Ever since that day when Hikigaya had lunch with Ichinose in the school’s second-floor cafeteria, their relationship seemed to have entered a strange phase.
Ichinose was still as cheerful and outgoing as ever, always smiling no matter the situation—whether in daily life or at work. She got along with Hikigaya just as well as before, showing no signs that anything had changed. It was as if that day’s events hadn’t affected her at all—or maybe, she simply didn’t care?
Anyone else might think that way and feel relieved. But Hikigaya, with his sharp instincts, noticed something different. It was a subtle feeling—her attitude toward him hadn’t changed, yet there was a slight sense of distance.
Before, their relationship could be considered "close friends"—if this were a Galgame, their bond would have been around 85 points. Now, it had dropped to about 80, shifting back to a normal friendship.
It was the same kind of relationship she had with Kanzaki or other classmates.
Hikigaya couldn’t deny feeling a little disappointed, but more than that, he thought this level of distance was just right.
Just as they had said that day—they were simply colleagues, classmates.
"I have something to do, so I’ll head out first."
In the student council office, Hikigaya packed up his things and stood up to leave. Ichinose smiled and waved at him. But once the door closed behind him, her smile slowly faded. She stared at the closed door, lightly biting her lip, looking a little lonely.
...
Hikigaya arrived at the library. Sakura and Hasebe had already come here right after school to study. Besides them, there were two more guys—Miyake Akito and... Yukimura Teruhiko.
However, Yukimura didn’t like being called by his full name. He preferred "Yukimura Keisei" instead.
Yukimura was one of the top three students in the class, so this exam wasn’t much of a problem for him. But after seeing Horikita’s apology and the study groups forming for the test, he felt he should contribute too, so he offered to tutor Miyake.
Miyake had paired up with Hasebe for the exam, but since their strong and weak subjects overlapped, they were at a disadvantage for the Paper Shuffle test.
Given that, Miyake suggested that they study together—it would be more efficient. And that led to the current situation.
Hikigaya was happy to see this setup. Study groups worked best with four to six people—it kept everyone motivated and created a good learning atmosphere.
Besides, Hikigaya was better at humanities subjects, while Yukimura excelled at science. Their skills complemented each other, making this arrangement ideal.
After the study session, Hasebe suggested they all go to Palette for drinks.
On the way, Yukimura suddenly asked, "Hikigaya, who’s your partner? Why not ask them to join our group too?"
From Yukimura’s perspective, Hikigaya was one of the top ten students in the class, so his exam partner was likely a weaker student—just like how Yukimura had been paired with Hondou Ryotaro.
"Hikki’s partner is Karuizawa, you know~"
Hasebe grinned mischievously.
"Yukimu " was a nickname Hasebe had come up with for Yukimura—just like how she called Hikigaya "Hikki". It was one of her odd habits, and it seemed Yukimura had reluctantly gotten used to it. Miyake, for some reason, was called "Miyatchi."
Yukimura’s face stiffened at the mention of Karuizawa. That name didn’t bring up any good memories for him.
Setting aside how she acted in class, there had been an incident during the uninhabited island exam where Karuizawa and her group secretly spent points to buy a fan, which led to a conflict with Yukimura’s side. That wasn’t the only time they had clashed, either.
Simply put, Yukimura had zero good feelings toward Karuizawa. But since he had already spoken up, backing out now would look bad. He cursed himself internally—why hadn’t he asked first before suggesting this?!
"Karuizawa is in Hirata’s study group."
Hikigaya spoke up.
Yukimura let out a sigh of relief. If Karuizawa had actually joined them, he wouldn’t have known how to deal with it. But soon, he noticed the others snickering at him. Realizing they had seen right through his thoughts, he felt so embarrassed that he wanted to dig a hole and hide.
"But have you guys heard any rumors about Karuizawa lately?"
Hasebe suddenly asked. Seeing everyone looking at her, she quickly continued, "I only heard it in passing, but apparently, Karuizawa injured a student from Class C during the sports festival. Someone named Manabe or something. I think I even saw her with a bandage on her forehead."
"Hmph, that kind of delinquent... It’s no surprise if she started a fight."
Yukimura’s opinion of Karuizawa was rock-bottom, and honestly, she had brought that reputation upon herself.
"Where did this rumor come from? When did you hear it?"
Hikigaya asked.
Hasebe shook her head, saying she wasn’t sure. She had overheard it while waiting in line, but apparently, a lot of people already knew about it.
"Hikki, do you think the rumor is false?"
Hasebe glanced at Hikigaya’s face and immediately sensed something was up. Ever since the VIP test on the cruise ship, she had learned to pick up on his subtle expressions.
Hikigaya thought for a moment before nodding. "About the rumor that Karuizawa hit someone during the sports festival... I was actually there that day too."
He then explained what had happened, though he didn’t mention that Karuizawa had been bullied. He simply said that she had been tricked by Class C students and led to a secluded area. He also brought up how Horikita had been framed by Ryuen that day. Combined with the previous clash between Sudou and Ryuen, Yukimura and the others quickly assumed that Class C had deliberately targeted Class D.
"Those Class C guys are the worst!"
Yukimura and the others were furious. If Hikigaya hadn’t told them, they never would have known about the schemes behind the sports festival. They also automatically blamed Class C for what had happened to Karuizawa.
"So Horikita never had to apologize that day... She was injured too, and if she had just explained everything, everyone would have understood..."
Yukimura and the others felt both guilty toward Horikita and... admiration for her.
At that moment, Hikigaya’s phone vibrated. He glanced at the sender and quickly told Hasebe and the others, "I have something urgent to take care of," before leaving in a hurry.
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