Chapter 379: Orimoto Kaori's Confession
Tamanawa hurriedly reached out his hand to stop Hikigaya: "P-please wait! That is our school's Chairman, Mr. Takahashi. Don't just rush up to him..."
"Move."
Hikigaya brushed Tamanawa's arm aside without slowing down, walking straight toward the middle-aged man in a formal suit leaning against the bleacher railing. That man was Takahashi, the Chairman at Kaihin General High School. He had a stout build, and his features carried the typical rigidity and arrogance of a public official.
Seeing Hikigaya approaching him directly, Chairman Takahashi subconsciously frowned, sizing up this unfamiliar student from another school.
"You, student from the other school—is there something you need?" Takahashi's tone was cold, carrying the condescending air of an elder.
"Our side is raising an objection to the unfair officiating on the court," Hikigaya said, cutting straight to the point and looking the man in the eye without a hint of fear.
Takahashi replied perfunctorily: "Physical contact on the court is perfectly normal. There's no need to make a mountain out of a molehill."
Tamanawa, who had caught up, quickly chimed in with a humble attempt to smooth things over: "Exactly, exactly! Chairman Takahashi is right. It's just a minor friction on the court, no need to look into it too deeply..."
"If a blatant elbow to the ribs counts as 'minor friction,'" Hikigaya stopped and adjusted his glasses, his gaze sharp, "then perhaps Chairman Takahashi would like to experience it himself."
His voice was calm and clear. There was no emotional bickering, yet the placid tone generated an invisible sense of pressure.
"What do you think you're doing?!"
Takahashi's expression shifted, and he instinctively took a step back. Having been a Chairman for over a decade, Takahashi had seen plenty of "problem students." He could instinctively tell that the Hikigaya standing before him was the ultimate problem student. Furthermore, he looked like the type of troublesome student who was very good at fighting.
This left Takahashi both irritated and confused.
'What is going on...? Isn't Advanced Nurturing an experimental school backed by the government and corporations? If I didn't know better, I'd think this was a brawl at a vocational school!'
"Chairman Takahashi, please don't be alarmed," Hikigaya offered a deadpan consolation. "Under normal circumstances, students do not strike teachers."
However, to the Chairman, this sounded more like a threat!
'Under normal circumstances?'
Does that mean he'd get violent under abnormal circumstances?
"We simply want justice."
Hikigaya turned his head, his gaze sweeping toward Sudo Ken, who was still on the court clutching his side, his face pale.
"Sudo, are you okay?"
"Dammit! You Kaihin people have no sportsmanship!"
"Let's get 'em!"
The members of the Basketball Club were fuming, rolling up their sleeves and looking ready to start a fight.
"Stop! Don't fight!"
Surprisingly, it was Sudo Ken who shouted down his teammates. This made Hikigaya look at him with a bit of newfound respect. Had this been the beginning of the school year, Sudo would have charged the opponent blindly the moment he was cheap-shotted. It seemed the guy had actually grown a brain and learned to see the bigger picture.
Since that was the case, Hikigaya didn't mind lending a hand.
"Our player committed no fouls but was subjected to a malicious collision and fell. Yet, the referee ruled it a legal play." Hikigaya looked back at Chairman Takahashi, his eyes clear and piercing. "Chairman Takahashi, I would like to ask: what is the basis for ruling that a 'legal collision'? Is it based on the referee's deliberate bias, or is it a competitive rule unique to Kaihin High School?"
Takahashi's face darkened. He clearly hadn't expected this refined-looking boy in glasses to be so sharp-tongued and utterly merciless. In his worldview, a student should naturally be subordinate to a teacher. This was the first time he'd encountered a student who confronted a teacher head-on with such logical arguments.
"Hmph! Young man, watch your tone," Takahashi said coldly, putting on a stern face. "On what grounds do you claim our referee is being unreasonable?"
"Airi, the camera."
