Hikigaya never expected Ichinose to say something like this... Huh?
Why did he say "also"?
Regardless, the fact that Ichinose would try to recruit him was shocking enough. He had always assumed she was the one person who wouldn't do such a thing.
After all, transferring classes meant betraying one's original class, and Ichinose had always been the one who valued her class the most.
Given her ability to empathize with others, she shouldn't have been the type to suggest something like this.
"Sorry, Hikigaya-kun." Ichinose looked at him cautiously. "I blurted that out all of a sudden… Did that make things difficult for you?"
"No, rather than difficult… why?"
Hikigaya couldn't understand Ichinose's reasoning. No matter how he looked at it, he wasn't suited to lead a class—let alone take Ichinose's place.
He could already imagine the chaos Class A would fall into.
Some might even assume he had blackmailed Ichinose into stepping down…
Wait. Why did that feel so realistic?
"You're saying you want me to lead Class A? That's absurd."
"Eh? But I think you'd be perfect for it, Hikigaya-kun?"
Ichinose's face was full of confusion. She genuinely seemed to believe that. This misunderstanding was getting out of hand.
"…Listen to me carefully."
He wasn't sure how thick the filter Ichinose saw him through was, but he needed to set the record straight.
"This might sound shameless, but I'll admit—I have a bit of wit. But that has nothing to do with leading a class. Especially in terms of charisma and teamwork, if I had to rate myself, I'd confidently give myself a negative score."
"A negative score is too much." Ichinose gave a wry smile. "I think you'd at least pass… probably."
"Hey."
That last part was unnecessary.
"Haha, I'm just joking. It's just…"
Ichinose hesitated, as if unsure whether to continue.
"I just… I know there are things you struggle with, Hikigaya-kun. I have those things too. So I was wondering… maybe I could fill in the gaps for you? If that's the case, then it wouldn't be a problem at all."
Her voice grew quieter, her head lowering as she spoke. By the end, it was almost inaudible.
If not for the quiet atmosphere of the private room, Hikigaya might have missed it.
"Uh, but that would require a ton of points—"
"Don't worry about the personal points." Ichinose cut him off somewhat forcefully. "We'll provide the necessary support. You don't have to worry about that, Hikigaya-kun."
"…That's not something you can decide on your own, is it?"
"Of course, I'll discuss it with everyone properly. But I'm sure they'll all agree."
Even if Ichinose made such a confident promise, the problem was… once she spoke up, who would dare object?
Spending a large amount of points to recruit a valuable asset wasn't necessarily a bad move.
Depending on the situation, the recruited person could contribute more than 20 million points' worth to the class.
But Hikigaya didn't think he was worth that much. And more importantly—
"Ichinose, shouldn't those points be used for your classmates?" Hikigaya tried to reason with her.
"I am considering the future of the class—that's why I'm making this decision." Ichinose lowered her head again. "Everyone in my class trusts me, and I want to repay that trust. But… but I know I can't do so."
"What are you talking about? You led your class to Class A, didn't you?"
"That was thanks to you, Hikigaya-kun."
Ichinose gave a bitter smile.
"If it weren't for you, our class would have suffered a crushing defeat on the deserted island. Even during the Preferential Exam, I hesitated over taking points that were right in front of me… Looking back, I've always relied on you, more than anyone else… Aha, I am hopeless."
The ever-reliable Ichinose Honami, who always maintained her leader-like image in front of others, was showing her vulnerable side only to Hikigaya.
At the end of the day, she was just an ordinary girl. But she was kinder than anyone else.
It was almost as if the word "tragedy" was written on her face.
"And also… I'm a little worried about you, Hikigaya-kun."
"Worried about me?"
"Mhm…"
Ichinose gave a small nod before hesitantly continuing, "Lately, it's not just me—there are rumors about you and Ryuuen-kun too… Is everything okay in your class?"
"Oh, it's nothing serious."
"…Nothing unpleasant happened?"
Huh? Why was Ichinose asking so strangely?
If she meant unpleasantness… aside from the occasional whispers behind his back, things were pretty much the same as always.
And it wasn't like he had any reason to complain—this situation was his own doing.
"If you ever feel troubled, you can tell me, okay?"
"…Huh?"
Seeing Hikigaya's confusion, Ichinose steeled herself.
She averted her gaze and murmured, "It's just… those things the girls talk about. If it ever gets too much, just tell me. I'll put a stop to it."
