Chapter 364: The Only One Who Can Be the Substitute for Senpai's Little Sister is Me!
"Is this ambiguous statement your answer, Ayanokouji-senpai?"
Tsubasa Nanase's voice suddenly dropped, and the hostility in her eyes intensified as she looked at Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
"… Didn't Hikigaya say the exact same thing first?"
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka felt it was completely nonsensical. It was clearly the same line, so why was she singling him out?
"Hikigaya-senpai is Hikigaya-senpai!
Do you think someone like you can even be compared to Hikigaya-senpai?"
Nanase's face was like frost, her words laced with aggression. Ayanokouji was instantly rendered silent.
"Pfft—"
Hikigaya couldn't help but let out a snicker, patting Ayanokouji on the shoulder with schadenfreude. "Ayanokouji, exactly what kind of evil deeds did you do to make an kouhai hate you this much?"
"Even if you ask me, I don't know."
Ayanokouji truly didn't know. He had spent his childhood in the White Room, attending various extreme curriculum sessions. A year ago, something happened that caused the White Room facilities to temporarily shut down. He was brought back home, but his guardian, Ayanokouji Atsuomi, was busy with political activities, leaving his daily life to be managed by the butler, Matsuo.
Matsuo had a son around his age; what was his name again...? He forgot.
In short, he didn't know this blonde kouhai, and he certainly couldn't understand the source of her hostility.
"You... you actually claim you don't know!"
Nanase grit her teeth, her hands clenched into fists. Ayanokouji's eyes narrowed; from the slight bulging of the veins on her wrists and her solid stance, it was clear she was a martial artist.
'Could it be that Tsubasa Nanase is the 'other' person from the White Room?'
However, without her making a move, he couldn't yet identify her style. Time for a probe...
"Sorry, Nanase-kouhai."
Ayanokouji remained expressionless, intentionally provocative. "I wonder if you've mistaken me for someone else? Or perhaps I look like an ex-boyfriend who dumped you, and that's why you can't stand the sight of me?"
'Holy crap!
This 'pseudo-human' actually dared to say that!'
Hikigaya looked on in shock.
"Ayanokouji Kiyotaka!!!"
Nanase's eyes turned red, and the fire deep within her was instantly ignited. She stepped forward, her right hand rotating into a straight punch!
Hikigaya executed a wrist lock, firmly catching her punch.
"Hikigaya-senpai?!"
Nanase's eyes widened, but under Hikigaya's intervention, her surging emotions gradually began to subside. Hikigaya didn't respond to her; instead, he turned to stare meaningfully at Ayanokouji.
"Ayanokouji, honestly. Look what you've done to our cute kouhai."
Ayanokouji immediately bowed his head to admit fault.
"Sorry, I took the joke too far just now. Please don't be angry, Nanase-kouhai."
In his heart, he had already found his answer. The style she used was Taekwondo—more ornamental than practical—which was not part of the martial arts taught in the White Room.
"..."
Nanase bit her lip hard, staring fixedly at Ayanokouji without saying a word.
"Ah, I just remembered I have to go back to class to copy some homework. I'll take my leave first."
Ayanokouji used a lame excuse to slip away.
A long while later, Nanase finally regained her composure. She bowed toward Hikigaya.
"I am very sorry. I lost my self-control just now."
In public, under the coverage of surveillance cameras—if that punch had landed, she would have inevitably been placed in a disadvantageous position. Ayanokouji could have pulled a "Ryuen" and brutally beaten her under the guise of "justifiable counterattack." Even if he didn't fight back, he could have used it as leverage to manipulate her.
"Don't worry about it. That guy has always been good at provoking others," Hikigaya said truthfully.
Nanase's eyes flickered. She unconsciously took a step closer to him and whispered, "Hikigaya-senpai seems to know Ayanokouji Kiyotaka very well."
Having exposed her hostility, she stopped pretending and referred to him by his full name. "Have you... already fought him?"
In her final words, a flicker of anticipation crossed her eyes. Hikigaya's lips moved, about to answer, but he keenly sensed someone approaching him rapidly from behind. He instinctively dodged to the side.
