Chapter 57: Confessions Aren't as Simple as You Think
Ichinose: "He's Hikigaya from Class D."
Hearing the pink-haired girl's introduction, the girl named Shiranami Chihiro clutched her chest tightly, her face showing immense pain.
Her vision blurred, tears welling in her eyes. Shiranami Chihiro could feel her feelings starting to crumble.
"Is he your boyfriend?"
Her voice carried a sob, leaving Hikigaya unsure how to respond.
All it would take was a soft "yes" or a slight nod to resolve everything, but…
'It's wrong. This is absolutely wrong.'
Ichinose, too, seemed unable to face Chihiro with those words. Lowering her head with a worried expression, she said: "Hikigaya is my…"
"Just a classmate I met here."
Hikigaya's words made both girls lift their heads abruptly, stunned and confused.
Hikigaya turned his head, unable to meet Ichinose's gaze.
"I have a friend who, in his youth, couldn't find peace over a budding love. Every night, he tossed and turned in bed. Finally… he mustered the courage to confess over his phone, but he never got a reply."
"At first, he thought the girl just didn't see his message, so he was hurt but didn't give up. Until one day, he overheard his classmates mocking him and saying disgusting things about him…"
Hikigaya spoke earnestly, while Chihiro Shiraha and Ichinose stared, wide-mouthed, in disbelief.
Finally, Ichinose gave a naive chuckle: "That friend was you, right?"
"Idiot, I said it was my friend."
Ichinose looked at the boy with a mix of indulgence and pity, as if she'd already decided he was that friend, and played along: "Okay, okay."
Hikigaya finally met Ichinose's gaze, his expression serious, causing her to drop her smile.
"In short… Ichinose, confessions aren't as simple as you think. Maybe you haven't realized it yet."
"But one day, you will. The sleepless nights, mustering all your courage. The emotions that shift with every move."
"Every day, fighting with yourself, always lacking courage, fantasizing about a successful confession, yet fearing the pain of rejection. So…"
"Since they've made up their mind, you should respond with all your feelings too."
Hearing the boy's words, the girl lowered her head, feeling a bit ashamed.
"I know I'm not qualified to say this. After all, I've never been in love, don't even have friends… but…"
"Ichinose, face it properly so you won't have regrets."
Hikigaya shoved his hands in his pockets and turned to leave.
He'd said all he needed to. Now, all he had to do was quietly wait for the outcome. That was enough.
He sat on a bench behind the special classroom building, checking his phone, where the points still hadn't been deposited.
'Looks like… it really is the student council's doing.'
[At the same time, in the Service Club.]
[Yukinoshita watched Hikigaya make this choice, momentarily too shocked to speak.]
[Back then, the school trip had torn them apart, leaving the Service Club in name only. At that time, she absolutely didn't want him to solve problems that way.]
[To be fair, she didn't hate that method of problem-solving, but she was sensitive to certain issues, absolutely unwilling to accept it. After all, that approach was just avoiding the problem.]
[Now, faced with a similar issue, Hikigaya chose a different way to handle it, which truly surprised Yukinoshita.]
[Compared to Hina Ebina's case, this situation had fewer restrictions, but… Yukinoshita was genuinely delighted by his change.]
[As the person involved back then, Ebina was also watching the video. Seeing Hikigaya choose a different approach, she let out a soft sigh of relief.]
[Yuigahama's joy was plain to see: "Looks like Hikki's really changed, huh? If it was before, he'd have stubbornly gone his own way and then said something like, 'This method's more efficient.'"]
[Hikigaya didn't know what to say, but he wasn't surprised by his choice. After all, people grow. If you stay the same forever, that's not really living, is it?]
[Isshiki: "Senpai, you're really kind, huh? No wonder so many girls keep coming to you."]
[Isshiki's words instantly turned the peaceful Service Club into chaos.]
[First, Yukinoshita and Yuigahama shot resentful glares, followed by Hayama's gentle gaze.]
[It was fine until she said it, but now everyone noticed… First Sakayanagi, then Horikita, then Kushida, and now Ichinose—all top-tier beautiful girls. It's only the second month of school. What would Hikigaya be like three years from now?]
[Hikigaya: "Are you picking a fight?"]
['A devil, truly a devil in an angel's skin!']
[Compared to the Service Club, Class D's students were even more frenzied.]
[Ike: "It's Ichinose Honami! My goddess asked him to pretend to be her boyfriend, and he rejected it?! There's that saying, right? True or false, false or true—fake it till you make it. What an idiot."]
[Ayanokouji felt like someone was insulting him…]
[Hirata gave a gentle smile: "Haha, only you would think that, Ike."]
[Yamauchi: "Hirata, you're fine since you have a girlfriend. When will the heavens bless those of us who've never even held a girl's hand?!"]
[Sudo: "Look at you losers. It's just a girl's hand. Is it as nice as a basketball?"]
[Takeru Akito: "Sudo, you're a real man!"]
[Shinohara: "You guys are embarrassing…"]
[Hasebe: "Exactly, exactly. What Hikigaya said was right. I'm kinda falling for him."]
[Sotomaura Hideo: "Is this that invisible charm…? Damn it!"]
[Yukimura: "Even so… it's weird. He really doesn't have any friends."]
( End of this chapter)