"Hey, snap out of it~ or I'll really get mad!"
Haruno bit her straw and looked unhappily at the dead-eyed boy across from her.
"Sorry."
Hikigaya scratched his face awkwardly after coming back to his senses. "I got too caught up thinking about something."
After leaving the library, Hikigaya and Haruno came to a café called "Poro" in the Keyaki Mall Shopping Center. Apparently, it was the most popular café among students.
Why?
The reason was simple—there was a worker here who was even more handsome than an idol. Short, light-golden hair and tanned skin. Even Hikigaya had to admit that compared to this guy, both Hirata and that so-called "best-looking guy in the grade" from Class A, Satonaka Satoshi, seemed a bit lacking.
Tch, another normie!
"By the way, the coffee shop competition here is really intense."
From what Hikigaya remembered, there were at least several different cafés in Keyaki Mall Shopping Center. For a student population of fewer than 500, that was way too many.
But then again, in today's world, even a small town has five or six chain bubble tea shops, plus all sorts of cafés. Maybe it wasn't that surprising?
A polite way to say it: "There's great market potential."
A blunt way to say it: "How the hell are they making money with this much competition?!"
"Where there's a McDonald's, there's always a KFC. Sometimes even a Burger King, right?"
Haruno crossed her legs and teased.
"That... does make sense."
Hikigaya nodded, then gritted his teeth and glared at Haruno. "So why... why did we have to come to this café?! We could've gone somewhere with fewer people!"
Seeing all the students walking around made Hikigaya feel an unexplainable pressure. He wasn't exactly socially anxious, but sitting in a café with a girl, drinking coffee... that was a lot. It felt like a betrayal of the noble path of a lone wolf!
...Though, now that he thought about it, this wasn't the first time.
"Eh~? A place with fewer people? Hikigaya-kun, are you trying to do something naughty to me?"
Pfft!
Hikigaya spat out his milk tea instantly and scrambled to clean up, but it was too late—he could already feel the strange looks from the people around them.
Social death +1!
Blackmail material +1!
Hikigaya looked pale as a ghost, pretending not to see or hear anything, silently sipping his milk tea. Meanwhile, Haruno clutched her stomach, laughing uncontrollably, creating a stark contrast.
"Alright, don't be mad anymore."
Haruno tugged at Hikigaya's sleeve with her small hand, lowering her head as if apologizing. Of course, it would have been more convincing if she could hide the smirk on her face.
And here comes another one of Haruno's little performances!
Hikigaya remained unresponsive, like an emotionless machine. Seeing this, Haruno lowered her head even further, her voice turning hoarse and shaky, like a helpless girl begging for forgiveness after making a mistake.
Hah, this time, I swear I won't fall for it again!
Today, I will become the emotionless "Hikigaya Robot"—a heartless human-computer hybrid!
Haha! Unshakable!
Haruno smirked slightly, then suddenly leaned in close to Hikigaya's ear, her warm breath brushing against him as she spoke in a sultry, teasing voice: "Come on, don't be mad~ At most... at most, I'll let you... Alright, fine~ I promise, okay? As long as Master Hikigaya forgives his poor servant, anything is..."
"Stop! Stop!!!"
Hikigaya's face turned bright red, his fingers trembling as he stammered, "You... you... I-I surrender, okay?!"
Against Haruno, who had zero moral boundaries, Hikigaya really couldn't hold out!
It wasn't that he was weak—his enemy was just too cunning!
The Yukinoshita sisters were his ultimate nemeses. One could destroy him with words alone, while the other could make him wave the white flag with her shameless antics.
These two were ranked first and second in Hikigaya's "Unforgivable Notebook"—one a supreme demon lord, the other a devilish trickster.
Haruno hummed smugly as if to say, "You're still too naive, kid," but in his dazed state, Hikigaya didn't notice the slight redness creeping up her ears.
"Hey, this seat isn't taken, right?"
Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice cut in. Before either of them could respond, the guy had already plopped down, lifting his legs and slamming them onto the wooden table with a loud *bang!*
Haruno's coffee spilled instantly. Thankfully, Hikigaya reacted fast enough to pull her away, but a stain still splashed onto the hem of her off-white dress.
"Oh no, my bad. You okay?"
A tall guy with striking red hair grinned, then added with a smirk, "Next time, be more careful. Because... I did it on purpose."
Arrogant. Overbearing.
This guy—Ryuen Kakeru, the leader of Class C—was the mastermind behind all the trouble his class caused for the higher-ranked ones.
Standing behind him were three familiar faces. Ishizaki Daichi, whom Hikigaya had seen before in the library, a ridiculously bulky guy with dark skin who looked more like a tank than a student, and a cold-faced girl with short blue hair who had the expression of someone owed money.
The three of them stood behind Ryuen like bodyguards, especially Albert, the huge guy with foreign blood, who looked so intimidating that most people wouldn't even think about picking a fight.
The surrounding students instinctively stepped away, avoiding any trouble with this clearly dangerous group.
It was obvious they weren't here for anything good.
Haruno, however, didn't even glance at the stain on her dress or show any hint of anger. Instead, she propped her chin on her hand and smiled at Ryuen. "Oh, it's you. Here for more of that boring class business again?"
"Heh, you A-Class students sure have a way of talking that makes me sick."
Ryuen smirked arrogantly, his tone full of disdain. "My patience is running out. So, have you thought about my proposal?"
So this was about Haruno? And from the sound of it, this wasn't their first encounter?
Ryuen had been staring at Haruno the entire time, completely ignoring Hikigaya, as if he wasn't even worth acknowledging.
If it were anyone else, they might have lost their temper at being treated like this. But Hikigaya stayed silent, quietly observing.
There was no way Haruno couldn't handle a situation like this. It was better to stay put and study Ryuen instead.
"I don't like aggressive little puppies."
Haruno's smile remained unchanged.
*Cough.*
Hikigaya almost burst out laughing. The arrogant delinquent in front of him was being described as a "little puppy" by Haruno—what a sight...
Even Ishizaki, standing behind Ryuen, seemed to be holding back his laughter. The usually cool-looking girl had a twitching mouth, as if she was also struggling to keep a straight face. Only the big guy in black remained expressionless, fully committed to his role as the cold, emotionless bodyguard.
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