"Eek~"
A figure lunged and missed, nearly falling to the ground. However, the person was quite agile, quickly adjusting her posture to stand firm.
"As expected of Hikigaya-senpai. Even while flirting, you maintain this level of vigilance."
The voice was full of mischief—it was Amasawa Ichika.
"Amasawa-san..."
Nanase frowned, her downward gaze turning murky.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk~ Hikigaya-senpai is far too greedy, isn't he?
Even though you already have a cute kouhai like me, how can you still want to make a move on Nanase-chan?"
Amasawa playfully nudged Hikigaya's chest with her elbow.
"Don't talk to yourself, Amasawa-kouhai. I don't recall having much of a relationship with you," Hikigaya replied coldly.
"How cruel! Hikigaya-senpai clearly touched my most important place just yesterday." Amasawa crossed her arms over her chest, feigning a wronged expression.
"Eh?!"
Nanase's eyes widened. Even passing students stopped to watch, their eyes filled with curiosity for the gossip.
"Bullshit!"
Hikigaya retorted crossly. "By 'most important place,' you mean your head, right?"
"Yeah, I didn't say it was anything else." Amasawa looked innocent, then put on a shocked expression. "Oh my~ Could it be that Hikigaya-senpai was thinking of something perverted?"
"So it was just a headpat." Nanase breathed a sigh of relief.
"A pezón is also a head, you know~" Amasawa added.
"Don't think that speaking Spanish allows you to violate the school rules on proper conduct!"
Hikigaya scanned his surroundings and suddenly spotted Albert, the Black student, passing by. He grabbed him. "Hey, Albert, what does pezón mean?"
"Th... wait! Are you trying to trick me into saying a word that violates public morals?" Albert was startled, instinctively thinking he was being set up.
"Fine, you can go."
Hikigaya dismissed the wary Albert.
"Ahahaha~ Hikigaya-senpai, you're so funny!" Amasawa narrowed her eyes and grinned, her interest deepening. "If I were to be with you in the future, life would surely be very interesting!"
"Is that so? Then go get in line."
Hikigaya's single sentence successfully doused her excitement. Amasawa arched an eyebrow but restrained herself this time.
"Must be nice~"
Beside them, Nanase suddenly let out an ambiguous sigh, muttering to herself, "If Eiichiro were still alive, he would surely have had a wonderful life too."
"Who is Eiichiro? Nanase-chan's ex-boyfriend?" Amasawa asked curiously.
"No, he was my childhood friend. He always took care of me, just like an older brother." Nanase's expression darkened, her pale face filled with sorrow.
Hikigaya usually wasn't interested in other people's gossip, whether it was an "ex-boyfriend" or a "childhood friend." But hearing the word "brother" seemed to strike a sensitive chord in him. His gaze toward her softened with a hint of sympathy.
"Nanase-kouhai... the person is gone, please accept my condolences. If that Eiichiro has a soul in heaven, he surely wouldn't want to see you immersed in the past."
As Hikigaya comforted her softly, his hand involuntarily reached for her head, gently stroking it.
"Ugh..."
Nanase's eyes grew hot, and tears blurred her vision. The senpai before her seemed to overlap vaguely with a figure from her memory.
'Eiichiro-nii... I miss you! I really miss you!'
Longing surged in her heart, and Nanase couldn't help but lung towards the embrace of the man who possessed a similar aura.
"Hold it right there!"
A hand thrust between the two, blocking Nanase's advance.
Amasawa looked on with a sarcastic expression.
"Hikigaya-senpai, you should really tone down this habit of wanting to be everyone's big brother, shouldn't you?"
"Cough, cough~ I accidentally did it again..."
Hikigaya's face was awkward; this was the one thing he couldn't argue against.
"...?!"
After realizing her loss of composure, Nanase hurriedly backed away, her face flushing as she wiped her tears. "E-excuse me!"
Watching Nanase flee in panic, Amasawa let out a cold snort.
"The person who can become the substitute for Senpai's little sister can only be me!!"
'What is this bratty kouhai talking about?'
.
.
.
Year 2 Class D Classroom.
It was as noisy as ever. These guys still hadn't found partners for the exam.
