Chapter 296: Let's Talk About Romance
Dinner was provided by the school at a large canteen capable of seating five hundred people, where male and female students dined together. This was also the only opportunity during the mixed-dormitory period to interact with the girls—a time for the male and female groups to exchange information.
However, on Hikigaya's way to the canteen, there seemed to be a minor dispute in the corridor ahead, with several male and female students gathered there.
"Oh, I'm sorry!
Are you alright?"
It was Shinohara Satsuki, looking apologetic as she reached out a hand, attempting to help up the girl she had knocked to the ground. As for the victim, it was none other than Sakayanagi Arisu, the only person in the school with mobility issues!
"Mm... there is no need to worry."
Sakayanagi did not take the offered hand. Instead, relying on her own strength, she used her small hand to brace against the wall and slowly stood up.
'This woman is finished.'
Hikigaya mentally issued a "critical condition" notice to the perpetrator. Although he couldn't see Sakayanagi's expression clearly from this distance, based on his understanding of this "loli brat's" vindictive nature, Shinohara Satsuki was in for a nightmare.
From an objective standpoint, Shinohara had likely just bumped into her by mistake—a common accident. In reality, however, making Sakayanagi look so unsightly in front of everyone, even if only for a few seconds, was enough to plant seeds of resentment! Yet, Shinohara remained completely oblivious, awkwardly withdrawing her hand.
"Um, Sakayanagi-san? If you're okay, I'll be going then?"
Shinohara attempted a final confirmation.
"Yes, please don't take it to heart."
Sakayanagi squinted with a smile, showing absolutely no intention of pursuing the matter. Seeing this, Hikigaya realized that this situation was definitely not going to end well.
Though he hadn't seen the whole event, judging by the mobility-impaired Sakayanagi and the chattering female friends surrounding Shinohara, he could roughly guess the gist: Shinohara was likely so busy gossiping with her friends that she ignored the "shorty" in front of her, leading to the collision. If things were as he speculated, that stupid woman deserved the retaliation!
"Are you okay? Do you need help?"
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka stepped out from the crowd, playing the "Good Samaritan" for once by proactively striking up a conversation. No matter how you looked at it, he had ulterior motives!
Such a hypocritical performance naturally couldn't fool Sakayanagi.
Her expression turned cold instantly: "If you are worried that I will report this to the school, there is no need.
Don't look down on people, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka!"
To be honest, Hikigaya truly admired the thick skin of this "pseudo-human." Even after being exposed in public, he could still maintain a deadpan face.
"Pfft~ This is hilarious..."
"That Ayanokouji guy actually had the nerve to try and suck up to her..."
"Sakayanagi is the 'Chosen Daughter' after all; how could she let commoners like us touch her?"
Shinohara seemed to be whispering to her friends, but she didn't actually lower her voice. While stepping on Ayanokouji, she was also indirectly mocking Sakayanagi for being pretentious.
Ayanokouji, who heard everything clearly from the side, was momentarily speechless. This woman's talent for seeking death was practically on par with Yamauchi's! It was entirely predictable that Shinohara would soon follow in the footsteps of Yamauchi's gang.
However, none of this had anything to do with Hikigaya. Personally, he disliked Shinohara quite a bit as well.
Just as Hikigaya planned to quietly take a detour and leave, Sakayanagi's gaze swept over and found him.
"Hachiman-kun."
She called his name out loud in public. The bystanders immediately turned their gazes toward Hikigaya.
"Oh, what a coincidence, Arisu."
Hikigaya feigned surprise.
"Hehe~ You've come at just the right time, Hachiman-kun."
Sakayanagi smiled and beckoned him: "Come over and support me."
"Eh?!"
Everyone's expressions turned strange. This left Shinohara and Ayanokouji, who had both been rejected, feeling incredibly awkward.
The double standard was just too obvious.
"Isn't Ayanokouji right there next to you?"
Hikigaya tried to decline.
"No. This Ayanokouji-kun has the bad habit of peeping into the girls' changing rooms.
I'm afraid."
Sakayanagi took the chance to strike back at Ayanokouji's calculated probe.
"..." Ayanokouji wanted to say something but found himself unable to refute it.
"I have the notorious reputation of the 'Great Demon King' too," Hikigaya added.
