Chapter 168: Dating! No, He's Not Ordinary!
Hachiman and Karuizawa headed to the third-floor cafeteria.
For Karuizawa, she had almost never been here. After all, as a student of Class D, even if she had acquired points, she wasn't so casual as to run up here to spend them.
Her first impression was: The lighting in the third-floor cafeteria was much softer than downstairs.
It wasn't the kind of piercingly white fluorescent light, but warm-colored LED strips embedded in the ceiling, illuminating the entire space in a lukewarm, quiet glow. Simultaneously, the floor was covered in a deep grey carpet, making footsteps almost silent.
The distance between the tables and chairs in the hall was also much more generous; there was no need to worry about bumping into the back of a neighbor's chair when turning around. Even the booths along the window were separated by waist-high partitions, making every table an independent little world.
Standing at the entrance now, looking at those empty booths and the small flower vases on the tables, she suddenly felt a sense of unreality. It wasn't because of how luxurious the environment was, but because—she was walking in here together with Hikigaya Hachiman.
Hachiman had already walked to a window seat, placed his backpack on the chair beside him, and turned around to see her still standing at the entrance. He tilted his head slightly.
"What's wrong?"
"Ugh!"
Karuizawa quickly snapped out of it, walked over at a brisk pace, and sat down opposite him.
"I've never been here," she said. "So I was a bit curious."
Actually, it wasn't curiosity.
It was that she discovered Hachiman's movements upon entering were too natural—he didn't look at the menu, didn't scan the environment, and didn't even hesitate about which table to sit at.
He had eaten here many times. Yet the consumption level here was completely different from the ordinary cafeterias on the first and second floors—it was three or even five times higher.
In other words, if she held the idea of marrying him in the future, and what he wanted was to become a stay-at-home husband, were these the economic requirements he was looking for?
This was indeed a lot of pressure for her.
After all.
He was already a student of Class A, the Vice President of the Student Council, and someone who could eat at the third-floor cafeteria whenever he wanted. And her? Class D, a chore-runner, someone who rarely even set foot on the second floor. If that day really came, the gap between her and him would probably be more than just classes and positions.
But the two of them were only just dating; thinking about marriage and such...
Wait! When this thought popped up, she startled herself. Marriage? How could she think of something so far off?
Thus, she took a light breath.
Seeing her strange expression, Hachiman spoke up proactively.
"You can come here whenever you want to eat in the future. I was surprised the first time I came too, but after a few more times, that nervous feeling goes away."
"I'll treat you. And if I leave the school in the future, after my points are arranged, I should leave a sum of points for you.
...As I told Kushida before. I know my appearance isn't great—dead-fish eyes, messy hair, always looking like I haven't slept. I also know my personality is gloomy—not proactive, not enthusiastic, not good at dealing with people. I know my—"
"Enough."
Karuizawa interrupted him.
Because she had realized that Hachiman had noticed her awkwardness just now, but these words of self-deprecation... she didn't want to hear them.
So she said directly, "Is there something wrong with your self-assessment?"
"..." But Hachiman didn't respond.
Karuizawa took a deep breath. She wasn't the type to say pretty words; in Class D, she mostly listened to others and then nodded or shook her head. But at this moment, she felt she should say something. Not to comfort him, nor to prove anything, but simply—she couldn't stand listening to those words.
"You do have a bit of a dead-fish eye," she said. "But so what? A person's appearance isn't everything. Besides, you're not ugly. When you're serious, I think you're actually quite handsome."
Hachiman's eyebrows twitched slightly.
But Karuizawa ignored his expression and continued, "You say your personality is gloomy. Then tell me, the person who led Class B to rise to Class A has a gloomy personality? The person who harvested nearly a hundred million points in the uninhabited island exam has a gloomy personality? When you could have left other students to suffer on the island instead
of yourself, you call that a gloomy personality? And in the VIP exam, playing the original Class A and Class C like fiddles to make your class's promotion a success and gaining the love of the whole class—that's also called a gloomy personality?"
Hachiman's lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but the words didn't come out.
"Also." Karuizawa's voice lowered a bit, but every word was clear. "You protected me. When Ayanokouji wanted to make a move on me, you told me in advance, and you made Ryuen stop him. You've never mentioned this, but I know."
Hachiman's gaze shifted slightly, landing on a corner of the table. He seemed to be dazing out.
But seeing this reaction from him, Karuizawa simply continued talking.
