Chapter 269: Ichinose's Room, Chihiro's "Bust"!
Faced with Tomioka's sudden and presumptuous invitation, a look of hesitation flickered across Ichinose Honami's brow.
"I appreciate the kind offer, Tomioka-senpai." "But I'm very sorry, I have to go back and do my homework in a bit."
Ichinose Honami declined politely with a smile on her face.
"Hey now~ as for homework, you can just find someone to copy from tomorrow.
High schoolers should enjoy their youth to the fullest!"
Coming from Tomioka, a student from Class 2-D, it wasn't surprising to hear such words.
"..."
Ichinose looked troubled. She thought to herself that she had only contacted a senpai from Class D because she figured they might be short on points; she hadn't expected him to take a mile when given an inch and start pestering her instead.
"Ah, it's getting late, I should be heading back.
Right! Regarding the information that there are no special exams for the upperclassmen—that fact in itself counts as a piece of intelligence.
The points I promised, I'll transfer them to you now."
At this moment, Ichinose only wanted to pay her way out of trouble and shake him off as quickly as possible.
"20,000 points... Ichinose-chan, you're so generous!" Seeing the points arrive, Tomioka looked pleasantly surprised, but he still didn't want to let the chance to hit on her slip away: "Perfect! I'll use these points to treat you to—"
As he spoke, Tomioka tried to reach out and grab Ichinose's hand.
"Eek!"
Ichinose immediately flinched, pulling her hand back and taking several steps backward. In her panic, she accidentally tripped over her own feet, losing her balance and falling backward.
"Heh! Careful!"
Tomioka's eyes lit up with joy. A "clumsy fall" on level ground—it was just like an anime girl! According to the logic of the 2D world, as long as he caught her now, he'd capture her heart. Tomioka immediately spread his arms and prepared to lunge forward to catch his target in his embrace.
However, the fat otaku's beautiful fantasy was killed by a single right hand.
Passing by, Hikigaya supported Ichinose's waist with his left hand and pressed his right hand firmly against Tomioka's large face.
"Hi-Hikigaya-kun?!"
Ichinose's eyes widened, and a look of pleasant surprise appeared on her face.
"Curse you, Imagine Breaker!"
Tomioka felt utterly frustrated, his eyes filled with resentment.
"Are you cursing me with a 'misfortune constitution'?"
Hikigaya was something of a closet otaku himself, so he could read the other's "eight-grader syndrome" (chuunibyou) lingo.
"What misfortune? You clearly have amazing luck with women, don't you?
Anyway, who the hell are you kid!
Take your dirty hands off Ichinose-chan!"
Tomioka glared at him fiercely.
"Oh, then I truly apologize for the intrusion." Hikigaya calmly withdrew the hand supporting Ichinose's waist.
"N-No, it's not like that... Hikigaya-kun was just trying to protect me." A faint blush rose to Ichinose's cheeks. Seeing this scene, Tomioka grew even more mad with jealousy.
"Ichinose-chan, if you want to know other intel, I can tell you everything—no points needed! As long as you come with me to—"
"No thank you!" This time, Ichinose refused with a firm attitude: "I'm sorry, Tomioka-senpai, I have to accompany... my boyfriend. We're leaving now!"
"What?! Boyfriend?!
How is that possible!"
Tomioka looked at Hikigaya with total disbelief. He felt the guy looked a bit familiar; after looking closely, he finally recognized him: "You're that handsome guy with glasses from the scavenger hunt race—"
Ichinose hurriedly grabbed Hikigaya's hand, turned around, and left the cafeteria.
"Ichinose-chan... What happened to going back to do homework?" Tomioka felt a massive blow to his heart: "Despicable 3D women, always lying!"
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After Leaving the Cafeteria
The two arrived under the shade of a secluded tree.
"That should be enough, Ichinose-san." Hikigaya twitched his fingers, signaling her to let go.
"Ah~ I am so sorry, Hikigaya-kun!" Ichinose quickly let go and explained stutteringly: "Just now, I was doing it to..."
"Don't worry, I won't misunderstand.
It was nothing more than using me as a shield." Hikigaya looked perfectly calm.
"Um... even though that's the truth, Hikigaya-kun's reaction still makes me feel a little bit disappointed." Ichinose gave a bitter smile.
