The BBQ Pavilion!
After the movie, they finished lunch.
Hachiman looked at the BBQ set in front of him with some heartache; another meal had cost 10,000 private points.
These private points really didn't last long.
Forget it.
It was still within the allowable range.
"What's with that pained expression?"
Karuizawa twirled her fingers.
Looking at Hachiman opposite her, she felt a bit proud: "You should know, ordinary girls won't go to eat BBQ alone with a boy, especially a girl as pretty as me!"
"Why?"
Hachiman was truly confused.
Was there some kind of inexplicable unspoken rule?
"Because the smell of BBQ sticks to you! Except for group gatherings, girls won't eat BBQ alone with a boy. You should be happy!"
As she spoke, Karuizawa's face flushed red, and she shot a subtle glance at Hachiman.
In Japan, if a girl is willing to eat BBQ alone with a boy, it's almost equivalent to saying "we can date."
Furthermore, she was the one who suggested it. It was completely a "I like you, just waiting for your confession" vibe.
With such an obvious hint, Karuizawa couldn't help but feel embarrassed.
"Are you an idiot?"
Hachiman was truly speechless. "If that's the case, wouldn't most things be off-limits for eating?"
He could guarantee it.
If one feared smells sticking to them, they could basically say goodbye to 80% of delicious food.
"How should I know?"
Karuizawa's gaze was resentful. "Class B has so many private points every month; is there a need to be so stingy?"
The hints she'd heard about didn't seem very effective.
"Idiot."
"Those weren't earned through our own abilities."
"If our consumption habits are influenced by these private points, things will get bad."
Seeing Karuizawa turn her face away, clearly not wanting to hear a lecture, Hachiman honestly stopped provoking her.
"Well, anyway, it was quite delicious. Once in a while, it doesn't matter."
"That's more like it. Let's go!"
"So, what kind of return gift do you actually want?"
Hachiman stood up and followed behind Karuizawa, hinting frantically.
After all, he didn't just have to buy a return gift for Karuizawa; he also had to get gifts for Sakura Airi and the others. He didn't have much time to wander around.
Though he'd likely just pick a few things at random to give back.
"Hmm..."
Karuizawa checked the time; it was around 1:30 PM.
"There's still some time. Why don't we go bowling next, and then wander around the mall for a bit?"
"Let's skip that."
Hachiman followed behind helplessly. "I've never even touched a bowling ball."
"It's fine! I don't really know how to play either~"
Karuizawa intentionally slowed down to walk side-by-side with Hachiman, smiling nonchalantly.
"Then why go?"
Hachiman couldn't help but look at her with confusion.
"It can't be helped."
Karuizawa said somewhat helplessly: "For someone with my personality, shouldn't I play bowling? Besides, even though I don't really know how, I don't hate it. It's actually quite fun after playing."
That was true.
Activities like bowling, skating, and billiards all had a strong "normie" (riajuu) atmosphere.
Despite her past of being bullied—the real Karuizawa being both cowardly and strong—she was still working hard to play the role of a "gyaru."
She was probably using the perpetrators from middle school as models to imitate to avoid being bullied again.
"Heh..."
Hachiman let out a couple of mocking laughs. "Those normies just like to engage in improper male-female relationships every day; they're all frivolous types. Do you want to learn from them?"
"That's not it!"
Karuizawa's face turned bright red. "That's a prejudice! And I..."
As she spoke, Karuizawa's voice became as faint as a mosquito's buzz:
"I haven't even experienced it yet..."
"Oh."
Hachiman didn't care much, but his "older brother soul" began to burn, and he unconsciously started lecturing again.
"It's fine if you want to imitate those guys, but you still need your own judgment. Don't learn everything from them."
"Oh... I know..."
Karuizawa's face reddened as she nodded honestly.
She wasn't an idiot.
How could she really learn from those frivolous "green tea" girls?
Those girls in middle school spent all day discussing who was "better" to show off how knowledgeable and adult-like they were; most were indeed frivolous.
But she only needed one person!
The Bowling Alley.
Hachiman sat on the sofa with both hands, flipping through the bowling rules, and was ready to give up.
Was it necessary for a mere sport to be so complicated?
Couldn't it be as simple as ping pong?
"Alright, starting now~"
Karuizawa walked up to Hachiman holding a bowling ball and smiled:
"Whoever knocks down the most pins wins. We'll decide over six frames. The loser treats the other to dinner. How about it?"
"No thanks."
Hachiman put down the manual and shook his head. "I already said I'm paying today. No need to bet on anything, as long as it doesn't exceed 100,000 private points."
"Eh?"
Karuizawa was stunned for a moment, then said speechlessly: "I can't tell if you're stingy or generous."
"It's just an agreement; it has nothing to do with being generous or stingy. And..."
