Chapter 161: Male and Female Opposition? A Little Strange
["Hiki?"]
[Yuigahama's expression seemed a little off. Although she personally liked dogs and had one at home, there's a difference between people and dogs, and being called that by Hikigaya made her genuinely unhappy.]
[Sweat beaded on Hikigaya's forehead. He quickly said: "No, I'm complimenting you on your sharp nose."]
[Iroha couldn't listen anymore and covered her face with her hands, turning away.]
[Yukinoshita also let go of the boy's hand, which she had been holding tightly, looking as if it had nothing to do with her.]
[Yuigahama had walked behind the boy, constantly rubbing her hands together, seemingly using a healing smile to remind the boy that she might be a little dumb, but she wasn't an idiot.]
[Hikigaya absolutely did not expect that the inner voice from the video would be borne by his current self. This feeling was truly incredible.]
[Ichinose was also furious. Although she didn't know who Yuigahama was, since she was called "dog-nosed," she must not be a good person.]
[Unfortunately, she could only sulk alone, as she couldn't directly give Hikigaya a lesson. And as the little angel of the first year, she generally wouldn't fuss over trifles, but for Hikigaya, it was a special kind of treatment.]
[It wasn't just them; even the onlookers quickly shook their heads after hearing it.]
[Kaneda: "This guy, to think of the publicly recognized little angel of the first year like that, he's really not afraid of causing public outrage."]
[Ryūen: "Childish ramblings..."]
[Hiyori: "If Hikigaya-kun is a child, then Ryūen-kun was defeated by a child..."]
[Ryūen didn't know why she could say such icy words. He was just played by that guy a few times, was that enough to be remembered until now and become a stain on his future life...?]
[The key point was that Hiyori didn't seem to care about any of this. She just said it very simply, completely disregarding the leader of Class C.]
[Ibuki: "I think you'd better stop mocking him in the future, after all... ah, Albert, you agree, right."]
[Albert, who was usually the most loyal, was expected to butter up Ryūen to make him happy, but even he just fell silent at this moment, then gently nodded, looking a little embarrassed at Ryūen.]
[Ryūen: "Damn it!"]
[...]
[Ike: "Did you notice that since losing a few times in a row, Ryūen from Class C seems to have suffered a spiritual breakdown? I haven't felt any pressure from their class for a long time."]
[Sotomura: "Is there a possibility that we have become stronger..."]
[Sudō: "It's good to have that confidence, but I think... this really has little to do with us."]
[Horikita pursed her lips, a little unwilling but also having to let out a sigh of relief: "Sudō is right... it truly has little to do with us."]
[Nagumo Miyabi was naturally very unhappy. He constantly used the authority of the Student Council to get Ichinose, but in the end... he was actually scorned by this guy. You must know that Ichinose was the perfect girl that countless people dreamed of getting. Whether it was her temper, grades, or athletic ability, she was all-around excellent, and her figure was even more... those who know, know.]
[Regardless, Nagumo Miyabi only felt that something he had been constantly pursuing was being denied, and this feeling was very unpleasant.]
[Just one inner monologue almost caused the entire chat group to break down. In terms of temperature control, Hikigaya understood it properly.]
Since there was no one else in the elevator, Ichinose became more reckless. She secretly approached Hikigaya, trying to inhale his scent.
But what kind of person is Hikigaya Hachiman... He is a man with a family. How can he be flirted with by a small woman like this?
He immediately took a big step to the right, opening a huge distance between himself and Ichinose, and his expression remained unchanged, as if nothing had happened.
However, Ichinose Honami did not see it this way. Even though she was the "little angel," being avoided like this made her look displeased, and then she quietly moved closer to his side.
Hikigaya Hachiman took another step to the right, putting a great distance between himself and Ichinose.
"Okay," Ichinose seemed to stop pretending, directly pinning him against the elevator wall, making it completely impossible for him to move even one centimeter.
"So... close..."
Hikigaya deliberately turned his face away, avoiding any eye contact with Ichinose.
Ichinose had no intention of letting him go, leaning on that "great evil" and slowly closing in on him, finally pressing herself completely against his body. A hint of the devil's premonition had appeared in her eyes.
"Hikigaya-kun, are you a true gentleman?"
'What is she saying! What is this supposed to mean!'
