"Yo, good evening."
Hikigaya greeted the three of them, then looked at Ayanokouji with admiration. "I didn't expect you to be this skilled, Ayanokouji. Just now, you handled everything so smoothly. You're way better than the explosive guy."
"Explosive guy?"
Horikita Suzune looked confused.
"Sorry, that just slipped out. I was talking about Sudou, the guy who tried to get violent with you in the library today. His temper is like a barrel of explosives—one spark and boom, he goes off."
Hikigaya explained awkwardly.
Horikita Manabu, standing nearby, narrowed his eyes slightly, a sharp glint flashing through them.
"I just happened to be passing by, that's all. And I'm really not as impressive as you think, Hikigaya."
Ayanokouji said casually.
His face remained expressionless, but inside, he was already thinking about how to distance himself from the situation.
"No, no, no, Ayanokouji. There's no point in pretending anymore. Words might lie, but what I just saw with my own eyes can't be wrong."
Hikigaya wasn't as easy to fool as Horikita's younger sister.
"Even eyes can be deceived."
"So you're saying you were lying just now?"
"I…"
Ayanokouji stopped mid-sentence, realizing he almost fell into Hikigaya's trap. "What I mean is, what you saw may not be the whole truth. In reality, I just happened to be passing by. I do exercise regularly and have learned tea ceremony and piano. That's all there is to it."
He repeated what he had said before.
"Tea ceremony? I think you mentioned calligraphy earlier."
Hikigaya gave him a subtle look.
Heh, caught you slipping, didn't I?
"…I also learned calligraphy."
"Then, can you tell me which calligraphy and piano classes teach such impressive martial arts? I'd like to sign my little sister up."
"Sorry, the school shut down years ago. I just happened to be part of the last batch of students."
Ayanokouji said calmly, adding to himself that this part was actually true.
"So, I misunderstood? You're actually just an amateur, so weak that you managed to fight the student council president—who holds a fifth-degree black belt in karate and a fourth-degree rank in aikido—to a draw just with raw physical ability? If that's the case, I'd suggest you join the Olympics with our class's 'Big Shark' and 'Little Phelps' while you're at it."
Hikigaya gave him a look that clearly said, "Do you think I'm an idiot?"
Even Horikita Suzune had a similar expression, but Ayanokouji remained as expressionless as ever. No matter what Hikigaya said, he stuck firmly to his claim of being "just average."
"Ayanokouji?"
Horikita Manabu, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke. "Now that I think about it, during this year's entrance exam, there was one particularly unusual score—exactly 50 points in every subject. If I remember correctly, that student's name was Ayanokouji."
"Probably just a coincidence."
Ayanokouji had already made up his mind—no matter what, he wasn't going to admit it.
"Words can be deceiving, so are you lying right now too?"
Seeing Ayanokouji still pretending, Hikigaya couldn't help but add a comment.
Ayanokouji: "..."
"Sorry, I just remembered I have something to do."
Ayanokouji quickly said his goodbyes and left.
If I can't win the argument, I can still walk away!
After Ayanokouji left, before Hikigaya could say anything, Horikita Manabu suddenly spoke first.
"Hikigaya, I hope you can keep what happened tonight a secret."
Hikigaya didn't answer immediately. He first made sure Ayanokouji wasn't just pretending to leave, then turned to Horikita Manabu and nodded.
"I just happened to pass by tonight. I had no intention of getting involved in whatever was going on between you and your sister. I just got dragged in because of an unexpected situation."
"Si-- sister?"
Horikita Suzune stiffened for a moment, then carefully glanced at her brother. Seeing that he didn't object, she quietly let out a breath of relief.
On the other side, Horikita Manabu stayed silent. He had picked up on the deeper meaning behind Hikigaya's words.
Seeing that Horikita Manabu understood him, Hikigaya didn't linger any longer and was about to leave when Horikita Manabu suddenly spoke.
"Hikigaya, as compensation for tonight, I will transfer private points to you."
"No need. I'm not short on points for now, and I'm not the type to go around exposing people's private matters."
Hikigaya understood Horikita Manabu's reasoning, but he didn't like treating everything as a transaction.
"I see."
Horikita Manabu nodded. "Then consider this a favor I owe you."
"President, I really won't tell anyone about tonight, so you don't have to—"
Hikigaya frowned. A favor was far more valuable than private points, so he tried to refuse.
But Horikita Manabu cut him off.
"Hikigaya, I know you don't like handling everything based on 'gains and losses.' But in this school, that's the most effective way to manage relationships. You're still new here and haven't fully adapted to its unspoken rules. Sooner or later, you'll come to understand this approach."
Relationships and benefits, huh?
With enough benefits, even strangers can become friends. When those benefits disappear, friends can turn into strangers—or worse. If the stakes are high enough, even enemies might shake hands.
That's just how human relationships work in society. Benefits are like a double-edged sword—not good or bad, just understood differently by different people.
Hikigaya remained silent for a moment, then looked straight at Horikita Manabu and said,
"In that case, you should transfer the private points after all. I lied earlier—I actually do need them."
"I don't take back my words."
Horikita Manabu refused.
"Is that so?"
Hikigaya's face remained blank. He glanced at Horikita Suzune, who had been through quite a rough night, then said,
"I see. It's getting late, so I'll be heading off."
But just a few steps away, he suddenly stopped.
With his back still turned to Horikita Manabu, he sighed and said,
"If what you just said is true, then why bother owing a favor in the first place?"
Horikita Manabu didn't reply, but there was a flicker of admiration in his eyes.
"By the way, I have a younger sister myself. I know that when one side 'thinks they're doing what's best for the other,' it often backfires. Sometimes, just saying things honestly can make all the difference."
Hikigaya chuckled as if recalling an old memory.
At the same time, he couldn't help but mock himself. Why am I even getting involved in someone else's family matters? Hikigaya, don't overstep.
"Of course, that's just advice from someone who's been through it. If you don't like it, just ignore it."
Leaving those words behind, Hikigaya's figure slowly disappeared into the night.
After a long pause, Horikita Suzune looked up at her older brother, about to say something when, all of a sudden, Horikita Manabu started laughing.
Her brother… was laughing?
Horikita Suzune's eyes widened in disbelief. How many years had it been since she last saw her brother smile? Middle school? Or maybe elementary school?
In her memory, the last time he smiled was when she had just entered the third grade.
Was it because of… Hikigaya?
A bitter feeling rose inside her, along with a deep sense of frustration.
What… what does Hikigaya have that I don't?!
"Suzune, it seems you've made an interesting friend. That's a bit unexpected."
Horikita Manabu had already returned to his usual serious expression, but Suzune had a strange feeling—was her brother… actually a little happy?
"He's… not my friend. He's just a classmate, that's all."
Suzune insisted, unwilling to accept it.
"You're still the same, always confusing being independent with being alone."
Manabu looked directly at his sister. She instinctively avoided his gaze, but after a moment, as if realizing something, she bit her lip and stared back at him.
"I… I will definitely make it to Class A!"
"If you want to move up to Class A, then struggle as hard as you can."
Manabu walked past his sister.
"But if you still refuse to see yourself clearly and keep your vision limited to just yourself… then, Suzune, you should leave this school as soon as possible."
With those words, his figure disappeared from her sight.
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