It was Sunday, less than two and a half weeks before the midterm exams.
Starting tomorrow, we'd enter exam-prep season, and club activities would be suspended.
As usual, even students who weren't in a club would catch the mood and start studying.
In other words, today was effectively the last holiday when we didn't have to think about exams.
Of course, some carefree or exceptionally confident people might still fool around or attend club activities during exam prep.
Even so, I changed into casual clothes and left my room.
Since I usually wore my uniform at school and sweats in my room, it had been a long time since I'd put on everyday clothes.
When I took the elevator down to the first-floor lobby, Sakanayanagi and Hiyori were already waiting at the meeting spot.
"Sorry, it took me a while to get ready."
"We're not late yet. If you had been, I was planning to make Hikigaya treat everyone."
"Don't say something so terrifying with a straight face. Besides, is it really fair for an honor student from Class A to shake down the bottom of Class D?"
"I'm only joking. But if someone who figured out some of the S-System's rules on the very first day of school and earned 1.5 million points in a month counts as the bottom of the class, then wouldn't most of Class A count as the bottom, too?"
"I've always thought the same, Hachiman. Your grades and athletic ability are both good, you think quickly, and you can coordinate with others when you need to. It's hard to believe you're in Class D."
Though Sakanayanagi and Hiyori said that...
"Something must have happened in middle school. I guess it's because of that."
Or maybe that was the only explanation.
I didn't think I was anything special, but if they were comparing me to most of the students in Class D, it had to be because of what happened in middle school.
...Tch. Just thinking about it irritated me.
"...It wouldn't be tactful to press you about it, so let's leave it there."
Sakanayanagi brought the topic to a timely close.
I was grateful for her impeccable sense of boundaries.
"That's true. But Hachiman, if it's bothering you, you can talk to me."
"...What's this all of a sudden?"
"For a moment, you looked really troubled, Hachiman. It seemed like you'd remembered something unpleasant."
"That's right. Even you, Hikigaya, who are good at keeping a poker face, let your feelings show. It actually startled me."
Since they both said so, I must really have let my feelings show.
I'd thought I'd come to terms with the past, but it seemed I still hadn't entirely put it behind me.
"...I see. If it bothers me, I'll talk to you. Let's get going for now."
As soon as I finished speaking, the two of them took my hands as usual, one on either side, and we walked out of the dorm.
(Sorry, you two. I said I'd talk about it, but I have no intention of doing that.)
I apologized to them in my heart as we headed for the mall.
If I really opened up to them, our relationship would probably fall apart.
I wasn't a do-gooder like Hayama, but I didn't want to ruin things as they were, either.
I did feel guilty about keeping it from them, but that was still far better than them finding out the truth.
"So? Which movie should we see?"
We arrived at the cinema and started picking a movie.
It was my first time at the school cinema, but it was every bit as luxurious as the theaters outside.
"Which one would you like to see, Hikigaya?"
Sakanayanagi asked.
Honestly, I wanted to watch Pretty Cure, but if I said that out loud, she'd definitely make fun of me.
Besides, why were they even showing that when the audience was all high school students...?
"Hmm... This one or this one, I guess."
I pointed at a fantasy movie and an American franchise film. Hiyori timidly raised her hand to indicate the American movie.
"Sorry... I haven't seen the previous ones..."
"Me neither. Is this the kind of thing boys like?"
"Maybe. Since neither of you has seen it, let's pass. What do you want to watch?"
The two of them each pointed at a courtroom drama and a romance.
Our opinions were perfectly divided.
"...We don't have a choice. Let's decide with rock-paper-scissors."
Sakanayanagi suggested.
Hiyori got into position, too, so I had no choice but to put my hand out...
""""Rock, paper, scissors—""""
"Yato-kun, I can't anymore..."
"What's wrong with that, Koyuki? Arisa and Minami have accepted me, too..."
"Ah... Yeah..."
On the giant screen in the dark theater, a weary-looking male actor embraced a gentle-looking actress.
In the end, we chose the romance Hiyori had picked, Road of Thorns.
According to the plot summary in the pamphlet, it was about a high school boy named Hikigaya Hato who dated three of his classmates—Sakanayanagi Arisa, Shiina Koyuki, and Ichinose Minami—at the same time, and overcame all kinds of difficulties.
The story itself was pretty good.
The tension of resolving problems at school, as well as the intimate scenes between the protagonist and the heroines, had a subtle erotic edge.
But... I couldn't shake the feeling that I'd seen it before.
The actors' clothes looked familiar, too.
I was wondering about that as I focused on the movie when—
"Ah!"
I yelped when someone suddenly touched my knee.
Fortunately, the theater was full of students and there weren't many people in the audience, so nobody noticed.