"You said you looked for someone to learn experience from and were rejected by Kushida. But do you know why Kushida rejected you? It wasn't because you weren't good. If she hated you, she wouldn't do things for you at all, take your points, and she certainly wouldn't have avoided saying a single bad thing about you behind your back. In our girls' circles, we say bad things about people just to fit the conversation, and because we hate the same person, we even talk about it very happily—yet Kushida didn't participate in that regarding you."
Hachiman's brow moved slightly.
But Karuizawa kept going.
"The same goes for Horikita. With her personality, do you think she would trust just anyone? She trusts no one in Class D, but she trusts you. She does whatever you tell her to do, and she cooperates with exams whenever you ask. And what is that? It's because she acknowledges you."
Her speaking pace grew faster and faster, as if afraid she wouldn't be able to continue if she stopped.
"Sakura too. Someone as shy as her works hard not to be nervous in front of you. And Matsushita—someone with high standards like Matsushita feels you are worth—"
She didn't finish her sentence.
It wasn't that she didn't know what to say, but she suddenly realized she had said too much.
As those names popped out of her mouth one by one, she realized that she had actually been observing all of this. Observing who was good to him, observing who cared about him, observing whether he was truly worth it.
And the answer, she had known for a long time.
Hachiman sat opposite her, motionless. But in his heart, he already understood why he had chosen Karuizawa as a "love textbook."
"Are you—" he started, "finished?"
Karuizawa blinked, only then realizing she had been leaning forward the whole time with her hands propped on the table, looking like she was about to start a fight. She hurriedly leaned back, the tips of her ears feeling a bit hot.
"I'm finished." She lowered her head, deliberately looking elsewhere.
Hachiman was silent for a few seconds. Then, he let out a soft laugh.
The laughter was very short and light, as if it had escaped because he couldn't hold it back.
Karuizawa looked up and happened to see his side profile as he turned his face away. There wasn't much of an expression on his face, but his ears were a bit red.
Clearly.
Hikigaya seemed to be feeling a bit embarrassed.
Uh.
Ugh.
Karuizawa thought back to the words she had just said. She suddenly felt that she had said something very embarrassing, as if she were a pervert observing all the other girls around him. Despite only agreeing to date yesterday... it looked like she had been premeditatedly paying attention to his social relationships for a long time.
Thinking of this, Karuizawa felt quite embarrassed herself.
However.
The embarrassment spread between the two of them.
The atmosphere was slightly awkward.
"Well then, I'll go get dinner," Hachiman said.
"Ugh... I can help too."
"No, I'll try it first today, and you can join in later," Hachiman said.
And so.
Hachiman quickly left the booth to line up for food.
Five minutes later, the two began their meal.
"Let's eat," Hachiman said, his voice lower than before.
Karuizawa gave an "mm," looking at the dishes on the table that could be described as luxurious; the fish emitted an enticing aroma.
"Do you usually eat here?" she asked.
"Yeah." Hachiman leaned against the back of the chair. "Alone. Occasionally with Ichinose, but she has her own friends."
Karuizawa's gaze shifted slightly. She originally wanted to ask, "Don't you and Ichinose eat together?" but she swallowed the words. Because Hachiman had already said—Ichinose has her own friends. She understood the meaning behind those words.
It wasn't that Ichinose didn't want to eat with him; it was that her time was already filled by others. That Ichinose Honami of Class B, who was loved by everyone, was always surrounded by various people after class—asking questions, chatting, or inviting her to the shopping district.
It seemed she didn't not want to give him time; she just couldn't find any. Or perhaps, Ichinose herself was trying to control the boundaries. Attempting not to maintain a closer relationship with Hachiman.
The thought was strange, but Karuizawa felt... it might be like that, Ichinose was managing the distance.
Otherwise.
Everyone liked Ichinose Honami, and how could Hachiman possibly resist? He would surely be easily won over. So, it was just because Ichinose didn't feel that way about Hachiman.
This was actually good news for Karuizawa, but it also felt a bit unpleasant. Because she was the one dating Hachiman now, Ichinose's restraint and sense of boundaries were good for her, but Ichinose keeping her distance also meant Ichinose hadn't "gotten" Hachiman's good points, which made Karuizawa feel slightly annoyed again.
"Then in the future..." She paused. "Won't you end up eating with me every day?"
Hachiman glanced at her, a flat look, like he was looking at a question he already knew the answer to.
"Isn't that normal? Because aren't we dating now?" Hachiman said.
Ugh.
Uh.
Karuizawa opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but dazed out for a moment.
"What's wrong?" Hachiman noticed her movement.
"Nothing." She picked up her chopsticks again and took a piece of grilled fish. The fish was tender and the seasoning was just right, but she couldn't taste anything. Her head was spinning with those few phrases from just now: "You can come here whenever you want to eat in the future," "Isn't that normal? We're dating."
