Chapter 336: Could Even the Teacher...
Back in the Class D classroom.
Unsurprisingly, the atmosphere was exceptionally subtle. In Hikigaya Hachiman's view, Valentine's Day didn't actually hold many surprises. One usually had a rough idea of whether a girl they were close with would give them chocolate on this day.
However, considering that boys are generally a species fond of high-octane fantasies—to put it bluntly, many can't distinguish reality from delusion—Hikigaya was no exception. He had suffered from similar delusional disorders in middle school, but now... it seemed even worse!
He was actually wondering which other girls he was close with might give him chocolate. He couldn't help but steal a glance at his neighbor, Horikita Suzune. Seeing her reading as seriously as ever, Hikigaya felt a wave of relief, yet also a tiny pang of disappointment.
"What is it?" Without lifting her eyes from her book, Horikita spoke coolly. "Have you also been influenced by the idiots in this class?"
"Uh, no, not really..." Hikigaya awkwardly withdrew his gaze. There was no rule stating a girl had to give a boy chocolate on Valentine's Day.
Seeing Hikigaya give up on the conversation, Horikita actually found herself unable to sit still. Her eyes lingered on the same page for a long time.
"Sigh." She closed her book and let out a long sigh. "You... you clearly know I'm going to give you some, yet you don't even bother to ask. Or are you doing this on purpose?"
Yes. Hikigaya had expected this. But he just couldn't resist teasing her.
'It's unbelievable' he thought.
'When did I become such a composed "bad boy"?'
Horikita gave up her struggle with a resigned look and pulled a meticulously prepared box of chocolates from her desk. "Take it!"
"Yes! Ten-fold thanks for the gift, Horikita-san!" Hikigaya quit while he was ahead, his tone full of flattery. "On White Day, I'll return the favor three-fold!"
"Hmph! Then there are far too many people you'll have to give a three-fold return to!" Horikita rolled her eyes at him.
Following her, Hasabe Haruka, Karuizawa Kei, Matsushita Chiaki, and Sato Maya all brought him chocolates. Add to that the chocolates Shiina Hiyori and Ibuki Mio had "stealthily" delivered the night before, plus two from senpais—Hikigaya had already received 11 chocolates!
Yet, this wasn't the end...
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During the break, Sakayanagi Arisu and Kamuro Masumi arrived at Class D without warning.
"Good day, Hikigaya-kun~"
The students of Class D, seeing this, didn't even erupt in noise. It had moved beyond the realm of envy and jealousy.
At this moment, their eyes were fixed on Hikigaya as if to say: Are you even human?
...Why didn't anyone stop them? Who knew they'd charge in during a break?!
The [United Front Command] group chat was about to explode! The girls wanted to rush over and kick out these outsiders, but under the watchful eyes of the class, they couldn't take extreme action. They could only watch as the two walked straight to Hikigaya.
"You guys, this is..." Hikigaya tried to signal them with his eyes not to do anything reckless.
Little did he know, Sakayanagi's first sentence would be a "Bomb."
"Hikigaya-kun, I like you. Let's date."
"!!!"
Everyone's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Such a direct confession was truly a sneak attack. But before anyone could react, Sakayanagi dropped an instant follow-up!
"As long as you date me, you can use Kamuro however you like too~"
It sounded like a joke, but Sakayanagi's tone was exceptionally serious.
Crucially, Kamuro—who was being treated like a "dowry"—merely furrowed her brows but didn't deny it.
"? ? ?"
It was as if a massive Silence spell had hit the room. Everyone's mouths were agape in shock.
"Sakayanagi..." Hikigaya took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. "You... there's no need to play this hard, right?"
"My, my. Hikigaya-kun plays quite hard himself. Why so coy and affected today?" Sakayanagi pointedly glanced at his desk drawer, which was overflowing with chocolates.
"..." Hikigaya was speechless. It was the truth, but did she have to be so blunt?
"Hey!" Karuizawa Kei stepped forward angrily. "Sakayanagi, do you think we're dead?"
"Karuizawa-san, I don't know why you're angry," Sakayanagi sneered coldly. "Haven't you already accepted the fact that Hikigaya-kun is 'chaining the ships'?"
"Chaining the... speak human!" Karuizawa couldn't catch the historical metaphor.
Matsushita Chiaki cut in: "Even if Hikigaya-kun is 'chaining ships,' those are the ships of Class D. It has nothing to do with an outsider like you!"
"That's not necessarily true," Sakayanagi countered. "Class D is hardly a 'harbor' for Hikigaya-kun."
Matsushita was momentarily silenced. To be fair, aside from a few girls, most of Class D was far from friendly to Hikigaya—some even rejected him.
"Hmph! Don't take such a high-and-mighty attitude, Sakayanagi-san," Horikita counterattacked forcefully. "Your Class A once fell to Class C; it's not exactly a 'good harbor' either."
"It seems Horikita-san has a lot of fighting spirit," Sakayanagi continued to provoke. "A pity you don't seem to be the leader of Class D."
This struck a nerve. Currently, the fragmented Class D truly lacked a leader who could command everyone's respect.
"Horikita-san has both the strength and character to lead us," Kushida Kikyo stepped up to take the lead.
Karuizawa and the others exchanged glances and quickly formed a united front. "We all support Horikita-san as the leader of Class D!"
With the support of the popular "Angel Kushida" and the powerful "Gyaru" clique, nearly half the students followed suit to support Horikita. On the boys' side, they looked hesitantly at Hirata Yosuke. Although his reputation had dipped after his "darkening" phase, his influence was still significant.
"I also support Horikita-san," Hirata said, backing her for the sake of class unity.
