Karuizawa Kei didn't pay the slightest attention to Hikigaya's attitude. She pulled out her phone and started fiddling with it, glancing now and then at Hikigaya as he quietly ate his bento.
The strange atmosphere between them eventually pushed Hikigaya to break the silence.
"Aren't you going back yet? It's pretty late. If someone sees us like this, the school might start suspecting we're engaged in some, uh, improper boy-girl interactions."
According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School's dorm regulations, students had to be in their own rooms by ten o'clock. Roaming around after that was against the rules, and could lead to penalties—usually point deductions.
Granted, Class D was already at the bottom and had no points left to lose, but getting caught in a violation like that would still have consequences.
"Hmph. Of course I know that." Karuizawa scoffed at his words, making no move to leave.
"..."
The scene triggered an odd memory for Hikigaya—of his little sister, Komachi.
Whenever he tried to lecture her, she'd also get inexplicably annoyed and act completely spoiled.
No, no—how the hell did I just compare her to my adorable little Komachi?
There's no comparison at all!
While Hikigaya's mind was tangled with conflicting thoughts, his eyes drifted unconsciously toward Karuizawa, wondering what exactly had brought her here at this hour.
"…Don't tell me you came here to apologize for what happened earlier today?"
Hikigaya instinctively recalled the incident that afternoon, when he had gone to ask Kushida Kikyo for help and was suddenly intercepted by Karuizawa. She'd said some rather unflattering things about him.
Getting bad-mouthed wasn't exactly new territory for Hikigaya—he was used to it, and it didn't faze him in the slightest.
But Karuizawa, on the other hand, seemed to still be hung up on the matter. The fact that she came to see him so late, and even brought him a bento, looked a lot like she was trying to apologize.
Of course, this was all just Hikigaya's own speculation.
"…Tch."
On the other side, Karuizawa's shoulders gave the slightest twitch when she heard his words.
She clearly hadn't expected him to hit the nail on the head so easily. Still, her pride wouldn't let her admit it, and she responded with an aloof tone:
"Don't flatter yourself. Like I'd ever do that. I only came here because you gave me that advice the other day—I figured you might still be useful."
"'Useful,' huh?" Hikigaya raised an eyebrow, then nodded as if everything suddenly made sense. "Ah, I get it now. So you're just here to talk about collaborating, based on that advice I gave you before?"
In a flash, Hikigaya "understood" the logic behind Karuizawa's actions.
His earlier guess might've made emotional sense, but it still felt off—he didn't think their relationship was anywhere near close enough for her to feel guilty over bad-mouthing him.
And Karuizawa didn't seem like the kind of person who would apologize to someone like him just for a few cutting remarks.
But if she had realized he could be useful and wanted to work with him for strategic reasons—well, as dark as that sounded, that was a motivation Hikigaya could actually accept.
"…You…"
On her side, Karuizawa hadn't anticipated this turn at all. Hikigaya's misreading completely blindsided her.
Still, she didn't bother correcting him. Instead, she went with the flow and said, "That's right. Exactly what you're thinking—I want to work with you."
Even though she was deeply unhappy with how the conversation had turned, Karuizawa forced herself to keep going.
"As I thought," Hikigaya muttered. "So you want to maintain your position among the girls in Class D, huh?"
He was completely unaware of the emotional wrestling match going on inside Karuizawa. To him, he was just calmly analyzing the situation.
"Humans are creatures of habit, after all. Once a certain impression takes root, it becomes the default. And right now, you've built up enough prestige among the girls in Class D that they all see you as a leader. As long as you don't make any major missteps, your status should stay secure."
"'Major missteps'?"
Karuizawa blinked, caught off guard.
She had only been following the conversation without much thought, but now she was genuinely curious to see what kind of advice Hikigaya might give.
Because of certain shadows from her past, the idea of losing her current position was something she absolutely could not tolerate.
She'd go to any lengths to protect it—even if it meant making compromises she wasn't proud of.
"Yeah. People's perceptions follow a kind of inertia. Once someone's identity or status is labeled, it's hard to change. But if they repeatedly act out of line with that label—or do something that visibly shakes their standing—those perceptions can break down."
Hikigaya's voice was calm and steady as he laid out his reasoning.
"So basically, I need to tread carefully with everything I do from here on out?" Karuizawa asked.
"More or less."
Hikigaya looked straight at her, her face drawn with tension.
"Take tonight, for example. You really shouldn't be doing this kind of thing too often. From the perspective of the class, someone like you—at the top of the social ladder—shouldn't have any contact with someone like me—dead last. If someone saw us together, it could shatter the image you've worked so hard to build. And if rumors start flying, your position might take a serious hit."
"Wha—I…"
Karuizawa frowned deeply, clearly unwilling to accept what she was hearing.
But logic told her Hikigaya was right. If something like that actually happened, the reign of Karuizawa Kei as the queen bee of Class D's girls could easily come to an end.
In truth, she had already anticipated that possibility.
On the other side, Hikigaya noticed the conflict in her expression.
He let out a small sigh. He hadn't realized just how much Karuizawa had come to rely on him.
On the one hand, that meant he had gained an extremely useful piece on the chessboard. On the other hand, it also meant he was probably in for a whole lot of trouble going forward.
Looks like I won't be shaking off this Karuizawa burden anytime soon…
With that thought, Hikigaya looked up and said in a low, devilish murmur:
"Karuizawa, if you really don't want something like that to happen—but still want to meet with me openly—I do have a solution."
"W-What solution?" Karuizawa's eyes flew wide open, caught off guard that he might actually have an answer.
With a voice as smooth as a con artist swindling a gullible girl, Hikigaya replied:
"It's simple. Just give up relying on Hirata Yousuke to hold your position. Instead, earn the class's respect through your own abilities—no outside help, no props. If you can pull that off and become the true representative of the girls' group, then even if you openly talk to someone like me, no one will question it. And more importantly, your standing in Class D will remain untouched."