Chapter 076: A New Girlfriend!?
Karuizawa Kei was truly pitiful.
She had been hiding a scar on her abdomen all this time.
Amidst her fair skin, there was a long, ugly scar, as if left by a sharp blade.
Anyone who saw it would immediately understand—the wound had once been life-threatening.
This must have been the incident she mentioned, the one where she nearly died resisting.
If this scar was exposed, people would inevitably ask about it, forcing her to recall the torment of her past.
That was why she was so afraid.
—
At the entrance of Horikita Suzune's dorm room.
"Suddenly, I feel like…" Hachiman said, "my middle school wasn't so bad after all."
He had already learned about Karuizawa Kei's past from her.
At the same time, he had confirmed that she did indeed have scars—life-threatening ones.
If she had endured years of torment, even to the point of risking her life in desperation, yet still managed to attend high school, it meant that she possessed an incredibly strong heart.
And now, in a school she had hoped would be her salvation, she found herself once again exposed—her weakness discovered.
For her, this was despair.
Right now, Karuizawa Kei was trying to collect herself.
Meanwhile, Hachiman had already asked Horikita Suzune for permission to use her shower.
After all, this was the girls' dormitory, and since Hachiman had poured Horikita's water on Karuizawa, she was now drenched. If someone saw her like that, it would cause trouble.
And so—
Karuizawa Kei was taking a shower in Horikita Suzune's room.
But—
She was now standing with Hachiman at the dormitory entrance.
"Middle school, huh?" Horikita said. "Speaking of that, although I was always studying and didn't have any friends…"
"I seem to recall hearing about something major that happened in middle school."
"It seems that an entire class, along with their homeroom teacher, went on strike for a whole month," Horikita Suzune said.
"..." Hachiman.
Alright, Horikita, please don't talk about such terrifying things in public.
Do you realize you're bringing up Kushida's dark history?
Since Hachiman had already learned about Hirata's past, he was well aware that Kushida's history, which was similar to Hirata's, must have been equally serious.
And Horikita, don't you already understand a bit about this?
But this is the girls' dormitory, and Kushida's room is right next to yours.
Even though she isn't here right now, you still shouldn't casually mention something so horrifying.
Otherwise, that ticking time bomb—Kushida—might just explode.
—
Twenty minutes later.
After finishing her shower and changing into clean clothes, Karuizawa also dried her hair.
Of course, since she didn't have a change of clothes here, she had borrowed some from Horikita Suzune.
Naturally—
According to Horikita, as long as Karuizawa washed them and returned them later, it would be fine.
In other words, Horikita would lend things to other girls if they asked.
This left Hachiman feeling just a little disappointed.
However—
"Horikita, can you wait out here a little longer?" Hachiman said.
"..." Horikita Suzune.
Seriously, what is going on today?
This was her room, yet she kept getting kicked out.
But there was no helping it.
After all—
Although Karuizawa had told Hirata about her past, it was because she was seeking help.
Hirata had simply passed that responsibility onto Hachiman.
And Hachiman had used his own observations to subtly lead Karuizawa into revealing her past on her own.
But this past—just as Karuizawa feared—was not something she could just tell anyone.
So, Horikita had to wait outside for now.
With that, Hachiman stepped into the room.
—
Karuizawa had finished her shower, and there was still a faint mist around her.
Speaking of which, she smelled really nice. Even though she had used the exact same body wash as Horikita—no, she had literally used Horikita's body wash—
Somehow, it smelled even better.
Also—
This was the first time Hachiman had ever seen a girl right after she took a shower.
Turns out, Kushida's "charms" level wasn't the highest after all.
Hachiman felt himself waver for a moment.
But he quickly steadied himself.
Because he noticed—after finishing her shower, Karuizawa was sitting quietly, her expression slightly uneasy.
Yes, she was afraid.
Because now, all of her secrets had been exposed.
"If you feel uneasy," Hachiman said, "then I can trade one of my secrets in return."
"No need for that," Karuizawa replied, her request seemingly simple. "Can you promise to protect me?"
"Hirata told you my secret…" Karuizawa continued. "That means he trusts you. Which means you have strength. So—can you protect me?"
Oh.
So that's how it is.
So pragmatic.
But this was a good thing—
Rather, from the very beginning, Karuizawa had sought out Hirata's help because she wanted protection.
She had become incredibly timid. Even the strong front she put on was just an act.
It was all just to protect the her weak and fragile self.
"My goal is to lead Class C to become Class A," Hachiman said. "You already know the state of our classmates. So in order to reach Class A, I'll need to take control when necessary."
"I already have the cooperation of Hirata, Kushida, and Horikita."
"So, if you're willing to cooperate—then I'll do my best to protect you, in every way I can."
The word "protect" wasn't something one should use lightly.
It was a word meant only for people with real power—
And for people they truly cared about.
But just now, Hachiman had genuinely wanted to say it.
Perhaps it was sympathy.
Karuizawa's experiences were horrific. And if he imagined himself in her position—he probably wouldn't have handled it any better.
Maybe even worse.
That's why—
Hachiman had said his middle school life wasn't so bad.
Compared to people like Kushida, Hirata, and Karuizawa—
Their middle school experiences weren't just "bad."
They were practically criminal.
But—
If Hachiman had been in Karuizawa's position—
If he had encountered those bullies—
Then he would have done something.
For example—
If Karuizawa had been bullied in the past, then one solution was simple:
Violence.
Similar to Hirata's approach.
But unfortunately, Karuizawa probably wasn't good at fighting.
Still, just because violence wasn't an option didn't mean there were no other solutions.
