After more than a year of not seeing her, Yuigahama's cooking was still just as terrible… No, rather, it should be said that she never had any cooking skills to begin with.
She didn't just ignore the recipe—she completely relied on her intuition to cook.
Hikigaya couldn't help but recall the first time he ate her homemade cookies. That mysterious substance, "X," looked like charcoal, tasted like charcoal, and yet, somehow, wasn't actually charcoal.
…Had this issue reached a philosophical level?
That said, this time, there was at least some progress. At the very least, the chocolate looked like normal chocolate.
Of course, that might just be because chocolate is naturally dark in color, so no matter how badly it was made, the only way to tell would be through taste…
"Ugh…"
Before long, Kikyo and Matsushita both emerged from the restroom, clutching their mouths and looking pale.
Hah—serves you right.
That's what you get for being greedy!
"Sigh, seems like you two don't have much poison resistance," Hikigaya said with a hint of pride. "Look at me—I don't feel a thing."
Of course, saying he felt nothing was a lie. But at the very least, he had properly swallowed it.
Speaking of which, why hadn't Horikita returned yet…? Was she still throwing up?
Just as Hikigaya was contemplating whether to check on her, Kushida suddenly approached him, looking awkward and hesitant.
Huh? What's up now?
"Um… Hachiman?"
For some reason, Kushida's tone was cautious, as if she had done something wrong.
…Don't tell me she clogged the toilet.
"Uh, so… um… I'm sorry."
"…Huh?"
Kushida suddenly bowed her head and apologized, leaving Hikigaya momentarily stunned.
Wait, she didn't…
"You didn't clog my toilet, did you?"
"W-What are you even saying?!" Kushida's face instantly turned bright red.
"Then why are you suddenly apologizing?"
"Uh, well… sigh."
Letting out a heavy sigh, Kushida finally admitted in a resigned tone, "I know I was in the wrong. I wasn't thinking and just… ate the chocolate you cared about. I'm sorry."
As she spoke, she bowed her head once again.
"Um… me too," Matsushita also clasped her hands together apologetically. "I wasn't the one who suggested it, but I joined in, so I'm sorry."
"…Haa."
Rather than eating the chocolate, Hikigaya was more shocked by their over-the-top apologies.
Why were they making such a big deal out of this? Now the whole atmosphere was just awkward!
"No, don't be like that."
Shaking his head helplessly, Hikigaya said, "It was just chocolate. You ate it, so what? Besides, Kikyo, you even messaged me about it first. I was the one who said it was fine."
Though she had probably worded it as "snacks" instead of "chocolate" on purpose, that didn't matter.
At the end of the day, chocolate was just a snack.
It didn't matter if it was from Yukinoshita or anyone else—it was food, meant to be eaten. It wasn't something to be worshipped forever.\
Hikigaya would never blame others for something like this.
Especially since the ones involved were Kikyo-chan and Matsushita-san. During the time his hand was injured, they had visited him often and even helped prepare his meals.
Compared to that kind of care and kindness, what did a piece of chocolate matter?
It was strange, really.
He had already figured out long ago that if Yukinoshita suddenly gave him chocolate, it was either a prank from Haruno or, as Matsushita had described, something she handed out because the school organized a Valentine's event and she happened to get involved. In that case, Haruno probably just threw in an extra one for him.
Beyond those two reasons, there couldn't possibly be a third.
At the time, Hikigaya had understood it logically, but deep down, he couldn't let it go.
Yet now, he accepted the reality so easily… even Yukinoshita's chocolate no longer mattered.
At its core, it was just a piece of obligatory chocolate given in passing.
Nothing more, nothing less.
All his so-called worries had just been self-inflicted overthinking.
In that sense, Hikigaya felt a bit grateful to Kushida and the others for eating Yukinoshita's chocolate.
Though he had been a little angry at first, after getting his "revenge," he felt an indescribable sense of relief.
As if some lingering worries had suddenly vanished.
"Anyway, it's just chocolate. Don't overthink it."
Looking back, Hikigaya found it ridiculous that he had lost his appetite over something like this.
And… he had even made so many people worry about him.
Maybe the one who should be apologizing was him.
As he spoke, Horikita finally emerged from the restroom, her expression not much better than the other two.
"I never thought I'd taste something worse than my brother's cooking." Horikita sighed. "Hikigaya-kun, what exactly is this? You're not pulling a prank, are you?"
"…Unfortunately, no."
"Then how else do you explain making chocolate that's… bitter? No, salty?"
By the end, Horikita didn't even know how to describe it.
