An hour later, the two sat on the sofa, taking a break.
In truth, Ichinose had done most of the singing. Hikigaya had only sung a couple of songs here and there.
"Come to think of it."
Ichinose asked curiously,
"Hikigaya-kun, you're getting along well with Yumeko and the others, right? How does it feel?"
Hearing that, Hikigaya's expression stiffened.
Had Ichinose been stalking him?
The thought was terrifying—but after thinking it over, it didn't seem likely.
The so-called "Hikigaya Group" didn't meet that often.
Most of his time was spent with Ichinose and her group. She had probably heard it from Yumeko Kobashi and the others.
"A bit tiring."
Hikigaya took a sip of Coke, feeling inexplicably guilty.
"Hm?"
Ichinose furrowed her brows, then relaxed.
"I see. That means Hikigaya-kun is seriously spending time with them. At least you don't find it unpleasant."
"Well… I guess so."
Hikigaya answered evasively.
As expected of Ichinose—even when he phrased it that way, she still understood.
"Then that's great."
Ichinose smiled in relief.
"It's really good to see Hikigaya-kun making friends. Mako-chan has been saying lately that Hikki is super interesting and that she really likes Hikigaya-kun."
"No, I'm probably not that interesting."
This was likely just friendship-level liking, but Hikigaya still felt embarrassed.
"Besides, we probably don't count as friends yet. We haven't known each other for that long."
"Hm?"
Ichinose frowned, her tone turning slightly stern.
"Hikigaya-kun, you shouldn't say things like that. If Mako-chan and the others heard you, they'd be very sad."
"Oh… oh…"
Hikigaya felt apologetic. His old habits were showing again. These people weren't like his middle school classmates.
If he said something like that, Yumeko Kobashi and the others really would be hurt.
"Good."
Seeing this, Ichinose nodded in satisfaction and gently patted his shoulder.
"Besides, friendship isn't something you can define. It depends on how it feels. Even if you only meet once, if you get along, that's already enough to call yourselves friends."
"Mako-chan said she's very happy being with you, Yumeko, and Yuki-chan. You're definitely friends already."
"I see…"
Hikigaya scratched his head, troubled.
Friendship can't be defined? Was this some kind of Lovecraftian concept that couldn't be put into words?
If they were already friends…
"Anyway."
Ichinose nodded with satisfaction.
"Seeing Hikigaya-kun like this, I can finally relax."
"Is that so?"
Hikigaya looked up at her and smiled.
"Then this kind of 'special care' doesn't need to continue, right?"
It didn't feel bad, but he really didn't like karaoke. Being alone still suited him better—though not as strongly as before.
"Honestly…"
Ichinose rolled her beautiful eyes, looking helpless.
"I really can't tell if Hikigaya-kun is actually smart or just pretending."
"What do you mean?"
Hikigaya looked confused.
"I never thought of giving 'special care' to a specific person."
Ichinose smiled brightly.
"I just wanted to be friends with Hikigaya-kun. And now, we already are."
"Then what about before?"
Hikigaya frowned, even more confused.
"Because if I didn't say it that way…"
Ichinose shook her head helplessly.
"I felt Hikigaya-kun wouldn't accept it."
"…That's true."
Hikigaya gave an embarrassed smile.
If she hadn't framed it as special care, he definitely would've thought she was just pitying him.
"Alright, let's head back."
As they stood up, Ichinose glanced at his trench coat.
"Hikigaya-kun, even if you live alone, you shouldn't be so careless. Your clothes are a bit dirty."
"Sorry…"
Hikigaya tugged at his coat.
He was a bit helpless too.
Normally, wearing pajamas in the dorm was fine, and he only needed to wear the trench coat occasionally when going out—but lately, the number of outings had far exceeded his expectations.
Maybe he should buy another one.
As expected.
The number of friends and the number of clothes were proportional.
More clothes… more friends?
The next day.
At Keyaki Mall Karaoke.
Looking at the "dead-fish eyes" in front of him, the staff member's expression turned subtle.
"Sir, you really like singing."
"No…"
Hikigaya's face was blank.
If one asked why he was here again, it was because he had been caught by Yuki Himeno.
"Eh? What do you mean by that?"
Yuki Himeno tugged on Hikigaya's sleeve.
"Does he come here often?"
"Yes, he was just here yesterday."
The staff member nodded with a smile, casting a discreet glance at Hikigaya Hachiman.
Yesterday, he brought one beauty.
Today, he brought another—and clearly not the same one.
Two-timing.
Truly, the world was declining and morality was collapsing.
"Hmph."
Yuki Himeno shot Hikigaya a glance and dragged him toward the private room.
"What's the deal? Did you predict I'd come looking for you today? Did you come early yesterday to practice?"
"How could that be?"
Hikigaya replied helplessly.
"Ichinose dragged me here yesterday. I had no choice."
"I see."
Yuki Himeno sighed in relief.
When it came to caring for others, Ichinose really was assertive—even Hikigaya had trouble refusing her.