"Oh?" Sakayanagi observed the girls of the united front with interest. With her intellect, she quickly deduced their true intentions. "The so-called 'unbreakable alliance' is usually broken from within."
The girls knew this, of course. But against an external enemy, they would maintain a surface-level harmony.
"Stop trying to drive a wedge between us!" Sato Maya said with her hands on her hips. "Our class... is the most loving!"
Hikigaya nearly lost his composure. Only Hirata's eyes lit up, as if he were immensely encouraged.
'Wait, brother? You actually believe that nonsense?'
"Fufu... as expected of the Hikigaya-kun I chose," Sakayanagi suddenly turned the spear on him. "Your existence can actually foster unity in Class D. Truly wonderful~~"
"Stop talking nonsense." Hikigaya felt like throwing up.
"Fine! Don't forget why we came here. Why waste so much breath on them?" Kamuro interrupted. She then generously pulled out her chocolate and stuffed it into Hikigaya's hand.
"Even though Sakayanagi has no filter... at least our feelings are genuine. Hikigaya-kun, please give it some serious thought." With that, Kamuro turned and left the classroom, her face flushed red before he could reply.
"My, my... my Kamuro is so shy," Sakayanagi teased.
"You, on the other hand, are thicker-skinned than expected," Hikigaya said helplessly.
"As long as I can seize the final victory, any price is worth paying." As confident as ever, Sakayanagi left behind her chocolate and made a graceful exit. That "Bratty Loli" had maxed out everyone's aggro against him, then just patted her skirt and walked away.
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"Hikigaya!" Kushida stared at him with sharp eyes. "I remember your dream was to be a stay-at-home husband? You aren't... really thinking of latching onto a rich woman, are you?"
"That... I did say that," Hikigaya admitted. "But with Sakayanagi's personality, she definitely wouldn't let me live for free."
According to the future Hikigaya knew from his dreams, after becoming the son-in-law of the Sakayanagi family, he was immediately put to work.
First, he was placed in the high-level management of Advanced Nurturing High School as the Dean of Students. Later, he was promoted to become the next Chairman. As it was a major social experiment involving government-corporate cooperation, he had to deal with celebrities and socialites constantly.
His life was nothing but work and socializing—the exact opposite of the "lying flat" life he wanted!
"In other words, Hikigaya, you have actually thought about it?" Horikita looked at him with icy eyes.
"...I was just daydreaming." Hikigaya's lip twitched.
"Hikigaya-kun!" Sakura Airi plucked up her courage and spoke her heart. "I... I can earn money to support you too!"
The other girls were stunned, looking at Sakura in disbelief.
"Sakura-san, earning money isn't a game," Karuizawa said with a hint of disparagement. "Better not to say things you can't achieve." After all, Sakura's grades and athletic ability were in the lower tier of Class D. It was hard to believe she had a bright future.
"Don't look down on people!" Hasabe Haruka spoke up for her best friend. "Sakura is the star photographer of the Photography Club now! Even senpais from the graduating class come to her for commemorative photos."
Hearing this, everyone looked at Sakura in surprise. A top-tier photographer in society earns quite a bit! Especially since Sakura had been a model, she already had industry connections.
"You can support a family, sure. But for a life of luxury, you have to look at family background," Matsushita Chiaki said, running a hand through her wavy hair. Her family was wealthy; she was a genuine rich miss. Supporting Hikigaya was well within her means.
"My family has some businesses, and they're in Chiba. Hikigaya-kun would be able to see his sister," Horikita added nonchalantly.
"Really?!" Hikigaya's eyes lit up. He had to admit, he was tempted.
"..."
"She actually played the little sister card!" Kushida was filled with indignation.
"Hey, hey, hey! Why are we suddenly comparing family backgrounds?" Karuizawa was getting anxious. Her family was ordinary; she didn't have that kind of safety net!
The school bell rang, interrupting the conversation. At that moment, the sound of Chabashira-sensei's high heels felt absolutely heavenly!
"It's Valentine's Day. Why do you all look so dejected?" Chabashira Sae said, poking the sore spot.
Class D didn't answer; they just silently looked at Hikigaya.
"Fine. If you're envious, work hard to improve yourselves so you can win a girl's favor next year," Chabashira said, offering "correct" but useless advice. If it were that easy, there wouldn't be so many single men. In reality, even if you improve yourself, it doesn't guarantee a girl's love. In school romances, girls often look at the "character model" first.
"Chabashira-sensei is right! Starting today, I'm going to study hard!" Okitani Kyosuke declared grandly.
How long would that passion last? Hikigaya thought he'd at least make it a day. He didn't even last one class. Okitani couldn't survive the lullaby of Japanese lessons and soon collapsed. Furious, Chabashira-sensei hauled him up and sent him to the hallway to stand as punishment, accompanied by the collective disdainful glares of the Class D girls. It was safe to say Okitani wouldn't be getting chocolates next Valentine's Day either.
The class ended.
"Hikigaya, come to the office with me," Chabashira called out.
"What does Chabashira-sensei want with you?"
"She's not going to give you chocolate too, is she?"
Facing the suspicious glares of the girls, Hikigaya waved his hands in denial. "No way... what are you guys thinking?"
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In the Faculty Office
"Chabashira-sensei, what do you need?" Hikigaya asked directly.
"Close the door first," Chabashira signaled.
"Uh... why?"
"What happens next isn't convenient for outsiders to see."
"..."
Hikigaya's heart skipped a beat as a certain possibility crossed his mind.
'No way, right? No way?'
"Hmph! Drop those bold thoughts, Hikigaya!" Chabashira glared at him fiercely.
Then, from her drawer, she pulled out three boxes of chocolates.
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