Thud!
"Whoa!"
"Eek!"
With a faint bump, I stumbled.
The girl I'd collided with let out a cute little gasp and toppled backward.
Just as the back of her head was about to hit the floor, I instinctively grabbed her hand and pulled her upright with all my strength.
"Tha—" She was about to thank me when her foot suddenly slipped again, and she pitched forward.
I caught sight of the water glistening on the floor. Apparently, someone had spilled some, causing her to slip.
The moment I understood what was happening, her soft, fragrant body had already crashed into my arms.
I quickly planted my feet and managed to support both our weight.
We swayed a few times, but at least we didn't fall. Just as I breathed a sigh of relief, embarrassment suddenly washed over me.
Because of the position we were in... In her panic, she'd wrapped her arms around my back.
In other words, I was being gently held by a girl.
And to make matters worse, I felt an unbelievable softness against my chest. It was definitely several sizes bigger than Sakayanagi's or Shiina's!
Form is emptiness, emptiness is form!
"A-are you okay?"
I asked, doing my best to stay calm.
At that, she finally came to her senses and raised her face.
One look nearly made me forget how to breathe.
Beneath her cherry-blossom-pink hair was a face that was both gorgeous and sweet.
Unlike Sakayanagi's beauty, which was like a flower blooming high on a mountain, or Shiina's pure cuteness, the girl before me struck a perfect balance between the two.
Realizing that I was being held by a girl this beautiful made my embarrassment explode.
"Ah... I'm sorry I suddenly fell. Are you hurt?"
"N-no, I'm fine. I was the one hurrying and not watching where I was going..."
The frustration of being summoned to a teacher's office had distracted me. I couldn't deny it.
While we were still frozen in that awkward position—
"Hey, look! Isn't that Hikigaya from Class D and Ichinose from Class B?!"
"They're hugging?!"
"Is he two-timing three girls now?!"
"That bastard... After Sakayanagi from Class A and Shiina from Class C, he's going after Ichinose from Class B too?!"
"Is he trying to collect all the beautiful girls in the year...?"
"He's practically Makoto reborn!"
"Damn it... Is he going to pick all the flowers in the first year?!"
Before I knew it, students had gathered all around us, their astonished, scornful, and excited gazes raining down like arrows.
Why did people have to show up now of all times?! There were barely any people around just a moment ago!
I wailed inwardly.
As much as I wanted to complain, the bigger problem was that the girl in my arms was still pressed against me.
Ichinose seemed to have finally realized what was going on and pulled away half a step with a wry smile.
"Um... I almost fell, so things just ended up like this. Sorry~"
"I'm the one who should apologize. I got you caught up in those strange rumors..."
"It's fine~ By the way, are you Hikigaya-kun, the one everyone's been talking about? You're completely different from what I imagined~"
She probably thought I was some kind of playboy. After all, people were calling me a "Two-Timer."
"Anyway, I'm sorry about the rumors."
"I told you, it was an accident~ I'm Ichinose Honami from Class B. Nice to meet you~"
"Hikigaya Hachiman. Since you don't mind... I need to get to the teachers' office."
Chabashira-sensei could be scary when she was angry.
"Oh, I have to go to the office too. Want to walk together?"
"...You're serious?"
We'd just become the subject of a scandalous rumor, and now we were going to walk together? That was bound to start even more rumors.
I'd already gotten used to people saying whatever they wanted about me, but she...
"It's fine~ We know it's just a rumor, right? Besides..."
She gave me a sly smile. "I'm really interested in Hikigaya-kun, who's on good terms with Classmate Sakayanagi~"
I see.
If she was the kind of person who didn't care at all about the rumors around her, it made sense that she'd ask me to walk with her without a second thought.
And her real goal was probably to use me as a way to get information on Sakayanagi.
After all, Class B was the class closest to Class A.
If they wanted to move up to Class A, they needed information on Sakayanagi, one of the key figures in Class A.
Even a little more information would be useful.
Still, I didn't have the right to refuse.
Or rather, since a teacher had summoned me, I needed to get to the faculty office as soon as possible.
"...Suit yourself."
With that, I started walking toward the office again, and Ichinose naturally fell into step beside me.
The whispers coming from all directions were impossible to ignore.
Great. Sakayanagi was definitely going to tease me about this... She seemed to enjoy the rumors that she and I were dating.
But Ichinose kept walking as if she didn't care at all.
She was surprisingly unfazed by things.
"So? I understand why you're following me, but it'll be hard to get information about Sakayanagi out of me."
"Really? Aren't you two together all the time?"
"That's not quite right. I do know a few things about Sakayanagi, but I don't have any information that would help you beat Class A. Whenever she sees Shiina and me, she acts as 'Sakayanagi, our ordinary friend.'"
At lunch today, Sakayanagi had said, "Right now, I'm not here as 'Sakayanagi Arisu of Class A,' but as 'Sakayanagi Arisu, a friend of Hikigaya Hachiman and Shiina Hiyori.'"
I figured we'd just keep playing chess and going to cafés from now on.
We had made plans to go to a café today, but we probably wouldn't discuss anything involving information about Class A.
"I see. Still, Sakayanagi-san seems pretty aloof."
"That's just your imagination."
