Chapter 62: Kamuro: Hikigaya, You Jerk!
"Everyone, listen to me…"
With just one sentence, Hirata drew everyone's attention. As expected, that was the power of a true leader.
Unlike Sudo, who felt like a ticking time bomb, Hirata's presence, no matter how tough the situation, brought optimism with his smile.
"I'm willing to believe in our classmate. There's no definitive evidence proving Sudo's at fault. We don't need to rush to blame him. Let's all help out and keep an eye out for clues or witnesses."
Since Hirata Yosuke had spoken, the class had no choice but to nod in agreement.
Everyone knew finding witnesses or clues was easier said than done. At that moment, perhaps only Karuizawa could smile and chime in: "Alright, I'm in!"
Seeing Hirata express his stance, Kushida quickly followed, saying firmly: "I feel the same. We should trust our own classmates."
Yamauchi and Ike, who had just been complaining about Sudo, immediately changed their tune.
Yamauchi: "If Kushida says so."
Ike: "I'm a hundred percent on board, hands and feet!"
With the declarations of the two main pillars, the class's atmosphere slowly shifted toward helping Sudo.
Hikigaya watched it all unfold, letting out a faint, relieved smile.
'Impressive. That's something I could never pull off in my life.'
As Hikigaya closed his eyes, deep in thought, Kushida Kikyo approached him.
"Hey, Hikigaya, you and Horikita will help too, right?"
"Uh… I'll do what I can."
Though Hikigaya wanted to help the red-haired punk, honestly…
Given the current situation, helping Sudo escape this mess was no easy task.
Kushida leaned closer to Hikigaya's face, her tone brimming with excitement: "If you step in, Hikigaya, Sudo will definitely be fine. Thank you!"
Hikigaya shook his head: "I'm not as great as you think."
Horikita listened to their conversation, then glanced at the rest of the class.
Though they said they'd help Sudo, they had no idea where to start. Searching for witnesses and clues was just a scattershot approach. With this ragtag group, helping Sudo, who was in such a passive position, was nearly impossible.
Helplessly, she closed her eyes and shook her head.
Kushida: "Horikita, you'll help too, right?"
Horikita: "Mm… of course."
That's what she said, but after speaking, Horikita left the classroom.
'Looks like she's planning to act alone.'
'Not that I can judge her. I'm planning to go solo too…'
Kushida lingered by Hikigaya's desk, still chattering away: "Let's work together! But maybe we shouldn't let Sudo join the search for witnesses. Let's meet after school…"
Hikigaya glanced at Sakura, who was sitting quietly but visibly uneasy, and replied calmly: "I've got some things to take care of this afternoon, so I'll leave the witness search to you guys."
Hearing Hikigaya's words, Kushida paused for a moment. After a few seconds, she perked up again and said energetically: "No problem! If Hikigaya-kun's busy today, we'll handle it!"
After saying that, Kushida started gathering others willing to help.
'One week. The special classroom building Sakayanagi mentioned, Sakura Airi, and Sudo—I need to check on all of them.'
'Just doing a blanket search like this won't yield any key information. Horikita must've realized that too, which is why she decided to act alone. Same old Horikita…'
Class ended quickly. Seeing Sakura Airi grab her bag and slip away unnoticed, Hikigaya followed close behind.
He didn't know much about this classmate who stayed on the class's fringes. Her shy, awkward demeanor was a disadvantage in this school.
She was always hiding her true self. He didn't know why, but she seemed strongly against others seeing who she really was—a trait somewhat similar to Kushida's.
Following the girl felt like being a creepy stalker.
For a loner, the best way to approach someone wasn't to strike up a conversation in a crowd. That would almost certainly—99% of the time—lead to being ignored or rejected. As a fellow loner, Hikigaya knew this was an absolute taboo.
So, to talk to her alone, he needed to find an empty place, quickly state his intentions to ease her guard, and then have a normal conversation.
Of course, this assumed Hikigaya was capable of normal conversation. For him, approaching a girl like this…
How could he possibly pull that off?
Plus, this girl kept heading toward crowded areas. If she just wanted to return to the dorms, she was taking a huge detour.
No chance at all… How was he supposed to get close?
He wanted to help Sudo, but this first step was already stumping him. Bringing someone like Hirata would probably scare her off, but going alone… made it even harder.
His mind was filled with a thousand reasons to give up, and Sakura's pace was quickening, as if she were avoiding something tracking her.
'I… I… She didn't notice me, did she? She doesn't think I'm a stalker, right? I'm done for.'
Hikigaya was losing hope. Just as he was about to turn toward the special classroom building, he noticed a middle-aged man, around 50 years old, closely following Sakura not far behind.
'???'
What was this situation?
Though he couldn't be 100% sure in this crowded flow of people that the man was targeting Sakura, when he saw her suddenly speed up, the man also sped up like a maniac.
Was this synchronized movement pure coincidence or something deliberate?
