Chapter 025: Kushida: Hikigaya said "whatever"? So what kind of "whatever" is it?
Thinking this, Hachiman prepared to continue speaking.
He pulled his thoughts away from last night's dream and refocused on the sports festival ahead. There were no answers to be found by dwelling on marriage, time travel, or the future. For now, all he could do was perform well in the sports festival.
"There's something I need to tell you," he said.
Ichinose Honami was just picking up her thermos, preparing to pour another cup of goji berry water. Hearing this, she put the cup down and turned to look at him, her bright eyes reflecting Hachiman's silhouette.
"Class D's entry list will be managed by Class B," Hachiman said.
Ichinose nodded. She had heard him mention this before. Katsuragi Kohei and Sakayanagi Arisu had taken the rights to create Class D's entry list under the banner of "helping Class D." Although Hirata Yosuke and Horikita Suzune were involved, the final decision-making power remained in the hands of Class B.
This was information that should have been discernable. But she knew that wasn't all Hachiman was saying.
So, Ichinose continued to listen.
"If there are no surprises," Hachiman continued, "this entry list will be leaked to Ryuen in Class C."
Ichinose's brows furrowed slightly. She had assumed that if Class D's entry list were to be leaked, it would reach Hachiman first. After all, he had Karuizawa, Kushida, and Horikita in Class D—three people he knew well, all of whom could obtain information. Yet, it was going to be leaked to Class C?
"Leaked to Class C?" There was a hint of surprise in her tone. "Not leaked to us?"
"No." Hachiman leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers gently against the edge of the table. "Ayanokouji will very likely be involved in the leak. His goal isn't for Class C to get the information, but to attack Horikita."
Ichinose's frown deepened.
"When an entry list is leaked, someone has to take responsibility," Hachiman said.
"Horikita is one of the people in Class D involved in making the list. Although Hirata participated, his reputation is too pristine; no one would suspect him. Katsuragi is from Class B and has no motive. So, if the list is leaked, and Ayanokouji adds fuel to the fire, everyone will suspect Horikita."
Ichinose was slightly stunned.
Then, she said in astonishment, "Ayanokouji-kun... he is going to sacrifice the class's interests to attack his own classmate?"
"Yes."
"For what?" For the saintly Ichinose, this kind of behavior was impossible to support.
"To move up," Hachiman's tone, however, was calm.
"Horikita is an obstacle to him in Class D. If he removes her, he can gain more initiative."
Ichinose fell silent. She lowered her head, looking at the cup of goji berry water in front of her. The surface was calm, with the red goji berries floating at the bottom.
She remembered on the cruise ship, the things Ryuen exposed publicly—Ayanokouji using a seduction tactic to entice Class C girls, trying to get them to bully Karuizawa from Class D, and then playing the hero to gain trust. Back then, she just thought he was unscrupulous. Now, she realized he was more terrifying than simply unscrupulous.
So, he was willing to sacrifice his own class's interests to achieve personal goals.
"This kind of person," Ichinose's voice was very soft, then she shook her head affirmatively, "I can't understand."
Hachiman did not speak.
However, at this moment, Ichinose took her phone out of her pocket, her fingers tapping rapidly on the screen.
Hachiman's pocket vibrated.
He pulled out his phone and glanced down. It was a message from Ichinose, not in the class group, but a private chat.
[Hikigaya-kun, next Monday is your birthday. The classmates want to ask, is there any gift you want? Or how do you want to spend it?]
Hachiman stared at that line of text for two seconds, then looked up at Ichinose.
She was looking down at her phone, her expression very focused, but the tips of her ears were slightly red. Her fingers rested on the edge of the phone; she wasn't typing anymore, nor had she locked the screen. She just waited quietly.
Hachiman suddenly understood something.
Ichinose was a person with a strong sense of propriety.
She wasn't close with Karuizawa, but she knew he and Karuizawa were dating. Therefore, throughout this time, she had never asked him out alone, nor had she done anything that could be misinterpreted. In other words, the distance between them had always been kept just right—neither too far, nor too close.
So, even though she knew when his birthday was, she wouldn't give him a gift alone. She wouldn't ask him out alone. She wouldn't do anything that could be interpreted as "she is interested in him."
Her sending this message didn't represent herself; it represented the class.
Hachiman leaned back in his chair, running the thought over in his mind.
He remembered the diary he saw in the shared dream. August 8th, his birthday—he received many gifts: a necklace from Karuizawa, glasses from Matsushita, a pen from Kamuro, a cake from Sakayanagi, a diary from Kushida. There was no Ichinose's name there. At the time, he found it a bit strange; now he knew.
It wasn't that she didn't send anything; it was that she represented the class. So those gifts weren't given in her name.
So that was it.
