As expected, someone had been tailing him and Toyokawa.
When he heard the voice from behind, Hikigaya didn't slow down—in fact, he sped up, trying to shake the pursuer off.
But Nagasaki Suyo wasn't about to give up that easily. When Hikigaya increased his pace, she pushed herself to the limit to keep up with him.
Unfortunately for her, no matter how hard she tried, keeping up with Hikigaya was just too much.
The distance between them widened rapidly.
That should be far enough. She'll probably give up now.
Don't chase after me, Hachiman…
"Hey! Up front… d-don't run… uwaa—!"
"Hmm?!"
Just then, a thud rang out behind him. Hikigaya instinctively stopped and turned around.
There, the girl who'd been desperately trying to keep up had tripped and fallen to the ground, pitifully clutching her thigh in pain.
His first thought? Get out of here. Don't get involved.
But seeing the girl lying there, obviously in pain and alone, Hikigaya couldn't bring himself to just walk away.
It was a quiet street at night, and leaving an injured girl alone like that… it just didn't sit right with him.
...Tch. Fine.
With no choice, Hikigaya reluctantly turned back and walked over to Nagasaki Suyo.
"Ugh… it hurts, hiss…"
"You okay?" he asked, concern creeping into his voice.
Suyo had a fire in her belly after all that chasing and falling, and part of her wanted to lash out.
But the ever-composed Suyo managed to rein it in, and instead offered Hikigaya a smile.
"I'm fine, just a little fall. Hurts a bit, that's all."
"Need a hand?"
"Mm-hmm. Sorry to trouble you—would you mind helping me up?"
Suyo smiled sheepishly.
Hikigaya offered his hand and helped her up.
As the two of them drew close, a gentle floral scent drifted from the girl. Combined with her graceful figure, the atmosphere suddenly turned… charged.
"Why'd you run away just now? I was calling you the whole time," Suyo sighed as she leaned slightly against him.
"Huh? Calling me?"
Hikigaya blinked. "Sorry, I didn't realize. I thought you were talking to someone else."
"…Someone else?"
Suyo glanced around the completely deserted street, her brow furrowing slightly as she fell silent.
Sensing the mood taking a turn for the awkward, Hikigaya quickly tried to shift gears.
"We don't really know each other, so… what did you want to talk to me about, exactly?"
"Ah, right. I should probably introduce myself first."
Snapping back to her usual self, Suyo flashed a bright, friendly smile.
"My name's Nagasaki Suyo. I go to Tsukinomori Girls' Academy."
Another girls' school? Seriously…?
"Hikigaya Hachiman. I'm from Sōbu High."
"Oh, Sōbu High! I've heard your school has great academics and a high college acceptance rate."
Suyo beamed, offering a polite compliment.
Hikigaya offered an awkward smile and replied,
"So, Nagasaki-san… what exactly did you want from me?"
At that, Suyo narrowed her eyes briefly, then spoke in a cheerful, singsong tone:
"Well, you see—I'm a good friend of Shōko's. Yep, the same Shōko you just walked home with~"
"You mean Toyokawa Shōko?"
"Yep! We've been friends for a long time."
Suyo emphasized that point with a sweet smile.
"But… you two go to different schools, don't you?"
"We were middle school classmates. Both of us went to Tsukinomori Girls' Academy's junior high.
Unfortunately, when it came time for high school, she transferred to Haneoka Girls' Academy."
Suyo sighed, her expression one of genuine regret.
"Oh, I see…"
Hikigaya nodded vaguely, but his attention was on how Suyo was still clinging tightly to his arm—like a suction cup that wouldn't come off, as if she were terrified he'd run away again.
"So… you wanted to ask something about your friend?"
Since he couldn't shake her off, Hikigaya figured he might as well ask.
"That's right."
Suyo nodded cheerfully, casually fiddling with her fingernails as she spoke:
"As Shōko's friend, I'm just… curious. Hikigaya-kun, are you her boyfriend?"
"…Huh? Toyokawa's boyfriend?"
Hikigaya was caught completely off guard.
"Are you?" Suyo repeated with the same friendly smile—only now she was squeezing his arm tighter, like a snake slowly coiling around its prey.
"!!"
That smile… it's so fake.
And what's with this weird chill creeping up my spine?
Taking a deep breath, Hikigaya calmly shook his head.
"No, I just met Toyokawa-san today. There's no way I could be her boyfriend."
"Oh really? But earlier, when the two of you were together, she looked so happy.
Honestly, I haven't seen her smile like that in a long time—especially not at a boy~"
Oi, oi, oi!
Are you seriously just openly admitting you've been stalking us this whole time!?
"Toyokawa-san was probably just being friendly. As for why she was happy… maybe the idol concert really lifted her spirits."
Trying to avoid eye contact with Suyo, Hikigaya was starting to regret ever turning back to check on her.
"I see… so you're really not dating?"
"Really."
Hearing his firm response, Suyo seemed to ponder something quietly, murmuring under her breath—too softly for Hikigaya to catch.
"Um… Nagasaki-san, do you think you could let go of my arm now?"
"I saw earlier—Shōko gave you her contact info, didn't she? Right?"
Rather than loosening her grip, Suyo clung even tighter as she asked.
"…Yeah," Hikigaya admitted after a brief pause.
Suyo's eyelid twitched ever so slightly, though her smile remained.
"I see. So Shōko must really value you, huh? To go so far as to give you her contact info."
"It's just a phone number. That doesn't mean anything."
Hikigaya said, trying to downplay it.
"True, true. Just a phone number…"
Then, with an even sweeter smile, Suyo said:
"Well then—Hikigaya-kun, would you mind doing me a little favor?
Could you share Shōko's contact info with me?
Sigh… ever since we started high school, we've completely lost touch. I really miss her."
"…Huh?"
Wait a minute—why don't you just ask her yourself!?
Why are you asking me for it?
"Hikigaya-kun, is that okay?"
Suyo smiled even more radiantly, her voice soft and sweet—but somehow, terrifyingly so.
"Uhh…"
Wait a sec.
What's with that tone, like this isn't a request but an order?
And that smile—why is it getting scarier the longer I look at it?
If I say no… what exactly are you going to do to me?