Chapter 283 Reversing the Tide, Asahina-senpai
"Ugly woman! Gold digger!
You are the shame of Class A!"
Hikigaya's continuous barrage of insults practically tore the skin right off Mitsuki-senpai's face!
"Are you crazy, you bastard?" Mitsuki's face distorted. She never imagined that when presented with a way to end things decently for both sides, he would actually refuse to take it.
Fine! Since you want to flip the table, then let's all go to hell together!
"Everyone, listen up! This guy with the dead fish eyes used the Student Council's name to threaten me into a date, and when I refused, he got violent!" Mitsuki lied through her teeth, insisting that Hikigaya had ill intentions toward her.
"Evidence? Are you basing that on nothing but your own massive ego?" Hikigaya mocked her coldly.
"The—the evidence is... a girl wouldn't joke about her own purity!" Mitsuki spoke with conviction, using a logic that was completely groundless.
"Heh~ As if you have any purity left. You're practically a walking pile of filth." Hikigaya spat the words out with a look of utter disgust.
"You're the filthy one, you bastard dead-fish-eyes..."
The two engaged in a fierce shouting match on the spot. In terms of vocabulary for insults, Hikigaya—who ranked in the top three for Language arts—was naturally far superior. Throughout the entire exchange, he didn't repeat a single word, cursing Mitsuki so thoroughly she was left panting and red-faced.
Seeing that she couldn't win a direct shouting match, Mitsuki adopted a strategy of "retreating to advance." She flopped her butt onto the ground and began wailing and rolling around like a child: "He's bullying me! A man is hitting a woman!!"
It must be said, this move is considered the ultimate trump card for girls against boys. Some passersby who didn't know the truth quickly chose to side with Mitsuki, speaking up to criticize Hikigaya: "Hey, you're a big man, why are you bullying a girl?"
Toward these hypocrites who knew nothing yet claimed the moral high ground, Hikigaya never showed mercy: "So what if I am? You want to come over here and test your skills against me?"
"You... you savage!" The "righteous" passerby immediately shrank back.
Playing the thug? Who doesn't know how to do that?
Seeing this, Mitsuki was also completely stunned. It turns out that bad people are never afraid of you being reasonable; what they fear most is you being a bigger thug than them!
Just as the two sides were at a stalemate, Nagumo Miyabi arrived on the scene with suspicious timing. You didn't even have to look to know that someone must have tipped him off.
"Hikigaya, how did you get into trouble again?" Listen to that—trying to pin the blame on him right from the start.
"What kind of talk is that, President Nagumo? I am simply performing my duties as a member of the Disciplinary Committee. How is that 'getting into trouble'?" Hikigaya retorted coldly.
"Haha~ Don't be so anxious, Hikigaya-kun. I was just joking." Nagumo Miyabi flashed a kind smile, then turned his gaze toward Mitsuki: "Mitsuki, you tell me. How did this conflict with Hikigaya start?"
Mitsuki's expression brightened, and she immediately began slandering Hikigaya with exaggerated details.
"Hikigaya, is that really how it happened?"
"Whether it's the truth or not, I'm sure President Nagumo is more than capable of discerning it."
"This is quite a headache. On one hand, she's my classmate; on the other, you're a colleague in the Student Council." Nagumo Miyabi put on a fake expression of difficulty.
"How about this: you both apologize to each other, and we'll act as if nothing happened?"
Hikigaya refused to compromise: "Impossible. I did nothing wrong, so why should I apologize?"
Mitsuki, seeing this, had no choice but to dig her heels in: "Exactly! I'm clearly the victim here! I will never apologize to this dead-fish-eyes!"
"Since both of you have your own stories and there is no substantial evidence... According to protocol, I can only issue an equal punishment to both of you," Nagumo Miyabi said slowly.
"Wait a minute, Nagumo?" Mitsuki was about to protest.
"What? Does Student Mitsuki have an objection to my ruling?" Nagumo Miyabi shot her a cold glance.
"N-no..." Mitsuki shuddered instantly. Even though they were both in Class A, Nagumo had caused no small number of Class A students to be expelled in the past. To anyone who opposed him, Nagumo would never let them have a good ending!
"How does President Nagumo plan to punish us?" Hikigaya frowned, a dark premonition growing in his mind.
"Just like yesterday, for those who seriously violate school rules... A one-month suspension, a deduction of 100,000 personal points, plus a written apology..."
