Chapter 094 I Thought You Two Were Fighting Over a Man!
"Ahem~
Um, Karuizawa-san...
Could you let go of me first?"
Hikigaya had only intended to comfort her briefly, but he hadn't expected her to cling to him directly, her arms wrapping tightly around him without letting go.
"No!
Let—let me hold you for a little longer...
Please, Hikigaya-kun."
Karuizawa Kei didn't know what had come over her either—clinging to a boy who wasn't even a friend and stubbornly refusing to let go!
"By the way, we aren't exactly on familiar terms, are we?" Hikigaya asked, looking helpless. An entire semester had passed, and the number of times they had spoken could be counted on one hand.
"Hmph~ I've been observing Hikigaya-kun for a long time now." Karuizawa Kei buried her face against his chest.
"For real?" Hikigaya looked surprised. As someone used to being a "human observer," since when was he the one being observed?
"If you just look at your face, you're a handsome guy. Your eyes are quite regrettable, but once you get used to looking at them, they actually look quite pleasant."
"Habits are terrifying things."
"So, Hikigaya-kun, can you be my boyfriend?" Karuizawa Kei suddenly looked up, her eyes burning as she stared at him.
"A fake boyfriend?" Hikigaya asked deadpan. "I refuse."
"Why do you think it would be a fake boyfriend..." Karuizawa Kei froze, looking at him with a dazed expression.
"Isn't it? Karuizawa, you want to find someone to rely on to protect you from being bullied in this school... isn't that right?" Hikigaya asked back.
Karuizawa Kei opened her mouth but found herself speechless for a moment. Just as he said, she indeed had such thoughts previously.
"Then... what if..." Karuizawa Kei took a deep breath and spoke seriously: "I want Hikigaya-kun to be my real boyfriend?"
"There are no 'what ifs'." Hikigaya rejected her instantly.
"Discussing 'what if this or that' is a 'fake' thing in itself. I hate superficial relationships."
A fake boyfriend? He wouldn't accept a setting that only existed in brain-dead light novels!
Rejected, Karuizawa Kei fell into a temporary silence. The atmosphere became a bit awkward...
"Um, Karuizawa-san, you don't need to mind it. Seeking 'the real thing' is just my personal obsession..." Hikigaya tried to give her an out.
"How cool!" Karuizawa Kei's eyes suddenly lit up, radiating an unprecedented brilliance.
"Huh?" Hikigaya was baffled.
"So Hikigaya-kun is a man who values emotions that much!"
"..."
"I get it!"
'No, what do you get?'
"It seems Hikigaya-kun is even more charming than I imagined." Karuizawa Kei pressed her hands together, looking at him with admiration.
"And how did you reach that conclusion?" Hikigaya felt like he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"No wonder Sakura-san and Hasabe-san are drawn to your side. But since you put it that way, it means you haven't found the 'real thing' you're looking for yet, right?" Karuizawa Kei tilted her head and blinked her large eyes at him.
See? That's how girls are; they can pull off these cute gestures so effortlessly.
"While I think you might have some misunderstandings... at least that last sentence is correct." Hikigaya indeed hadn't found his "real thing" yet. Well, he found some in his dreams... but the quantity was a bit high!
"In that case, let's start as friends first~ Hachiman-kun!" Karuizawa Kei wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.
"Calling me by my given name right off the bat? Isn't the progress bar moving a bit too fast?" Hikigaya wasn't quite used to it.
"Mm-hmm~ that's how Gyarus are. Do you have a problem with it?" Karuizawa Kei brought out her Gyaru persona again.
"I think you're just addicted to the role-play." Hikigaya's lip twitched.
"Alright, alright~ just agree to it, Hachiman-kun~~~" Karuizawa Kei reached out again to hug his arm, swaying and acting spoiled.
"Hey, don't pull and tug like this. It's not good if others see." Hikigaya's gaze became subtle. Although Karuizawa Kei's frame was exceptionally slender, she had what she needed; the "gravitational value" was at least a C-cup.
"It's fine, Hachiman. Someone has already seen." Karuizawa Kei's eyes flickered as she looked not far away.
"What?!" Hikigaya's expression changed. He followed her gaze and looked back.
