Chapter 154: Haven't Eaten Your Cooking in a Long Time
Kamuro didn't stay in the room all night. After it was over, she left.
Her goal was achieved, and she understood she couldn't act recklessly like before.
From any perspective, even though she and Hikigaya weren't in the same class, and might one day be rivals, it didn't matter.
Her concern for him had nothing to do with rivalry, and class battles were just between classes, not individuals.
Hikigaya hadn't expected that the very question he asked Hoshinomiya a few days ago would so quickly become reality for him.
Love… really could be this unreasonable?
Even though Kamuro left, it would be the most unbelievable thing if Hikigaya could just sleep peacefully.
A year ago, he would never have imagined his life turning out like this, but now…
One after another, he became involved. Hikigaya tried to resist, but in the end, due to overwhelming circumstances, it became irreversible.
How could he explain this to Airi and Kikyō?
---
The next day, the school air was still fresh. Hikigaya left the dorm and soon ran into Ichinose and Kushida at the elevator.
"Good morning, Hikigaya!"
"Good morning."
"Good morning, both of you. Huaaa!"
Hikigaya's sleepy eyes were still blurry. At the last moment, he turned, yawning.
Kushida frowned. "You don't look well… didn't sleep?"
'It's all your fault… and you even act innocent.'
Seeing Hikigaya silent, Kushida leaned close to his ear:
"Do you want me to keep you company tonight?"
Hikigaya quickly waved his hand, indicating he didn't need that service for now.
Kushida smirked but said nothing, just urged him into the elevator.
Then Ichinose asked: "Hikigaya, why do you smell like orange perfume?"
Hikigaya: "N-no, I don't…"
Ichinose cheered happily: "I can tell! This is the same one I use, so I won't be wrong! Isn't it amazing, Hikigaya uses the same perfume as me?"
Hikigaya laughed nervously: "Haha… caught me."
Kushida knew Hikigaya wouldn't normally use perfume, and she was confident he wouldn't flirt with other girls. So, it must be Sakura again, sneaking things for herself.
No wonder Hikigaya didn't sleep well.
The three walked together, chatting casually, but on the way down, they ran into Kamuro waiting for the elevator.
When the doors opened, both Hikigaya and Kamuro trembled slightly and silently stepped inside.
Kushida knew about their previous relationship. Though they had less contact recently, she had been a rival before. Now…
The three were silent, only Ichinose cheerfully greeted them, unaware of the tension.
Hikigaya kept his head down. Kamuro's gaze stayed on Kushida, clearly upset and jealous.
Kushida quickly noticed Kamuro's behavior. There was no way Kamuro wouldn't greet Hikigaya if nothing was wrong. And… Why was she glaring at her?
Ichinose: "Wow! Kamuro, you use the same perfume too! What a coincidence!"
Kamuro stammered: "Y-yes… this perfume is popular recently."
Ichinose smiled: "Me too! I waited so long to get it. By the way, Hikigaya uses it too! You'll smell it when you're near him."
'Hey, Ichinose, what are you doing!? This is supposed to be a secret!'
Hearing this, Kamuro's face turned red uncontrollably. She turned her head, avoiding eye contact.
Ichinose continued chatting: "I'm shocked! Hikigaya using perfume! Not that boys shouldn't, but it makes him more charming!"
"Eh? Kamuro, your face is so red! Are you sick?"
Kamuro touched her cheek; it was burning hot. The more Ichinose talked, the faster her heart raced.
Yesterday's memories flooded back. After a quiet night, she couldn't believe what she had done, sneaking into a boy's room and doing that.
Yet, even if she could redo it, she wouldn't regret it.
What's hers, is hers.
She shook her head: "N-no… it's just too hot."
Ichinose patted her shoulder: "Alright, rest well."
When the elevator reached the first floor, Kamuro quickly pressed the door open button and dashed out, disappearing entirely.
Ichinose was puzzled: "Strange… it's so cold, yet she looks hot."
Hikigaya watched everything quietly.
Ichinose, sometimes being too innocent isn't always good.
Kushida silently looked at Hikigaya, as if she already guessed something.
---
The three walked into the classroom. Reborn Hirata immediately apologized to the class, especially to loyal Mei-Yu.
Though it took time, Class C finally reached its peak condition. Remaining time would be used to further improve performance.
Hikigaya worked on strengthening the "Commander" role. The opponent was Sakayanagi. Even if they lost, he couldn't let her win easily.
Seven events in total. Winning four means victory. Some events would be sacrificial, so…
As the strategist, Hikigaya had to know everyone's abilities. Kōenji was reserved for chess.
Though the chess rules allowed intervention, it favored Sakayanagi. Hikigaya, not skilled at chess, would be caught off guard against her.
To avoid this, Kōenji would play. Lengthening the front line kept the situation from favoring Sakayanagi.
