Chapter 071 Haruka: What's Airi's is Mine
"Hi-Hikigaya-kun?!"
The owner of Room 804 was none other than Matsushita Chiaki of Class D. She was currently wearing bright yellow pajamas and appeared to have just finished a shower, as her hair was still slightly damp.
Hikigaya didn't have a strong impression of her; he only knew she was a core member of Karuizawa Kei's small group. Despite having great looks and a good figure, she acted remarkably low-key.
"Good evening, Matsushita-san," Hikigaya greeted her casually.
"Good evening... Wait! Why are you here? And you just came out of Sakura-san's room?" Matsushita Chiaki looked at him with curious eyes.
"I was... discussing studies with Sakura-san." Hikigaya's face was dead serious, leaving no room for suspicion.
"Studying this late?" Matsushita Chiaki's gaze was subtle. She clearly didn't believe his explanation.
However, she wasn't the type to gossip and didn't pry further. Looking at her, Hikigaya felt she was a high-EQ girl. This saved him a lot of trouble explaining.
"Give me the trash bag. I'm heading downstairs anyway."
"Eh~ Really? Then I'll trouble you, Hikigaya-kun." Matsushita Chiaki didn't refuse. She bowed slightly in thanks and then winked at him, putting a finger to her lips in a "keep it down" gesture.
"Rest easy, Hikigaya-kun. I won't tell anyone about tonight.
It's our little secret now~"
'This woman... feels like she really wants to see some drama.'
After finishing everything, he fell into a deep sleep. Unsurprisingly, he dreamed of Airi that night.
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The Next Day, Class D Classroom
"Good morning, Hachiman-kun~"
"Good morning, Airi."
"???"
Hasabe Haruka's eyes widened, and she looked at the two of them calling each other by their first names in total shock.
"Wait a second...
Only one night has passed.
What on earth did you two do?"
Sakura Airi looked shy, her voice carrying a hint of joy: "It was Hachiman-kun who guided my growth."
"Guided? Growth?" Hasabe Haruka looked thoughtful, then her face changed drastically: "You two... you couldn't have stepped into adult territory... Ouch!"
Before she could finish her shocking statement, Hikigaya delivered a chop to Hasabe Haruka's forehead.
"Hasabe-san, what nonsense are you talking about?"
"Waaa~ I don't care! Hachi called Airi so intimately. You have to call me by my name too!" Hasabe Haruka rubbed her forehead, sounding indignant.
"There's a very complicated reason for this..." Hikigaya looked conflicted.
"I don't care about that!
I'm best friends with Airi, and what's Airi's is mine!" Hasabe Haruka grabbed his hand, acting spoiled.
Even Sakura Airi chimed in: "Hachiman-kun, Haruka is my best friend. Just agree to it."
'Best friend... Do you know that in a certain future timeline, this woman would 'steal your home' (betray you)?'
Hikigaya shot a strange look at Sakura Airi. But that was just a dream, it couldn't be real, right?
"Hachi, Hachi~ You can't prioritize romance over friends!" Hasabe Haruka said seriously.
"Sigh~" Hikigaya let out a helpless sigh and thought of a compromise. "In that case, I'll call you... Ka-ka then." (Note: A pun/nickname for Haruka).
Pfft! "Wh-what...?!"
Without a shred of psychological defense, Hasabe Haruka was struck straight in the heart. Her heart fluttered instantly: "Hachi! How... how can you just give people nicknames so casually?"
"You have the nerve to say that?" Hikigaya rolled his eyes. Who was it that started calling him Hachi the moment they met!
"Th-that's different!" Hasabe Haruka's gaze drifted, her hand clutching her fast-beating chest.
'See? I called you it, and now you can't handle it?'
Hikigaya suddenly felt playful. He intentionally stared at her and said seriously, "Ka-ka, what's wrong? Ka-ka, are you okay? Ka-ka, have you eaten today?"
"YAMETEEEEE (STOP IT)!!!" Hasabe Haruka's psychological defenses were shattered by Hikigaya's triple-attack.
She turned to Sakura Airi for help: "Airi, Hachi is bullying me!"
"Hachiman-kun, don't bully Ka-ka too much." Sakura Airi delivered the final blow with a smile.
The ship S.S. Hasabe has been sunk! The rest of Class D suffered massive splash damage!
"That damn Hikigaya, he's way too enviable!" The boys were all green with envy, wishing they could take him out and replace him.
Even Ayanokouji Kiyotaka cast a watchful eye, thinking to himself: 'Emotions are indeed too complex. It seems I must experience it myself to understand the meaning...'
"Isn't this guy a bit too greedy?"