She bit the tip of her chopsticks, finally unable to resist speaking.
"Why did you agree to date me?" Karuizawa asked.
"..." Hachiman.
Hachiman actually went silent for a moment. He had anticipated that upon meeting Karuizawa, she would definitely ask this question.
As for the answer, he had finished thinking it through.
"My goal was indeed to find a willing person, learn some experience in getting along with girls, and then—apply it to my future meal ticket—"
He didn't finish his sentence. But Karuizawa knew what he was going to say. And then go back and pursue that person named Yukinoshita Yukino. She had known this from the start, from the moment she agreed to "then let's try it." But hearing him say it with her own ears now, it still felt different.
"But because of my personal reasons, as you know, I'm a traveler. I don't know when I'll travel back, and ordinary girls hope for a relationship with a beginning and an end."
"So I don't think many people can accept me. That's why, although you said you would help me find people who could accept these conditions..."
"But later," Hachiman continued, "you sent a message asking if we should try dating. I read it several times."
Karuizawa's eyelashes fluttered slightly.
Hachiman added, "I thought, if it were really just to learn experience, I could just find someone willing to take points. But you didn't want anything. You thought it would be fine if you could just pay back the favor to me. But this still exceeded my expectations."
He paused.
"So I thought, maybe I can be a bit more serious," he said.
Karuizawa looked at his face.
She found that there was no avoidance in Hachiman's eyes, nor any deliberate affection—just a very clean, frank openness, like laying everything out for you to see.
She lowered her head, feeling something gently thumping in her chest. It wasn't excitement, nor was it being moved; it was a feeling that "this isn't bad either."
"Then it counts as officially dating," Karuizawa said.
Hachiman nodded solemnly. "Yeah."
But Karuizawa waited for a few seconds and found he had no intention of continuing to speak. She couldn't help but look up.
"Can't you say something else?"
Hachiman thought for a bit. "Like what?"
Looking at him, Karuizawa suddenly felt like laughing. This person really doesn't understand anything. After officially confirming a relationship, one should say things like "Please take care of me" or "I'll do my best," or even just repeat "I'll take it seriously." But he just nodded, said "Yeah," and then started waiting for her next sentence.
'No, brother, you're the one who wants to date, are you always going to wait for her?
She suppressed the urge to both laugh and sigh, picked up her chopsticks, and placed a piece of grilled fish in his bowl.
"Eat."
Hachiman looked down at the fish in his bowl, stunned for a moment, then picked it up and put it in his mouth.
"Thanks."
After a while, Hachiman spoke again, "About the dating... do you want to make it public?"
Karuizawa's chopsticks paused. "Do you want to?"
"Up to you," Hachiman said. "I don't mind."
Karuizawa thought about it and shook her head. "Not for now."
Hachiman didn't press her, just nodded. He didn't care whether it was public or not—or rather, he felt that not that many people were paying attention to him anyway.
So, he would respect Karuizawa's wishes for now.
But Karuizawa knew the reason herself.
That reason was Matsushita Chiaki.
She had long since seen that Matsushita had feelings for Hachiman. From when Kushida first recruited a girlfriend for Hachiman, to picking out glasses on the ship, to dazing out in front of the accessory shop, to occasionally zoning out within the gyaru group—those little actions, those expressions of wanting to speak but stopping, couldn't hide from her. She could even guess what Matsushita was thinking: Hikigaya Hachiman has ability, brains, and enough points—he's the type who can lead people upwards. And she herself was the type who wanted to find a long-term meal ticket.
And in Hachiman's eyes, Matsushita was probably the same type of person as him, so he likely wouldn't agree.
As a result, she had now dated Hachiman first. If they went public, what would Matsushita think?
She didn't think further, or rather, she didn't dare to think further.
"What's wrong?" Hachiman noticed her expression.
"Nothing." She pulled back her thoughts and smiled at him.
Hachiman looked at her for two seconds, didn't press her, and just gave an "mm."
.
.
.
On the other side, the sky had completely darkened. The lights of the shopping district were turning on one by one.
Karuizawa's gyaru group had finished their day's shopping activities.
Sato Maya walked at the very front, holding a cup of milk tea she had just bought. A light "pop" sounded as the straw pierced the lid. She took a big gulp, her cheeks puffed out for a moment, and then she sighed contentedly.
"This is still the best. Although the ship had everything, it just didn't have this shop. I just love Nayuki's Tea."
Shinohara Satsuki followed beside her, carrying a shopping district paper bag containing two notebooks she had just bought.
