License

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[-Continuation-]

[-After Two and Half Hours-]

[-Location : Chiba Village-]

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[Third Person View]

–*HonK!*HONK!(:vehicles horn)

The car hummed steadily as it made its way down the road, its front seats occupied by two individuals.

At the wheel was Ryota, his hands firmly gripping the steering wheel as he focused intently on navigating the busy traffic, while in the passenger seat beside him sat Hachiman. His body reclined and relaxed, and with his eyes closed and his head tilted back against the headrest, he appeared completely at ease.

It seemed Hachiman had forgotten the cardinal rule of car etiquette - Never fall asleep if you're sitting in the front seat next to the driver.

Suddenly, Ryota's voice cut through the peaceful ambiance of the car, jolting Hikigaya out of his daydreams.

"Hachi-Man..."

The nickname rolled off Ryota's tongue easily, a familiar sound between the two individuals.

….

"Hachi-Man..." A Ryota cuts through the peaceful hum of the car, breaking the daydreaming of our protagonist.

[1].[2]

Then he patiently waited silently for a couple of seconds, awaiting the response from the intended person.

…[5]

A total of five seconds have passed, and still there has been no reply.

The only sound that was produced was the occasional sound by the car as it went through the road rather smoothly, contrary to the quite bumpy road on their way, SUV - is moving in a nice phase without much shaking… making their ride less uncomfortable.

For the fact, our main lead was also admiring the same thing.

'Man, off-road vehicles are the best for places like this.' He mused to himself, appreciating the comfort of their chosen mode of transportation.

'Ho-hum.' Then he let out a light, soundless yawn, indicating his thoroughness in enjoying the drive.

If you are wondering, then yes, Hachiman did hear Ryota calling. Why is he not responding? The answer to this question can only be answered by Hachiman himself, not by anyone else.

[6].[7].[8]

Another three seconds passed by, and still there was no sign of a reply coming from Hachiman.

"..." He gave a side glance over the passenger seat through his corner of the eye, and then a person's image came into picture.

He sat beside Ryota in the front seat, his legs extended out and his back pressed against the seat in a state of total relaxation.

The sun beat down into the car through the windshield, then fell on Hikigaya, but it didn't seem to bother him.

This time, the reason was clear.

He had thrown on a pair of black shades to shield his eyes, and a worn cowboy cap was pulled low over his face.

His lap was occupied by a camera, ready to capture any moments worth remembering on this outing.

Overall, Hachiman was dressed in a perfect summer outfit - though every piece of it had been borrowed(:stolen) from Ryota's impressive wardrobe.

Yeah, though his flat may be a mess, but his sense of style is otherworldly.

Getting the full picture of Hachiman's relaxed state and not bothered by not getting the expected response without any kind of displeasure, Ryota continued after a small pause.

"Why didn't you get a licence?" He asked lazily, his hands relaxed on the wheel as he steered us toward our destination.

"You just want to laze around again." Staying in the same laid-back position he was in, Hachiman responded with an uninterested tone, his words muffled by the cap covering my mouth.

While he said that, a few other extra thoughts were running through his mind.

'Does he really think that's going to work?'

'I am still a high schooler crying out loud.'

'Not that he ever treated me like one. Oh well, that's just Ryota for you.'

"..." While this complaint is running wild silently, Ryota didn't get any type of response from him.

Then it was the same with Hachiman, he was also expecting a grumpy kind of response, but upon not getting one, he didn't think much of it and was ready for another round of daydreaming.

"....." But then suddenly Hachiman could feel an envious gaze aimed at him from his right side, which was in the direction of the driver's seat.

Seriously, if he keeps staring at me like that, who's going to watch the road? Come on, idiot.

?? Hachiman jolted back immediately, not even removing the cap that was covering his face, which then led to the cap falling near his legs, but he was not in a situation to care about things like that.

Removing the black shades for a clearer view, he observed our surroundings. The car had come to a halt, not on the road but in a parking area.

It clicked in his mind - 'we must have reached our destination'.

Slowly removing his shades for a clearer view, he took in their surroundings.

The mountain ridge loomed ahead of them in all its majestic glory. They had arrived.

"Wow." He breathed in awe. "It's the mountains."

When Hachiman got out of the car, he caught a whiff of thick grass. He felt as if there was a lot of room to breathe for some reason.

He wondered if verdant green forests made you feel that way.

Somewhere, slightly out in the open, a handful of buses stood motionless. This was Chiba Village's car park. I could also see Ms. Hiratsuka's car parked right across ours. Wishlist, there is another minivan right on the corner.

"Mm! This is really nice!" Ryota stepped out of the car and stretched out with all his might.

"We have got a group waiting. Let's grab the bags." He suggested , letting out a long sigh that honestly did sound satisfied.

"Yeah, waiting…*chuckle."

…

[-After Five Minutes-]

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[Hachiman's POV]

The sun was finally setting, and the indigo blue sky, like diluted ink, was turning black. The stars had started blinking sporadically.

The sight of a wooden kitchen table filled with dishes caught my attention as we approached. People gathered around, and I recognized familiar faces.

"There they are…" I muttered, seeing a handful of people.

A wooden kitchen table filled with dishes, along with a pair of benches, stood near the kitchen.

The shriek of a steaming kettle placed on the bench shattered the silence. Even though the kettle was simply enormous, it let out a shrill alarm.

And it seems a gloomy silence surrounded them. I thought.

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[To be continued….]

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