Hachiman was about to reply when his phone vibrated again. He exited his chat with Ichinose and opened the new message.
It was from Kushida.
[Hikigaya-kun, next Monday is your birthday.]
[Is there anything you want?]
Kushida's message was only two lines, brief and direct. No buildup, no pleasantries, not even a "good morning."
But as Hachiman looked at those words, the imagery from the shared dream surfaced in his mind—the diary, the green-covered diary that Kushida had given him. And what his future self wrote in the diary were her words: "Aren't you going to keep a diary? This one should be enough for you to write for three years."
So, Kushida, you're saying this to him now?
He already had the answer key!
However, after thinking about it, Hachiman only typed two characters in the chat box.
[Whatever you want.]
After sending it, he returned to the chat box with Ichinose and also typed a line.
[You don't need to send me anything personally. I've received everyone's kind intentions.]
Ichinose's reply came quickly.
[Okay. Then I won't prepare anything separately. But on your birthday, the class might give you a small surprise. Don't be too surprised when the time comes.]
Hachiman looked at the words "small surprise," and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly. But Hikigaya-kun was a man of high emotional intelligence, so he didn't ask what it was, nor did he say it wasn't necessary. He just replied with one character.
[Hmm.]
Ichinose didn't send any more messages. She put her phone in her pocket, picked up the thermos, and poured another cup of goji berry water. The red of the goji berries slowly unfolded in the hot water like tiny flowers.
"Hikigaya-kun," she said suddenly.
Hachiman looked at her.
"You said Ayanokouji-kun would attack Horikita-san," Ichinose's tone carried a hint of worry, "Does Horikita-san know?"
Hachiman nodded. "She knows."
"Then is she prepared?"
"She is," Hachiman said. "And I have made arrangements as well."
Ichinose looked at him, was silent for a second, then nodded lightly. She didn't press for what those arrangements were, nor did she ask for more details. She just sat there quietly, drinking her goji berry water, her gaze drifting out the window. Sunlight flooded in through the window, landing on her long, golden-pink hair, glowing with a soft luster.
She felt that controlling the distance with Hachiman now was enough.
Neither too near nor too far, yet it felt like the distance had actually closed.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, in Year 1 Class D.
Kushida Kikyo stared at the line Hachiman had sent on her phone screen for several seconds.
[Whatever you want.]
"Whatever you want," she murmured, a trace of indescribable speechlessness in her tone.
She knew Hachiman had guessed she wanted to give him a birthday gift. But the words "whatever you want"—much like when a guy says "anything" to a girlfriend when they are out to eat—had a great similarity: it sounded like he was giving a choice, but in reality, he chose nothing. Neither was easy to deal with.
So she leaned back in her chair, tapping her fingers lightly against the edge of the phone.
However, she thought about it; Hachiman's meaning should be that any gift that isn't too terrible would be fine.
When he said "whatever you want," it wasn't perfunctory—it was trust. He likely trusted her taste, knew she wouldn't send anything too outrageous, and trusted her judgment.
So, what should she give?
Kushida lowered her head, looking at her hands resting on the desk.
What happened that year in junior high suddenly surfaced in her mind. Her blog, the dark history, the exposure, the class collapse, her transferring schools. Since then, she had never written anything that could be seen by others. She didn't even dare to write a diary. She was afraid of being seen, afraid of being exposed, afraid of history repeating itself.
But what if that diary wasn't hers?
The diary she gave would record his life, not hers. She wouldn't have to bear any risks, yet she could use this method to let that notebook carry some things she couldn't say out loud.
And—she remembered seeing Hachiman recently and noticing he always carried a small notebook for records. So he probably had the habit of taking notes. Giving him a diary shouldn't be wrong.
Kushida took a deep breath and put her phone in her pocket.
.
.
.
Time finally arrived for school to end.
After school, she walked out of the classroom alone.
Wang Mei-yu was busy today and hadn't made plans with anyone else. She walked slowly, her steps unhurried, her gaze fixed on the road ahead. The sunset in the corridor stretched her shadow out long, casting it on the ground, following her quietly.
"Kushida."
However, at this moment, a voice came from behind.
Kushida stopped and turned around. She discovered that Horikita Suzune was standing at the corner of the corridor, holding a book with a blue cover, looking at her. Horikita's long black hair hung over her shoulders, her expression no different than usual, but Kushida noticed that there were faint dark circles under her eyes, and she seemed a bit dazed.
"Horikita-san?" Kushida revealed a sweet smile, "Is something the matter?"
Horikita walked over and stopped in front of her. She didn't speak, just looked at Kushida, her wine-red eyes carrying an emotion Kushida couldn't quite decipher.
"Why are you alone today?" Horikita asked directly.
"..." Kushida was momentarily speechless.
