Chapter 64: Sakura: If It's Hikigaya, It's Okay
The day passed quickly. Today, Hikigaya had planned to investigate the special classroom building.
If he remembered correctly, he hadn't been there once since the school year started. After Sudo's incident and Sakayanagi's hint, he had to check it out no matter what.
He grabbed his bag and was about to head to the door when a strong tug stopped him, grabbing his sleeve.
"S-Sakura…"
Hikigaya had tried hard not to think about this girl, but seeing the pink-haired beauty before him, he couldn't help recalling yesterday's events.
Since he'd spoken with Kushida and the others last night, entrusting Sakura's matter to him, no one had approached her today, just like usual.
But whether she was feeling as usual was another question.
"What's wrong, Sakura…?"
Seeing the girl with her head lowered, looking embarrassed, Hikigaya asked again.
Feeling his sleeve gripped even tighter than before, Hikigaya finally reacted.
"Let's step outside first."
He leaned close to Sakura's ear, whispering to her.
Since both of them were low-profile, no one noticed their intimate gesture.
Hearing the boy's words, Sakura's ears turned bright red, and her body temperature shot up.
She nodded quickly, rushed to her seat to grab her bag, and followed Hikigaya out of the classroom.
Outside the classroom, the crowd thinned noticeably.
"Um!"
Sakura's voice stopped Hikigaya, who had been walking ahead. Honestly, his heart was racing too, given how bold his actions yesterday had been.
He turned around but couldn't meet the girl's eyes.
Sakura: "I'm still a bit scared…"
Hearing her words, Hikigaya let out a slow sigh of relief.
'At least she doesn't think I'm a creep.'
"I'm heading to the special classroom building now. Want to come with me?"
At the mention of the special classroom building, Sakura's expression visibly froze, and she stood rooted to the spot. Seeing this, Hikigaya added: "It's for Sudo's sake. Since their fight happened there, I have to check it out no matter what."
Hearing the boy's words, Sakura seemed to make up her mind and nodded.
Instead of trailing behind Hikigaya, she stepped up to walk side by side with him. She kept her head down, silent, and Hikigaya wasn't one to start conversations either… The two walked wordlessly to the special classroom building.
'Finally made it here… Man, with this kind of busyness, I feel like a corporate slave. This is so far from the high school life I wanted, just lying in bed after class every day.'
'But, no choice.'
He shook his head helplessly, about to step into the special classroom building when Sakura, as if terrified, grabbed his sleeve.
'Alright, alright, let's just go with it.'
They exchanged a glance, quickly looked away, and slowly entered the building.
After school hours, the building was sparsely populated. Aside from some club activities on certain floors and shouts from the sports field below, no one else came or went.
Even just stepping into the building, Hikigaya noticed something odd: for some reason, there were far fewer cameras here compared to other places.
No crowds, minimal cameras—it was the perfect place to start trouble. That must be why Sudo was brought here.
Other than that, the special classroom building didn't seem particularly special. Most people wouldn't come here.
If Sakura was connected to the incident, it meant she was here that day, but…
Why would Sakura be here?
The dorms were quieter and free from disturbance. For someone like Sakura, who didn't want others to see her true self, staying in the dorms would be the better choice.
In the end, it all circled back to needing Sakura to learn more.
The two made their way to the top floor. There were no cameras at all here. Hikigaya slowed his pace. Though Sakura had been clinging to his sleeve, she didn't seem unfamiliar with the place—almost like she knew it well.
For Hikigaya, who was here for the first time, the complex layout made it easy to get lost and end up back where he started. But Sakura didn't… She seemed to know exactly where the cameras were and weren't.
So, Hikigaya deliberately slowed down, letting Sakura lead the way.
Finally, they reached the top floor, still wandering aimlessly.
"H-Hikigaya, did you find anything?"
"Very few cameras, and barely any people after school."
Hearing the boy's response, Sakura looked at him in a daze: "That's amazing…"
"I came here to investigate, so I figured it'd be like this before I got here."
'If there were lots of people and cameras, no one would be dumb enough to start trouble here. Is Sakura a bit too innocent…?'
The boy suddenly stopped and asked: "Sakura, do you know something about what happened to Sudo that day? If you can… I hope you'll tell me. This is about whether Sudo gets expelled."
Hikigaya hadn't expected himself to suddenly stop and say this.
But if he didn't ask now, the truth would slip further away.
The girl looked at Hikigaya, hesitating as if she wanted to speak but couldn't. Though she'd made up her mind last night, she knew that if she got involved in this incident, her… her true self would be fully exposed to everyone.
She didn't want anyone to see that side of her, but…
She didn't want to let down Hikigaya's expectations.
The hand clutching Hikigaya's sleeve tightened for a moment. Gathering her courage, she faced him, ready to spill everything with her trembling lips.