Although Hikigaya really wanted to loudly tell her that he was indeed a true gentleman, facing this "great evil," Hikigaya seemed unable to utter a single word.
Ichinose slowly approached Hikigaya, seemingly wanting to whisper something in his ear, but...
Hikigaya saw through it. With countless experiences of being forcibly kissed, he finally saw through it, this person wanted to kiss him.
Hikigaya wanted to resist, at least to use his hands to block her offensive, but in the end...
"Ding-dong..."
With the sound of the elevator, Ichinose did not succeed. Before the elevator door fully opened, she immediately put some distance between herself and Hikigaya, and then, with a rosy smile, she said:
"Good morning, Horikita-san."
"Oh, good morning, Ichinose."
'What a relief, Horikita-san actually responded to someone's greeting...'
'But, that was truly dangerous just now. If she had forced it again, the consequences would have been unimaginable...'
Remembering Satō Maya, Kushida Kikyō, and the other girls, Hikigaya couldn't help but shudder internally.
No matter what, the number of girls must not increase!
(What a powerful declaration...)
Horikita Suzune looked at the two of them, her face still expressionless, but if one looked closely, they would find that she was gripping her bag tightly.
Hikigaya naturally understood. For Horikita, who was a brother-complex sister, today was the retirement ceremony for her older brother, Horikita Manabu. Their time communicating this year was scarce (perhaps even less than the time Hikigaya spent with Horikita Manabu), but today was surely the chance to see him.
Whether for praise or criticism, Horikita Suzune had always been chasing after her older brother.
"Hikigaya, you look quite tired. Did you pull another all-nighter doing something?"
"And you, Ichinose, why is your face so red? You should pay more attention to your health."
'It's incredible. The legendary Horikita Suzune is actually proactively caring about others...'
Ichinose scratched her head, saying somewhat sheepishly, "Hahahaha, I was just rushing too much when I left the room."
Horikita shook her head helplessly: "I didn't expect you, Ichinose, to be so careless. The transition ceremony is still early."
The three walked side by side and soon arrived at the classroom. Because today was the Student Council's transition ceremony and the school-closing ceremony before the spring break, many people were not gathered in the classroom. After all, the exams were over, and there were no more lessons to attend.
However, Ichinose and Horikita were both diligent, picking up their assignments and starting to work even at a time like this. They truly lived up to their reputation as the backbones of the class.
In contrast, Hikigaya just sat in his seat, listening to music, unsure what to do, staring blankly out the window at the sky.
Ah, what a white sky.
After thinking this, he completely dozed off.
As time passed, classmates gradually arrived. Of course, even in a noisy environment, Hikigaya had long been accustomed to it and could sleep comfortably amidst the clamor.
He only slowly woke up from his dream when Hirata Yōsuke arrived.
"Hachiman, I'm sorry to have woken you up..."
"Hachiman, your condition looks really poor... Did you not sleep well last night?"
"Hachiman, I bought your breakfast here. You definitely haven't eaten yet, right? How about we eat together?"
"Hachiman...."
Facing this string of questions and Hirata's hopeful look, Hikigaya slowly raised his head from the desk in a daze.
"Mhm... mhm..."
"That's great, Hachiman. Let's eat together then."
He didn't seem to realize what was happening until Hirata pulled his chair right up to his desk, until everyone's eyes were focused on Hikigaya, until Kushida and Karuizawa seemed to sense something was wrong. It was then that Hikigaya instantly woke up.
"N-no... no, Hirata, I..."
"Can you call me Yōsuke?"
The class fell silent again. This time, even Horikita, who usually kept to herself, turned her head. Until Satō Maya, a girl who secretly admired Hirata, gave him a look of disbelief, until a slight urgency appeared on Ichinose's face, until Karuizawa actually stopped arguing with Kushida, until everyone shifted their gaze with an expression of watching a good show, it was only then that Hikigaya realized...
'What did I do... What exactly did I do!'
'I've ruined a class...'
Facing Hirata's expectant gaze, Hikigaya was momentarily speechless, desperately wishing for someone to rescue him from his predicament.
However, such a person did exist after all.
At this moment, Sudō Ken walked in through the front door of the classroom. Perhaps due to his slow reaction, he didn't seem to notice the heavy atmosphere in the class, merely walking up to Hikigaya with a basketball in his arms.
"Hey, bro, I'm telling you, I completely dominated those second-years again yesterday. Cool, right?"
