章 22: The Contradictions of People
Hikigaya watched Karuizawa Kei leave.
After returning to the dorm, he first tidied up and took a refreshing shower, working up quite a sweat.
"This bento..."
Hikigaya glanced at the bento Karuizawa had given him and compared it to the dry bread he had earlier. He found himself unable to resist the temptation and decided to open it.
To his surprise, it wasn't one of those mass-produced supermarket bentos, but a sincere handmade one.
As a man with a sister, Hikigaya had received some good-looking bentos from his sister Komachi before, so he had a good sense of what constituted a high-quality bento.
Karuizawa's bento was not a haphazardly made, low-quality bento. It was meticulously prepared, and the culinary skills were quite commendable.
Though not at the level of the elite chefs from Totsuki or anything exaggerated, it was undoubtedly superior to what most people could make.
The only issue was that Karuizawa's appearance didn't suggest she had such culinary skills.
Her overall demeanor seemed to fit the image of a blonde delinquent from some TV drama, which was at odds with the refined nature of the bento.
"Karuizawa Kei... What exactly is she...?"
Although he was already aware of the peculiarities of Class D, encountering a classmate who was so different from her exterior still made Hikigaya sigh again.
In this class full of oddities, he felt like a helpless little rabbit.
Surrounded by dangerous wolves...
"Alright then, I won't hold back."
Hikigaya had no intention of wasting Karuizawa's thoughtful gesture. Since she had given him the bento, there was no way he could disregard her kindness.
Besides, the meal genuinely looked delicious.
"Hmm."
Taking a bite of the vegetables, followed by a crispy piece of tempura, Hikigaya found himself completely immersed in the flavors of the meal.
Before long, he had eaten every last bit, not even leaving a single grain of rice behind.
"How can it taste this good...?"
Hikigaya was genuinely surprised by how delicious the bento was. For a brief moment, he even entertained the thought that he would do anything if it meant he could keep eating food like this.
Naturally, he became more certain that Karuizawa's "gyaru" appearance was nothing more than a façade. Her cooking skills alone revealed that there was much more to her than what she showed on the surface.
"Well, I should return the bento box."
Hikigaya wasn't the type to take advantage of others. Since Karuizawa had given him the food, he would return the bento box, as he saw no reason to keep it.
This was just one of Hikigaya's personal principles.
With the pink, distinctly feminine bento box in hand, Hikigaya slowly stepped out of Room 111. He didn't know exactly where Karuizawa's room was, but he figured that asking the dormitory staff would probably lead him to the right place.
And it did.
After explaining his intentions and showing sincere politeness, the dormitory manager shot him a knowing look, as if to say, "This guy knows what he's doing," and happily provided him with Kei Karuizawa's room number.
Although the school prohibited romantic relationships that were "inappropriate for high school students," it was clear that as long as things remained within reasonable limits, no one would interfere.
The dormitory manager had no issue with Hikigaya's actions.
However, Hikigaya wasn't at all like the manager assumed. Despite how it might look, he hadn't charmed a girl within the first few days of school. He was just returning a bento box—nothing more.
Even if he tried to explain it, no one would believe him.
Reflecting on this quietly, Hikigaya arrived at the dormitory elevator and was just about to step in when he noticed two familiar figures approaching the entrance.
"Uh-oh, I can't let them see me!"
Driven by his lone-wolf pride and a deep sense of social anxiety, Hikigaya immediately ducked into a nearby shadow.
From his hiding spot, he watched the two figures approaching. It took a moment, but he realized they were none other than Airi Sakura and Haruki Yamauchi, his classmates.
Why are they walking together?
Wasn't Yamauchi chasing after Karuizawa just a while ago? How could he switch targets this quickly?
His ability to lose interest in one girl and move on to the next was almost impressive.
Baffled and curious, Hikigaya squinted at the pair and then closed his eyes, focusing entirely on his hearing.
Thanks to his years of solitary living, Hikigaya had unintentionally developed a unique ability to concentrate his attention, allowing him to block out other senses and focus entirely on what he wanted to hear.
Now, using this heightened sense of attention, he quickly picked up on their conversation—though it was really just Yamauchi talking.
"So, Sakura, what do you usually do in your free time?"
"…"
"I heard there's a great bubble tea shop nearby. Wanna check it out with me?"
"…"
"Hey, Sakura, maybe we can start walking to school together?"
"…"
From start to finish, Yamauchi was talking to himself, desperately trying to get a reaction from Sakura. However, the socially anxious Sakura kept her head down the entire time, completely ignoring his attempts.
Yamauchi walked her all the way to the elevator, even trying to follow her inside, but the stern glare from the dormitory manager made him give up.
With a "ding," the elevator doors closed, and a flicker of frustration crossed Yamauchi's face.
He muttered under his breath as he walked away from the dormitory entrance, "I can't believe I got lucky enough to see Sakura in casual clothes outside the girls' bathroom earlier. She looked just as cute as Kushida or Karuizawa… Man, it's great no one else knows. That means I've got the only chance..."
Thinking he was alone, Yamauchi spoke without a care, unaware that Hikigaya had seen and heard everything from the shadows.
"Well, this is awkward..."
Watching Yamauchi leave, Hikigaya shook his head with a bemused expression. While he felt a twinge of sympathy for Sakura, who had to deal with Yamauchi's unwanted attention, he had no desire to get involved in their situation.
After all, it had nothing to do with him.
Hikigaya wasn't like some heroic protagonist who'd step in and right every wrong, especially when it came to things that didn't concern him.
Besides, knowing Yamauchi's type, a small setback would be enough to make him give up. There was no need to waste any energy on it.
"I should just focus on returning this bento box to Karuizawa."
With that thought, Hikigaya stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the upper floors.
週次パワーステータス
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