Once inside the room, Yuki Himeno went straight to the song machine.
"Hikki, what do you want to sing?"
"Oh, I want to sing Blue Bird."
"…Huh???"
Yuki Himeno snapped her head around, staring him up and down.
"Wh-what?"
Hikigaya felt uncomfortable under her gaze.
"Nothing…"
Yuki Himeno still looked puzzled.
"I thought you'd be super awkward, refuse to sing until I shoved the mic at you, and then barely sing two lines. Did your personality change?"
"No…"
Hikigaya looked away, embarrassed.
"I was forced to sing a few songs with Ichinose yesterday. It felt… okay."
"Fine then."
Yuki Himeno turned back to the screen.
She felt strangely unsettled.
Even though she knew Ichinose had no other intentions, if she'd known this would happen, she would've dragged Hikigaya to karaoke earlier.
She hadn't expected Ichinose to beat her to it.
"Then I'll go first."
"Music!"
The room was instantly filled with intense music. Yuki Himeno grabbed the microphone, rattling off a long string of English he couldn't understand.
Hikigaya sat frozen on the sofa.
His heart felt like it was about to jump out of his chest.
Come to think of it, her English really was this good.
Some parts were hard to catch, but her singing was undeniably impressive.
So even among karaoke lovers, styles could be completely different.
No wonder Yuki Himeno hadn't wanted to sing last time.
If Ichinose and the others saw this, they'd definitely be shocked.
"How was it?"
Yuki Himeno flicked her ponytail back proudly.
"Yeah."
Hikigaya nodded.
"I didn't really understand the lyrics, but it sounded good. Just… a bit loud."
"What kind of backhanded compliment is that?"
Yuki Himeno frowned, then smirked proudly.
"I'm actually pretty confident in my karaoke skills. Alright, your turn."
"Oh."
Hikigaya took the microphone calmly.
He was also fairly confident in his own level.
Feeling Yuki Himeno's gaze, he didn't mind at all.
Compared to Ichinose's pressure, this nasty-tempered girl was nothing.
After Blue Bird ended—
"Hey."
Yuki Himeno stared at Hikigaya, whose lips were slightly curved upward.
"Your singing is totally ordinary. What are you so proud of? Gross."
"What's wrong with ordinary?"
Hikigaya kept smiling faintly and handed the microphone back.
Ichinose might've been comforting him—but Yuki Himeno would never sugarcoat things.
Even to her, his singing was just "ordinary."
For Hikigaya, that alone was already high praise.
His middle school classmates must've had ear problems. They should've gone to the hospital.
Refreshing.
Yuki Himeno took a deep breath.
It wasn't bad for Hikigaya to gain some confidence—but the fact that it came from Ichinose made her slightly unhappy.
"Forget it."
She quickly adjusted her mood.
Ichinose didn't have other intentions anyway. There was no point dwelling on it.
"Then let's sing a duet next."
Yuki Himeno grinned mischievously.
"Eh?"
Hikigaya froze.
"Why?"
"What do you mean why?"
She shoved the microphone into his hand.
"Isn't it normal to sing duets at karaoke?"
Hikigaya thought about it.
Whether in middle school or Class B, people really did like singing together.
"No need…"
He waved his hands.
"I think singing alone is better. And we're clearly not on the same level—a duet would just drag the score down…"
Mid-sentence, he realized something.
"…Wait."
He went silent.
"You just want to show off your singing skills, don't you?"
With anyone else, maybe not—but this sharp-tongued gyaru definitely could be that kind of person.
"So what?"
Yuki Himeno dragged him to the song machine.
"As long as singing is fun, that's enough."
Hikigaya was speechless. If she just wanted to tease him, it wasn't a big deal.
He watched as she scrolled through the list.
In the end, she picked "Love Phantom."
"No, this song is kind of—"
Hikigaya's face turned red. Wasn't this a song only couples sang?
"What? Problem?"
"I've never heard it, and it looks like a song only couples would pick…"
"Huh?"
Yuki Himeno turned around.
"So what? If you don't know it, just read the lyrics and follow along. Don't overthink it."
"…."
Hikigaya froze.
Even girls like Ichinose, or guys like Shibata, sang love songs all the time. It probably had nothing to do with actually being a couple.
Still, he felt awkward. His habit of overthinking hadn't changed.
Fortunately, Yuki Himeno didn't seem bothered.
The two sat side by side on the sofa, microphones in hand.
"I… love…"
Hikigaya's cheeks burned red.
Even knowing the song had nothing to do with being a couple, the lyrics were way too embarrassing.
"Louder!"
Yuki Himeno slung an arm around his shoulder, swaying happily.
"Your voice is too small!"
"I… love—!"
Hikigaya gripped the microphone with both hands, stammering.
Damn it.
This nasty-tempered girl really just liked teasing him.
Yuki Himeno kept her arm around his shoulder, the corners of her lips lifting slightly. In the dim light, her face was faintly red.
As expected.
Being with Hikigaya was way more fun than being with Yumeko and the others.