After hesitating for a moment.
Hikigaya still ordered a MAX coffee and a small piece of cake, while Karuizawa was the one eating heartily.
"Hmm..."
Hikigaya said somewhat confusedly: "Isn't this borrowed money? Is it really okay for you to spend like this?"
"Yeah, it's fine."
Karuizawa enjoyed the delicious cake and said: "Although Class D doesn't have many class points, they'll still be issued next month. I can just pay Sato-san back then."
Hikigaya's mouth twitched as he said: "Are you sure this 'robbing Peter to pay Paul' is really okay? By the way, how much have you spent since the start of school?"
"Hmm? Around a million?"
Karuizawa clearly had no concept of it.
"Why so much?"
"The 100,000 at the start of school, 500,000 earned from the VIP exam, and miscellaneous things I can't keep track of. Probably around that much?"
Hikigaya was absolutely stunned.
It meant Karuizawa was likely the VIP and had successfully passed the exam.
No.
That wasn't the point.
The most important thing was that Hikigaya finally understood what Horikita Manabu meant by developing a distorted concept of money.
Terrifying.
One million.
That's already close to half a year's salary for an average person.
Class B entrusted most of their personal points to Ichinose for safekeeping. He hadn't felt much before, but now Hikigaya felt a deep sense of dread.
This school was training people to be tools in pursuit of profit.
If they could rise to Class A and enter a good company, there might not be a problem.
But what if they didn't graduate from Class A?
Without the opportunity for free career choice, they would have to choose an ordinary company.
The salary would definitely not be high.
If they kept this distorted consumption concept, they would probably find it hard to accept the gap between school and reality after entering society.
These people would probably be ruined.
"Um... I don't really want to meddle in your business."
Hikigaya scratched the back of his head and said with some hesitation: "If you keep up this consumption habit, what do you plan to do in the future if you don't graduate from Class A?"
He was a husband.
"Get married~"
Fine.
After all, Karuizawa was still a girl and very cute; it didn't seem to be a problem. Hikigaya felt a bit of sympathy for her future husband.
Never mind.
It was the other person's business, after all.
Hikigaya had no right to meddle in someone else's life; they would bear the consequences themselves.
"By the way..."
Right then, Karuizawa observed Hikigaya secretly and said with some hesitation:
"Do you remember the person behind me yesterday?"
"Oh, Hirata, right?"
Hikigaya said nonchalantly: "Seems like he's your boyfriend."
Karuizawa pursed her cherry lips, hesitated for a moment, and explained: "Actually, we aren't dating. That's all fake. We haven't even held hands."
"Fake, huh..."
Hikigaya tilted his head and quickly figured it out.
Given Karuizawa's personality, she wanted to avoid being bullied.
Finding an idiot from the top-tier "normie" group in class to pretend to be her boyfriend to boost her class status was indeed a good method.
"Did you tell Hirata about your business?"
Hikigaya said with some surprise.
Otherwise, no one would likely agree to be a fake couple, as it meant giving up their own chances of dating.
Seeing Karuizawa nod, Hikigaya was even more surprised.
He could even agree to that.
Maybe that little blond-haired Hirata was actually a good person. It seemed there were good people even among "blonds."
"Then..."
Karuizawa secretly observed his expression and said with some hesitation: "What do you think of him?"
"He's pretty good, I guess."
Hikigaya was full of perfunctory words.
Regardless of appearance or personality, he didn't seem bad. To be in the top-tier group of the class, his sports and written test scores probably wouldn't be weak either.
Setting aside prejudice against blonds, Hirata should be perfect.
Hearing this.
Karuizawa's face stiffened.
This guy actually said Hirata was pretty good.
But.
On second thought.
They had only known each other for a few days; it was perfectly normal for Hikigaya to give such an objective evaluation.
As expected.
She was still too rushed.
Karuizawa sighed in her heart.
"Then what if I break up with him?"
"Eh? Why?"
Hikigaya drank his coffee and became somewhat confused: "Since there's a fool willing to let you use him for free, isn't that good? Or did he do something to make you dislike him? And after the breakup, what will happen to your class status?"
If he had a tool-person.
Hikigaya would definitely keep them firmly in hand and exploit them ruthlessly, making them work to support him.
"Ugh..."
Karuizawa curled her lip and said: "Not really, Hirata is indeed a good person, he's just a bit timid and completely afraid of having conflicts with people."
"Uh..."
Hikigaya looked at the ceiling and thought for a while.
After all, Karuizawa's existence itself was a source of trouble. If Hirata didn't dare to have conflicts with people, he might be useless to Karuizawa.
"Then you should break up and find a new one."
"That's true."
Karuizawa nodded in agreement.
At least for now.
Hikigaya didn't have any extra thoughts about her at all. He helped her simply because that was just his personality.
It was the purest kindness, with no ulterior motives.
At most, he was just giving her some reasonable advice.
Looking at the man in front of her, Karuizawa felt a bit helpless but also liked him more. If only she could become a special existence to Hikigaya.
