felt a searing pain in her eyes, as if someone had sprayed pepper spray into them.
Yurikawa Hana, Yotsuya Miko's friend, immediately noticed the abnormality and became anxious.
"Miko, why are you crying?"
Yurikawa Hana hastily pulled out a tissue from her bag and helped her.
"Ah, you're getting a nosebleed too.
Miko, no matter how much you might be jealous of someone else's boyfriend, you shouldn't get so emotional that you bleed, right?"
"No, Hana."
Despite the stinging pain, Yotsuya Miko couldn't control the tears gushing from her eyes and uttered a sentence that left Yurikawa Hana utterly confused:
"I saw a God."
.
.
.
"Hikigaya-kun, do you know that girl over there?"
Yukinoshita Yukino, walking ahead, also noticed the commotion behind them. Why was a beautiful, unfamiliar girl crying after seeing them walking together?
"No, I don't know her at all."
Hikigaya Hachiman answered calmly. He merely regarded her as a talented novice who had just stepped into the world of Sorcery—a young calf unafraid of the tiger.
She was truly reckless, daring to look directly at him with her spiritual sight ability. Fortunately, Hikigaya Hachiman was currently in a state of controlled power.
If this had been a few years earlier, when Hikigaya Hachiman couldn't control his power well, that girl's entire head would have probably exploded by now.
Mei Mei was not so lucky; when she peeked at his true form, even though her "Black Bird Manipulation" crows bore the brunt of the mental contamination, she herself nearly died. That's why Mei Mei has worn her ponytail forward ever since, obediently becoming a maverick.