Teaching Building. Student Council Room.
Even on weekends, the Student Council still had to work. Truly the tragedy of corporate slaves.
"Come in."
After receiving a response, Hikigaya pushed the door open, with Airi Sakura following closely behind. Unlike usual, the Student Council room on the weekend only held a few core members: the Commander, the Little Blondie, and Senior Orange.
"You again?"
Orange... Senior Akane Tachibana stood behind the Commander, frowning with a hint of disgust. She still remembered this twisted guy who spoke in riddles.
"Yes."
Hikigaya looked around, placed the application form on the Commander's desk, and said:
"I'm here to submit the equipment application form. Please have the Student Council confirm it."
"I see."
The Commander struck his signature pose and said calmly: "I believe I told you we would send someone to confirm it. Given your personality, you shouldn't like coming here. Is there something else?"
What the heck? This guy is too terrifying.
"Um... actually." Hikigaya's tone became heavy. "My student ID was stolen."
"Eh?" Airi Sakura was stunned. Wasn't the student ID given to the clerk for repair?
"I see..." Commander Manabu Horikita pondered for a moment before saying: "You're sure it was stolen and not lost, correct?"
What the...
This guy is way too sharp. Definitely one of the most annoying types of bosses.
"Deceiving the Student Council is a serious violation of school rules," Akane Tachibana said sternly, continuing to apply pressure.
"Well, I suppose so."
"It seems you already have a suspect in mind." The Commander's gaze became sharp. A normal person would have been intimidated by this aura instantly.
"I do."
Hikigaya nodded nervously: "I feel like I've been followed by a stalker lately. It's that clerk at the camera shop."
"A stalker?" Akane was slightly stunned.
"Stalking you?" At this moment, the Little Blondie also walked over, looking shocked.
What's with this guy? Is he looking down on me? Can't I be stalked? Men need to protect themselves when they're out too.
"Yes," Hikigaya nodded as if frightened.
"Sigh..." Even the Commander's mouth twitched. He glanced at Airi Sakura behind him and nodded:
"Fine, I understand the situation. I will submit an application to the school to investigate that staff member."
It took a whole month just for a MAX Coffee. With this kind of efficiency, who knows how long it would take.
"That won't work," Hikigaya said hurriedly. "I have some private photos on my phone. What if that guy does something weird with them?"
"I'm so scared."
As he spoke, Hikigaya held his shoulders and shivered.
"Pfft."
So that's his method. Airi Sakura couldn't help but cover her mouth and giggle, but she immediately lowered her gaze when she felt the Commander's eyes on her.
"Stop it. It's disgusting."
Akane Tachibana was blunt, her tone cold as ice. The Little Blondie next to her was also speechless.
"Ah, yes." Hikigaya lowered his eyes.
What's going on? Isn't this Senior Akane Tachibana the serious type? Why is she so scary too?
"Sigh."
Manabu Horikita rubbed his forehead, glanced at Airi Sakura, and found a pile of documents in his drawer. After flipping through them, he said:
"The Student Council is only responsible for matters within the school. To investigate a staff member, we need school approval. I'll find a homeroom teacher to go check it out now. The Class D homeroom teacher, Chabashira-sensei—that's fine, right?"
Chabashira-sensei? Who's that? Does Sakura Island actually have a surname like that?
Hikigaya subtly looked back at the girl. Airi Sakura nodded like a chick pecking at grain. This way, her secret wouldn't be discovered by others.
Keyaki Mall.
Hikigaya and Airi Sakura sat nearby, watching the camera shop from a distance. A tall woman with a high ponytail and black stockings—this should be the Class D homeroom teacher, Chabashira. She was searching the camera shop, not even sparing the man's private belongings.
From this, it was clear that the Student Council's authority in this school was terrifyingly high; they could even order teachers around. The fat clerk made a scene but was quickly subdued by other staff members, and could only sit on the ground with a look of despair. Clearly, he was finished.
As for why Hikigaya was sitting so far away—it definitely wasn't because he was afraid. Absolutely not because he was afraid the guy might do something desperate. A gentleman does not stand near a crumbling wall. He was just being considerate of cute Airi-chan's feelings!
Soon, Chabashira-sensei exchanged a few words with the Student Council members and walked toward them.
"This is the Class D homeroom teacher, Chabashira-sensei. This is Hachiman Hikigaya from Class B," Manabu Horikita introduced.
"Hello, teacher." Hikigaya and Airi Sakura stood up and nodded.
Something felt off. Logically, as the investigator, Chabashira-sensei didn't need to interact with him. But it wasn't a huge deal.
"Hikigaya, huh..." Chabashira-sensei turned to look at him, instantly giving Hikigaya a chill. Although her gaze seemed disinterested, Hikigaya could keenly sense a hidden, evaluative look.
Chabashira-sensei then turned to Airi Sakura and smiled faintly: "Sakura-san, I didn't expect you to be so close with someone from another class."
"Uh..."
Airi Sakura lowered her gaze. Hikigaya also noticed that this homeroom teacher's words had a bit of a sting to them. What kind of class is Class D exactly?
"Whatever," Chabashira-sensei said dismissively. "That guy indeed engaged in misconduct. He will be fired and handed over to the police. You can rest easy now. If there's nothing else, I'm heading back."
Saying this, she turned and left as if she were just performing an official duty. But Hikigaya still felt a sense of incongruity; if it were truly just official business, she wouldn't have said those stinging words.
Well, it had nothing to do with him anyway.
"Here is your student ID." Manabu Horikita handed the phone to him and said flatly: "According to the clerk, you left the phone with him for safekeeping under the guise of repair."
"Is that so?" Hikigaya lightly tapped his head and gave a forced smile: "Sorry, I was so busy I forgot. Hehe~"
As long as he could muddle through, it wasn't a big deal.
"President," Senior Akane Tachibana said, clutching her folder, "Can I hit this guy?"
Manabu Horikita said nothing and turned to leave. As expected of the Commander—so broad-minded. Hikigaya had just breathed a sigh of relief when he felt his head being smacked.
"What are you doing? He didn't give you permission to hit me."
"Turning a blind eye is a silent agreement," Akane said angrily. After saying that, she turned to chase after the President. Other things aside, that guy's "cute" act just now was way too irritating.
Anyone could see he was helping Airi Sakura. Although she didn't know the reason why it had to be kept secret, making it so complicated was his fault.
"..." Hikigaya was speechless.
Akane Tachibana undoubtedly understood the Commander better than he did. Even Manabu Horikita wanted to hit him.
"Was my action really that annoying?" Hikigaya asked Airi Sakura next to him, feeling a bit puzzled.
"No." Airi Sakura shook her head repeatedly, her face turning red with excitement: "I thought it was very interesting~"
"Right?~" Hikigaya regained his confidence. But since that was just Airi Sakura's opinion, he decided not to do it again to avoid being hit.
"Then that's it." Hikigaya hesitated for a moment before advising: "If you run into any problems in the future, remember to ask those around you for help."
Although he didn't personally believe in asking for help with everything, Airi Sakura clearly didn't have an independent personality. She was truly a child who made people worry.
"Mhm, mhm." Airi Sakura nodded and said quickly: "By the way, I will definitely find a way to pay back those 20,000 points."
"Oh?" Hikigaya was stunned, then waved his hand: "Pay me back when you have time. I'm going back now."
Saying this, he turned and left. Clearly, Airi Sakura still hadn't taken his words to heart.
She thought that since the clerk was dealt with, her problems were over. This kind of personality is very prone to being taken advantage of.
"Eh?" Airi Sakura's expression dimmed. She didn't even have his contact info yet. How was she supposed to pay back the points?