72. Aiura's Plea
"Excuse me, please make way." Hikigaya stood in front of the wall of people, speaking quite politely.
Thanks to this group's tendency to quickly lose interest in things, Jabami—who was still temporarily labeled as a "stray cat"—was spared their harassment for now.
"Tch…"
The girls surrounding Aiura Kokoro quieted down the moment they saw it was Hikigaya. Their mouths stopped spewing venom, and they silently made way for him.
Though Hikigaya could still hear them cursing him under their breath.
Aiura Kokoro had lost all of her former arrogance. Her once defiant and domineering eyes had grown dull and lifeless, and even her usual bun hairstyle drooped weakly. The armband marking her as class president and the "stray cat" ID tag around her neck clashed in a comical and pathetic way.
Her hands rested neatly on her knees, eyes vacant, and she didn't even react when Hikigaya came up beside her.
"Yo, Aiura."
Hikigaya's voice startled Aiura Kokoro, making her tremble slightly. This voice, which had echoed in her mind constantly over the past few days, now cast a deep shadow over her.
She shrank back toward the wall, casting a complicated glance at Hikigaya Hachiman, and muttered in a pitiful tone, "W-What do you want…"
Seeing her looking so miserable, Hikigaya didn't show a shred of mercy. On the contrary, he advanced step by step, looming over her like a shadow.
"Do you still remember the bet between us?"
The bet…
Aiura Kokoro froze, recalling the memory she had selectively tried to forget.
Her face flushed red instantly, and she instinctively glanced around, only to find that everyone nearby had begun turning their eyes toward her. With a voice almost on the verge of tears, she said, "D-Don't do this, there are too many people here. I beg you…"
"I didn't expect you to remember. I thought you'd deny it, since it was a private bet."
"I—I'm not that kind of person!" Aiura Kokoro protested, then added in a smaller voice, "A bet's a bet, but I really can't shout that out in class… Please…"
Hikigaya nodded without comment, his fingers tapping rhythmically on Aiura's desk.
Then he shifted the conversation: "You don't have to fulfill that promise."
"Huh?"
"On the condition that you help me with something. No problem, right?"
"N-No problem… But what can I do now?" Aiura Kokoro's expression was bleak. After losing to Hikigaya Hachiman and humiliating herself in front of the whole class, her once fiery personality had been somewhat tempered.
Only after personally experiencing the torment of bullying could she finally understand how despicable she had been as a perpetrator.
So helping Hikigaya wasn't just some spur-of-the-moment decision.
After going home, she had seriously thought it through—Hikigaya Hachiman was definitely not an ordinary person. The aura he gave off, and the intensity he radiated when facing adversity, were unlike anything she had ever encountered.
If she had to compare him to someone, Aiura Kokoro's assessment was this: a serious Hikigaya is even more terrifying than upperclassman Mibuomi.
Since she had to call him "Master" in private anyway, doing things for him seemed like a natural next step.
Aiura Kokoro didn't resist—submitting to someone stronger had always been her way of survival.
Besides, the image of Hikigaya standing up to the entire class for her that day had already etched itself deeply into her mind.
To the point that now, when she secretly glanced at Hikigaya Hachiman out of the corner of her eye, she realized… he was actually really handsome. Delicate features, eyes that shone with intensity—only for some reason, he gave off the first impression of some typical "go-home club" otaku.
Hikigaya looked somewhat surprised at Aiura Kokoro in front of him. Her attitude once again confirmed his eye for judging people. Aiura Kokoro had ambition—she wasn't some idiot obsessed with petty wins, losses, or revenge.
A talent worth cultivating, Hikigaya praised in his heart.
"Sometimes, information is more valuable than money," Hikigaya said slowly. "The ten million yen you owe me—I can let that go, on one condition: you prove yourself valuable enough."
"Information?" Aiura Kokoro mulled over Hikigaya's words, then replied earnestly, "Ask away. If I know something, I'll definitely tell you."
"The Full-Bloom Association—how much do you know about them?"
When it came to specifics about the Full-Bloom Association, even Juraku Sachiko didn't know much. What she could grasp were only details about peripheral grunts like Kiwatari Jun.
Overall, the Full-Bloom Association was a secretive organization.
In the intelligence Hikigaya had gathered so far, all he knew was that Shimotsukiuri Ouri was part of the Full-Bloom Association. But obviously, she wouldn't be volunteering any information to him.
"Full-Bloom Association…" A struggle flashed through Aiura Kokoro's eyes. Having lost in gambling, her application to join the Full-Bloom Association had naturally been rejected.
But revealing information about the Full-Bloom Association would mean putting herself in direct opposition to Mibuomi Aoi. The consequences of that were irreversible. If Hikigaya Hachiman lost… she'd spend the next two years in hell.
"What's wrong? Don't want to talk?"
Aiura Kokoro's eyes turned resolute. She took a deep breath and said, "No, I'll talk. But there's not much I know. What do you want to ask?"
Since she had decided to cut ties with her former self, since she had come to understand the cannibalistic nature of Hyakkaou Private Academy, then she—Aiura Kokoro—had to change!
Shimotsukiuri Ouri, Mibuomi Aoi—if you think I, Aiura Kokoro, am useless, then I'll prove you wrong!
Even if I'm no good at gambling, this is my Aiura Kokoro-style gamble! she roared inwardly.
When she looked at Hikigaya Hachiman, something new and unfamiliar began to grow inside her.
"How much do you know about the Full-Bloom Association's executives?"
Aiura Kokoro's increasingly fervent gaze made Hikigaya feel uneasy. He instinctively took a step back. Ever since being tormented by the Momobami family, Hikigaya had become particularly sensitive to strange looks from the opposite sex.
"I know this one!"
Aiura Kokoro felt delighted—Hikigaya's question was exactly what she'd hoped for.
Previously, while serving as a trainee officer in the Full-Bloom Association, she had been interning under a particular pair of senior officers. Now, she could use this information as a token of her allegiance.
"I know this. I used to intern under two officers in the Full-Bloom Association as a reserve officer."
"Who?"
"Internally, they're called the Ougatou Sisters."
"They're twin sisters. The elder is Naoko Ougatou—she has short blue hair and wears a small braid on the right side. The younger is Houko Ougatou—she has long hair with a braid on the left side."
"One more thing—the Ougatou Sisters, the elder sister is the captain of the baseball club, and the younger sister is the vice-captain. Both of them are extremely skilled in baseball. As the core of Hyakkaou Academy's baseball team, they've led the team to win many national-level awards."
Ougatou? Hikigaya stroked his chin. That was a remarkably rare surname.
Moreover, rather than coming across as classic Full-Bloom Association officers, these two seemed more like super extroverts from a normal school who loved sports.
Hyakkaou Private Academy didn't enforce club participation, nor did it particularly promote athletics, but as Japan's top high school, it naturally attracted students with superior physical abilities. With the best instructors available, even without a strong sports culture, each sports club still achieved excellent results in nationwide competitions.
Hikigaya nodded, affirming the value of Aiura Kokoro's intel, and continued to press: "Do you have any more detailed information? For example, what type of gambling are they good at?"