Sakayanagi didn't choose to eat at the Keyaki Mall shopping center. She probably knew it would be packed with students today, so instead, she picked the closest option—the school cafeteria. Surprisingly, there were very few students inside.
"What do you want to eat?"
Standing in front of the meal ticket vending machine, Hikigaya turned to look at Sakayanagi. The silver-haired girl was slightly surprised at first but quickly smiled, realizing he was being considerate.
"Anything is fine."
Hikigaya's expression instantly darkened. That wasn't an answer at all! No matter what he chose, she could just say it was good or bad with a single comment—what an irresponsible response!
And it was exactly the kind of answer Hikigaya disliked the most.
Seeing his reaction, Sakayanagi couldn't help but laugh. "I'll just have whatever Hikigaya-kun is having."
Hikigaya rolled his eyes at her. She really was a little troublemaker. Even with something as simple as food, she had to mess with him?
Was she still holding a grudge over what happened last time?
A little troublemaker who holds grudges?
"Hikigaya-kun, you're not talking bad about me in your head, are you?"
Sakayanagi suddenly spoke.
"Wh-what? No way, of course not!"
Hikigaya stiffened. How could this little troublemaker read minds?
"Hehe, haven't you heard that eyes never lie?"
Hikigaya accidentally locked eyes with Sakayanagi, who blinked at him with a smile. One second, two seconds... After five seconds, he couldn't hold out any longer and looked away. The moment he did, he heard her triumphant laughter.
After some urging from Hikigaya, Sakayanagi sat down by the cafeteria window. Not long after, Hikigaya returned with two steaming bowls of beef rice.
"Hikigaya-kun, you know, sometimes your intentions are way too obvious."
Sakayanagi sighed as she looked at the beef rice set in front of her.
"Huh? This was expensive, you know! One bowl costs as much as my food budget for a day and a half!"
Hikigaya instantly felt wronged. If it weren't for Sakayanagi always acting like a rich young lady, he wouldn't have gone out of his way to get this pricey set. It wasn't just made with high-quality beef—it was also a generous portion!
"Beef is a great source of protein. Eating more of it is good for your growth. Plus, you said, 'I'll have what you're having'..."
"Hehe, see? This is why I said your intentions are too easy to read. And... were you just mocking me?"
Sakayanagi narrowed her eyes.
"I wasn't saying anything about your height! I just figured that since today's the last day of the semester, I should treat myself to something nice!"
Hikigaya explained stiffly.
Sakayanagi just smiled without saying anything. What a stubborn guy. After that, neither of them talked much, quietly focusing on their meal.
Maybe because she was eating in front of a guy, or maybe because of how she was raised, Sakayanagi had only eaten about a third of her meal by the time Hikigaya finished. And from the looks of it, she was already full.
That's when Hikigaya finally realized what her sigh earlier had meant. No matter the age, girls always seemed to eat less at dinner. And judging by her portion, this was probably her limit.
At first, Hikigaya had thought a frail, short girl like Sakayanagi should eat more to get the nutrition she needed. But now, he realized that guys and girls had completely different views on food.
"...Sorry."
The phrase "good intentions gone wrong" popped into Hikigaya's head. Had he pressured her into eating more than she wanted? Sometimes, interfering too much in someone else's life was a bad thing.
After putting down her utensils, Sakayanagi wiped her mouth and looked up at him. "I was the one who told you to choose, so what's there to apologize for?"
"Besides... more than that, I think Hikigaya-kun is actually just upset about the food being wasted."
Hikigaya: "..."
Okay, fine. That was part of it. This meal was expensive! Back in the day, something like this was a rare treat, maybe even a birthday meal.
Of course, Komachi was an exception—she could just whine to Mom and Dad and get "normal food" like this anytime.
Damn it, so this is what it's like to be a rich girl!
"Hikigaya-kun, you... you're not thinking about that, are you...?"
Sakayanagi noticed him staring at the leftover beef in her bowl. Her expression turned odd, and there was even a hint of annoyance.
"Huh? Haha, what are you talking about?! Do I look like the kind of guy who eats a girl's leftovers? That's ridiculous! The most I've ever eaten is Komachi's leftovers!"
Hikigaya quickly wiped the nervous sweat from his forehead.
Sakayanagi: "!!!"
"Alright, alright, anyway—Sakayanagi, what did you want to talk about? Just be direct with me!"
Hikigaya tried to change the subject.
Sakayanagi took a deep breath, adjusted her breathing, and spoke.
"I did have something in mind at first, but what HIratsuka-sensei just said gave me a new idea."
"This school encourages competition among students, but as Hiratsuka-sensei mentioned, there's more to it than just competing."
"You mean... cooperation?"
"Hikigaya-kun, you catch on quickly."
Hikigaya gave Sakayanagi a strange look.
"Did I hear that right? A student from Class A is coming to a student from Class D to talk about cooperation?"
He felt like this little troublemaker was setting him up for something.
"Rather than cooperation, think of it as a 'game of chess' in the upcoming important exam."
Sakayanagi remained calm.
"I don't get it."
Hikigaya rejected her outright.
"Heh."
Sakayanagi seemed to have expected that reaction and continued as if she hadn't heard him.
"For the next exam, due to my health, I won't be able to participate. So, I need someone to make the moves in my place."
"You mean a player? Or more like a pawn?"
Hikigaya sneered, seeing through her intentions immediately.
"I don't know how you got information about the next exam, but I have no obligation to fight your battles."
It was clear what Sakayanagi was asking—she wanted to use him to go against Katsuragi.
Right now, Class A was divided into factions: Katsuragi's group, Sakayanagi's group, and a few neutrals.
After the first semester's power struggle, Katsuragi's side had the upper hand.
So now, Sakayanagi was looking to use Hikigaya to take them down in the next exam.
Had Class A's internal conflict really gotten this bad?
"Besides, no matter how you try to justify it, what you're doing is basically betraying your own class."
Sakayanagi chuckled.
"Betrayal? Hikigaya-kun, you've got it wrong. I'm simply ensuring that Class A speaks with one voice. This is for the good of the class, so we can be united in the future instead of being torn apart by internal struggles."
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