Chapter 281: Couples Sets Aren't Necessarily for Two
"Uh... Yo~ if it isn't Horikita-senpai and Tachibana-senpai?"
Hikigaya stepped out from behind a bookshelf, offering the two of them a sheepish smile.
"Hikigaya? I heard you were going around catching students who were disturbing public morals. Why have you come to the library?"
Horikita Manabu asked with characteristic seriousness.
Hikigaya really wanted to say that the library was exactly where he expected to catch people.
"Hikigaya-kun, have you heard some... strange rumors?" Tachibana Akane's expression was dark.
"No! Absolutely not!
I just happened to be passing by!"
Hikigaya felt a cold sweat breaking out.
"There is no need to be nervous, Hikigaya," Manabu said, his expression calm.
"As the leader of Class A, it is normal for people to keep an eye on me."
Tachibana's lips twitched as if she wanted to say something, but she held back.
"Horikita-senpai, is it possible that the person they are keeping an eye on is you personally?" Hikigaya countered.
"What is the difference?" Manabu looked puzzled.
"Heh~ Horikita-senpai is unexpectedly dense." Hikigaya's eyes turned subtle.
If he hadn't guessed wrong, the person who made the anonymous report was likely a girl with a crush on Horikita Manabu.
Leading him here was probably just an attempt to sabotage Tachibana Akane's "good time."
"I do not quite follow your meaning," Manabu said, not dwelling on the issue.
"Regardless, how is your work in the Student Council going lately?"
'Wait, "regardless"? Are we just skipping the previous topic like that? The focus right now should be your business with Tachibana-senpai, right? Why the hell are we talking about the Student Council!'
"Not great," Hikigaya said irritably.
"Nagumo-senpai is clearly making things difficult for me on purpose."
"You have had it rough." Manabu nodded in affirmation. "By the way, you did well the other day when you publicly challenged Nagumo's authority."
"I was just doing my job."
Hikigaya's intention hadn't been to provoke Nagumo Miyabi.
It was just that the other guy had jumped out to blatantly protect his own classmates while they were disrupting public order.
Hikigaya simply couldn't stand by and watch. That was his personality: either he didn't do the job at all, or he performed his duties to the letter.
"Doing what your position requires—it seems I didn't misjudge you." Manabu patted his shoulder, a rare smile appearing on his face.
"Don't flatter me, Horikita-senpai. Maybe one day I'll just get expelled by President Nagumo." Hikigaya shrugged nonchalantly.
In fact, he felt that might even be better. No position, no responsibilities. If that day actually came, he'd be free of the burden.
"Given Nagumo's personality, that is unlikely." Manabu shook his head and continued to explain.
"He is conceited and competitive. Back when I was in the Student Council, he frequently provoked me in an attempt to face me. I felt there was no need for a contest between different school years, so I never responded to his challenges.
Now that you are in the Student Council, you have become a substantial challenge to him.
I believe that rather than using his authority as President to kick you out, Nagumo would much prefer to crush you completely in a head-on confrontation!"
After listening to Manabu's explanation, Hikigaya only felt that Nagumo Miyabi was mentally ill.
"Is he a honey badger?" Hikigaya looked utterly speechless.
"A honey badger?" Manabu was stunned for a moment, but he immediately caught the meaning.
His mouth couldn't help but twitch. "I must say, that analogy is quite fitting."
The "Flat-headed Hero" of Africa—doesn't matter who the opponent is, they've made peace with death and just want to fight!
"Alright, let's end the small talk here. I won't interfere with Horikita-senpai and Tachibana-senpai's date anymore.
Happy Christmas Eve to you both." Hikigaya tactfully backed away.
"To you as well, Happy Christmas Eve.
As for Suzune, she is at the dessert shop right now," Manabu suddenly blurted out a piece of intel.
"Huh? Who is Suzune on a date with?" Hikigaya was stunned, his face full of disbelief.
"You have the nerve to call others dense?" Manabu gave him an odd look.
"Suzune invited me to get dessert earlier, but I turned her down. She should be alone right now."
"Turning down your own sister's invitation... Horikita-senpai, as a 'siscon,' you are a failure!" Hikigaya spoke with harsh words.
"I had a prior engagement with Tachibana," Manabu responded calmly.
Beside him, Tachibana Akane's cheeks turned crimson, her face showing a look of shy joy.
'Eek! This guy... turns out he's not a total blockhead after all!'