'She thought to herself that Horikita is still just as oblivious to social nuance.'
It was true that she was walking alone today and hadn't been with Wang Mei-yu. She had wanted to find an excuse to brush it off—like "Mei-yu is busy today" or "I wanted to take a walk alone"—but as soon as she opened her mouth, before the words could come out, a thought suddenly popped up.
Hachiman's birthday was in two days.
Would this girl, Horikita, prepare a birthday gift for Hachiman?
Just as she was thinking this, Horikita spoke again.
"Kushida, you're going to the shopping district now, aren't you going to buy a birthday gift for Hikigaya?"
This time, Kushida's smile froze on her face.
It wasn't the embarrassment of being seen through, but shock.
Because the person saying this was actually Horikita Suzune, this block of wood who never cared about other people's personal affairs and was too lazy to even listen to class gossip—how could she guess she was going to buy a gift for Hikigaya? And she even knew it was the shopping district? When did she become so sharp?
So her assessment of her was actually wrong—had Horikita Suzune already learned to perceive the human heart?
Kushida opened her mouth, wanting to deny it, but as she met Horikita's earnest eyes, she suddenly felt that lying was meaningless.
"Yes," Kushida said. "But I haven't decided what to buy yet."
Horikita looked at her, was silent for two seconds, then spoke.
"Then give Hikigaya a green diary."
Kushida's smile couldn't be maintained at all.
'No—how could Horikita Suzune see through what she wanted to give? She even thought of the color of the notebook she was planning to give to Hikigaya!'
You have to understand, she had clearly said nothing; clearly, even Wang Mei-yu didn't know what she was thinking. How did this person guess it? Could it be that Horikita could also hear
Hikigaya's inner voice? No, Hikigaya's inner voice should have disappeared. So why? Could it be that her own inner thoughts were being heard?
But such a thing... that's impossible, right? After all, if her inner thoughts became a public channel like Hikigaya's, then the students in the class would have exploded long ago, because she had said a lot of bad things about people in her heart today.
Kushida cursed in her heart.
But on her face, she tried hard to maintain a smile; although the arc of her mouth was a bit stiffer than usual, well, at least it was still there.
"Horikita-san," her voice carried a hint of testing, "Have you prepared anything?"
This time it was Horikita's turn to be silent.
She lowered her head, looking at the blue-covered book in her hand. She wondered, was her relationship with Hachiman considered close? No. They were just partners, a relationship of mutual utilization. She did things for him, and he helped her grow. That was all.
But he had helped her a lot. He guided her growth, taught her strategy, and gave her points. If it weren't for him, she might still be stuck in place in Class D, unable to even save up two million points, let alone twenty million.
She should thank him. She also wanted to thank him.
But she didn't know what to send. Horikita remembered that dream. In the shared dream, the grown-up version of herself said that Hachiman married a girl after graduation. With whom? Was it Karuizawa? But Karuizawa was rejected directly.
Then was it the girl named Yukinoshita? Or someone else... Then, could it be herself? After all, the look the grown-up version of herself in the dream gave Hachiman, she felt, was not something the present her could experience.
That look was too gentle. So gentle that it made her feel like a stranger. She never knew she would look at someone with that kind of gaze.
So Hachiman would get married in the future, and she didn't know who the partner was, but, what if that person was herself?
When this thought popped up, Horikita's heart skipped a beat. She looked at her hands, those hands that wore nothing. The "self" in the dream—the look she gave Hachiman, she had never seen that expression on anyone's face before.
She felt that it wasn't liking, it wasn't love—it was something deeper. It was the certainty of wanting to spend a lifetime with someone.
Only.
How could she have that expression? How could she have that feeling for Hachiman?
But what if she really liked him?
Once this thought appeared at this moment, Horikita discovered that it was like being stuck in her brain, unable to be pulled out.
It could be said that before talking to Kushida just now, she might not have understood these emotions well, but at this moment.
She discovered that she, it seemed, was... beginning to understand.
She knew she cared about him. She cared about every word he said, every thing he did, and who he was with.
She wouldn't have been like this before.
"…"
"Horikita-san?" Kushida's voice came from the side.
Horikita came back to her senses, lifted her head, and looked at Kushida. That long, exquisite face wore a sweet smile, but those wine-red eyes carried a hint of confusion and a trace of concern she couldn't quite decipher.
"Kushida," Horikita said, her voice lower than usual, "Do you have time now?"
Kushida was stunned. "Yes. What's wrong?"
Horikita was silent for a second. She was hesitating. Should she ask? And if she asked, what would it change? Could Kushida give her an answer? No one could give her an answer. But she asked anyway. Because she could ask someone she wouldn't have thought of.
"I have something I want to consult you about," Horikita said.
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