Chapter 68: Black History Reappears
Ichinose jumped down from the hammock, patted it gently, and motioned for the two of them to sit on it. Yukinoshita lightly shook her head, declining the offer.
"Honami-chan, could you come over for a moment? There's something I want to talk to you about."
Just as Yukinoshita was about to ask her question, a girl who had just returned to the Class B campsite shouted loudly at Ichinose, waving vigorously.
"This..." Ichinose looked at the girl, then at Yukinoshita and Hikigaya, seeming somewhat troubled.
"Ichinose-san, you go find Kobashi-san. I'll take the two Class A students on a tour."
Just then, a handsome black-haired boy walked toward Yukinoshita and Hikigaya, offering a faint smile to Ichinose.
"Oh? Alright, I'll leave it to you, Kanzaki-kun." Ichinose tapped her chin with her finger, then turned to the two Class A students with an apologetic expression: "I apologize, Yukinoshita-san, Hikigaya-kun. I have something to take care of here, so I'll let Kanzaki-kun show you around."
"No problem, please go ahead, Ichinose-san."
After apologizing to the two Class A students, Ichinose quickly walked over to the girl named "Kobashi" and whispered to her for a few moments.
Then, the two girls simultaneously glanced in one direction, immediately retracted their gaze, and continued their conversation.
Hikigaya slightly narrowed his eyes, following the line of sight of Ichinose and the other girl.
He saw a timid girl with short brown hair sitting in the shade of a tree, wiping the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief. Hikigaya recognized this girl—Shiranami Chihiro, the girl who had arranged to meet Ichinose behind the gym intending to confess.
"Please follow me," Kanzaki moved slightly, perfectly blocking Hikigaya's line of sight, and then gestured in welcome. Kanzaki deliberately led the two of them away from the tents to avoid exposing any more information.
"Thank you for your trouble, Kanzaki-kun. May I ask if any students from other classes have visited here besides us?" Yukinoshita suddenly asked.
"No, that hasn't happened," Kanzaki replied normally, unphased by Yukinoshita's question. He did not mention the transaction with Class C, and instead began to ask for information about Class A: "Yukinoshita-san, have you in Class A finished dealing with matters in your base camp?"
"Yes, Katsuragi-kun found a huge, shady cave, so we don't need to worry about lodging," Yukinoshita said carelessly.
'This is information that could be easily obtained by just following the Class A students for a short while. It can't be hidden, and there's no need to hide it.'
"I see. I wonder in which direction the cave you mentioned is located, Yukinoshita-san?"
Just as Yukinoshita and Kanzaki were engaging in a verbal probing, someone suddenly tugged on Hikigaya's sleeve.
Hikigaya turned his head and met a familiar pair of dead fish eyes.
A girl with heterochromatic twin tails, wearing a tracksuit, was holding a large leaf and gently fanning herself while sizing up Hikigaya.
"Long time no see, Himeno," Hikigaya curled his lips and greeted her softly.
Although Hikigaya and Himeno often chatted on their phones since they met, their actual meetings were extremely rare, as both preferred the air-conditioned classroom and dorm room to the hot summer and crowded places.
"Long time no see... Hikigaya, what are you doing here?" Himeno asked curiously, her dead fish eyes staring at Hikigaya.
"Well, I was brought here by that girl," Hikigaya slowly said, pointing towards Yukinoshita, who was talking to Kanzaki.
"Is that so? You came at the right time. Come with me for a moment; there's something I want to ask you."
Saying this, Himeno led Hikigaya to a shady spot away from the Class B students. As if searching for an opening line, she was silent for a while before asking: "...Hikigaya, what do you think of Ichinose-san?"
"...Why are you bringing up Ichinose-san?" Hikigaya asked, a little surprised.
"I'm just asking. Just answer my question," Himeno reached up and brushed the ponytail on her right side.
"Well, Ichinose-san is very pretty, and her personality is gentle and cheerful. Her abilities are also quite good, and your classmates seem to approve of her too. From my perspective, she's a great class representative." Hikigaya honestly stated his opinion of Ichinose.
"That's a rather high evaluation... So, do you like her? I mean, the kind of liking associated with romantic feelings."
"Huh? Cough, cough, cough..." Hikigaya almost choked on his own saliva at the question. He instinctively glanced at Ichinose, who was speaking with the Class B student in the distance, then turned back to look at Himeno, who was intently watching him.
Seeing Hikigaya's flustered appearance, Himeno softly snorted, stating calmly: "Didn't you confess to Ichinose-san behind the gym at the beginning of last month? Though you were rejected, that is."
"H-How do you know about that?" Hikigaya looked at Himeno in shock.
'Did Ichinose-san or Shiranami-san spill the beans?! Having that black history brought up to my face suddenly, Hachiman is about to cry.'
"Well, I was helping a classmate return some things to the gym that day, and I happened to see you confessing to Ichinose-san..." Himeno twirled a strand of her hair with her finger, then continued to ask: "So, did you confess to her because you actually like Ichinose-san?"
"No, no, no, um, although I do have g-good feelings toward Ichinose-san, it's not the kind of liking associated with romantic feelings. There was a reason why I confessed to Ichinose-san..." Hikigaya quickly waved his hands.
"A reason?" Himeno looked at Hikigaya with some confusion: "Then what reason could it be? You don't strike me as the kind of person who would initiate a confession. Or were you blackmailed by her? Playing a game with a penalty?"
"That's not it at all..." Hikigaya showed an expression of resistance, shaking his head vigorously, unwilling to discuss the black history.
Hearing Hikigaya's answer, Himeno lowered her eyes and sighed softly. Then she straightened up, looking earnestly at Hikigaya as she asked: "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. If you really like her, I'll offer you my help."
"No, it's really not like that. Look, how could someone like me be worthy of her? So, let's just forget this whole thing."
"Is that so? 'Someone like me'?" Hearing Hikigaya's answer, Himeno looked down with a complicated expression.
'I don't know why Hikigaya always says such self-deprecating things, but he really has the nerve... Isn't he basically denying me too?'
When Himeno raised her head again, she gave Hikigaya a mischievous smile. Seeing her strange expression, Hikigaya immediately had a bad feeling.
"Forget? Forget what? Forget the line, 'I've liked you for a long time. Please go out with me.'?"
Himeno vividly imitated Hikigaya's resolute expression and firm tone during his confession, recreating Hikigaya's black history once more.
Even though he was "confessed to" by a cute girl, Hikigaya didn't seem happy at all.
"Gah! I don't want to hear it! Himeno, stop talking! Forget it! So embarrassing, so embarrassing, so embarrassing..." Hikigaya clasped his hands over his head, forcefully covering his ears, his flushed face showing unspeakable awkwardness and shame.
"Forget what? Being able to see such a precious scene, it was worth the price of death!" Watching Hikigaya's state, Himeno's face broke into a satisfied smile.
'I want to die! I want to die right now! I'm an idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Why did I say something like that back then... Waaaah!
Heh, heh. Maybe I'll just jump off the cliff later...'
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