The strongest day of the week is Saturday! A day off followed by another day off? That's like a Super Saiyan fire sale, isn't it? Sunday doesn't work. Even though it's also a day off, facing the pressure of "having to go to work tomorrow" makes one feel gloomy.
The first week after enrollment passed just like that. On Saturday, Hikigaya slept until noon before slowly waking up, more or less used to this solitary living. What Ichinose had said still made a lot of sense.
Even though the school uniforms were free and of impeccable quality, they were not comfortable enough as loungewear; he really needed a few sets of casual clothes.
At the Keyaki Shopping Mall, students were constantly coming and going, occasionally letting out piercing bursts of laughter. It was only the first week, and students with large amounts of personal points were choosing to spend lavishly.
Hikigaya arrived at the mall with his hands in his pockets, looking listless. There were only about a dozen clothing stores. For boys, this was more than enough, but for girls, it might be insufficient. However, there seemed to be new arrivals every month, so it wasn't a major issue.
Just then, a pair of twin-tails caught his eye. Tall, with well-rounded and shapely legs, and the upward tilt of her eyes gave off a "dead-fish" vibe similar to his own. The two accidentally made eye contact.
"Ah." Himeno Yuki's mouth opened slightly in surprise, followed by a hint of anger when the Hikigaya in front of her simply turned around and walked away.
"Why are you suddenly running away?" Himeno Yuki stepped forward quickly, her fist landing neither too hard nor too soft on his waist.
"There wasn't any particular need to talk, was there?" Hikigaya explained helplessly. This girl usually acted as if she hadn't seen him; why was it different today? Was it because she was alone? Thinking this, Hikigaya secretly scanned the surroundings and indeed saw no sign of Ichinose or the others. He was specifically being considerate of her feelings—it wasn't because he thought she was troublesome or anything like that.
"Ha?" Himeno Yuki froze, her gaze sharpening: "I say, could it be that you still haven't remembered my name?"
"How... how could that be?" Hikigaya quickly backed down, saying flusteredly: "Himeno Yuki, Himeno-同学 (Himeno-san), right?"
"At least you know what's good for you. You can just call me Himeno." Himeno nodded with slight satisfaction. "But turning away the moment you see an acquaintance... Hikigaya, you're really too rude."
You have the nerve to say that to me? This girl was truly terrifying; as expected, girls were all so unreasonable.
"Hahaha..." Hikigaya gave a dry laugh: "So, do you have some business with me?" His subtext: If there's nothing, hurry up and go, don't disturb my shopping.
"That's my line," Himeno Yuki said, completely missing the subtext. "Why are you here?" It sounded as if she was saying, How could someone like you show up here? Was it just his imagination?
"Buying a few sets of casual clothes," Hikigaya chuckled dryly. Why is this girl so tactless?
"Hmm?" Himeno Yuki was momentarily stunned: "For real? I thought someone like you would definitely just want to stay in your dorm playing games and reading unhealthy 'H' books like a shut-in otaku."
A week had passed. The word "otaku" would normally never come out of Himeno Yuki's mouth. It had to be said that the overall quality of Class B was very high.
Most people wouldn't call someone an otaku directly; instead, they'd describe them as "mature and steady." Even his own reputation in class seemed to be that of someone "mature and steady, like an adult."
As for whether they truly believed that? Of course not! The Himeno Yuki in front of him was the best proof. At least some people were definitely being influenced by Ichinose and forced to put on a "goody-two-shoes" act. Under Ichinose's influence, wanting to blend into the class made this act an essential part.
While the first half of her assessment was correct, the second half was completely off. After all, Komachi and the others were at home. To avoid a bad influence on Komachi, he wouldn't watch that kind of stuff at home. And since he had no friends to share such books with, he just stopped looking at them altogether—but he did still play games.
"Could you be a little more polite?" Hikigaya's face darkened.
"Ha? How could I be polite to you?" Himeno Yuki said somewhat disdainfully. "As it happens, I'm also here window-shopping. Come with me; you can act as my advisor."
"..." Hikigaya let out a faint sigh. It wasn't impossible to understand. In Class B, he was undoubtedly at the very bottom of the social hierarchy. Even if he accused Himeno Yuki of faking her personality, he would be the one seen as a jealous, petty person who spreads rumors behind people's backs. This was why Himeno Yuki could be so brazen in front of him, treating him almost like a servant.
"No, I still have to buy clothes." Hikigaya refused unceremoniously.
"Fine, fine. I'll help advise you later too. That should be enough, right?" Just like always, his opinion wouldn't even be considered. Still, it was fairly fair. An ordinary girl would probably use him as an ATM and then leave as soon as they were done.
"Fine." Hikigaya held out his hand. Himeno Yuki was carrying shopping bags she had just bought; it was common courtesy to help a girl carry heavy things. Hachiman was, after all, a great gentleman.
"You're quite well-behaved, aren't you?" Himeno Yuki unceremoniously stuffed the things into his hand, treating him entirely like a servant.
"Where to first? I haven't had lunch yet." His subtext: Time is limited, get this over with quickly so I can go back to my dorm; buying clothes doesn't take much time for me.
"I see. Then let's eat first. I wanted to try the eel rice here anyway."
Hey. Does this girl have a bit of a low IQ?
"This isn't a good idea, right? If people see us eating together and start gossiping, it would be too embarrassing." Hikigaya tried to push back further.
"Ha? This school is only so big; meeting occasionally is perfectly normal, isn't it? Thinking two people are close just because of that would be too stupid, wouldn't it?" Himeno Yuki waved her hand dismissively.
"That makes sense..." Hikigaya was instantly defeated by her logic.
She had clearly considered this. Given that this school can't be judged by common sense, if they were caught, they could just explain they were in the same class and club.
Even if her "brain wasn't great," she seemed to have her own little cleverness when it came to interpersonal relationships. It just so happened that Hikigaya also planned to improve his diet.
After lunch, Himeno Yuki chose to go Dutch, which truly relieved Hikigaya. Fortunately, she wasn't one of those "bad women" who treat guys as ATMs. But treating him as a servant was already damnable enough.
Dammit. He almost got charmed by this woman.