The next day, after school, in Class B's classroom.
"Let's go, Huko!" Menlai, Kobashi Yume, Okakura Asako, and others approached Hikigaya. As soon as he felt their gazes, Hikigaya instinctively shrank his neck. He couldn't handle these cheerful, extroverted types, especially someone as energetic as Menlai.
"Eh? Menlai, where are you all going?" Huko asked curiously.
"It's Friday, so we're heading to Pallet's café for a little party!" Menlai replied cheerfully.
"Ah, Pallet? I wanna go too!"
"Sorry, Huko," Menlai clasped her hands apologetically. "It's our first time getting together like this. Maybe next time?"
"Alright…"
Menlai's focus today was to help Juke, so she had no choice but to turn down Huko.
"Dong dong."
Hikigaya tapped on his textbook, trying to signal the chatty group to leave. Unfortunately, they just continued their conversation right next to him.
"Menlai, what's the big plan?" Okakura asked.
"Secret! I'll tell you later!" Menlai giggled.
Feeling helpless, Hikigaya stood up, and the group finally left the classroom together. This atmosphere was way too lively for him.
They made their way to Pallet Café, a place Hikigaya couldn't help but find overly girly. It was his second time here, and the decor hadn't changed at all since the beginning of the school year. The place was clearly running on the assumption that students had no choice but to come here. A little effort in updating the theme wouldn't hurt, he thought.
The four of them found a table near a decorative wall with an aisle on one side. Menlai and Okakura Asako quickly claimed one side of the table, leaving Hikigaya and Juke to sit on the other. Hikigaya hesitated.
If he took the inner seat, it would be difficult to leave whenever he wanted. Not planning to stay long, he decided to sit by the aisle.
"Huh?" Hikigaya noticed a familiar face at the table on the other side of the aisle. It was Sakura Airi.
Sitting beside her was a beautiful girl with long blue hair and a beauty mark near her eye. Her figure was even more impressive than Ichinose's. Opposite them were two unfamiliar students and the supposed "lone wolf," Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
Hikigaya couldn't help but smirk. So much for the lone wolf act. Seeing Ayanokouji hanging out with others was proof enough that his reputation was just an illusion.
"Hikigaya, what are you staring at?" Menlai's voice brought him back to the moment.
"Oh, nothing. Just surprised to see some familiar faces."
"Oh! That's Sakura-san, right? She came to our class before to look for you, Huko."
Sakura Airi, now aware of Hikigaya's presence, tensed up and looked anxious.
"And who are you?" asked the blue-haired girl, eyeing them curiously.
"I'm Menlai from Class B, first year. Nice to meet you." Menlai cheerfully introduced herself.
"Hi... I'm Juke," Juke said shyly.
"I'm Asako Okakura, same class as them. And you're Ayanokouji from Class D, right? You came to our class during the uninhabited island exam. Are you friends with Huko?"
Hikigaya turned red with embarrassment. Please stop making things awkward.
Ayanokouji's group looked uncomfortable. They weren't particularly good at socializing, and the conversation was thrown their way so suddenly. It was Ayanokouji who ended up responding.
"Yeah, we're all classmates from Class D. This is Haruka Hasebe, Keisei Yukimura, and Akito Miyake." Ayanokouji's tone was calm and controlled. "And this is Sakura Airi. You probably know me already. Sorry if I caused you trouble during the uninhabited island exam."
Hikigaya noted the deliberate pause before Ayanokouji mentioned Sakura Airi. Was there some hidden meaning behind it? Maybe Ayanokouji was just trying to shift the focus to her. But why?
"Hey, Huko, he's apologizing. Shouldn't you say something?" Okakura said sharply.
"Well... wasn't he just referring to the uninhabited island incident? Everyone was doing their own thing back then. It has nothing to do with me."
"Eh? Is that so?" Okakura looked surprised, but Hikigaya's explanation seemed reasonable.
Menlai, curious, looked at Ayanokouji. "Ayanokouji-san, were you talking about the uninhabited island?"
"Sorry, I wasn't clear. I meant both the uninhabited island and Sakura Airi," Ayanokouji replied smoothly.
"Oh..." Yukimura, one of Ayanokouji's classmates, suddenly spoke up, sounding frustrated. "Sakura, why did you go to Class B? Was something wrong?"
"Um... She came to pay back some money she owed me. And she helped me with something, so I should be thanking her." Hikigaya answered quickly, trying to keep things simple.
"Borrowing money from someone in another class? That's surprising. You guys in Class B really are generous, huh?" Haruka Hasebe commented.
What? Hikigaya hadn't even mentioned it was a loan. Was she just assuming? Class D students seemed to be good at jumping to conclusions.
"Anyway, that's all there is to it." Hikigaya shrugged, trying to end the conversation. "Nothing more to say."
"Ugh..." Sakura Airi whimpered, looking like she was about to cry.
"What's wrong, Airi-chan?" Hasebe asked, concerned.
"Actually…" Sakura Airi spoke softly, almost shaking. "I really don't need to attend the study group. Kushida told me to come..."
"What are you talking about?" Yukimura snapped. "Your grades aren't great. If you keep this up, you'll drag down the whole class. Or are you just dissatisfied with my teaching?"
"Hey, Yukimura, I don't think Airi meant it like that," Miyake interjected.
Hikigaya suddenly tensed up. Was it his fault that Sakura Airi was put in this position? Maybe the last time he treated her and Kushida to ramen led Kushida to manipulate her.
"I... I'm sorry if I made things worse," Hikigaya admitted, sounding genuinely apologetic.
"No, not at all!" Sakura Airi quickly waved her hands, her timid smile returning. "You've always been nice to me. I appreciate it."
"Okay..." Hikigaya sighed, feeling slightly better. "If you ever need help, feel free to ask. Though I'm not all that reliable."
Sakura Airi nodded, her expression a mix of relief and gratitude.
Menlai, who had been observing the exchange, couldn't help but find the whole situation odd. It was like Hikigaya and Sakura Airi were speaking on completely different wavelengths.
"Is communication really that difficult?" Menlai whispered to herself.
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