Chapter 206: I'm Afraid I'll Have Another Dream Tonight
"This is a poem of the qiyan jueju style, and also a frontier poem. It depicts a scene before a frontier expedition where soldiers fill exquisite luminous cups with fine grape wine. Just as they are about to drink heartily, the sound of the lute rings out, urging them to set forth. By using the bold rhetoric of 'lying drunk on the battlefield,' it expresses the heroic and uninhibited nature of frontier life, as well as the lament over the uncertainty of life and death in battle. It showcases the cruelty of war and the soldiers' readiness to die for their cause..."
Horikita Suzune recited the standard answer with total seriousness.
Then, she suddenly realized that every student in the class was casting strange looks at her. Even Hikigaya, sitting right next to her, was doing the same. This instantly made her lose her confidence.
"What? Is there a problem with my answer?" Horikita Suzune looked perplexed.
"The answer is correct. However, the one I called on to answer was Hikigaya."
Chabashira Sae looked at her meaningfully.
"I am Hiki—... Pfft!?" Horikita Suzune's eyes widened, and she slammed both hands over her mouth.
"Hey, hey... what are you saying, Suzune?"
Hikigaya looked utterly speechless. This scene made him recall the past—the scene where he had dreamed of " Hikigaya Suzune " for the first time and called her by the wrong name the next day.
'Oh no! Embarrassing memories, disappear already!'
"The surnames 'Horikita' and 'Hikigaya' don't sound similar at all, do they?"
Hasabe Haruka looked suspicious.
"Unless..." Sakura Airi muttered.
"Unless what?" Hasabe Haruka pressed for more.
"No, it's nothing... I'm probably just overthinking it." Sakura Airi shook her head. She thought to herself that in Japan, the only reason someone would change their surname is marriage.
It's not like Horikita Suzune is fantasizing about marrying Hachiman... right?
" Hikigaya Suzune? That sounds pretty hilarious." Sato Maya made a casual joke.
Suddenly, she found that both Karuizawa Kei and Matsushita Chiaki were shooting sharp glares at her!
"..." Kushida Kikyo's focus, meanwhile, was on how Hikigaya had addressed her.
Her fist under the desk was clenched tight!
'Since when did these two get so close!!'
The tedious class had become much more lively due to Horikita Suzune's blunder. After class ended. Horikita Suzune reverted to her "ice face," reading her book alone with an attitude that kept everyone at a distance.
This caused the students who wanted to approach and tease her to immediately lose interest. But Hikigaya wasn't so lucky.
"Hikigaya-kun! Could you tell me exactly when your relationship with Horikita-san became so good?" Kushida Kikyo leaned in with a smile.
"It's not particularly 'good' or anything; it's the same as usual," Hikigaya replied.
"Liar! I heard it too, Hachiman-kun calling Horikita-san by her first name!" Karuizawa Kei also crowded in.
"What's there to be so surprised about? I call you by your first name too, Kei," Hikigaya countered.
"Uh, put that way, I guess that's true?" Karuizawa Kei's interrogative momentum instantly deflated.
"How is that the same? Airi and I are the ones with the closest relationship to Hachiman!" Hasabe Haruka pulled Sakura Airi along as she joined the fray.
"Well, about that..." Hikigaya's forehead began to sweat.
"Hirata, I want to report Hikigaya for destroying class unity!"
"Yeah! I want to report him too!"
"This guy is too much!!" Several boys looked like they were ready to cry.
Hirata Yousuke's mouth twitched.
'Reporting someone out of jealousy... you guys are the ones destroying class unity, aren't you?' He really didn't want to have to lead this group of eccentrics in Class D!
"Is this the 'Way of Balance'? I see!" Ayanokouji Kiyotaka looked as if he had reached a sudden enlightenment.
Previously, he had tried to use Manabe Shiho's feelings but failed to handle it well, ending up with a bad reputation.
Hikigaya, however, was able to move between multiple girls with ease.
Does this mean that as long as he uses multiple girls, he can maintain a balance?
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After school in the afternoon. Hikigaya prepared to go to the supermarket to restock on daily necessities. On the way, he unexpectedly saw Ayanokouji Kiyotaka hanging out with three girls from Class B. Manabe Shiho, Yabu Nanami, and Yamashita Saki—holy crap, those three are real "gyarus"!
'White Room's masterpiece! What on earth are you doing?'
Hikigaya really wanted to roast him.
"Hachiman-kun~ You're out shopping too? What a coincidence. Let's go together then~~"
Karuizawa Kei, Matsushita Chiaki, and Sato Maya surrounded him as if they had been lying in wait. Well, he didn't exactly have the right to roast anyone else.
A shopping trip that was originally planned to take ten minutes was extended. Under the persistent persuasion of Karuizawa and the others, Hikigaya was dragged along to a movie and then afternoon tea.
"Wait a second, we've played long enough. I'm going back." Hikigaya checked the time: six o'clock.
"At this hour, you should at least stay for dinner before leaving!" Karuizawa Kei tugged at his hand.
"No, I have to go back..." Hikigaya looked troubled. Tonight was the scheduled study session with Horikita.
According to custom, she would bring him a bento for dinner.
"Hikigaya-kun, do you have a dinner date with another girl?" Matsushita Chiaki hit the nail on the head.
"Uh, well..."
"Huh? You actually have a date with another girl?"
"That's so mean!"
"Even though the three of us are hanging out with you, you're still thinking about someone else?" The three of them immediately got upset.
"It's not like that." Hikigaya didn't know how to escape for a moment. Just then, he received a message on his phone from Horikita Suzune.
"She says she has something urgent and is cancelling tonight's study session?"
Hikigaya was genuinely surprised. In his memory, Horikita Suzune took anything related to studying extremely seriously.
Even when she was sick, or during that embarrassing moment when she was "solo-killed by a thermos," she had never slacked off.
Combined with her various strange behaviors during the day, Hikigaya felt like something was wrong with her.
[Hikigaya: Suzune, if you have any trouble, you can talk to me about it.]
[Horikita Suzune: Don't talk to me for a while!]
Perhaps feeling the text was a bit too blunt, she quickly followed up with another message.
[I don't mean that I hate you. This is a personal problem of mine... anyway, don't overthink it!]
Hikigaya was completely bewildered. The three girls—Karuizawa and the others—leaned over to peek at his screen.
"Oho~ So it was Horikita!"
"Hikigaya-kun just got rejected."
"Tch~ What's so good about that ice-cold girl anyway? Don't be sad, the three of us will play with you!"
Looking at the enthusiastic trio before him, Hikigaya muttered with a subtle expression.
"I think I'd better not... I'm just afraid I'll have another dream tonight."
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