"You should be more careful, Ichinose-san.
Meeting a guy alone can easily lead to misunderstandings. Especially since you're a beautiful girl, you should have at least a bit of a guard up." Hikigaya lectured her in a serious tone.
"Is Hikigaya-kun complimenting me? Hehe~" Ichinose looked very happy.
"I'm saying you're airheaded!" Hikigaya felt speechless.
"Well then, to thank Hikigaya-kun for helping me out, let me treat you to a movie~"
"Don't you have to go back and do homework?"
"That was just an excuse!"
"Your studies should come first."
"Haha~ there's no rush for a moment."
Gurgle~ Hikigaya's stomach growled.
"Oh? Has Hikigaya-kun not had dinner yet?" Ichinose's eyes shifted as she proposed: "If you don't mind, you can come to my dorm and taste my cooking."
"I just finished warning you, and you haven't learned a single thing!" Hikigaya deadpanned.
"It's okay, I know Hikigaya-kun is a true gentleman." Ichinose looked at him with a grin.
"That might not be the case. You know, you can know a person's face but not their heart.
Maybe I'm a terrible man who dreams about dating different girls every single night?" Hikigaya self-deprecatingly poked fun at himself.
"Dame yo! (No!)
Dating different girls and such is a violation of public order and good morals!"
Ichinose looked serious, making a cross sign with her hands.
"Is that the point?" Hikigaya's lip twitched. Speaking of which, dreaming every day seemed pretty normal, right?
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In the Girls' Dormitory
Under Ichinose's strong invitation, Hikigaya arrived at the girls' dorm. Upon entering the room, he wondered if it was just his imagination, but even the air felt somewhat sweet.
"Hikigaya-kun can sit down for a bit.
I'll go to the kitchen; dinner will be ready soon!" Ichinose took off her jacket and put on a very cute pink apron.
With nothing to do, Hikigaya's gaze began to wander. Ichinose's room was extremely tidy; everything from the large furniture to the small stationery was neatly arranged.
Except for the extra-large purple lace underwear hanging on the balcony, which was quite eye-catching.
Relying on his tenacious willpower, Hikigaya forced his gaze away.
He muttered in his heart: 'This girl dresses so conservatively, I didn't expect what she wears underneath to be so unexpectedly sexy!'
Fifteen minutes later. "Ta-da! Honored guest, please enjoy~" Ichinose brought out a plate of steaming pasta and a bowl of vegetable salad.
"Oh! Thanks for the hard work, Chef Ichinose!" Hikigaya's appetite was instantly whetted. He wasn't polite and began to dig in right then and there.
"How is it? Does it suit Hikigaya-kun's taste?" Ichinose rested her chin in her hands, watching him eat with a smile in her eyes.
"It's delicious! It's good enough to open a Western restaurant." Hikigaya gave her a thumbs up.
"Western food isn't the only thing I can make~ Hikigaya-kun should come over often in the future." Ichinose smiled.
"Okay." Hikigaya agreed casually.
"This weekend, then. It's a promise!" A glint flashed in Ichinose's eyes.
"Wait... wasn't that just social pleasantry?" Hikigaya paused his motion of twirling the pasta.
"I don't know~ I don't understand what social pleasantries are." Ichinose shrugged, a hint of mischief flashing on her face.
"Pfft—" Hikigaya almost spat out his food: "The girl with the #1 popularity in the entire school—you're telling me you don't understand social skills?"
"That's just my friends talking me up~
Speaking of which, isn't Hikigaya-kun the 'Great Demon King' of the first years?"
"Who said that? That is definitely a rumor!" Hikigaya protested.
"I think it's a rumor too. After all, Hikigaya-kun is clearly so kind. Calling you a Demon King is really too much!" Ichinose nodded earnestly.
"Why do I feel like you're being sarcastic..." Hikigaya's expression became strange.
"I'm not! I truly believe that!" Ichinose stood her ground.
"Then you're far too innocent." Hikigaya sighed.
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The Study Session
After dinner, they had tea. They chatted for a while. Hikigaya checked the time; it was past eight. Although it was still early, staying in a girl's dorm at night felt like it might have a bad influence, so he suggested leaving.
As if sensing his intention to depart, Ichinose spoke up first to keep him there.