Saying this, Hachiman looked at Karuizawa. Beneath her blue off-the-shoulder dress was an inverted-V opening.
"Won't it be inconvenient for you to move in those clothes?"
"Eh?"
Feeling Hachiman's scrutinizing gaze, Karuizawa's face flushed, and she unconsciously pulled her legs together.
"We're just playing for fun; don't worry about it."
"Fine then."
Hachiman stood up.
If it was just for fun, he didn't mind.
"Then let's change the bet."
Suddenly, Karuizawa showed a fox-like smile:
"Whoever loses owes the other a meal."
"..."
Hachiman's face darkened.
He was paying today, so the bet would push the meal to "next time." Wasn't this girl being a bit despicable?
"Aren't you bad at this?"
"What does it matter? Let's just play."
"Alright, who goes first?"
"Hikki, it's your first time, right? I'll go first to show you how it's done!"
Karuizawa carried the ball to the lane, took two simple steps, leaned her body forward with her right leg slightly back, and the ball rolled from her hand.
These clothes were indeed unsuitable for sports.
The posture contrasted sharply with those around her. Instead of this, wouldn't it be better to just stand and throw?
However, perhaps because she was cute and had a "beauty bonus," Karuizawa still attracted several glances.
Hachiman was speechless.
He watched as the ball took down two or three pins and rolled into the pit.
"How was that?"
Karuizawa walked back to the resting area with a bit of pride. "That's it. Simple, right?"
"What are you so proud of?"
Hachiman was even more speechless. "You clearly don't know what you're doing, do you?"
Putting aside the clothing issue.
Even if he just imitated those around him, Hachiman felt his posture would be much more standard than Karuizawa's. Of course, he wasn't sure about the score.
"Does it matter?"
Karuizawa stood with her hands tight against her sides like a penguin, appearing a bit angry:
"As long as they fall, it's fine, right?"
"I guess so..."
Hachiman nodded in agreement, picked up a ball, and walked to the lane.
Only when he held the ball did he realize this sport might not be as simple as he thought.
A beginner might have trouble letting the ball roll smoothly, let alone knocking down pins.
After pondering for a moment, Hachiman spread his legs, held the ball with both hands, lowered his body, and gently pushed it forward. The ball rolled slowly down the lane and took down five pins.
"Wait, wait, wait!"
Karuizawa immediately ran up to him, puffing out her cheeks in protest.
"That's too sneaky! And the move was so ugly!"
"What does it matter?"
Hachiman stuck his hands in his pockets and lifted his chin defiantly. "As long as they fall, it's fine, right?"
"Ugh..."
Karuizawa's face turned red as she held back her words. After a while, she said: "That frame doesn't count! We're starting over! I'll go first again!"
"Oh! Whatever you like."
Hachiman was very confident.
He definitely couldn't beat the normies who played often, but he felt he could handle Karuizawa without a problem!
"Hmph, just you wait!"
Karuizawa returned to the lane with the ball, triumphantly spreading her legs and lowering her body.
The blue dress was pulled higher and higher, exposing her snow-white thighs to Hachiman, making his face redden.
"Stop, stop, stop."
Hachiman looked away and immediately raised a hand to stop her, feeling embarrassed:
"It's indeed a bit indecent... let's just forget it."
"Hmm?"
Karuizawa was stunned for a moment.
Behind her, she felt some lingering gazes. Her face instantly turned crimson, and she threw the ball, clutching her skirt as she hid behind Hachiman.
"Stupid, why didn't you say so earlier?"
"How was I supposed to know you'd throw it like that?"
Hachiman turned back, somewhat disbelieving. "You've definitely never played bowling before, have you?"
Even if someone had played just once, they'd usually have a bit of superiority.
They would definitely criticize his non-standard posture just now; there's no way they'd follow it. Karuizawa definitely hadn't played!
"Hmph..."
Karuizawa let out a soft snort, her red face turning aside: "I've seen it on TV."
It couldn't be helped.
She didn't have many friends in middle school.
She had even fewer chances to learn in high school.
If she were asked "Karuizawa, haven't you played?" she felt she'd be exposed instantly.
Karuizawa could only claim she wasn't interested in it.
Secretly, however, she had studied all the projects that "gyaru" girls often played just in case.
"Your theory is so impressive it could win a championship in a Birdman contest," Hachiman said speechlessly. "Does that make me a star athlete then?"
"As long as it's fun, what's the problem?"
Karuizawa puffed her cheeks in a sulk. The two shared a look, and then she covered her mouth and laughed.
Thinking about Hachiman's posture just now, this guy really didn't care about what others thought.
But when she used the same posture, Hachiman couldn't help but stop her.
At that thought, Karuizawa wanted to laugh even more.
A smile also appeared on the corner of Hachiman's mouth.
Even though bowling was a "trash project" liked only by normies, when two beginners played it...
It was actually quite fun!