Chapter 274: Horikita joins forces with Kushida against Ichinose!
Class C Classroom.
"Boss, this is intelligence provided by the informant in Class D."
Ishizaki Daichi displayed the information on his phone.
"An alliance between Classes A and D?"
Ryuen Kakeru dismissed it with a snort.
"Hmph! That Ichinose person is truly, laughably naive."
Shiina Hiyori's eyes flickered.
"Is there specific cooperation information for the two classes?"
"No, the contract is confidential unless... 'you add more money!'"
Ishizaki Daichi had a look on his face as if he were trying to suppress a laugh.
"Just feed the dog food then."
Ryuen Kakeru waved his hand grandly, a look of mockery on his face.
"With such a group of trash, it's no wonder that bastard 'Four-Eyes' has zero interest in class competitions.
Hachiman truly doesn't care about Class D."
"But everyone, don't forget—there's still that devious guy hiding behind the scenes, Ayanokouji!" Ibuki Mio reminded them sternly.
Upon hearing this, everyone subconsciously looked toward Manabe Shiho.
"I... I no longer have any contact with Kiyotaka-kun..." Manabe Shiho lowered her head, her eyes shifting guiltily.
"The contract details have been sent over."
After being fed enough "dog food," the Class D spy quickly sent over the signed contract in its entirety.
"An exchange study group?"
Ryuen Kakeru glanced at it and said coldly, "10 for 4. Class A is certainly being generous."
"As expected, Hachiman-kun is on this exchange list." Shiina Hiyori's eyes flowed with a hint of something different.
"That bastard Four-Eyes is quite good at liberal arts. It's perfectly normal for Ichinose to want him, isn't it?" Ryuen Kakeru expressed that it was reasonable.
Ibuki Mio couldn't help but mutter in a low voice, "Why do I feel like the thing Ichinose set her sights on... was the person himself?"
"I think it is necessary for us to take action to stop the enemies' cooperation," Shiina Hiyori spoke up.
"Oh?" Ryuen Kakeru looked at her with a hint of surprise.
"Today's Shiina is quite proactive."
"I am also doing this for the sake of the class." Shiina Hiyori's answer was watertight.
"Heh~ let's go with that then." Ryuen Kakeru seemed to think of something; a mischievous smirk appeared on his face, seeing through it but not calling it out.
Ping~
A message arrived on his phone.
"Yo~ isn't this a job coming in?" Ryuen Kakeru arched an eyebrow.
"The 'mesugaki' from Class B can't wait anymore."
If Class A and Class D can form an alliance, there's no reason Class B and Class C can't cooperate!
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6:00 PM, Dinnertime.
"Teachers of Class D, thank you for your hard work~"
"Thank you very much for your tutoring!"
Ichinose Honami issued an invitation with a friendly face.
"For dinner, please do accept our hospitality."
"This... how could we be so bold?" Yukimura Teruhiko said he felt awkward, but his eyes lit up instantly.
Class D students only had a tiny amount of private points each month.
Moreover, as an honest person, he wouldn't sell out the class for points. This led to his life being very tight, eating the free mountain vegetable set at the cafeteria for almost every meal.
"Is it really okay?" Wang Mei-Yu asked with anticipation.
"Of course! To thank Mei-chan for the English tutoring, order whatever you want to eat tonight!" Kobashi Yume and Amikura Mako were both gentle-natured social experts; they had quickly become friends with Wang Mei-Yu.
"I'll pass on the meal. I'm used to cooking for myself," Horikita Suzune said, as unsociable as ever.
"Cooking for yourself? Horikita-san is amazing~"
Surprisingly, Ichinose Honami didn't try to persuade her this time. Instead, she turned and looked at Hikigaya with a smile.
"Hachiman-kun, you must come, okay~"
"Uh, actually, I..." Hikigaya was about to refuse.
"Come on! Hachiman-kun!"
Ichinose Honami stepped forward and took his hand. Her smile appeared gentle, but it carried a faint, hidden forcefulness.
This suddenly reminded Hikigaya of the previous night, when the other party had gripped his "weakness" quite firmly.
Gulp.
Hikigaya swallowed hard, unable to voice a refusal.
"Wah-ha~"
"Honami-chan is so proactive!"
The members of Class A were all eyes-wide and knowing.
"Wait a moment!"
Horikita Suzune suddenly interrupted.
"Hachiman and I already have an agreement. I will make a bento for him to eat."
The moment those words were spoken, the air on the field instantly froze.
"A handmade bento..."
"Could it be that Hikigaya-kun and Horikita-san are dating?" The Class A crowd looked on with strange expressions.
Horikita Suzune did not respond.
