The Most Unprecedented Heartbeat

Back at this wildly popular Cafe, Hachiman Hikigaya realized that no matter the situation, whenever there was something like a conversation to be had, everyone seemed to favor this Cafe.

After ordering their drinks, Ichinose smiled and said, "Hikigaya, do you come here often?"

"No, I only get dragged here by other people when there's something to discuss."

"If I were alone, I probably wouldn't even walk into this place."

Ichinose enthusiastically started up a conversation, looking nothing like someone he had just taken advantage of.

"Hey, hey, isn't that Hikigaya?"

A long-haired man entered his field of vision. Ryuen approached them with a sinister grin.

Ichinose looked at Ryuen curiously. She had heard a little about this man too.

Ryuen unceremoniously sat beside Hachiman Hikigaya, hooking an arm around his shoulders. Anyone unaware of the situation might have thought they were close.

"I've got to say, you look pretty honest, but who would've thought you were such a womanizer?"

"Every time I see you, you're sitting with a different woman. You're totally some smooth-talking scumbag who loves tricking women."

Hachiman Hikigaya gave him an indifferent glance. It seemed Ryuen had investigated him in private.

Still, he was right. There really were plenty of women around him.

But how did that make him a womanizer? Hachiman Hikigaya couldn't understand it at all. Wasn't this simply the treatment a handsome guy deserved?

"Unfortunately, we're just friends. Your plan failed."

Ryuen's intentions were immediately exposed by Hachiman Hikigaya. If he and Ichinose had really been on a date, saying something like that would surely have made Ichinose unhappy.

Unfortunately, they were only friends, so Ichinose had no reason to be jealous.

"I'm just jealous of you."

Your smile certainly didn't make it look that way.

"So? Have you figured out how to barely cling to life yet?"

Ryuen asked provocatively.

Hachiman Hikigaya calmly took a sip of coffee. "No. If Ryuen is willing to help, though, I'd be immensely grateful."

"Oh? Sure, I can help you."

Ryuen let out a vicious laugh, and Ichinose across from them believed him.

"Really? Ryuen, do you know who the eyewitness is?"

"Idiot, how could something like an eyewitness exist? If there were one, they wouldn't be stupid enough to fail to find them."

Ryuen poured cold water on her hopes, making no effort to hide the mockery on his face.

"What I mean is, if Hikigaya is willing to kneel down and lick my shoes clean, I can consider having Manabe drop the complaint."

"After all, nothing really happened to her. Her clothes were just torn."

His offer was rather tempting. Given his standing in Class C, making Manabe swallow her grievances would be ridiculously easy.

"Ryuen, please don't make such excessive demands!"

Ichinose stood up and objected.

"This has nothing to do with you, does it, Ichinose?" Ryuen wore an amused smile. "Don't tell me you really like Hikigaya? Or have the two of you already done it?"

"No! Please don't make things up!"

Ichinose retorted with a red face, losing ground in her exchange with Ryuen.

In a battle of words between the two of them, there was no way Ichinose could gain the upper hand.

She was polite to others, and completely unable to strike back against Ryuen's foul-mouthed insults.

Ryuen burst into laughter and leaned his face close to Hachiman Hikigaya's.

"So? What do you think?"

"Sorry, I can't accept your condition."

Hachiman Hikigaya rejected him as if it were only natural. No matter how he looked at it, Ryuen had to be joking.

"Suit yourself. In that case, do your best to stay here. I hope I'll still get to see you next week."

"If you get expelled just like that, I'll be sad that I never got to see the scared look on your face!"

After leaving those words behind, Ryuen stood up, waved, and left. The sound of his mocking laughter lingered in the air.

"What a headache."

Ichinose showed Ryuen a rare look of helplessness. "If you run into any trouble later, you can talk to me about it too."

What a reliable little angel! Even though they were not in the same class, she had still made it clear that she was willing to help him.

"I understand. Thank you very much."

A gust of hot wind swept past, carrying the scent of summer through the air.

The noisy crowds filled the school with the spirit of youth.

Having finally made it to the weekend, many people called up their good friends and went to the shopping center together to relax and ease the exhaustion of the week.

Hachiman Hikigaya sat on a bench beside the shopping center, watching every student who passed by. This was one of his usual methods for spacing out.

A light sheen of sweat formed on his forehead. Japan's weather always caught people off guard.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

Sakura appeared beneath the sunlight with her hair tied into twin tails. Her red hair shimmered under the sun.

Those old-fashioned glasses drastically diminished her looks. She clearly had a cute face, yet she carried herself with such insecurity.

"I just got here too."

Hachiman Hikigaya told a small lie so she would feel as little guilt as possible.

He stood and walked toward the repair shop with Sakura. Whenever a passerby came near them, Sakura would unconsciously hunch over and lower her head, afraid they might misunderstand.

Her steps lagged half a pace behind, and she did not walk side by side with Hachiman Hikigaya.

"Say, Sakura, can I ask you something?"

"Hm? Sure."

Sakura forced out a smile.

"Why do you always walk with your back hunched?"

"Huh? When you put it that way... I don't know either..."

Sakura bit her lip, unable to answer the question for a moment.

"Actually, Sakura, you're very cute. I'm not lying at all."

"You don't need to care about what other people think. Maybe, in their hearts, they think Sakura is a great person too."

"It's just that because you always keep your head down, you miss the chance to meet other people's eyes, losing so many opportunities to connect with them."

The sunlight stretched their shadows long. Sakura, with her head lowered, might not have been able to see Hachiman Hikigaya beside her, but she could clearly see the shadows of the two of them walking together beneath her feet.

"So, Sakura, be brave and lift your head. Look at this world properly!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Sakura felt a large hand smack her back hard. The pain made her straighten up involuntarily.

She instinctively looked to the side for the culprit, only to see him smiling at her.

"That's it!"

His smile was beautiful, sunny, and warm. In a place she could not see, it cleansed her soul, washing away the gloom in her heart and slowly guiding her, step by step, to accept the sunlight's embrace.

Her heart was beating inexplicably fast. What was this feeling?

Was it the shy flutter of her heart because someone had spoken to her?

No, definitely not. It was something she had grown accustomed to since childhood, so she easily rejected that answer.

Then what was it? I don't know, because this is a heartbeat I've never felt before.

It was unfamiliar, but it made her happy.