Chapter 119: The True Thing Sakayanagi Seeks
In the days that followed, with no exams to worry about, most students grew lax. Hikigaya Hachiman, however, was different.
He was the type to sleep until noon, and now he was simply reverting to his true nature.
After some time, he explained everything to Sakura Airi. Her reaction mirrored Horikita Suzune and the others' shock.
Afterward, Hikigaya didn't interact much with others, immersing himself in the cruise's luxuries. Most of his time was spent with Sudo Ken, who dragged him to enjoy the seaside sun.
Perhaps because his "brother" monopolized his time, others had little chance to approach him.
After the intense uninhabited island and VIP student exams, the new semester was announced to begin, along with the grade-wide sports festival.
As first-years left the cruise, many felt reluctant to part, but this was true only for two classes. For Classes B and D, these exams were a nightmare.
Not only were they outmaneuvered in the island exam, but the VIP student exam was a crushing defeat, utterly frustrating.
Meanwhile, the once-despised Class C was growing at a terrifying pace.
Upon leaving the cruise, Kamuro Masumi quickly found Sakayanagi Arisu to report recent events, including Class A's fall to Class B, a mere 10-point gap, but a fact nonetheless.
Sakayanagi, in her private room, played chess with little change in expression. The only pause came when Kamuro mentioned Hikigaya's feats.
Kamuro didn't hold back, detailing all she knew about Hikigaya's strategies and contributions in both exams.
At this, Sakayanagi stopped moving her chess piece, a refined smile forming. "His progress is faster than I expected."
Kamuro, watching her, harbored a question she'd long avoided but now decided to ask. "Princess, I want to know, do you see him as an enemy or a friend?"
Sakayanagi's expression didn't shift; her smile remained. "Can't there be a relationship that's both friend and enemy? Or perhaps neither?"
Kamuro wasn't swayed by the vague response, pressing further. "But we're not in the same position as before. Under Katsuragi's leadership, we're now Class B, and Class C is naturally our enemy. Can we really ignore that?"
Sakayanagi: "Masumi, do you want to see him as an enemy or a friend?"
Kamuro shook her head, unable to answer or define their relationship. "I don't know. But in a fair fight, I'd stand with the class because I'm part of it."
Sakayanagi smiled faintly, almost as if brainwashing. "What I seek isn't much, just a true showdown with that guy. Otherwise, I don't want our relationship to sour."
Kamuro shook her head again. Could such a showdown really happen? She didn't understand.
Sakayanagi, unruffled by Kamuro's persistence, continued, "Remember, before this task, I told you to follow the leader's orders."
Kamuro nodded, undeniable fact.
Sakayanagi: "But in the end, you sided with him. Why do you think that is?"
Kamuro: "Katsuragi isn't who I follow. I had no reason to help him."
Sakayanagi: "That's just an excuse to comfort yourself, isn't it? In truth, you didn't want to see that boy hurt. His kindness and gentleness have influenced you, haven't they?"
Though posed as a question, it felt like Sakayanagi had seized Kamuro's heart. The answer didn't need voicing.
Sakayanagi glanced at her, continuing, "To be clear, even if you didn't help Katsuragi, there was no reason to help Hikigaya. Yet you did. The answer's obvious. And I'm the same. You all see me as some monster, but I'm just a frail girl."
"In dilemmas, I think a lot too. Our class's situation is like that. I don't want him as an enemy, but I must defeat him fairly. No contradiction, right?"
Kamuro nodded vaguely, still unsure how this could be achieved.
Sakayanagi saw through her thoughts. The situation wasn't that complicated.
She and Hikigaya weren't at a point requiring a showdown. For now, he wasn't an opponent. Her class's sole rival was Ichinose Honami's Class A.
They had to reclaim that position, where Sakayanagi could be her true, monstrous self.
Kamuro didn't press further. Sakayanagi had said enough, surprising her. That someone like Sakayanagi would admit to being ordinary, with ordinary feelings, was unthinkable from their first meeting.