"Eh? You mean the girls in your class?" Hikigaya was a little surprised.
"No." Ichinose shook her head hurriedly. "I mean the girls in your class. Though some of our class's girls are in that group too… Wait, don't tell me you didn't know?"
She suddenly realized she had let something slip.
"Uh, Hikigaya-kun? Can you… pretend you didn't hear that just now?"
"Like hell, I can!"
Hikigaya was about to lose it.
He had heard Kushida and Matsushita mention it before—how girls like Karuizawa and Shinohara had been gossiping about him behind his back.
He had decided to ignore it. After all, he had long been used to being badmouthed.
But never in his wildest dreams did he expect those idiots to be badmouthing him together with girls from other classes.
Did they not understand the concept of keeping dirty laundry inside the house?!
Those damn pigs…
Tch, maybe he really should transfer classes!
…No, that was just a fleeting thought.
For Hikigaya, Class D was the most convenient option right now.
Since most of his classmates were trash, he could comfortably ignore their problems without feeling guilty.
Wait… was Ichinose inviting him to Class A just to protect him?!
Well, if it was Class A, they would at least treat him kindly—even if he was annoying.
…Actually, that didn't sound all that great.
"Ichinose, first of all, I appreciate the sentiment."
Hikigaya decided to voice his real thoughts.
"Before I answer, can you hear me out first?"
"Of course, go ahead."
Ichinose immediately sat up straight, her expression serious.
"Alright, thanks…"
Choosing his words carefully, Hikigaya slowly spoke.
"Transferring classes isn't a small matter. Given how this school is structured, a class is supposed to stick together for three years. So if an outsider suddenly joins, it's only natural that things will feel off, right?"
"If it's you, Hikigaya-kun, I don't think that would be a problem. At least, no one in our class would dislike you."
"…I meant I would feel uncomfortable."
"Eh? A-Ah, I see." Ichinose scratched her head awkwardly.
"Anyway, that's my stance." Hikigaya's tone grew colder. "From my perspective, transferring to Class B means being under Sakayanagi's thumb, transferring to Class C means being bossed around by Ryuuen, and while Class D is full of idiots, at least I have some freedom. Even so, all of those are better than Class A—the worst option."
"The worst…?"
"Yeah. To put it bluntly, you guys are just a class that holds hands and plays nice."
"Hikigaya-kun… saying something like that…"
"The ones I can't stand the most are those who like to play the 'good friends' game."
"Jeez… ahaha, that's such a harsh evaluation."
Perhaps trying to ease the awkward atmosphere, Ichinose forced a smile.
But her smile looked worse than crying, her lips trembling uncontrollably.
And then, at last, the tears in her eyes spilled over.
Just moments ago, she had silently accepted being practically called a coward. And yet, now, she was crying.
To her, her class truly was the most important thing.
"Sorry… for saying that about the class you cherish."
"N-no, it's okay." Ichinose's voice trembled with sobs. "I know you didn't mean any harm, Hikigaya-kun… so, it's okay."
"Uh…" Hikigaya fell silent, simply handing her a tissue from the table.
What he had just said must have deeply hurt Ichinose.
But he had no intention of taking it back.
So that he wouldn't regret it in the future.
Once Ichinose's emotions settled, he finally spoke again. "Do you remember back when Shiranami wanted to confess to you, and I taught you that method of having someone fake a confession to gently turn her down?"
"…Yeah."
"That method has a real-life origin."
"An origin…?"
"Yeah. It's a story about a friend of mine," Hikigaya said plainly. "Back in our second year of middle school, during a school trip, a guy was planning to take the opportunity to confess to a girl he liked. And those two just happened to be part of the same clique of normies in class. They got along pretty well."
"…The girl didn't like the guy?" Ichinose, quick-witted as always, immediately guessed.
"Yeah. But she liked the atmosphere of their group. She was afraid that if she rejected the confession, it might end up affecting the group."
"That would definitely be a headache."
Ichinose must have understood this better than anyone—otherwise, she wouldn't have been so troubled back then.
"So later… did Hikigaya-kun use that method to resolve his classmate's crisis?"
"It wasn't me, it was my friend," Hikigaya flatly denied. "Back then, that girl and the group leader kept hinting at him to help. That guy got caught up in the moment and jumped in… and even now, he still regrets it."
"That's impossible."
For some reason, Ichinose shook her head firmly.