I turned and saw Sakanayanagi grinning mischievously in the faint light.
This girl really had a nasty personality.
But getting her back in kind wasn't easy.
If I touched her knee, I'd definitely be taken for a pervert.
Physical contact from a guy was too risky.
Still, letting her mess with me without retaliating wasn't like me. I'd have to get back at her another way.
Having made up my mind, I turned my attention back to the screen.
She was probably on her guard now.
As the story progressed, the protagonist resolved the threat of expulsion and kissed each of the three heroines. It looked like things were wrapping up.
I waited for the right moment, then leaned close to Sakanayanagi, who was engrossed in the movie—
"Mm..."
"Phoo—"
"Ah!"
At the moment Arisa kissed him on screen, I blew softly against Sakanayanagi's ear.
As Sakanayanagi let out a breathy moan, the credits happened to begin rolling.
"That was unexpected. I had no idea you were the sort of pervert who blows on people's ears, Hikigaya. You have some interesting tastes."
After the movie, we went into a nearby café.
Sakanayanagi's cheeks were unusually flushed as she complained in a quiet voice, but she wasn't scary at all. If anything, she looked kind of cute.
"Ah, sorry. But you're usually so calm, yet you made that sort of sexy sound. I shouldn't call you Sakanayanagi; I should call you Lewd Yanagi... Hey! Don't smack me on the head with your cane!"
It didn't hurt, but getting hit on the head still annoyed me.
"Come now, you both have lovely voices, if you ask me."
Don't say something so weird with such a benevolent smile, Hiyori-chan.
As a guy, I'm not exactly happy to be called cute, you know?
"Haah... It's true, I was the one who teased Hikigaya first... Sorry."
Sakanayanagi gave a long sigh and apologized.
At this point, I didn't feel like holding a grudge. I hadn't wanted things to get awkward in the first place.
"Don't worry about it. I went a little too far, too."
Touching her knee had crossed a line, and blowing on her ear had been about the same.
"Now that we've made up, let's order something. I'll have tea and chiffon cake. What about you two?"
"I'll have iced tea with cheesecake. What about you, Hikigaya?"
"Then... iced coffee and a mille-feuille."
Hiyori placed the order on the tablet on the table.
The school's cafés had a futuristic design, and customers ordered for themselves, without needing to confirm anything with the staff.
Soon, a server brought our food.
This place was expensive, but worth it. I came here often.
The milky sweetness melted in my mouth as soon as I took a bite of the mille-feuille.
Sweets really were the best cure for anything.
As I savored the delicious taste, someone suddenly poked my left shoulder.
I turned and saw Hiyori holding out a forkful of cake.
"Hachiman... Say ahh—"
Was this some sort of feeding game?
Before I could react, Sakanayanagi gently poked my right shoulder.
"Hikigaya, say ahh—"
The two of them held out cake from either side.
Were they trying to make me die of sweetness right there?
But judging by their expressions, they wouldn't let it go unless I ate it, so I resigned myself to opening my mouth.
In an instant, chiffon cake and cheesecake entered my mouth at the same time... The sweetness was off the charts.
I'd eaten these same cakes before, but today, the sweetness I got from the two of them was twice as strong.
An hour later.
"The sea breeze feels nice."
We left the mall and took a walk along the edge of the school grounds.
This school was surrounded by the sea on all sides, and the air was full of its scent. Along the coast, a fresh breeze brushed against us.
"Yeah. The opposite shore is so close..."
"It's hard to believe we won't be able to set foot on land for the next three years."
Just as Hiyori said, Advanced Nurturing High School had been built on reclaimed land, and students were generally forbidden from leaving the island after enrolling.
The only exception was students competing in club events.
"Those are the rules... Anyway, we've reached the school gate without even noticing."
As we talked, we arrived at the gate connecting the school to the mainland.
The iron gates were shut, and guards stood watch. There was no way we could force our way through.
The last time I'd been here was on the day we entered the school.
Back then, Hiyori and I had walked through these gates together after arriving on the same bus. If I'd missed that bus, maybe I wouldn't have met them.
I was lost in the memory when the last name I wanted to hear rang in my ears.
"'Hikki'... Huh?"
The warm moment was shattered in an instant. Four harbingers of doom stood at the gate.
"You're a scumbag who left someone to die, and now you're surrounded by girls!"
"Trash who should've been run over back then, and you still have the nerve to act so cocky?"
"Hikigaya! You don't belong here! I'll use my Shining Blast to blast you out of this school if I have to!"
"You haven't apologized to Sister Yui, you got Teacher Hiratsuka demoted, and now you're out with other girls... You're trash! Die!"
The worst possible group of four had arrived.
The happy moment we'd just shared instantly turned into a scene from hell.
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