"Hachiman-kun, is that how it is?" Ichinose Honami's smile didn't fade, but her narrowed eyes carried a faint, cold glint.
"Ahem!"
Hikigaya hurriedly explained, "No, that's just the tutoring day Suzune and I agreed on. Once every three days, she helps me with my math."
"I see... and the bento?" Ichinose Honami pressed further.
"..."
Hikigaya had just said it casually at the time; he didn't expect Suzune to actually make one for him.
"I'll make it if I want to. That has nothing to do with Ichinose-san, does it?"
Horikita Suzune's words carried a trace of impatience, being somewhat impolite.
However, for some reason, she was speaking particularly aggressively today!
"But, I also want to invite Hachiman-kun to dinner~"
Although Ichinose Honami's voice was soft, her palm tightly gripped Hikigaya's hand.
"What should we do?"
"Why don't we let Hachiman-kun choose for himself!"
In an instant, the gaze of the entire room focused on Hikigaya.
'Hey, hey, hey! Is this some kind of hell?'
Just as Hikigaya was at a loss, a voice broke the silence.
"I'm hungry. Let's all go eat together!" The speaker was Himeno Yuki, who was usually quiet and taciturn.
'Saved! Himeno-san!'
Hikigaya cast a grateful look toward her.
'You owe me one!' Himeno Yuki rolled her eyes at him.
"Ah, right. Eating together will be more lively..." Shiranami Chihiro spoke up in support.
In her view, if Horikita Suzune was present, the "Great Demon King" would likely restrain herself and wouldn't have a chance to make a move on Honami-chan.
Horikita Suzune frowned but didn't object. This was taken as a tacit agreement to the arrangement.
"Ah~ that's also quite good~~" Ichinose Honami kept a smile on the surface, but her heart was somewhat full of regret.
"Is this a 'shura field'?"
"No way, I have to tell Kikyo-chan!"
Wang Mei-Yu looked at the people on the field, each harboring their own schemes, and secretly used her phone to send an alert.
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A certain Southeast Asian themed restaurant, with quite high prices.
It was clear that Class A's hospitality was very sincere.
It was worth mentioning that the 10 people sent by Class A to tutor Class D had also come to the restaurant. But there was nothing surprising about that. Expecting that group from Class D to be grateful and spend money to treat them to a meal was absolutely impossible!
"Kanzaki-kun, you're here.
Is the tutoring for Class D going smoothly over there?" Ichinose Honami asked with a smile.
"..."
Kanzaki Ryuji's expression was a bit subtle. He looked at Horikita and the others present, hesitating for a moment.
One didn't even need to think to know that the "eccentrics" in Class D definitely wouldn't cooperate honestly with their studies. It really was hard for these "good kids" in Class A.
"Maybe because everyone isn't very familiar yet, there are some obstacles in the initial communication...
But it shouldn't be a big problem. After a few days of getting to know each other, it will get better... probably." Kanzaki Ryuji used the most euphemistic phrasing possible.
"Uh, we've caused you trouble..."
Horikita and the others looked embarrassed, clearly knowing exactly what kind of behavior those people in Class D were prone to.
Hikigaya had thick skin and didn't feel any embarrassment. After all, from start to finish, he never considered the people of Class D as his own.
Therefore, if the people of Class D acted up, he didn't need to bear any moral burden for them.
"It's fine. You few are also tutoring our class well." Kanzaki Ryuji was a man who distinguished right from wrong and didn't take his frustrations from Class D out on Horikita and the others.
"In that case, let's not be overly polite with each other. Everyone, sit down and order."
Ichinose Honami arranged for everyone to take their seats.
"Hachiman, you sit here."
Only after sitting down did Hikigaya realize something was wrong. To his left was Kanzaki Ryuji, and to his right was Ichinose Honami.
Horikita and the others were assigned to different tables.
Horikita Suzune turned her head to look over.
Perhaps sensing the other's puzzled gaze, Ichinose Honami explained, "Today, the four teachers all taught us different subjects. I wanted the people in the class to get to know everyone better to facilitate learning and exchange."
Hearing it that way, it seemed reasonable.
For example, those being tutored in Literature sat with Hikigaya. Those for English sat with Wang Mei-Yu. Those for Math sat with Yukimura Teruhiko. And other subjects sat with Horikita Suzune.
Perhaps to thank her for teaching the most people, Ichinose Honami specifically arranged for Horikita to be at the largest table.
It's just that for Horikita Suzune herself, she didn't seem to like having so many people around.
"Hachiman, what do you like to eat?" Ichinose Honami held the menu, her body pressed close to Hikigaya's.
They almost touched...
'Do you have zero awareness of your own 'volume'?'
Hikigaya's face was stiff. He had to concentrate intensely to suppress himself and prevent his "base" from staging an uprising.
