Chapter 098 Class D's Infighting Breaks Out Again
"Ayanokouji!"
"There are actually three girls who like you!!"
"Spit it out! What kind of drug did you give them?"
"Aaaaah, I can't accept this!!!"
Seeing the boys' hatred shift instantly from himself to Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, the poker face of the latter finally crumbled, replaced by a look of utter discomfort—as if he had just swallowed something foul!
'Serves you right! Let's see if you ever dare to spread random rumors about me again.'
Hikigaya felt a sudden surge of physical and mental refreshment!
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka felt truly wronged.
He genuinely thought Hikigaya had been in several relationships during middle school. His reasoning was that even though it was only the first semester of high school, Hikigaya was already close to multiple girls; by any standard, he looked like a seasoned veteran of romance.
Seeking to learn about "human emotions," Ayanokouji had seriously asked for guidance. How had he ended up as the target of Hikigaya's counterattack?
The long summer nights are the hardest to endure. The restless boys refused to let Ayanokouji go, "interrogating" him deep into the night until they finally fell into an exhausted sleep.
Hikigaya closed his eyes and drifted into a pleasant dreamland.
This time, his words from earlier that day became a self-fulfilling prophecy: he dreamed of Kamuro Masumi in a maid outfit and teased her quite a bit.
In short, it was great fun!
.
.
-
Camping Day 3: Early Morning
The boys were listless, each sporting dark circles under their eyes. The girls, however, were unexpectedly energetic.
"How did those girls sleep so soundly?"
"Aren't they hot?" Yamauchi and the others expressed their bewilderment.
Last night, the boys were constantly shuffling in and out of their tents, braving mosquito bites just to catch a breeze. The girls' tents, however, had been unusually quiet; they had all slept like babies.
"Hmph! It's just that you boys are too spoiled. You can't even handle this little bit of heat!" Shinohara Satsuki was as haughty as ever.
Hikigaya noticed that Karuizawa Kei and her group were uncharacteristically silent, looking somewhat guilty.
He then saw Horikita Suzune calling Hirata Yousuke aside with a grave expression; they seemed to be discussing something.
'As expected, the girls have been up to no good again.'
Hikigaya understood everything instantly. Having complained about everything since the first day, there was no way they would honestly endure the sweltering midsummer nights. Although he was slightly annoyed, he knew now wasn't the time to expose them.
After learning the truth from Horikita, Hirata Yousuke also chose to remain silent, temporarily concealing the facts. However, at that moment, Manabe Shiho—acting as a spy for Class C—couldn't resist stirring the pot!
"Ayanokouji-kun~ you don't look so good. Did you not sleep well last night?
How about I lend you an electric fan tonight to cool you down?"
Manabe Shiho put her hand over her mouth in a feigned gesture of discretion, but her voice was by no means quiet. Yamauchi and the others nearby heard her clearly.
"That damn Ayanokouji!
And you still say you have nothing to do with Manabe-chan?
Wait, what did she just say? Electric fan? Where did an electric fan come from?"
The boys finally caught on.
"Aha~ I didn't say anything." Manabe Shiho's vague response only fueled more suspicion.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's brow furrowed.
Was he being used again?
"Could it be..." Yukimura Teruhiko was the first to realize. He immediately rushed over to Shinohara Satsuki and questioned her loudly: "Hey! Did you guys privately exchange points for electric fans last night?"
"Wh-what electric fan? I don't know what you're talking about!" Shinohara Satsuki denied it vehemently. The other girls averted their eyes, remaining silent under questioning.
"Hey, hey, hey! That's not fair, right?"
"We all agreed to save points together!"
The boys were filled with righteous indignation. They had been enduring the stifling heat while the girls were enjoying the cool breeze of fans? Who could accept such double standards?
Most of the exposed girls felt guilty, but Shinohara Satsuki and her clique remained defiant.
"We've already been very frugal! But as everyone knows, girls with long hair are more sensitive to the heat. So I just exchanged for a few fans; it's not a big deal, is it?"
Those words were incredibly aggravating. If girls are sensitive to heat, are boys made of ice?
"Are you kidding me?"
"Why do only you get to use fans?"
"This is unfair!!"
The boys were furious. Hearing the argument, Horikita Suzune and Hirata Yousuke, who were still discussing strategy, had to return to take control.
"Hirata! Did you already know the girls used points without permission?" Yamauchi and the others immediately condemned Hirata, the boys' representative.
"Well, I only just found out myself..." Hirata looked helpless.
