Chapter 092: Kamuro: Sakayanagi, I saw it! A girl is treating Hikigaya to a meal!
Kushida didn't want to drop out of school, and Hikigaya didn't want her to drop out either. The class was falling apart, and while Hirata was around, there were some things that mother Hirata couldn't completely handle.
So, Kushida needed to stay.
In other words, she could still be useful.
Thus, the two reached a certain balance: Hikigaya wouldn't expose her true nature, and in return, she would assist Hikigaya and Horikita in moving up to Class A.
But this assistance wasn't the usual superficial help; it meant that when necessary, she had to follow Hikigaya's orders, even to the point of betraying the class.
Kushida had one condition for this:
She wanted Hikigaya to delete the recording of her cursing Horikita Suzune.
However—
"I can't do that," Hikigaya replied. "Because I don't trust you."
Really?
Kushida seemed a little disdainful but also aware that her true nature had already been exposed.
Normal people would've cracked mentally after seeing this side of her, but Hikigaya, on the other hand, was calm. That alone showed how strong he was.
"But I don't suggest you come here to vent anymore." Hikigaya added.
"?"
Kushida looked at him in confusion.
He not only had the weapon to threaten her but now he even didn't allow her to vent her emotions?
Hikigaya then spoke again.
"This place doesn't have cameras, but actually, I, the students of Class A, and a few others have been here."
"??"
"So, there's always someone here?" Kushida's confidence wavered.
"Pretty much," Hikigaya answered. "A girl from Class A came here around lunchtime."
"..." Kushida.
If Hikigaya hadn't caught her today, someone else from another class would've.
If it had been someone else, then she might've been asked to do something even worse than just betraying the class.
In that case, perhaps it was actually lucky that it was Hikigaya who caught her.
She had come here for the first time today to vent, and she was caught right away.
If it had been someone else, it would've been a real nightmare.
But—
"Hikigaya," Kushida spoke again. "Don't you think you are strange?"
"Am I strange?" Hikigaya looked back at her.
"..."
Is that so?
Kushida slightly averted her gaze.
In truth, Hikigaya Hachiman really was a strange person.
So, the two of them prepared to leave from the railing by the lake.
However—
"There's still one thing to say..." Hikigaya continued, "No, you absolutely cannot find a way to make Horikita Suzune drop out."
"?"
"Why!" Kushida immediately retorted.
It seemed that she had been unintentionally exposed.
Kushida had been actively getting close to Horikita Suzune, trying to build a good relationship, perhaps not just to prevent Horikita from revealing her dark past.
Her ultimate goal was… to find Horikita's weakness and drive her out of the school.
After all—
If the suspicious person simply disappeared, wouldn't that be the ultimate peace of mind?
"Because it's meaningless." Hikigaya said. "You're targeting Horikita because she's from the same school as you, right?"
"The way you acted earlier, maybe someone from your middle school saw it." Hikigaya continued. "So, you're worried about being exposed."
"..." Kushida. "Well, maybe I don't have hostile intentions toward her."
"It can't just be 'maybe'." Hikigaya quickly said.
"Heh—" Kushida seemed to smile a little.
But inside, she felt terrible because, she had just exposed a side of herself that was far from the perfect little angel everyone thought she was.
It felt as if even her underwear had been laid bare.
Hikigaya's observational skills were truly abnormal—almost disgusting.
"Also, you and Horikita are from the same middle school. Given the probability, don't you think next year there will be new students from your middle school too?" Hikigaya continued.
This made Kushida go silent.
So, next year, there would be new first-year students from her middle school, huh?
She had already approached Horikita several times, confirming that Horikita was the type to ignore everything around her.
Meaning, Kushida wasn't even sure if Horikita knew her dark past.
But other first-year students…? They might not be so ignorant.
After all, the incident she caused back then was famous throughout the school.
From students to the homeroom teacher, they all went on strike for a month.
So, if new students enrolled... and even threatened her—how disgusting would that be?
"So—" Kushida spoke again. "Hikigaya, would you help me next year?"
"Hm?"
Hikigaya looked at her strangely.
So, it was like that.
Hikigaya wouldn't help.
Tch.
What a nuisance.
She'd have to wait until next year to figure out how to handle things.
Kushida's mood soured.
...
"Well then, let's part ways here, Hikigaya." It was unclear if Hikigaya had pointed out Kushida's new crisis, but although she hadn't been cooperating earlier, now Kushida was acting even more adorable.
Her usual angelic appearance had returned in an instant.
Or rather...
Girls really do know how to transform.
Hikigaya received new information.
As he was thinking this, he realized his left hand was gently held by a girl.
It was Kushida Kikyou, repeating the same trick from before, holding his hand.
"Eh-heh~"
Kushida, the little angel, flashed a cute expression.
Clearly, her actions were intentional now.
How irritating… This was an attack with beauty.
As such...
He had originally been unable to sleep, but now, meeting Kushida had made it even harder to fall asleep tonight.
Hikigaya lay on his bed, but he couldn't help but raise his left palm, the one that Kushida had captured by the railing.
He stared at the palm, one he had long gotten used to.
Yet, his heart was restless.
Because...
This was serious.
By the way, are girls always so soft and well-endowed?
What a thought for someone in his youth.
Hikigaya realized that he too had the worries of a teenage boy.
As such...
It was probably around 1 a.m. when he finally fell asleep.
And then, he had a strange dream.
In the dream, he hadn't accepted Hiratsuka-sensei's invitation, and had continued attending Sobu High.
As expected, since he had returned to class a month late, the students had formed different cliques.
