Initially, Hikigaya assumed that Kanzaki, like Miss Haruno and Sakayanagi, had visited the White Room during their childhood and met Ayanokouji at an early age due to familial connections. However, this time, it seemed he had overthought things.
"Did you misunderstand something? I only met Ayanokouji for the first time after coming to this school. I'm certain of that," Kanzaki replied.
"Really... Sorry, I said something odd," Hikigaya responded, though he couldn't shake the feeling that Kanzaki's answer was slightly inconsistent.
It felt as though Kanzaki was overemphasizing the point that he had never seen Ayanokouji before.
Was he hiding something?
Hikigaya didn't think Kanzaki was lying outright, but he knew well enough that deception didn't always require falsehoods.
The crux of the matter was Kanzaki's demeanor—it didn't seem like he was pretending. Kanzaki genuinely didn't want Ayanokouji to drop out of school. And that was precisely what felt so strange.
Given the revelations about Ayanokouji's scheming, his reputation within the grade wasn't exactly infamous but was certainly one to be avoided. At the very least, other classes had become highly wary of him. Under these circumstances, it was difficult to imagine someone like Kanzaki, who didn't seem the type, being reluctant to see Ayanokouji leave.
Of course, even someone as unsavory as Ryuen still managed to attract loyal followers. But Kanzaki was not that kind of person.
Could it be that Kanzaki, like Ichinose, had been influenced into becoming overly compassionate?
Or was it possible that Kanzaki and Ayanokouji shared a personal relationship they didn't want others to know about?
Either scenario felt far-fetched.
At that moment, Kanzaki suddenly spoke.
"But Hikigaya, why did you even think to ask me about this? You know, Ayanokouji and I have barely spoken."
"Someone you've barely spoken to, yet you still don't want him to drop out?" Hikigaya countered.
It seemed that Kanzaki had also noticed how peculiar the question was.
Kanzaki answered calmly, "Really now, do you think I'm some cold-blooded person? Even if we're in different classes, we're still classmates. I just don't want to see anyone get expelled."
"I see..." Hikigaya replied.
There was nothing wrong with Kanzaki's reasoning. But Hikigaya had been suspicious—perhaps overly so. He had overlooked the possibility that Kanzaki simply had a sentimental side. Combined with Kanzaki's family background, Hikigaya had prematurely assumed that he was someone familiar with the White House.
...Wait a moment . Maybe... it wasn't the White Room after all?
"I didn't mean to say anything offensive." Hikigaya smiled apologetically. "But I never thought of you as heartless, Kanzaki... Actually, at first, I wondered if you were trying to curry favor with Ayanokouji. After all, his father is quite a notable figure. Ahaha, sorry—that's probably even more offensive than what I said before."
Kanzaki's reaction to this remark was unexpected.
"Wait, you know Ayanokouji's father?"
"I don't know him," Hikigaya answered honestly. He wasn't one to lie about something so easily verifiable.
"I just know the name—Ayanokouji Atsuomi, right? A prominent figure in the Civic Party."
"You... I've suspected for a while now, but Hikigaya, you aren't an ordinary person," Kanzaki remarked, a strange look of relief crossing his face.
"No, no, I'm just a nobody," Hikigaya said, waving his hands dismissively. "I've only heard the name in passing. You could look it up on Wikipedia, you know."
Judging from Kanzaki's reaction, Hikigaya's guess seemed to be on target. Kanzaki likely didn't know about the White Room, but he certainly knew of Ayanokouji Atsuomi—or, more precisely, he knew the politician.
Miyake's information was probably correct. As the son of a wealthy family, Kanzaki's acquaintance with a few councilmen wasn't surprising.
Unlike someone as flamboyant as Koenji, Kanzaki was more reserved, similar to Sakayanagi or Haruno, and rarely discussed his background with others.
Before Hikigaya had exposed the truth, few people at school even knew that Sakayanagi was the chairman's daughter.
In light of this, everything suddenly made sense.
"Who would randomly look up their classmates' parents on Wikipedia?" Kanzaki complained, exasperated.
It was a fair point. Hikigaya had only searched for information after learning that Ayanokouji's father was a noteworthy individual.
"I was just curious," Hikigaya replied casually. "Honestly, I've looked up the surnames of everyone in our grade."