Better still, let Kōenji win an event. Easier than facing Sakayanagi directly.
---
Finally, the Event Selection Exam day arrived. Hikigaya, as Class C's commander, was taken to the multimedia room. From there, he controlled the game via computer. The supervising sensei were paired to avoid bias: Hoshinomiya and Sakagami Kazuma monitored Sakayanagi and Hikigaya.
Before starting, Hoshinomiya and Sakagami Kazuma gave five minutes for mental adjustment. During that time, Sakayanagi started casual conversation:
"Little Hiki, looks like Kamuro has been troubling you recently."
Indeed, nothing escaped Sakayanagi's eyes. Even though Kamuro would never tell anyone, Sakayanagi could sense it from subtle expressions.
Hikigaya was incredulous but calm. He knew Sakayanagi was frightening.
Sakayanagi: "But I won't bully you. I couldn't sleep all night thinking about competing with you."
Her gaze shifted toward his face, seeking some reaction.
Hikigaya: "Then you might be disappointed. I'm not strong; you could beat me in any event."
Sakayanagi smiled faintly: "I don't think you're that boring. Otherwise, Horikita's class wouldn't have caught up so fast."
Hikigaya: "That's the class's effort. I just did what a student should. Focus on Class C, it's new, fresh."
Sakayanagi shook her head, serious:
"From the first day you entered school, I knew one day we'd be on this stage. I've waited so long. Now that it's here, I feel so lucky, so happy.
"I can't suppress the urge to meet you. Night or day, I wanted to compete with you, Little Hiki. Nagumo, Ichinose, Ryūen, they can try to stop us, it doesn't matter. Every plan leads to now."
Hikigaya understood. She wanted to prove, through him, that natural talent and cultivated skill are formidable.
But Hikigaya only sighed softly.
Sakayanagi was scary, indeed very scary.
But not unbeatable, just like in many fantasy tales, where fairies eventually fall to impossible magic.
So…
"Are you not afraid of losing?"
Suppressing the pounding of her heart, the girl politely removed her white hat and slowly set it aside. Then she gently extended her hand toward Hikigaya and smiled.
"If you can make me lose."
At that moment, a cute voice announced itself as the door opened. Hoshinomiya stepped into the room and instructed both Commanders to take their seats.
The exam was about to begin. Even though Hikigaya and Sakayanagi were in the same classroom, they sat with their backs to each other. In front of each of them, a sensei stood watching.
Hikigaya sat before the monitor. As expected, Class A's Commander rule settings were designed to limit the Commander's actions as much as possible. Every action would be critical.
Sakayanagi fully understood how powerful his influence could be. She understood how terrifying his judgment and sensitivity were under pressure. Therefore, this was a strategy specifically created to restrict Hikigaya.
Even though she had seen Hikigaya's abilities before, Hoshinomiya still spoke with a bit of teasing schadenfreude:
"Hikigaya-kun's opponent is Sakayanagi-san? This is too sad… even sensei can't help but feel sorry for you!"
Indeed, as far as every sensei was concerned, Sakayanagi was a being who surpassed her age, someone who could hardly be described as "human." Although Hikigaya wasn't weak, facing Sakayanagi was far too unreasonable.
Hearing Hoshinomiya's words, Sakagami immediately stepped in to stop her. sensei proctoring the exam were not allowed to speak unnecessarily.
Realizing her mistake, Hoshinomiya immediately made a gesture of reflection and stepped aside.
Of course, if nobody pointed it out, people might not know she was almost thirty already. So I guess that task falls to me.
Although older single women have their own unique charm, why does she give off the aura of Iroha possessing her?
…
Next, the event-selection process officially began. Each side chose five events from the ten publicly announced projects, the ones they had actually prepared for. Then the system would randomly select the first match.
Without hesitation, Hikigaya followed the class's prior plan and submitted archery, basketball, table tennis, typing, and tennis. Sakayanagi quickly moved her fingers as well, showing Class A's carefully prepared events: chess, English, modern literature, mathematics, and mental arithmetic.
Clearly, both classes' strategies were obvious:
Class C aimed for niche events matched to their unique individuals, while Class A focused on comprehensive academic strength.
A straightforward clash, neither side gambled on unpredictable luck-based events.
Class C was going for a physical lineup; Class A was entering with the year's highest overall academic ability.
Very soon, the first Commander event was drawn from the ten.
First Event: Basketball
Prepared by: Class C
Required Participants: 5
Allotted Time: 20 Minutes (Two 10-Minute Halves)
Rules: Standard basketball rules apply.
Commander: Can substitute one player during the game.
For Class C, this was a good start. For a class with generally weaker overall strength, winning the first match would boost morale greatly. Before entering the player-selection phase, Sakayanagi obtained permission to speak with Hikigaya, clearly planning to disrupt his choices.