"Horikita! I thought you were a fair leader, but it turns out you're favoring the girls after all!" Yukimura Teruhiko pointed the finger at the leader.
"While it wasn't my intention, I did end up shielding the girls' actions. By the time I found out last night, they had already redeemed the items, and the spent points couldn't be recovered." Horikita Suzune looked troubled.
Hikigaya knew the real reason she was troubled: the redemption list also contained the record of his request—the medical kit.
The 30-point cost of that kit was far more than a few electric fans. If a real riot broke out, the entire class would turn their blades toward him.
'Wouldn't that be better? I can take it all on myself and achieve a 'world where no one gets hurt'.'
In the past, Hikigaya might have "self-destructed" right then and there.
He didn't care about his reputation anyway.
But then he remembered what Horikita told him yesterday: "Think more about other people's feelings before you act."
As if sensing his dangerous thoughts, Horikita glared at him sternly!
'Sigh... this is why having friends is such a hassle.'
A loner doesn't need to care; they can do whatever they want.
Though, this feeling of being protected... isn't too bad, I suppose.
"Everyone calm down. We must think of the big picture," Hirata tried to mediate, but his appeal to the "big picture" didn't convince anyone.
"The big picture? Easy for you to say! When the girls were making a fuss about the missing underwear yesterday morning, why didn't I see you telling them to think of the big picture?" Sudo Ken roared back.
"..." Hirata was momentarily speechless.
"He's right, Hirata, you're just too biased toward the girls!" the boys chorused.
"I also bear responsibility for this," Horikita Suzune stepped forward to take the blame, but she couldn't think of a solution either.
Seeing Horikita at a loss, Kushida Kikyou, standing to the side, was secretly loving it!
"Kushida."
"Huh?!"
Kushida Kikyou was startled by Hikigaya appearing behind her. She almost lost her "angel" mask and revealed her true face. She quickly recovered, pitching her voice up: "Ah~ Hikigaya-kun, did you call me?"
"Kushida-san, do you want to completely outshine Horikita's spotlight in one go?" Hikigaya got straight to the point.
"Outshine Horikita..." Kushida's eyes flickered; she was clearly tempted. Looking around, she lowered her voice: "What do you mean by that?"
"I want you to step forward and mediate the conflict between the boys and girls."
"Hah? Why would I do something so troublesome?"
"Think about it. If you succeed where Horikita failed, wouldn't that prove you're better than her?"
'That actually makes sense...' Kushida thought for a moment.
"But how exactly am I supposed to do that?"
"Lean in closer, and I'll tell you what to do..." Hikigaya whispered the method to her.
"That... is actually a clever move. But since you thought of it, why don't you do it yourself?" Kushida asked, puzzled.
"I'm doing this for you~ Kushida-chan." Hikigaya winked at her, feigning a flattering tone.
"Hmph! Trying to fool me again!" Kushida pouted. But even though she knew Hikigaya had ulterior motives, she chose to follow the plan.
Her obsession with "surpassing Horikita" was too strong!
"Um, could everyone listen to me for a moment..."
Kushida's voice wasn't loud, but the moment she spoke, both sides of the argument respectfully hit the pause button.
"First, I want to apologize to the boys. It was wrong of us girls not to consider your feelings." Step one: Lower the posture.
"Kushida-san, it's not your fault."
"It's all Shinohara and her group's fault." "
The little angel Kushida would never do something so selfish."
Since she was highly regarded by the boys, Kushida's words instantly defused much of their anger. Shinohara Satsuki and the others wanted to protest, but were silenced by a sharp "Shut up!" from Horikita.
"As compensation, I have two suggestions. First, let the boys exchange for equivalent supplies."
Upon hearing this, many looked hesitant. Their original goal was to save points for the class score so they could get more personal points later. If they also exchanged for supplies just out of spite, it would be a "lose-lose" situation.
"Second, we split the girls' supplies in half and share them with the boys. And we make a pact: from today on, no one is allowed to use points without permission!"
The first suggestion was just a smoke screen; the second was the real goal. As soon as she said it, the boys basically agreed to the second option.
"I don't agree! We redeemed those fans with our own points, why should we share them with the boys? Sisters, back me up!" Shinohara Satsuki tried to incite the other girls to be difficult.
"That's enough, Shinohara."
"We were in the wrong to begin with. Let's go with... Kushida-san's plan!"
Karuizawa Kei glanced at Hikigaya.
She had seen him talking to Kushida earlier and was certain this was his idea.
'Honestly, next time you want to order someone around, you could just ask me!'
Read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting