The Strongest Sorcerer, Chapter 50: Hachiman Hikigaya’s Youth

After class.

Gojo Satoru brought the two girls to collect their textbooks and then returned straight to the office.

The moment he opened the door, a figure lunged at him, throwing herself into his arms.

“Ah~ That familiar scent. It’s you, Satoru-kun~”

With a lovestruck look on her face, Natsumi Bekki sighed in delight.

“Alright, alright, Natsumi. If Shizuka sees this later, she’s going to get mad again.”

Gojo rubbed her head gently, speaking with a tone of helplessness.

Hearing the name “Shizuka,” Natsumi’s body froze, and she quickly let go of his arm, warily glancing around the room.

This past week, she’d been “disciplined” by Shizuka Hiratsuka more times than she could count. Her head was practically smoking from all the scolding—enough to leave a lingering trauma.

“Well, fine. Ah~!”

With a sheepish laugh, Natsumi took a step back. As she stepped back, her gaze fell on Gojo, taking in his full appearance today.

“Satoru-kun, you took off your blindfold!”

Her eyes seemed to sparkle with pink heart shapes, and she instinctively leaned forward again, as if pulled by some invisible force.

But suddenly…

“Natsumi, what are you doing...?”

A low, ominous voice came from the doorway.

“Gah—!”

Natsumi froze mid-lunge. She awkwardly tapped her head with her hand, pouting her lips while feigning a clueless expression.

“Oh right, what am I doing? Ah! I forgot something in the classroom. I’ll go grab it now!”

With that, she bolted from the office in a flash.

Yabai Yabai! She sighed internally. Another second and I would’ve been dead meat!

Watching Natsumi’s golden-haired figure flee in a panic, Gojo could only shrug helplessly.

She can run now, but she can’t run forever.

Turning his attention to Shizuka Hiratsuka, he noticed her still wearing her usual white lab coat. But there was something else—she had brought along a student with droopy, dead-fish-like eyes.

“Hey, Shizuka, who’s this dead-fish-eye kid?”

Pointing at the student, Gojo asked curiously.

To be fair, this kid’s dead-fish eyes were oddly fascinating, and there was something strangely familiar about him.

“囧.”

Upon being directly called “dead-fish eyes,” Hachiman Hikigaya’s face twitched uncontrollably.

Sure, he knew his eyes were a bit lifeless, but did this flashy teacher really have to say it out loud? Couldn’t he be a little more tactful?!

“What are you even saying, Satoru?”

Hiratsuka rolled her eyes.

“This is one of my students—Hachiman Hikigaya.”

Hearing the name, Gojo finally realized who this was. Those iconic dead-fish eyes weren’t something just anyone could have.

After entering the office, Hiratsuka dropped into her chair, looking visibly drained.

Earlier, she had given her class a mock essay exam. When grading the papers, she discovered one particular essay written by this student, Hachiman Hikigaya. The topic was “Youth.”

It read:

"Youth is a lie, an evil. Those who celebrate youth constantly deceive themselves and those around them. They live in denial of their surroundings, always forcing themselves to adopt a positive outlook on life…"

Great. It was clear this was not a teenager full of the typical passion and excitement of high school life.

As a responsible teacher, Hiratsuka felt it was her duty to help this problem student change his perspective.

“Here’s some coffee, Shizuka.”

Gojo handed Hiratsuka a cup of coffee, setting it on her desk.

“You look like you’re having a tough time, huh?”

Hiratsuka sighed wearily, rubbing her temples before picking up the essay and handing it to Gojo.

“Take a look for yourself.”

Taking the paper, Gojo skimmed it, already having a rough idea of its contents. But as he read it in detail…

“Pfft—HAHAHAHA!”

Gojo burst into uncontrollable laughter.

He couldn’t stop, no matter how hard he tried.

This made Hachiman Hikigaya’s already sour expression even more pitiful.

“Sorry, sorry. I’m a professional—I usually don’t laugh. But… unless I can’t help it! HAHAHAHA—”

Gojo was laughing so hard his stomach began to hurt.

“You’re so immature, Satoru.”

Watching Gojo laugh without restraint, Hiratsuka could only shake her head in exasperation.

“Alright, alright. I’ll stop laughing.”

Gojo forced himself to calm down, though his hand trembled slightly as he raised his coffee cup—residual effects of holding back laughter. After taking a sip, he managed to compose himself.

“HAHA, no, I can’t—I just can’t! I’m dying here!”

Once again, the office was filled with the sound of Gojo’s unrestrained laughter.

Even passing students outside couldn’t help but glance at the office door curiously, though they couldn’t see inside since it was closed.

After nearly a full minute, Gojo finally ran out of energy and settled down, sipping his coffee to soothe his throat.

“Hey, kid. Did you really write this essay based on your true thoughts?”

His voice was slightly hoarse from laughing so hard.

Although he didn’t feel like entertaining this white-haired joker, Hachiman Hikigaya still answered honestly.

“Of course. Youth is inherently fake.”

“Oh, Hachiman…”

Hiratsuka let out a tired sigh, shaking her head.

“No, no.”

Gojo raised a finger, wagging it in disagreement.

“Maybe you’ve gone through some things that made you feel this way, but you need to understand something—youth is a unique experience that belongs solely to you young people. There’s joy, there’s sadness, and all of it is part of the journey.

“Life itself is fleeting, a brief dream. And youth is just a small, precious piece of it. Both Shizuka and I hope you can fully embrace and enjoy this period of your life. If you see it as a lie, that’s just because you’re overthinking it.”

“Do you get what I’m saying, kid?”

Hearing this, Hachiman Hikigaya felt a small ripple of emotion in his heart. But still, he maintained his stubborn façade.

“Tch. I’m not wrong.”

“Alright, alright. Go back to class. It’s time for lessons.”

Hiratsuka waved her hand, dismissing him.

After Hachiman left and the sound of the school bell echoed down the hallway, Gojo leaned back, sipping his coffee.

“So, Shizuka, what are you going to do about him?”

“What do you mean, ‘what am I going to do?’” Hiratsuka retorted tiredly, but then she thought for a moment and said:

“I’ll probably put him in a club—see if that changes his perspective.”