"I'll break up with him after some time."
Karuizawa clenched her small fist and guaranteed.
Ryuen had been dealt with by Hikigaya and others, so there was no need to consider so much now.
The only person who still knew about her past was Ayanokouji.
Except.
Ayanokouji wasn't threatening her at the moment.
"By the way."
Karuizawa rested her hands on the table, leaning forward slightly and lowering her voice:
"Yesterday, I was actually helping Sato pursue Ayanokouji. What do you think of the two of them?"
Oh.
So the gal from yesterday was Sato.
It wasn't surprising that she would like Ayanokouji, after all, Ayanokouji was quite handsome.
And.
He probably attracted a lot of girls' attention during the relay race at the sports festival.
"No chance."
Hikigaya spoke his mind frankly.
He really didn't see how that person named Sato could date Ayanokouji.
"Eh?"
Karuizawa knitted her brows and said: "Why? Sato is obviously very cute too."
"It's not her."
Hikigaya ate his cake nonchalantly: "I'm talking about Ayanokouji. That guy gives me a very disgusting feeling. I don't feel like he would date anyone seriously."
"Disgusting?"
Karuizawa knitted her brows.
The bystander sees more clearly than the person involved.
Recalling it now, that Ayanokouji had been hiding his motives. During their first meeting, Karuizawa had also felt he was very disgusting.
Looking back at the past.
Karuizawa also reacted.
Although Ayanokouji couldn't be called a bad person, he couldn't be called a good one either. There was always a weird, disgusting feeling lingering around him.
Such a person.
It was indeed hard to imagine him dating anyone sincerely.
Thinking about Ayanokouji's methods.
Karuizawa pursed her lips, feeling he would probably treat the other party as a tool. Whether he would discard them wasn't certain.
After all.
She heard Ayanokouji explain yesterday that he also went to the rooftop that day.
However.
Karuizawa no longer cared.
You weren't there when I needed you most; what does explaining after the fact matter? If it hadn't been for Hikigaya, she didn't know how many more terrible things she would have suffered.
The key point was Sato...
Karuizawa sighed, her gaze looking toward Hikigaya:
"Then do you think I should still try to set them up?"
"How should I know?"
Hikigaya was a bit speechless: "I'm not that familiar with either of them. Whether they date or not is their own business."
"Sigh."
Karuizawa propped her face up, feeling somewhat helpless: "That's true, but if I don't do anything, I feel a bit sorry for Sato. After all, the target is that Ayanokouji. If something happens, Sato will definitely hate me."
"..."
Hikigaya frowned and said: "You seem a bit afraid of Ayanokouji? Did he do something to you?"
"It's nothing."
Karuizawa's eyes flickered as she avoided his gaze: "Just a feeling that he's not a good person."
After all.
On the cruise ship.
Ayanokouji could be said to have bullied her; he could in no way be called a good person.
"Hmm..."
Hikigaya nodded.
Strictly speaking, this was Class D business. Since Karuizawa was unwilling to say more, he wouldn't ask further.
"Whatever. Since you said Sato likes Ayanokouji, whether you do anything or not, it's all the same, isn't it?"
"Uh... true..."
Karuizawa was momentarily stunned.
Neither Sato nor Ayanokouji were people she had the power to stop.
"Okay."
Karuizawa nodded, and then said with some hesitation: "By the way, Hikki, do you have someone you like?"
"Why are you calling me Hikki?"
"No, it's just that I saw Kobashi and the others calling you that yesterday."
"Uh..."
Hikigaya felt truly helpless; he had a feeling people would probably call him that from now on.
Following "Narcissist-gaya," yet another nickname, "Hiki," had been added to the pile.
"Is that so?"
Karuizawa asked again.
"Well..."
Hikigaya looked up and thought for a moment.
For some reason, the figures of Ichinose, Yuki Himeno, Yume Kobashi, Airi Sakura, and even Kikyo Kushida flashed through his mind.
He glanced at Karuizawa sitting opposite him.
"Not really."
"I see."
Karuizawa breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed she didn't need to be in such a hurry.
Hikigaya didn't take it to heart either.
Back in middle school, he had indeed confessed to others, and quite a few times at that.
But he realized now.
That was merely imposing his own thoughts onto the other person.
He felt no lingering attachment, and even his memories of them had become blurred, so it probably didn't count as liking them.
Strictly speaking.
It was likely just the desires of an adolescent boy, simply thinking they were pretty—in short, he was just lusting after them.
It wasn't that there was anything wrong with Ichinose and the others.
To be fair.
In terms of both appearance and personality, Hikigaya thought they were all quite good; even their small flaws were easy to understand.
Overall, they were all great.
At the very least, they were much better than his middle school classmates.
However.
Something felt off after all.
Hikigaya didn't think he would actually fall for them.
Technically speaking.
It was more like a high schooler's longing for beautiful things.
It couldn't be called true love.