Only one person could speak so freely, unbound by status, intellect, or condition.
Sakayanagi turned back to her chessboard, teasing it. "I miscalculated one thing. When I sent you to watch him, I didn't expect this outcome. By the time you were drawn in, I wanted to learn more, so I didn't pull you out. Now, it's too late."
Kamuro understood her meaning. Her cheeks flushed imperceptibly, her hands fidgeting on her lap.
Sakayanagi laughed, seeing Kamuro as a mirror of herself. "But I can't blame you. You did your task well. Some things even I can't predict."
[Chat Room…]
[Hashimoto Masayoshi: "Princess, why were you interested in that guy back then?"]
[His words drew the chat's attention. The renowned Sakayanagi Arisu taking interest in an unknown boy was huge news, and now there was a clue.]
[Sakayanagi: "It's odd, but I understand my past self. When people see something new, they're filled with curiosity. It's human nature, like animals. Back then, I desperately wanted to understand him, his essence, his thoughts, his future, like a dissector analyzing everything."]
[For some reason, Sakayanagi's words made Hikigaya pity her. Despite her terrifying leadership, intellect, and piercing eyes, her interest in him suggested she'd never experienced the real world.]
[He didn't know her childhood environment, but it must've been harsh. Shaping someone like her required a deceitful, political setting, constantly reading others and flattering them. Young Sakayanagi likely endured much of this.]
[Hikigaya, though reclusive, insecure, and aloof, had flaws born from observing society, not his upbringing. He'd felt warmth, Komachi's help, his Sensei's guidance, a stranger's warm tea. That was enough to make him kind.]
[Online, they say you give warmth to spare others your pain. Maybe that's true, Hikigaya had done so.]
[But more crucially, those who've never felt warmth can't know how to give it.]
[Yuigahama Yui empathized immediately, not overthinking, just saying, "Sakayanagi-san became Class A's leader right at enrollment, so she must understand this. Maybe she came from a similar school… but it feels so sad."]
[Yukinoshita sighed helplessly. Coming from a political family, she related. Her childhood education and behavior differed from other kids, not a happy time.]
[But protected by Haruno, she didn't follow that path, though she hadn't realized it.]
[Hikigaya understood why Sakayanagi felt like Haruno. Their eyes were unfathomable, their words a mix of truth and deception, their emotions the same.]
[What was real? Their pursuit of it was no less than his.]
[Per the video, Sakayanagi saw Hikigaya as her "true thing" from the first glance.]
[Most in the chat couldn't grasp their thoughts. To them, Sakayanagi's feelings were mere affection, romantic pursuit veiled by pride. But to those who understood, it was far more complex, indescribable, irreplaceable, a truth countless sought but few found.]
[At that moment, Haruno, Hikigaya, and Sakayanagi, in different places, sighed softly.]
[People thought love at first sight was superficial attraction. For Sakayanagi, it was seeing what she'd always sought.]
Hikigaya looked at the familiar yet strange campus, stretching lazily.
His favorite vacation was over, replaced by endless classes.
No student liked classes, especially dragging themselves from bed. Hikigaya was no exception. If he could lie in the dorm all day, he wouldn't refuse, such a rare treat.
But reality was harsh. He had to attend classes and focus, or risk repeating the chaos of the first month.
After a semester, everyone adjusted to the atmosphere. Some still zoned out, but with classmates' reminders, point deductions were rare. The biggest changes were Sudo and Sakura, who, through immense effort, now kept up with lessons, unbelievable.
In others' eyes, Hikigaya was practically a freak. His humanities grades were solid, but his sciences were… not just average, but abysmal.
Yet, in a month or two, his humanities neared perfect, and his sciences jumped from single digits to the class's top ranks, shattering others' confidence and sparking cheating suspicions.
Still, some genuinely asked him for study tips.
Hikigaya, poor at socializing, was clueless about teaching. He'd just glanced at material, recalled past knowledge, and scored high.
