"Sigh, this is way too sudden..."
Feeling the various gazes and whispers behind him, Hikigaya could only sigh inwardly before pretending nothing had happened and returning to his seat.
Receiving a gift from a senior was nice and all, but... wasn't this a bit too direct? She even came to his class to deliver it.
It seemed like Asahina just didn't care about what others thought, which was probably why she was so straightforward about it.
To outsiders, it might look like their relationship was closer than it actually was.
Of course, if it were just a simple cookie, then it wouldn't be a big deal.
Even in the lowest-ranked Class D, there were still status differences, and some guys could receive chocolates from girls in other classes.
At most, they'd just be on the receiving end of envious glares. But Hikigaya's situation was far more complicated than that.
After all, Asahina was a second-year student.
Unlike the first-years, who were locked in fierce competition, the second-years were united under Nagumo's leadership.
In other words, Hikigaya had already made an enemy of Nagumo, which was nearly equivalent to making an enemy of all the second-years.
Under these circumstances, for Asahina to openly give him a Valentine's Day gift in front of everyone… It was probably only a matter of time before Nagumo heard about it.
To be honest, if Asahina was just messing with him, that would be fine.
At least it wouldn't cause him any real trouble.
But if that wasn't the case… then it was out of his hands.
Depending on how things played out, Asahina might even come to regret getting involved with him.
After all, Hikigaya's enemies included nearly the entire second-year.
Which meant the ones he had to deal with could very well be the entire second-year as well… At the very least, Class 2-A wouldn't be able to avoid getting dragged in.
...Whatever.
This wasn't something worth worrying about right now.
As he thought, Hikigaya opened the bag and took out a cookie to taste.
Hmm, delicious.
One piece of bread earlier wasn't quite enough, so he might as well treat this as a bonus meal… But seriously, just because it's Valentine's Day, does everything have to be chocolate-flavored? Even the bread and cookies?
At this rate, he was a little worried that his blood sugar might skyrocket today.
If possible, he really wished people would be more straightforward when giving gifts, instead of creating situations that led to misunderstandings.
Speaking of which, the chocolate he found in his shoe locker this morning wasn't bad—simple and unpretentious.
Even though slipping love letters into shoe lockers was outdated to the point that even elementary school kids wouldn't do it anymore, Hikigaya found himself unexpectedly liking that old-fashioned approach.
As for knocking on someone's door in the middle of the night... yeah, he could do without that.
"Hachiman-kun, how's the cookie?"
At some point, Matsushita had left her little group and returned to her seat.
"Judging by the way you're eating, it must be really good, huh?"
"...It's okay."
"Eh, let me see." Matsushita leaned in for a closer look. "Oh, it's chocolate-flavored? Honestly, if she was going to give you something, she should've just given you actual chocolate. Why go in circles like this?"
No, no, you're the one going in circles here.
Hikigaya couldn't help but complain internally.
He didn't say it out loud, though—he was too busy eating.
Seeing that he wasn't responding and was entirely focused on his cookie, Matsushita seemed even more displeased.
"Oh, right, that was Asahina-senpai, wasn't it? Sigh, one of the few people willing to give you a gift, and all she gave was a cookie… What a shame. Your chocolate count could've gone up by one. Well, I guess if you really want to count chocolate cookies as chocolate, then sure."
"…That sounds so depressing."
Hikigaya forced himself to swallow his bite, then thought for a moment before handing the bag to her.
"You've been talking about it so much—do you want to try some? Here, don't be shy."
"...No thanks, I'm already full." Matsushita's expression remained blank as she declined.
Huh, why did it feel like she was actually mad?
Was she really that bad at taking jokes? She had no problem teasing others all the time, but when the tables turned, she couldn't handle it?
Hikigaya sighed internally but decided not to push her any further.
"Alright, if you don't want it, then forget it."
"Uh…" Matsushita expressionlessly watched as Hikigaya pulled his hand back—only to hear something that took her by surprise.
"But since you seem to like cookies so much, how about I give you some as a return gift on White Day?"
