Inside the private room.
After Kushida Kikyo left.
Hikigaya looked at the Karuizawa before him with some helplessness.
If Karuizawa had somewhere she needed help, as long as it wasn't too difficult, he would provide some support.
But it was likely mostly about today's rumors.
"You still haven't given up?"
"Garbage..."
Karuizawa said with her arms crossed and a cold expression.
It immediately made Hikigaya's mouth twitch, though he didn't refute it.
"Scumbag, human trash!"
"Hey."
Hikigaya really couldn't take it anymore and said somewhat speechlessly: "Garbage and scumbag aside, 'human trash' is a bit too much."
Dating four people at once.
He really couldn't refute 'garbage' and 'scumbag'.
But Hikigaya believed that he hadn't fallen to the level of 'human trash' yet.
"Hmph."
"If I say you are, you are!"
Karuizawa suddenly slapped the coffee table in front of her and said angrily:
"Only two months have passed; why did two more suddenly appear?"
"This..."
Hikigaya was suddenly embarrassed to the extreme.
Clearly, he had told Karuizawa before that there would absolutely not be a third one and told her to give up early, refusing so decisively.
But in less than two months, it jumped straight to the fourth.
The face-slapping came that fast.
"Hmph."
Seeing this, Karuizawa snorted, leaned back on the sofa with arms crossed:
"Nothing left to say? Still saying there absolutely won't be a third, telling me it's absolutely impossible. Setting that girl named Kamuro aside, could I possibly be inferior to Sakayanagi?"
As early as when she heard this news.
Karuizawa had secretly run to Class A to check Kamuro Masumi and Sakayanagi Arisu on the OAA.
Kamuro Masumi aside.
Her figure was tall and proportions perfect; she was indeed very beautiful.
But that Sakayanagi Arisu had no chest and no butt; at most, her temperament was okay.
Karuizawa believed that she wouldn't lose to Sakayanagi no matter what!
Unless Hikigaya was a lolicon.
"It's not... just..."
"You don't need to tell me, I already know."
Before Hikigaya could finish, Karuizawa cut him off with a snort:
"They definitely used some forceful means when you weren't paying attention, right? Was your crazy training a while back related to those two?"
"Did you see that?"
Hikigaya was suddenly stunned, which instead made Karuizawa frown and get even angrier:
"Hmm? I even talked to you; you forgot that quickly?"
"???"
Hikigaya really didn't remember.
At that time, he was single-mindedly training crazily to escape; perhaps he hadn't even noticed the people around him. Anyway, if Karuizawa said so, then so be it.
"Sorry."
Hikigaya said apologetically: "I didn't notice. If I said anything unpleasant, I apologize to you."
"No need."
Karuizawa turned her head to the side, looking a bit sheepish:
"You didn't say much, it just made me a little worried."
"Sorry for making you worry."
Hikigaya said apologetically.
Inwardly, he also breathed a small sigh of relief; fortunately, he hadn't said anything unpleasant.
"As long as you know."
"Don't make me worry so much; it's really not your style."
Karuizawa turned back and glanced at him.
Seeing that absent-minded look of Hikigaya's last time was truly distressing. She had even secretly gone to test Ichinose and Himeno Yuki and the others.
However, there was no need to let Hikigaya know about these things.
"Then..."
After a moment of hesitation, Karuizawa looked back at Hikigaya, her face slightly flushed:
"Hikki, let's date."
"Sorry, I didn't..."
"Do you think your words still have any credibility?"
Karuizawa immediately glared at him fiercely, leaving Hikigaya somewhat speechless.
That was true.
In the eyes of others.
Saying any more guarantees probably wouldn't be believed by anyone anymore.
If he were knocked out again or drugged.
Hikigaya had no good way; after all, it was impossible to always guard against such things.
"Even so."
Hikigaya took a deep breath and said: "I still can't accept your kindness. You can find someone more worthy of being entrusted with your life; there's no need to waste time on me."
"..."
Karuizawa gave him a cold sideways glance: "What, do I have to be forceful for you to accept?"
One didn't even need to guess.
Sakayanagi and Himeno Yuki and the others must have used some forceful means; otherwise, it was impossible for Hikigaya to agree.
"Please, absolutely do not."
Hikigaya's face stiffened.
His body couldn't help but shift back a bit; the room's door had glass.
Although this was still considered a public area, Hikigaya really didn't understand what these girls were thinking.
Seeing his movement, Karuizawa was amused.
"What are you afraid of? I wouldn't do that kind of thing. My point is, let's just date secretly in the background. We'll only tell Ichinose and those few, how about it?"
"???"
Hikigaya was suddenly stunned and asked in confusion: "Why on earth would you go to such lengths?"
Even taking a step back.
Even if he did save Karuizawa, there was no need to go this far, right?
Hikigaya truly didn't understand.
But in reality.
Throughout the three years of middle school, even if he encountered Ayanokouji, Hikigaya was the first to unconditionally extend a helping hand to Karuizawa.
Karuizawa had already decided.
Hikigaya was the person most worthy of trust.
Although she had hesitated when she heard he was dating Ichinose.
But.
Seeing the three of them together in harmony.
Neither Ichinose nor Himeno Yuki showed any signs of jealousy.
Karuizawa didn't care as much anymore.
"I've said it so bluntly, why don't you understand yet?"
Karuizawa's gaze was extremely resentful; if she didn't know Hikigaya, she would have thought he was doing it on purpose.
"If I keep waiting, how do I know if there won't be a fifth or a sixth?"
"Definitely not..."
"Do you think I'd believe that?"
Hearing Karuizawa's words, Hikigaya suddenly couldn't continue.
Fine.
Indeed, there was no credibility anymore.
"And."
Karuizawa grabbed her hair, feeling a bit of a headache: "If I'm with you, I'll definitely be pointed at by others, right? So I think dating in secret is quite good!"
Claim the spot first.
As for other matters, she'd worry about them later.
Clearly.
Following Hikigaya wouldn't lead to good evaluations and might even affect Karuizawa's status in the class, leading to ostracization by others.
Therefore.
After much consideration, Karuizawa still felt it was better not to date publicly.
"Wouldn't it be better to just forget it?"
Hikigaya said somewhat helplessly: "Although I don't have much confidence in myself either, whether you believe it or not, I don't want there to be a fifth."
"You should go find someone you like; I'll head back for today."
"Do you really have to force me to use force!"
"..."
Hikigaya hurriedly got up, and in one go, opened the door and ran out of the room.
Anyway, since he had said what he needed to say.
He could only run.
Watching Hikigaya's retreating back, Karuizawa laughed out of frustration, as if she were that scary.
But.
Karuizawa didn't take it to heart.
Without using force, this was roughly the expected result.
Karuizawa had anticipated it long ago.
Forget it.
It would be better to open a breakthrough from Ichinose and the others' side.
After contact.
She found that Ichinose was actually quite easy to talk to!
...