"Chihiro-chan?"
Ichinose was startled by Shiranami Chihiro's sudden appearance.
"It's okay, Honami-chan. I-I'll protect you!"
Shiranami Chihiro turned to Ichinose, trying her best to sound reassuring. But her trembling body betrayed her true feelings. Even so, she refused to back down, standing firmly by Ichinose's side.
"I-I know you! You're Hikigaya from the student council! I-I'm warning you, y-you better not bully Honami-chan, o-or else…"
Despite how intimidating those dead-fish eyes looked, Shiranami Chihiro still mustered up the courage to shout,
"O-Or else… I'll tell Sensei!"
Hikigaya: "..."
This girl… she's way too straightforward.
There was a certain innocence unique to high school students.
Even though Hikigaya had never spoken to her before, he still recognized the girl in front of him—Shiranami Chihiro from Class B, the one who was always by Ichinose's side.
"D-Don't laugh! I-I'm serious! I really will tell Sensei!"
Shiranami Chihiro's face turned red. She had clearly caught the brief smile that flickered across Hikigaya's lips, and she knew exactly what it meant.
And to be fair, it wasn't her fault. That guy's dead-fish eyes were seriously creepy!
This time, however, laughter came from behind her. Ichinose, who had been in shock just moments ago, couldn't help but break into a smile at Shiranami Chihiro's words.
"Wait, Honami-chan, even you…?"
Shiranami Chihiro's eyes widened, her small face filled with frustration as she stomped her foot.
"Alright, alright, Chihiro, I'm sorry for make you worried about me."
Ichinose reached out and hugged Shiranami Chihiro, comforting her. "You misunderstood, Hikigaya-kun wasn't bullying me."
Wrapped in Ichinose's soft embrace, Shiranami Chihiro's expression instantly melted like cotton candy, but she quickly snapped out of it and reluctantly pulled away.
"Honami-chan, you're too kind, too softhearted!"
Shiranami Chihiro frowned and complained, "That's why you just take it quietly even when people bully you. I saw it with my own eyes—this guy was totally picking on you! I even saw you crying because of him!"
Ichinose's face turned red at her words. She quickly wiped the traces of tears off her face and tried to explain, "Chihiro-chan, it's not what you think. Hikigaya-kun was just trying to comfort me…"
"Honami-chan!"
Shiranami Chihiro got even angrier when she heard Ichinose still trying to defend him. She grabbed Ichinose's wrist tightly. "Everyone already knows about what happened yesterday, and they're all really worried about you! We should never have helped those ungrateful people from Class D in the first place! That Ayanokouji guy tricked you and used you—he almost got you punished by the school!"
She finished speaking and glared angrily at Hikigaya. Ichinose blinked in confusion, finally realizing what was going on, and quickly asked Shiranami Chihiro for details.
Left with no choice, Shiranami Chihiro explained everything. In short, everyone in Class B had already found out about the rule-breaking incident that took place in the special teaching building yesterday. As the leader of Class B, Ichinose got caught up in the whole mess. And the mastermind behind it all was a student from Class D—some guy named Ayanokouji, who had set a trap!
Not only did he use Ichinose, but he also tricked his own classmates, which ultimately led to several students getting suspended!
"Right now, everyone in our class is furious about it. Those Class D guys went way too far—they totally stabbed us in the back! I was so worried about you, so I went out looking for you."
Shiranami Chihiro shot a glare at Hikigaya. "And then I found you crying, because of you, a Class D guy, bullying her!"
"I-I wasn't crying!"
Ichinose immediately panicked when she heard Shiranami Chihiro say she was crying. She wasn't a kid anymore! She quickly tried to defend herself. "I-It was just dust in my eyes!"
Hearing their conversation, Hikigaya couldn't hold it in and let out a chuckle.
The next second, both Ichinose and Shiranami Chihiro turned their heads sharply to glare at him, making his smile freeze instantly.
Hikigaya: "…"
"Anyway, Chihiro-chan, you got it all wrong. It's not what you think."
Whether it was yesterday or just now, everything Hikigaya said to Ichinose sounded harsh—almost like insults. She knew she should be angry, that she should argue back. But every time she tried to, the words just wouldn't come out.
In fact, she wasn't even sure why, but she didn't feel mad at all.
Was it because… Hikigaya was right? Was she really as terrible as he said?
His words, instead of making her angry, actually made her see herself more clearly.
It was as if he understood her better than she understood herself.
"Wait, Honami-chan… he was obviously bullying you, so why are you still defending him…?"
Shiranami Chihiro looked at Ichinose in disbelief.
Then, suddenly, her face turned pale. "No way… d-don't tell me… you… like—"
Before she could finish, Ichinose quickly clamped a hand over her mouth.
It was just a guess, but Ichinose's panicked reaction made Shiranami Chihiro even more shocked!
Seeing the stunned look in Shiranami Chihiro's eyes, Ichinose realized she had overreacted. She quickly let go and apologized.
"Chihiro-chan, w-what are you even thinking?! I-I don't have any feelings for Hikigaya-kun! I-I just—ugh, I don't even know how to explain it, but it's definitely not what you're imagining!"
By the end, Ichinose was flustered. She sneaked a quick glance at a certain someone out of the corner of her eye.
Seeing that he had no reaction, she let out a breath of relief… but for some reason, she also felt a little disappointed.
"Really?"
Shiranami Chihiro still looked doubtful, but Ichinose grabbed her hand and somehow managed to convince her.
"But Honami-chan, you still shouldn't get too close to those Class D guys. You never know when they'll betray you again!"
Shiranami Chihiro turned around and shot Hikigaya a fierce glare, as if warning him not to mess with her Honami-chan.
Hikigaya ignored her and looked straight at Ichinose instead.
"This world has never been kind," he said.
"So yeah, you probably shouldn't get too close to me."
With that, he picked up the trash from his seat, turned around, and walked away.
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