"Cool..."
"Hey, whose breakfast is this? I haven't eaten either."
Seeing it placed on Hikigaya's desk, Sudō didn't wait for Hikigaya's response, picking it up and gulping it down immediately.
"Um... It's, Hirata, Yōsuke-kun."
Hirata Yōsuke smiled gently towards Sudō.
The chewing motion in Sudō's mouth stopped. He seemed to finally realize that the class atmosphere was eerily quiet. After looking around a few times, Sudō lowered his head slightly.
"I'm sorry... Hirata, I thought it was my bro's..."
Sudō: 'Did I just eat a bun, dammit? What's with all of you staring at me...'
Facing Sudō's 'sincere' apology, Hirata didn't bother to fuss over such a small matter, simply replying with a comforting smile.
"It's alright. Hachiman's brother is my brother. You can just call me Yōsuke from now on. Otherwise, it feels too much like we're strangers..."
The class fell silent once more.
Even the basketball Sudō had been holding slipped straight out of his hands.
"Uh... Okay... Hirata, Yōsuke-kun."
Hirata nodded in satisfaction, then said, "Ken, you haven't eaten breakfast either. Let's eat together."
Sudō and Hikigaya exchanged a knowing glance. At a time like this, rather than letting one person continue to be embarrassed, it was better to be embarrassed together.
So...
"Okay..." the two answered in unison.
With that, the class gradually returned to normal, though odd looks kept coming from the direction of the three of them. These looks were extremely sharp and sometimes carried a certain special emotion. Even someone as slow to react as Sudō... felt it, knowing exactly what kind of looks they were.
Hirata seemed entirely unfazed, simply smiling as he looked at Hikigaya, taking a bite, then having Hikigaya take a bite...
Hikigaya didn't like being stared at by so many people, and now, he was being completely played by this Hirata guy.
Karuizawa leaned into Kushida's ear and whispered, "I say... something's not right with Hirata-kun..."
Kushida shook her head. Though her face was cold, a fierce emotion burst forth in her heart: "Not right, extremely not right. I noticed it yesterday. You remember, right?"
Karuizawa also nodded quickly: "I used to think I only needed to guard against the women, but it seems that's not the case at all now... I say, let's temporarily make peace. It's better to stand united against an outside threat right now."
Karuizawa, who had not yet gone through those kinds of experiences, naturally wouldn't think too deeply, but for Kushida, who was already accustomed to those kinds of things, she absolutely could not accept her man sleeping with two other men.
She nodded immediately.
"Alliance, we must form an alliance!"
"I want to form an alliance with you two too!"
Ichinose, who had been listening to their conversation nearby, now joined their discussion.
'Seriously, how is this girl's hearing so sharp? Is she a dog?' Karuizawa and Kushida thought simultaneously.
Although Ichinose herself had never even kissed the boy, she was indeed far behind the other two in their progress. However, when faced with a common enemy, there was no need for comparison.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend. The three girls completely reached an agreement at this moment, the Ichino-Karu-Kushi Alliance had truly begun.
They first went up to Sudō and, with smiles that were impossible to refuse, made him scram.
Sudō looked at Hikigaya as if giving his last words, then quickly fled the area. The vacant spot allowed the three girls to sit directly next to the boy. But even with this, they still couldn't scare off Hirata.
Karuizawa: "I say, Hirata-kun, we want to eat breakfast together too, is that okay?"
Hirata replied with a smile: "Of course, Karuizawa-san, but Hachiman and I have some men's talk we need to discuss. I just worry that you might not be comfortable with it."
Hirata's implied meaning was quite clear: he wanted them to leave quickly. However... How could Karuizawa and the other two leave so easily? Facing Hirata's 'warning,' Kushida immediately responded: "I've always been very interested in topics between boys. Are they, perhaps, those lewd topics?"
Upon saying this, Karuizawa and Ichinose, who hadn't experienced those things, immediately blushed, a clear case of friendly fire, while Kushida showed no change in expression.
The smile on Hirata's face remained, showing no intention of backing down: "If Kushida-san wants to listen, then there's no harm in talking about it. For example, a boy's perspective on girls."
Kushida showed a cold smile: "In that case, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but we can also tell you how girls view boys..."
The two continued to confront each other in this manner. Hikigaya had not expected the situation to escalate to this point and was completely at a loss for what to do.