However, Hiratsuka-sensei was a well-meaning person who couldn't leave him to fend for himself.
She introduced him to a club, perhaps hoping to force him to interact with others.
But...
Hikigaya appreciated the gesture, but didn't want to change.
In fact...
Hikigaya had little motivation. He just wanted to be a househusband. From what Chabashira had said, Hiratsuka-sensei was really wealthy, and she wasn't bad looking either. If he married her, he thought his future might not be so bad. After all, a rich woman was right there.
So, he didn't really need to go out and meet new people.
Because the people he'd meet in the club couldn't support him.
...
"A rich woman right there…" Hikigaya mumbled.
"Hikigaya?"
"..." Hikigaya.
Hikigaya shook his head, trying to dismiss the strange thoughts.
Although he had such thoughts, he still felt a bit embarrassed when dreaming of being someone who relied on others.
He focused his attention.
Now, it was already the next morning.
He was in the dorm elevator, on his way to the school building.
When he got on the elevator, he noticed that Kushida and Horikita were already inside.
He had to admit, Kushida's acting skills were top-tier.
Even though she had kicked the railing and cursed Horikita Suzune last night...
When Hikigaya entered the elevator, he saw her greeting Horikita warmly.
What an actress.
"Hikigaya, what were you thinking so deeply about just now?" Kushida asked.
"A dream." Hikigaya responded.
"A dream?"
"Yeah," Hikigaya nodded. "I dreamed that I could become a househusband in the future, not needing to work and stuff."
"Hehe..." Kushida smiled.
However, Hikigaya felt she was probably mocking him.
Because, how many rich women are there to meet so easily?
Indeed.
Hikigaya also believed that rich women were something you could only encounter by chance, so he had to follow Chabashira's advice.
But...
"Ding-dong—"
Their elevator reached the first floor with a soft sound, and the other elevator stopped steadily.
"Ohayou, Kushida, Horikita, and Hikigaya-kun."
A girl with soft, pink-golden long hair stepped out of the elevator.
She had a bright smile on her face and walked towards the two with a light, lively step, exuding an energetic vibe.
"Ah, Ichinose, good morning!"
Kushida returned the smile sweetly, and the two of them, just standing there, made a beautiful sight.
Although the two girls had very different personalities, they both acted like angels.
And this was widely recognized by most students as the school's pair of angels.
"By the way, thank you so much, Hikigaya, for yesterday." After exchanging pleasantries with the social butterfly Kushida, Ichinose turned to look at Hikigaya.
This made both Kushida and Horikita look at them in confusion.
Because, they had all met at the café yesterday, so why was there now a special thank-you for Hikigaya?
Wait, Kushida recalled that Hikigaya had mentioned he wanted to contact Ichinose later that evening.
Did something happen between them?
But no, Kushida thought she might have misunderstood.
Because what actually happened was that Hikigaya had taken a photo of the test paper and sent it to Ichinose.
She had gotten the paper from Vice-President Nagumo, and while it could help their class score, it would naturally come with a price.
So now, Hikigaya was making sure they didn't have to pay the price to Nagumo.
After thinking about it, they realized that if they owed Nagumo a favor, it would be difficult to repay.
So, the class was still free.
As such, Ichinose naturally thanked Hikigaya.
But...
"Since you're thanking me, you can treat me to lunch later, right?" Hikigaya said.
"Eh?" Ichinose seemed a bit surprised but nodded lightly in agreement. "Okay."
Then, probably because she ran into some classmates, Ichinose quickly left with her companions.
Hikigaya, too, took his bag and left.
Horikita and Kushida, however, didn't leave.
Horikita seemed to be standing there, lost in thought.
Noticing that Kushida hadn't left either, Horikita spoke up. "Hikigaya is a bit strange."
"When you're being thanked, you shouldn't directly ask the person to treat you, right?" Horikita said.
She was following her brother, Horikita Manabu's advice, observing Hikigaya's interpersonal skills.
But Horikita felt that Hikigaya's handling of social situations had some flaws.
"..." Kushida.
No.
Compared to Hikigaya, Horikita Suzune, you don't understand human relationships at all.
...
During the lunch break.
Third floor.
"I'm a bit surprised." Kamuro Masumi from Class A brought the order to the table for Sakayanagi Arisu.
However, after placing the stew pot down, Kamuro couldn't help but comment.
"What's wrong?"
Sakayanagi Arisu was in the private room, reading a book on quantum mechanics.
It was almost exam time, but she was the only one so relaxed.
In fact...
She could afford to be so relaxed because she was the one who made the exam paper. Was there anything she wouldn't be able to do with her own questions? This was a bit different from some authors who had been away from their books for too long, only to find themselves unable to recognize their own work and end up complaining about it.
"I saw Hikigaya." Kamuro said.
"I didn't invite him today." Sakayanagi Arisu said gracefully. "The exam is almost over, and Hikigaya doesn't really have any value now."
Really.
So, Hikigaya was useful to you, which is why you invited him?
How realistic.
"That's not what I meant." Kamuro shook her head. "I meant I saw him here on the third floor. It seems like a girl from another class invited him to lunch."
"And it was the girl who paid."
"The reason is..." Kamuro continued. "He was sitting at the table, and the girl went to get the food."
"Oh. It seems Hikigaya is quite popular."
"Hehe—" Sakayanagi Arisu smiled slightly.
Then she asked, "Do you have a photo of that girl?"
"..."
Kamuro felt speechless.
Didn't you just say Hikigaya had no value?
Then why do you care about this?
But Kamuro was an honest person, so she answered.
"No." Kamuro said. "But I do know that girl. It's Ichinose Honami from Class B."