"Ryuuen, maybe it's time to cut it out?"
Hikigaya didn't want to get involved, but Ryuuen's childish antics were honestly too much to ignore.
"Just a reminder, our school takes bullying very seriously."
"Heh, bullying?" Ryuuen snorted like he'd just heard a hilarious joke. "Dead Eyes, let me throw the question back at you—at a school that turns a blind eye to fights, how do you even define what counts as bullying?"
"…At the very least, what you just did fits the bill."
"That was just a slip of the hand."
"A slip of the hand, seriously...? Ugh, have you no shame?"
Hikigaya was at a loss for words. Tossing stuff around like that—what if it hit a kid or something? Even if it didn't hit anyone, smashing it into the surrounding shrubs was still awful.
"Alright, and what if I did do it on purpose?" Ryuuen shrugged with both hands wide open, full-on delinquent mode. "Dead Eyes, what are you gonna do about it? Tell the teachers?"
"…What are you trying to do?"
Hikigaya's tone betrayed a hint of irritation—he didn't know how to handle this. If Ryuuen had just gone ahead and beaten up Sakayanagi, it'd be easier. Getting expelled would've been the least of his problems.
But this? He'd just tossed her cane away. Even if they called a teacher over, it'd barely count as a minor violation—at most, he'd get a stern talking-to.
And what's the point of lecturing this guy?
"Nothing much. I just wanted to see—"
Ryuuen's eyes locked onto Sakayanagi with the intensity of a predator stalking prey.
"—how long this little girl can keep up the act."
He still didn't believe Sakayanagi had stepped down so easily. He was trying every trick to provoke her.
If someone climbs on your back and pushes you down without a fight, then you're not Sakayanagi.
"Oh dear, little Ryuuen-boy sure is naughty. Would you be so kind as to pick up my cane for me?"
"You're starting to spout nonsense now, huh?"
"I wouldn't get angry over a little prank," Sakayanagi replied with a smile and a gentle shake of her head. "But without that cane, I won't be able to return to the dorms today."
"Then just crawl back."
Ryuuen shrugged nonchalantly, planting a hand on his hip and smirking with amusement. He was intent on watching her make a fool of herself.
Seeing how things were going, Hikigaya sighed and spoke up again. "Come on, Ryuuen. Can you stop with these pointless tests already? You're just trying to see if Sakayanagi's stepped down or not… So, did you find out?"
"Still too early to say."
"Then maybe call it a day."
"You think I'd give up before finding the truth?" Ryuuen let out a scoff. "Dead Eyes, don't think I'm joking here. Even if Sakayanagi manages to make it through today, who knows—on the way to school tomorrow, someone might just 'accidentally' bump into her."
"…Are you threatening her?"
"Kuku, I said it was an accident. How could that be a threat?"
"…Right."
Hikigaya understood the implication all too well.
Blatant bullying wouldn't fly. But if you framed it as something like "I didn't see her and bumped into her" or "oops, I accidentally kicked her cane", no matter how weak the excuse was, it'd be hard to prove intent.
They could even turn the tables and say her disability was causing trouble for others.
From a common-sense perspective, it was the act of a scumbag.
But Ryuuen wouldn't care what others thought. It was probably because of that he chose this method.
"Dead Eyes, I know you love meddling in things."
Ryuuen's face twisted into a sneer as he spoke.
"If some 'accident' happens because Sakayanagi can't pull her weight anymore, in the end, it's that blondie who gets to pass judgment, right?"
"Blondie…?"
"After all, the student council isn't your kingdom yet."
"…Oh, you mean Nagumo."
Hikigaya blinked, then realized what Ryuuen meant.
Wow. This guy had thought it through.
Even without asking, Hikigaya could tell—Ryuuen would keep his provocations just barely within bounds.
At this school, as long as things didn't spiral out of control, the student council had a lot of discretionary power.
Back in the day, Hikigaya might've used that to give someone a little protection—and Nagumo would've gone along with it, too.
But now that things had soured between them, shielding Sakayanagi would probably do more harm than good.
…What a pain.
Hikigaya clicked his tongue mentally. He sneaked a glance at Sakayanagi, who still looked completely unfazed.
She was one of those types who loved stirring the pot… So annoying.
Ryuuen's threats might've been childish, but if Sakayanagi didn't want to risk getting knocked over in public, she only had one option.
Go back to how she used to be—an untouchable princess with an entourage.
Sure, Class B might no longer obey her, but that didn't mean Kamuro and the others had cut ties completely.
If needed, they'd probably still follow her lead.
But doing that would be as good as confirming Ryuuen's suspicions, which someone as prideful as Sakayanagi would never accept.