Seeing her sparkling eyes, Hikigaya's face flushed with warmth.
The girl stammered: "I-I-I-I… I did see Sudo-kun that day… a-and three other students f-f-fighting."
"So, you were at the scene."
Sakura nodded, then quickly shook her head.
'Hey, come on, even I can't figure out what you mean by that.'
Seeing Hikigaya's helpless expression, the girl grew even more flustered and nervous, frantically waving her hands to explain.
"It's just… I-I saw them fighting here, but… I didn't let them notice me."
"Good job."
Hikigaya's sudden praise made the girl's cheeks flush even redder in an instant.
"A-And… Sudo-kun didn't use violence against them."
Since Sakura was an eyewitness, her words undoubtedly confirmed that Sudo was the victim, completely framed in this incident.
But knowing this alone wasn't enough.
First, there was no proof she witnessed the fight, as there was no evidence. Second… even if they could prove it, since she was from Class D, people would instinctively assume she was speaking up for Sudo.
So, the moment the complaint was filed, Sudo was already at a natural disadvantage.
Hikigaya glanced at the pink-haired girl and nodded in satisfaction.
"Sakura, do you have any evidence to prove you saw them fighting here?"
'Anything would do. Even if proof won't change much, without it, Sakura being there means nothing.'
Looking at the black-haired boy, whose typically cold eyes were fixed on her, Sakura couldn't help but want to meet his expectations.
She couldn't bring herself to say "no" to this boy.
Even though she knew that once he learned everything, he might look at her differently. Even though she knew that after this incident, whether it succeeded or failed, her true self would be fully exposed.
But… even so, she couldn't say "no" to him.
At that moment, when he held her tightly, easing her fear and anxiety, giving warmth to her cold heart, Sakura Airi had already trusted Hikigaya Hachiman unconditionally from the bottom of her heart.
No matter how he downplayed his contributions or belittled himself, at that moment, he was her hero, and nothing he said could change that.
From that night, Sakura Airi had finally accepted that version of herself. She mustered the courage to let others accept her too—the real her, the different her.
Even if it meant facing unfamiliar gazes or strange judgments, as long as she remembered this boy's embrace, she wouldn't feel afraid.
So…
Sakura Airi made up her mind.
"There is…"
She had to take this step.
If it was Hikigaya, even if he learned her secret, it wouldn't be a problem.
If it was Hikigaya Hachiman…
At that moment, Sakura Airi still followed behind Hikigaya, but she slowly took off the glasses she always wore. A different face was revealed without reservation. Her eyes were filled with passionate anticipation as she stared at the boy. Though her heart was still racing with panic and her hands couldn't stop trembling, this time, her gaze didn't waver.
"It's okay… If there's nothing, I'll just—huh?!?!"
"There is? Really?!"
Hikigaya turned around, his eyes meeting hers perfectly at that moment…
He froze completely.
Though he'd long suspected she was hiding something and had noticed yesterday that her glasses were meant to conceal her beauty, he still hadn't expected…
The Sakura Airi before him was breathtakingly beautiful.
She was practically an idol.
This left Hikigaya at a loss for words. Everything he wanted to say got stuck in his throat, and he couldn't utter a single one.
"…"
Sakura Airi forced a smile. Revealing her true self was clearly a huge challenge for her.
But even that strained smile, enhanced by her face, made Hikigaya freeze for another two seconds.
Realizing he'd lost his composure, Hikigaya quickly waved his hand and turned away, avoiding her gaze.
Though beautiful girls weren't rare in this school—Kushida and Horikita from his class, Ichinose from Class B, and Kamuro and Sakayanagi from Class A were all top-tier beauties…
When he saw the pink-haired girl in front of him, he still froze for two seconds.
This girl was on an idol level.
Seeing Hikigaya standing there dumbly, Sakura Airi covered her mouth and gave a soft laugh: "Haha, Hikigaya-kun, you're completely stunned."
Hikigaya, a bit embarrassed, touched his ahoge: "Idiot, I… I was just thinking about something else."
Sakura stopped teasing him and pulled out the camera she always used from her bag.
"H-Hikigaya-kun… the evidence is all here."
Hikigaya glanced at Sakura Airi, sensing her fear as she took out the camera, her hands still trembling.
The thing was, a camera was such a personal item. If he saw something he shouldn't, he might end up labeled a creep again.
Honestly, Hikigaya finally understood why Sakura needed a whole night to prepare mentally. If someone saw the photos in his camera… he'd want to die on the spot.
That kind of thing was basically a "dark history," right?
Hikigaya's hand hovered in the air, unsure whether to take the camera.
Sakura Airi closed her eyes and thrust the camera into his hands.
'You're making it so I don't dare look…'
As if hearing his thoughts, the camera she'd just handed him was snatched back.
"Wait… wait…"
Sakura Airi's voice was hurried, as if afraid he'd misunderstand, explaining frantically.