"That's such a weird hobby..." Kanzaki sighed. "Whatever. If you don't want to tell me, I won't press. Everyone has their secrets, after all."
Kanzaki didn't push the issue further. It wasn't worth dwelling on.
After a brief silence, Kanzaki continued, "I did meet Mr. Ayanokouji once. But at first, I didn't recognize him as Ayanokouji's father—or even think about it that way. It wasn't until recently that I connected the two."
"Was it because Ayanokouji started showing his abilities that you noticed?" Hikigaya asked.
"Yes, that was part of it," Kanzaki nodded.
In that case, Hikigaya thought, Kanzaki owed him thanks. After all, Ayanokouji had kept a low profile at the start of the school year, blending into the background. It was through Hikigaya's efforts that others began to notice Ayanokouji's potential.
"Kanzaki, this is just my opinion," Hikigaya said cautiously. "But do you... Admire Mr. Ayanokouji?"
"...Yes. I've received his guidance before," Kanzaki admitted.
"I see."
It seemed Kanzaki's admiration extended to the whole family, explaining why he didn't want Ayanokouji to drop out.
Still, the idea of someone admiring Ayanokouji's father—a man who ran a human-rights-violating organization like the White Room—felt absurd. But then again, most people didn't know that side of him.
On the surface, Ayanokouji Atsuomi appeared to be a self-made success story. For many, especially those born into privilege, such figures were worthy of admiration.
"If you admire him so much," Hikigaya teased, "why not let him off the hook a little? You'd be helping the son of someone you respect stay in school."
"It's not that exaggerated," Kanzaki replied seriously. "And besides, these are two completely different matters."
"Ah, I thought you'd be reluctant to let Ayanokouji go," Hikigaya quipped.
"...I don't want to see him expelled," Kanzaki admitted. "But I won't sacrifice my class's interests for that. My only goal is to graduate from Class A with everyone, and I'll do my best during the exams."
"Fair enough," Hikigaya conceded, impressed by Kanzaki's determination.
Still, Hikigaya couldn't resist adding, "But even if Ayanokouji drops out, he'll just inherit the family business. You should help him out—there's no need to worry."
"Uh... I don't even know how to respond to that," Kanzaki said with a bitter smile.
Just as Kanzaki seemed ready to say more, his expression shifted.
Following his gaze, Hikigaya noticed Sakayanagi slowly approaching. It was no wonder Kanzaki reacted the way he did.
Among the students in Class A, Sakayanagi and Ryuen were certainly contenders for the title of "most disliked."
As for third place, Hikigaya had a feeling it might very well be himself.
…No, wait, maybe he even had the qualifications to contend for first place.
"Hikigaya-kun, Kanzaki-kun, good day. What are you two so happily discussing?"
"Where do you see any happiness here?"
The ever-brazen Sakayanagi approached, as expected, greeting them without missing a beat.
Since the other party was Kanzaki, at least things shouldn't escalate into a fight.
That said, Kanzaki really didn't seem to think highly of Sakayanagi. When she walked over, he didn't respond, merely casting a glance toward Hikigaya.
"Apologies, I have some matters to attend to. I'll take my leave."
Without waiting for a reply, Kanzaki walked away without sparing her a second glance.
"Hehe, it seems I've been thoroughly disliked," Sakayanagi chuckled, unfazed, her tone cheerful.
"Of course you're disliked! That's no surprise to anyone." Hikigaya couldn't help but retort.
He had initially planned to chat more with Kanzaki, hoping to extract some useful intel.
In the end, everything had been derailed by this little troublemaker.
Still, now that he thought about it, both Sakayanagi and Kanzaki seemed to have some connection to Ayanokouji. Meeting here at this school of all places felt like too much of a coincidence. Could it really just be happenstance?
Before Hikigaya could delve deeper into this thought, Sakayanagi started chatting away about trivial matters, dragging him into her pace.
"It's fine as long as Hikigaya-kun doesn't hate me."
"Too bad, you're the person I hate most in this entire school."
"Is that so? What an honor," Sakayanagi replied with a sly smile. "They say the more you hate someone, the more you care about them. I never realized you liked me so much, Hikigaya-kun. How embarrassing."
"…Stop spouting nonsense."
Hikigaya didn't bother to argue further. Who knew how much further off-track this conversation might go if he kept engaging?
