Chương 54: Isn't It Common Sense to Flash When Apologizing?
To avoid future trouble, Hikigaya finally agreed to Sakayanagi Arisu's request to meet. But his arrival seemed to cause discomfort among her "companions." When they saw him, their expressions were... complicated.
Why are you using me as a wager?
A swirl of emotions welled up inside Hikigaya.
"Hehe, let's all find a seat," Sakayanagi, noticing Hikigaya's confusion, said with a teasing smile. She led the group to a casual restaurant on the shopping street, choosing an outdoor table.
Hikigaya had hoped to sit alone, far from everyone, but the table only had space for three or four people. He ended up squished between Sakayanagi and another girl from Class A, a purple-haired girl he vaguely remembered seeing outside his classroom before.
Being seated between two beautiful girls might sound like a dream, but Hikigaya felt no such sweetness.
As his middle school friend Zaimokuza might say: for someone like Hikigaya, being near normies—especially beautiful, popular ones—was like being doused in holy water meant for ghouls. Just a drop made him feel like his wormy self was about to melt away.
"Hehe, this is just a casual gathering between friends, Hikigaya. No need to act like you're serving time in jail," Sakayanagi teased, her grin playful and slightly sadistic.
"For me, this is jail," Hikigaya muttered, clearly uncomfortable. Trying to change the subject, he asked, "So, what's going on with you guys? Were you betting on me behind my back?"
"Yep." Sakayanagi's smile didn't falter. "Since we had time to kill before you arrived, we made two bets: one, whether Kamuro could successfully track you, and two, whether you'd show up after receiving my call."
"Wait, what?"
"For the first bet, I wagered that Kamuro wouldn't be able to track you. But my subordinates, Hashimoto and Kitou, both bet on her success. As you can see, I won."
Sakayanagi smiled gracefully, covering her mouth with a hand, emitting a gentle laugh that was impossible to ignore yet somehow not unpleasant.
"Kamuro's tracking skills are just terrible," one of Sakayanagi's subordinates, a blond pretty boy, chimed in. He introduced himself with a flashy grin, "I'm Hashimoto Masayoshi. Nice to meet you, Hikigaya."
"Oh, uh, likewise…"
Hikigaya, naturally wary of this type of person, gave a stiff nod in response. He wasn't fond of outgoing guys like Hashimoto.
"You're the one who's terrible!" Kamuro, the purple-haired girl, shot back. "Before I came to this school, my tracking had never failed!"
"But you didn't manage to follow Hikigaya even once, did you?" Hashimoto delivered the final blow with a smirk.
"T-that's just because…" Kamuro stammered, her face turning red.
"It's his fault! He's got no presence! Walking in a crowd, he just blends in like a total background character!"
"Hey, hey…" Hikigaya felt a pang of indignation. How had he ended up being attacked out of nowhere?
Before he could respond, Sakayanagi spoke up. "So, Kamuro, are you saying that your failure to follow Hikigaya wasn't due to your lack of skill, but because of Hikigaya's lack of presence?"
"Uh…" Kamuro immediately realized her mistake but was too proud to apologize to Hikigaya. She stood there awkwardly.
Sakayanagi noticed her discomfort but didn't say anything further. She simply folded her hands on her lap and smiled.
"Hikigaya is my friend. Though he's a student from Class D, that doesn't mean you can look down on him. If you deny his character, you're denying mine as well."
"…"
Kamuro's expression changed at Sakayanagi's words. Without thinking too much, she immediately turned to Hikigaya and said, "I'm sorry. My earlier words were out of line."
"No, it's fine…" Hikigaya, who was long used to people thinking poorly of him, was caught off guard by her sudden, sincere apology.
He felt a little uncomfortable with it.
If it were his middle school friend Zaimokuza in this situation, he'd probably take the opportunity to gloat and say something outrageous like, "Isn't it common sense to show some cleavage when apologizing?"
Thankfully, Hikigaya wasn't that suicidal.
"Anyway, the second bet was whether or not you'd come after receiving my call," Sakayanagi continued, still smiling.
"They all thought it was impossible, but I bet you'd come."
"And as you can see, I won. Each of them owes me twenty thousand points."
"…"
The smug expression on Sakayanagi's face and the defeated looks on the others told Hikigaya all he needed to know about their dynamic.
This girl is like a queen… and these three are her loyal minions.
Under Sakayanagi's teasing, the atmosphere gradually lightened.
"Oh, right," she said, turning to the others. "I haven't introduced everyone yet." She pointed to Kamuro beside Hikigaya.
"This is Kamuro Masumi, a member of Class A and one of my subordinates. I've been assigning her to tail you these past few days, though without success."
Please don't casually talk about creepy things like that with a smile…
Hikigaya's expression turned complicated. So, the mysterious figure he had occasionally sensed following him was this girl? The world was truly a strange place.
"And as I mentioned earlier," Hashimoto continued with his usual relaxed tone, "I didn't get why the princess was so interested in you, but now I think I understand a little."
What exactly do you think you understand?
Hikigaya's natural aversion to guys like Hashimoto flared up again. This type of person was his absolute weak spot.
Lastly, Hikigaya glanced at the remaining guy. Judging by his appearance, Hikigaya might have mistaken him for a character straight out of a Yakuza game—he looked like he could fight ten men at once. Did the school consider brute strength when admitting students?
"This is Kitou Hayato," Sakayanagi introduced him. "He, like the others, is one of my subordinates."
She made sure to emphasize the word "subordinate." It didn't sound much like student language.
In fact, everything about these interactions was miles away from Hikigaya's usual student experiences. It felt like an entirely different dimension.
Finally, Sakayanagi turned to the group and smiled sweetly. "And this is Hikigaya Hachiman. I'm sure you've all heard of him by now. He's my friend, so I hope you'll all get along with him from now on."
She says 'friend,' but it sounds more like 'slave.'
Hikigaya couldn't believe Sakayanagi genuinely thought of him as a friend. Her personality was that of a tyrant, a queen of ultimate sadism. Someone like her couldn't possibly have real friends…
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