"By the way, Kei didn't come today."
"Didn't she go to the Student Council?" Sato took another sip of milk tea. "First day officially in office, she must be busy. So she couldn't have dinner with us."
"True." Shinohara nodded. "Then from now on, after school, will she not be able to join us?"
Sato thought about it. "Probably. I heard the Student Council work is quite a lot."
The two walked forward together for a bit. Sato suddenly stopped and turned around.
"Right, where's Matsushita?"
Shinohara also looked back. Matsushita Chiaki was standing a few steps away, also holding a shopping district paper bag, but her gaze was fixed on the window of a nearby grocery store with no intention of catching up.
"Matsushita—" Sato raised her voice slightly.
Matsushita snapped out of it and walked over quickly. "What's wrong?"
"You're asking us what's wrong?" Sato tilted her head at her. "What were you looking at? You were so absorbed."
Matsushita shook her head. "Nothing. Just looking around."
Shinohara glanced at her, didn't press the matter, and took over the conversation. "We were talking about Kei. After she joins the Student Council, she won't be able to be with us after school."
"Yeah." Matsushita nodded. "She has her own things to do."
The three continued walking. Sato walked in the middle, her milk tea already half-finished, the straw gurgling in the cup.
"Then what do we do after school from now on?" she suddenly asked. "We can't just go to the shopping district every day, can we?"
Shinohara thought for a bit. "We could go to the library. Didn't Kei say she wanted to catch up on lessons before? We could follow along and read some books."
"Eh—" Sato drawled out the sound. "Reading books again?"
"Otherwise?" Shinohara looked at her. "Kei is working in the Student Council while we're out playing. If her academic ability ends up higher than ours by then, don't you think it'll be embarrassing? Besides, Kei is making progress; if we lag too far behind, it's a bit shameful."
Sato was stunned for a moment, then nodded. After all, if the leader is moving forward and they keep dragging her back, maybe the leader won't take them along in the future. "True... okay then. If it's reading, then reading it is."
She paused, remembering something. "By the way, should we join a club?"
"A club?" Shinohara's footsteps paused slightly.
"Yeah." Sato switched her milk tea to her left hand and gestured with her right. "Look, Kei is in the Student Council, we can't just be idle all the time. And doesn't this school always emphasize meritocracy? Just reading books doesn't seem enough. If we have one or two skills we're good at, maybe we can use them in exams later."
Shinohara thought about it. "Then what are your thoughts?"
"Me—" Sato thought for a moment. "I might go to the Art Club? I learned drawing when I was a kid. Although I haven't drawn in a long time, it shouldn't be hard to pick back up."
"Art Club?" Shinohara looked her up and down. "Are you sure?"
"What's wrong?" Sato looked down at herself. "Do I not look like someone who can draw?"
"It's not that you don't look like it." Shinohara suppressed a laugh. "It's just... I can't imagine you sitting there quietly drawing."
Sato puffed out her cheeks. "Then I'll go to the Track and Field team. Although I'm not very good at it, exercising more is never wrong."
Shinohara nodded and then looked at Matsushita. "What about Matsushita? Any ideas?"
Matsushita was looking down at the paper bag in her hand. Hearing her name, she looked up.
"A club?"
"Yeah," Shinohara said. "Sato wants to go to the Art Club or Track and Field, and I haven't decided yet. What about you?"
Matsushita thought for a bit. "I could join a club too. But I haven't decided what to do yet."
Her gaze drifted to the other end of the street, where there was an instrument shop. A violin was displayed in the window, its body glowing warmly under the lights. She looked for two seconds and withdrew her gaze.
Speaking of technical skills, she had actually learned the violin, and she was even pretty good at the piano.
"Should we go take a look together tonight?" she suddenly said. "The club rooms should all be open; we can wander around and see if there's anything interesting."
Sato's eyes lit up. "Sure, sure! Go now?"
Shinohara also nodded.
The three turned and headed toward the club building. Sato walked at the very front, her milk tea already empty. Shinohara followed beside her, looking down at her phone. Matsushita walked at the very back, her pace slightly slower than usual.
She looked at the backs of the two in front of her, but her mind was thinking about something else.
Karuizawa joined the Student Council. This was something already known, but now... Kushida had also joined the Student Council. Hachiman recommended Kushida. Hachiman is also quite good to Kushida, isn't he?
Ugh.
When this thought surfaced, she startled herself.
No—she wasn't jealous. She was very clear about the relationship between Hikigaya Hachiman and Kushida Kikyo—collaborators, using each other, taking what they need. Hachiman recommended Kushida to the Student Council because Kushida is capable and can help him handle the work he doesn't want to do. It wasn't anything special.