"Go on, Hikigaya," Manabu urged.
"Yes, yes." Hikigaya turned and left helplessly.
After he departed, only Manabu and Tachibana remained. The atmosphere gradually became more intimate.
"Tachibana." Manabu was the first to speak.
"Yes!" As if sensing something, Tachibana responded with excitement.
"From today on, may I call you Akane?" A hint of tenderness appeared in Manabu's eyes.
"Horikita-kun... I mean, Manabu-kun!" Tachibana wept with joy.
"However, a k.i.s.s here would be a violation of school rules." Manabu reached up and adjusted his glasses.
"E-Eh—?!" Tachibana lowered her head, her face completely red.
'Is... is that something you can just say out loud?!'
"Let's wait until after graduation..." Manabu extended two fingers and lightly tapped her smooth forehead.
"I hope to enter the same university as you."
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At a certain dessert shop.
The occupancy rate of couples was extremely high.
In this kind of atmosphere, any "single dog" would usually take a detour at the mere sight of it.
But Horikita Suzune was different; she entered the shop alone with her head held high.
"Customer, perhaps you would like to try our Christmas Eve Limited Edition set for two?" The clerk subconsciously assumed she was waiting for someone.
"No need, I am alone," Suzune stated her position without any attempt to hide it.
"E-Eh?!" The clerk's eyes widened in surprise.
"What? Is it not allowed to come alone?" Suzune's brow furrowed.
Having just been rejected by her brother, her mood was currently less than friendly.
"Uh, no." The clerk apologized quickly. "My apologies, customer. Please follow me."
She was led to a vacant four-person table.
"I am sorry, it is Christmas Eve, so the two-person tables are all full."
"It doesn't matter."
Ignoring the strange looks from those around her, Suzune sat down calmly. The clerk secretly thought she was impressive; if the customer wasn't embarrassed, there was no reason to say anything.
"One order of macarons and a cup of Ceylon black tea, please."
After ordering, Suzune scrolled through her phone. She saw Hikigaya's status update:
[Disciplinary Committee Chairman on the move, strictly cracking down on behavior that disturbs public morals.]
[Everyone is welcome to report violations actively!!]
"This guy, being so proactive on a day like this of all times." Suzune's lips curled up slightly, like a plum blossom blooming after the snow melts. This drew the gaze of several boys at neighboring tables.
"Hey! Where are you looking?" A female partner angrily pinched a boy's ear.
Single males passing by the shop looked at the couples inside with envy. Suzune, sitting all by herself, was exceptionally eye-catching—especially given her stunning beauty. Influenced by the holiday atmosphere, a single guy gathered his courage and walked into the shop to strike up a conversation.
"Um, excuse me, kouhai-san, I was wondering if..."
"What do you want?" Suzune looked up, her piercing gaze radiating a coldness that kept people a thousand miles away.
"Uh, no, nothing..." The guy immediately backed down and scurried away.
"Tch! How annoying."
In just ten minutes, Suzune had rejected no fewer than four guys. It had ruined her appetite significantly, and she prepared to finish her dessert quickly and leave.
Just then, a male figure walked into the shop and headed straight for her table. Others watching chuckled to themselves: Another guy who doesn't know his place.
However, this boy was exceptionally bold; he didn't even ask, he just sat down directly opposite Suzune.
Suzune's brow furrowed as she looked up to drive him away.
"You rude fellow, you... Hachiman!?"
"Yeah, it's me.
What a coincidence, Suzune." Hikigaya picked up the menu and began flipping through it.
"Weren't you busy with Student Council work?" Suzune's "mile-away" expression vanished, replaced by a flicker of joy in the depths of her eyes.
'Dammit! This guy... what does he have that I don't?!'
The bystanders cast looks of pure jealousy.
"I finished up, so I came to get something to eat." Hikigaya waved to the clerk.
"A cappuccino and an order of ice-flower pastries, please."
"Customer, I recommend our holiday limited-edition set~" The clerk enthusiastically pointed to the couples set on the menu.
"No need, I can't finish all that alone..." Hikigaya was about to refuse when Suzune interrupted.
"If two people eat it, it'll be fine."
"My meaning is... I'm interested in the 'Song of Ice and Fire'—the warm brownie with vanilla ice cream. I just didn't order it earlier because I couldn't finish it alone." Suzune explained logically.
"Alright, let's go with that then." Hikigaya gave her a slightly strange look.