Hikigaya beckoned behind him. Sakura Airi ran over, took the camera from around her neck, and handed it to him. Having the Photography Club follow them was originally meant to record the Basketball Club's highlights; no one expected it to become crucial evidence for arbitration.
"..."
A few drops of cold sweat broke out on Takahashi's forehead. Faced with ironclad evidence, he was momentarily speechless. He could only try to change the subject and play dumb: "Ha~ it's just an exhibition match. Why make it so complicated and ruin the harmony between our two schools?"
"Is your school putting on an exhibition of elbow strikes?" Hikigaya's tone held a hint of mockery.
He pointed toward the surrounding spectator stands. Numerous Kaihin students were looking over curiously, sensing the dispute at the edge of the bleachers. The noisy chatter began to die down.
"What's happening?"
"Is that guy from the other school arguing with Chairman Takahashi?"
"Holy crap! A student taking on the Chairman? That guy's got guts."
It seemed the Kaihin students didn't have a high opinion of their Chairman either, as many were watching the drama with malicious glee.
"Hikigaya... you're a beast!" The members of the Advanced Nurturing Basketball Club were filled with admiration watching Hikigaya stand his ground.
"Since this is a promotional exhibition match for the cooperation between our schools, the core purpose is to showcase our school spirit and promote sportsmanship. I recall President Tamanawa emphasizing 'Friendship First, Competition Second.'"
Hikigaya's stance remained firm. Catching a glimpse of Tamanawa turning red with embarrassment, he continued his verbal onslaught: "Using home-court advantage to condone malicious fouls and using the referee's status to show bias—is this the school spirit Kaihin wants to display? Don't you find it embarrassing?
If even basic fairness cannot be guaranteed, what message will the promotional footage from this match send to the outside world? That Kaihin is a place of bullying and home-town officiating?"
Hikigaya spoke word by word, logically sound. He didn't resort to hysterical insults, but he struck Takahashi's Achilles' heel: the school's reputation. Takahashi's expression went from gloomy to hideous. Veins bulged on his temples, but he couldn't find a single word to rebut. The usual suppression of "elder status" was completely useless against someone like Hikigaya.
"..."
Takahashi's Adam's apple bobbed. His voice was notably weaker: "Even if there were slight discrepancies in the officiating, there's no need to take it to this extreme."
"If your school cannot manage even this basic level of fairness, then there is no need for this match—which lacks any competitive spirit—to continue." Hikigaya didn't feel like wasting more breath and issued a direct ultimatum.
"What did you say? You're just a student! What right do you have to terminate the match?" Takahashi panicked.
One had to understand that Kaihin General High's standards weren't on par with Advanced Nurturing's. Their school leadership had spent a lot of resources to convince Acting Chairman Tsukishiro Tokinari to agree to this. The goal was to use the link with Advanced Nurturing to boost Kaihin's prestige. If the match was terminated now, the school board would skin him alive!
"Hmph! You've got to be kidding me!" Takahashi became somewhat hysterical. "Who gave you the authority to make such a decision?!"
"This is the founding principle of Advanced Nurturing: S-System, the Principle of Meritocracy! And the Student Council is the pinnacle of that meritocracy."
Hikigaya bluffed a bit here. In reality, as the Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee, his "weight" wasn't quite at the level of the Council President yet.
"Meritocracy?" Takahashi was clearly intimidated, though still half-doubting. "How can there be such a reckless school rule..."
Seeing the situation, the Basketball Club members chimed in supportively: "That's right! we listen to Hikigaya! If he says the match is off, we stop playing!"
"Damn right! We came to play basketball, not get assaulted!" Sudo Ken angrily threw the ball aside in protest.
Seeing the Advanced Nurturing side united, Takahashi was forced to compromise after a few seconds of silence. "I understand." He turned to the PE teacher acting as the referee and barked: "Remove the student who violated the rules from the court immediately!"
