"No."
Hikigaya replied helplessly.
Since Horikita Suzune was already sitting across from him, there wasn't much he could do. Besides, having two people occupying the table would likely prevent anyone else from joining them.
It was only then Hikigaya noticed Horikita Suzune's lunch — the same free mountain vegetable set meal he was having.
Class D's current class points were a meager 109. It was October, and Horikita had kept her promise, transferring half of her personal points to him via online transfer. This left her with just over 5,000 personal points.
With so little money, even preparing her own lunch was out of reach. Relying on free meals had become inevitable for Horikita Suzune.
Hikigaya couldn't help but feel somewhat guilty. Her situation was mainly his fault; without him, she would have at least over 10,000 points to barely make do.
He had earned so many personal points from Horikita Manabu. Shouldn't he support Horikita Suzune a little? But then he reconsidered.
After all, their deal was a fair and reasonable transaction. Unlike Sakura Airi, Horikita wasn't a helpless girl who needed protection. So why should he feel responsible for her?
Hikigaya calmly picked up a piece of fried pork cutlet and put it in his mouth.
At that moment, Horikita Suzune began taking out bottles and jars from her handbag, placing them on the table and opening them one by one.
Pickled radish, pickled cucumber... A variety of pickled side dishes appeared before him.
As expected of Horikita Suzune, her attention to detail was remarkable. Despite her limited means, she found ways to enhance her meals. Hikigaya couldn't help but admire her resourcefulness.
Her skill was evident. The neat arrangement and subtle aroma suggested she had some serious culinary talent. Even in less-than-ideal circumstances, Horikita managed to make the best of things.
She picked up her chopsticks with her slender fingers, gracefully lifting a small ball of rice to her lips. Even with something as plain as the mountain vegetable set meal, her eating movements were elegant, speaking of her well-bred upbringing.
Hikigaya's pork cutlet suddenly tasted bland in comparison.
Now he realized—Horikita Suzune wasn't someone he needed to worry about. Instead, it seemed like she was trying to guilt-trip him into giving up his personal points.
Yes, that must be it. What a cunning woman.
But as much as Hikigaya tried to convince himself of that, he still couldn't shake the uncomfortable feeling. It was like eating cardboard when the other person seemed to be enjoying a feast.
"Sorry."
Horikita Suzune spoke calmly after swallowing a mouthful of mountain vegetables.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Hikigaya asked, instantly on guard. This was so unlike her.
"I understand now," Horikita said slowly. "My attitude hasn't been very good lately. You've helped me a lot, and yet I kept suspecting that Class B had some ulterior motive. So, I'm here to apologize."
Her tone was measured, indifferent even. It wasn't a plea for forgiveness; she was simply stating her position.
Hikigaya was stunned. It wasn't as if she had done anything wrong. Being cautious of other classes was only natural. If anything, her attitude had been perfectly reasonable.
Compared to the always-kind Ichinose, Horikita's aloofness seemed more realistic. But it was also shocking to see her acknowledge her mistakes so openly.
"Why... why do I feel like you've changed?" Hikigaya asked, genuinely puzzled.
It was hard to believe this was the same Horikita Suzune he knew.
"Maybe I have," she replied with a faint smile, her mind drifting to the recent sports festival. She had been too focused on her own abilities, relying solely on herself and refusing to acknowledge the importance of teamwork.
But she couldn't continue that way. Not if she wanted to reach Class A.
"I see..." Hikigaya muttered, not pushing the topic further. It was Class D's business, after all. Whatever changed her, it wasn't something she intended to share with him.
"Want to try?"
"Uh?" Hikigaya looked up, puzzled. Horikita was pushing a jar of pickled radish towards him.
"You've been eyeing these side dishes for a while. Feel free to try them."
"No, I have no reason to eat your food." Hikigaya replied indifferently.
To him, the food you couldn't have always seemed the most delicious. But he had his pride.
"You don't have to be polite," Horikita insisted. "It's just some pickled radish. And besides, rejecting a girl's kindness isn't exactly commendable, Hikigaya."
He looked at her with suspicion. There shouldn't be any traps, right? After all, she was a serious person.
"Fine, I'll try it."
Hikigaya finally relented and picked up a piece of radish with his chopsticks. The vinegar mixed with the natural sweetness of the radish, and the slight spiciness from the pickled pepper added just the right amount of kick.
"This... this is pretty good." Hikigaya admitted, his eyes lighting up. Horikita's cooking skills were surprisingly impressive.
"Thank you for the compliment. That'll be a thousand points."
"Eh?" Hikigaya's expression froze.
"What do you mean?"
"You just ate it. The pickled radish was made by me. And I must say, it's quite an honor for you to taste something prepared by a beautiful woman like me. This is the first time I've cooked for a boy outside of my family."
"Wait! Are you saying you deliberately tricked me into eating it so you could charge me?"
Horikita's calm eyes met his. "Is there a problem? You praised the food, didn't you? Isn't that worth something?"
Hikigaya's shoulders slumped in resignation as he transferred a thousand points to her. "This is robbery..."
"Thank you for your patronage." Horikita smiled with satisfaction.
Living on only 5,000 points a month was difficult. Even if the school provided free necessities, Horikita didn't want to compromise her own standards of living.
"If you want more, I can give you a 10% discount next time. Just let me know." With that, she took her tray and walked away.
Hikigaya stared at the jars of pickles left in front of him. She really was a cunning woman.
His dad once warned him: The prettier a woman is, the more likely she is to deceive you.
But still... maybe he didn't mind this kind of deception so much.
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