"Everyone, please don't worry. Let's think of a way together; there's always a solution," Hirata Yousuke said, offering pleasant but empty words.
"How can I not worry?"
"I asked the first-years this morning. In classes A, B, and C, almost all the students with good academic ability have been snatched up!" Sudo Ken was full of anxiety. Although his grades had improved significantly over the past year—barely scraping past the passing line in all subjects—if he couldn't find a partner within the allotted time for this special exam, his total score would be penalized by 5%. That would be dangerous for him!
"For the first-years, only Class D is left."
"That bastard Housen actually banned his class from teaming up with us. That's just too unscrupulous!" Even though Kazuomi Housen was suspended for a week for violating school rules, he could still remote-control Class D's actions.
"The only way is to go and negotiate with Housen."
Horikita Suzune proposed a suggestion that everyone knew but no one wanted to vocalize. Everyone feared the other party's violence.
"I'll go!
I'm not afraid of that bastard!!" Sudo was indignant, clearly still holding a grudge over being pushed to the ground due to a momentary lapse in focus last time.
"I'll go too. If the other party uses violence, I'll step in as well!" Hirata's expression was solemn. Based on the previous fight between Housen and Ryuen's group, even he wasn't sure he could take the man down.
"..."
Horikita was about to volunteer, but she was grabbed by the hand by Hikigaya in the seat next to her and pressed back into her chair.
"Suzune, you still have the study group to tutor, don't you?" Hikigaya provided her with an excuse.
"..."
Horikita was about to protest.
"No 'buts.' Teaming up is important, but individual grades are equally important. Besides, women should stay out of fights between men."
Hikigaya discouraged her seriously. "Or do you think a 'featherweight' should challenge a 'heavyweight'?"
Real combat is built on the premise of both parties being in the same weight class. Horikita's martial arts level was good, but at most, she could challenge a "lightweight." Against a "middleweight," her chances of winning would be very low; against a "heavyweight," she'd struggle to even break their defense if they just stood still.
Horikita fell silent. If it had been the old her, with her competitive personality, she certainly wouldn't have accepted someone else's opinion. Now, she had clearly grown and wouldn't be blindly confident.
"I understand." Horikita listened to Hikigaya's advice.
"Ah? Horikita-san isn't going...?"
"With just Hirata and Sudo... how should I put it, it feels a bit lacking."
The crowd whispered.
"What do you mean?!"
"You don't believe in my fists?" Sudo felt slighted and immediately rolled up his sleeves to show off his muscles.
The crowd remained noncommittal. In their eyes, Sudo was just strong without substance; he didn't actually know how to fight and lacked brains. Hirata was good at fighting, but the problem was that he disliked violence and wouldn't necessarily use it.
So the question was: who else in Class D had both brains and strength?
Hikigaya noticed everyone's eyes quietly turning toward him.
'Are you guys insane? You want me to go fight for Class D?'
Before anyone could speak, Hikigaya chose to strike first. "For something like this, wouldn't it be fine just to let Ayanokouji go!"
Professional work like fighting should obviously be handed over to the White Room's masterpiece!
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka had been maintaining a low profile throughout, trying to minimize attention as much as possible. He was just dragged out into the spotlight by Hikigaya naming him.
"It just so happens that Nanase-kouhai from first-year Class D seems very interested in Ayanokouji. If you go, you might even increase our bargaining chips."
Hikigaya talked nonsense with a straight face.
"Me going will only increase the enemy's hatred, won't it?" Ayanokouji looked speechless. Although he didn't know the specific reason, the only thing he was sure of was that Tsubasa Nanase did indeed harbor deep hostility toward him.
However, the Class D students wouldn't listen to his explanation.
"What?!"
"That cute Nanase-kouhai is actually very interested in Ayanokouji?"
"Damn it... It's one thing for Hikigaya, but what right do you have!!"
One by one, the group cast gazes filled with envy and jealousy.
"Can I not go?" Ayanokouji really didn't want to do such a thankless job.
"No!" Sudo pinched his arm hard, saying with a face full of displeasure, "Ayanokouji, your body is clearly even stronger than mine, yet you refuse to contribute to the class!"