章 21: The Increasing Oddities of Class D
Hikigaya left the gym and headed straight towards the dormitory.
On the way, he stopped by a convenience store and used some points to buy a random piece of bread. As he ate, his mind wandered to thoughts about Horikita Manabu.
What is known so far is that Horikita Manabu is the student council president, and his personality is quite formidable—he could easily be described as a "super-level" oddball.
Given this, is there any possibility that Horikita Manabu's relationship with Horikita Suzune could be anything other than siblings?
Furthermore, even though Horikita Suzune and Horikita Manabu have met at school, neither has shown any recognition of the other. What's the deal with that?
Could it be that Horikita Suzune, like him, is so embarrassed by her sibling that she's been instructed by her brother not to reveal their relationship at school?
Hikigaya couldn't help but think back to middle school when his sister Komachi attended the same school. She barely acknowledged him at school, and it was incredibly lonely.
But honestly, this possibility seems unlikely.
After all, Horikita Suzune is the younger sibling, not the older one. Would there be a brother who dislikes his own sister to the extent that he avoids interacting with her at school because she's embarrassing?
As a seasoned "sister complex" enthusiast, Hikigaya finds it hard to believe such a thing!
This suggests there might be deeper reasons involved, and he needs to investigate further...
"Though, I probably won't be able to join the student council," Hikigaya mused.
He had a clear understanding of his abilities. Whether it was that guy with the shaved head from Class A, or Ichinose from Class B, they were all evidently more suited to the school and more capable than he was.
Therefore, Hikigaya didn't think he stood a chance against them.
In other words, his opportunities to interact with Horikita Manabu would be very limited.
He would have to use the upcoming student council interview to probe Horikita Manabu, at least to figure out what his relationship with Horikita Suzune was!
As Hikigaya was about to head towards the dorm, he suddenly noticed a few people approaching—two boys and a girl.
The two boys were Yamauchi Haruki and Ike Kanji, whom he had seen earlier in the gym, and the girl was a blonde with a single ponytail, who looked like a typical delinquent but had a demeanor that didn't quite fit.
Recalling the seating chart he had memorized and comparing the girl's appearance, Hikigaya quickly identified her as—
Karuizawa Kei.
What were these three doing together?
Faced with this seemingly enthusiastic trio, Hikigaya naturally had no intention of approaching them or showing any sign of recognition.
However, even though Hikigaya was trying to avoid interacting with them and deliberately reducing his presence, Karuizawa seemed to notice him for some inexplicable reason.
Or perhaps she was forced to notice him.
Despite Yamauchi Haruki and Ike Kanji's overly enthusiastic and self-proclaimed "gentlemanly" behavior, Karuizawa wore an expression of obvious impatience, nearing a breaking point.
So, as Hikigaya approached, Karuizawa suddenly spoke up:
"What are you doing here? Didn't we agree to have dinner together?"
Hikigaya was taken aback by her words, which left him bewildered.
Before he could react, Karuizawa grabbed his arm and awkwardly told Yamauchi and Ikezawa, "Sorry, I have plans to have dinner with him. See you."
Yamauchi and Ike were stunned.
They never expected that someone as inconspicuous as Hikigaya would end up having dinner with such a beautiful girl before them.
Instantly, envy and jealousy filled the air.
Leaving Hikigaya with a bewildered expression...
Was it snowing in June?
He felt more wronged than Dou E!
Under Karuizawa's hurried pushing, Hikigaya had no chance to react and was led to a corner of the road.
"Who are you?"
Back in middle school, Hikigaya had memorized the names of everyone in his class due to his outstanding memory.
He would eagerly greet unfamiliar faces, hoping to make friends, only to be called annoying.
Since then, even if he knew someone's identity, he always pretended to be aloof and indifferent...
It was his survival strategy.
The only exception was Horikita Suzune, but that was because he recognized her unique personality and directly addressed her by name.
Indeed, Horikita didn't seem to care about his approach.
"You didn't hear my self-introduction in class, did you?" Karuizawa Kei asked, with a look of disdain.
Her expression was now completely different from before, as if she had determined Hikigaya was at the bottom of the class hierarchy, and thus felt free to speak her mind: "My name is Karuizawa Kei. I just used you to get away from those two. Don't overthink it."
"Uh, okay."
Tsk, as Mom said, the prettier the girl, the more likely she is to deceive you!
Being a pure-hearted guy in this world is tough!
"Hmm, at least you're sensible."
Unaware of Hikigaya's internal thoughts, Karuizawa seemed satisfied with his compliant attitude, a smile appearing on her attractive face.
Hikigaya then took note of Karuizawa Kei's features. She was quite beautiful, around 5 feet tall, with a straight nose, a fair jawline, and clear, bright eyes beneath dense eyelashes. Her golden ponytail cascaded to her waist, exuding a fresh fragrance.
In Class D, she was at least on par with Horikita Suzune and Kushida Kikyo in terms of beauty.
As Hikigaya observed Kashiwagi Kei, she was also studying him.
Initially, she had a vague impression of Hikigaya, thinking of him as someone with little presence in class. However, upon closer inspection, she found him to be an unremarkable, ordinary high school boy.
The only notable feature was his terrible, dead-fish eyes.
Ordinarily, most people would find Hikigaya repulsive, but Karuizawa Kei oddly smiled, as if relieved by his lack of distinctiveness.
Am I somehow the kind of person who makes others feel secure...
Hikigaya felt inexplicably conflicted.
Karuizawa glanced at the bread in Hikigaya's hand, then pulled out a bento from her bag: "Here, this is a thank you for earlier."
"This... isn't necessary," Hikigaya declined firmly.
"Just take it, no need to be fussy!"
Karuizawa was very self-centered, acting as if she could do whatever she pleased with Hikigaya, and she shoved the bento into his hands.
"By the way, let me at least ask for your name." Before leaving, Karuizawa suddenly remembered something and turned with a smile.
"Hikigaya Hachiman."
"Hmm, well then, bye, Hikigaya-kun."
Watching Karuizawa leave with a relaxed demeanor, Hikigaya had a complex expression as he looked at the bento in his hand, shaking his head.
Just as expected of Class D.
The number of oddballs just increased again.
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