"Understood, please wait a moment~" The clerk had a knowing look on her face.
"D-Don't get the wrong idea..." Suzune reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.
"I just wanted to eat it."
"What's there to misunderstand? I want to eat it too," Hikigaya said honestly.
"This set is 30% off today; the cost-performance ratio is actually quite high."
"You certainly are frugal." Suzune rolled her eyes at him.
"Of course. Being frugal is an essential skill for becoming a professional househusband," Hikigaya said proudly.
"The prerequisite is that you find a 'rich woman' willing to support you." Suzune cracked a rare joke.
"Don't say that; there are actually quite a few rich women in this school."
Hikigaya mentally listed the women he knew with wealthy backgrounds: Sakayanagi Arisu, Matsushita Chiaki, Kiryuin Fuka, and Chabashira Sae. If he included those outside the school, there were Yukinoshita Yukino and Hiratsuka Shizuka.
Suzune's eyes flickered, and she casually mentioned, "My family runs a food supply company; our funds are quite sufficient."
"Oh, that's pretty impressive." Hikigaya gave a perfunctory reply.
In any case, given Horikita Manabu's personality, he certainly wouldn't allow Hikigaya to just "lie flat" and do nothing. He'd probably even hand over the core business of the company to him.
'That sounds like a lot of trouble!'
A moment later, the clerk brought over the couples set.
"Please enjoy~"
The hot chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream were arranged in a crescent shape, looking very refined. There was also a large mixed fruit juice with two heart-shaped straws joined together.
"..."
Hikigaya and Suzune exchanged a glance and tacitly chose to ignore the large couples' drink for the time being.
"Let's try the cake first."
"Mm."
Each of them picked up a spoon. Hikigaya ate the hot chocolate cake first, while Suzune went for the vanilla ice cream.
"Mm~ Bitter but not harsh, with a sweet aftertaste. Not bad."
"My side is good too; the vanilla flavor is very rich. Do you want to try some?" Suzune naturally scooped up a bit of ice cream and held it out toward him.
"..." Hikigaya froze.
"What? You won't eat it?" Suzune's brow furrowed, but she quickly seemed to realize the situation, and her expression became awkward. However, given her strong personality, she refused to back down and maintained her composure.
"Hmph~ don't misunderstand! I... I just don't want the flavors to get mixed up, understand?"
'That's true.'
This "Ice and Fire" set featured the contrast between cold and hot. If you dipped a cold spoon into the hot part, the flavors would inevitably bleed into each other. Therefore, Suzune's explanation was quite logical.
However, no matter how you looked at it, this was an indirect k.i.s.s, right? Of course, given Suzune's eccentric personality, maybe she really didn't care about such things. If the girl didn't care, why should he, a grown man, act all fidgety?
Just as Suzune was about to reach her limit and pull the spoon back, Hikigaya took a bite.
"Mm~ the alternating cold and hot really has a unique flavor." Hikigaya gave his approval.
Then, as a response, he scooped up a piece of hot chocolate cake and held it to Suzune's lips. It was her turn to be stunned.
"What? You won't eat it? Could it be that you're shy?" Hikigaya teased her with his eyes.
"Hmph! What is there to be embarrassed about?" Suzune feigned calm, opened her small mouth, and took a bite, taking the entire spoon into her mouth.
'This movement... why does it look a bit like...'
Stimulating images from a certain dream suddenly flashed through Hikigaya's mind.
'Calm down! Don't let your imagination run wild!'
Hikigaya averted his gaze and looked out the window. If he hadn't looked, it would have been fine, but one look gave him a heart attack!
"!!!"
He saw a face like a Yaksha (demon), pressed tightly against the glass window, staring at him with a hideous, distorted expression.
"K-Kikyo?!" Hikigaya's face changed color; he felt a chill run down his spine.
The next moment, Kushida Kikyo burst into the shop in a rage.
"Hachiman!!!"
Kushida's voice was sharp. In her fury, she had even forgotten to maintain her persona in front of others.
"Wow!"
"What's going on?"
"Is this... a 'Love Battlefield' (Shuraba)?!"
The scene immediately drew the attention of everyone in the shop.
"Kikyo, calm down!" Hikigaya tried to soothe her.
"Hah—" Kushida's chest heaved up and down.
She forced back the urge to go on a rampage right then and there, asking through gritted teeth, "Hachiman... what are you doing here with Horikita?"
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