Without the trio of monkey-like idiots around, Hikigaya immediately felt the surroundings were much quieter. If only things could stay this way forever.
During the lunch break, Hikigaya was in his usual spot—a secluded garden courtyard—eating his bread and milk alone.
He had planned to enjoy this rare moment of peace, but it was quickly interrupted by an unexpected visitor.
"Good afternoon, Hikigaya-kun."
Ichinose approached with a bag of cheese toast and two bottles of milk, her face beaming with a bright smile. "Mind if I join you for lunch here?"
Before Hikigaya could respond, Ichinose had already sat down beside him, placed her toast on the bench, and twisted open the bottle cap to take big gulps of milk.
Hikigaya: "…"
He instinctively shifted away slightly. At the same time, he couldn't help but notice something about Ichinose—something he'd vaguely sensed ever since the student council interview. She was someone who didn't seem to have much of a sense of personal boundaries.
To put it nicely, she was the type to help anyone in need without hesitation.
To put it bluntly, she had no concept of personal space in relationships, getting too involved without considering limits. Yesterday's incident was the perfect example.
She had been completely used as a pawn, nearly dragged her entire class down with her, and even got scolded harshly in front of everyone. And yet, today, she was here acting as if nothing had happened?
Hikigaya could never do something like that.
Noticing his silence, Ichinose's smile gradually faded, and the atmosphere between them grew somber.
"Are you still mad about yesterday, Hikigaya-kun?"
She lowered her head, unable to hide her guilt as she apologized, her tone filled with sadness.
"Mad? Why would I be mad? If anything, you should be the one who's angry, Ichinose. You were foolishly manipulated, almost got your whole class into trouble, and on top of that, you got completely chewed out by me in front of everyone yesterday. If anyone has a right to be mad, it's you."
Hikigaya couldn't understand why Ichinose was apologizing. She never struck him as someone fragile. She was always surrounded by admiration, standing in the sunlight. Compared to someone like him, stuck in the shadows, he had always assumed she had at least half of Haruno's mental toughness.
After all, to lead Class B, she had to be exceptional in many ways.
Hearing Hikigaya's words, Ichinose let out a bitter smile. The truth was, she had been burdened with guilt and regret since yesterday. She felt exhausted.
She didn't want to affect her classmates with her emotions, so she had turned down all their lunch invitations. She just wanted to be alone and clear her head.
Then, by chance, she saw Hikigaya eating lunch alone. The memory of his scolding from yesterday was still fresh in her mind. For a brief moment, she wanted to turn around and leave. But for some reason, she stopped. And before she realized it, she had already sat down next to him.
She had tried to act like nothing had happened, but when she saw Hikigaya's silence, she couldn't keep up the act anymore.
"I know, Hikigaya-kun… I know that what you said yesterday was for my own good."
Ichinose looked up and smiled bitterly. "I can tell the difference between someone trying to help me and someone just being cruel. And… you weren't wrong. If it weren't for Yukinoshita-san and Horikita, I might already be suspended in my dorm right now."
Thinking about it, she couldn't help but feel even more guilty.
"Ichinose, you're completely missing the point."
Seeing her self-blame, Hikigaya felt an inexplicable frustration bubbling inside him.
"You think you should have been suspended? That taking the punishment would somehow make things right? That being okay while others suffered is a crime? Don't you realize how arrogant that is?"
"Why are you only thinking about yourself? You're just using this whole 'self-punishment' act to tell others, Look, I'm suffering too! You just want to show that you're struggling, that you're sharing everyone's pain. Is that supposed to make you feel better?"
Hikigaya didn't hold back as he pointed out the real issue in Ichinose's heart.
"You're not feeling guilty for others—you're feeling guilty for yourself. You're just using other people as an excuse for your own emotions. From the beginning, all you really wanted was for someone to tell you, 'Ichinose, you did your best,' or 'Ichinose, it's not your fault.' You just want to fill that hole inside you with those words."
"If you were truly remorseful and wanted to change, you wouldn't be stuck on this. You would learn from it and move forward. Instead, you're just sitting here, looking all pitiful—what, do you want me to feel sorry for you?"
Hikigaya's words were like a chilling wind in June, cold and piercing, tearing apart the pink-haired girl's fragile heart.
"P-Please… stop… I-I'm sorry."
Ichinose couldn't help but cover her face. It was clear that Hikigaya's words had deeply shaken this normally cheerful and optimistic girl.
Hikigaya acted as if he didn't hear her, completely ignoring her pain-filled sobs. Staring at the sunlit ground in the distance, he spoke—perhaps to Ichinose, or maybe to himself.
"Hearing this… does it make you feel 'a little better'? But what's the point? You'll just make the same mistake next time. So tell me, what exactly have you learned?"
"Yesterday is over, but you're still stuck in it. If you keep living in the past, you'll never see the future. A leader who can't see the future… what a tragedy for Class B."
Deep down, the dead-eyed boy silently added—he had once been the same.
"I… I…"
Ichinose bit her lip tightly. Hikigaya's words felt like sharp needles stabbing into her, unbearably painful. But at the same time, that pain felt strangely real.
The more it hurt, the more she felt a sense of 'existence' from within, as if this was the only way to truly see herself.
"You jerk! What do you think you're doing to Honami-chan?!"
Suddenly, a short-haired girl with brown hair appeared out of nowhere, standing protectively in front of Ichinose like a mother hen, glaring furiously at Hikigaya.
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