"Whoa~ What kind of kinky play are you two up to here?"
Kushida stared blankly at the girl who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
Since no one answered, Haruno's curiosity only grew.
"So… do you two mind if a third person joins in?"
Hikigaya: "…"
Kushida: "…"
This is insane!
Haruno, why are you like this too?! Oh wait, you've always been like this!
The dead-fish-eyed boy screamed in his heart.
The three of them exchanged glances and stayed silent for a moment. Then, all of a sudden, Kushida let out a loud scream—"Pervert!"—and quickly pushed Hikigaya away. She curled up on the ground, clutching her chest, tears streaming down her face like a waterfall. She even sobbed pitifully, making her look truly miserable.
Hikigaya was dumbfounded. He couldn't believe that the girl who, just a second ago, had been glaring at him like she wanted to destroy him had now transformed into a weak, helpless girl who had just been harassed.
Kushida Kikyo, if you don't join a transformation show, I, Hikigaya Hachiman, will never acknowledge it!
"Eh~"
Haruno watched the scene in amusement, seemingly impressed by Kushida's "acting skills." After all, when two skilled players meet, there's always mutual respect.
Kushida, the "fallen angel" curled up on the ground, waited for a while. But no one came to comfort her or ask if she was okay. When she looked up, she saw Haruno smiling at her, while Hikigaya just yawned out of boredom.
"…"
Wait… this isn't how the script was supposed to go?
"Kushida, drop the act. Haruno is on my side."
Hikigaya, seeing that Kushida was about to continue her performance, spoke up, completely shattering her expectations.
"Oh… oh my~ Hikigaya, are you confessing to me? Geez, I wasn't ready for this~"
Haruno held her face in both hands, swaying shyly.
Seeing her enter full drama mode again, Hikigaya suddenly felt a deep sense of regret. He never should have involved Haruno!
But as Haruno put on her act, Kushida also started her own theatrics.
"Waaah! Hikigaya-kun, you're too cruel! Even if I rejected your confession, you shouldn't have done such a terrible thing to me! How am I supposed to face anyone now?! Waaah!"
Hikigaya: "…"
Looking at the scene before him, Hikigaya felt like his head was going to explode. What was happening here?! Were these two really getting this into their roles?!
But they underestimated him. When it came to acting, he was the real expert!
Hikigaya suddenly turned cold, crossing his arms in what he thought was a cool and intimidating pose. A sly grin appeared on his lips as he declared:
"Kukuku… I am the mad scientist, I am the seeker of chaos, the destroyer of the world's ruling structure, and the shatterer of your ambitions! You asked me? My name is Hikigaya Hachiman. The world is in my hands! Rejoice, for the Dark King has risen! My name is the Dark Knight, and all you ugly, deceitful imposters shall be consumed by the black flames! As the savior of humanity, I will guard this sky as the embodiment of the world's evil—El Psy Congroo!"
Haruno: "…"
Kushida: "…"
Hmph!
Only magic can defeat magic!
You two better not underestimate me, Hikigaya Hachiman!
When it comes to acting and making things awkward, I'm second to none!
My talent is so overwhelming that I had to seal it away—until today!
Once you accept your own ridiculousness, you become invincible!
After the "Dark Knight" Hikigaya's earth-shattering performance, the room suddenly fell into a strange silence.
Haruno and Kushida both froze, like actors snapped out of character when the director yelled "Cut." They stared at Hikigaya with the same expression—
A subway. An old man. A phone. JPG.
"Uhh… what are you doing? I can't follow your script at all!"
Haruno looked completely uninterested and grumbled to herself.
Next to her, Kushida had stopped crying. She just stared coldly at Hikigaya.
Hmph. Rule number four of being a loner: As long as I don't feel awkward, the awkwardness belongs to everyone else!
With Hikigaya stirring things up, Haruno lost interest. She glanced at Kushida, then smiled and said, "Oh? Hikigaya, what were you saying on the phone earlier about uniforms and violence? It was too noisy, so I didn't hear clearly."
Before Hikigaya could answer, he already felt a terrifying gaze on him. The air around a certain girl seemed to grow darker, filled with an ominous aura.
"Huh? You're Kushida from Class D, right? Are you okay? Your face looks terrible."
Haruno's concern came at just the right moment.
Kushida held back her anger and forced a smile. "So it's Yukinoshita-san from Class A. I never expected someone as popular as you to have this kind of secret connection with Hikigaya from Class D."
"Kushida, stop trying to test the waters."
