Hikigaya had already made up his mind—there was no way he was escorting Sakayanagi back to the dorms.
If someone saw them together like that, God knows what kind of bizarre rumors would start flying.
If it came down to it… he might as well just break off a tree branch and hand it to her as a cane.
"Although this is just my conclusion," Sakayanagi suddenly spoke, right as Hikigaya was about to put his plan into action, "it seems to me that Ryuuen-kun's behavior today is likely related to you, Hikigaya-kun."
Such a ridiculous thing to say.
"And so, I believe you also have a certain level of responsibility… namely, to escort me—"
"Whoa, hold it right there!" Hikigaya quickly cut her off before she could finish spouting nonsense. "How the hell is this my fault? If anything, I just helped you talk Ryuuen down a few minutes ago."
"Yes, and I'm very grateful for that."
Saying that, Sakayanagi even gave him a proper, polite bow in thanks.
Her serious demeanor made Hikigaya feel a little awkward—wait, no!
Don't be fooled, Hachiman!
This little devil still has something up her sleeve!
And sure enough, as Hikigaya eyed her warily, Sakayanagi casually added, "Of course, I'm grateful—but like I said before, I still believe you share some of the responsibility in this matter… And I say that not to be unreasonable, but because I have a very sound rationale."
"Hmph. I don't care what reasons you've come up with—I'm not accepting it."
"Ryuuen-kun's decision to come probe me today was quite out of character, you know."
"Hey, don't just change the subject and start monologuing!"
But Hikigaya's protest was completely ignored.
Sakayanagi launched straight into her analysis. "Lately, I've been lying low—completely withdrawn from all class affairs. Even if Ryuuen-kun had his suspicions, there was no reason for him to go to such extremes. Unless… something triggered him first."
"What else could it be? The recent exam," Hikigaya replied, utterly bored. "He thinks his chances against your class are slim, so at the very least, he wants to figure out whether you're secretly pulling strings from the shadows. That's a normal thought process."
"No. Rather than trying to find out the truth, Ryuuen-kun seemed more interested in drawing my attention… Heh, though I guess I'm veering off-topic."
For some reason, Sakayanagi suddenly flashed a mysterious smile, then stopped there, refusing to elaborate.
This girl even knew how to leave people hanging.
"Back to the previous point—Ryuuen-kun's heightened suspicions of me are probably due to… wouldn't you agree?"
Sakayanagi, for some reason, loved leaving her sentences unfinished.
And she kept staring at Hikigaya with a beaming smile, making his scalp tingle with unease.
"…Due to what, exactly? Can you be a little clearer?"
"Sigh, you always like to mock me for being dishonest, but you're the one who's truly not being honest with yourself," Sakayanagi said with a faint shake of the head. "Looks like I'll have to be direct. You gave our class very practical advice on how to handle Class C's provocations, didn't you? We owe you for that."
"Huh? What are you talking about? Why would I care what happens to your class?"
Hikigaya frowned and denied it without hesitation.
Unfortunately, his retort didn't seem to have much impact.
"Too bad. From what I know, no one in our class could've come up with that plan."
Even though she had no actual proof, Sakayanagi's tone was full of conviction.
"If it had just been a suggestion to decide the outcome with written exams, that would've been fine. But the strategy was to publicly declare your class's best subjects after the exam contents were announced, using the academic performance gap between our classes to blatantly humiliate the other side. Make them think, 'The only way we could win is with luck'—that kind of mental blow… Hehehe. That's exactly the sort of underhanded tactic that fits your nasty personality, Hikigaya-kun."
"…You've got no right to call me nasty."
After a short silence, Hikigaya muttered, clearly annoyed.
At this point, there wasn't much point in denying it further.
"Oh my, you didn't even deny it was your idea," Sakayanagi said, feigning surprise.
"Hmph… Like denial would help."
"Nope, it really wouldn't," Sakayanagi smiled slightly, her gaze turning inquisitive. "But now I'm curious—why did you decide to help our class? Was it because you were worried Masumi-san would clash with Class C? I heard she was getting pestered by a girl named Ibuki a few days ago."
Once they declared their chosen subjects, Class C had no reason to pick a fight.
It was a straightforward strategy. The only risk was that being mocked as a bunch of underachievers might make Class C snap in anger.
Of course, Hikigaya wasn't going to admit any of this.
