The next morning.
After the sports festival wrapped up, a two-day weekend awaited. Hikigaya put on his school uniform and sat by his bed, staring at Ichinose's message on his phone. The celebration party was scheduled for six o'clock in the evening at a karaoke place.
To be honest, Hikigaya really didn't want to go.
He could already picture himself sitting silently, just eating and making things awkward.
More importantly, the party was being paid for with class funds.
He hadn't contributed his personal points, so the thought of mooching off the class funds made him feel guilty.
But if he didn't go, Ichinose wouldn't let it go. If the party ended up postponed indefinitely because of him, he'd feel even worse.
This was his first time dealing with someone as kind yet persistent as Ichinose.
"Never mind," Hikigaya muttered to himself, trying to shove his worries aside.
After all, he'd experienced similar situations back in junior high. As long as he just sat there and ate quietly, it should be fine.
It was already mid-October, and the weather was getting cooler. He figured he should buy some autumn and winter clothes.
Back home, Komachi or his mother handled shopping. Now that he was living alone, he had to take care of things himself.
After a quick breakfast, Hikigaya left the dormitory.
Since he earned 150,000 personal points the day before, it only seemed fair to reward himself a bit.
At Keyaki Shopping Center's Living Area
Hikigaya glanced around at the shops. The quality of the service staff here was top-notch.
Back when he used to visit malls, he'd often get suspicious looks from staff, like he was some kind of weirdo.
But here? No one even seemed cautious around him.
Maybe it was because his grades had improved, or maybe because of the 150,000 points he earned yesterday. Either way, the environment around him definitely felt friendlier.
He couldn't help but smile.
Clothes like T-shirts weren't that different, but winter casual wear had to be better quality. He intended to spend a little more on it.
"Ah…"
Hikigaya accidentally locked eyes with Juke, who stood in front of him, her eyes wide with surprise.
Today, she wore a gray knitted long-sleeve top, a white pleated skirt, and held a pure white handbag.
Her appearance was stylish, almost like a trendy girl, but her pretty face remained clean and slightly aloof, like a normal student.
Maybe she wanted to dress up but feared getting nagged by Ichinose and the others, so she settled for this mix of casual and flashy.
It seemed like Juke was out shopping alone, sneaking away from the others.
Hikigaya felt awkward. If he turned around and left, Juke would probably kill him. But going over to greet her felt a bit presumptuous.
Before he could make up his mind, Juke approached him, smiling mischievously.
"Well, well. I thought you'd turn around and leave again. Good job not running away."
"Ugh…" Hikigaya turned his face away in annoyance.
She always had to call out his flaws right away. Her personality was seriously rotten.
"Relax, I'm just complimenting you."
Juke laughed lightly and patted him on the shoulder. "It's rude to turn your back on an acquaintance. It'd be even better if Hikigaya took the initiative to talk to me next time."
He knew she was right. Pretending not to see her would be rude. Hikigaya sighed and muttered, "Fine. Next time, I'll say hi when Ichinose and the others are around."
Juke raised an eyebrow, her eyes thoughtful. "Hmm… If you greet me in front of others, it would show you're trying to be more social. That wouldn't be bad. And Ichinose would be happy, too."
But Hikigaya could tell her words were just superficial politeness.
He shrugged. "Forget it. I surrender."
Juke chuckled, looking satisfied. "So, are you here to shop? And why are you wearing your school uniform on a weekend?"
"Buying clothes," Hikigaya admitted with a dry laugh, already predicting where this would go.
"Perfect!" Juke's eyes lit up. "I'm here to shop, too. Let me give you some advice!"
"Wouldn't people get the wrong idea if they saw us hanging out?" Hikigaya asked, feeling awkward.
He suddenly remembered how little he cared about this sort of thing when school started. But now, he found himself worrying about causing trouble for Juke.
"Why would I care about that?" Juke scoffed, brushing it off. "We're in the same club, so who cares what people think?"
She was right. Juke was always playing nice in class, but it wasn't like she had genuine friendships with her classmates.
"Fine, where are we going?" Hikigaya asked, surrendering the choice to her.
"Well, let's find something for you first. Then you can help me pick something out." Juke smiled and walked toward a nearby store.
Hikigaya followed her hesitantly. "Honestly, if you let me pick, you might end up looking ridiculous."
"It's just for reference." Juke smirked. "Besides, I'm pretty and have a good figure. I can pull off anything!"
She puffed her chest out proudly, making Hikigaya blush.
She had a point. Juke was pretty and had a nice figure, curvy where it mattered.
But her style, with that long black hair tinged with blue, gave off a rebellious aura. Not everything would suit her.
They entered a shop with a name Hikigaya didn't recognize. The place was filled with flashy, trendy clothes.
He stared at them blankly, feeling a bit lost.
"No down jackets here…" Hikigaya muttered. "I need something practical."
Juke rolled her eyes. "It's only mid-October. Down jackets are overkill. Plus, you hardly go out anyway."
Hikigaya couldn't argue with that. "Then… pajamas?"
"Later. First, try on a trench coat." Juke smiled, grabbing a black trench coat and pushing it into his hands.
"Wait, I'm not really—"
"How do you know if you don't try?" Juke laughed, shoving him toward the fitting room.
As Hikigaya looked back at her, he couldn't help feeling aggrieved.
Why did this girl have to be so pushy and carefree?
Why did she have to bully him like this?
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