The look in her eyes practically said: Even if you push me to the ground, I'll be the one standing victorious in the end—so go ahead and try me.
Seriously… Give me a break.
Hikigaya suddenly recalled that obsessive otaku stalker incident.
Back then, Sakayanagi had the same mindset—wanting to utterly destroy her opponent. Afterward, she even complained multiple times that making the guy pay a fine and getting him expelled was letting him off too easily.
For the record, three million yen is not cheap. [T/N: For the record, they are talking about that camera stalker here.]
In any case, Hikigaya didn't want to see something like that happen again.
If they just let Ryuuen and his cronies run wild, Sakayanagi might get C-Class expelled.
"Ryuuen, I get what you're after. But what you're doing now is completely pointless."
"And you don't get to decide what's pointless."
"There's still less than a week before the exam officially starts," Hikigaya continued, ignoring Ryuuen's bluster. "You want to confirm if Sakayanagi is still secretly running the class. But if she just toughs it out for a few more days—or even takes a leave of absence—then your provocation goes nowhere. As long as she makes it to exam day, it's game over for you."
"…How I act isn't your business."
"And yet here you are, wasting precious prep time chasing shadows instead of uncovering the truth."
Hikigaya looked at Ryuuen with a touch of pity.
"Try using that brain of yours next time, will you? Don't go repeating that nonsense from the sports festival, where you were shouting your plans to the whole class. I could barely stand to watch."
"Wha—hey! Hikigaya, stop talking out of your ass!" Ishizaki suddenly burst out.
"Uh-huh."
Yeah, loyal lapdog or not, blind devotion wasn't a good look.
Hikigaya couldn't help but shoot back, "But come on, Ryuuen was pretty dumb that time. Don't you agree?"
"Says who! Ayanokouji was just too sneaky!"
"What does that have to do with anything…"
Planting a spy isn't even that complicated. What shocked Hikigaya was how Ryuuen had zero defenses against his classmates—his arrogance and lack of caution were next-level dumb.
It's no wonder history's full of tyrants getting assassinated by their people.
"Dead Eyes… You better stay out of this."
Ryuuen's face darkened. Having his blunders laid bare clearly struck a nerve.
He turned his glare away from Sakayanagi and shot it at Hikigaya instead, sneering.
"Don't forget—you don't have the high ground to talk down to me anymore."
"What's that? I'm just trying to give you a friendly reminder."
"Hmph. I don't buy it."
With a sharp snort, Ryuuen turned and walked off, his two lackeys trailing behind him as they exited the library.
…Guess he got the message?
He might've acted all scary, but Hikigaya knew better. That guy was like a stubborn mule—you'd never get him to admit defeat out loud.
Still, if things could end without a big scene, that was definitely for the best.
At that moment, Sakayanagi suddenly lowered her head in gratitude.
"If you hadn't stepped in, Ryuuen-kun probably wouldn't have given up so easily… Sigh, you're the only one willing to help me now. Not that I have any right to complain—I brought this on myself."
She even gave a self-deprecating chuckle at the end, looking every bit the lonely figure with no one on her side.
"…Hmph. Whatever."
Hikigaya just shot her a look, completely unmoved by her pitiful act.
"That's a pretty cold reaction," Sakayanagi sighed softly. "Or… do you, like Ryuuen-kun, think I'm just putting on a show?"
"Don't bother me. You know the truth yourself."
"Sigh… I guess lying really does come back to bite you. I didn't expect you to distrust me this much, Hikigaya-kun."
Sakayanagi shook her head in mock regret.
But that only earned her another scornful look from Hikigaya.
"Don't take people for idiots. If you seriously planned on backing out of the class wars for good, you'd have dropped out ages ago."
"Wasn't it you who told me to stay back then?"
"Hmph. Don't use me as your excuse." Hikigaya wasn't having it. "If you've truly lost all will to fight, then go ahead and voluntarily drop out. What are you even sticking around for? To get laughed at every day for the next two years?"
"Voluntary withdrawal costs class points too. I just don't want to cause more trouble for the class."
"You think I'd buy that at this point?"
"…"
"…"
The two of them locked eyes for a few seconds before Sakayanagi suddenly burst out laughing, covering her mouth with her small hand as she giggled with delight.
"Hehehe, you really are something, Hikigaya-kun. Not only can you see right through people, but you actually stick to your convictions. That's rare. Unlike Ryuuen-kun, who's always doubting this or suspecting that."
"I just don't trust your moral compass."
"That's a bit rude, don't you think?"
Oddly enough, Sakayanagi looked quite pleased that her act had been seen through. She seemed to be in rather good spirits.