He was about to leave when Sakayanagi grabbed his arm.
"Don't be in such a hurry. Where are you headed?"
"I was going to—actually, you tell me where you're going first."
"Oh my, asking a girl such a question? Hikigaya-kun, you're unexpectedly bold."
"Bold, my foot." Hikigaya shot her an exasperated glare. "I just want to avoid you following me. No matter where you say you're headed, I'll go in the opposite direction."
"That wouldn't be very fun, now would it?" Sakayanagi said with a mischievous grin.
"How about this—we each write down our intended destination on a piece of paper and reveal it simultaneously. If it happens to be the same place, you'll accompany me for the rest of the time. What do you think?"
"…I don't think much of it."
At this point, Hikigaya felt on the verge of tears.
All he wanted was to quietly read a book for a while—not too much to ask, was it? Didn't this girl have anything better to do?
"Say, Sakayanagi, isn't the special exam starting soon? Shouldn't you be preparing for it?"
"It's fine. I'm not particularly interested in class affairs right now. Besides…"
Sakayanagi paused, a hint of bitterness crossing her face.
"Besides, it was Hikigaya-kun who knocked me down from my perch. You know full well that no one in Class B listens to me anymore, yet you still ask such cruel questions. How heartless of you."
"H-Hey, don't make it sound so awful!" Hikigaya protested, nearly speechless.
What did she mean by "knocked her down from her perch"? She'd brought it upon herself, hadn't she?
Class B wasn't like Class D, a bunch of fools. If Sakayanagi could propose practical strategies for the exams, there was no way they wouldn't listen to her. At least Katsuragi wouldn't reject her suggestions because of past grievances.
But Sakayanagi had quit of her own accord, disliking how the class had criticized her decisions.
And now, this shameless girl dared to play the victim?
"Sigh, even Masumi-chan doesn't really talk to me much these days. Every night, I'm left all alone in my dorm…" Sakayanagi dramatically wiped at imaginary tears.
"What are you even talking about? Our school has single-person dorms anyway. Forget it." Hikigaya sighed in resignation. "Fine. I'm heading to the library to sit for a bit. Satisfied now?"
Upon hearing this, Sakayanagi's expression immediately brightened.
"Hehe, what a coincidence! I was planning to go to the library too. Care to join me?"
"…Just keep quiet when we're there."
"Of course, I know all about library etiquette."
"Ugh…fine, let's go."
Resigned to his fate, Hikigaya couldn't muster the strength to refuse anymore.
With a sullen expression, he matched his pace to Sakayanagi's cheerful stride, heading toward the library.
Why did this feel like he was being bossed around by an unreasonable superior?
Was his future really doomed to being a stay-at-home husband?
Absolutely no to office work!
As Hikigaya mulled over pointless thoughts, Sakayanagi suddenly spoke up, "By the way, Hikigaya-kun, have you decided what to give me in return for White Day?"
"…Huh?"
He knew she was shameless, but he hadn't expected this level of shamelessness.
Her question left Hikigaya momentarily stunned.
"Why the silence? Don't tell me you're planning to shirk your responsibility?" Sakayanagi tilted her head, feigning innocence.
"…No, I've just never encountered anyone as brazen as you."
"It's fine, though. I'm genuinely looking forward to your gift, Hikigaya-kun," she replied with unsettling sincerity.
It wasn't fine. Absolutely not fine!
"F-Fine, fine, I'll get you something," Hikigaya relented. "What brand of cookies do you like? I'll send you a big box. Eat to your heart's content."
"Oh my, just cookies?"
"Of course! What else were you expecting?"
"Such a half-hearted gesture for a girl who gave her heartfelt feelings. Hikigaya-kun, you truly have the makings of a heartless man. No wonder you shamelessly declared your dream of being a kept man."
"Wha—! Hey, don't make it sound so terrible!"
"Besides, being a stay-at-home husband is no different from being a kept man," she added.
"Who says? It's totally different! Being a stay-at-home husband has a professional vibe to it!" Hikigaya retorted indignantly.
Sakayanagi giggled but swiftly changed the topic. "By the way, Hikigaya-kun, how many girls do you plan to give White Day gifts to this year?"
"…"
That question struck Hikigaya like a bolt from the blue.