章 28: Something Good Might Happen
After leaving the infirmary, Hachiman Hikigaya didn't bother returning to the student council interview site.
Even though he could probably beg the student council secretary to let him take the interview again, he never had any real interest in joining the council to begin with. Missing the interview wasn't a big deal.
The only issue was that he would now need to find another opportunity to get close to the student council president, Manabu Horikita, to figure out what made him tick.
Deep in thought, Hikigaya wandered back to the classroom, lost in his usual contemplations.
Upon seeing his return, Suzune Horikita's expression shifted subtly. She hesitated for a moment before asking, "How did the interview go?"
Clearly, she was quite invested in whether or not Hikigaya would make it into the student council. The fact that she even knew the interview took place at noon today was telling.
"It's over," Hikigaya said, his face calm as he prepared himself for her ridicule. "Someone got sick before the interview, and I took her to the infirmary. So, I didn't get to attend the interview at all."
"This…" Horikita had considered all kinds of scenarios, but she hadn't expected this.
She shot him a long, complicated look before murmuring, "You're such a strange person. Too kind-hearted, even."
"No, that's not it…" Hikigaya shook his head, realizing Horikita had misunderstood. "I never had any intention of joining the student council. So missing the interview doesn't really matter to me."
"Is that so?" Horikita clearly didn't buy his explanation.
Hikigaya didn't feel like elaborating any further. He knew himself better than anyone else. He wasn't some altruistic savior; everything he did was for his own satisfaction.
If anything, he was driven purely by a desire for personal contentment. The actions he took, however they appeared on the surface, were ultimately all about that.
"You didn't get a chance to eat lunch, did you?" Horikita suddenly asked.
"Yeah," Hikigaya sighed, "I should've just skipped the whole thing. Now I'm stuck starving all afternoon."
"Hmm…"
To Hikigaya's surprise, a slight smile crept onto Horikita's usually stoic face. She pulled a sandwich from her bag and handed it to him.
"What's this?"
"A consolation prize for a failure. After all, you not joining the student council works in my favor. I can continue enjoying the sight of your pathetic self. It's amusing."
"You…"
Hikigaya sighed, shaking his head at her obvious teasing. Yet, despite himself, he accepted the sandwich. The temptation of food was too much to resist.
Once it was in his hands, he noticed something odd—it wasn't one of the prepackaged sandwiches sold at the school store. This one had the unmistakable signs of being handmade.
Did Horikita actually make this for him?
He glanced at her in surprise, but she was already engrossed in her book, paying him no mind at all.
"This is just…"
With another sigh, Hikigaya took a bite.
It was, unsurprisingly, as meticulous and bland as Horikita herself—perfectly identical to something store-bought. Still, it filled his stomach, and that was good enough.
As he swallowed, Hikigaya couldn't help but feel that he was once again in someone's debt.
When the afternoon classes began, Honami Ichinose slowly stirred awake in the infirmary.
At first, she was startled, unsure of why she was there. But as soon as her mind cleared, she remembered fainting outside the student council interview room.
Vaguely, she recalled someone carrying her all the way to the infirmary…
"You're awake?"
Ichinose blinked at the familiar voice. It was her homeroom teacher, Chie Hoshinomiya, watching her with a concerned expression.
"Honami, while your sense of responsibility is commendable, I have to ask you to take care of your health first. As your teacher, I appreciate your dedication, but if you don't prioritize your well-being, both I and your classmates will worry."
"I'm sorry…"
Ichinose's head drooped in shame. She knew she had pushed herself too hard. Not only had she missed class, but she had also lost the chance to participate in the student council interview.
Suddenly, the thought of the interview struck her. She looked up and asked, "Sensei, how did I get here? Did you bring me?"
She remembered that most of the students had been busy with their own interviews, so it didn't make sense for one of them to help her.
Hoshinomiya shook her head. "No, a student from Class D brought you here. He was also one of the interviewees."
"Class D? Hachiman?"
Ichinose froze.
She had never imagined that Hachiman Hikigaya, a fellow interviewee, would give up his own chance at joining the student council just to bring her to the infirmary.
A wave of guilt washed over her. It was far worse than the disappointment of missing the interview. The thought that someone had sacrificed their own opportunity for her left her feeling deeply unsettled.
"Don't think too much about it for now. Just focus on resting," Hoshinomiya advised gently. She could see the emotions swirling in Ichinose's eyes but didn't press further. As her teacher, she hoped Ichinose would take it upon herself to reach out to Hikigaya.
Who knew? Something good might come of it.
The rest of the afternoon passed in typical Class D fashion, meaning there was absolutely no semblance of order. Some students chatted aimlessly, others played cards or Go. In this chaotic environment, even Hikigaya, propped up on his elbows and staring blankly at his desk, seemed like a model student by comparison.
But his mind wasn't idle. He was thinking about the student council president, Manabu Horikita.
Approaching him directly in his classroom would be the quickest way to make contact, but that would also draw too much attention—something Hikigaya preferred to avoid. Worse, it might raise Horikita's suspicions.
'So I need to create a reason for us to meet,' Hikigaya thought, the solution dawning on him. He knew exactly what to do.
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