Fortunately...
"Ding-dong..."
Hikigaya's phone rang, bringing everyone back from the tense situation.
"It's a message from Sakura. She said the transition ceremony is about to start and told us to gather at the gymnasium."
Hirata glanced at Kushida, then at Hikigaya, and finally was the first to stand up, smiling calmly.
"I'll eat breakfast with you again next semester, Hachiman."
Kushida: "I'll also eat breakfast with you next semester, Hachiman."
Karuizawa: "Me too!"
Ichinose: "M-me too!"
The final outcome was naturally resolved by a single message from Sakura Airi, concluding the standoff. At least for Hikigaya, the hell had temporarily disappeared.
However, from then on, every time he was in the class, he would be subjected to strange looks from his classmates, and of course... he had gained one more love rival: Satō Maya.
Judging by her demeanor today, Hirata had probably explained the situation to her and expressed his feelings, but even so, it would absolutely be impossible to suppress a girl's love, something Hikigaya had already personally experienced.
The gymnasium was not far from the classroom. Standing prominently on the stage were all the homeroom sensei from the first to third years, along with several high-ranking school officials.
One particular face immediately caught Hikigaya's attention. No matter how Hikigaya felt, he seemed somewhat similar to Sakayanagi Arisu. He had a feeling they looked like father and daughter...
Naturally, Sakayanagi was also there. As a first-year student, she was also there as a witness to the transition ceremony.
Hikigaya didn't dwell on it, as these matters had little relevance to his upcoming spring break.
Before the transition ceremony began, the point rankings for all three grades needed to be announced.
First was the third year, still led by Horikita Manabu's Class A, maintaining a huge point difference from the other three classes. Next was the second year, which also seemed similar to the third year. Nagumo Miyabi's dictatorship had virtually sapped the vitality of the entire second year. No matter how hard they tried, as long as Nagumo Miyabi didn't want you to move up to Class A, you wouldn't be able to.
When it came to the first year, things were quite interesting.
First was the Class A versus Class C match. Because the final result was 3 to 4, Class C won. Not only did they win and gain 100 class points, but they also snatched 30 class points from Class A. Even the second and third-year students were stunned when they heard this news.
The Class B versus Class D match ended with a brutal defeat for Class B. Class D not only gained 100 victory points but also obtained 90 class points from Class B.
Therefore... the latest ranking:
Class A 890cp→860cp
Class B 800cp→710cp
Class C 470cp→600cp
Class D 360cp→550cp
Although the ranking had not changed, this immediate shift in points was something the entire school had not anticipated.
Since the school's founding, this was the first time that the four classes were so close. This was something that absolutely could not have happened before.
Setting aside the immense gap between Class A and Class D that would have made this impossible, historically, there had always been leaders in each grade, such as Horikita Manabu and Nagumo Miyabi, who would ensure their class maintained a complete monopoly. Yet now...
Despite having so many formidable figures, Sakayanagi Arisu, Ichinose Honami, Ryūen Kakeru, and Horikita Suzune, the final rankings were this close. Didn't this indirectly suggest that, until the final moment, the ranking for this year could not be determined?
Mashima: "Well, isn't that interesting? That kid even managed to beat Sakayanagi..."
Sakagami: "And you can still smile, even though your class lost..."
As the highly justice-minded homeroom sensei of Class A, Mashima didn't seem to think failure was a bad thing. Moreover, a loss was a loss; no amount of excuses would change that.
Chabashira: "The gap between the four classes is so small... This is quite different from when the school year first started."
Hoshinomiya scoffed: "No matter what, I won't let you catch up. Don't think we'll lose just because we lost Ichinose."
Chabashira sighed, seemingly not wanting to argue with her.
Sakagami: "Our class is also pulling back our previous disadvantages at an alarming speed. Mashima, you need to be careful."
Mashima: "No matter what, Class A is the strongest class. Unless you can genuinely pull us down, such trash talk is useless to me."
The four of them, without prior consultation, focused their gaze on the boy with the ahoge and the dead-fish eyes.
He clearly had no presence, yet he still managed to draw everyone's attention instantly...
This guy truly made the entire first year interesting...
For things to have turned out this way, for the situation to have escalated like this, it was all because of you, Hikigaya Hachiman…
(End of this chapter)