[T/N: Hey! I am back.]
"Anyway, I decided to be the leader of the girls' group because you told me to, so if anything happens later, you have to help me, okay?"
Karuizawa's words were self-indulgent.
And this was undoubtedly the situation Hikigaya wanted to see.
To fulfill his promise to Chabashira-sensei, he had to improve the fractured state of Class D, and Karuizawa's strength was essential.
Hachiman naturally wouldn't mind helping her, further raising her prestige and allowing her to become the true leader of the girls' group.
Therefore, he replied quite naturally, "Oh, of course."
"Huh? What?"
Karuizawa was startled. She hadn't expected Hikigaya to agree so easily and for a moment even wondered if there was a trap involved.
But there wouldn't be any problem with this, of course.
Because Hachiman also genuinely wanted to help Karuizawa, though his ultimate goal was still for himself…
"Anyway, first, you should try to figure out the process for borrowing points in the class as much as possible, and then consult with some of the girls you're close with to come up with a rough plan. Finally, get all the girls in the class to promote it together. That way, you can reduce the resistance you encounter."
Karuizawa listened to Hikigaya's explanation, narrowing her eyes in thought, then quickly nodded and agreed, "I understand. If this means I can talk to you openly in the classroom later, I can try my best to do it…"
"Eh? So you can talk to me in the classroom later?"
"N-No, you misheard! I meant for myself!"
Karuizawa was stunned for a moment before she reacted, quickly turning her head away, her face flushed.
Hikigaya nodded slightly at this. He didn't care why Karuizawa decided to be the leader of the girls' group. As long as she was willing to do it and indeed gained enough prestige to maintain the balance of Class D, that was enough.
Although Karuizawa seemed a bit foolish at first glance, her mind certainly wasn't bad. If she could eventually become a reliable support for other girls without relying on him, she might truly have a chance to surpass Hirata.
Thinking of this, Hikigaya suddenly spoke out of curiosity, "Oh, by the way, where's Hirata? Isn't he your boyfriend? Asking him for help at a time like this might be a big help."
"…"
Hikigaya's words caused Karuizawa's expression to change abruptly. She hesitated for a while before slowly replying, "…No, there's no need to trouble him with this kind of thing. It might cause him problems."
So it's okay to cause me problems, then?
Hikigaya's mood was inexplicably affected a little.
"Well, that's all for now. I'm going back."
Karuizawa seemed to think it was about time to leave. She didn't want to be labeled for "impure opposite-sex interactions" and be called out by the school, so she planned to leave quickly.
Hikigaya originally wanted to get up and see her off, but the student council president's training had completely worn him out, leaving him with no energy. He could only stiffly watch as Kei left.
"Oh, right, Hirata is holding a class study session tomorrow. Are you planning to attend?"
"A study session?"
Hikigaya was momentarily stunned before realizing what she meant. "No, no, I prefer to study alone. I don't like getting involved in those troublesome things."
"Is that so…"
Karuizawa showed no reaction on the surface, but her heart was filled with uncontrollable disappointment.
However, she said nothing and didn't force him to attend. She simply left Hikigaya's room directly.
"Sigh, time to sleep."
After seeing Karuizawa off, a strong sense of fatigue surged from Hikigaya's heart. He collapsed onto the bed with almost no strength and caught a unique, faint girlish scent.
Was it left by Karuizawa, who was sitting here just now?
This is really…
Before he could form any more thoughts, Hikigaya directly drifted off to sleep.
…
"Ding-a-ling-ling!"
The next day, Hikigaya's phone alarm rang early in the morning. He woke up groggily, only to find that his blanket was wet in one spot.
Damn it!
Now I have to change the blanket!
He sighed, forcing himself not to recall what kind of strange dream he had last night, then struggled to get out of bed, almost stumbling to the floor.
[T/N: Wet dreams 💀]
It was then that Hikigaya realized that every muscle in his body ached. His legs felt like they were in casts!
Damn it, that president guy is a devil!
While silently complaining about the student council president who had forced him to exercise, Hikigaya very laboriously changed his clothes and stuffed the blanket into the washing machine.
Afterward, he tried to act normally as he headed to the classroom. Once there, he sat down in his seat.
Suzune Horikita was in a terrible mood because her invitation to the failing group to attend a study session yesterday had been flatly rejected.
She had been staring grimly out the window. Upon seeing Hikigaya arrive, a look of confusion immediately appeared on her face, and she stared directly at him. "Did you suddenly forget how to walk? You look like you have polio or cerebral palsy."
Hikigaya didn't expect Suzune Horikita to still have the nerve to mock him at a time like this. He immediately retorted, "Your devil brother dragged me to the gym yesterday. That president is practically inhuman. I feel like not a single muscle on my body belongs to me."
"…"
Hikigaya's words caused Suzune Horikita to fall silent.
The girl remained silent for a long time before speaking in an extremely subtle tone, "Are you trying to deliberately provoke me?"
"Huh?"
Suzune Horikita's reaction left Hikigaya bewildered. He had no idea why she harbored such strong hostility toward him.
So, are you a brother complex, then?
"If you keep thinking such nonsense, I don't mind letting your few muscles experience what true pain is."
"No, I wasn't thinking anything!!"
Hikigaya was so scared that he immediately turned his head away.
Indeed, the venomous-tongued oddball's attack power increased by an unknown amount when she was in a low mood. Hikigaya didn't dare to provoke her at all right now.
Just then, he noticed a gaze coming from the far end of the classroom. Hikigaya initially thought it would be Kushida or Karuizawa.
After all, both of them currently had some form of cooperation with him.
However, to his surprise, the gaze wasn't from either of them, but from Sakura, who was in the corner of the classroom and had an extremely weak presence.
She had been staring at him, but the moment he looked back, the girl reflexively lowered her head, like a startled turtle.