Hikigaya, however, fully understood how she felt.
After all, no matter how bad Horikita's takoyaki had turned out, it was still recognizable as food. At least the sauce tasted normal—just like the ones sold in supermarkets.
But Yuigahama's chocolate… that had transcended the realm of dark cuisine.
"I get that you want to protect someone's dignity, but I'd rather not have any food poisoning cases in our class," Horikita said mercilessly, making it impossible to argue back.
Then, she suddenly glanced at the packaging on the table and hesitated before saying, "Also… about earlier, I shouldn't have—"
"No need."
Hikigaya waved his hand, cutting her off.
An apology, huh…? Just don't do something that only makes things more awkward, okay?
It was just a piece of chocolate. Anyone who didn't know the full story would think he was being petty.
"…Can you at least let me finish my sentence?"
Strangely enough, even though he was telling her not to apologize, Horikita looked dissatisfied.
Was she a masochist? A masochist, right?
"It's not that, I just think—"
Hikigaya stopped mid-sentence, then simply shook his head.
"Whatever. It's already been eaten, no point dwelling on it… Oh, since you guys are here, I got more chocolates than I can handle this year. Help me get rid of some."
More than a few, actually—so many that it was becoming a problem.
Even Hikigaya, who liked sweets, was starting to feel overwhelmed. He was pretty sure he'd get sick if he tried to finish them all.
But since they were gifts from others, he had resolved to eat every last one.
So what he planned to share now was none other than the chocolate his beloved little sister had made for him.
Good things should always be shared with friends, after all.
More importantly, the whole world needed to know how amazing Komachi's chocolate was!
"Wait here, I'll go get it."
As Hikigaya eagerly crouched down to retrieve the treasure hidden in his cabinet, the three girls watched him with horror.
Of course, Komachi's chocolate couldn't be stored with the others in the fridge. What if it got too cold and ruined the texture? Or worse, what if someone stole it?
Luckily, no matter how many troubles a big brother had, he would never make such a rookie mistake.
However, before Hikigaya could even reach for it—
"Th-That! Hachiman! I'm not feeling well, so I'll be heading back!" Kushida suddenly raised her hand and announced loudly.
"…Huh?"
"Me too," Matsushita chimed in, forcing a smile. "It must be that chocolate from earlier. Just hearing about more… Anyway, Hachiman-kun, let's have a tea party some other time."
"I still have exam preparations, so I won't disturb you."
Despite her words, Horikita's gaze was suspiciously evasive.
They were making excuses!
After dropping those lines, the three of them bolted out of the room as if fleeing from disaster.
Tsk… None of them had any appreciation for fine craftsmanship.
"Hmph, I didn't want to share with you guys anyway."
Hikigaya grumbled, but looking down at the box in his hands, he couldn't help but smile.
Heh heh heh, Komachi's chocolate was the best.
—
Meanwhile, after escaping from Hikigaya's room, the three girls finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"I think Hachiman was genuinely mad this time," Kushida said, still shaken. "He was going to bring out more of that unidentifiable substance… Was he trying to poison me?! And to think I've always been so nice to him!"
"Are you exaggerating a bit?" Matsushita asked, exasperated.
"Tch, then why didn't you stay and eat with him?"
Kushida smirked mockingly at her.
"I-I just wasn't hungry." Matsushita insisted. "Besides, Hachiman-kun hasn't been sleeping well these past few days. It's better if he gets some rest instead of being disturbed by us."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say."
Kushida waved dismissively, too lazy to argue further.
Then, she frowned in thought. "But seriously, does this mean Hachiman's back to normal?"
"Definitely. The atmosphere around him changed," Matsushita answered without hesitation.
"I know that much. But still…" Kushida rubbed her chin. "All we did was eat a piece of chocolate, and he snapped out of it? Isn't that kind of… ridiculous? Don't tell me that chocolate was cursed or something?"
"That's impossible."
"Then explain it."
"Maybe… that chocolate was like a medium," Matsushita guessed. "And now that it's gone, so is Hachiman-kun's attachment to Yukinoshita."
"…That's the definition of a curse."
As the two continued their wild speculations, they failed to notice the knowing smile on Horikita's face.
Based on what Ayanokoji had told her, she had already figured out what had happened behind the scenes.
Hikigaya's recovery had something to do with her brother.
Heh… As expected of my older brother.
However, Horikita's smugness only lasted for a couple of seconds before she realized something was off.
Wait a minute.
According to Ayanokoji, wasn't I supposed to be the one to talk Hikigaya out of his slump?
So why did my brother take care of everything instead?