This isn't talent, right? Talent's someone like Koenji.
Why doesn't anyone ask Koenji? Is the golden lion unpopular at the zoo?
In the end, he passed the hassle to Horikita. She'd grown over the semester, accepting academics better. Though she occasionally snapped with harsh words, she'd reflect, apologize, and patiently teach, boosting her class reputation.
This was Horikita's growth.
It wasn't much, but for three years, it was rapid progress. Many wasted high school without growing at all.
Sudo and Sakura, seeing Hikigaya swarmed with study questions, often smiled warmly. He'd called himself a class outsider, but now he'd never say that again.
However, when girls used study questions as an excuse to approach him, Sakura's feminine instincts kicked in. She'd intercept them, blocking their advances.
Her friend Hasebe Haruka teased her for being too attentive, calling men fickle, but Sakura didn't care. She knew Hikigaya best.
In the end, seeing Sakura's cheerful, almost foolish demeanor, Hasebe gave up. She couldn't fathom how Hikigaya, with his dead-fish eyes, earned such devotion from an idol-like girl.
Since the semester began, awkward moments weren't absent.
Kushida rarely approached Hikigaya but consulted him on important matters. Horikita, his desk neighbor, was practically his seatmate. Karuizawa, after publicly ending things with Hirata Yosuke, openly chatted with Hikigaya.
Hirata wasn't upset, just smiling.
When Sakura saw these girls shamelessly approach Hikigaya, she got competitive, leading to…
Four girls surrounding him, a world-class painting. He played dead, but he genuinely wanted to die.
Forget the weird stares, handling four girls at once was impossible.
[Isshiki Iroha: "Senpai, you've mastered a term, what was it? Harem! Yeah, harem!"]
[Isshiki, if you can't talk properly, don't talk.]
[The Service Club's temperature dropped, Yukinoshita's anger palpable. Her terrifying gaze warned: "Japan's monogamous. Don't pull any fancy stunts, and…"]
[Hikigaya: "And what?"]
[Yukinoshita, blushing, turned away: "Nothing!"]
[Yuigahama: "Yukinon's right, Hikki. Be careful. Even as a student, breaking the law could land you in jail."]
[Thanks, Yuigahama, but I don't even have a girlfriend. Jail already? That's unfair.]
[Yukinoshita hesitated, wondering if she should grab his hand. With so many in the Service Club, it was embarrassing.]
[While you're hesitating, they're already stealing bases.]
Hikigaya, used to such situations, escaped with excuses like "bathroom."
Unexpectedly, the safest place was the men's restroom.
I kinda miss Saika…
Though scared off by the four girls, his mind wasn't on romance. He'd noticed something critical about the class.
Since Kushida dropped her fake persona and Karuizawa ended her relationship with Hirata, their influence waned. Now, almost everyone follows Hirata.
This put immense pressure on him. As a boy, he might miss perspectives girls considered. Without a female figurehead, Class C needed someone to step up.
Hikigaya had seen Hirata's breakdown, his unhealthy outburst for him. If left unchecked, Class C would collapse.
Hikigaya couldn't ignore it. Honestly, he hadn't expected to care about the class, but after Sakura, Sudo, Kushida, and Karuizawa's incidents, he felt tied to it.
He'd considered pushing Horikita as the female figurehead. She was rational and fair but unfit to be the class's heart. For other classes, leadership and heart might align, but for Class C, they were distinct.
So, Hikigaya racked his brain for female classmates who could take the role: Hasebe Haruka, Wang Mei-Yu, Shinohara Satsuki, Matsushita Chiaki…
He couldn't decide.
He barely knew them, and they seemed unwilling to stand out or weren't deeply tied to the class.
Ugh, if only he could poach someone from another class…
The odd thought crossed his mind.
He laughed, shook his head, and returned to the classroom.
Instead of fanciful ideas, he'd observe who was suitable. But then, before the bell, Chabashira Sae entered Class C's room.
What was she about to announce?
(End of this chapter)