"Hikigaya-kun, it's rare for you to visit. Can't you stay a bit longer?"
"It's not that I can't, but... we're just sitting here with nothing to do."
"Does Hikigaya-kun feel that being with me is boring?"
"Uh, I didn't mean it like that."
"Hmph~" Ichinose crossed her arms and turned her head away, pretending to be angry. Even though he knew she was faking it, Hikigaya chose to compromise.
"Fine, I'll stay a bit longer... But we need to find something productive to do." Hikigaya thought seriously.
"What does Hikigaya-kun want me to... do?" Ichinose's gaze drifted, her brain seemingly filling with who-knows-what fantasies as she sat up straight and stiffly.
"Yosh! Let's preview the literature textbook together!" Hikigaya proposed.
"Huh?" Ichinose's eyes widened, as if she had heard something unbelievable.
"Is there something strange? As an honors student, it's normal to preview the lessons in advance, right?" Hikigaya expressed confusion at Ichinose's reaction.
"That's true, but not at a time like this..." Ichinose sighed helplessly: "Fine, this is indeed Hikigaya-kun's style."
"Of course! I'm ranked third in the grade for literature after all!"
Hikigaya looked proud. First was Sakayanagi Arisu—a genius brat, no competing with that. Second was Suzune Horikita—the queen of overachievers, couldn't beat her either.
"Wow, that's really impressive." Ichinose gave a deadpan, mechanical response.
"Ichinose-san, I think there's something wrong with your attitude toward learning. I need to correct you!" Hikigaya flipped to the most difficult Classical Chinese section and began to "educate" Ichinose harshly.
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"Next, let's learn The Peach Blossom Spring!"
"No... I really can't anymore... please, Hikigaya-kun!" Ichinose tilted her head back and collapsed, her spirit depleted.
Even though she was an honors student in Class A, that was limited to "listening well in class and doing homework well afterward." Asking her to preview—especially the Classical Chinese that most Japanese people find hardest to read—was truly an ordeal!
"Is that all you've got?
Get up and keep studying!" The corners of Hikigaya's mouth curled up; his mood had become quite pleasant.
'Let's see if you dare to just invite boys to your room in the future!'
"Impossible, impossible, impossible..." Ichinose rolled around on the floor, refusing to get up.
"Should I leave then?" Hikigaya checked the time; it was 9:45 PM, almost time for the girls' dorm curfew.
However, right then, there was a knock at Ichinose's door.
"Eh?!" Ichinose scrambled to a sitting position. The two looked at each other. Ichinose gestured with her eyes for him not to make a sound, then called out toward the door: "Who is it?"
"It's me."
"Chihiro-chan?" Ichinose's eyes widened.
"Ah? It's her... this is a bit troublesome." Hikigaya suddenly remembered the scene on the deserted island where he had accidentally stumbled upon Shiranami Chihiro confessing her feelings to Ichinose Honami.
This was like a girl coming home to find her "girlfriend" with a guy... wait, why did that metaphor feel so "yuri"?
"Chihiro-chan, it's so late. Why are you here?" Ichinose asked, trying to sound calm.
"It's about tomorrow's literature class. Chabashira-sensei said there would be a random check on the Classical Chinese text.
There are a few passages I don't understand, so I wanted to ask for your help.
Honami-chan, open the door first!" Chihiro Shiranami urged.
"What do we do?"
"How about you just go explain it? We were studying normally anyway."
Since he hadn't done anything wrong, Hikigaya felt perfectly justified.
"No! In the middle of the night, a guy and a girl alone in a room just 'studying'—who would believe that?"
Ichinose shook her head, then pushed him into the bathroom: "Hikigaya-kun, please stay in here for now. Whatever you do, don't make a sound!"
"I have a feeling things just got way more complicated..." Hikigaya looked helpless.
"So slow. Were you busy, Honami-chan?" After Chihiro entered, her gaze swept through the room alertly.
"Ahahaha~ not really." Ichinose gave a sheepish smile. Even though he couldn't see her expression, Hikigaya could feel how suspicious she was being.
"Honami-chan... I feel like you're hiding something from me." Chihiro's nose twitched, and she immediately frowned: "Why is there a male scent in here?"
"How is that possible... How could there be a boy in my room?" Cold sweat began to bead on Ichinose's forehead.
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