Karuizawa Kei couldn't help but complain.
"Hikigaya-kun is truly amazing," Matsushita Chiaki's eyes flickered.
"I don't get it... who exactly is he dating?" Sato Maya was confused by the gossip.
"Tch~ Scumbag! Girls, we need to stay away from him," Shinohara Satsuki tried to stir up hostility, but the effect was minimal.
Kushida Kikyo watched silently. She was originally in a bad mood, but seeing Horikita's grim expression made her feel instantly refreshed!
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Back at his seat.
"Hmph! You certainly have a lot of leisure time," Horikita Suzune couldn't help but criticize. "By the way, aren't you friends with Ichinose-san? Are you just going to watch and do nothing?"
Hikigaya countered, "How do you know I haven't done anything?"
"Then what did you do?" Horikita Suzune pressed.
"I don't want to say for now." Hikigaya shook his head. This involved Airi's privacy, and she didn't want to disclose it casually.
"You... fine. At noon, I'll go to the school's surveillance room to look for clues," Horikita Suzune said seriously.
"Sure, work hard then," Hikigaya replied casually. As of now, he didn't think Horikita would achieve much. Since this was a meticulously planned frame-up by Class C, they wouldn't have left any strong evidence. Sakura Airi capturing it was a complete fluke.
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After School
Class B, led by Ichinose Honami, posted new notices everywhere, offering a reward of 1 million points for witnesses and relevant evidence!
"Ichinose, still struggling at death's door?" Ryuen Kakeru led a group to block her path and mock her.
"Ryuen! Stop acting so smug! What Class C did is simply shameless!" Kanzaki Ryuji snapped back bluntly.
"Hey, hey, who are you calling shameless? Clearly, the ones who committed intentional injury were your Class B people, right?" Although anyone with eyes knew what happened, Ryuen Kakeru would never admit it to their faces to avoid leaving a paper trail.
"Forget it, Kanzaki-kun. There's no point in arguing with them now." Ichinose Honami remained calm, not losing her cool.
"Oh?" Ryuen Kakeru looked surprised. "It seems you have some staying power, unlike your weak appearance."
"There's no need for your sarcasm, Ryuen-kun. But the fact that you're here to interfere with us now exactly proves that we're doing the right thing, doesn't it?" Ichinose Honami's tone was peaceful yet powerful.
Ryuen Kakeru's face darkened. Even though he had made all the preparations, no one could guarantee that no traces were left.
The massive reward offered by Class B genuinely made him a bit anxious. After all, "under a heavy reward, there must be brave men"; if the whole school got mobilized, the chances of a flaw being found were much higher.
"Hmph! We'll see about that!" Seeing he couldn't shake Class B's resolve, Ryuen Kakeru could only lead his people away in a huff.
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Meanwhile, Hikigaya was taking Sakura Airi to the electronics store.
As expected, they found a sleazy man with stubble. He was staring intently at every passing female student, a lewd smile appearing on his face from time to time.
"Ugh~" Sakura Airi hid behind Hikigaya in fear.
"Don't worry, leave it to me," Hikigaya reached out and squeezed her cold little hand.
"..." Sakura Airi lowered her head and responded.
Hikigaya stepped forward proactively. "Hello, may I borrow a computer in the store? I want to retrieve some photos from a camera."
"Borrow? That'll be 2000 points per use." The clerk glanced at him irritably.
"The camera was bought here; this should fall under after-sales service, shouldn't it?" Hikigaya countered.
"There's no such thing in the after-sales terms!" The clerk's tone was unfriendly and his attitude was hostile.
"Is that so? In this school, there's nothing that points can't buy. Does your 2000 point charge have the school's approval?" Hikigaya didn't argue about after-sales; instead, he started with the S-System, which the school valued most.
"Tch!" The clerk felt he was in a tough spot. He knew the boy in front of him wasn't easy to fool and chose to back down.
"Fine, 1000..."
"500."
"800..."
"500."
"Kid, do you think this is a vegetable market where you can haggle?!" the clerk yelled.
Hikigaya, right in front of him, called Chabashira Sae and put it on speaker.
"Chabashira-sensei, sorry to bother you. I have a question to ask the school."
"Hikigaya? Interesting... you should know that consultations cost points."
"I want to ask about the number of points required to borrow a computer from a storefront."
"You're asking about such a small thing?"
"Yes."
"1000 points for a session. I'll text you the answer in five minutes."
"Thank you." Hikigaya hung up.
"You brat, you'd rather spend 1000 points on a consultation than give them to me?"
The clerk's face was gloomy. He finally realized this boy was here to pick a fight!
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