A supporting character in a romance anime? I became a god using a rat talisman.

She was so nervous she was about to cry.

God knows how she got through that morning.

Michiyo asked her about everything between her and Chiba from childhood to adulthood, as if she were conducting a census.

If Xiao Ke hadn't been desperately trying to signal her and warn her not to create the grandfather paradox, she probably would have revealed that she even snores at night.

Later, she desperately tried to change her story, stammering as she explained that she and Qianyu were just ordinary friends.

Although Michi outwardly believed her, she still looked at her as if she were a potential vixen. Pochi just wanted to find an empty closet, crawl into it, and lock herself inside.

Michiyo turned to look at Pochi, who looked like he might melt into a puddle of liquid at any moment, and couldn't help but burst out laughing.

“Little Pochi is really cute.” Michiyo reached out and ruffled Pochi’s messy pink hair. “Although our conversation was a bit… well, exciting at first. But the misunderstanding was cleared up, and we’re good friends now, right?”

Boqi shrank back as his neck was being rubbed, not daring to resist, and could only make nasal "hmm" sounds.

"Misunderstanding?" Qianyu keenly caught the word and raised an eyebrow. "What misunderstanding?"

Chapter 248 Hachiman's Hesitation

Michiyo leaned closer to Chiba, lowered her voice, and said in a tone only the two of them could hear, "Pochi said you guys are still sleeping tonight... um!"

Although Pochi had his head down, his ears were perked up high.

Upon hearing Michiyo mention "sleeping together," she was terrified, her mind went blank, and a potential beyond human limits suddenly erupted.

She lunged forward and covered Michiyo's mouth with her hand.

"N-No! Nothing at all!" Pochi's face turned bright red as he shouted incoherently, "It's a misunderstanding! It's Urushihara-san...she...she remembered it wrong!"

Michiyo's mouth was covered, but her amber eyes were full of sly smiles. Instead of being angry, she took the opportunity to squeeze Pochi's wrist.

Qianyu's lips twitched as she watched the two of them bickering.

He could probably guess what that idiot Poch had revealed that morning.

"Alright, stop teasing her."

"You woman whose head is full of pink nonsense, can't you think of anything normal?"

"Oh dear, is Chiyu-kun blushing? How cute~"

Michiyo smiled like a cat that had successfully stolen some fish.

The three of them walked through the corridor and headed towards the old teaching building.

Just as she reached the stairwell of the old building, Qianyu caught a glimpse of a figure out of the corner of her eye.

Black ahoge (cowlick), dead fish eyes—that's Hachiman Hikigaya.

The lone wolf, still sporting those dead fish eyes and with his hair a mess like a bird's nest, slowly walked down from the second floor.

Qianyu greeted him casually.

Hachiman raised his eyelids, and when his gaze swept over Michiyo and Pochi, he paused, slightly surprised.

"Kazama...do you have some kind of pink-collecting fetish?"

Chiba ignored Hachiman's sarcastic remarks.

His attention was completely drawn to the corner of a black card that Hachiman was peeking out of his school uniform pocket—the edge of a monster card.

Qianyu quickly weighed the options.

Pochi knows the truth about how the cards will destroy the world in the future, and he absolutely cannot let her hear any discussion about the cards.

As for Michiyo, this woman's intuition is too accurate; listening to too much of it can easily arouse suspicion.

"You two go ahead." Chiba stopped and turned to look at Michiyo. "I'm going to buy a bottle of water from the vending machine. I have something to talk to Hachiman about."

Michiyo blinked, her gaze shifting between the two boys.

"A secret between boys?" Michiyo smiled and released Chiba's arm. "Alright, then you'd better hurry up, don't keep the girl waiting too long."

After saying that, she grabbed the relieved Pochi and hummed a song as they walked out of the hall.

Once the sound of their footsteps faded away, Qianyu spoke first, her tone extremely natural.

"Hachiman, you look even worse than usual. What happened? Did Hiratsuka-sensei take you in for a lecture?"

Hachiman sighed, scratched his messy hair, and slowly walked down the steps.

"Ah, more or less. I haven't even had a meal yet. I'm considering whether I should rely on photosynthesis to get through the afternoon classes."

Qianyu smiled but didn't respond to that.

After a few seconds of silence, Hachiman stared at the withered tree trunk outside the window with some irritation for a while.