"It doesn't matter, I don't mind you."
'But I mind you!'
In the end, Hikigaya couldn't bring himself to say such cruel words. With no other choice, he walked over sluggishly.
"Thank you."
Sakayanagi placed her hand in his palm. A stunningly beautiful smile, enough to make one's heart skip a beat, bloomed on her pretty face. Under the gaze of the crowd, Hikigaya led Sakayanagi toward the canteen.
"Where did Masumi go? Why isn't she with you?"
Hikigaya looked for a new topic to shift the attention.
"Tsk tsk~ Hachiman-kun is truly greedy."
Sakayanagi curled her lip: "Holding one in your hand while thinking of another in your heart."
"Yes, yes, otherwise why would people call me the Great Demon King?"
Since the rumors wouldn't fade no matter how he denied them, he might as well just embrace the role.
"To Hachiman-kun's disappointment, Masumi is in a different group," Sakayanagi explained.
"You really know how to order people around."
Hikigaya immediately understood that she had assigned Masumi Kamuro to a mission.
"Masumi likes being ordered around; Hachiman-kun can try it too."
'Don't just blurt out other people's fetishes!'
Hikigaya couldn't be bothered to reply.
"We've reached the canteen. Would Hachiman-kun like to spend dinner with me?" Sakayanagi invited.
"No thanks, I have serious business."
After letting go of her hand, Hikigaya decisively "greased his soles" and took off. Watching Hikigaya's retreating back as he headed toward Ichinose Honami's table, the smile on Sakayanagi's face gradually faded.
For her, the original plan against Ichinose Honami was just a precision strike against Class B. Now, it seemed there was an additional layer of personal motivation.
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"Ha-Hachiman-kun, did you come to find me?"
Ichinose Honami had actually seen Hikigaya long ago. Specifically, the moment she saw him walking into the canteen holding Sakayanagi's hand, her heart felt stifled and uncomfortable.
"Yes, that's right," Hikigaya said directly.
"Ichinose-san, we won't disturb your chat with Hikigaya-kun."
Ichinose's friends were very sensible, standing up to leave and granting the two private space.
"Uh, sorry for interrupting you and your friends."
Hikigaya hadn't intended to drive anyone away.
"It's okay. I wonder, Hachiman-kun, is there something you need?"
Ichinose Honami looked at him expectantly.
"Then I'll be blunt. I came to ask you about someone from Class B."
"Who? Hachiman-kun, you wouldn't be asking me for the contact information of the girls in our Class B, would you?"
Ichinose's smile was gentle, but her narrowed eyes held no hint of mirth.
"Stop joking. I'm asking about a guy," Hikigaya explained. "So Shibata... I wonder if you know him well, Honami?"
"Shibata-kun? Hmm~ how should I put it... he's a bright and friendly guy?
Of course, he and I are just ordinary friends. We definitely don't have a closer relationship!"
Ichinose emphasized this seriously.
"Uh, I didn't ask you that..."
Hikigaya gave her a strange look.
"Then what does Hachiman-kun want to know?"
"Well... this guy seems strangely obsessed with me. The way he looks at me is also weird...I'm wondering if I offended him somewhere?"
Hikigaya was completely baffled by this.
"I see... that shouldn't be the case, right?
Shibata is... wait?!
Could that rumor be true?"
Ichinose seemed to have hit upon the key. She leaned her head on her hand with a headache, then looked at Hikigaya with a playful, teasing smile in her eyes.
"???"
'What's the situation? Just say it!' Hikigaya hated "riddle-makers" the most!!
"Sorry, this involves Shibata-kun's personal privacy, so please forgive me for not being able to tell you directly."
Ichinose pressed her palms together and winked at him.
"Why do I get the feeling you're enjoying my misfortune?" Hikigaya said grumpily.
"Well~ who knows? Please reflect deeply on it tonight, Hachiman-kun~~"
Ichinose was being deliberately mysterious, leaving Hikigaya in suspense.
'Since when did this kid become a 'bad woman' too? Better not let me dream of you tonight, or I'll definitely have to give you a proper 'education'!'
"By the way, Honami. How is it going with your group?"
As the group leader, Ichinose also bore the pressure of management. However, for someone as good at unity as her, it shouldn't be a difficult task, right?