But Matsushita felt that a certain string in her heart had still been lightly plucked.
"Matsushita?" Sato's voice came from ahead.
Matsushita snapped out of it and found that the two had already walked quite a distance and were standing at the intersection waiting for her.
"Coming." She quickened her pace to catch up.
When she got close, Sato suddenly leaned in and stared at her face for two seconds. "What's with you today? You're always dazing out."
"No." Matsushita shook her head, a natural smile appearing on her face. "I was just thinking about the club. Any recommendations?"
Sato was successfully diverted and started counting off the Art Club, Handicraft Club, and Photography Club on her fingers. Shinohara supplemented from the side, occasionally making a sarcastic remark. The three walked toward the club building laughing and talking; Matsushita's smile remained on her face, looking very natural and relaxed.
But only she knew that that thought was still in her head.
'Sigh.
Hikigaya-kun is too popular.'
Not just Chabashira-sensei, but Kushida-san, Kei, Horikita-san, and Sakura-san, etc... and does she have any advantage?
.
.
.
In the evening.
Hachiman leaned against the headboard of his bed in the dormitory, holding his phone. On the screen was the chat box with Karuizawa.
Having had an open and honest conversation with Karuizawa today, he felt he could put in a little effort himself.
So, he stared at the blank input box for a few seconds and then typed a line.
[Are you free this weekend?]
After sending it, he placed the phone by his pillow, rested his head on his hands, and stared at the ceiling. After a while, the phone vibrated.
He picked it up; it was Karuizawa's reply.
[Yes. What's up?]
Hachiman's fingers tapped on the screen a few times.
[Do you want to go on a date?]
After sending it, he stared at those words for two seconds, feeling they were perhaps too direct. But on second thought, he felt there was no need to beat around the bush.
The other party's reply came faster than he imagined.
[Okay. Where to?]
Hachiman thought for a bit.
[The movie theater?]
[Okay. What do you want to see?]
After Karuizawa's message arrived, several more followed immediately. Each was a movie title and a brief introduction, neatly lined up as if she had prepared them long ago.
Hachiman looked at those lines of text and was silent for a few seconds. Then he typed a response.
[No need to specifically ask me. We'll meet at the theater then; you choose what you want to see, and I'll watch what I want. No need to worry too much about each other's feelings. We can just meet back in the lobby afterward. I don't want you to feel like you must look after my mood just because we're dating; similarly, I don't think we should watch a movie we don't like just for the sake of dating.]
However, this time, after the message was sent, the other side went silent for a long time.
So long that Hachiman thought she had fallen asleep.
And he had experience with this sort of thing.
Just as he was about to put the phone back by the pillow, the screen suddenly lit up.
Karuizawa's reply was only one line.
[What you just said, are you serious?]
Hachiman stared at this line for two seconds and sent back a question mark.
The other side went silent again. Then messages popped up like rapid fire.
[A movie date, watching separately?]
[You choose yours, I choose mine?]
[No need to look after each other's feelings?]
[Hikigaya Hachiman, do you even know what a date is?]
Hachiman looked at those messages, his fingers hovering over the screen, not knowing what to reply for a moment.
Of course he knew what a date was. Isn't it just two people going out and doing something together? The movie theater is a dating hotspot; he knew that from many novels. But since it's watching a movie, naturally, each should watch their own—otherwise? Should two people watch the same movie while one person compromises their preference for the other?
He thought for a bit and typed a line.
[Then what do you think we should do?]
This time the reply came very quickly.
[At the very least, we should watch the same movie together, right?]
Hachiman looked at this line and suddenly felt he truly didn't understand.
Because their tastes were completely different, forcing themselves to watch together would only result in awkwardness and mutual compromise throughout. Hachiman didn't want to force himself, nor did he want Karuizawa to compromise; watching separately was the most efficient, least messy choice.
But seeing it now, in a girl's eyes... apparently, it wasn't.
So, after a slight deliberation, he typed another line.
[Then watch what you want to see, I'll accompany you.]
The other side went silent again.
After about ten seconds, Karuizawa's message popped up.
[You really don't understand.]
Hachiman looked at this line, not knowing what to reply. Of course he didn't understand. If he did, he wouldn't need to find someone to learn from. Just as he was thinking about whether to explain, the next message jumped out.
[Forget it. We'll talk when we meet this weekend. You set the time.]
Hachiman typed two words.
[Okay. Goodnight.]
Karuizawa's reply was a short symbol.
[.]
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