Girls' Restroom.
The atmosphere was particularly delicate.
"You..."
As their lips parted, Horikita, her face flushed red, stared at Hikigaya, her voice trembling uncontrollably:
"You bastard!!!"
"S-Sorry." His own face tinged with red, Hikigaya awkwardly held onto Horikita's slender figure.
"You pervert! L-Let go of me already!"
Horikita shot him an angry glare.
"But..."
Seeing how her legs were still trembling, Hikigaya hesitated before speaking again:
"Your body..."
"There's nothing wrong with my body! I don't need your concern! Now let me go!" Horikita snapped, her face still burning.
Hey, hey, hey!
Can you show some respect to my dear husband?
Just moments ago, you were confessing your love for my Hikigaya-kun, and now that it's over, you're turning your back on him?
Watching another woman glare at Hikigaya, Yukinoshita was deeply dissatisfied as his girlfriend.
"Alright then."
Hikigaya could only sigh as he slowly loosened his hold on Horikita, though he still reminded her with concern:
"Be careful."
"I already said, I don't need your—Ah!"
Horikita barely finished her sentence before her expression twisted.
Her foot twisted beneath her.
She was about to fall.
Fortunately, Hikigaya reacted quickly, catching her and pulling her into his arms once again.
"A-Are you okay?"
"Uuuu... Y-You let go of me! Y-You bastard! L-Let go, let go, uuu..."
Her small fists pounded against his chest as Horikita's emotions flared wildly.
Hikigaya, however, remained unfazed, allowing her to vent her frustration against him.
After several minutes, Horikita's punches slowed.
She had already been drained of energy before, and after this outburst, she was completely exhausted.
"Feeling better now?" Hikigaya asked softly.
"N-No..."
Horikita huffed, her face still flushed, though her mind had begun to clear.
"Just now... why did something like that happen between us?"
"Maybe I didn't get enough rest last night, so my brain was a little sluggish. I somehow wandered into the girls' restroom without realizing it. Then suddenly, someone grabbed me and dragged me into one of the stalls, and then..."
As he spoke, Hikigaya instinctively glanced at Horikita.
"!!"
Horikita's body stiffened.
If he hadn't said anything, she might not have remembered, but now her mind replayed the scene from just moments ago.
As she recalled, she was the one who had pulled Hikigaya into the stall.
And without a word, she had kissed him.
T-This...!
Why on earth did she do that?!
Was it because she had been holding herself back for too long? Because she had an unmet need? Or...
Horikita instinctively looked at the dark-haired boy in front of her. Her heart pounded rapidly in her chest.
He was just some dead-fish-eyed boy, so why did he suddenly seem so...
Was this love at first sight?!
Horikita couldn't make sense of it. Stammering, she tried to explain:
"I was too tired last night. I didn't get enough rest, so I must have been hallucinating..."
"...A hallucination?" Hikigaya murmured.
"Yes! Otherwise, how could I possibly—? Am I the kind of woman who would be so casual?!" Horikita gritted her teeth.
"Uh, right, right."
"Hmph!"
Horikita huffed and fell silent.
Hikigaya was silent as well.
For a moment, the atmosphere quieted completely.
Phew, they didn't realize I was the one behind all this... Watching from the adjacent stall, Yukinoshita let out a small sigh of relief.
"So... what now?" Horikita suddenly broke the silence.
"!"
Hikigaya tensed and took a deep breath:
"What does Horikita-san want to do?"
"I—"
A hint of shyness crossed Horikita's face. She bit her lip, her gaze flickering uncertainly toward him before she finally murmured:
"I-I'm a first-timer. You're my first man. Since... since it's already come to this, you... you have to take responsibility..."
"I have a girlfriend."
Hikigaya reminded her.
"Huh?!"
Horikita, who had just been blushing moments ago, instantly turned pale.
"You have a girlfriend?"
"Yes."
"Who?"
"Well..."
"It's... Yukinoshita, isn't it?" Horikita narrowed her eyes. "The woman you kept calling out for just now?"
"That's right."
Hikigaya sighed.
"So, I'm sorry..."
Uuu! As expected of my dear husband! I knew you only loved me! I'm so happy, so happy, uuu!
"..."
Horikita lowered her head in silence, her expression unreadable.
Faced with the suffocating tension, cold sweat dripped down Hikigaya's back.
Honestly.
He was truly afraid Horikita would suddenly say something like, "You wouldn't want your girlfriend Yukinoshita to find out about what happened between us, would you? If you don't want her to know, then just agree to my demands."
"Hmph! Who even cares?!"
At that moment, Horikita's cold voice rang out:
"You think I actually like you? You're just some dead-fish-eyed loser! That was just me testing you, got it?!"
"...Right."
Hikigaya nodded, but in the faint silence, he heard the softest sound of sniffling.
...That sound?!
He slowly looked up, only to see Horikita, her face full of stubborn pride, but with clear tears streaming down her cheeks.
She looked utterly devastated.
"Horikita..."
Seeing this, Hikigaya's body stiffened, his emotions in turmoil.
After a moment of hesitation, he reached out and embraced her once again.
"L-Let go!"
"I'm sorry."
"I-I don't need your hug!"
"I'm sorry..."
"You... ugh! Who gave you permission to wipe my tears?!"
"..."
[Ding! To ensure that Horikita Suzune and Hikigaya Hachiman have more possibilities in the future, the host must make them stick together again to deepen their bond.]
Huh?
Again?!
Uuu! System, you—
[Ding! If you don't make them stick together, points will be deducted.]
Fine! Fine, I'll make them stick together!
Left with no choice, Yukinoshita tearfully activated a Forced Closeness Card on Horikita Suzune.
"Hikigaya, k-kiss me."
"Huh? Kiss you? Wait—"
"I'll do it myself!"
"N-No, wait! Horikita-san, we can't—"
"Shut up! One last time..."
"What?!"
"This time, you sit on the toilet!"
"??"
She's serious?!