The idea that women are physically weaker than men is an absolute fallacy. The evidence was right before him: Himeno Yuki had been window-shopping for two hours, and right now, she was holding a white off-the-shoulder western dress against herself in front of a full-length mirror. Meanwhile, Hikigaya was already sitting on a nearby sofa, exhausted.
He had been careless. This was not fair at all. The key issue was that she hadn't bought a single item so far. There was no telling how much longer this would go on.
"If you like it, why don't you just buy it?" Hikigaya looked at the price tag. "5,000 yen is a bit pricey, but it's not like you can't afford it, right?"
Although he didn't know much about these mysterious brands, summer clothes for girls usually cost around 500 yen—maybe a bit more, but not this much. This must be some sort of "light luxury" brand. Normally, it would be an unbearable price for a high school student. But at this school, they had just been given 100,000 points; this was well within the range of what could be spent. It's not like they'd use it all up in less than a week.
"I can't." "If I buy this, I'm finished for the month." Himeno Yuki looked at the dress longingly, then seemed to remember something. She frowned and turned back, asking doubtfully: "Speaking of which, we handed over 70,000 points. Why do you think this is an affordable price?"
"Eh?" Hikigaya was momentarily stunned. Based on what she said... they actually handed over their personal points to Ichinose for safekeeping? For real? He had originally thought this class was very excellent and kind, but now he felt they were naively ridiculous. What if Ichinose kept those personal points for herself? While he didn't think Ichinose would do such a thing, this was equivalent to letting a coworker keep your salary—placing your destiny in someone else's hands. It was absurdly naive. It was something he absolutely could never do.
"Ah..."
Hikigaya said awkwardly: "Wasn't that based on the voluntary principle?"
"Hmm?" Himeno Yuki's eyes widened as she walked over and sized him up. She said in disbelief: "You didn't hand them over?"
"Yeah." Hikigaya nodded. Ichinose had likely sensed his refusal, which is why she didn't ask him again. It wasn't as if he was being excluded from the class, was it? Right? Surely not. Ichinose definitely wouldn't do something like ostracize people, right? If he were ostracized by someone as gentle as Ichinose, he would truly feel like dying.
"Impressive." After a moment of hesitation, Himeno Yuki praised him. Although she knew Hikigaya was someone who dared to refuse, she hadn't expected him to be so independent as to refuse something like that.
"What's so impressive about it?" Hikigaya said indifferently. "If you don't want to hand them over, you just don't hand them over." Clearly, he could tell from her tone that Himeno Yuki hadn't wanted to hand them over either.
"It's just that I couldn't do it." Himeno Yuki sat down next to Hikigaya, rubbing her forehead helplessly. "The atmosphere at the time was just like that."
"While I also feel that Ichinose wouldn't embezzle the points, I'm still a bit speechless. How could they just hand the money to Ichinose so readily? They should have at least hesitated a bit, right?"
That's the consequence of playing the 'good girl.' Serves you right!
However, looking at it from another angle, based on Himeno Yuki's behavior just now, she truly was the "insufficiently rational" type that Kanzaki had mentioned. 5,000 points for one dress? He absolutely would not buy it. Having Ichinose manage the points was indeed more beneficial than harmful.
Hikigaya said gloatingly: "I'm not going to pay for you."
"I don't want your money." Himeno Yuki gave a beautiful eye-roll. "I say, Hikigaya, could it be that you want to spend 20 million points to rise to Class A, and that's why you don't want to save?"
"No way." Hikigaya said disdainfully, "Can't points be converted into cash after graduation? For rising to Class A, I'll just rely on Ichinose. With that money, I can live a carefree life for a while, find a rich woman, and become a househusband. That way I can play for a longer time."
"Uh..." Himeno Yuki was clearly shocked. "You really are a scumbag to the core..."
"None of your business." Hikigaya took a sip of the milk tea in his hand. Since MAX Coffee didn't exist yet, he could only use this as a temporary substitute. Although he could make a fake version himself, doing it once or twice was fine, but any more would be too much trouble.
"Forget it." "I've known for a long time that you're a scumbag." Himeno Yuki stood up and smoothed out her skirt. "Alright, let's go. I'll help you pick out some clothes now."
"Eh? You're not buying it?"
"Ha?"
Himeno Yuki turned back with some confusion and said: "Didn't I say it at the beginning? I came to go window shopping. I bought my casual clothes with Ichinose and the others two days ago."
Then what the hell are you browsing for?
"Going shopping" in a girl's mouth really just means purely walking around and looking.
Hikigaya truly could not understand it.
"Hey, are you serious?"
Outside the clothing store, Himeno Yuki looked at Hikigaya beside her, somewhat speechless.
The school also provided free clothing. After all, they couldn't let students who lost all their points freeze to death. It was just that the styles left much to be desired. Simply put, they were all styles that had been outdated for several years, or the kind of regional styles that made one feel ashamed just wearing them.
Although they were free and unlimited, if one threw them around carelessly, it would likely be reflected directly in the class points; the store's surveillance cameras hinted at such a possibility.
"As long as clothes are comfortable to wear, isn't that enough?"
Hikigaya walked into the store unconcernedly and easily picked out a three-piece set of solid colors: black, white, and gray.
"Excuse me, do you have these three in size 175?"
"Please wait a moment, I will go get them for you immediately."
"So tacky." Himeno Yuki couldn't help but speak up: "You are absolutely a shut-in otaku who stays in the dormitory and never goes out."
"None of your business. As long as the clothes are comfortable, it's enough. Don't we usually have school uniforms anyway?" Hikigaya defended himself.
Usually, his mother and Komachi bought his clothes. While he couldn't compliment his mother's taste, he indeed had no taste for picking clothes himself.
"Forget it." Himeno Yuki held her forehead, looking like she had a headache: "I'd better pick them for you."
"No need. I'm fine like this."
"Alright, alright." Himeno Yuki picked up a blue long-sleeved shirt and held it up against him to measure: "Stand still, don't move. At least dress like a human being, straighten your back!"
"Oh." Hikigaya stood in place, staring down at Himeno Yuki's pretty face. Seeing her serious expression, he couldn't help but shut his mouth. Had he misunderstood her? This person was actually quite a decent person!
Ultimately, Himeno Yuki chose beige trousers and a blue shirt for him. Although he didn't understand the difference, resources were limited; if one wanted to look good, they had to spend points. She didn't ask him to go to the shop next door to buy clothes, but simply used the existing conditions to create the best possible match. This kind of distance felt quite good to him.