"Hmm?" Ichinose stopped walking, only then realizing he had stopped at some point. She turned and looked at Hikigaya with confusion. "What is it, Hikigaya-kun?"
"Whew."
Hikigaya took a deep breath. Once he spoke, there would be no turning back, and the "normie" life he dreamed of would be gone. However, he had to speak. He couldn't keep exploiting Ichinose's kindness and causing them trouble. Otherwise, he would only hate himself more.
"Ichinose is really kind," Hikigaya said with a bitter smile. "Actually, you don't have to worry about me. Being alone is entirely my own problem."
"Sorry for making you worry."
"But you don't have to worry about me anymore. If you're being nice to me out of pity, then... it's better if you don't." Hikigaya clenched his fists and finished in one breath.
Ichinose stood there dazed, unable to speak for a long time.
"Also, one last thing: if you save up 20 million Private Points, you can buy the right to transfer to Class A. 'Points can buy anything' likely means something like that." Having shared the final piece of Intel, Hikigaya walked past her in silence.
He hated kind girls. Just a greeting would make one care. Just a few emails would make one's heart race. An occasional phone call—just looking at the call log would bring an involuntary smile. But he knew—it was just her kindness. Someone kind to him was also kind to everyone else. If the truth was cruel, then lies must be kind. Therefore, kindness was a lie.
However, even though he had long known this, he was still moved by Ichinose and drowned in this "kind lie," causing endless trouble for Ichinose, Kanzaki, and the others. He hated himself even more for it. Kanzaki was right; being alone was his problem. He couldn't keep troubling them.
The next day. After showing his hand to Ichinose, life returned to normal. No more enthusiastic classmates greeted him, and Ichinose and "Little White" returned to their normal routines.
"Speaking of which, the level of this school is too high," Hikigaya thought, sitting alone by the pool. His dead-fish eyes watched Shibata and the others competing; these guys could rival national athletes. Today's swimming class really showed him his classmates' abilities. If he hadn't spent middle school cycling to school, he definitely wouldn't have kept up. Even so, he was only at a middle-tier level. Bonus points for swimming class were completely out of his reach.
Additionally, because his science grades dragged him down, his overall academic performance was only in the middle range.
However, there was no need to rush. The requirements for private universities weren't very high, and his dream was to be a househusband anyway. He just needed to go with the flow and do his best. Of course, he didn't need to intentionally get low scores to trouble the class either.
After swimming class was Math. Hikigaya was the first to leave and return to the classroom, waiting for class to start while his mind wandered. Although Class B had some flaws, everyone listened attentively. The worst performer was undoubtedly himself. The people in this class were far too excellent. Don't any of you ever get sleepy?
If there was one thing that hadn't changed, it was this:
'Yes, yes, I know, I know.'
Feeling someone poking him in the back again, Hikigaya bent over to pick up a ballpoint pen and put it back on "Little White's" desk.
"Little White-chan, you're a bit too careless. It's easy to be fooled by bad people like that. It's really worrying."
After school. Seeing Hikigaya leave the classroom alone, Kanzaki frowned and turned back.
"Himeno, can I borrow a moment of your time?"
"Hmm? Sure." The two went to a corridor, and Himeno Yuki followed him to a deserted corner with a confused expression.
"Himeno," Kanzaki said, "Did you think there was anything off about Hikigaya today?"
"Why ask me?" Himeno Yuki's face darkened slightly as she forced a smile. She was speechless inside; she hadn't even spoken many words to that autistic guy, so how could she know?
"It's not for any special reason," Kanzaki said helplessly. "I sit in front of him, so I can't observe his changes. You sit next to him, so you might have noticed something, right?"
Himeno Yuki said frankly, "I've spoken to him even less than you and Ichinose have. How could I know? Besides, isn't it bad to gossip about someone behind their back?"
"I know," Kanzaki nodded calmly. "But haven't you noticed that Ichinose's state was a bit off today? She seemed distracted."
"Indeed," Himeno Yuki nodded; she had noticed. Ichinose always maintained a heartwarming smile and was full of energy, but today she had occasionally become silent. She was sure others had noticed too.
"Is it related to Hikigaya?"
"It feels that way," Kanzaki mused. "When the three of us ate at Palette yesterday, everything was fine. I don't know what happened between them afterward."
"However, when I left, I found out Hikigaya had paid the bill. I think I misjudged him a bit."
He had originally thought Hikigaya was petty and didn't understand the atmosphere, but after knowing he paid, Kanzaki realized something was off.
"I see." Himeno Yuki nodded thoughtfully. Ichinose had indeed spoken to them, and she had tried to interact with Hikigaya, but she only felt the guy was ungrateful. One such experience was enough; no one wanted to keep putting their warm face against a cold butt. But since it concerned Ichinose, Himeno Yuki was also worried. After a moment of silence, she said:
"I haven't spoken to him today either, so I'm not sure. But as for changes, I just feel like he was more natural than the past two days? A bit more relaxed?"
"Can you be more specific?" Kanzaki's head was starting to hurt. What kind of "vibe-based" impression was this? It was so troublesome to discuss things with girls.
"Specifically... I can't express it clearly. It's just a feeling."
"Then can you come with me to find Hikigaya-kun?"
In Kanzaki's eyes, Ichinose's excellent leadership made her the best candidate for Class B's leader. He couldn't let her stay depressed. Even as a friend, he was worried about her.
"But he already went back," Himeno Yuki declined politely. Though she worried about Ichinose, she didn't want to deal with the autistic guy.
"It's fine." Kanzaki turned to leave, gesturing for her to follow. "Let's go. I can guess where he is." Himeno Yuki's shoulders slumped in dejection. Aside from that autistic guy, the people in Class B were all great, but they really didn't listen to others. She had already refused, so why didn't they understand?