Chapter 202: A Linked Dream: Hikigaya Suzune!
What is this guy talking about? Entrusting his sister to another man? Just imagining it made Hikigaya feel super uncomfortable!
"President, I misjudged you! Your sister-complex attributes are impure!!"
'Actually, I think I'm still quite pure. But since saying that wouldn't fit my image, it's better to keep it to myself.'
Horikita Manabu remained expressionless.
"Hikigaya, your words are truly incomprehensible."
"President, you certainly have a knack for playing dumb." Hikigaya looked at him with squinted eyes of disdain.
"Hikigaya, how do you have the nerve to say that about someone else?" Horikita Suzune cast the same look of disdain toward him.
"Huh? How am I playing dumb?"
"Hmph! Figure it out yourself!"
"No, explain it clearly to me, Horikita!"
"Enough. If you want to flirt, you can do it outside."
A flicker of a complex emotion crossed Horikita Manabu's face. Although he thought highly of Hikigaya and emotionally accepted the idea of his sister dating him, when the reality actually arrived, he couldn't help but feel a sense of loss.
"The President is talking nonsense again..." By now, Hikigaya was too tired to even bother retorting.
"Onii-chan!
If... I'm saying if.
If Hikigaya and I started d-dating.
I wouldn't neglect you because of it, I promise!" Horikita Suzune's face was bright red.
'Is she blushing because she's confessing her feelings to her Onii-chan?'
Hikigaya watched the scene with interest. As for the "if" Horikita Suzune mentioned, he didn't fantasize about it at all.
Simply because the things in his dreams were much more stimulating than an imaginary "if"!
"...I see." Horikita Manabu took off his glasses and lowered his head to wipe the lenses with a tissue.
"Onii-chan, I..." Horikita Suzune took a step forward, seemingly wanting to say more.
"Stop! If you keep going, the President is going to start shedding little pearls!" Hikigaya grabbed her arm.
"Eh?"
Before she could react, Hikigaya threw an arm around her shoulders and forcefully ushered her out of the Student Council office.
"Who—who gave you permission to hold me!" After several seconds of daze, Horikita Suzune finally pushed Hikigaya away with all her might.
"Sorry, that was an emergency." Hikigaya quickly raised his hands in apology.
"Tch! That casual attitude of yours is really irritating!" Horikita Suzune glared at him.
"...If you feel offended, I can apologize sincerely."
Hikigaya knew she wasn't lying. That instinctive move of his was indeed an offense toward a girl. If he encountered someone with a bad temper, they might even sue him for harassment!
In comparison, the fact that Horikita Suzune was only glaring at him was incredibly gentle.
Hikigaya could even imagine it would be more logical if she had given him a shoulder throw in response.
"Don't let there be a next time!" This time, Horikita Suzune didn't even use her sharp tongue; she simply let the matter slide.
"Horikita, as compensation for the offense just now...Plus, as payment for bringing you to the Student Council to ward off the President. How about I treat you to a meal?"
Just speaking wasn't enough to show sincerity; Hikigaya preferred being practical.
"...The way you put it, you're treating my Onii-chan like some kind of nuisance?" Horikita Suzune's brow furrowed.
'Well, he kind of is...' But to avoid making her angry, he decided not to tell the truth.
"Alright, Horikita. I'll be blunt: I just want to have a meal with you." Hikigaya said the words effortlessly.
Horikita Suzune was taken aback for a moment, then quickly regained her composure.
"It's just a meal. Why add so many unnecessary flourishes?"
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Meal over. On the way back to the dorms. It was just that simple!
"So, things like dating are just Onii-chan's misunderstanding..." Horikita Suzune mumbles in a low voice.
"Hmm? Horikita, what did you say?" Hikigaya cast a curious glance.
"No, nothing at all." Horikita Suzune shook her head.
"Well then, see you?"
"......"
"What? Horikita, do you have something else? It's not a tutoring day yet, right?"
"..."
Horikita Suzune didn't say a word. She suddenly quickened her pace, leaving him behind, and closed the elevator door before he could catch up.
"What is she angry about now?
Seriously, women are so hard to understand." Hikigaya felt like laughing and crying at the same time.
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Dorm room 404.
After a simple wash, Hikigaya lay down comfortably. He drifted into sleep...
He opened his eyes and saw Horikita Suzune once again.
To be precise, the sleeping woman in front of him was named Hikigaya Suzune, his wife in the dream. Suzune was a regular in his dreams—an old acquaintance, nothing to get worked up about.
Hikigaya looked up at the clock on the wall and saw it was already 9:20 AM. It was rare for Suzune not to be up by this time.
"Hehe~" A mischievous grin curled on Hikigaya's lips. She was always the one waking him up; it was finally his turn! Hikigaya raised his right hand high and then slapped down hard!
Smack!! A loud, resounding thud. Followed immediately by a scream: "AH!!!"
Suzune was startled awake from her sleep, sitting up abruptly. Her eyes widened as she looked at the unfamiliar ceiling, then scanned the unfamiliar room.
"Wh-where is this...?"
"Suzune, have you slept yourself into a daze?" Hikigaya looked at her with a strange expression. He felt like this scene was oddly familiar.
"Hi-Hikigaya?!" "What did you call me?!"
Suzune looked down at the pink sheer gauze nightgown she was wearing and instinctively pulled up the blanket, trying to cover herself.
"I called you Suzune... ah." Hikigaya jumped, wondering if he was "cross-dreaming" and had called out the wrong wife's name.
"Calling me by my first name directly... let's set that aside for now.
First, explain to me why we are lying in the same bed." Suzune felt her head throb and reached up to pinch the bridge of her nose.
"What's there to explain...? We're a married couple." Hikigaya looked at her with a puzzled face.
'We're a married couple... We're a married couple... We're a married couple...'
Suzune was dumbstruck, the words echoing in her brain like a tolling bell!
'Calm down! This is a dream! Yes, this must be a dream!'
Suzune's psychological resilience was quite strong; in a very short time, she understood the current situation. The "if" she had casually mentioned during the day... she never expected to dream about it that very night.
'This really is...' Suzune couldn't help but shake her head.
"Suzune, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Hikigaya instinctively reached out to touch her forehead.
"N-no..." Suzune's cheeks heated up.
She couldn't help but feel annoyed: 'This guy, I told him just today, and here he is making another offensive move.'
Little did she expect that Hikigaya's next action would completely hurdle over her psychological defenses!!!
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