"Oh right, when you mentioned that 'loud plotting' earlier, you seemed to be hinting at something involving Ayanokouji-kun, too?"
"Yeah. During the sports festival, Horikita collided with Kinoshita from Class C… you know about that, right?"
"I do. Masumi-san was there too at the time." Sakayanagi nodded.
Hikigaya then explained the whole thing from the beginning.
Long story short, Ryuuen and Kinoshita conspired to frame Horikita. It was a scheme that only needed two people in the know—but Ryuuen just had to announce it in front of the whole class. And then Ayanokouji's planted spy caught the whole thing on tape.
After hearing it all, Sakayanagi's expression turned subtly complicated.
"Ryuuen-kun really is hard to evaluate objectively."
"Hah. You're not much better."
"Hikigaya-kun… do you physically need to get a jab in at me every few minutes to feel normal?"
"Oh? So you do know I'm mocking you."
To be fair, using a photocopy to spread rumors was a pretty dumb move on Sakayanagi's part. At the very least, she should've handwritten it.
It's way harder to trace handwriting than it is to check a copier's print history.
Then again, considering a certain "greatest masterpiece" made the same mistake, maybe we shouldn't expect too much from her.
"Sigh… You really are a strange one, Hikigaya-kun."
Sakayanagi propped her chin on her hand, her gaze full of helplessness as she said something completely random.
"Sometimes I hate you so much I want to bite you. But other times… I just can't seem to hate you."
"…Is that supposed to be a compliment?"
"Of course it is."
For some reason, Sakayanagi puffed out her chest with pride.
"You're the first person to completely corner me like that. So please, have a little more confidence in yourself."
"Why do you look so proud about that…? Whatever."
Hikigaya sighed like he was giving up and got to his feet.
"You stay here for a bit. I'm gonna step out."
"Going to the restroom? Be careful on the way."
"You're not my mom."
With that snarky parting shot, Hikigaya returned the books he borrowed to the shelf and left the library. He turned a corner and headed for the greenery out back.
Judging from the direction, it should be somewhere around here… Damn it, that Ryuuen guy just loves causing trouble.
…Sigh. No helping it.
Guess I'll have to search through the bushes.
But even after nearly fifteen minutes of searching, Hikigaya still came up empty. His eyes were going blurry, and he was now covered in leaves—some even stuck in his hair.
Where the hell did that bastard throw it!?
Don't tell me he chucked it into another dimension or something!
"Hikigaya-kun."
Just then, Sakayanagi's voice called out nearby.
He looked up and saw her leaning on a wall, shuffling slowly toward him, one step at a time.
"Hey, don't move around like that," Hikigaya said, worried she might fall. "Just wait a little longer, I'm almost done."
"It's fine, you can stop looking," Sakayanagi shook her head gently. "It wasn't anything valuable. I've got a few spares in my room anyway. Just the fact that you tried means a lot to me."
"…Fine."
Hearing that, Hikigaya hesitated for a moment before giving up.
Still, it bugged him that he couldn't find it… Don't tell me Ryuuen actually took it with him?
That damn bastard!
"How are you even planning to get back?" Hikigaya suddenly remembered an important point.
"Oh, come on. Isn't it obvious?"
Sakayanagi smiled faintly and held out her left hand toward him.
"I'll have to trouble you to escort me to the dorm entrance, Hikigaya-kun."
"Okay, I'll just call Masumi."
Hikigaya pulled out his phone and started dialing Kamuro's number.
But before he could finish, a call suddenly came in.
The screen said "Sakayanagi."
What the hell is she doing now?
"Hey, quit messing around."
"That's my line." Sakayanagi's expression darkened. "Hikigaya-kun, don't you think you're being a little inconsiderate?"
"…Huh?"
"Masumi-san has her own life, you know. Isn't it a bit rude to just summon her with a phone call?"
"No, I'm just trying to—"
"What, just because Masumi-san likes you, so it's fine to treat her like your personal servant? That's not something I can accept."
"…"
Hikigaya was utterly speechless.
Of course, it wasn't from embarrassment.
He was just so mad at this mischievous little gremlin.
Who's treating Kamuro like a servant!?
This damn white-haired menace even had the nerve to accuse him first!
"Tch." Hikigaya decided to stop engaging. "Alright then, tell me—if Masumi's not coming, how do you plan to get back?"
Sakayanagi gave him a dazzling smile.
"Isn't there a kind-hearted young man standing right in front of me?"
"Too bad. This young man has no reason to help you."
"He does."
"Nope."
"He does."
"Nope."
Hikigaya made up his mind.
He could play this game with Sakayanagi all day.
There was no way he was letting her take advantage of him!