Standing there wasn't going to help…
"Let's find a place to sit."
Sakura Airi nodded obediently. Though they were looking for a place to sit, all they found were the staircase steps.
Since no one was likely to come here, they didn't mind too much.
Sakura Airi scrolled through her camera's photos, checking them to ensure there was no issue, took a deep breath, and leaned closer to the boy.
The soft sensation instantly reminded Hikigaya of past memories. The rapidly rising temperature made him feel uneasy.
But… if he moved around, it'd only make her notice the awkwardness and ruin the mood, right?
Fortunately, Hikigaya wasn't new to this. Yuigahama had been just as unguarded, getting close for skin-to-skin contact before.
'Steady, steady…'
'For a man, these are just small temptations.'
Hikigaya took a deep breath and looked at the camera in Sakura Airi's hands.
In an instant, he felt like all his primal energy was about to burst out.
A beautiful girl, like an angel, posed in revealing lingerie on a classroom sofa, exuding her curvaceous figure. This slightly risqué photo—Hikigaya thought you could only find such things online…
And now, the subject of that photo was sitting right beside him.
'It's over… it's over… I can't hold it back.'
'No, something's very wrong here.'
Sakura Airi's face showed distress. Even though she'd prepared herself mentally for a boy to see these photos, she was still scared—scared he'd look at her with strange eyes.
But she was even more afraid of letting down Hikigaya's expectations.
So… blushing, like a toddler learning to speak, she stammered: "This… this photo, is it okay? It shows the location and time below."
With immense willpower, Hikigaya suppressed the impure thoughts in his mind.
He closed his eyes. Though his thinking slowed, it was clear…
"This kind of photo probably won't work. The metadata can be altered."
Hearing the boy's words, the girl seemed a bit hurt. Just as Hikigaya was about to console her, she seemed to remember something, flipping through several more photos.
"This one! This one should work, right?"
She asked excitedly and urgently. In the photo, she appeared in the same frame as the four fighting students, this time… in normal clothes.
'Hey, if you had this photo, why didn't you say so earlier…'
'Sakura-san, are you trying to mess with me? Or is this some divine test? Suppressing a man's instincts is painful, you know.'
Though he grumbled inwardly, he was deeply moved by Sakura's willingness to help, even exposing that side of herself to him.
"This photo will do. The others aren't important."
The girl nodded dazedly and immediately set that photo as a favorite.
She seemed terrified of making a mistake.
Sakura's body slowly moved away from Hikigaya's, the warmth fading. Hikigaya had successfully held himself together.
"Sakura… why did you take those kinds of photos?"
By "those kinds," he naturally meant the revealing, slightly risqué ones.
Blushing, the girl lowered her head and said softly: "To become an idol, an online idol."
"So the guy stalking you… he saw those photos and started following you, right?"
The girl nodded without hiding anything.
Hikigaya stood up and extended a hand to her.
"Actually, Sakura, you're already very pretty…"
Halfway through, he shyly turned his head away.
"What I mean is, even without posting those kinds of photos, just showing the normal you, you could still become a standout idol."
"Even in this school, it's the same."
"Work hard on your grades, lay the foundation for your dreams, and make your debut smoother to become a true idol."
Hikigaya's words, like Cupid's arrows, struck the girl's heart one by one.
To gain attention, she'd had to post those revealing photos.
But in truth, she wanted people to appreciate her inner self.
No girl liked sending those kinds of photos to strangers, especially someone like Sakura Airi, who wasn't good at socializing.
At that moment, the boy's outstretched hand, like a savior, healed her completely.
Sakura Airi grasped his hand tightly, standing before him with a gentle smile.
"Um… Hikigaya-kun, I'll send you that photo when I get back to my dorm."
"Okay…"
"A-And… p-please exchange phone numbers and emails with me!"
Gathering all her courage, Sakura Airi shouted excitedly again.
Hikigaya froze for a moment, then mechanically exchanged phone numbers and emails with the girl.
Looking at the message the girl sent him, Hikigaya only gave a faint, calm smile.
'This trip was definitely fruitful.'
'For me, getting to know a Sakura Airi like this is fortunate…'
'And for Sudo, having a witness and a photo from the scene can greatly shift his disadvantage.'
'But… that alone still isn't enough.'
How far had Ryūen planned? What was his real scheme?
Hikigaya couldn't be sure.
But if his goal was simply to crush Class D…
This time, he wouldn't get his way.
This was the second day's gain, but it was already enough to stop the situation from being so passive.
Before leaving, Hikigaya noted down the locations and number of all the cameras in the special classroom building. Finally…
He noticed that on the main path to the special classroom building, there was a not-so-obvious camera, likely set up to record students and senseis entering and leaving.
This was the final key to victory, Ryūen!
(End of this chapter)