"Come with me for a moment."
Karuizawa carrying her shoulder bag, walked up to the two with a stern face. Kushida Kikyo followed beside her with a smile.
She had naturally been dragged along by Karuizawa to provide support.
Of course, she was also quite happy to follow along and "eat melon" (watch the drama).
"Um..."
Himeno Yuki looked at Kushida Kikyo and said weakly: "Do you have something to discuss with Hikki?"
"Don't act innocent with me."
Karuizawa immediately glared at her.
Ichinose was one thing, but there was no way Hikigaya could be taken down by such a gentle-looking person; she must be acting.
Himeno Yuki's eye twitched, and she was so angry she was trembling, but feeling Kushida Kikyo's curious gaze, she weakly lowered her head.
Unreliable...
"Sigh, what's the matter?"
Hikigaya looked at Karuizawa in front of him, feeling somewhat helpless.
Karuizawa took a deep breath and looked coldly at Himeno Yuki: "I have something to say to him. If you're concerned, come along, but just watch from the side with Kushida-san, is that okay, Kushida-san?"
"Sure, I have no problem with that."
Kushida Kikyo nodded with a smile. Himeno Yuki also breathed a sigh of relief; as long as they weren't alone together, there was no problem.
Keyaki Mall, Dining Area.
Chinese Restaurant.
Hikigaya sat opposite Karuizawa, while Himeno Yuki and Kushida Kikyo sat not far away.
At this distance, although they couldn't hear the conversation, they could clearly see the expressions of the two.
"Trash."
Karuizawa gave a soft hmph and spoke quietly.
Hikigaya's mouth twitched as he truly had no reason to refute; he believed Karuizawa and the others had already heard the rumors.
However, today was when the special exam was announced; by all accounts, everyone should be more focused on that right now.
The fact that she had come looking for him directly was somewhat surprising.
"So," Hikigaya looked at the girl before him with a complex expression, "what do you want with me?"
"What exactly is going on with you guys?"
Karuizawa said unhappily, turning to glare at Himeno Yuki over there. Only after seeing the other party lower her head in submission did she feel a bit better.
"It's nothing."
Hikigaya was somewhat helpless.
In any case, it was impossible to tell anyone else about this.
"Forget it if you won't say."
Karuizawa rested her hands on her lap and turned her face away, acting a bit petulant: "I can pretty much guess anyway even if you don't say."
It was probably some forceful push or something similar.
Otherwise, Hikigaya couldn't possibly accept someone so gentle; Himeno Yuki must be faking it.
"I see."
Thinking of how heartbroken Karuizawa had looked the day before yesterday, Hikigaya hesitated for a moment, took a deep breath, and said: "Um... this might sound a bit conceited, but let's not contact each other anymore."
"What do you mean by that?"
Karuizawa stood up with a "shua" sound, instantly drawing the gazes of Himeno Yuki and Kushida Kikyo.
Watching this scene, Himeno Yuki immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Bitch.
She had the nerve to glare at her just now.
As long as she didn't let these girls be alone with Hikigaya, there would be no problem. She would be the last one to use this kind of method.
Karuizawa should just get lost.
"Um..."
Hikigaya took a deep breath and said solemnly: "While I appreciate your feelings, no matter what you think, I can't possibly accept a third person."
"You shouldn't have to worry about your past being discovered now, so there's no point in continuing to seek me out."
Both physically and mentally, Hikigaya was already starting to feel overwhelmed.
Once was enough for something like this.
If it happened again, he might really break down.
"You..."
Karuizawa's eyes turned red.
She was so angry her chest was heaving, and she drank several glasses of water in a row.
How could he make it sound like she was only looking for him for help?
While that might have been true initially, she was later drawn to Hikigaya's sense of responsibility.
"Forget it."
After a long while, Karuizawa let out a breath and glanced at Hikigaya: "Why, you seem like you're not happy?"
"How could I not be happy?"
Hikigaya gave a self-deprecating smile.
Normally, this would be something others would envy.
In fact, it was quite comfortable when the three of them were together, but afterward, he felt a bit disgusted.
Hikigaya even felt a bit of self-loathing.
He really didn't know what they saw in him.
"Hehe."
Looking at Himeno Yuki not far away, Karuizawa rested her chin on her hand and pouted: "Then you should just break up with that girl named Himeno."
"How could I break up..."
Hikigaya let out a helpless sigh.
Things had already reached this point.
Naturally, he couldn't just leave them be.
Fortunately, Ichinose and Himeno Yuki had reached a consensus, so he could only take responsibility to the end.
"Forget it, I knew it would be like this."
Karuizawa looked at Himeno Yuki's "innocent" act and gnashed her teeth in hatred.
That girl must have targeted Hikigaya's sense of responsibility, intentionally clinging to him and refusing to leave.
Vixen.
"Whatever."
Karuizawa glanced at Hikigaya and said: "Anyway, I haven't decided yet, so let's just leave it like this for now."
Even though she liked Hikigaya, Karuizawa still felt a bit unhappy at the thought of sharing him with Ichinose and the others. She was here first, so why should she have to share him with them?
If only Hikigaya would say a few nice things.
Beg her!
Then maybe it would be possible.
But looking at him, Hikigaya definitely wouldn't say it.
"No."
Hikigaya quickly said: "Don't even consider it, just go on with your own life. I'm not a good choice, and it's impossible!"
"Hehe, that's my business."
Karuizawa gave him a contemptuous look.
He had rejected her so decisively the day before yesterday, and then he suddenly had another girlfriend.
Who would believe that?
Ichinose seemed very easy to persuade; as long as she was a bit more assertive, she felt she could take down Hikigaya at any time.
However, Karuizawa hadn't made up her mind yet.
Even though Hikigaya was very reliable, having to share him felt like a loss.
"Sigh."
Hikigaya let out a helpless sigh.
He should probably go back and block Karuizawa.
But that might not work.
His past experience with Kushida Kikyo and Horikita Suzune told him that the school was only so big, and blocking people wasn't a good choice.
It was better to just set her to "do not disturb." He really didn't want a second time.
"Also..."
At this point, Karuizawa turned around and said a bit shyly: "Regarding what happened the day before yesterday, I'm really sorry. I was a bit emotional then, I'm sorry."
"There's no need, you have no reason to apologize to me."
Hikigaya gave a weak sigh and shook his head: "It's me who should apologize to you. You might have been right."
Gentleness really is the most powerful poison in the world.
He really couldn't be gentle to everyone; he had to keep that in mind in the future.
"Whatever, that's it for today."
Karuizawa didn't care.
This guy's nature couldn't be changed.
Even though Hikigaya seemed fine on the surface, he still seemed a bit out of it.
Karuizawa stood up with her bag and gave Himeno Yuki a cold look as she walked past.
Himeno Yuki kept her head down.
Yet a spark of anger flashed in her eyes; this hateful woman actually dared to show off in front of her.
If she had said a few nice words, it might have been okay.
But now, she would never allow Karuizawa to get close to Hikigaya.