Confession?

"Hello."

Back at the Dormitory, Hachiman Hikigaya took a hot shower, washing away the exhaustion of the day.

While he was drying his hair, his phone rang.

"This is Wang Meiyu..."

A soft voice came from the other end.

"I know. I saved your number. What is it?"

"It's about helping you improve your English grades, like we discussed last time..."

Wang Meiyu seemed a little embarrassed. Even though Hachiman Hikigaya was the one who had asked for her help, she was the one calling him first. For a moment, it was hard to tell who needed help more.

Tutoring was only an excuse. What Wang Meiyu really wanted was a chance to spend time with Hachiman Hikigaya.

"Oh, sorry. Horikita has been tutoring me lately, so I haven't contacted you yet."

"Horikita?" Wang Meiyu fell silent for more than ten seconds before speaking again. "I understand. If you have Horikita, then you can improve your grades without needing me."

She felt a little disappointed. Unlike Karuizawa and Sato, she did not have the courage to take the initiative for love.

She had spent so long working up the nerve to call Hachiman Hikigaya, and now she felt as though she had been struck by lightning.

"No, I really need Xiao Mei's help. If it's you, my English grades will definitely improve quickly."

"R-Really?"

Wang Meiyu's face reddened slightly. Just a few words had sent her emotions soaring like a roller coaster, instantly returning to their peak.

And... did he just call me Xiao Mei?

Even Hirata had never called her that so intimately.

"Yes. Would it be okay to trouble you tomorrow?"

Tomorrow was Saturday, right in the middle of the break.

Wang Meiyu happily agreed and arranged a meeting time with Hachiman Hikigaya before hanging up cheerfully.

In her girlish room, Wang Meiyu lay on her bed with her long hair spread behind her, smiling at her phone.

Her long, pale legs swung happily in the air. Even though there were still more than ten hours to go, she was already especially excited.

After hanging up, Hachiman Hikigaya noticed a group chat on his phone.

The phones provided by the school had special chat software that prevented them from contacting the outside world.

The software was somewhat like WeChat. It allowed private messages, adding friends, and group chats.

There were only seven or eight people in the currently active group chat, and Ike was undoubtedly the most talkative one.

The group had existed for some time. It had been started by Ike and Yamauchi, and Sudo and Ayanokoji were in it as well.

Those two rarely chatted in the group, though. One was usually busy with club activities, while the other liked to read messages without replying.

Besides the five of them, there were also several girls who were outgoing enough to get along well with boys.

Sato, whom Hachiman Hikigaya knew fairly well, was among them, as was the elegant beauty Hasebe.

They were discussing what had happened at the Library after school and were even talking about isolating Horikita.

You're the ones being isolated!

Hachiman Hikigaya glanced at it and grumbled inwardly in exasperation.

Ding.

Hachiman Hikigaya's phone chimed. A message had arrived from Sato, who had been chatting enthusiastically in the group.

"Ike said Sudo beat you up. Are you okay?"

Hachiman Hikigaya raised an eyebrow and quickly went back to read the chat history.

"Seriously? Those two got into a fight?"

"For real! It was brutal!"

"Who won? Hikigaya or Sudo?"

"Definitely Hikigaya, right? He's so handsome that I can't imagine him losing."

"Not at all. Hikigaya got beaten by Sudo until he was rolling on the floor, his face all swollen and bruised. How could a pretty boy like him possibly beat Sudo?"

"That's awful! How could he do that?"

"Exactly! I'm on Hikigaya's side. How could anyone use violence against him?"

Watching the rumors grow more outrageous with every message, Hachiman Hikigaya's face darkened, and the corner of his mouth twitched uncontrollably.

"I'm fine. He was lying. I'm not hurt."

He weakly defended himself, though he had no idea whether Sato would believe him.

Rumors really were terrifying. Hachiman Hikigaya felt like crying.

"Can we meet up? I'm a little worried."

Sato had sent a request to meet. What a straightforward personality. Anyone could tell she liked him acting like this.

He touched his face. Sure enough, having good looks made it easier to pick up girls.

Still, meeting her was fine. It was the only way he could prove his innocence.

"Sure. Meet me on the first floor."

Hachiman Hikigaya changed into casual clothes, left his room, took the Elevator, and went down to the first floor.

Less than ten minutes later, Sato stepped out of the Elevator.

She spotted Hachiman Hikigaya in the distance and hurried over. Only after seeing that there was truly not a single mark of injury on his face did she finally let out a sigh of relief.

"That idiot Ike! How dare he spread nonsense!" Sato cursed angrily, pulling out her phone to confront Ike.

Hachiman Hikigaya, who hated trouble, grabbed her hand and stopped her from sending the message.

"There's no need. As long as you know the truth, that's enough."

Hachiman Hikigaya comforted her gently. Sato froze, feeling the warmth from his hand, and her face instantly turned bright red.

"Ah... I... Hikigaya, you..."

Sato completely lost her usual carefree manner. She was so shy that she could barely speak clearly.

"Sorry."

Hachiman Hikigaya quickly released her hand. Blushing, she lowered her head and stared at the tips of her shoes. In the empty lobby, with only a man and a woman present, the atmosphere was incredibly intimate.

Sato hesitated. Over the past month of getting to know him, she had realized that she truly liked this man.

Though he did not speak much and was completely unlike her, he never grew impatient when she rattled on endlessly. Instead, he listened patiently. From time to time, he would even reveal a gentle smile that made her blush.

Some people said that you first fell for someone's appearance, then gradually came to understand their inner self and accept it.

Sato seemed to have felt every one of those steps.

"Hikigaya."

"Yeah?"

Sato had been waiting, hoping Hachiman Hikigaya would confess in this intimate atmosphere. But she could not wait any longer. No matter how embarrassed she was, she did not want to keep waiting.

"I li..."

Sato gathered her courage and wanted to express the feelings in her heart. But before she could finish, a pair of hands grabbed her shoulders and pulled her forward forcefully.

Her cheek crashed into a firm chest. Such a warm embrace. Sato's lips curled up slightly as she tried to wrap her arms around his waist.

"Sorry for suddenly hugging you."

While Sato was still completely bewildered, Hachiman Hikigaya released her shoulders.

"It's okay, I don't mind..."

"You should go back to the Dormitory first. I have something to deal with."

Hachiman Hikigaya gave her an apologetic smile, then left Sato alone in the lobby and walked outside by himself.

Sato could not react at all. What was going on?