"What…? Why would you give me a return gift?" Matsushita slowly turned her head away.
"That doesn't make any sense. I didn't give you anything. And I already told you—I'm not celebrating Valentine's Day this year, so don't expect anything from me later. I don't have anything on me right now."
"Maybe not right now, but that's because you put it in my shoe locker this morning, right?"
Hikigaya couldn't be 100% certain, but he was about 80-90% sure it was Matsushita.
If she wanted to tease him, she would've said his chocolate count was still at zero instead of implying it had gone up by one.
Of course, this reasoning was a bit of a stretch, and if he was wrong… well, then he'd just have to accept this as another embarrassing memory.
Fortunately, this time, it seemed like he was right.
"D-Don't be ridiculous. That chocolate didn't have my name on it. Why would you think I gave it to you?"
"...Oh."
Hikigaya wasn't in the mood to expose her, lest she get embarrassed and lash out.
Instead, he gave her a sincere smile.
"Well, whether it was from you or not doesn't matter. I just wanted to use this occasion to give you a little something… You've helped me out a lot, so let me show some appreciation."
"…Fine, do whatever you want… What kind of taste do you like?"
Matsushita slowly turned back toward him, suddenly throwing out an unexpected question.
That caught Hikigaya off guard.
"I don't know. I haven't tried it yet."
"Hmph…" Matsushita glanced at the bag in his hand again. "But you ate the one she gave you right away, huh?"
"Because it was a cookie?"
Now even Hikigaya was starting to doubt himself.
Wait, was he the one in the wrong here?
"Fine, if you insist on giving me something, go ahead. Just don't forget the basic rule for guys returning gifts." Matsushita made sure to remind him.
"I know." Hikigaya nodded. "Three times the value, right? Don't worry, I'll make sure to buy the most expensive cookies in the store for you."
Honestly, three times was nothing.
After all, whenever he gave Komachi a return gift, he always started at triple the value. Even if it emptied his wallet, he had no complaints.
By the way, my dad was forced to return the gift tenfold... Thinking about it that way, Komachi does love her big brother, huh?
However, Matsushita seemed quite dissatisfied.
"What do you mean by triple the return? I'm saying don't think you can just casually buy some cookies and call it a day."
"Eh, eh?! Even the most expensive one won't do?"
"Hmph… whatever."
That being said, if I really did just give something random, she'd definitely be upset.
…Sigh, how troublesome.
Sometimes, it feels unfair.
It's the same Valentine's Day, yet girls can all simply give chocolate, while guys have to rack their brains to come up with something unique for the return gift.
Is it because they don't want dessert companies to make too much money…? No way.
Anyway, just giving cookies alone doesn't seem like an option.
And thinking about it carefully, it's not just Matsushita—most likely, the others wouldn't want cookies as a return gift either.
That really would feel half-hearted.
Originally, I was considering buying a bunch at once—maybe the shop would even give me a discount.
…No, no, no.
Before that, I'd probably get weird looks from the store clerk, like I'm some kind of scumbag or something…
Looking at it that way, maybe I really shouldn't just go with cookies.
But coming up with a different gift for each person is way too hard… Kikyo, Masumi, Horikita, Matsushita, Tachibana-senpai, and Asahina-senpai… Should Manabe be included too?
That's… six people.
For a moment, I was completely dumbfounded.
…
Receiving gifts is nice, but thinking about returning them is pure agony.
Honestly, if I had known this would happen, I'd rather not have received any chocolates at all… but that's not something I can decide.
It's not like I could just throw away chocolates that someone specifically went out of their way to give me.
That would be way too heartless, not to mention a complete waste of food.
And so, even after school, I still hadn't figured out how to face Ichinose.
If I were one of those cold and aloof characters in anime, I probably wouldn't have to deal with this. I could just mercilessly say something emotionless and be done with it.
Too bad I'm not.
So, I have to seriously consider the other person's feelings.
"Sigh..."
"Hachiman-kun, what's wrong?"
Matsushita looked at him curiously as he sighed. "You seem a little off today. School's already over, yet you're still slumped over your desk. Normally, you'd be rushing out with your bag by now."
