Just as he picked up the pen, Hikigaya felt this was an opportunity. If it were these three people, as long as they didn't speak ill of Ichinose, Menlai and the others would probably answer him.
"Um..."
Hikigaya glanced at his notebook and asked, "Can I ask a few questions?"
"Certainly."
Menlai responded with a sweet smile. "Also, Hikigaya-kun, you don't have to be so polite. Just call me by my name. Menlai or Yume-chan is fine."
"Yes, we're already part of the same group," Okakura Asako added with a friendly grin. "It's strange to call each other formally. Just call me Asako-chan, like Honami-chan and the others~"
A faint sound of frustration emerged. Juke's hand, holding the gel pen, gripped a little too tightly. These two were being way too friendly. It felt strange to her that Hikigaya was casually being addressed by their first names when she herself struggled with it. Her introverted, gentle nature made it difficult for her to be so casual.
At that moment, Menlai looked at Juke and smiled. "Then for Juke, just call me Juke, right?"
"Y-Yes... That's fine," Juke replied softly, secretly relieved that Menlai was so understanding.
"How about Hikigaya-kun, should we call him Xiao Qi?" Menlai asked.
The girls exchanged glances and nodded quickly.
Wait. Did anyone ask for his opinion?
Hikigaya was speechless.
He'd known from the start that these people were the type to do things their way without listening to others. But didn't the topic just completely drift off?
"Xiao Qi, is there something you don't understand?"
Okakura Asako seemed genuinely interested in his studies, leaning forward to reach for his notebook.
"Ah, no." Hikigaya waved his hand awkwardly. "When the student council was changing, I saw Ichinose involved. What happened?"
Although he was rejected by Horikita Manabu before, with Nagumo now taking over, it wasn't surprising that Ichinose wanted to join the student council.
But...
It felt odd to just ask directly, so he decided to ease into the topic. While Ichinose had claimed she wanted to lead everyone to Class A, her actions remained a mystery.
From the uninhabited island exam until now, Ichinose led everyone in a straightforward manner. However, from another angle, it seemed she had no real plan.
Every exam, she could identify the key points, but never formulated any strategies.
Just hard work.
Hikigaya couldn't tell if she didn't think of a strategy or if she thought it was unnecessary. If they had to rely on hard work alone, it meant they had no other choice.
Therefore, he wanted to understand Ichinose's mindset. He didn't plan to change anything. If Ichinose and the others were just drifting along, then Hikigaya figured he could do the same.
If the boss was slacking off, then as a subordinate, he could slack off, too. What's the harm?
"It's because Honami-chan joined the student council."
"Didn't she get rejected before?" Hikigaya asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, now it's President Nagumo. He values personal strength and plans to eliminate the limit on the number of student council members. Anyone strong enough can join," Okakura Asako explained.
"I see..."
Hikigaya was only half-interested in what happened to Huko and quickly redirected to his real question. "So, how did Ichinose become the class leader?"
"Huh? Xiao Qi doesn't know?"
"Uh..." Hikigaya scratched his head in embarrassment. "I've been busy, so I don't have much time to pay attention to the chat group."
In this school, there were no typical positions like class president or team leader.
"That's true." Okakura Asako accepted his explanation without doubt. "Without a class leader, things were inconvenient, so we recommended Honami-chan in the group."
Hold up. So, she was the one responsible...
"What about everyone else? Didn't they have any opinions?" Hikigaya asked, perplexed.
"There's no one in Class B more suitable than Honami-chan," Menlai replied with a smile.
It was true. While Kanzaki was competent, his blunt manner of speaking lacked tact. Even if what he said was right, he lacked Ichinose's communication skills. People would just find him overbearing.
On the other hand, Shibata was way too kind. He respected Ichinose and even treated Hikigaya as a friendly rival, despite liking Ichinose himself. That kind of innocence just made him unsuitable to lead.
So, Ichinose was the obvious choice for the class leader. Yet, it was clear she wasn't ready for the role.
She worked hard and tried her best, but she wasn't fully prepared to take on the responsibilities of leadership. The school's unique environment must have overwhelmed her.
In a way, it wasn't her fault. But Hikigaya couldn't rely on her.
He decided that moving forward, he would focus on saving twenty million personal points without causing trouble for the class. After all, taking responsibility for your own life was only natural.
At five in the afternoon, club time ended. Hikigaya looked at his blank notebook, realizing he hadn't even written a single answer.
Menlai and the others kept chatting away. It was true what they said about three women making a drama. Studying alone was definitely more efficient.
As they left the club, Hikigaya locked the door and pocketed the key.
"By the way," Menlai suddenly clapped her hands, eyes sparkling. "To celebrate our new group, let's go to Palette!"
"No, I have other things to do." Hikigaya immediately declined. His default response to invitations was always rejection.
"Eh?" Menlai looked puzzled. "But it's early. Is something going on, Xiao Qi?"
"Uh, can you please not call me Xiao Qi?" Hikigaya cringed at the nickname.
"Then how about Xiao Hachi? Or Xiao Banner?" Menlai teased.
"It's still Xiao Qi..." Hikigaya sighed.
"But we should celebrate," Menlai insisted. "And it's rare for all of us to be free."
"No, I can't waste personal points like that."
"Just once!"
"Letting yourself go is a bad habit."
"Fine, then we'll plan something for next time," Menlai conceded.
"Yeah, definitely next time," Hikigaya nodded quickly, desperate to end the conversation.
As they walked back to the dormitory, Hikigaya felt relieved. But he couldn't shake off the feeling that dealing with the girls in this class was exhausting. Their enthusiasm was both overwhelming and strangely comforting.
Maybe things were going to be different this time.
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