Chapter 227: Suzune, Kikyo, do you like me?
Facing Kushida Kikyo's frantic questioning, Horikita Suzune simply remained silent.
"You—you actually didn't deny it!!"
At this, Kushida Kikyo could take it no longer. She turned around and grabbed Hikigaya by the collar: "You animal who thinks with your lower body, why did it have to be Horikita?!"
Her question was quite irrational.
Before Hikigaya could open his mouth to respond, Horikita Suzune, standing by the side, was the first to lose her cool.
She spoke up righteously: "Why can't it be me?
Who Hachiman is with is his freedom. Since when is it an outsider's place to point fingers?"
While this rebuttal was well-reasoned, Hikigaya felt that saying this would only intensify the conflict and deepen the misunderstanding.
"You dare call me an outsider?
You shameless slut..."
Kushida Kikyo was instantly enraged, just about to let loose a full torrent of verbal abuse.
"Kikyo."
Hikigaya's call abruptly cut off her frantic rant.
"Cough cough~ Sorry, I just got a bit emotional for a moment."
Perhaps feeling that the posture of a shrew shouting in the street would damage her image, Kushida Kikyo reached out to brush her hair back, temporarily bringing her emotions under control.
"Listen calmly."
Hikigaya then informed her of the entire sequence of events, from start to finish, without holding anything back: "...And that's how it happened."
"Hachiman, you—you were awake that whole time?"
After hearing this, Horikita Suzune was no longer composed. Recalling how she had reached out to touch his face and even almost...
This was way too shameful!
Seeing this, Hikigaya could only look away, focusing on his own thoughts.
"Yeah, I woke up right as you were tiptoeing toward the door.
I only pretended to be asleep to avoid the awkwardness."
'At a time like this, I definitely shouldn't expose the rest, or she'd probably be embarrassed enough to dig out a three-bedroom apartment with her toes right then and there!'
"So that's how it was..."
Horikita Suzune breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, her most reckless action hadn't been discovered by him.
"Studying too late and accidentally falling asleep...
Is it really that simple?"
Kushida Kikyo's suspicious gaze swept across the two of them: "I still feel like it's very fishy!"
"Kikyo, what kind of talk is that?
In your mind, am I the kind of man who would act on every lecherous impulse?"
Hikigaya shifted his gaze. To increase his persuasiveness, he brought her into the topic as well: "If that were truly the case, Kikyo, you've been to my room so many times, I'd have no reason not to make a move on you!"
"That makes sense..."
Kushida Kikyo's brow cleared; she seemed to believe his explanation.
"Hachiman belongs to the 'herbivore type'; I do believe that much."
Changing the subject, Kushida Kikyo aimed her spearhead at Horikita once more: "However, Horikita definitely has a problem!"
Horikita Suzune's gaze sharpened: "What kind of problem do you think I have?"
"You were clearly lingering in Hachiman's room on purpose, pretending to be asleep, just to seduce him into making a move on you!!"
Kushida Kikyo pointed a finger at her, like Conan declaring that "there is only one truth."
"Why would I do such a shameless thing?"
Horikita Suzune denied it coldly.
"Is there even a need to ask? It's obviously because you like Hachiman too!"
Kushida Kikyo's shocking words not only stunned Horikita Suzune but also caused Hikigaya's heart to waver violently.
"'Too'?"
Horikita Suzune keenly caught the keyword.
"..."
Kushida Kikyo's cheeks heated up, and her previously fierce expression turned bashful.
'I get it now! Suzune likes me... Kikyo also likes... Hikigaya Hachiman!!
Have you finally lost the ability to distinguish between dreams and reality? Thinking that two super-beautiful girls both like you—you really have some nerve!
This is just like when a certain department in Russia set their network security password too simply; after a hacker easily broke in, they started suspecting if it was a honeypot trap...'
Hikigaya had similar thoughts right now.
These two in front of him seemed to be interested in him. But could a woman's heart really be that simple? Could there be some kind of trap set here too?
Hikigaya had never had any experience with romance and didn't know how to handle it for a moment.
'Maybe... I should test them?'
"Um~ Suzune, Kikyo, do you guys... like me?"
Help!
The moment those words left his mouth, Hikigaya felt his shame level explode. But since he had already said it, he could only brace himself and observe the reactions of the two girls.
"..." Horikita Suzune remained expressionless, seemingly lost in some kind of deep thought.
"Huh?" Kushida Kikyo's eyes widened, and her expression suddenly became terrifyingly ghastly!
She could temporarily tolerate the use of the word "you guys." However, what she found most unacceptable was that he had actually put "Suzune's" name before "Kikyo's." This was simply more than she could bear!!!
"How could you even say such a thing? Why don't you just go die!!!"
Kushida Kikyo was practically exploding with rage. She turned around and stormed off.
"Hachiman, you've really gone too far."
Horikita Suzune gave him a cold glare and likewise left his room.
Thud~
Taking a heavy blow, Hikigaya slumped onto the floor.
Although he knew he might have been overthinking things, being rejected by two girls at the same time and even being harshly cursed at still made him feel hurt.
"Heh~ I guess the fantasy is shattered now, right?"
Hikigaya laughed at himself. As expected, the iron rule of the "Three Great Delusions of Life"—every time you touch it, you get a cruel lesson from reality! In the future, he must never casually say such presumptuous words to girls again.
Splashing water on his face, Hikigaya looked at the familiar dead-fish eyes in the mirror. Well, just keeping a calm mind is enough.
On the way to school.
"Good morning, Airi, Haruka."
Hikigaya greeted the two with a smile.
"Morning, Hachiman-kun..."
For some reason, Sakura Airi was particularly shy today, quickly lowering her head after only glancing at him.
"Hachi, you were too rough last night..."
Hasabe Haruka rarely showed such a bashful expression while closely observing the changes in his demeanor.
"What about last night?
Oh, are you saying the training was too intense?"
Hikigaya's expression remained normal.
"Hachi." Hasabe Haruka suddenly leaned in close and whispered some nonsensical words: "Have you encountered anything abnormal lately?"
"Abnormal things?" Hikigaya first thought of the dreams, but that wasn't a recent development; he dreamed every day and was almost used to it.
"Nothing special. Have you and Airi encountered anything strange recently?"
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