Chapter 237: Entering the Arena Hand-in-Hand with Sakayanagi
"To directly ask a lady to move her... delicate backside, couldn't Hikigaya-kun use a slightly more euphemistic phrasing?"
Sakayanagi Arisu gave him a mock-reproachful look.
"No, I'm a vulgar person."
With Hikigaya's literary cultivation, he certainly could have, but he didn't want to pander to this "loli brat" Sakayanagi; otherwise, she would surely take an inch and want a mile.
"Hehe~ ^_^ Being so crude won't make girls like you, you know."
Sakayanagi Arisu squinted her eyes and smiled.
"Oh, then I'm leaving!"
Hikigaya was too lazy to talk nonsense with her; he turned to leave without a second thought.
"Wait a moment... Fine, honestly~"
Sakayanagi Arisu pursed her lips and moved over with a look of displeasure: "Hikigaya-kun really knows how to play hard to get."
"You're enough of a hassle yourself..."
Hikigaya sat down beside Sakayanagi, his dead-fish eyes looking down at her from a height: "If you want me to keep you company, just say so."
Sakayanagi Arisu paused, her small mouth slightly pursed, and finally sighed helplessly: "I have to admit, Hikigaya-kun's powers of observation are sometimes quite troublesome."
She felt lonely. At this grand sports festival where everyone was focused, she was unable to participate due to her physical condition—it was truly one of life's great regrets!
"With my physical state, I'm afraid I'll be estranged from sports for the rest of my life."
Sakayanagi Arisu had a look of regret.
"So what? Sports aren't exactly interesting anyway.
The old me never officially participated in sports festivals.
Except for some team competitions that were unavoidable."
Hikigaya used himself as an example.
"But the current Hikigaya-kun is different now~
You even joined the Martial Arts Club."
Sakayanagi Arisu looked at him with interest, seemingly wanting to understand Hikigaya's transformation.
"That's because some things happened..."
Hikigaya spoke vaguely. His original intention for joining the Martial Arts Club was to strengthen his body. The cause was that he had been beaten too badly by Horikita Manabu in his dreams.
"As Hikigaya-kun says, I don't have much interest in sports either.
It's just that when I think about how I might go my whole life without experiencing romance, it's quite a shame."
A trace of gloom flashed in the depths of Sakayanagi Arisu's eyes.
"Ho? A smart person like you is actually a 'love-brain'?"
Hikigaya looked at her with a strange expression.
"I am a psychologically normal girl, okay? Wanting to fall in love—isn't that a matter of course?"
Sakayanagi Arisu picked up her palm and lightly tapped his leg.
"Fair point... Then go find someone to date."
Hikigaya spoke with a straight face: "Even though you're a loli brat with a nasty personality, at least your face is super cute. Most guys wouldn't refuse you, right?"
"My, my~ so Hikigaya-kun's evaluation of me is that high?"
Sakayanagi covered her mouth and giggled.
'No, did you only hear the second half? The first half 'loli brat with a nasty personality' is hardly a compliment no matter how you look at it, right?'
Hikigaya was too lazy to even complain.
"However, it's a pity. Given my physical condition, I can't satisfy a boyfriend's 'sexual' needs."
Sakayanagi Arisu was dead serious, yet her mouth was saying things that weren't quite pure.
"Pfft!"
Hikigaya almost couldn't help but faceplant. He stared at her with a bizarre expression: "Hey, watch it! A lady wouldn't say such raunchy talk)!"
"Whatever~ Since my body can't do it anyway, is it not even allowed for me to be a bit reckless with my mouth?"
Sakayanagi Arisu spread her hands, acting as if she was just talking big.
"Cough cough~ There's no need to be so pessimistic. Maybe medical science will have a breakthrough in the future?"
When Hikigaya said this, it wasn't entirely a bluff. The "Hikigaya Arisu" in his dreams, after undergoing therapy with new medical equipment, was already able to do some not-so-intense exercises.
"I've heard these 'taken for granted' words since I was a child; I'm tired of them."
Sakayanagi Arisu's eyes shifted, and she gazed at him with burning intensity: "However, for some reason, hearing Hikigaya-kun say it makes me feel quite a bit more cheerful.
It seems Hikigaya-kun spends a lot of time coaxing girls in his daily life~~"
Hikigaya didn't want to answer that question. He suggested: "The time is about right. How about we head back?
Even if you can't go down yourself, cheering for your friends is fine too."
Sakayanagi Arisu's face was calm: "Fine, I'll do as Hikigaya-kun says."
Hikigaya stood up and habitually reached out his hand to her. Sakayanagi Arisu wasn't polite either; she placed her hand in his palm and let him pull her up.
"Can we keep holding hands like this?"
'Of course not!'
"I want to feel what it's like for lovers to hold hands."
Sakayanagi Arisu's small hand exerted force, gripping his hand. Though she said "exerted force," in reality, according to standard grip strength calculations, it probably wasn't even 10kg. Hikigaya could have easily shaken her hand off.
"This..."
Sakayanagi Arisu looked at him expectantly. Her usually proud eyes now held a few hints of pleading. Hikigaya really didn't have the heart to refuse, so he had to agree: "I'm just afraid you'll fall."
"Yes, yes~ Then Hikigaya-kun must hold my hand tightly."
Sakayanagi Arisu instantly beamed. That super cute face looked exceptionally moving under the bright sunlight.
Hikigaya stared straight ahead without squinting. For the first time, he felt that gravity, besides being bent by massive objects, could also be attracted by other things.
'Physics no longer exists?'
At the sports festival playground.
"Can we let go now?"
Hikigaya raised the hand that was holding hers; he didn't want to attract attention.
"Dame yo~ (No way~)"
Sakayanagi Arisu not only didn't let go, but instead tightened her grip on several of his fingers.
"After walking such a long distance, my physical strength is severely insufficient. There is a risk of collapsing at any moment."
'Exaggeration!'
However, Hikigaya noticed that a few beads of sweat had seeped onto her forehead, and her face was indeed slightly pale; she had indeed consumed quite a lot of energy.
Fine. Anyway, everyone's attention is on the arena; surely no one will notice me.
Holding onto a sliver of wishful thinking, Hikigaya held Sakayanagi Arisu's hand and braced himself as he walked toward the spectator area where Class C was located.
"Hikigaya! You insidious guy, sneaking over to our class—are you trying to scout for intel?"
Yahiko, who was sitting in the back responsible for sentry duty, noticed Hikigaya's arrival immediately.
'Damn it!
Why are you shouting so loud, you big idiot?'
Black lines instantly filled Hikigaya's forehead. He saw the people of Class C all turning their heads at Yahiko's shout.
At the same time they saw Hikigaya, they also saw Sakayanagi Arisu holding hands with him.
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