Sleeping Under the Same Quilt, I Sleep in the Middle

"Should be safe to stop here, right?"

I muttered to myself once we reached a spot where the school gate was no longer visible.

This was a resting area a bit further away from the academy; although it was equipped with security cameras, it was completely deserted, likely because there were no entertainment facilities nearby.

"Yes, Hikigaya-kun, you can put me down now."

Sakanayanagi, whom I had been carrying in a bridal style, suddenly spoke up.

We had been seen by quite a few students on the way here, which had triggered a chorus of screams.

I knew there would be new rumors spreading by tomorrow, but having long since grown accustomed to that, I couldn't be bothered to care.

I gently placed Sakanayanagi onto a nearby bench, and Hiyori immediately handed her the cane.

"Thank you. Was it difficult for you to carry me, Hikigaya-kun?"

"Not at all."

That wasn't me trying to act tough; it was the honest truth.

While she certainly had the weight of a human being, she was far lighter than I had imagined.

I estimated that Sakanayanagi didn't even weigh 40 kilograms.

"That's good to hear. By the way, Hikigaya-kun, about what they said earlier... would you mind telling me, if it's convenient?"

"I want to know too. You don't have to force yourself if you don't want to, but if you could tell us..."

So they really were bothered by what those people had said.

Would those guys never be satisfied until they turned my life completely upside down?

To be honest, I didn't want to recall any of it... but if I didn't speak up now, their suspicion might end up damaging our existing relationship.

"Fine. Actually, it happened like this..."

I took a deep breath and began to recount everything.

I laid it all out, from being forced to join a club by my guidance counselor in the second year of middle school, to the bullying I endured until graduation.

"...That's about it. Now you understand the reason I chose this academy, right?"

"Yes. Having seen the state of those four lunatics, choosing an isolated academy was indeed a wise move."

Sakanayanagi nodded in understanding, her eyes devoid of any judgment.

Hiyori, meanwhile, gazed at me with a gentle yet sorrowful expression, causing a sharp pang in my chest.

Perhaps to distract myself from that pain, I impulsively asked:

"Would you... look down on someone like me?"

Even though I was terrified of being rejected, I couldn't help but ask.

"Why would I look down on you, Hikigaya-kun?"

Sakanayanagi tilted her head as if she had heard something absurd, making my question seem inexplicable.

"But the requests the Service Club took on—even though they were completed, the process was truly disastrous..."

The Chiba Village incident, the Cultural Festival, the school trip—the requests were fulfilled, but the brutality of the process was undeniable.

"Yes, but Hikigaya-kun delivered the results. That is all that matters."

"You're certainly blunt about it."

"Of course. Small tasks might be recognized through effort, but major missions do not allow for failure."

That was true.

For a project involving the survival of a corporation, failure meant being out of the game.

"I know a thing or two about the political and business worlds. The most important lesson is that results are supreme. No matter how beautiful the process, failure is meaningless. Therefore, even if the process was brutal, Hikigaya-kun, who successfully completed the requests, is in the right."

I see.

As expected of Sakanayanagi, a thorough rationalist through and through.

But being affirmed to this extent actually made me wonder if the version of me that was bullied back then had truly done something wrong.

"Besides, even if Hikigaya-kun were at fault, it is not for others to curse you to be hit by a car."

Exactly.

That line from Yuigahama Yui—"Huh? Of course it matters! If you had been there to take the hit instead of it, it wouldn't have died!"—had genuinely made me want to kill her.

In any case, knowing that Sakanayanagi wouldn't judge me brought a sense of relief.

The question was Hiyori.

I turned my head, trembling, only to find her slowly moving closer...

"You've worked hard."

Before she finished speaking, she suddenly pulled me into an embrace, pressing my face against her soft chest.

Warmth and a faint fragrance instantly enveloped my entire body.

"Oh my..."

Sakanayanagi's teasing voice drifted over from the side.

Although I couldn't see her while buried in Hiyori's chest, I could easily imagine the mischievous smile on her face.

Just as I was thinking about how I would definitely be teased later, a gentle sensation touched the top of my head...

"Hachiman-kun has already worked very hard. There is no one here who will bully Hachiman-kun, so please rest well for the next three years."

The sensation of hair being softly stroked reached me.

She was likely petting my head as if I were a small animal.

"The process might not be worth praising, but Hachiman-kun has definitely given it his all. You've worked hard."

These words allowed joy and peace to spread through the depths of my heart.

I hadn't completed the request to gain recognition in the first place.

But after the middle school years where I was completely rejected, Hiyori's warmth and comfort were so precious that they almost made me shed tears.

"...Thank you."

I could only manage to squeeze out those words.

Five minutes later, I finally freed myself from Hiyori's embrace and let out a long sigh of relief.

To be honest, if even these two had rejected me like the people from Sobu, I fear I truly would have broken down.

"Sorry for causing you trouble."

Especially to Hiyori, since I had just been acting spoiled and willful.