"Yes!" The referee stiffened, pulled out a red card, and ejected the Kaihin player who had attacked Sudo.
Kaihin's morale plummeted, and the rest of the game was a foregone conclusion. Advanced Nurturing's Basketball Club won. Notably, with ten minutes left, Sudo Ken requested to be subbed out for Komiya Kyogo. Partly because of his injury, and partly to give his teammate a chance to play. In the realm of basketball, Sudo had already gained the strength to stand alone.
After resolving the dispute, Hikigaya returned to the stands. Asahina Nazuna held her camera toward him the whole time: "The headline will be 'God Hachiman vs. The Corrupt Chairman'... mhm! When I get back, I'm making this into a poster to be the face of the Photography Club!"
Hikigaya's mouth twitched. "Please spare me, Nazuna-senpai."
"Hachiman-kun really is the coolest!" Sakura Airi's eyes were full of stars.
The basketball game ended. Both sides' players were still looking at each other with hostility; the so-called "Friendship First" had become a joke. Tamanawa took the stage as the Student Council President to deliver the closing remarks.
"This exchange activity has reached a perfect conclusion, which wouldn't be possible without the support of the leadership from both schools, the passion of the players, and the cooperation of every teacher and student present..."
Having composed himself, Tamanawa rattled off high-sounding platitudes with ease: "In the future, we at Kaihin General High look forward to more diverse and deeper cooperation with Advanced Nurturing. May the friendship between our schools last forever, and may all of you surpass yourselves on the road of youth! That is all... Thank you everyone!"
The applause from below was sparse. First, Kaihin had lost; second, they had been caught red-handed cheating, and even their Chairman had been shut down. This was a blow to the pride of the Kaihin students.
According to the original schedule, the match was to be followed by free time for students to mingle. However, given the awkward atmosphere, a friendly exchange seemed unlikely. But for a natural social butterfly, the atmosphere didn't matter.
"Hikigaya, you were seriously so cool just now!" Orimoto Kaori approached him, giving him a thumbs-up and laughing. "You turned Takahashi's face completely black with rage, ahahaha~"
"I had a candid exchange with Chairman Takahashi and fully shared my views," Hikigaya replied nonchalantly.
"What kind of jargon is that? Hikigaya, you're way funnier than you used to be~" Orimoto's eyes flickered with curiosity. "By the way, how are you liking it at Advanced Nurturing?"
"It's okay," Hikigaya answered vaguely. Advanced Nurturing had a strict secrecy policy, so he couldn't reveal too much.
"Hey," Orimoto instinctively reached up to tuck her hair. "Hikigaya, are you... are you seeing anyone right now?"
Before Hikigaya could answer, Asahina Nazuna spoke up first. "He is."
"Eh...?"
"Hachiman-kun is very popular. Plenty of girls want to date him!"
"That... I guess that makes sense." Orimoto frowned, but thinking about it, it was logical. The current Hikigaya had the looks and the aura. If he were at Kaihin, he'd easily be in the top three of the "Most Wanted Boyfriends" list.
'The competition is so fierce...' Orimoto's eyes darted.
'Time is short, no time for back-and-forth. I have to settle this quickly!'
"Hey... Hachiman... If—and I mean if—I were to confess to you right now, would you say yes?"
Orimoto's words were shocking. They didn't just stun Hikigaya's group; even Tamanawa, who was eavesdropping nearby, couldn't help but cry out: "What?!"
"Wait a minute! I don't approve of this union!!"
"Huh? Tamanawa, what does this have to do with you?" Orimoto frowned in confusion.
Hikigaya saw through it instantly. This President really did have a crush on Orimoto!
"N-no, Orimoto-san? What I mean is, a confession is something that should be considered carefully..." Tamanawa stammered.
"Thanks for your concern..." Orimoto brushed him off and turned her gaze back to Hikigaya's face.
"Hikigaya, I misjudged you back then. I wonder... has your heart changed regarding your feelings for me?"
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