"Any... anything is fine..."
"Eh~ how can 'anything' be fine? Order whatever you want to eat, you don't need to save points for us."
Ichinose Honami was extremely enthusiastic, her body leaning further toward him, just a step away from a "ball-on-person" collision!
Kanzaki Ryuji stared straight ahead at the tableware without blinking. Shiranami Chihiro stared with wide eyes, biting her handkerchief in envy.
Sitting at the next table and watching out of the corner of her eye, Horikita Suzune watched with a deeply furrowed brow! Just as she couldn't help but stand up to shout a rebuke...
A familiar figure rushed into the restaurant in a great hurry.
"Whew~"
Kushida Kikyo let out a long breath, calmed her breathing slightly, and looked at everyone with a friendly face.
"Oh my~ I didn't expect to run into everyone from Class A here. What a coincidence!"
'Is it really a coincidence?' Hikigaya looked suspicious.
This Southeast Asian style restaurant wasn't a popular spot within the school, and the prices were expensive; students rarely came here to eat.
"Kushida? Why would she come..."
Horikita Suzune was stunned for a moment, then seemed to think of something as her gaze turned toward Wang Mei-Yu.
"Hehe~ you've come at just the right time, Kushida-san."
Ichinose Honami greeted her with a smile.
"Since you're here, let's eat together. Please go to Horikita-san's table."
"Sorry, the seats on my side are a bit crowded," Horikita Suzune first refused coldly, then changed her tune: "There are still empty seats at Hachiman's table. Kushida-san can sit there."
"Mmm-ugh?!"
Hearing this, Kushida Kikyo's eyes widened instantly, as if she had heard something incredible.
Even Hikigaya was greatly shocked.
He thought to himself that these two were usually like water and fire—why was Horikita helping Kushida today for the first time ever?
'Would this 'vile woman' be so kind-hearted?'
Despite her confusion over Horikita's actions, Kushida Kikyo wasn't about to let the opportunity pass. She quickly arrived at the table where Hikigaya was.
Actually, truth be told, Hikigaya's table was also quite crowded, making it difficult to fit another person.
"Uhm, Kushida-san, you sit here." Kanzaki Ryuji stood up and proactively gave up his seat. He then went to the table where Yukimura Teruhiko was.
"Kanzaki-kun, you... you are truly considerate of guests." Ichinose Honami's mouth twitched, and a flash of gloom crossed her eyes.
Kanzaki Ryuji pretended not to see.
He didn't object to Ichinose Honami dating normally, but he felt her recent behavior was a bit excessive, as if she couldn't wait to stick herself onto Hikigaya!
What kind of conduct was this? It damaged Class A's image!
Especially from the position of Class A's leader—every move Ichinose Honami made would have a huge impact on the class.
As the second-in-command of Class A, he couldn't let Ichinose act recklessly!
Kushida Kikyo sat down in the position to Hikigaya's left and asked hypocritically, "Sorry~ Hachiman-kun, my uninvited arrival didn't interrupt your chat with Ichinose-san, did it?"
"Not at all. I love chatting with people, especially chatting with multiple people!" Hikigaya gave a few dry laughs.
"Ahaha~ Hachiman-kun sure knows how to joke."
"But a boy chatting with multiple girls at the same time might be labeled as a 'scumbag,' you know~~" Ichinose Honami said meaningfully.
"Maybe I should just go to Yukimura's table." Hikigaya felt like he was sitting on pins and needles and tried to escape.
"No!"
"Dame yo~" (No way!)
Ichinose Honami and Kushida Kikyo simultaneously reached out and firmly pinned him to his seat.
"Regarding the Classical Chinese section of Literature, I still have many questions I want to ask Hachiman," Ichinose Honami said righteously.
"I also know a thing or two about Classical Chinese. Why doesn't Ichinose-san try asking me?" Kushida Kikyo intervened enthusiastically.
"Really?" Ichinose Honami was skeptical.
She remembered that both of their Literature scores were around 90, neck and neck. It wasn't certain who would be teaching whom!
"Mhm! At least in the area of Classical Chinese, I'm quite good at it." Kushida Kikyo nodded confidently.
Ichinose Honami didn't believe in the "heresy" and posed a few questions. As a result, the other party answered them one by one. This left her dumbfounded and, at the same time, she lost her reason to pester Hikigaya.
"Kikyo, your Literature level has improved greatly." Hikigaya was quite surprised.
"Hee-hee~ I've been working hard after class." Kushida Kikyo had a proud smile on her face.
In order to catch up with Hikigaya's best subject, Literature, she had put in a lot of hard work!
Stopping a "stray cat" from getting close to Hachiman today made it all worth it.
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