"You're exaggerating... I've been busy with student council work."
Hikigaya awkwardly made up an excuse.
"But since exams are coming up next month, student council activities will be put on hold soon. So, there's no need to rush over there anymore."
"Ohhh—" Matsushita deliberately stretched out her response. "I thought you had already quit the student council, but I guess not."
"...That's a weird thing to say. Why would I quit?"
Hikigaya was the victim here, after all!
That bandage had stayed on for an entire day before finally being taken off.
"If not, then why are you still in the classroom?"
"Can't I just rest for a bit after class?"
"Oh, I see. I thought you were like the others, waiting for a miracle to happen."
Although Matsushita's words carried a sarcastic undertone, she wasn't exactly wrong.
Even though school was over, Class D was still buzzing with energy.
Especially among the boys. Even someone like Sudou, who usually had club activities, was lingering in the classroom, circling Horikita.
The others weren't much different, constantly throwing hints at the girls.
Honestly, if he were in the mood, Hikigaya would have enjoyed observing these idiots making fools of themselves.
Future bootlickers in training… No, scratch that, they were already full-fledged ones!
All this over a simple piece of chocolate—have some dignity!
As for Hikigaya, he had only stayed behind because Ichinose had just messaged him. Their class meeting had been extended, and she asked him to wait for a bit.
That was the only reason. It had nothing to do with wanting chocolates or anything stupid like that.
Ding—
Just then, his phone notification went off.
Hikigaya assumed it was from Ichinose, but when he checked, it was actually from Shiina. She asked if he could meet her at the library today.
That's... unexpected.
Was this also for Valentine's Day?
Since Shiina rarely invited him, and Ichinose hadn't followed up yet, Hikigaya figured he might as well go.
"Oh my, heading out already?"
Matsushita, who had been chatting with her friends nearby, noticed him packing his bag and immediately walked over.
"Hachiman-kun, are you off to a date?"
"...Why would you say that?"
"Hehe, it's written all over your face."
Even so, something about the way she said it felt off.
As if she already knew...
Wait, could she tell he was going to meet Shiina?
No way—was it really that obvious?
Hikigaya instinctively touched his face, starting to feel uneasy about Matsushita.
Could she read minds?!
"Come on, why are you spacing out?" Matsushita suddenly gave him a firm pat on the back. "Hurry up and go. Don't keep her waiting."
"O-Oh."
"Also... Maybe I'm just meddling, but I still think..."
Matsushita hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Since she must have gathered a lot of courage to ask, you... should at least respond seriously. Whatever you do, don't just brush it off."
"...?"
Hikigaya didn't quite get what she meant, but he nodded anyway.
What was she even trying to say?
Why did it sound like Shiina was...
No way—there was no such atmosphere at all!
But... a serious response, huh?
Even if it was a separate matter, Hikigaya felt like that was also the right answer when it came to Ichinose.
However, he wasn't confident he could do it...
Sigh. Maybe he should just ditch it.
With that thought weighing on him, Hikigaya unconsciously made his way to the library.
And as soon as he arrived, he spotted Shiina.
She seemed to be waiting at the entrance on purpose.
"Hello, Hikigaya-kun."
"Uh... hey."
Shiina greeted him cheerfully, her voice sounding livelier than usual.
"I'm really glad you could come." She smiled and took out a neatly wrapped box from her bag, holding it out with both hands. "This is a Valentine's gift. Will you accept it?"
"Ah, thanks. That's really thoughtful of you."
Hikigaya mumbled his gratitude and took the gift, a little surprised.
Mainly because... this box seemed kind of big?
Was it all chocolate?
Not that he minded, but he hoped he wouldn't end up with diabetes after eating it.
"Hehe, aren't you going to open it?" Shiina looked at him expectantly.
Wait, she wanted him to open it now?
Since she had already asked, Hikigaya couldn't exactly refuse. So, he carefully unwrapped the box—
And found a book inside.
...Huh?
It's a light novel?!
Seeing the title on the cover, Hikigaya was completely stunned.
