In less than a moment.
The dormitory door slowly opened, and Hikigaya's figure appeared before Kamuro Masumi, though his expression looked much more relaxed for some reason.
Kamuro Masumi didn't care about all that and asked in a somewhat stern tone.
"Why didn't you answer the phone?"
"Sigh."
Looking at the girl before him.
Hikigaya sighed and returned to the dorm with a calm expression.
"There is no 'why'..."
"???"
Kamuro Masumi was stunned for a moment, following behind him with an even sterner tone.
"Have you forgotten your status? Explain things clearly to me, or don't blame me for being impolite."
Following behind Hikigaya, the two arrived in the bedroom.
Kamuro Masumi looked cold on the surface, suppressing her inner excitement; she finally had the chance to come to Hikigaya's dorm.
However.
Her gaze was quickly drawn to the suitcase on the bed.
"???"
Kamuro Masumi immediately furrowed her brows in confusion:
"Is this the reason for not answering my phone? What are you doing? There's still some time before the holidays; isn't it a bit too early to be packing luggage now?"
After all.
The summer vacation required going to a cruise ship to live for nearly a month.
Preparing luggage was truly only natural.
It's just this point in time,
Which gave Kamuro Masumi a sense that something was wrong.
"It has nothing to do with you."
Hikigaya's expression was calm as he put the folded shirt into the suitcase.
Items purchased with personal points could all be taken out of the school on one's own; after all, recycling them was useless.
"What?"
Kamuro Masumi immediately became angry, pulling Hikigaya's arm and saying:
"Explain things clearly to me; did you forget that I also have a video in my hands? If it's handed over to the school, you will be expelled immediately and it will affect the class."
"As you like."
Hikigaya continued to return to organizing his luggage unperturbed, letting Kamuro Masumi pull and push him.
Even without being told.
Kamuro Masumi could guess it; she furrowed her brows and suddenly reacted:
"Did you not hear what I just said?"
"I heard it."
Hikigaya lowered his head and said in a flat voice: "Expulsion, as you like."
"???"
Kamuro Masumi finally reacted, pulling Hikigaya's arm again and pushing him to sit on the bed, her expression somewhat agitated as she said:
"What are you thinking in your head? Have you gone crazy?"
Kamuro Masumi truly couldn't understand.
Besides forcing Hikigaya to play some exciting master-servant games with her, she hadn't done anything else; what's more, Hikigaya was the one in the dominant position.
On one side was expulsion, affecting the class, affecting family, and a ruined future.
On the other side was betraying the class and merely abandoning two classmates he wasn't familiar with.
He could also date three beautiful girls at the same time; although she more so hoped Hikigaya could break up with Ichinose and the others, it wasn't impossible for her to just meet him occasionally on weekends behind the scenes.
The pros and cons were so obvious.
They should be easy to weigh, and it should be easy to make a choice.
At least.
In Kamuro Masumi's eyes.
Giving up a fairly comfortable life and actually thinking about expulsion.
It was simply crazy.
Hikigaya sat by the bed without responding, continuing to organize his clothes in his hands.
Watching the scene before her, Kamuro Masumi was indeed a bit angry, shaking his shoulders and saying:
"Talk to me! Do you think expulsion would just end it? Sakayanagi won't be that polite; when the time comes, it won't just be expulsion, you'll also have to go to jail. Do you understand or not?"
"That would be for the best."
Hikigaya instead had an expression of relief: "If they are willing to wait for me, I would naturally be very happy; if not, it doesn't matter, I can no longer continue to wrong Ichinose and the others."
Instigating Kamuro Masumi to defect.
This kind of talk naturally couldn't come from his mouth.
Otherwise.
It would give people a feeling that he was coercing the other party.
If Kamuro Masumi reacted and felt that he was just using expulsion as a bluff, then everything would be over.
Therefore.
Even though he had a plan in his heart, Hikigaya would not speak.
After careful thought.
Hikigaya also thought it through clearly.
Simple instigation wouldn't work.
