Chapter 174 A Birthday Gift Prepared for Little Sister
"Is it really necessary to go so far as to get it custom-made?
You're just throwing money away," Hikigaya complained.
Besides, bras are things worn on the inside; they aren't shown to others, so what's the point of them looking good?
"Because Hikigaya-kun said this style suits me, I bought it." Sakayanagi Arisu tilted her head slightly, winked at him, and gave a playful smile.
"How about it? Is the 'score' for those words higher than your sister's?"
"Tch! You're dreaming, Sakayanagi!" Hikigaya countered instantly without a hint of hesitation. "Even if Komachi says her big brother is 'Garbage-chan,' her score remains the highest!"
"Hikigaya-kun is Garbage-chan."
"Huh? Why are you calling me names?"
"I thought Hikigaya-kun liked being scolded by others." Sakayanagi Arisu's eyes were filled with an odd curiosity.
"Don't treat others like some kind of hardcore masochist, okay?" Hikigaya's face darkened.
"Sigh~ It seems that to win over Hikigaya-kun, the greatest opponent is the little sister." A look of a slight headache appeared on Sakayanagi Arisu's face.
"Stop saying things that cause such misunderstandings.
Our relationship hasn't reached that level, has it?" Hikigaya frowned.
He didn't recall doing anything that would make Sakayanagi Arisu develop feelings for him.
"That is true.
However, there's never anything wrong with striking first to gain the advantage."
Sakayanagi Arisu's logic was simple: she found Hikigaya interesting. Although her favorability hadn't reached the level of "love" yet, she decided to make a move first anyway. If she found them incompatible after dating, she could just dump him!
At worst, she could just throw tens of millions of points at him as a breakup fee!!
Hikigaya didn't know Sakayanagi Arisu's true thoughts, but if he had telepathy... He would definitely date Sakayanagi! Now! Immediately! Right this second!
Even though Hikigaya pursued the "Genuine Thing," he couldn't help it—she was simply offering way too much! Besides, it would just be accompanying a rich loli to experience romance.
Once she got bored, she would surely be the one to initiate the breakup.
Getting tens of millions in a breakup fee—isn't that sweet? A "Counterfeit" isn't completely unacceptable, after all!
"I have to say, Sakayanagi, your views on romance are truly unique." Hikigaya couldn't help but give a thumbs-up. This girl was clearly a frail "Scrap Loli," yet her aggressiveness was exceptionally strong!
"Thank you for the compliment~" Sakayanagi Arisu was very self-satisfied.
"Let's go. We're heading to the next shop."
After that, the two spent over another hour browsing. Sakayanagi Arisu's stamina was limited, so they rested twice along the way. Hikigaya didn't find it troublesome. In fact, while she rested, he could sit down and play on his phone—wasn't that delightful?
"Phew~ No complaints as I expected. Hikigaya-kun's impression score is very high." Sakayanagi Arisu lightly wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief.
"Because I was trained by my sister in the past, my patience for shopping is now maxed out!" Hikigaya raised an eyebrow, looking quite proud of himself.
"That's not exactly something to be proud of, is it?" Sakayanagi Arisu found it both funny and annoying, then started lecturing him.
"Also, can Hikigaya-kun stop mentioning his sister every three sentences? Even if it's blood-related siblings, a couple on a date would still get jealous!"
"Oh, right. There's one more place I want to go." Hikigaya simply skipped over her lecture.
"This attitude of Hikigaya-kun's still needs some discipline." Sakayanagi Arisu pursed her lips and sighed helplessly.
"Fine, seeing as Hikigaya-kun was so cooperative today, I'll accompany you there."
And so, the two arrived at an accessory shop.
"Hikigaya-kun, are you sure you didn't come to the wrong place?" Sakayanagi Arisu looked at the shop, which was filled with all kinds of cute plushies and even had pink-themed walls and ceilings. A place with such "Max Girl-Power" would be stressful even for "normie" boys to enter, let alone Hikigaya.
"This is the place." Hikigaya spoke seriously.
"If I were alone, I definitely wouldn't have the courage to come.
If I forced myself to walk in, I'd probably risk being treated like a suspicious person by the staff."
Sakayanagi Arisu's eyes flickered; as smart as she was, she had already realized something. "Hikigaya-kun, are you planning to buy a gift for a girl?"
"Yes."
"Ahhhh~ Buying a gift for another girl while on a date with a girl... Hikigaya-kun really is Garbage-chan!" Sakayanagi Arisu's gaze became sharp.
"Look at you, getting agitated again.
Your IQ has dropped quite a bit." Hikigaya still had the nerve to tease her.
"..." Sakayanagi Arisu was startled for a moment, then quickly thought of a possibility.
"Are you buying a gift for your sister?"
"Finally got your IQ back." Hikigaya couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"Sakayanagi, since when did you have the delusion that I would buy a gift for a girl?"
"Heh~ One can never be sure." Although Sakayanagi Arisu was still a bit grumpy, the expression on her face had indeed relaxed a lot.
"I see. Are you planning to send the gift while you're out for the club exchange meeting?" Talking to smart people was so efficient. With just a slight mention, the truth behind it could be deduced logically.
"It just so happens to be my sister's birthday next month. It's only right to prepare in advance." Hikigaya nodded.
"In this fully enclosed school, the chance to go outside is indeed very rare." Sakayanagi Arisu expressed her understanding, while also feeling a slight bit of envy.
"Unfortunately, I am an only child of the Sakayanagi family. I can't experience the bond between siblings."
"You can call me Onii-chan."
"No."
"Why not?" Hikigaya looked surprised. Given Sakayanagi Arisu's prank-loving personality, she logically shouldn't resist this title; she should have used it to tease him instead.
"No means no." Sakayanagi Arisu's expression turned solemn, and she explained with extreme seriousness: "Because siblings cannot fall in love."
"..." Hikigaya's expression instantly froze.
"What's wrong~ Hikigaya-kun?" Sakayanagi Arisu gave a faint smile.
"Am I not stating a fact?"
"Tch~ Reality should just be destroyed!" Hikigaya reverted to his dead-fish eyes.
"Hehe~ Even in a dream, siblings are a no-go~" Sakayanagi Arisu added a final "stab" with a smile.
"..." Hikigaya was suddenly rendered speechless. No wonder he had all sorts of bizarre dreams but could never dream about his sister.
Did even dreams have laws? That's way too unrealistic!
After being stabbed in the heart by Sakayanagi, it took a good while for Hikigaya to catch his breath.
"Sakayanagi.
You'd better hope I don't dream about you!" Hikigaya dropped a harsh remark.
"Hikigaya-kun's threats don't feel very threatening.
Though I am quite curious about what you would do to me in a dream~~"
Sakayanagi Arisu expressed her great interest.
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