"Not bad, Little Hiki. Starting with basketball means our battle will be quite a long one, won't it?"
Hikigaya shook his head. "We don't need that kind of probing between us. Speaking of which, it's been a long time since I last ate your cooking. I still remember how terrifying it was."
Sakayanagi smiled softly. "If you want to eat it again, anytime."
Hikigaya: "Then I'll eat it after I win this exam."
Sakayanagi: "That might not go the way you want."
While the two confronted each other, Hoshinomiya pressed her hands to her cheeks and muttered:
"Sakayanagi-san is so cruel…"
Sakagami, unable to endure her anymore, immediately grabbed her back.
"You, stop distracting the students. You're not acting like a sensei at all."
Hoshinomiya apologized pitifully. "Yes yes, sorry, sorry, I'll be careful."
…
Almost as soon as their conversation ended, both moved their mice and submitted their chosen players.
Since the Commander was allowed to substitute once mid-match…
Hikigaya didn't overthink it. His plan was to send out a vanguard first: Makida Susumu, Minami Setsuya, Ike Kanji, Hondō Ryotarō, and Onodera Kayano.
Sakayanagi's lineup appeared immediately after: Machida Kōji, Toba Shigeru, Kamuro Masumi, Shimizu Naoki, and Kitō Hayato.
Their selections made both supervising sensei widen their eyes. Even the class group chats exploded:
[Ike: "Wh-what is he doing? Why am I being sent? Doesn't he know I'm a total sports failure?!"]
[Shinohara: "This makes no sense! Basketball is one match we absolutely must win. With Sudō's talent, we shouldn't lose. So why!?"]
[Sotomura Hideo: "Could he be a traitor sent by another class?"]
[Everyone collectively stared at him dead-eyed.]
[With that level of commentary from a god's-eye view, aside from having no brain, no other explanation existed.]
[Ichinose: "It's strange… Class C should have the advantage here, but it turned out like this… could it be…?"]
[Ryūen: "That guy is hiding his strength."]
[Ibuki: "Is he planning to save Sudō for later? But… if they lose now, it's pointless. He's actually daring to take this risk?"]
[Sakayanagi also smiled faintly, finding the scene amusing.]
[Horikita Manabu: "Interesting. More and more intriguing."]
[Nagumo Miyabi: "Hikigaya, don't disappoint me. Beat Sakayanagi."]
[Horikita Suzune: "Just how much of the situation has he seen through?"]
It was bizarre. Class C had no Sudō at all. Instead, they even included someone like Onodera, a girl. Though her physical ability was decent, in basketball, the difference between boys and girls was enormous.
Not only that, just like Ike complained, their roster even included Ike himself, a complete athletic loser.
It was baffling.
On the other hand, Class A, expected to lose the basketball match, sent out extremely athletic players, as if anticipating Hikigaya's move, refusing to give up even a single game.
When Hikigaya saw Sakayanagi's list, he took a deep breath.
As expected, his little trick was read instantly. For Class C, with their absolute ace, basketball was the one match they had to secure. Only with Sudō would that go smoothly. Sakayanagi's lineup was clearly designed to force Sudō out early.
Hikigaya didn't know the abilities of every A-Class member, but he knew one thing for sure: Kitō was his own coach. His physical ability far surpassed normal students.
"Trying to save Sudō for later? I won't let that happen, Little Hiki."
'What a monster.'
Class A had no intention of throwing this match from the start. No "sacrificial strategy." But Class C was different—they had limited pieces. Hikigaya needed to secure every advantage.
Sakayanagi calmly exposed the entire naive strategy of Class C.
Hoshinomiya: "Terrifying…"
Sakagami: "In a normal basketball game, Class C would lose badly from underestimating the opponent. But since this is an Event Selection Exam, the Commander's authority matters greatly. Whether he can turn this around…"
His gaze sharpened, drilling into Hikigaya.
He remembered very clearly how badly Class D once suffered under Hikigaya.
Hikigaya, however, seemed unbothered. Class A's lineup was strong, but Class C wasn't so weak as to be crushed instantly. And right now wasn't the time to substitute Sudō. As long as the score didn't widen too much, he could observe a bit longer.
He could only see the score. He couldn't see the court. He couldn't analyze whether Class A was intentionally hiding their strength.
But, 12 to 11.
Despite their strong lineup, Class A finished the first half slightly behind Class C.
That was strange.
Hikigaya glanced at Sakayanagi. She only returned a soft smile.
As expected, her expression revealed nothing. He was used to that.
After brief thought, Hikigaya decided there was no point hiding Sudō any longer and immediately substituted him in. Ike was taken out.
As Class C's ace, this was the game they had to win.
Class A, however, made no substitutions. Sakayanagi showed no tension, completely composed.
(End of this chapter)