Friday. For students, this was the most anticipated day of the work week, because as soon as classes were over, a two-day weekend would begin.
In the morning, after discovering that she could be observed by others, Sakurajima Mai had hurriedly taken a half-day leave from school to go back to her apartment and call a locksmith.
Mori Shinra, on the other hand, had enjoyed a delicious breakfast handmade by her before heading directly to school.
After the first period.
"Hey, Hikigaya, want to be in a group for P.E. class later?" Shinra asked, patting him on the shoulder. Seeing his listless appearance, he couldn't help but ask curiously, "What's wrong? Did you overindulge last night?"
"You're the one who overindulged. I'm just thinking about a very serious problem," Hikigaya replied, his face looking a bit grim.
"A serious problem?"
"About my sexual orientation."
"?!"
The hand resting on his shoulder froze. Then, with the speed of lightning, Shinra retracted his hand and took out a bottle of alcohol spray from his bag to disinfect it.
"What are you doing?" A question mark appeared above Hikigaya's head.
Shinra gave an awkward yet polite smile. "Um... asking you to team up for P.E. was indeed ill-considered. Although our past cooperation was pleasant, I think you deserve better. I won't bother you. I'll be going now."
"Wait, did you misunderstand something?" Hikigaya's expression changed.
"Of course, I don't mean to discriminate. I just didn't expect the British style to be so prevalent in Japan. Chiba isn't exactly Rongcheng, is it?"
"I don't understand what you mean, but it's definitely not something good. Anyway, you misunderstood. I'm not gay," Hikigaya explained.
Shinra looked at him with suspicion but did not get any closer.
"Do you know Sai-chan?"
"Totsuka Saika?"
"Huh? You know him."
"I at least know my classmates. After all, I'm not like you."
An image of a cute boy appeared in Shinra's mind.
"The second half of that sentence was completely unnecessary," Hikigaya retorted.
Shinra pulled up a chair and sat down, a full table's distance away from him.
"Hey, I already said I'm not gay," he said irritably.
Shinra waved his hand. "That's not important. So what does this have to do with your sexual orientation?"
"It is important, okay?! Of course it's related. It's because I actually think he's very cute!" A hint of self-doubt flashed in Hikigaya's eyes.
Shinra subtly moved another seat's distance away from him. He thought for a moment and said, "Um, I wouldn't know about that. Anyway, just believe in yourself?"
"Are we on the same wavelength? What the hell is 'believe in yourself' supposed to mean?"
"Anyway, why did you suddenly mention him?" Shinra asked.
Hikigaya replied, "Oh, that. He asked me for help."
"Help? From you?" Shinra was beginning to suspect this was a trap set by a pretty boy.
After all, who in the class would be desperate enough to ask Hikigaya for help?
"What's with that look? I consider myself to be quite reliable, okay?" Hikigaya was a little indignant.
Shinra asked only one question: "Do the others in the class know that?"
"No," Hikigaya replied, his self-awareness still intact.
"Well, there you go."
"But Totsuka said I stand out."
"..."
"If you move any further back, we'll have to shout to talk."
Left with no choice, Shinra, at the risk of his phone contracting a cyber-disease, opened the LINE app.
Mori Shinra: What did Totsuka-san say to you?
Hikigaya Hachiman: He wants me to join the tennis club.
Mori Shinra: The school has a tennis club?
Hikigaya Hachiman: It seems so? According to Totsuka, the tennis club has a low presence in the school, and the members are generally weak. After the nationals end and the third-years leave, it'll probably get even weaker. Because they're too weak, the morale in the club has been low, and they've started slacking off in practice. If this continues, the club will only get weaker.
Mori Shinra: A vicious cycle?
Hikigaya Hachiman: Yes. Totsuka saw that I'm good at tennis, so he wants to pull me in to act as a catfish, to get the members to practice properly and get out of their current predicament.
Mori Shinra: You're going to be a depth charge?
Shinra knew Hikigaya's nature very well. If he really joined the tennis club, he would absolutely not become a catfish, because that would have no effect on the current club. In the end, to complete Totsuka's request, he would most likely end up making himself the enemy of all the tennis club members.
After all, there was no better way to unite a group and boost morale than to create a common, powerful enemy.
Once the members had practiced hard enough to be able to defeat him, the tennis club would be back on track. At that time, he could make a graceful exit, having completed the request.
The only price to pay would be being hated by another group of people, a price that, in his own view, was completely insignificant.
Hikigaya understood what he meant by 'depth charge' and typed: That's the last step. I won't use it unless absolutely necessary.
Shinra put down his phone, dragged his stool back next to Hikigaya, sat down, and said, "I feel like just getting you to integrate into the tennis club might already meet the 'absolutely necessary' standard."
"That's true," Hikigaya said after a thought, finding that he couldn't refute it at all.
Asking him to watch others happily enjoy club activities would be more painful than just killing him.
"So what does this have to do with you questioning your sexual orientation?"
"Because when faced with Totsuka's request, I actually considered agreeing, even though I knew I would have to watch others happily enjoy the club. Is... is that still me?" Hikigaya said, holding his head as if he were meeting himself for the first time.
Shinra was silent for a moment. He felt that there might be some logic to what he was saying, so he once again kept his distance.
"So what was your answer?"
"I refused," Hikigaya sighed. "Because I felt that even if I joined, I would still end up disappointing him."
"..." Shinra's pupils trembled. He refused because he was afraid of disappointing Totsuka?
And you say you're not gay!
"But although I refused, I still promised to help him think of another way. As for the sexual orientation thing, it was just a joke... really," Hikigaya said helplessly, seeing Shinra moving further and further away, his eyes growing more and more wary.
"Let's just assume that's the case for now. So you want to have Totsuka-san come to the Service Club for help?" Shinra asked, rubbing his chin.
"Yes. What do you think?" Hikigaya asked.
He knew very well who the real shot-caller in the Service Club was.
"Then bring him to the Service Club after school."