The next day, Friday. The class clearly didn't know about the club yet. Kanzaki and Himeno Yuki were truly honest people; otherwise, he wouldn't have had such an easy time.
Hikigaya's life remained unchanged. In the classroom, Himeno Yuki also didn't interact with him, acting as if she hadn't seen him. This made Hikigaya even more certain that she was just pretending to be a "good girl."
Throughout the entire day, Ichinose never had a moment's rest, surrounded by classmates at every turn—truly a top-tier "normie."
It wasn't until after school that he finally found an opportunity. He carefully and stealthily approached her from behind and whispered: "Ichinose, can I trouble you for a moment?" After all, he had already hurt Ichinose; it wouldn't be surprising if he was rejected, so he was prepared for a long-term effort.
"Eh?" Ichinose let out a strange sound, genuinely startled. Does this guy make no noise when he walks?
"Ah? It was Hikigaya-kun... scared me..." Ichinose couldn't help but lower her voice too. "Sure, that's fine. Actually, I have something I wanted to say to Hikigaya-kun as well."
"Oh? Is that so? Thanks." Hikigaya nodded in surprise, then walked toward the school exit with his hands in his pockets. Ichinose hesitated for a moment before walking alongside him. Both remained silent, and the atmosphere was inevitably a bit awkward. Ichinose's expression was complicated, not knowing how to start, but since Hikigaya didn't seem to mind, she also stayed silent.
A moment later, they arrived behind the school building. If the two of them went wandering around the Keyaki Shopping Mall, it might cause unnecessary trouble for Ichinose. Therefore, he chose the closest location.
Hikigaya stopped and took out a reasonably delicate gift box from his backpack, handing it to Ichinose. As an apology, this was a gift he had selected at the convenience store last night. It wasn't very expensive—just a 2,000-yen fountain pen. It could be considered a small token of sincerity; his relationship with Ichinose was only at that level.
"This is?" Ichinose was a bit confused.
"Well, how should I put it..."
Hikigaya carefully weighed his words: "Consider it an apology. Sorry about the day before yesterday; I said some harsh things. But, you know, you don't need to specifically worry about me. Let's call it even, how about it?"
While he may have hurt Ichinose, he truly didn't need her sympathy. This way, both of them could return to their normal lives.
Ichinose stared at the gift box for a long time without moving. Hikigaya was a bit helpless; a broken vase cannot be restored.
"Sorry, I can't accept this gift." Ichinose shook her head slightly.
"I see." Hikigaya lowered his arm, not taking it too much to heart. Anyway, he had done what he was supposed to do; whether she accepted it or not was her business.
Just as he was about to leave, he heard Ichinose continue: "I've been thinking about what you said the day before yesterday, and I feel more and more that your words were correct. Perhaps a part of me truly did want Hikigaya-kun to fit into the class out of sympathy."
"And because I used an inconsiderate method, I hurt Hikigaya's self-esteem. So, the person who should be apologizing is me."
No. Not at all. My self-esteem isn't that fragile. Really.
"That's not the case," Hikigaya said, his eyes dodging hers. "Even if that were so, your intention was never malicious. I'm the one who said hurtful things; the one who should apologize is me."
"But it's also a fact that my actions hurt Hikigaya-kun." Ichinose slowly shook her head, rummaging through her backpack for something.
"No... not really." Hikigaya was a bit speechless. He had his own persistence, and this girl just wouldn't listen. He argued: "My heart isn't that weak, and I wasn't hurt at all. Compared to middle school, this doesn't even count as a small matter, so Ichinose-san doesn't need to apologize."
"Indeed." Ichinose didn't know his past. She took out an exquisite gift box and held it out to him: "I don't know about Hikigaya-kun's past, and this might just be a trivial matter to you, but the fact that I hurt you remains. Isn't that why Hikigaya-kun wanted to apologize to me?"
"So, could you accept this gift? Otherwise, I might not be able to forgive myself." Ichinose held the exquisite gift box with both hands in front of Hikigaya.
Her words left Hikigaya stunned. It was true. Both of them wanted to apologize because they felt they had hurt the other.
However, if he didn't accept this gift, Ichinose wouldn't forgive herself, whereas he wouldn't mind either way. After all, their relationship was just that; as for whether it could go a step further, Hikigaya didn't particularly care.
Yet, unlike a superficial kindness, Ichinose was a truly gentle girl. Not just kind, but a strong girl who dared to face herself and everything else. Judging by this gift...
Even if he hadn't spoken today, Ichinose would have found an opportunity to apologize to him. For a moment, Hikigaya was slightly dazed. After a while, his left hand took the gift box from her and he nodded: "Okay."
Ichinose's smile, as refreshing as a spring breeze, returned. She gently took the gift box belonging to her from his right hand.
"Then we're even now!"
"Well, yeah." Hikigaya was still a bit dazed. He accepted Ichinose's apology, and Ichinose accepted his. They were indeed even.
It wasn't that he hadn't met kind people in middle school; occasionally, people would greet him out of kindness. However, he knew very well that Ichinose's kindness was different from theirs.
"So," Ichinose said with a brilliant smile, "Hikigaya-kun, starting today, can we be friends?"
"Well, if you don't mind," Hikigaya said, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"That's wonderful." Ichinose smiled and nodded. "Thank you for the gift. But, sorry, I have plans with Chihiro and the others today, so I'll be heading back now~"
With that, Ichinose jogged away, leaving Hikigaya standing alone. There was no deliberate effort to look after him, but this approach made Hikigaya feel even more comfortable.
Back at the dorm, Hikigaya sat on his bed and opened the gift box from Ichinose. Inside was a smiley-face pendant, likely meant to be a decoration for a backpack. Next to it was a pink card that read: "Smiling more will make you happier."
"Who would wear something like this? It's way too embarrassing." Hikigaya's face flushed slightly. There was no way he could tie such an embarrassing thing to his backpack. But, since it was someone's sincere gift—and probably the first gift he had ever received in his life—he decided to keep it safe.