Besides Kamuro Masumi, there were people constantly monitoring him; Sakayanagi didn't just have Kamuro Masumi as a subordinate.
Even if Kamuro Masumi denied the authenticity of the video.
In the future, others might continue to use the same method.
Whether it was drugging or violence.
Whichever it was.
Hikigaya did not have the confidence to handle it all.
After all.
There's the saying that a thief can strike any day, but one cannot guard against a thief every day.
What's more, given Sakayanagi's personality, once she knew Kamuro Masumi had defected, she would likely strike at Kamuro Masumi without mercy.
When the time came, Kamuro Masumi would face the risk of expulsion.
She definitely wouldn't agree either.
Since it was to be done.
It had to be done in one go, making it so Sakayanagi could never strike at him again.
This kind of plan wasn't hard to guess either.
After all, as an involved party, Kamuro Masumi could surely figure it out easily.
"You..."
Upon hearing this.
Kamuro Masumi immediately grabbed Hikigaya's collar, her pretty face becoming even more angry as she said:
"You like Ichinose that much? You can't even say their names, yet you care about those classmates that much? To sacrifice your own life for those irrelevant people, is there something wrong with your brain?"
"..."
Hikigaya was shaken until he was dizzy, yet he still said unconcernedly:
"This isn't about liking or whether I know them or not; it's just something you probably wouldn't understand."
Having said that.
Hikigaya no longer resisted.
If she wanted to shake him, let her continue shaking.
Since the decision to be expelled had already been made, any means of prevention were futile.
However.
As far as now was concerned.
She had not yet relayed the news of his impending expulsion to Sakayanagi; clearly, Kamuro Masumi did not have much loyalty and was similarly hesitating.
"You..."
Kamuro Masumi bit her teeth slightly.
Yes.
She could never understand Ichinose and Hikigaya—helping those irrelevant people even at the cost of sacrificing themselves.
But.
Isn't this exactly what she envied?
Envying that Ichinose could have someone like Hikigaya who could stand up for her at critical moments.
Precisely because of this.
She would like Hikigaya.
She would be willing to play the master-servant game with Hikigaya and make him happy under the premise of holding absolute dominance.
She let go of her hand.
Gazing at Hikigaya who continued to pack his suitcase, Kamuro Masumi was speechless for a long time until he finished packing his luggage.
Kamuro Masumi finally spoke through gritted teeth.
"Since you're going to be expelled anyway, can you answer one question for me?"
Seeing Hikigaya remain silent, Kamuro Masumi pursed her lips and spoke:
"How do you see me? Have you ever liked me?"
"No..."
Hikigaya was silent for a moment but still told the truth.
Two months of interaction.
His view of Kamuro Masumi's character had indeed improved, but it couldn't be called liking, after all, her initial intention was not pure.
However.
Hikigaya added:
"However, you are a good person, at least better than that fellow Sakayanagi. If we hadn't met in this way, we probably could have become friends."
"You..."
Kamuro Masumi gritted her teeth and gave him a fierce glare.
Even at this point.
Hikigaya still wouldn't say some insincere lies to make her happy; perhaps she might have changed her mind?
But.
This kind of sincerity was the part she liked the most.
She didn't know how it happened.
Clearly, when Sakayanagi targeted Ichinose with rumors, she hadn't considered her feelings as a shoplifter at all.
Hearing Sakayanagi's evaluation of shoplifting penalties, she also felt very awkward standing aside.
But.
She still obediently helped Sakayanagi do things.
Even though Hikigaya treated her like this.
She was still a bit reluctant to let Hikigaya leave.
Kamuro Masumi felt she was really being a masochist.
Perhaps.
Just like in the master-servant game.
She really was a slut, but since he was her master, there was nothing that could be done about it.
"I have a way."
"Hmm?"
Hikigaya finally looked up at her.
As expected.
Kamuro Masumi's character was not bad.
Truly sorry.
He was going to exploit that little bit of kindness Kamuro had.