Chapter 261: Ibuki: I Like Hachiman Too
"I don't think this is called enthusiasm; it's more like 'grudge-thusiasm,' isn't it?"
Hikigaya's dead-fish eyes swept across the faces of Ryuen and the others in turn.
"Correct! I've been suppressing my murderous intent toward you this whole time, you shitty glasses-guy!"
Ryuen Kakeru glared at him menacingly, cracking his knuckles.
"You're truly detestable!
You scammed us out of so many points." Ishizaki Daichi was similarly filled with indignation.
According to the contract they signed, they had to hand over 600,000 Private Points to Hikigaya every month.
It was practically highway robbery!
Albert didn't say anything, but his gaze, hidden behind sunglasses, was fixed intently on Hikigaya's lower half.
'Is that really necessary? I only kicked your "base" twice. What a grudge-holding fellow.'
"Dame yo (Don't)! Previous conflicts were purely based on our class positions.
From a personal perspective, Hachiman-kun is my best friend!"
Shiina Hiyori spread her arms, shielding Hikigaya behind her in a protective, mother-hen manner.
"Ah? Shiina, isn't your best friend me?" Ibuki Mio, standing nearby, seemed to feel a bit jealous.
"Ibuki-san is, of course, a best friend too, it's just that Hachiman is a little bit different." Shiina Hiyori provided supplementary clarification.
"Oh? How is he different?
Or rather, when you say 'friend,' Shiina, do you mean 'boyfriend'?"
The corner of Ryuen Kakeru's mouth curled up as he began to fan the flames.
"Wh-What? Boyfriend?!"
Ibuki Mio's heart jumped, and she looked at Shiina Hiyori with a subtle expression.
"No." Shiina Hiyori first denied it, then turned her head to look at Hikigaya, her voice carrying a hint of resentment: "Hachiman-kun hasn't officially started pursuing me yet."
"Ah?!" Hikigaya's eyes widened instantly.
'What's the situation here? When did I ever say I was going to pursue Hiyori?'
"Eh? Could it be that I misunderstood?"
Shiina Hiyori pursed her lips slightly, and her eyes suddenly became dim and lifeless.
'I like Hachiman-kun, just as Hachiman-kun likes me.'
Those were the exact words Shiina Hiyori had said before.
If Hikigaya hadn't misinterpreted them, the meaning she wanted to convey was: 'We both have feelings for each other. I don't reject establishing a more intimate relationship with you. You can try to be more proactive...'
As a young girl's reserve, Shiina Hiyori's line of thinking was perfectly reasonable.
However, for Hikigaya, the act of "proactively pursuing a girl" was indeed a difficult task.
The rich life experiences in his dreams had allowed him to unconsciously learn many things, but they lacked any experience in "pursuing girls."
Thinking about it, his dream wives seemed to be the ones who took the initiative...
'So that's why it's a dream! How could such a good thing happen in reality?'
"Uh, well... Please give me a little time, Hiyori."
Hikigaya didn't play dumb, nor did he escape. It was just that in the short term, he needed to slowly digest these emotions.
"Mm~ I'll wait for you."
Shiina Hiyori broke into a smile. The setting sun shone through the window onto the girl's face, dyeing it with a layer of warm, radiant red.
'This smile—I really want to protect it!'
Hikigaya's heart rate accelerated.
Seeing the ambiguous atmosphere swirling around the two of them, Ibuki Mio bit her lip hard with her pearly white teeth. An indescribable irritation welled up inside her.
"Tch! You're actually going to start dating, you shitty glasses-guy?"
Ryuen Kakeru clicked his tongue in amazement. Just now, he had deliberately joked about the two of them purely to cause trouble.
He never expected that he would accidentally bring them closer together.
Looking at it this way, hadn't his series of maneuvers turned into a direct assist?
Dammit!
This absolutely disgusted Ryuen Kakeru!
No! He absolutely could not let Hikigaya succeed so easily.
The "Youth Romantic Comedy" of this dead-fish-eyed bastard couldn't be allowed to be that simple!
"Hey, Ibuki. Are you just going to stand there and watch silently?"
Ryuen Kakeru encouraged her with a face full of malice: "If I remember correctly, you were the one who met Hikigaya first, right?"
"..." Ibuki Mio's voice faltered. Between her furrowed brows, a thick sense of unwilling resentment surged.
'That's right!'
She was clearly the one who came first; how could her best friend be the one to get there first?
"But, it's all too late now... Sigh!"
At the end of her sentence, Ibuki Mio could only let out a long sigh.
"It's not late! Haven't they not officially started dating yet?"
Ryuen Kakeru continued his verbal seduction: "Besides, even if they were dating, so what?
Society doesn't have a rule that forbids liking someone else's boyfriend, does it?"
These words acted like a divine revelation!
Ibuki Mio's originally clear eyes instantly became murky.
"Yo-You...Listen up...I... I like you too..."
A short sentence, spoken intermittently; Ibuki Mio's face was completely flushed.
"Ah?!" Hikigaya was shocked, even doubting his own ears.
'This looks an awful lot like a confession? Wait! This IS a confession, okay?!'
Hikigaya's brain was in complete chaos.
"Ibuki-san..." Shiina Hiyori looked at her with a complicated gaze.
"Sorry, Shiina. Only in this matter, I cannot yield to you." Ibuki Mio's tone was resolute.
"You misunderstand, Ibuki-san. I didn't mean for you to back down."
Shiina Hiyori maintained her calm and composed attitude: "Everyone has the right to pursue their own happiness. At the same time, I don't want our friendship to be affected because of Hachiman-kun."
Ibuki Mio looked moved: "Shiina..."
"Just call me Hiyori." Shiina Hiyori smiled slightly.
"Alright then, Hiyori."
"You call me by my name too."
"Mm~ Mio-chan."
There was no "love rival catfight" like one might expect; the relationship between the two girls actually seemed to have improved.
It was magical!
Ibuki Mio turned her gaze toward him and tentatively called out: "So... Hachiman?"
"Given our relationship, we should have been calling each other by our given names long ago, Mio." Hikigaya responded readily, then scratched his head: "Um, about what you said just now..."
"Urusai (Shut up)!"
Ibuki Mio cut him off before he could finish, saying with a hint of angry embarrassment: "Don't make a girl say this kind of thing twice! Baka (Idiot)!!"
"Now, now~ don't be in a rush, Mio-chan.
After all, this is Hachiman's first time. We should be tolerant of his immature points."
Shiina Hiyori was as gentle and considerate as ever.
"Then please bear with me..." With things already at this stage, could Hikigaya still shrink back?
One man and two women, looking at each other—the atmosphere was surprisingly harmonious.
"Wait, wait, wait!
This isn't right, is it?"
Ryuen Kakeru's current expression was more uncomfortable than if he had eaten something foul.
His intention was to fan the flames—how did it turn into a legendary god-tier assist?
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