There stood Horikita Suzune, having appeared at some point, watching the two of them with cold eyes.
"Horikita, you're awake?" Perhaps because she had taken the medicine, Horikita Suzune looked much better this morning.
"All that noise so early in the morning... I thought something big had happened. I didn't expect it to be such a boring little trick."
Looking at the two of them huddled close together, Horikita Suzune couldn't help but frown. "Hikigaya, what is going on with you and Karuizawa? The whole camp is currently spreading rumors about the two of you."
"That's..." Hikigaya was about to explain.
Unexpectedly, Karuizawa Kei cut him off: "It's not a rumor. Besides, it's quite a surprise; since when did Horikita-san, who usually has zero interest in her classmates, suddenly start caring about rumors?"
"..." Horikita Suzune opened her mouth, realizing that was indeed the case.
Why did she suddenly care about such a boring rumor?
"In any case, roll call is starting soon. Both of you, get over here."
Hikigaya looked at the two of them strangely. Whether it was an illusion or not, he felt that where their gazes met, sparks were faintly flying.
'Hmph~ that Horikita, as Hachiman-kun's seatmate, she already has the geographical advantage... I can't let her get a head start!'
See? Relationships between girls are complicated. They were perfectly fine minding their own business before, but suddenly they had become rivals! If I didn't know better, I'd think you two were fighting over a man!!
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Roll call was completed. Class D began their second day of camp life.
After a night of rest, Horikita Suzune's spirits had recovered enough for her to fulfill her duties as leader. She began issuing orders in an orderly fashion, assigning people to different tasks such as gathering firewood, picking wild fruit, extracting water, cleaning the camp, and so on.
Horikita Suzune took on the important task of investigating the other classes herself.
"Hikigaya, you come with me."
"Can I not go?" Hikigaya looked bored; he didn't want to run around for the sake of Class D.
095 Reconnaissance, the Honest Class B
"Horikita, are you feeling alright?"
"I'm feeling much better after taking your medicine, thank you."
The two of them passed through a patch of woods and arrived at a beach. They found only a few scattered tools remaining—damaged beach chairs, parasols, and a deflated motorboat.
"It seems everyone from Class C has truly withdrawn."
Horikita Suzune frowned. For the sake of this special exam, she was willing to remain on the island even while sick; compared to that, Class C's collective withdrawal was truly difficult to accept.
"What you see isn't necessarily the truth."
Hikigaya scanned the surroundings with his dead-fish eyes.
"What do you mean by that?"
Horikita Suzune expressed her confusion: "More than one person has seen Ryuen redeem a large amount of entertainment facilities to let all of Class C play to their heart's content. The consumption of points for those supplies must be at least 100. It's only the first day; at that rate of consumption, it's impossible for Class C to survive for seven days."
"Then has anyone actually seen with their own eyes that everyone from Class C has withdrawn?" Hikigaya asked in return.
"Are you referring to Manabe?"
Horikita Suzune's eyes shifted. She had always held a high degree of suspicion toward this Manabe Shiho, who claimed she was "beaten and expelled for being dissatisfied with Ryuen's policies."
"She counts as a spy pawn," Hikigaya said.
"Could it be that there are still people from Class C left on the island?"
"Not enough information. Let's go check out Class B's side."
The two left the beach and headed toward a certain waterfall. Before long, they found Class B's base in a forest beneath the waterfall.
"Eh? Hikigaya-kun and Horikita-san, what brings you here?
Welcome, welcome~"
Ichinose Honami stepped forward to greet them warmly.
'This kid... do you think you're on a vacation?'
"We are here for reconnaissance," Horikita said.
'Good grief, as expected of Horikita! She's straightforward enough!'
Ichinose Honami seemed a bit stunned by Horikita Suzune's "open-hand" move, but she didn't show any rejection. She just smiled and said, "That's fine, as long as you don't go near the tents."
'Look at this honest person.
Aren't you just clearly telling others that Class B's leader is hidden inside the tents?
By the way, where did that 'Chihiro' go, the one who always follows Ichinose Honami around? Could she be the leader of Class B?'
Hikigaya's gaze swept across Class B's camp, and he discovered an unexpected person.
