Chapter 385: Returning to Advanced Nurturing
After seeing his younger sister off to school, Hikigaya returned home.
"Airi, are you awake?"
"Mmm~ Sorry, Hachiman-kun, I slept too late..."
Sakura Airi had only just slowly awakened. She was sitting upright on the bed, her cheeks flushed with a faint crimson. Somewhat shyly, she pulled the duvet up to half-conceal her face; a hint of the lingering charm from... experiencing certain pleasures... still remained between her brows.
"No, it was because I overexerted myself last night."
Hikigaya proactively admitted that it was his responsibility.
However, upon hearing this, Sakura Airi became even more embarrassed and shrank entirely into the covers.
Hikigaya's gaze intensified.
'Not good!
I feel the urge to tease Airi again!'
Hikigaya shook his head vigorously, barely suppressing the colorful thoughts in his brain.
"Airi, it's time to get up.
If you dawdle any longer, you'll miss the shuttle back to school."
Hikigaya softened his tone and gave a gentle reminder.
"Okay then~"
Sakura Airi slowly poked her head out from the duvet, her clear eyes looking at him moistly as she made a small request: "Um... Hachiman-kun, could you step out for a moment? I—I need to change my clothes."
Hikigaya instinctively replied casually: "It's fine, you can just change. It's not like I haven't seen everything already anyway..."
"Dame! (No way!)"
Sakura Airi's face turned scarlet, her head shaking like a rattle, her attitude exceptionally firm.
'This girl... really still needs some 'training.''
But it didn't matter; after a few more "battles" in the future, she would get used to it.
Once Sakura Airi finished washing up and ate a simple breakfast, the two packed their belongings and headed out together to the meeting point.
.
.
.
At the hotel entrance, the members of the basketball team had been waiting for a long time, their faces filled with impatience.
"I say, Hikigaya, why are you late again? This is a bit too..."
"Lunch is on me once we get back to school."
"Brother! Why don't you sleep in a bit later? It's fine, we can wait!"
The faces of the basketball team members changed instantly.
It must be said, money can solve 99% of the world's problems.
"Oh my~"
Asahina Nazuna walked quickly to Sakura Airi's side, looking her up and down with great interest, her tone carrying a light tease: "Airi-chan's aura today is completely different from usual."
"Uu~"
Sakura Airi lowered her head with a red face. She said nothing, yet her silence said everything.
Asahina Nazuna shifted her gaze to Hikigaya, her smile deepening: "Hachiman-kouhai, seeing how satisfied Airi-chan looks, it seems you put in quite a lot of effort."
"It was alright.
Does Nazuna-senpai want to try?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Hikigaya felt he had gotten a bit carried away. How could he say something so suggestive to a senior?
Asahina Nazuna's eyes widened slightly, clearly not expecting him to be this bold. She reached out and lightly pinched Hikigaya's ear, saying with a hint of mock reproach: "Well now, kouhai, you actually dare to flirt with your senpai?"
"Sorry, it's my fault..."
Hikigaya quickly raised his hands in surrender and apologized sincerely: "Please forgive me, Nazuna-senpai!"
"Hmph."
Asahina Nazuna let go and looked at him with a serious gaze, warning him softly: "My cute kouhai, you mustn't turn into a glib, frivolous man!"
The group boarded the bus one after another. The three of them chose the seats in the very last row as usual.
Due to the lack of sleep last night, it wasn't long before Sakura Airi's eyelids drooped with exhaustion, and she fell fast asleep leaning gently against Hikigaya's shoulder.
"Tsk, tsk."
Asahina Nazuna glanced sideways and teased in a low voice: "To tire Airi-chan out that much, you really are a man who doesn't know how to cherish a lady!"
"I have deeply reflected on my actions."
Hikigaya admitted his mistake frankly, maintaining a proper attitude on the surface.
As for whether he would actually change, that depended entirely on his mood.
"Well~ considering you're the legendary Tyrannosaurus, it's not surprising you'd be a bit... rough."
Asahina Nazuna rolled her eyes at him with a smile.
The bus drove onto the cross-river bridge, heading toward the urban districts of Tokyo.
Two hours later, the bus arrived at the gates of Advanced Nurturing High School.
Everyone got off the bus.
Looking at the familiar school before them, everyone couldn't help but feel as if they were returning to prison.
However, the path was their own choice; whether it was bitter or sweet, they had to bite the bullet and keep moving forward.
Today was Saturday.
After Hikigaya sent Sakura Airi back to her dorm to rest, he went to the Student Council.
"Welcome back. I wonder what thoughts Hikigaya-kouhai has regarding this off-campus experience?"
Nagumo Miyabi still wore that playful, mocking expression.
"It was okay. I have to thank Nazuna-senpai; she helped me out a lot."
Hikigaya responded nonchalantly.
Nagumo's face darkened, nearly losing his composure, but he restrained himself: "The activity report—have it written for me today!"
"Fine."
Hikigaya nodded.
As for writing reports, he was already an old hand at it.
"By the way, during the two days you were gone..."
Nagumo spoke with underlying meaning: "The Public Order Committee has accumulated quite a bit of trouble."
"What kind of trouble?"
Hikigaya's brows furrowed.
Nagumo didn't bother to explain and sneered: "As for that, go find your own people and see for yourself."
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.
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Walking out of the President's office, Hikigaya went to the Public Order Committee's cubicle.
He saw Horikita Suzune focused intently on the documents in her hands, her brow carrying a hint of fatigue.
"Suzune, are you busy?"
Hikigaya stepped forward to ask.
"Ah... you're finally back, Hachiman."
Horikita Suzune glanced up at him before continuing her work.
"No way? I was only gone for two days...
Are there really that many petty issues?"
Hikigaya felt a surge of surprise. Curious, he picked up a document from the desk and gave it a brief scan.
[First-year Class D, Miyamoto Konai, accuses Second-year Class D, Okitani Kyousuke, of harassment via messages...]
[First-year Class D, Motoshima Gaku, accuses Second-year Class D, Hondou Ryoutarou, of knocking him down...]
[First-year Class D, Honshu Hiroshi, Shiba Inunaru, and Kudou Keiji, jointly accuse Second-year Class D, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, of assaulting them...]
The accusers and the accused were all pointed in a very specific direction.
"Heh..."
Hikigaya sneered as he tossed the document back onto the desk: "That guy Housen... he really forgot the pain as soon as the wound healed. He couldn't resist causing trouble this quickly?"
"This is an attack from First-year Class D targeted at our class. However, the opponent was well-prepared, and the people in our class... well, you know, there are many idiots."
Horikita Suzune couldn't help but massage her forehead: "Even knowing the other party had ill intentions, some people were foolish enough to fall into the traps."
Among the accusations, except for Ayanokouji Kiyotaka—who cleared himself of suspicion of physical violence by using the voice recorder he always carried—the others had all fallen for it.
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