Nagumo Miyabi finally revealed his hand. He was using Mitsuki to deal a heavy blow to Hikigaya! A suspension didn't matter since it was winter break. 100,000 points wasn't a huge deal to Hikigaya either.
The key was the written apology! Once Hikigaya admitted to a mistake in writing, Nagumo would surely make it public. It would be equivalent to "social death." Although Mitsuki would also lose her reputation, Nagumo didn't care about her at all.
"Heh~ President Nagumo is truly impartial. To punish me, you don't even care about your own classmate." Hikigaya sneered sarcastically.
"You flatter me. As the Student Council President, I must naturally prioritize the big picture above all else." Nagumo Miyabi praised himself with utter shamelessness.
Hikigaya felt a wave of disgust. He had lost this round.
He had underestimated the darkness of Nagumo's heart—the man was willing to sacrifice his own classmate as a pawn to strike him down!
The outcome seemed decided. Just as everything was about to be settled, an unexpected scene occurred!
"Oh~ Hikigaya-kun, why are you still here?"
The newcomer was Asahina Nazuna. As soon as she arrived, she intimately grabbed his arm and smiled.
"Didn't we agree to go to the lawn tonight to look at the stars?"
"Eh?!" Hikigaya was stunned for a moment. But he immediately understood her intention.
"Asahina, y-you're on a date with him?" Mitsuki had an expression of total disbelief, then looked at Nagumo beside her.
"Asahina, what is this?" The smile on Nagumo Miyabi's face froze.
"As you can see, I'm on a date with Hikigaya-kun~" Asahina Nazuna tightened her grip on his arm, her sunny smile seemingly capable of warming anyone's heart.
"..." Nagumo Miyabi clenched his fists in silence.
"By the way, Mitsuki-san, didn't you go to confess to Miki-kun from Class B?
Why are you chatting with my kouhai?" Asahina Nazuna blinked her eyes curiously.
"..." Mitsuki's expression was awkward; she stammered, not knowing how to explain.
"So that's how it is... And that woman said Hikigaya approached her for a date?"
"Tch~ Don't make me laugh. Who would look at her when they can go on a date with a top-tier sunny beauty like Asahina?"
"Exactly! No wonder he called her an ugly woman, hahahaha!"
Asahina Nazuna's appearance completely shattered Mitsuki's lies. Simultaneously, it dismantled Nagumo's scheme against Hikigaya.
"President Nagumo, since the truth has been revealed, I assume that 'equal punishment' can be retracted now?" Hikigaya fixed a cold gaze on Nagumo.
"Huuu—" Nagumo Miyabi took a deep breath, suppressing his inner rage.
"My apologies. It seems I was momentarily careless and almost wronged a good person."
He had calculated everything, only to be inches away from teaching Hikigaya a lesson. He never expected his childhood friend to suddenly step in and help Hikigaya flip the script.
"It's fine. I am a very magnanimous person; I won't hold the President's mistake against him. At the same time, I trust the President will handle things fairly, right?"
Hikigaya emphasized his last words, the threat within them being undeniable.
Nagumo's face was incredibly grim. Losing twice in two days had severely damaged his pride; he was fuming internally!
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On the lawn at the edge of the playground, Hikigaya and Asahina Nazuna strolled together.
"I'm sorry, Hikigaya-kun." Asahina let go of his arm, her eyes full of apology.
"My classmate caused trouble for you."
"No, it's not your fault, Asahina-senpai.
On the contrary, I'm lucky you were there to bail me out this time." Hikigaya bowed to her sincerely.
"It was nothing... According to what you once said, I wasn't helping you, just satisfying myself." Asahina Nazuna gave a bitter smile.
As a student of 2-A, it should have been something to be proud of. But her classmate's actions made her feel that being associated with them was a disgrace.
"That only proves your noble character even more." Hikigaya felt a sense of respect and couldn't help but recite a poem on the spot: "Emerging from the mud yet remaining unstained, washed by clear ripples yet not coquettish."
"I-it's not that great... By the way, that poem isn't from our textbooks, is it?
You really know a lot, kouhai~" Asahina looked at him with admiration.
"Just something I happened to read in my spare time." Hikigaya looked up at the moon, putting on a profound appearance.
'I can't! I have to hold it in! I finally managed to look cool, I have to commit!'