"Ibuki? Why are you here too?"
Hikigaya was startled at first, then a look of realization flashed in his eyes. As expected, here was another spy.
"I had a falling out with Ryuen...
By the way, why did you come to Class B?" Ibuki Mio spoke succinctly and then quickly changed the subject.
"I was dragged here by Horikita; I didn't want to work either," Hikigaya said with a face full of helplessness.
"We won't make things difficult for Hikigaya-kun.
We in Class B will treat our guests well.
Himeno-san, could you help bring some fruit over?" Ichinose Honami turned and instructed.
Near Class B's base, there was an orchard where they could obtain a large amount of fruit as supplementary food.
"Here, please enjoy.
Also, Horikita-san, thank you for the matter last time."
Himeno Yuki was sincerely grateful for Horikita Suzune's appearance to defend her.
"The matter last time? That was evidence collected by Hikigaya; I only showed up to act as a mouthpiece."
'Hey, hey? Why pull me into this?'
Himeno Yuki was stunned at first, then she studied Hikigaya thoughtfully: "So it was you... a guy with a decent gaze."
'Who? Who is that guy with the decent gaze?'
Hikigaya looked left and right.
"Hmph~ you're quite good at playing dumb too." Himeno Yuki narrowed her eyes.
"Your gaze is also quite something," Hikigaya noted.
Looking closely, Hikigaya noticed that her eyes carried a bit of that "dead-fish eye" quality, though paired with her attractive face, it created a unique kind of charm.
"Hikigaya-kun, don't keep staring at our Class B's Himeno-san, okay?" Ichinose Honami said with a giggle that didn't sound entirely like a joke.
In an instant, both Horikita and Ibuki cast sharp glances his way.
"Er, I was just curious..." Hikigaya sheepishly withdrew his gaze.
"A 'shura-ba' (battlefield of love)... you've got too much drama surrounding you," Himeno Yuki looked at him with interest.
'You drama-watcher, be careful you don't become the drama yourself!' Hikigaya could only curse inwardly.
While eating fruit, both sides exchanged information during their friendly interaction.
"I see, so the people from Class C have returned to the ship." Ichinose Honami showed a thoughtful expression.
In return, Ichinose Honami also revealed the location of Class A's base that they had investigated.
"Excuse us, we are going to check out Class A's base." Horikita Suzune immediately set off.
"Eh? Leaving so soon?
Won't you stay a bit longer to play?"
'Don't look at me with such a reluctant face...
And Ibuki-san over there, why do you look like you want to follow us? You're supposed to be on a 'lurker' mission.'
Class A's base was located in a cave, the entrance covered by a curtain, making it impossible to see the situation inside. At the entrance, several Class A boys were standing guard.
Horikita Suzune didn't hide herself and walked straight up to them openly. Horikita-style reconnaissance—the main theme is being direct!
"Hey! You two, stop right there!
This is Class A's base!"
As expected, they were blocked by the Class A guards.
"Is that so? I want to go in and confirm.
The manual rules don't say that outsiders aren't allowed to enter a base."
Horikita Suzune stared fearlessly at the boys blocking her path, intending to force her way in.
Just then, a large bald man pulled back the curtain and stepped out of the cave, carrying a set of fishing gear on his back.
"This is Class A's territory. The manual doesn't stipulate that we cannot prevent others from entering the base." Katsuragi Kohei's steady voice carried a sense of pressure.
Horikita Suzune frowned and was about to say something when Hikigaya pressed his hand on her shoulder, signaling her to look around.
About a dozen people from Class A were closing in with unfriendly intentions. Horikita Suzune immediately clenched her fists, taking a combat stance.
'Wait, you actually want to start a fight?' Hikigaya was speechless.
"Horikita-san, are you sure you want to start a physical conflict with us?
Based on your reconnaissance actions, you must have certain expectations for this special exam.
Do not engage in such a reckless move where both sides lose," Katsuragi Kouhei warned.
"Let's go, Horikita."
Hikigaya grabbed her hand. Horikita Suzune's tense body relaxed, and she abandoned her fighting stance.
As they were leaving, Hikigaya seemingly casually mentioned: "By the way, where did Totsuka go?
I kind of miss him."
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