"Hikigaya-kun’s eyes aren’t weird at all!"
For some reason, Ichinose seemed unusually excited about this topic. But then, realizing how she sounded, she quickly added, "I mean, no one really notices anything special about Hikigaya-kun’s eyes."
"Dead fish eyes are definitely special."
Hikigaya sighed as he made a sarcastic remark.
"Uh... anyway, I don’t think your eyes are weird at all."
Hearing that, Hikigaya couldn’t help but feel that Ichinose was just being her usual self—kind and considerate, always trying to find a way to comfort others.
"I used to come to the second-floor cafeteria with the president—oh wait, I mean Horikita-senpai—and Tachibana-senpai..."
Hikigaya started explaining. At first, he wasn’t used to coming to the second-floor cafeteria. It wasn’t because he was nervous about the upperclassmen’s stares, but more that he felt like he was standing out too much. However, after coming here more often with Horikita Manabu and Tachibana Akane, he gradually got used to it.
Plus, since he often handled various student council tasks, he had frequent interactions with upperclassmen, especially in club affairs. At first, Tachibana Akane or Handa-senpai would be there to help him, but as he gained more experience, he could handle things on his own.
If anyone in the first year had the most interactions with upperclassmen, Hikigaya was confident it was him.
"Is this seat taken?"
A sudden voice interrupted them. Before either of them could react, the person had already sat down right next to Hikigaya.
It was Kiryuin. She set down her tray and started eating, completely ignoring Hikigaya and Ichinose’s presence—or their reactions.
Ichinose glanced at Kiryuin, then looked at Hikigaya, as if deep in thought.
Compared to Ichinose’s awkwardness, Hikigaya remained calm. He was already used to this eccentric senpai. After finishing her meal, Kiryuin simply got up and left, showing no intention of making conversation.
"Is she always like this?"
After Kiryuin left, Ichinose finally asked cautiously.
"Pretty much."
Hikigaya shrugged. "Kiryuin-senpai is the type who does her own thing. She’s well-known in the second year. You’ll probably end up dealing with her a lot too."
"Huh? Why?"
"Because I tend to cause trouble!"
A voice suddenly came from behind Ichinose.
Kiryuin, who had just left, was now back again. She casually sat down next to Ichinose, startling her like a frightened kitten. Ichinose immediately apologized.
"S-Senpai, I didn’t mean to talk behind your back..."
"Talking behind my back?"
Kiryuin let out a cold chuckle. "If that was ’talking behind my back,’ then what everyone else says must be way, way, way worse!"
Ichinose froze, caught off guard by Kiryuin’s odd way of speaking.
Kiryuin ignored her and instead handed a drink to the guy sitting across from her.
"For me?"
Hikigaya looked confused.
"I just remembered after eating—thanks for helping with Kyoukushin situation."
Kiryuin opened the drink and took a sip. "I was thirsty. I’ll get you one next time."
"..."
Hikigaya silently pulled back his outstretched hand and said with a blank expression, "I was just doing my job."
"I heard Kiriyama went looking for you about that earlier?"
Hearing Kiryuin mention that, Hikigaya was a little surprised. He understood Kiryuin’s situation well—she preferred to be alone. Or, to put it bluntly, she was isolated by everyone. Most of the time, when he saw Kiryuin, she was by herself.
If anyone felt sympathy or anger over her situation, they were probably wasting their time.
Since Kiryuin didn’t care at all—or rather, instead of being excluded by others, it was more like she was the one excluding everyone else. And she seemed to enjoy it.
This gave Hikigaya a strong sense of déjà vu, like he was looking at another Koenji.
But what surprised him more was how quickly she found out that Kiriyama had come looking for him.
As if reading his thoughts, Kiryuin crossed her legs and casually said, "Because I just went to see that guy Kiriyama myself."
Hikigaya understood now. No wonder. Kiryuin and Kiriyama were both from Class 2-B and had always been at odds. Though according to Kiryuin, it was just Kiriyama being jealous of her talent—she had never considered him worth her attention.
From what Hikigaya had observed, the real reason was that Kiryuin was too capable, and Kiriyama couldn’t "control" her. That’s why they had a falling out—just like how no one in Class D could rein in Koenji.
"Even though the problem is solved, I still feel like I should give you a warning."
Hikigaya suddenly turned serious. "Now that Nagumo is the student council president, I think you, more than anyone, should understand how much power that position holds."
"Oh? Are you trying to teach me how to act?"
Kiryuin scoffed, showing no kindness even to someone who had helped her.
"You’re misunderstanding. I’m just stating a fact."
Hikigaya remained calm and unbothered.
Kiryuin suddenly stood up, leaned forward with her hands on the table, and stared at him. Hikigaya stared back without any change in expression. After a long pause, Kiryuin smirked slightly, then turned and left without another word.
"Whew—"
As soon as Kiryuin was gone, Ichinose opened her mouth to speak but hesitated. She quickly glanced around, making sure Kiryuin was completely out of sight before letting out a deep breath. Then, she looked at Hikigaya with a wry smile.
"As expected, you were right. This senpai really has a... unique personality."
Hikigaya shook his head. "I’ve already given her a warning. If she’s careless again like this, she might not be so lucky next time."
"So, Vice President Kiriyama came looking for trouble because of her?"
Ichinose asked curiously.
Hikigaya nodded. He wasn’t planning to hide it—it wasn’t really a secret anyway. "She ran into some trouble earlier. It wasn’t anything difficult to solve, but since Kiryuin is always a ’troublemaker’ in her class, a simple issue ended up becoming a bigger problem..."
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