Shiina, looking pleased with his reaction, smiled and said, "I remember you mentioning this novel a lot, so I went and bought it for you. Do you like it?"
"Ah... yeah, of course." Hikigaya stammered a bit.
He had only read the web version online, and since the light novel edition had just been released, he had planned to buy it when he had the time.
But as for whether he liked it...
Well, it wasn't that special to him.
It was originally just something to pass the time—something you'd forget after reading, not even worth collecting.
Of course, Shiina's thoughtfulness was still touching.
But… how should he put it? A light novel as a Valentine's Day gift…?
As the one receiving it, Hikigaya felt somewhat conflicted.
Sigh, this girl always managed to come up with something new.
"Hehe, as long as you like it." Shiina smiled, her eyes narrowing slightly. "By the way, why don't we read it together now? I'm really curious about what's inside."
"…Huh?"
If receiving a light novel from Shiina was surprising, then this suggestion was outright shocking.
Reading the same book with a beautiful girl, and on top of that, a web novel with slightly stimulating content… what kind of torture was this?
No, no, absolutely not!
But before Hikigaya could refuse, Shiina seemed to sense his hesitation and lowered her head with a dejected expression.
"Hikigaya-kun… didn't we agree to share books we like with each other? Or… do you not want to share with me?"
"…Yeah, I don't."
If this were any other time, seeing Shiina's pitiful expression, Hikigaya might have given in.
But this was different… this was a matter of social death!
"Hmph!" Shiina puffed up her cheeks in frustration. "You're so mean, Hikigaya-kun!"
Hey, I'm not the bad guy here.
You're the one making an unreasonable request!
No matter what, Hikigaya wasn't going to compromise on this.
Still, Shiina didn't press further. Instead, she decided to take a step back.
"In that case, at least take the book out and read a little?"
"…Alright."
Though he found it a bit odd, Hikigaya followed her request.
And then, he noticed a neatly wrapped chocolate lying on the back cover of the book.
Huh…?
"Well, it is Valentine's Day, after all." Shiina explained, slightly embarrassed. "At first, I only wanted to give you a book, but after thinking it over… I felt that Valentine's Day should come with chocolate, right?"
"Yeah… thanks."
At that moment, Hikigaya's heart skipped a beat.
Damn… this girl's tricks are getting too powerful…
"If it's convenient, shall we go inside?" Shiina smiled, motioning toward the library.
However, Hikigaya hesitated, looking troubled.
"Sorry, I actually have something to do. I might not be able to stay long."
"Mm, that's okay. There will be other chances."
Shiina nodded understandingly.
Just as Hikigaya felt relieved, she suddenly added, "In that case, let's just chat for a bit."
"Sure. About what?"
"Hikigaya-kun, you've looked preoccupied for a while now."
"…Maybe."
Did she notice that so quickly?
Shiina continued, her tone laced with concern. "Did something happen? If you want, you can tell me."
"It's not about me… it's about a friend."
"A friend, huh? What's the situation?" Shiina wisely avoided pressing on certain details.
Otherwise, this conversation might not go anywhere.
"It's about Valentine's Day," Hikigaya thought for a moment before speaking slowly. "There's a girl who wants to give him chocolate… a rather special kind. But he doesn't have that kind of interest in her, so he doesn't want to accept it. The problem is, he doesn't know what to do… that's it."
Deep down, he knew that when it came to emotions, someone was bound to get hurt.
It was something you could only truly understand when you were the one in that position.
That said, Hikigaya wasn't the type to be naive about these things.
He didn't expect Shiina to come up with any solution; saying these things was just his way of finding someone to confide in.
In the end, he still had to face it himself.
"Hikigaya-kun, I understand what you mean."
But what he didn't expect was that Shiina actually had a plan.
"I have three strategies—superior, intermediate, and inferior. If you don't mind, would you like to hear them?"
"…Eh?"
Hikigaya was momentarily dumbfounded.
Superior, intermediate, and inferior… Do you think you're Zhuge Kongming or something?
Should I start calling you Zhuge Shiina from now on?