In the hallway.
Looking at the thick door in front of him, Hikigaya couldn't help but swallow his saliva; his legs were trembling slightly.
Chairman Sakayanagi has clearly been back at school for a while.
To only come looking for him now.
By all reasoning, it shouldn't be a big problem.
But at the thought of meeting someone who might be his future father-in-law, Hikigaya was a bit scared.
"Knock knock knock."
At this moment.
Hoshinomiya Chie knocked on the door.
The other party is the school chairman; they don't have the power to refuse.
"Hey, I haven't prepared myself mentally..."
"Enter..."
Before he could finish.
A steady voice came from inside the room.
Hoshinomiya Chie pushed open the door and walked into the room; Hikigaya's face was stiff as he hurriedly took a deep breath and followed behind.
"Chairman Sakayanagi."
"This is the Hikigaya-kun from our class; is there something you're looking for him for?"
"Stare~"
Hoshinomiya Chie's eyes were sparkling, clearly wanting to stay and "eat melons" (watch the drama).
And Hikigaya, following behind, was also sizing up Chairman Sakayanagi sitting in the executive chair.
His hair was as white as Sakayanagi Arisu's, and his face was thin.
He heard from Sakayanagi Arisu that she was from a single-parent family, but she didn't feel the slightest bit unfortunate; Chairman Sakayanagi acting as both father and mother must have been quite hard.
From another angle.
This also showed how important Sakayanagi Arisu was in his heart.
He was afraid that even if Sakayanagi Arisu wanted the stars in the sky, Chairman Sakayanagi would find a way to get them down.
"Hoshinomiya-sensei, you go out first."
Chairman Sakayanagi said with an amiable smile, while inwardly wanting to curse.
These things have long spread through the whole school; could Hoshinomiya Chie not have guessed?
She actually dared to watch his drama.
Hoshinomiya's bonus for this month is gone.
"Oh..."
Hoshinomiya left the room reluctantly and closed the door.
Working under Chairman Sakayanagi should be very easy; at least the work atmosphere should be quite good.
Only then would Hoshinomiya dare to speak to her superior like that.
"You are Hikigaya."
"Yes..."
Looking at Chairman Sakayanagi's cold gaze, Hikigaya forced out a smile.
"Is this you?"
Saying that.
Chairman Sakayanagi picked up the tablet on the desk.
On the screen.
Hikigaya was sitting in his seat, with Ichinose and Kamuro Masumi in each arm, and Sakayanagi Arisu sitting in his lap with a smile on her face.
"Uh..."
Hikigaya was suddenly a bit embarrassed.
The school strictly forbids improper relationships.
Although usually no one says much, since Chairman Sakayanagi pointed it out, he naturally couldn't act like he didn't hear it.
He must want to give him a show of authority.
Although lying to stall through it was an option.
But after hesitating for a moment.
Hikigaya still looked up at Chairman Sakayanagi before him and said in a heavy voice:
"Sorry, Arisu and I are dating, and at the same time there's Ichinose and the others. Although it's a bit shameless, please hand your daughter over to me."
Shameless indeed.
But excuses were meaningless; what was done was done.
Hikigaya felt it was better to be frank.
No matter if Chairman Sakayanagi wanted to hit or scold him, he could only take it; just for Sakayanagi Arisu's sake, it shouldn't go as far as taking him to feed the fish.
"Hmm?"
Chairman Sakayanagi was suddenly stunned for a moment.
He originally wanted to give Hikigaya a show of authority, but he didn't expect this guy to be so shameless.
He should have guessed his purpose in advance.
A show of authority was also meaningless.
Chairman Sakayanagi was truly a bit frustrated.
If not for Sakayanagi Arisu's sake, he definitely wouldn't let Hikigaya have a good time.
Forget it.
Even if he's shameless.
At least it's much better than being secretive and not daring to take responsibility for what he's done.
It's just.
"Let me hand Arisu over to you?"
Chairman Sakayanagi stood up, his gaze suddenly becoming sharp, and his thin face revealed the pressure of someone in a superior position.
"It looks like you learned in advance from Arisu or Hoshinomiya that I've been back at school for a while."
"Do you think that because I didn't look for you before, I've already defaulted to accepting the relationship between you and Arisu?"
"Uh..."
Hikigaya suddenly became even more embarrassed.
After all, if he didn't come to find him immediately upon returning to school, it was either Chairman Sakayanagi had already tacitly accepted, or he didn't care about Sakayanagi at all.
In short, he indeed thought that way.
"Hmph."
Chairman Sakayanagi let out a cold snort.
He took a check from the drawer and slapped it on the table.
"If it weren't for the mess Tsukishiro left behind, do you think you could have lived until now?"
"I've seen many people like you. It's nothing more than learning about Arisu's background from somewhere and taking a fancy to the Sakayanagi family's status, or simply wanting to make a quick buck."
"Here is 100 million yen. If you're smart, take this money and disappear from our sight; it's enough for you to live a life of wealth."
"Otherwise, I'll let you know that the world isn't as simple as you imagine, kid!"
Saying that.
Chairman Sakayanagi walked up to Hikigaya, his thin frame full of the oppressive pressure of a superior.
"Uh..."
Hikigaya's expression froze on his face.
It was natural for Chairman Sakayanagi to think this way.
After all, in front of the Sakayanagi family, his status as an ordinary civilian was truly insufficient.
However.
Sakayanagi Arisu respects her father very much.
This is clearly a test.
Testing his feelings for Sakayanagi Arisu—no father would not worry about his daughter.
Hikigaya knew this very well.
Therefore.
His expression was a bit difficult.
Although telling some lies to deceive his way through wasn't hard, the truth also carried huge risks.
But after hesitating for a moment.
"I..."
Meeting Chairman Sakayanagi's scrutinizing gaze, Hikigaya still said in a deep voice:
"I indeed can't say I like Arisu that much... but it's not because I'm after your family's connections, and certainly not for money."
"200 million."
Chairman Sakayanagi said coldly, greatly increasing the stakes.
A few "small goals" (hundreds of millions) were just a drop in the bucket for him.
Just by managing this school, the kickbacks he received every month were astronomical figures, not to mention other industries.
"I already said it's not for money."
Hikigaya shook his head a bit bitterly and said:
"If Arisu is willing to break up with me, I should probably give up quickly."
After all.
Even if someone promotes him.
Hikigaya knew very well that this path would surely be very hard in the future.
"I indeed don't like Arisu that much. However, you can rest assured, as long as Arisu hasn't given up, I will definitely do my utmost to protect her and not let Arisu suffer any harm."
"Do you know how shameless your words are?"
Chairman Sakayanagi said coldly, feeling even more helpless inwardly.
He could roughly guess that it was mostly Arisu who forced Hikigaya; otherwise, given Hikigaya's lackadaisical personality, he would mostly take whichever path was easiest.
"I know..."
Hikigaya's gaze was firm.
There was no other way.
This was his most authentic thought.
Now that things had come to this.
Denial was already meaningless; Hikigaya frankly accepted his own shamelessness.
After a long time.
Chairman Sakayanagi fixed a sharp gaze on the Hikigaya before him.
He let out a cold snort.
"You think someone like you is worthy of protecting Arisu?"
"..."
Hikigaya was a bit helpless.
As expected, it wasn't so easy to pass; he wasn't really going to be thrown to feed the fish, was he?