He couldn't think about it too much. Whether he'd be mistaken for a creepy stalker or not, Hikigaya had only one way to confirm if Sakura was avoiding him.
Since Sakura kept taking crowded main roads, Hikigaya cut through an alley to get ahead of her, waiting at a spot she'd inevitably pass.
If she noticed him and showed resistance, it'd mean he'd misjudged.
But if not…
Sakura Airi, like Sudo, was in some kind of trouble.
Sakura kept glancing around, her steps quickening. Every few seconds, she'd instinctively look back.
Whether she saw the figure she feared or not, her fear only grew.
The overwhelming sense of dread consumed her, so much so that she didn't notice her classmate Hikigaya Hachiman sitting on a bench by the road.
'This school's security… needs some work.'
After confirming he wasn't the one Sakura was wary of, Hikigaya took a deep breath.
Honestly, when it came to a girl dealing with a persistent stalker, Hikigaya really didn't know how to help her at that moment.
"Kamuro!"
Hikigaya called out to the side-ponytail girl who had been following him. She froze for a moment, then, grumbling, walked up to him.
"If you knew I was tailing you, you could've spared me the effort of hiding so poorly."
Hikigaya: "I didn't want to ruin your solo game…"
Kamuro, fuming, put her hands on her hips and snapped: "You!"
Hikigaya: "I'm in trouble. Help me out."
Hearing his request, Kamuro's expression softened a bit, and she looked at Hikigaya with a sly grin: "You, asking me for help? What's up? Let's hear it."
"It's like this…"
After explaining Sakura's stalker situation to Kamuro, her face darkened. As a girl, she despised creeps like that.
"So, what's your plan?"
Hikigaya took a deep breath, as if steeling himself, and said: "…Let your side-ponytail down. Your hair color's the same as Sakura's, right? Then… I'll swap you for Sakura at the corner, and you contact Sakayanagi to set a trap for the guy. That way… problem solved, perfect, right?"
At first, Kamuro was in a good mood hearing the plan to take down a stalker, but the more she listened, the more something felt off.
Kamuro: "So, you're saying I'm the one taking the risk?"
Hikigaya: "Sakayanagi's got your back, doesn't she? Plus, catching a creep like this early is good for the school environment."
Kamuro shouted, exasperated: "That's not the point! You… You're unbelievable! I'm not helping you. Figure it out yourself!"
Hikigaya didn't show any reaction, just turned away and let out a soft chuckle: "Guess I'll have to tell Sakayanagi the whole story then."
The mention of Sakayanagi's name made Kamuro even angrier.
"Hey, hey, hey! Are you even a man? Threatening me with Sakayanagi? She's from our Class A. She'd never punish me for an outsider… Never."
As if reassuring herself, Kamuro muttered it again under her breath.
Hikigaya flashed a wicked smile: "Who knows? Wanna find out?"
Kamuro was at a loss for words. In all her years, she'd never met a guy like this. She was supposed to be watching him, so how did she end up as his errand girl? The worst part was… she wasn't even sure if Sakayanagi would side with her. If Sakayanagi found out she didn't help, things could get ugly.
"Aaagh! You're absolutely infuriating! Infuriating!"
Like a powerless tantrum, Kamuro let out one final protest, but against a devil like Hikigaya, it had no effect.
"Anyway, we'll stick to the plan later."
"Hey, I haven't agreed yet!"
Without waiting for her response, Hikigaya had already taken a shortcut to the corner of the path leading to the dorms.
This was the best spot for the switch.
Meanwhile, Kamuro, still grumbling, followed Hikigaya, letting her hair down and contacting Class A to set up the trap to catch the stalker red-handed.
[Ike: "This guy… just turned the person Class A sent into his tool?"]
[Yamauchi: "Man, that's… that's insane. I gotta hand it to him."]
[Sotomaura Hideo: "The key is, this Kamuro girl is pretty too, especially with her hair down."]
[Yukimura: "Is that the point here…?"]
[Koenji, unusually interested, chimed in: "A switcheroo plan? Oh, splendidly beautiful."]
[Shinohara: "This guy… he's kinda crazy."]
[Sakura quietly watched the video. She vividly remembered that middle-aged man. Not only did he send her harassing texts, but he also constantly followed her. As time went on, he learned more about her, even following her to this school. That period was one of the scariest in Sakura's life. If it was Ayanokouji, the stalker would've been caught after the Sudo incident. But now…]
[With a week left until the Sudo incident, he was already acting so brazenly. Even watching a video from another timeline, Sakura Airi still felt immense fear.]
Kamuro Masumi was determined to take out all the frustration Hikigaya caused her on this creepy stalker.
Soon…
Sakura Airi's steps quickened. This stretch of road had the least foot traffic, with plenty of nearby alleys. If the stalker was going to make a move, this would be the spot.
Knowing this, Sakura started running.
In the distance, noticing Sakura's sprint, the stalker began running too.