"If it was to help others, Hikigaya-kun definitely wouldn't regret it."
"Idiot, I already said it wasn't me… Besides, he doesn't regret it because of that."
"Eh?"
"Just listen to me first."
Hikigaya let out a long sigh before continuing.
"After that, the group's crisis was resolved. They all maintained a superficial relationship until graduation day… That guy decided to take one last chance and confess before it was too late."
"…And the result?" Ichinose's voice trembled slightly.
"Of course, it ended in complete disaster. A total, absolute failure." Hikigaya let out a cold laugh. "This time, no one was there to help them. Maybe it slipped out, or maybe they just didn't care anymore since they were all going their separate ways, but that girl revealed the truth about the school trip… It caused a huge commotion. A crowd gathered at the school gates, and I couldn't even get home because of it."
Even now, he couldn't forget the look of loneliness on Hayama's face.
And Miura—the so-called leader of their group—was furious at not being trusted. How foolish.
At the end of the day, that was all their relationship amounted to. Wasn't that an obvious fact?
"Ichinose, now do you understand?"
Hikigaya's tone was ruthless and final.
"Your class looks harmonious on the surface, but in reality, it's just a larger version of Hayama's group. Most of your classmates are merely 'friends of Ichinose Honami's friends'—nothing more."
Wait… he might have accidentally mentioned Hayama's name.
Oh well, not like it mattered.
"N-No… that's not true…"
Ichinose weakly tried to argue back, but all she received in return was Hikigaya's merciless sneer.
"How is it not?" Hikigaya challenged. "You'd rather reveal your past to people like me and Nagumo, but you keep it a secret from your so-called 'most important classmates.' Even when Sakayanagi was about to slap the evidence right in your face, you still buried your head in the sand like an ostrich… All of this just to maintain the illusion of your surface-level relationships, right?"
"Ugh…"
"Look, I'm not criticizing you. But a fake is still a fake. I don't want to waste my time on things like that, so let's just forget about the class transfer."
Even as he said it, Hikigaya knew how unpleasant he must have sounded.
But that didn't matter.
He wouldn't take back his words.
If he tried to sugarcoat things now, that was something he'd truly regret.
He had said everything he needed to.
Now, it was up to Ichinose to decide what to do next.
"It's getting late. Let's head back."
Unknowingly, they had talked until nightfall—and more importantly, Hikigaya was getting hungry.
Maybe ramen for dinner tonight…
"I will—!"
"Eh?"
Just as Hikigaya was thinking about his meal, Ichinose suddenly shouted, startling him.
Since he didn't catch what she said, he reflexively asked, "What did you just say?"
"I said, I will make it real!"
Ichinose's tearful eyes locked onto Hikigaya's.
"Maybe… maybe our class's bonds are fake and shallow right now, but… but I will make them real! I want to be true friends with everyone. I want us to overcome all challenges together and graduate from Class A as a team! And even if we fail… we'll still stand up and support each other!"
As she spoke, the spirit she had lost began to return.
And at that moment, Hikigaya understood—she was going to be fine.
"Is that so…?" He exhaled lightly. "Just saying nice words won't change anything, you know."
"Mhm! I know that!" Ichinose clenched her fists. "First, I have to apologize to everyone… I'm the leader of Class A, how could I let myself fall so easily to Sakayanagi's attack? Thinking back, it's pathetic. No wonder you were mad at me, Hikigaya-kun."
"And then… well, there's also that."
She closed her eyes for a moment, then nodded slightly.
When she opened them again, all hesitation had vanished.
"Hikigaya-kun, let's make a promise."
"A promise?"
"I don't know who this Hayama guy is, but our class won't end up like his. So… by the time we graduate, I will prove it to you!"
"I see…"
They gazed at each other in silence.
And finally, Hikigaya's expression softened, as if he had removed a mask.
He smiled in relief.
"Thank you, Ichinose."
"Eh… ehhh?!"
Ichinose froze at the sight of his smile, completely caught off guard by his gratitude.
"No, you got it backward! If anything, I should be thanking you, Hikigaya-kun! I've always wanted to find a way to repay you!"
"I already received my thanks."
"Huh? But…"
"It's fine. You'll understand one day."
Wanting to turn something fake into something real…
Just that alone was thanks enough.
Even if the odds were close to zero—
That was enough.
If such a thing could truly exist, then…
Hikigaya hoped for it from the bottom of his heart.