"Hey, Kazama, I have a question for you."

"explain."

"I was just using an analogy, purely hypothetical."

Hikigaya scratched his hair, making his already messy hair look even more like a bird's nest.

"Imagine... one day, you encounter a strangely shaped alien. Then, without saying a word, this alien forcibly gives you an unimaginable ability."

"Then that alien just packed up and left. If you suddenly had this kind of power, what would you do?"

Qianyu remained outwardly calm, but inwardly she smiled.

This awkward way of probing is truly a unique patent of Hachiman Hikigaya.

I want to confide in someone, but I'm afraid of exposing myself, so I can only put on a shell.

It seems that he not only got the card, but he was also probably forced to fight someone in some remote corner, and his worldview is on the verge of being shattered.

Since this kid wants to hear advice from a life mentor, Qianyu decided to give him a good lesson.

He stroked his chin, pretending to be deep in thought.

"That's a really interesting hypothesis."

"If I were in that situation, my first reaction would definitely be to throw that piece of junk into Tokyo Bay."

Hachiman's eyes lit up, as if he had found a kindred spirit: "Right! This kind of troublesome thing must have been mistakenly handed over by someone. For an ordinary high school student, it's a complete disaster!"

"but--"

Chiba drew out her voice, took a small step forward to close the distance between them, and patted Hikigaya's thin shoulder with an extremely heavy hand.

"Now that this power has been acquired, it is a fait accompli."

"Hachiman, I don't know if you've ever heard this saying."

"What did you say?" Hachiman was stunned by the aura and subconsciously straightened his back.

Qianyu solemnly uttered eight words: "With great power comes great responsibility."

Hachiman's dead fish eyes widened instantly, and his lips twitched twice, as if he wanted to laugh, but he suppressed it with Chiba's sacred and inviolable expression.

"Isn't that a line from that guy in the tight-fitting, silk-spitting suit in American comics?"

"Kazama, when did you become so hot-blooded and chuunibyou?"

Qianyu released her grip and took half a step back.

"It's not about being immature. Think about it: if one day some random alien gave you some kind of power, the first thing you'd think about is how to use that power."

Hikigaya suddenly blurted out, "Dazai Osamu said, 'I'm sorry for being born.'"

Qianyu almost lost her composure.

"...Please stop mentioning Dazai Osamu all the time."

Hachiman explained, "No, I mean if someone who feels sorry for even being alive suddenly gains power, what should they use that power to protect?"

Chiba understood the unspoken meaning behind Hikigaya's words.

This guy isn't debating whether or not to use monster cards; he's debating whether he deserves to use them.

Hachiman Hikigaya-style self-doubt.

He was used to being a solitary observer, used to solving problems through self-sacrifice, and used to placing himself in the most worthless position. Now, suddenly possessing power, his first reaction was not excitement, but fear.

Fear of hurting others.

Qianyu sighed inwardly.

This is the thought process of a righteous protagonist.

If it were Light Yagami, the moment he got the card, he'd start calculating how to use it to rule the world.

Qianyu turned around, gazing at the thick clouds in the sky, leaving behind a desolate silhouette.

"If I obtained that kind of power, I would find it very tiring and troublesome."

"But I know that if I stand idly by and someone dies because of a disaster I could have prevented, that debt will be etched on my conscience for the rest of my life."

Chiba turned around and grinned at Hachiman, a smile that contained three parts helplessness and seven parts determination.

"So if that day ever comes, don't hesitate, stand in front of those unarmed people. That may be the only reason that force chose you."

Chapter 249 Pochi and Homura Akemi

Hachiman fell completely silent.

His usually listless, lifeless eyes were now brimming with some extremely complex emotions.

There was resistance, there was fear, but more than anything, there was a sense of helplessness after being hit where it hurt.

He detests this kind of self-righteous righteousness the most.

But deep down, he harbored a near-pathological tendency toward self-destruction, a willingness to sacrifice himself for the sake of others.

Qianyu's words precisely hit his weakest point.

Hachiman stood there, his lips moving slightly.

“Responsibility…” he muttered to himself, his fingers gripping the card tightly through the fabric.

Chiba broke the heavy atmosphere at the right moment, patting Hachiman on the back. "Of course, I was just saying. After all, it's just a hypothetical situation, don't overthink it, let's go eat."