I was partly responsible, but it wasn't an exaggeration to say she'd ruined my peaceful life.
Though I was used to it now, when we'd first started school, I'd wanted to punch her several times.
"If I had to give you any advice, it'd be that you absolutely can't take a defensive stance when you're up against Sakayanagi and the others in Class A. You in Class B are probably the most likely to clash with Class A, so remember: if you go on the defensive, you've already lost."
I knew perfectly well that Sakayanagi loved to attack.
You could tell from how she acted every day, and it was especially obvious when she played chess. She believed that "attack is the best defense," and once she got into an attacking rhythm, even a professional player would have a hard time turning things around.
This school's system was full of mysteries, but there was a strong chance the classes would clash.
When that happened, Sakayanagi was sure to launch a fierce attack.
"You sound like you're speaking from experience."
"I've been thoroughly beaten in all sorts of ways."
Still, after getting beaten again and again lately, I'd occasionally get to see Sakayanagi make a cute expression, which wasn't bad.
Of course, I absolutely couldn't say that out loud, or she'd get carried away.
As I was thinking about this, I spotted Ayanokoji, who'd also been summoned, along with Chabashira-sensei and Hoshinomiya-sensei, the homeroom teacher of Ichinose's Class B, in the hallway outside the faculty office.
The two teachers seemed to be confronting each other, and I didn't want to get involved.
So I got straight to the point.
"Chabashira-sensei, sorry I'm late."
"Hoshinomiya-sensei, could I have a moment of your time? It's about the Student Council—"
At the same time, Ichinose addressed Hoshinomiya-sensei as well.
"Oh, Hikigaya's here too. You've got someone waiting for you as well, so you should get going."
"Aww~ I wanted to chat with the famous Two-Timer Hiki-kun~"
Hoshinomiya-sensei puffed out her cheeks, but had she just said something pretty outrageous?
"Um... am I famous in the faculty office too?"
I asked nervously, and Hoshinomiya-sensei nodded.
"Of course~ Everyone knows about your two-timing incident from the beginning of the school year. And what you did at the Chess Club yesterday—or, more accurately, before May—had the faculty office buzzing."
Come to think of it, the faculty advisor had been there too, so it wasn't strange for the story to reach the faculty office.
But even the rumors from when I'd first started school were common knowledge... I could feel a cold sweat forming on my forehead.
"But you haven't made a move on Ichinose-san, right? And while we're at it, you haven't really made a move on Sakayanagi or Shiina either, have you? Are you sure~?"
Hoshinomiya-sensei teased me, giving off a dangerous aura similar to Sakayanagi's.
Chabashira-sensei cut in.
"That's enough. You have someone waiting for you too, so get going."
"Okay~ Then, see you later, Ayanokoji-kun, Hikigaya-kun. Ichinose-san, are you coming with me to the faculty office?"
"Yes. See you later, Hikigaya-kun~"
Ichinose waved lightly. I nodded in farewell and watched her follow Hoshinomiya-sensei into the office.
"So? Why was I summoned? And why aren't we going into the office?"
"Ah, well... It's not convenient to talk here. Let's go to the guidance room."
She said that and hurried away.
Ayanokoji glanced at me, then silently followed Chabashira-sensei. I had no choice but to trail after them.
"So what's this about, anyway? Calling me in is one thing, but why was I summoned too?"
Ayanokoji casually hinted that my being summoned was only natural. It annoyed me, but it was true.
"Well, the thing is..." Chabashira-sensei kept glancing at the round wall clock as she led us into the kitchenette inside the guidance room.
There was a kettle on the stove. I hadn't expected the guidance room to have a kitchenette. Did this school often hold lengthy counseling sessions?
"Can I go out and buy something?"
"No. Stay quiet in here and don't make a sound until I say you can. If you disobey..."
"What'll happen if we do?"
"I'll have you expelled."
She shut the door before we could answer.
This was completely beyond what I'd expected.
I'd thought we were going to the guidance room, but then we were suddenly shut inside the kitchenette...
As I wondered what was going on, Ayanokoji silently handed me a note.
"Do you have any idea why we were summoned?"
"I can understand why I was called in alone, but I have no idea why I'm here with you."
That was the truth.
I could count the number of times I'd spoken to Ayanokoji on one hand. In fact, I barely talked with most of the people in my class.
Honestly, I'd talked more with Ichinose, whom I'd only met today, than with my own classmates... I didn't mind, but just how distant was I from my class?
As I was thinking about that, someone suddenly knocked on the kitchenette door...
"Come in... Hmm? What do you need? Horikita?"
Name: Hikigaya Hachiman
Class: First-year Class D
Birthday: August 8
Ability Assessment
Academic Ability: B+
Intelligence: A
Judgment: A+
Physical Ability: C
Cooperativeness: E
Interviewer's Comments
His grades show that he has excellent qualifications as a candidate for Class A, but his lack of interest in others during the interview was a concern.
According to supplementary materials, the student has exceptional ability when it comes to discerning other people's psychology and true nature. However, due to a particular tendency to disregard emotional factors, he was ultimately assigned to Class D.
Homeroom Teacher's Notes
He has been observed interacting closely with students from other classes, but has almost no interaction with his own classmates.
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