Hikigaya spoke up first, cutting off Haruno before she could add fuel to the fire. "Haruno only heard bits and pieces from the phone call. I hung up right after, so you don't need to worry about anything else."
The reason Kushida even found out about Hikigaya's presence was because of Haruno's sudden call. Hikigaya had answered it while his phone was still in his pocket, and knowing Haruno's personality, he was sure she'd come looking for him. After all, they had only left the restaurant not long ago.
"Heh, you think I'll believe that?"
Kushida glared at Hikigaya. If looks could kill, he would have been torn to pieces by now.
"It's not about whether you believe it or not. You just have no choice but to accept it."
Hikigaya ignored Kushida's hostile expression. "The so-called 'leverage' you had is useless now. And honestly, do you think making a scene here will do you any good?"
"Hikigaya, you… you bastard!!"
Kushida was furious. The 'fingerprint' threat she had used before was now meaningless, and on top of that, Haruno—who was clearly on Hikigaya's side—was here as a witness. She had no way to fight back!
But what worried her the most was something else. Kushida turned her gaze toward the girl standing opposite her with arms crossed—Yukinoshita Haruno. She knew exactly who this woman was.
Other than Hikigaya, she was the only first-year student who had joined the student council. Through her connections, Kushida had gathered quite a bit of information about how Class A students saw her.
Friendly, always willing to help classmates, excellent in both academics and sports, and highly skilled in dealing with people. She was charming in social situations and had an unexpectedly wide network. Many students from Class A and B had good things to say about her. Apparently, a lot of them even sought her advice when they were in trouble, and she always gave helpful suggestions.
In some ways, Yukinoshita Haruno was even more trusted by the higher-ranked classes than Kushida Kikyo herself. She wasn't the leader of Class A, but in terms of popularity and influence, she was on par with Ichinose Honami from Class B.
Even Kushida had to admit she felt a bit jealous of Haruno's status and reputation.
That's why she just couldn't understand—why would someone like this, practically a queen, take interest in a gloomy loner like Hikigaya?
"Hehe, so you're Kushida from Class D? I never expected you to be this wild in private. I wonder how all those guys who worship you would react if they found out?"
Haruno grinned as she sized up Kushida, making no effort to hide her playful, scheming nature.
"Right, Hikigaya-kun? You wouldn't want people chasing you around school with a giant knife, would you?"
Haruno suddenly turned to Hikigaya with a mischievous smile.
Her words were clearly a threat, but instead of getting mad, Kushida actually felt relieved.
What she feared the most was that her 'other side' had been completely exposed. But from what Haruno said, it seemed like she didn't know everything.
If all Haruno saw was the 'fingerprint' scene, that was still manageable. In fact, this was probably the best-case scenario.
"Yukinoshita-san, you misunderstood. A-Actually, Hikigaya-kun was just too curious about that… kind of thing, so he begged me for help. I was afraid that if I didn't agree, he'd go after other girls, so… so I had no choice… *sob* Please don't tell anyone. If the school finds out, I'm afraid Hikigaya-kun will… will…"
Kushida wiped her eyes, looking like a saint who had sacrificed herself for the greater good. In just a few words, she completely flipped the situation in her favor.
"Oh, I see. That must have been tough on you, Kushida."
Haruno suddenly pulled Kushida into a hug, gently patting her back while shedding a fake tear. "Turns out we're both victims here!"
"???"
A bunch of question marks popped up in Kushida's mind.
"Waaah… Hikigaya actually made a move on me a long time ago, but to stop him from harming other girls, I endured it in silence. But I never thought he wouldn't be satisfied and would even set his sights on our classmates. Sigh… If only I had acted sooner, Kikyo, you wouldn't have had to suffer like this. It's all my fault for letting my guard down and failing to satisfy this man's beastly desires."
"…"
Hikigaya almost jumped up and cursed! And since when did they start calling each other so affectionately? Haruno calling herself "Big Sis" and Kikyo "Little Sis"? What the hell, are they acting in some kind of K-drama?!
And me—a proud high school boy, a savior of humanity—why am I being painted as some desperate pervert in their version of the story?!
And what's with this ridiculous plot twist straight out of an eroge? I'm not some faceless protagonist!
Another hit to my reputation… +1 +1 +1 +1.
"Huh? Kikyo, why aren't you saying anything?"
"I… I don't know what to say."
"It's okay, everything will pass. Just live well. Tomorrow is a new day."
"Uh? O-okay… I got it."
"Wait… where's Hikigaya?"
Haruno looked around and finally realized he had vanished.
"He probably went to turn himself in."
The little angel beside her, looking completely emotionless, spoke like a broken toy.
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