For example, she had been bullied, yet the school turned a blind eye. Her parents only told her to endure it. Even her friends abandoned her out of fear of becoming targets themselves. Isolated and helpless, she had no choice but to resign herself to the suffering.
That kind of situation was terrifying.
If Hachiman had been in her shoes, he probably would have taken a different approach.
If the world abandoned him, then he would become the god of a new world.
The simplest method would be recording their crimes and sending the evidence to their parents. If those bullies were pretending to be well-behaved daughters at home, then things would get interesting.
If their families didn't care either, then there were other options—like spamming their phones with harassing messages or even dumping garbage in front of their houses. In other words, if they pushed others to the brink, then they deserved to be pushed to the brink themselves.
Ordinary people are easily influenced into committing crimes, but they're also easily cowed into submission.
Because deep down, they don't want to lose their peaceful lives. Even bullies have things they fear. You just have to find out what those things are.
So, if someone ruins your world—
Then ruin their world.
A little taste of an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
But, of course, this was all just hindsight.
For Karuizawa, this school—this place that had nothing to do with her past—was her salvation.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have adopted this "gyaru" persona, using an aggressive, confident facade as if it were external armor, protecting her true self.
"Protect… huh…"
Karuizawa still seemed unable to process it.
Because—
For her, protection must have always been a distant, unattainable thing.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have ended up with a near-fatal injury.
That was her attempt at resistance. She had fought back.
But the price was steep.
"This school's students were carefully selected," Hachiman said. "It's like a fresh start. And you want to build a new life here, don't you?"
"So, this is a win-win solution. I'll keep your secret safe."
"But in return, I need your cooperation."
"..."
Karuizawa seemed to think it over.
"Then…"
"Are you sure you can take care of the problem with Manabe?"
Manabe, huh?
So, she had already decided to side with him.
"I'll handle Manabe. The student council granted me one position—it's just a disciplinary committee member, but I can give it to you."
"The student council holds a lot of power in this school. As long as you show that you're a member, Manabe will back off on her own," Hachiman explained.
In other words, he was inviting her to join the student council. The disciplinary committee didn't have much authority, but having the title alone was enough to shield her.
"I understand." Karuizawa looked at him. "Then, don't ever reveal my secret."
"Of course," Hachiman said. "In fact, even mentioning a past like that must be painful. Also… sorry for dumping water on you earlier."
"..."
Karuizawa.
If you knew it was awful, then why did you do it in the first place?
Still, she wasn't stupid.
She quickly pieced things together—
Had Hachiman done it to test her?
"So… Hirata didn't actually tell you my secret, did he?" Karuizawa finally realized.
"I just deduced it," Hachiman admitted. "Your expression when facing Rika was off—it didn't match the confident 'queen bee' image you put on."
"And then, when Manabe and Rika teamed up against you… If you were truly as strong as you pretend to be, you wouldn't have been afraid even if you were alone."
"You wouldn't have…" Hachiman paused for a moment.
"…needed to borrow someone else's strength."
By "borrowing strength," he meant the way she had clung to him, using him as a shield.
"..." Karuizawa listened to his analysis. "Then, how did you know I was injured?"
"You wore your swimsuit in advance before swimming class, and even after class, you never exposed your skin in front of the other girls," Hachiman said. "For an average girl, maybe it's because she gained weight, has belly fat, or has acne she doesn't want others to see. But in your case, I didn't think it was something that superficial. I figured it was scars."
"That's why I asked if you had been hurt," Hachiman explained.
I see.
Then… you're pretty terrifying.
Just by observing, he had seen through her true nature. And then, by analyzing how she wore her swimsuit, he had deduced that she had injuries.
Was his observational ability really this terrifying?
But…
If someone this strong was by her side… could that mean she had found a powerful ally?
After all the chaos of the day, Karuizawa suddenly felt—
A slight sense of relief.
…
The next day.
Hachiman went to meet Hirata as planned.
According to Karuizawa, she had asked Hirata for help because she didn't want to be bullied anymore—she wanted to secure her position.
She was the leader of the gyaru group in class, but apparently, her academic performance was terrible.
Hmm.
Horikita had mentioned this before.
And her athletic ability was just average.
Hachiman had observed her for two days and confirmed it—Karuizawa wasn't naturally athletic.
Then, what other talents did she have?
It seemed like she had none.
If he had to name one, it would probably be the strong and confident gyaru persona she had created for herself. Though Hachiman had figured out her true self through observation, before he really analyzed it, he had never suspected that her tough attitude was entirely an act.
Even Kushida and Sakura hadn't seen through it.
Her acting skills were impressive.
And according to her—
"I didn't want to be bullied, so… I started dressing like the ones who bullied me and imitating them," Karuizawa had said.
So this was the classic case of becoming the thing you hated the most.
Hachiman arrived at the meeting spot. While waiting for Hirata, his mind wandered.
About five minutes later—
"Sorry, I'm a little late."
Hirata arrived.
His forehead was slightly sweaty, and his body still radiated heat.
Judging by how busy he looked, he had probably been helping other classmates before coming here. That was normal—after all, their class used to be Class D.
There were always problems and conflicts that needed someone to mediate.
"Actually," Hirata said, "I wanted to ask—Hachiman, what do you think about school relationships?"
"Of course, I don't mean real relationships," Hirata clarified. "I want you to pretend to date Karuizawa."
"Karuizawa came to me with the idea of fake dating to maintain her position. But now, I think you should take my place. You have a much bigger reputation than I do now."
…
Huh.
So, was he about to reveal Karuizawa's secret?
But—why this?
Why was the solution dating?
Hikigaya immediately stood up.
Because—what the hell kind of suggestion was that?!