"You're way off. Don't just start throwing out baseless guesses."
"Then tell me—why did you do it?"
"It was Hashi—Hashimoto! Yeah, that guy!"
Strictly speaking, Hikigaya wasn't lying. He just sounded a little less than confident.
"He kept bugging me that day, asking me to stop those Class C idiots. I only threw out a couple of comments to shut him up. It wasn't for any noble reason."
"Let's just say that's what happened, then."
Sakayanagi didn't press the issue. But her face clearly said, I see right through you, which was kind of irritating.
Then she continued, "Still, this means you can't deny that Ryuuen-kun's overreaction was, at least in part, triggered by your actions, right?"
"Ugh…"
Hikigaya felt that was a bit of a stretch—but it wasn't impossible that his advice had provoked Ryuuen.
"And that's not even the root cause," Sakayanagi's eyes suddenly grew a bit more serious. "Originally, Ryuuen-kun wouldn't have acted this recklessly. He has to consider the gun pointed at his head… You understand what I mean, don't you?"
"…I never actually threatened him."
Of course, Hikigaya knew what she meant—the contract that had been binding Ryuuen.
It laid out various conditions to restrain him, though Hikigaya had never truly enforced them.
If he'd taken it more seriously, Ryuuen might've been expelled by now.
"Even if you don't plan to pull the trigger, it doesn't mean the person with a gun to their head won't hesitate. That deterrent alone is powerful enough," Sakayanagi emphasized.
"I had no choice." Hikigaya shrugged. "Back then, to take you down completely, I had to cut a deal with Ryuuen to boost my chances."
"Don't treat me like an idiot. That was just icing on the cake. You never needed that contract in the first place."
Sakayanagi's tone grew a little sharper as she stared at him. "You never should've let go of the hand that was gripping Class C's throat. You should've kept squeezing until graduation—that would've been the right call… Hikigaya-kun, your biggest flaw is being too soft."
"…If I wasn't soft, you wouldn't be standing here mocking me now."
Hikigaya's mouth twitched. That was the only reply he could muster.
If it hadn't been for Haruno's request, he wouldn't have bothered getting involved with the other classes. He hated this kind of thing. That's why he tore up the contract the first chance he got.
He just hadn't expected that the moment he let go, Ryuuen would immediately act up again—well, not unexpected, per se.
It was more like… whatever. Let him do what he wants.
"True. Since I'm one of the people you let off easy, I guess I don't have the right to complain."
Sakayanagi nodded softly, not denying the facts at all.
"But still, I have to say this—back then, you shouldn't have held back. If you weren't so sentimental, controlling the entire grade level would've been well within reach—"
"Okay, stop right there!"
Sakayanagi's words were getting more and more outrageous, and Hikigaya couldn't help but clap his hands to cut her off.
Control the whole grade? Why the hell would he want to deal with that mess?
Even if he wanted to team up with the first-years to deal with Nagumo, the real problem was—what would happen after Nagumo was taken care of?
Hikigaya knew himself well. He wasn't the type to use someone and then kick them to the curb. That's why he'd never considered gathering subordinates in the first place. He preferred forming temporary alliances based on mutual interest.
Anyway, he wished Sakayanagi would stop talking nonsense. He truly had zero interest in that sort of thing.
"Sigh... Hikigaya-kun, you haven't changed a bit. Still no ambition at all."
"What ambition? I'm just here to go to school."
"But this isn't just any ordinary school, you know," Sakayanagi replied coolly. "Depending on how things go, the classmates around you right now might become top-tier talents who get into Tokyo University or other prestigious universities. In the future, they might end up working in big-name companies or government institutions... The important thing is, it could be thanks to you that they achieve their dreams."
"…"
Hikigaya understood immediately. It was obvious—Sakayanagi was giving him a nudge.
To put it simply: if Horikita succeeded in leading her classmates to graduate from Class A and they all got into the universities they wanted, most of them would remember that favor.
Same with Nagumo. His reforms gave talented students stuck in Class C or D a real shot at climbing out of the pit. It was only natural that they'd feel grateful.
And once everyone was in college, out in society… That kind of network would come in handy one day.
While others were satisfied with just getting into a good university, Sakayanagi was already thinking about what came after. That's probably what people meant when they called someone a genius.