Asahina gave him plenty of face, clapping her hands together: "You're super cool, kouhai!"
"Senpai, if you keep praising me, I'm going to start grinning like an idiot." The corners of Hikigaya's mouth were uncontrollably turning upward.
"Pfft~ Why hold it back? You're clearly a sunny boy who loves to laugh." Asahina smiled playfully.
"Me? Sunny? No matter how you look at it, that doesn't fit these eyes of mine." Hikigaya pointed at his dead fish eyes and mocked himself.
"You could just wear glasses. You'd be a super handsome guy in glasses!"
Asahina teased with interest.
"Of course, the current you is also quite good. Your gaze is 'fierce-cute'."
"Let's end the discussion about my appearance there." Hikigaya pulled the topic back, his expression turning serious.
"Doing what you did today, Senpai... it will cause a lot of trouble for you in Class A, won't it?"
"Not at all... Okay, maybe a little." Asahina stuck out her tongue. Knowing she couldn't fool the man in front of her, she spoke honestly: "In my view, the current Class A is too impulsive, one might even say arrogant!"
"As the saying goes, 'if the upper beam is crooked, the lower ones will be too.' This is the atmosphere President Nagumo started, isn't it?" Hikigaya hit the nail on the head.
"Correct. It's just as you said.
Ever since Nagumo led the class from Class B to Class A, the whole class has been immersed in an arrogant state of being full of themselves." Asahina's voice was low.
"Their behavior is becoming increasingly disgraceful. It really damages the honor of Class A!"
Compared to the reputation of the 3rd-year Class A, the 2nd-year Class A was more than a grade lower. They couldn't even compare to the 1st-year Class A...
"I've warned Nagumo many times not to go too far, as it affects the class's reputation." Asahina sighed helplessly.
"Unfortunately, he won't listen to me. He stubbornly thinks that as long as you have strength, you can do whatever you want."
"He's quite the ego-maniac then." Hikigaya gave a light laugh. There's a saying: You can be a person without morals, but you can't act without morals. Like the rich; they often invest in
charity. Even if people criticize them for being hypocritical, doing it is still different from not doing it. A person like Nagumo Miyabi, who has no morals in character or action, is simply pure evil!
"If possible, I hope someone can give Nagumo a harsh lesson." Asahina looked at him intently.
"Senpai, aren't you overestimating me a bit?" Hikigaya gave a wry smile.
"No, my eye for people is quite accurate." Asahina said confidently.
"When necessary, I will provide you with a certain amount of help."
"Hmph! If it's just 'help,' isn't that a bit too little?" Hikigaya put on a stern face, intentionally raising the price.
"Besides, words have no weight. Shouldn't Senpai offer something more... substantial? You know what I mean."
"Words have no weight...?" Asahina seemingly thought of something; a faint blush rose to her cheeks, and she shot him a sharp look.
"As expected of the Great Demon King junior, you actually dare to have designs on your senpai!"
"Eh? Designs...?" Hikigaya looked dazed, not quite following. He was merely hinting for her to give him some personal points—nothing much, just a gesture of thanks.
Could it be that Asahina-senpai was unexpectedly stingy?
"Sigh~ I really can't do anything with you." Asahina seemed to make a big decision and took a deep breath. "Kouhai, close your eyes."
"Why?"
"Just close them!"
"..." Hikigaya complied honestly.
In the next second, he felt a warm, moist sensation on his cheek. Chu~~
"Ehh?!" Hikigaya snapped his eyes open. He saw Asahina Nazuna already performing a tactical retreat, her entire face red as a sunset, one hand covering her lips.
"What was that for?" Asahina stamped her foot, seemingly a bit embarrassed and angry. "Didn't you say it yourself? Words have no weight...
Now, there's the weight of a 'mouth' for proof!"
Hearing Asahina's interpretation, Hikigaya was dumbfounded.
"Is there a possibility... that I just wanted some personal points?"
"Hah?!" Now it was Asahina's turn to be stunned.
Christmas night, under the starlit sky. The two stared at each other, the atmosphere becoming somewhat subtle.
"Ahem~" Hikigaya was the first to speak: "But to be fair, compared to personal points, I think I prefer Senpai's ki—"
"Stop!!!" Asahina Nazuna suddenly reached out and clamped her hand tightly over his mouth. "From now on, you are to forget everything that happened one minute ago!"
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