Chapter 12 Sakura Airi's Troubles
"You won't betray me, right?"
"I swear on Komachi, I won't betray you." Hikigaya raised his right hand.
"Who's Komachi?"
"The world's cutest imouto (little sister)."
"Ugh, sis-con, so gross." Kushida made a disgusted face and opened the door. "I can't hold it in anymore. You know the drill."
Kushida's usual angelic persona caused her to accumulate negative emotions. Once it reached a certain level, she had to release them, or she'd start self-harming.
Her way of venting stress involved either furiously insulting those who made her angry or kicking things. Neither of these methods were quiet, and Hikigaya was now her lookout partner.
Since the school was near the sea and had a large, lightly staffed shopping district with few students around, it was possible to find spots without surveillance cameras or student traffic. Today, Kushida had picked a seaside spot with a sturdy guardrail, which she wasn't afraid to kick hard.
"With that cold face and holier-than-thou attitude, why doesn't that bitch Horikita just drop dead already!"
"That noisy fly Ike Kanji—can't he just screw off already?! If you don't know how to talk, sew your damn mouth shut, you stupid dog!"
"Just drop out already! That hot-tempered redhead looks like a damn baboon. Getting set up is what he deserves—serves him right!"
"Sakura Airi…"
The iron railing rang out loudly with her kicks. The wind carried Kushida's muttered words to Hikigaya, who was standing guard a bit away. One name caught his attention.
Sakura Airi's obedient personality shouldn't have put her on Kushida's bad side.
.
.
.
There wasn't much work for the student council secretary.
The next day after school, after about half an hour of sparring with Secretary Tachibana Akane, Hikigaya rushed off to the library.
Sakura, Hasebe, and Karuizawa Kei were at the study area, grimacing as they tackled practice problems. Knowing that failing the upcoming midterms could lead to expulsion, none of them declined Hikigaya's after-class drill sessions full of practice problems.
"Hikigaya, over here!"
As he looked around for them, he heard Karuizawa Kei's voice. Following the direction it came from, he saw the blonde girl with a single ponytail waving at him happily.
"Done with student council work already? No wonder you were made secretary as soon as you joined."
Lightly dressed like a bit of a gyaru, Karuizawa grabbed Hikigaya by the arm and pulled him to sit beside her. Across the table sat Sakura Airi and Hasebe Haruka, sitting close together.
After forming their study group, Sakura and Hasebe had gotten close. Karuizawa, who had distanced herself from them, usually only talked with Hikigaya.
"There's no big events like the sports festival going on, so the workload isn't that much."
After replying to Karuizawa, Hikigaya greeted Sakura and Hasebe, then picked up Karuizawa's completed test sheet to review and grade it.
"How is it? Did I improve?"
As he shifted in his chair, a soft hand with a pale blue wrist flower touched his shoulder. Karuizawa's lightly made-up face moved close to his.
"You've improved a lot. You shouldn't need to worry about the midterms." Hikigaya could tell from a glance that she hadn't made many mistakes.
The practice-through-repetition strategy was working—Karuizawa had definitely improved since the last quiz. He had also gotten used to her closeness and understood why she acted that way.
D-Class's undisputed leader was Hirata Yousuke, but since Hirata constantly praised him and he held the position of student council secretary, Hikigaya's status in D-Class was also quite high.
Karuizawa not only acted close to him in the library, but also often sat on his desk in class, chatting like they were close friends.
A prime minister's gate is crowded with lower-ranked officials—borrowing Hikigaya's influence, Karuizawa had taken a dominant attitude to gather several girls under her and become a leader figure in the class.
Hikigaya didn't mind being a "tool" as long as she didn't use his name to bully others.
"That's a relief." Karuizawa stretched with a big yawn. "I'm so dead tired lately."
Her proud figure became more noticeable as she stretched. Unable to resist the gravitational pull of the chest, Hikigaya sneaked a glance or two, only to meet Hasebe's teasing gaze.
"Pervert, Koyahachi (little Hachiman)."
Hasebe Haruka was a mature, elegant beauty with a tiny beauty mark under her left eye. Calling friends by nicknames was her way of showing closeness.
"Cough cough."
Hikigaya decided to pretend he didn't hear her. He circled the errors on Karuizawa's sheet and explained them, then moved on to Sakura and Hasebe's sheets, similarly focusing on their mistakes.
After the explanations—
"Sakura, stay back for a bit. I want to ask you something."
Karuizawa had already left to hang out with her friends. Hasebe and Sakura were packing up, planning to eat together.
"Just me?!" Sakura looked flustered at Hikigaya's words.
"It's fine, Airi. Koyahachi's eyes might look a bit scary, but he's a good guy."
"That's not what I meant…"
"Then it's fine. Hikigaya, take good care of Airi." Hasebe gave Sakura an encouraging pat on the shoulder with a mischievous smile.
"Okay."
After Hikigaya replied, Hasebe picked up her bag and left, leaving behind a timid, quail-like Sakura, shrinking into herself, unsure what to say.
"It's nothing serious. Come with me."
They went to a quiet café with few students around. Hikigaya ordered a sweet coffee and got Sakura a strawberry shortcake she liked. Sugar helps trigger dopamine and other neurotransmitters, easing anxiety.
"It's delicious… Thank you, Hikigaya-kun…"
Sakura showed a satisfied expression for a brief moment after her first bite, but quickly lowered her head again when she met Hikigaya's gaze. He felt a little exasperated.
"Do you have an extra hair tie?"
"Yes!"
Taking the red hair tie Sakura handed over, Hikigaya undid the top two buttons of his white undershirt and tied a small ponytail on his bangs, making his appearance instantly odd.
"Manager, could I get a straw?"
The café's female manager gave him a disdainful look before handing over a straw. Under Sakura's puzzled gaze, Hikigaya stuck the straw into his completely incompatible coffee cup.
"Just be yourself. No need to worry too much about others' stares." Hikigaya forced a stiff smile and sipped the coffee through the straw.
"So hot!!"
Hikigaya pulled a dramatic face. Sakura couldn't help but laugh, her nervousness fading.
"Thank you, Hikigaya-kun. I'll do my best."
"Take it slow." Hikigaya sucked in two breaths to cool down. "I mainly called you out today to ask—has Kushida approached you recently?"
"Ah… Kushida-san…" At the mention of her name, Sakura's slightly lifted head drooped again, but she still tried her best to look Hikigaya in the eyes.
"She bumped into me in front of the elevator and I dropped my camera—it broke. Kushida-san came close and offered to help me get it fixed."
Sakura fidgeted with her long red hair that hung down to her chest, looking a little guilty.
"But… I don't know why, her eyes scared me so much. I pushed her away and ran…"
"Should I apologize to Kushida-san?"