…What am I supposed to do now?
Though it was good that Hikigaya was back to normal, Horikita couldn't shake the feeling that she had missed something.
…Whatever, I'll think about it later.
For now, the priority was preparing for the upcoming exam. With Hikigaya back in form, they had gained a reliable asset.
But Ayanokoji… what's going on with him?
If possible, Horikita still wanted him to act as their strategist. Otherwise, if he were removed from the lineup, he wouldn't be able to participate in the competition.
D-Class already had Kouenji running wild, and now they were up against the most troublesome A-Class.
If they lost Ayanokoji too, their situation would be truly dire.
Even though Hikigaya has protection points and doesn't have to worry about expulsion, if they can't secure a victory, all their efforts will be in vain.
"Sigh… why does our class have so many problem children?"
"Who exactly are you talking about?"
Hearing Horikita's sigh, Kushida couldn't help but turn around and glare at her. "No matter who you mean, I feel like you're the least qualified to say that. After all, you're one of them."
"That's ridiculous. At the very least, I'm stronger than you, Kushida."
Horikita wasn't about to back down, crossing her arms as she shot back.
"Oh, come on. In what way are you stronger than me?" Kushida stared at Horikita's chest for a moment before suddenly bursting into laughter. "Hey, Horikita, did you… shrink? Or were you stuffing before?"
"W-what are you even saying?"
Caught off guard by Kushida's gaze, Horikita instinctively took two steps back.
Matsushita, intrigued, also looked over. "Now that you mention it… it does seem smaller? Haha, I didn't expect Horikita to be vain about this kind of thing."
"Don't be ridiculous! I've just been on a diet lately, that's all!" Horikita snapped, irritated. "If anything, you two are the ones who seem to have gained weight since the start of the school year. Eating a little too well, aren't you?"
"T-that's not true!"
Hearing that, Kushida immediately felt a little guilty.
Compared to the other struggling Class D students, she was practically well-off and could buy whatever she wanted whenever she felt like it.
Or rather, the fact that her classmates couldn't eat certain things made indulging in them all the more satisfying, helping to relieve stress as well.
Matsushita, however, remained completely unfazed and simply smiled. "Alright, alright, let's stop joking around and focus on the real issue. Now that Hachiman-kun has recovered, we should be fine for this exam, right? As long as Ayanokoji-kun puts in his full effort… Though, I doubt he'd dare to hold back this time."
"...Actually, about that…"
After a brief hesitation, Horikita decided to tell them about Ayanokoji's strange behavior.
She wasn't sure what exactly was going on. She had initially planned to ask Hikigaya about it, but unfortunately, she had missed the chance.
Still, there was a possibility that Kushida and Matsushita might know something.
Unfortunately, it seemed she had overestimated them.
"You're saying that Ayanokoji-kun was the one who suggested you go find Hachiman-kun?" Matsushita furrowed her brows. "And he even got your brother involved to help… That means Hachiman-kun must have gone to meet your brother just now."
"That should be the case."
"But… does Ayanokoji-kun really need to go that far?"
No matter how she looked at it, Matsushita found it difficult to understand.
Although she didn't know much about Ayanokoji, the fact that he dared to fight four Class C students alone on the rooftop at least proved that he wasn't a coward.
Was he really refusing to take on the role of commander just because he was afraid of being expelled?
That reason was simply too unbelievable.
Compared to that, Kushida was much simpler. She immediately snapped, "What the hell is that deadpan guy thinking? He knows full well that Hachiman hates him, yet he still shamelessly tries to get close! Since he was randomly chosen as the commander, he should just accept it properly, even if it means getting expelled! Who told him to be so unlucky?!"
"Yeah… Hmm?"
Horikita initially nodded absentmindedly, but suddenly, a thought struck her.
"Kushida, just now you said—"
"Ugh! This is so annoying! That deadpan guy pisses me off! Honestly, it'd be better if he just got expelled this time!"
Kushida grew angrier as she spoke, not even noticing Horikita calling out to her.
Originally, she had planned to slowly mend Hikigaya's wounds and silently take over his heart.
But before she could even make her move, he had already healed on his own.
Damn it… What the hell is wrong with that Ayanokoji?!
Why did he have to bring Horikita's brother into this?!
Does he not realize that interfering with someone's love life will bring karmic retribution?!
"…Sigh, our class really has a lot of problem children."
Horikita sighed internally, but Kushida's words had given her an unexpected clue.
Randomly chosen as the commander…
The question was—was it really random?
If it wasn't… then everything would make perfect sense.