Chapter 127 Shura Field, Kamuro VS Karuizawa
"Tch~ we're leaving..."
"How does this cowardly woman happen to be connected to Hikigaya?"
Even though the Manabe trio was extremely annoyed, they could only leave in a pathetic manner. Only Hikigaya and Karuizawa Kei remained in the room.
"Alright, Karuizawa. It's okay now." Hikigaya lightly stroked her back.
"Uuu~ I was really scared..."
Karuizawa Kei gripped his arm tightly, tears welling in her eyes.
This was Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which often appears in victims of bullying. There is no special cure for psychological shadows; they can only be diluted by time.
"Karuizawa?" Hikigaya called out.
"...Call me by my name.
…..
Is that okay?"
Her slightly cool fingertips tightly grasped his palm. Karuizawa Kei looked up at him cautiously, her wet eyelashes carrying a sense of grievance mixed with pleading.
Hiss— A girl's "looking up" attack is truly out of bounds. The fact that Hikigaya could restrain himself from hugging her right now made him a men among men!
"Phew~" Hikigaya took a deep breath, trying to calm his pounding heart.
"Onegai (>人<;)"
"Fine, Kei."
Hikigaya signaled his surrender. If he could withstand even this, he'd start to doubt if there was something wrong with his sexual orientation!
"Hee hee~" Kei's cheeks flushed. While her eyes were full of bashfulness, they also carried a hint of jealousy.
"Calling a girl by her first name so easily... I feel like Hachiman-kun is more practiced than expected."
"It's just calling someone by their name, it's nothing much, Kei."
Hikigaya looked calm. In his dreams, he didn't even know how many girls' names he had called; he was an old pro!
"It's about time, let's go eat together. By the way, can you let go of my hand now?"
"Oh, right~" Kei released his hand with an embarrassed look, but she still held onto his sleeve.
"Too slow, Hikigaya! Just how long are you going to make me wait?" Kamuro Masumi was leaning against the wall, looking impatient. Her gaze quickly fell on Karuizawa Kei, who was pulling Hikigaya's sleeve, and her brow furrowed instantly.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Kamuro-san." Hikigaya signaled that it was time to go.
"Eh? A date for three?" Karuizawa Kei's eyes widened.
"What date? My original words were 'let's go eat together'." Hikigaya felt like he didn't know whether to laugh or cry as he retorted.
"A boy inviting a girl to eat—isn't that a date?" Karuizawa Kei pouted.
"A pure-hearted gyaru... Is 'Gap Moe' the main selling point here?" Kamuro Masumi had a strange expression and couldn't help but complain.
"Yeah, so what?
Speaking of which, you're Sakayanagi's lackey, so why do you act like you look down on everyone all day long?" Karuizawa Kei glared back.
"Who are you calling a lackey?" Kamuro Masumi's face darkened.
"Isn't that the truth?" Karuizawa Kei reverted back to a strong gyaru in a split second.
"What are you talking about, you perverted freak who gives away her underwear to boys on a whim?" Kamuro Masumi's gaze turned cold as she launched an unreserved poisonous-tongue attack.
"..." Karuizawa Kei was momentarily choked with anger.
"Isn't that the truth?" Kamuro Masumi used the same words back against her.
"It is not!
I—I've only given my underwear to Hachiman-kun!" Karuizawa Kei spoke righteously, while not forgetting to maintain her gyaru persona.
"Hmph~ a boring woman like you, one look and I can tell you've never been in a relationship. What would you know?"
"Tch~ acting like you're an expert." Kamuro Masumi looked disdainful: "Fake gyaru!"
"You!"
"Hmph!"
Facing these two girls who were at each other's throats after just one disagreement, Hikigaya felt his head start to ache.
"Um, you guys..."
"Whose fault do you think this is?!" [X2]
The two girls suddenly turned their spears and pointed them directly at him.
"..." Hikigaya was speechless.
"What happened?"
"Shh~ there's drama to watch!"
Seeing that the girls' bickering was attracting the attention of other students, Hikigaya quickly grabbed one with each hand and fled the scene.
"Honestly, aren't you afraid of causing rumors?" After reaching a secluded corner, Hikigaya finally let go of their hands.
"Afraid of what? I haven't done anything shameful." Karuizawa Kei tilted her chin up, looking perfectly justified.
"Hikigaya, you're just afraid of being seen by your other 'close' female friends, aren't you?" Kamuro Masumi suddenly stared at him intently.
"Wh-what 'close' female friends..." Hikigaya's forehead began to sweat, and his eyes flickered as he quickly changed the subject.
"By the way, there's a nice light-food cafe nearby. Why don't we go try it?"
"Hmph!" Both girls knew he was changing the subject, but they tacitly stopped their squabbling.
"There really is one..."
"How does Hachiman-kun know there's a shop like this here?"
Karuizawa Kei had thought he was just talking nonsense, but she didn't expect there to actually be such a place.
"He definitely came here with another girl." Kamuro Masumi's gaze was sharp.
"Cough, cough~" Hikigaya looked embarrassed. Fortunately, he was thick-skinned enough to withstand the scrutiny of the two girls. He asked seriously: "What do you want to eat?"
"I'll eat whatever Hachiman-kun eats."
"You decide; after all, you're a regular."
'Damn! Miss Kamuro, your snark is quite powerful today! Don't let me dream about you, or I'll definitely let you taste my power—and you won't be allowed to spit it out!'
After the food was served, the two girls finally quieted down a bit.
"Mmm~ not bad, this salad." Karuizawa Kei liked light food anyway. She turned to Hikigaya: "Hachiman-kun, let's come here together next time, just the two of us, okay?"
"Oh, sure, definitely next time." Hikigaya gave a casual, perfunctory answer. In any case, the cruise ship would be heading back in two days; what "next time" could there be?
"Cooking of this level, I can do it too." Kamuro Masumi picked up a piece of black pepper beef tenderloin with her fork and tasted it carefully.
"Really?
As expected of Kamuro, you have the potential to be a maid!" Hikigaya gave a sincere evaluation.
"Who—who wants to be your maid?
You shameless guy!!" Kamuro Masumi's cheeks flushed, and she glared at him irritably.
"Uh, I didn't say you'd be my maid..." Hikigaya looked startled.
"Then whose house did you say I'd be a maid for? Sakayanagi's?" Kamuro Masumi seemed even angrier.
"..." Hikigaya answered instinctively.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Kamuro Masumi was unyielding: "I, Kamuro Masumi, even if I can't find a job and starve to death on the streets, will absolutely never be a maid for the Sakayanagi family!"
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