...
Day one.
After 4:00 PM.
Hikigaya and the others had arrived at the final designated area D6.
There happened to be a lake nearby, and the few of them decided to spend the night there.
At this time.
Hikigaya and Amikura Mako were setting up the tents, while Shirami Chihiro was preparing the campfire and dinner.
It only required slight heating, so it didn't require much physical strength.
Having made the preparations for camping.
The three of them sat around the campfire facing each other.
"I'm sorry..."
Shirami Chihiro held her bento in her small hands and said dejectedly: "It's all because I'm too useless that we only got ten points today."
"That's not the case; I feel this is already a very good score."
Amikura Mako smiled unconcernedly.
With the two million personal points Hikigaya gave as backup, her mood was also slightly more relaxed.
Of course.
If these personal points weren't used, they would have to be returned after the exam ended.
What Amikura Mako said was naturally correct.
Just three arrival order rewards had already yielded nine points.
A three-person group was too much more advantageous than a single-person group.
Except for those groups capable of competing for the top three ranks, it would likely be hard for other groups to open up too large a gap at this stage.
This score was already okay.
It was just that Shirami Chihiro was quite kind, so she would feel that she was a drag on the group.
"Yeah."
Hikigaya also nodded and said: "Moreover, we also received a lot of help from Shirami-san."
"Eh?"
Seeing Shirami Chihiro's puzzled look, Hikigaya then casually explained:
"Like last year, if Shirami-san hadn't been poking my back to remind me not to doze off, I might have already been expelled for failing the exam, and it would have affected the class points. It's all thanks to Shirami's merit."
"Does that even count?"
Shirami Chihiro's face flushed red as she spoke somewhat embarrassedly.
It was clearly just poking Hikigaya when he was about to collapse; could that really count as merit?
"It definitely counts."
Hikigaya nodded sincerely.
If not for Shirami Chihiro's reminder, and Amikura Mako tutoring him in his studies, it certainly wouldn't have been so easy.
"Speaking of which."
Shirami Chihiro pressed her legs together, appearing somewhat shy:
"Actually, I've always been rather careless. I can't take in anything during class and am often distracted by other things, often losing things. Thank you, Hikki, for always helping me pick things up."
"Just picking things up, it's nothing much."
Hikigaya shook his head, feeling somewhat helpless in his heart.
Although he also often lamented that Shirami Chihiro was a bit careless and frequently dropped her eraser, just helping to pick things up was indeed just a minor effort.
He didn't expect.
Shirami Chihiro could actually always keep it in her heart.
To be so seriously thanked for such a small thing was truly moving.
"That's not it at all!"
For some reason, Shirami Chihiro's voice rose a bit, and she said excitedly:
"Hikki helped me for a year, and during that year there was no complaint at all, nor did you look at me with strange eyes. I think that is a very remarkable thing!"
"Oh... oh... is that so?"
Hikigaya was somewhat stunned.
Was there really a need for that for such a minor effort?
"If you put it that way, it's also a very remarkable thing that Shirami-san could remind me like that for a year, right?"
"Eh?"
Shirami Chihiro's small face turned even redder, and her weak voice stuttered a bit.
"Is that so?"
"All right, you two."
Amikura Mako's mouth couldn't help but reveal a hint of a smile: "I feel like you two will just go on and on like this."
Hearing this.
Hikigaya's old face turned red, and Shirami Chihiro also felt a bit embarrassed.
It had to be said.
Both were very gentle people.
Only they were both a bit self-deprecating and instead more considerate of each other.
"Hikki, can I ask you a question? If you find it hard to answer, just tell me."
After hesitating for a moment, as it was an opportunity, Amikura Mako placed the bento on her long thighs and asked in a somewhat serious tone.
"Oh, sure."
"Hikki."
Amikura Mako seriously scrutinized Hikigaya's expression:
"Of those you are dating like Honami and the others, who is the person you like the most?"
"Mako-chan."
Shirami Chihiro asked in a weak voice, feeling it wasn't quite right to ask this question, but her gaze also couldn't help but look at Hikigaya, clearly equally concerned.
"Uh..."
Hikigaya's expression stiffened.
He didn't expect such a tricky question all of a sudden.
It was also normal.
If Amikura Mako didn't have a good relationship with him, she would probably even suspect if he was really a scumbag.
But if he had to answer, it wasn't actually that hard.
"Honami, I guess."
Hikigaya nodded without thinking.
If he had to choose one out of the four, it would naturally be Ichinose Honami.
If things hadn't come to this.
He wouldn't have even come into contact with Sakayanagi and the others, and now he could only follow this path to the end.
"As expected?"
Shirami Chihiro for some reason breathed a sigh of relief.
Otherwise, she felt Ichinose would be too pitiful, only it felt a bit unfair to Himeno Yuki.
"I see."
Amikura Mako nodded in understanding and said in a somewhat probing tone: "Then Hikki, will you have other girlfriends in the future?"
She had already asked Ichinose last time.
As long as she could confirm the other party was a gentle and good person, and if she pleaded hard enough, Ichinose would mostly have a soft heart.
Although she felt the relationship between them was a bit strange.
It didn't fit the standards of the world.
But Amikura Mako was still somewhat concerned.
"Probably... not."
Hikigaya lacked confidence.
After all, he had made too many guarantees, and indeed as Karuizawa said, even he himself felt he had no credibility to speak of anymore.
"I see."
Amikura Mako and Shirami Chihiro couldn't help but exchange looks.
They felt Hikigaya was no longer as firm as last time, and was more like he was just letting things be.
He'd refuse if he could, and if something else happened, then whatever.
The few of them chatted casually while eating dinner.
"Speaking of which, Hikki, you seem to have been born in Chiba, right?"
"Eh?"
Hikigaya was suddenly stunned.
He shouldn't have told many people that, so why did Amikura Mako know? Or did she find out by chatting with Ichinose?
How scary.
The chatting between girls was truly terrifying.
Better tell Ichinose after the exam ends; although it should be fine for Amikura Mako to know, he still had to pay a bit of attention to personal privacy.
"Yeah."
"It seems to be right next to Kyoto. What kind of place is Chiba? Are there any fun things there?"
"Let me tell you."
I'm no longer sleepy when it comes to this; Hikigaya's face immediately lit up.
They chatted until late at night.
Only then did the three extinguish the campfire and prepare to sleep.
It was only at this moment.
That Hikigaya suddenly realized.
He seemed to be camping alone outside with two beautiful girls.
Glancing at the two tents right next to each other, Hikigaya felt a bit of regret; he would have kept them a bit apart if he had known.
Forget it.
It was impossible for Amikura Mako and Shirami Chihiro to launch a night attack on him.