Chapter 327: I Tripped...
Answering the call, the girl's ears were greeted by Hachiman's familiar voice.
"Good evening, Erina."
"Good evening..." The girl responded subconsciously.
"Wait, it's so late, do you have something to ask me?" Erina reverted to her usual arrogant tone.
Although her mind had been filled with images of kissing Hachiman just now, there was no way the haughty girl would show any sign of it in front of him, not even over the phone.
But there was nothing strange on Hachiman's end. After all, in his impression, Erina's usual tone was just like this.
"Sorry for disturbing you at this hour, but there's something I'd like to ask for your help with."
Upon hearing this, the girl snorted lightly. "Hmph, I knew it, bothering me at this late hour can't be for anything good."
"Sorry about that. To make it up to you, next time I'll do my best to cook you a few dishes." Hachiman's apologetic voice came through the receiver.
Do... do his best.
Hadn't she already tasted what he could do with his best effort before?
So, what kind of delicious dishes could he produce with his best effort?
Just thinking about it made Erina's god tongue tremble.
"I don't... don't care about your cooking."
Even though she longed for it deep down, the girl still held onto her pride.
"Hmph, but since it's a reward, I'll accept it. So, what do you need from me?"
Upon hearing Erina's words, Hachiman raised an eyebrow.
Oh, what a tsundere you are, girl.
Clearly, her voice was trembling just now. She must really want to taste it.
But to preserve the girl's dignity, Hachiman chose not to expose it and simply explained his encounter with the bear to her.
"What?! You actually went to fight a bear, are you an idiot?"
After hearing the story, Erina was startled, her tone filled with concern.
"Are you okay? Did you get hurt?"
Hachiman chuckled, "If I were hurt, could I be chatting with you so calmly?"
"Good to hear you're okay." Erina breathed a sigh of relief.
Sensing the concern in the girl's tone, Hachiman's heart warmed, and his tone softened.
"Don't worry, I never do anything without confidence."
"This time I called you to help me handle this matter. After all, casually killing a bear could lead to some trouble."
"No problem, consider it done," Erina promptly agreed, her voice sounding a bit awkward the next moment.
"But you promised me those dishes earlier."
Oh, girl, you just exposed yourself as a foodie.
Hearing her words, Hachiman chuckled and shook his head.
"Don't worry, since I promised you, I won't break my word."
After a moment's thought, he continued, "Actually, you can also preserve the bear. After all, bear meat is a rare ingredient."
"I know, I'll arrange for someone to handle it for you." Erina nodded and then hung up the phone, apparently going to arrange for someone to take care of the matter.
Putting away his phone, Hachiman let out a sigh and smiled at the girls around him.
"Well, that's sorted out now."
Seeing him hang up the phone, the girls looked at him with a strange expression, but eventually, it was Shizuka who spoke up.
"Was that the Nakiri family's young lady just now?"
"Yes, it was Erina," Hachiman nodded.
Hearing his response, the girls exchanged glances, silently acknowledging each other's understanding.
But Shizuka, being Shizuka, didn't dwell on it too much and added with a hint of curiosity in her tone.
"I didn't expect you to have a good relationship with the Nakiri family's young lady. It's quite something to have her help with this matter."
As one of the Japan Four Great Conglomerate Groups, the Nakiri family was considered a top-tier existence in the entire Japan, so it was natural for them to seek their assistance.
But now what intrigued her more was the relationship between Hachiman and Erina.
Upon hearing this, Hachiman paused briefly, realizing it was a delicate question.
He couldn't outright admit that he was trying to win Erina's affection and that he had made some progress.
But who was Hachiman? His acting skills were almost at their peak.
He casually shrugged and replied in a matter-of-fact tone, "Erina's dream is to become a top chef, and you all know about my cooking skills. So, naturally, we've become friends over time."
"As for how I met Erina, it was just a coincidence. If you don't believe me, you can ask Saeko."
Supporting Hachiman, Saeko nodded, "Indeed, it was purely coincidental how Hachiman and Erina met."
Then she briefly recounted how Hachiman and Erina had crossed paths.
"I understand."
After listening to Saeko's explanation, Shizuka and the other girls nodded in agreement.
"Well, everything seems to be resolved now, and the most important thing is that you're safe."
"Don't worry, it was just a black bear," Hachiman waved off their concerns.
"Even if it were a tiger, I could handle it."
Though a tiger posed a greater threat than a black bear, with his current combat skills, tackling a tiger solo wouldn't be too challenging.
However, only Shizuka, Saeko, and Kotonoha had a rough understanding of his combat prowess. The others, unaware of the situation, simply thought he was boasting.
Yui wrinkled her nose and gave him a disdainful look.
"Hikki, you're just bragging. With your skills, you couldn't even handle a tiger."
Seeing Yui's disbelief, Hachiman retorted immediately.
"What's so impressive about a tiger? When it charges at me, I'll just do a sliding tackle..."
But before he could finish his sentence, the girls had already left one by one.
Since Hachiman was fine, they were reassured.
Feeling a bit helpless that the girls didn't believe him, Hachiman sighed and returned to his cabin.
The night passed without incident.
The next morning, the forest summer camp came to an end, and the elementary school students packed their bags to head back.
As for Hachiman and the others, they watched from nearby.
This summer camp had been thrilling for them, with the unexpected appearance of a bear. Fortunately, Hachiman was there this time, or no one could predict what might have happened.
Just then, Rumi Tsurumi walked over alone.
"Hachiman."
Hearing the girl address him directly, Hachiman raised an eyebrow.
"What's up, Rumi?"
Looking at the "idiot" who had helped her, Rumi bit her lip.
"A photo..."
"What?"
"Can we take a picture together?"
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