"It's fine. Hikigaya-kun must have accumulated quite a bit of stress, so don't worry about it."

"Yes, if you feel pained again, please tell us at any time."

"It's a huge help to hear you say that. What should we do now? We originally planned to go shopping after our walk, but I'm not in the mood for that at all now."

Although I had received their support, it was an undeniable fact that the words and actions of those people had affected our mood.

The two of them nodded in agreement.

"In that case... would you like to go hang out in Hikigaya-kun's room?"

"Ah, that sounds nice. Didn't Hachiman-kun buy a lot of things recently?"

When Hiyori asked me that, it was indeed true.

After I earned 1.5 million points, I had purchased a television, a game console, a video recorder, a digital camera, a voice recorder, and a micro-camera, all with the future in mind.

The TV and game console were purely for entertainment, while the digital products were prepared to collect evidence in case of future conflicts with other classes.

After all, Chabashira had previously eavesdropped on my conversation with Hiyori.

However...

"I did buy them, but it's hard to imagine you two playing games."

I really couldn't picture Sakanayanagi and Hiyori playing video games.

They would probably prefer to play chess in the room.

"I see. Well, we're both a bit tired, so how about the three of us sleep together?"

"Wait, Hiyori! Don't just suddenly make such a shocking proposal!"

At this time of day, saying "sleep" meant the three of us sleeping together in my room, right?

"I think that would be fine, though if Hikigaya-kun is unwilling, we won't force it."

Although Sakanayanagi said that, there was a smile in her eyes.

This girl definitely thought I would run away out of cowardice.

Even though I was used to this kind of interaction and wouldn't get angry, it was still annoying to be teased all the time.

"...Sure, let's all sleep together then."

With that, I made up my mind to counterattack Sakanayanagi.

And Sakanayanagi's reaction was...

"Eh...?"

She widened her eyes slightly, seemingly not expecting me to agree.

Being able to see Sakanayanagi's surprised expression made me want to laugh for some reason.

"What's wrong, Sakanayanagi? Weren't you in favor of it too?"

"Very well... it's rare for you to counterattack."

She muttered softly at the end.

After all, I couldn't always be the one being teased unilaterally.

"Then let's go."

With that, we left the nature park.

At that moment, I noticed police sirens wailing in the direction of the mainland, leaving a deep impression on me.

"Come on in."

""Excuse the intrusion.""

After arriving at my room, I led the two of them inside.

Sakanayanagi looked around the room with great interest.

"It really is a room full of the atmosphere of daily life. Can you really renovate it to this extent if you save up enough points?"

Come to think of it, unlike Hiyori who comes to take care of me every day, this was Sakanayanagi's first time inside my room.

"I suppose so, though it did cost quite a lot of points."

I had spent nearly 200,000 points on shopping recently.

Although I still had over a million left, I didn't plan on buying any high-priced items this month.

"I see. I would like a television as well, so I could keep up with world affairs in real-time."

It was true that one could read newspapers at the library, but real-time information still required a television.

"You can come over anytime you want to watch."

It didn't matter as long as my terminal wasn't taken, and Sakanayanagi didn't seem like the type to steal things.

"Is that so? Then I shall take you up on that offer when I have the chance."

"Sure. By the way, are you really going to sleep?"

Although I brought them to my room following Hiyori's suggestion, I wasn't sure if she was being serious.

"Yes. To be honest, I'm a bit tired and would like to rest. The two of you, especially Sakanayanagi-san, must be tired too, right?"

I couldn't deny it.

Interacting with those people was truly mentally draining.

"I can't deny that."

Sakanayanagi was physically frail to begin with, so she must be exhausted in both body and mind right now.

"Then let's rest as planned. Is it alright if we use Hachiman-kun's bed?"

"Fine. I'll sleep on the floor, and you two can use the bed."

"? Aren't the three of us going to sleep in the bed together?"

Hiyori's innocent remark made the corner of Sakanayanagi's mouth twitch.

(What should we do, Sakanayanagi? You were the one who agreed to Hiyori's suggestion just to tease me, weren't you?)

(...I apologize for that, but stopping Shiina-san is truly difficult.)

Indeed.

Hiyori was terrifyingly airheaded, always making shocking suggestions without a hint of malice.

Just as I was thinking this, Hiyori, who had been holding my arm, started walking, pulling me and Sakanayanagi—who was holding my other hand—toward the bed.

"Is it alright if Hachiman-kun sleeps in the middle?"

"...Let's just do that."

Having lost the will to resist, I silently crawled under the covers, with Sakanayanagi lying on the right and Hiyori on the left.

"Good night."

""...Good night.""

To Hiyori's greeting, Sakanayanagi and I could only respond in kind.

I mean, how could anyone possibly fall asleep in a situation like this?!

One hour later...

"""..."""

The three of them, mentally exhausted from being toyed with by Yukinoshita and the others, were pressed close against one another, fast asleep.