To Hikigaya's surprise, Ichinose let out a long sigh and began to pour out her grievances.
"Well... Managing conflicts between students from different classes is much more complicated than expected."
Hikigaya suddenly became interested: "Oh? A trouble even you can't settle? Which woman is being the thorn in your side?"
Ichinose looked at him quietly without saying a word.
"Uh, is it a girl I know?"
Hikigaya had a guess.
"Hmph~ Hachiman-kun knows far too many girls!"
Ichinose used an excuse to leave: "Sorry, Hachiman-kun, I need to discuss countermeasures with my classmates now. I'll take my leave."
Who was causing trouble?
Hikigaya immediately thought of Sakayanagi. Masumi Kamuro happened to not be by her side. Could she have joined Ichinose's group to intentionally cause sabotage?
To gather more information, Hikigaya originally wanted to rendezvous with Kushida or Karuizawa, but dinner time ended, and everyone was ushered out of the canteen, effectively closing the window for exchanging intel.
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Back at the dormitory.
"Hey, dead-fish eyes, you've come at the right time.
Want to play a few rounds?"
Ryuen Kakeru had organized a card game and was even in charge of the bookkeeping.
'Is this guy actually gambling?'
"Not interested." Hikigaya didn't bother with him.
"What? Boring guy."
Seeing this, Ryuen didn't push it and turned back to provoke Shibata. The two already had a grudge; unsurprisingly, Shibata "aggroed" in, and ended up losing until he was penniless!
On the other side, Katsuragi and Kanzaki were playing a match of Western chess. This actually piqued Hikigaya's interest. Judging by the board, the two were roughly equal in skill. The match was a stalemate; it was a test of who would lose their composure first.
"Does Hikigaya-kun play chess too?"
"I know a bit."
"Perfect, I'm a novice too. Let's have a 'noob vs noob' match!"
Hashimoto enthusiastically invited Hikigaya.
"Should we bet on something?"
"Points are boring. If you lose, how about washing the other person's clothes for a week?"
The dorm had no washing machines, only detergent and basins. For most high schoolers, hand-washing clothes was indeed a chore.
"Deal," Hikigaya agreed readily, adding: "And include the task of making the bed."
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"I lost... Honestly, aren't you too cunning, Hikigaya-kun?
You call this 'knowing a bit'?"
Hashimoto had a mournful face.
"You're not bad yourself.
We're both the same."
Hikigaya gave a cold laugh. In terms of chess skill, Hashimoto was not below Katsuragi or Kanzaki. Calling himself a "novice" was purely playing the "pig to eat the tiger."
Fortunately, since nobody played with Hikigaya when he was a kid, he often played against himself. He was quite good at any game a person could play alone!
At 10:00 PM, it was lights out. Everyone lay down. At this hour, it was obvious no one could sleep.
"Hey~ Hikigaya-kun, are you asleep?"
Shibata, who was sleeping next to him, was the first to speak.
"I'm asleep."
"Ah? Sorry... Wait! How can you speak if you're asleep!"
'This guy's brain doesn't seem very sharp!'
"What do you want to say?"
Hikigaya knew the other guy was secretly watching him, so he decided to be direct.
"I was thinking... why don't we all talk about romance?"
Shibata's voice sounded a bit embarrassed.
"Tch! So mysterious. I thought you had something important to say, but it's just this boring topic."
Ryuen made a disdainful sound. Ishizaki followed suit with the mockery: "Exactly! A grown man talking about romance, it's hilarious!"
"You can't say that. Isn't it natural for young people to chase love?"
Hashimoto appeared to be standing on Shibata's side, but in reality, he was "fanning the flames," intending to get the other to reveal more information.
"Since Shibata-kun brought it up, you should start," Hikigaya pre-empted him.
"I-I see... Okay then."
Shibata fell silent for another minute.
"Just say it already!" Ryuen urged impatiently.
"Ryuen, why are you shouting? Weren't you 'not interested'?" Yahiko finally found an opening to snap back at him.
"Sorry, I... I'm a bit shy... I need to prepare my emotions."
Shibata stammered.
'Wait, brother? Are you really this pure-hearted?'
This serious attitude left the others at a loss, and they couldn't even bring themselves to mock him.
Just as everyone was about to lose their patience, Shibata finally spoke again.
"I... I have someone I like..."
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