But the problem was… Hikigaya just wanted to be a stay-at-home husband and dad.
Sure, people might say that was pathetic or unambitious, but he wasn't going to lie to himself about how he felt.
As they say, deceiving yourself is self-sabotage in its purest form.
So yeah—he appreciated Sakayanagi's concern, but… he'd pass.
"Alright, alright, ojou-sama, could you cut back on the lectures a bit?"
Hikigaya shook his head with a helpless expression and sighed.
"Didn't you just want me to walk you back? Fine, I'll do it."
"Fufu. You don't sound very enthusiastic about it."
"No, no, not at all. I wouldn't dare."
"Good. As long as you understand."
Sakayanagi tried to hold back her smile, but it was no use. She looked positively delighted—like a little fox who'd just pulled off a successful prank.
Then, once again, she extended her right hand.
"Well then, I'll be counting on you to be my escort."
"Yeah, yeah—wait, what the hell?! What are you doing?!"
Completely caught off guard, Hikigaya had just taken a step when she suddenly grabbed onto his arm.
"Hey! Let go of me!"
He was so flustered he started stammering. But he couldn't shake her off forcefully either, for fear of accidentally hurting her.
And of course, that little gremlin put on her best innocent face:
"Hm? But didn't you say you'd walk me back?"
"I said I'd walk you back, not that you should cling to me!"
"Then what would you suggest?"
"Uh… h-holding hands should be enough, right?"
"Nope." Sakayanagi rejected him without hesitation. "That wouldn't help me keep my balance. With my condition, I could easily fall… Unless, of course, Hikigaya-kun likes seeing me fall flat on my face in public. If that's the case, I suppose I'll just have to endure it."
"I beg you, stop making it sound like I'm some kind of sadist!"
"But from what I've seen, Hikigaya-kun's behavior leans very S~."
"…That's slander."
"Is that so? Then please prove to me that you're a kind and gentle gentleman."
As she said that, Sakayanagi leaned her little head against Hikigaya's arm.
To outsiders, they probably looked like a happy couple.
Yeah, right.
Feeling the soft pressure on his arm and her subtle scent wafting up, Hikigaya didn't feel the slightest flutter of excitement. If anything, he felt cold all over.
If anyone saw this, they'd get the wrong idea about him.
Seriously… give me a break.
Sure enough, by that very night, word had spread throughout the entire grade. Almost everyone had heard the story: Hikigaya and Sakayanagi, arm in arm, all lovey-dovey as they walked home together after school.
…Lovey-dovey, my ass!!
Hikigaya wanted to slap the rumor-spreader upside the head. If you're gonna lie that boldly, just donate your eyes to someone who'll use them!
But at the moment, he didn't even have time to be mad.
Ever since the news got out, his phone hadn't stopped buzzing. People were messaging him nonstop, asking what the deal was.
Not just Horikita and Matsushita—even Shiina had subtly hinted:
"Hikigaya-kun… you shouldn't hang out with bad kids, okay?"
And as for Kushida, she showed up in person, demanding an explanation.
…He really should've taken that spare key back.
But every time he brought it up, she'd turn into this possessive little gremlin, hugging the key to her chest and refusing to give it up no matter what.
…Was that necessary?
"Hachiman, stop zoning out and explain yourself already!"
Kushida suddenly slammed the table, snapping him back to reality.
"What's going on between you and that tiny troll?! Don't tell me… don't tell me you two are dating?!"
"Like hell we are." Hikigaya looked like he'd just bitten into a lemon. "It was Ryuuen, alright? That bastard threw Sakayanagi's cane away, and I just happened to be in the library. I didn't have much of a choice—I had to walk her back."
"Huh?"
But after hearing that, Kushida didn't jump to join him in cursing Ryuuen. Instead, she gave him a look like, 'You think I was born yesterday?'
"Even someone as dumb and childish as Ryuuen wouldn't pull a stunt like that. He's not some grade-schooler picking on his crush."
"Well, he did, okay?!"
Hikigaya knew how unbelievable it sounded, but he wasn't lying.
Sigh… The feeling of being completely distrusted—yeah, he was used to that. Honestly, it wasn't surprising that no one believed him.
Bottom line: this was all Ryuuen's fault!
Hikigaya clenched his fists in his heart. If that bastard caused trouble during the next exam…He was not going to help him out this time!