With Sakura's poor athletic ability and the natural gap between men and women, she'd likely be caught soon.
Fear surged through her again. She wanted to scream, but there was no one around.
The sun was setting, and the streetlights started flickering. The more this happened, the more uneasy Sakura felt.
"W-W-W-W-Wah!"
Hikigaya, waiting in ambush in the alley, pulled her in and held her tightly. Though she screamed and struggled, still in a panic, she couldn't break free against his strength.
"It's me, it's me, Hikigaya Hachiman…"
"H-Hikigaya?"
Hearing the familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar voice, Sakura, who had been struggling, slowly opened her eyes. Seeing it was indeed her classmate, she let out a huge sigh of relief.
In the distance, seeing Hikigaya successfully hide Sakura, Kamuro started running.
"That damn girl, running so fast… getting so far away all of a sudden…"
"But, judging by your direction, you're not heading to the dorms, huh? Heh, you're done for."
The stalker kept chasing. Though he didn't know why "Sakura," who had escaped his range, wasn't heading to the dorms but to a deserted area, for him, this was a godsend.
It could only mean she'd completely lost her composure.
Seeing the stalker move farther away, Hikigaya let out a deep breath. The masculine scent spread to Sakura in his arms. Though she had just relaxed, at that moment… she realized…
"M-M-M-M-M-Man…"
"H-H-H-H-Holding… holding me… he's holding me…"
Her face flushed instantly, her whole body heating up. Her voice was so soft that Hikigaya didn't hear it.
They stayed in this awkward position until Hikigaya felt his own body temperature rising.
Looking at Sakura in his arms, her face so red she barely looked human, Hikigaya realized he'd done something big.
He hurriedly let go, releasing Sakura. But instead of jumping up and slapping him as he expected, she fainted in his arms.
'I'm done for… completely done for.'
[Yukinoshita: "Oh, wow… impressive, Hikigaya-kun. Getting this close to a girl. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were the stalker. Oh, wait… you are the stalker."]
[Feeling Yukinoshita's terrifying anger, Hikigaya knew he couldn't explain himself. The video was playing right in front of everyone.]
[Yuigahama: "Yukinon has completely lost it. You're done for, Hikki."]
[Hikigaya: "You don't need to tell me that, idiot."]
[Isshiki: "Senpai, you're done for."]
[Hikigaya: "I said don't repeat it…"]
[Hayama, Miura, and Ebina looked at Hikigaya like he was a dead man. At that moment, Hikigaya finally understood how Sudo felt.]
[Wronged. So wronged.]
[He just wanted to help someone. How did he end up as the creep?]
Some time passed… Hikigaya stood still, waiting for the girl in his arms to wake up.
He had to admit, up close, Sakura Airi was actually pretty. If she wore those glasses to hide her beauty…
Thinking this, Hikigaya reached to take off her glasses to see what she looked like, but at that moment, Sakura opened her eyes, staring at the boy.
The atmosphere instantly became unbearably awkward.
"Uh… H-H-H-Hikigaya-kun… Y-Y-Y-You…"
"Look, it was totally an accident. You believe me, right?"
Whether she believed him or not, whether she'd see him as a creep, he absolutely couldn't stay in this position.
Hikigaya, trembling slightly, stood up and extended a hand to the girl.
Still dazed, Sakura Airi took his hand absentmindedly.
"Y-You… Why are you… here?"
'Hey, don't be so nervous. You're making me nervous too, come on.'
Though he knew it couldn't be helped, Hikigaya's tension was obvious.
Other than Komachi, in all his years, he'd never been this close to a girl.
"Well… I followed you after school and noticed that guy tailing you, so…"
After Hikigaya's long explanation, the girl seemed to understand what was going on.
"Hikigaya-kun, you were following me?"
'Crap… I let that slip.'
"Uh, I mean, I needed to talk to you about something."
"Oh, I see."
The girl finally let out a relieved breath. Though she wasn't back to normal, she was much better than before.
"You're not scared of me?"
"I can tell you're not that kind of person… You don't look at me with weird eyes."
'Maybe I'm a weird person too…'
"Good then…"
"What about that guy from earlier?"
"Oh, I haven't told you yet. To help you get away, I teamed up with some Class A students for a bait-and-switch. He's probably been caught by now. You don't have to worry about him following you anymore."
"?!?!"
Hearing the boy's words, Sakura's body trembled, as if she might collapse.
"How did you do that… That's amazing."
Dealing with that creep had always been Sakura's wish. Though she was an idol, she never saw creeps like that as fans.
"Well… it was all thanks to Class A. They couldn't stand a stalker like that in the school either."
Hikigaya scratched his head, unsure how to express himself.
'If Kamuro finds out I told someone about this, she might go all-out to take me down. Even with Sakayanagi backing me, it wouldn't help.'
As always, Hikigaya deflected all the credit, as if he had nothing to do with it.
But his reward was Sakura's first smile at this school.
(End of this chapter)
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