Chapter 45: Himeno Yuki
The girl in front of him had smooth, raven black hair, with a small portion of it dyed a bright blue-green.
Her hair was tied up in twin tails, revealing shiny silver ear studs, presenting a look like a gyaru. She had chosen a very rare grey school uniform jacket, paired with a white short skirt, black long socks covering her calves, and a pair of shiny black leather shoes, exposing her fair, long thighs.
The expression on the girl's face was icy cold. Her bangs fell over her forehead, slightly obscuring her slender eyebrows. Under a light application of eyeshadow, her eyes were turned up at the corners, and her purple pupils, covered by long eyelashes, gleamed with an aura that pushed people a thousand miles away.
They looked very similar to Hikigaya's dead fish eyes. Her nose bridge was high and narrow, adding to her delicate yet aloof look. A lollipop was in her mouth, making her look somewhat lazy and rebellious.
Although the girl in front of him had come with the Class B students, she kept a distance from them. Not only that, but as the Class B students walked into the shop, chatting amongst themselves, the girls around her generally did not speak to her.
However, it did not seem like she was being ostracized. The kind archangel and Class B representative, Ichinose-san, would simply not permit such a thing to happen. In that case, this girl was probably dragged along semi-forcibly.
As Hikigaya was scrutinizing the girl, she was also observing Hikigaya with her pair of dead fish eyes, which seemed to be disinterested in everything. Looking at the girl's apathetic expression, Hikigaya felt a strange sense of familiarity...
'So, this is how I look to others usually... No, I'm not a girl, nor am I this cute, and I'm probably a bit more unlikable.'
The two stood in place, quietly looking at each other for almost half a minute. The slightly shy Hikigaya finally looked away first and offered a greeting.
"...Hello."
The girl used two fingers to pinch the small stick of the candy, removing the lollipop from her mouth.
She didn't return Hikigaya's greeting. Instead, she looked thoughtfully at the boy with the rotten eyes: "So, the male version of me looks like this. A bit more down-and-out than I expected..."
"I apologize for disappointing you... Aren't you going to join your classmates?"
"No need. It's just a study session. Ichinose-san dragged me along, and I only planned to show my face and leave. Anyway, I'm not good at talking to others and prefer to be alone. Studying alone is more efficient. What about you? Why are you standing here all alone? Aren't you afraid of being ostracized by your class?" Saying this, the girl raised her chin and gestured toward Ichinose's direction.
"I was just dragged here to run errands by Sakayanagi-san... I've been alone since elementary school, so I'm long used to it. Rather, I prefer the freedom of being alone." Saying this, Hikigaya mimicked the girl, raising his chin and gesturing toward Sakayanagi's direction.
"Is that so..." The girl replied nonchalantly, taking a lollipop out of her school uniform pocket and handing it to Hikigaya, then introduced herself: "I am Himeno Yuki from first-year Class B."
"I am Hikigaya Hachiman from first-year Class A." Hikigaya openly took the lollipop, tore open the packaging without hesitation, and put the candy into his mouth. A soft sweetness instantly filled his entire mouth.
"..."
"..."
Hikigaya and Himeno stood with candy in their mouths, hanging their identical dead fish eyes, quietly watching the Class A and Class B representatives engaging in veiled jabs and verbal probing not far away, far from the crowd.
"Time for Quick Questions and Answers! You can only ask one question at a time, and you must answer truthfully within five seconds. We'll take turns asking, how about it?"
Himeno Yuki suddenly turned to Hikigaya, her eyes alight with the flame of challenge. She said this strange thing abruptly, even though they had known each other for less than five minutes.
"That's exactly what I was thinking!" Hikigaya nodded confidently. An ordinary person hearing Himeno Yuki's proposed game would only find it inexplicable and completely confusing. But Hikigaya, who understood the other person's nature—or rather, his own—understood instantly that she wanted to check his loneliness index.
"I'll start. How many celebration parties have you attended?" Himeno Yuki asked, twirling the stick of her lollipop.
'Ooh, starting strong already? Indeed, whether one is invited to a celebration party is the best way to distinguish between the solitary and the normie. Nice question! This girl, she's not just got twin tails, she's got a couple of tricks up her sleeve.'
"I've only been to one back in elementary school, and that was it." Hikigaya replied casually.
Hearing Hikigaya's words, Himeno suddenly curled the corner of her lips: "I thought you hadn't been to any. It's not bad to have been invited at least once."
Since coming to this school, Himeno Yuki, who was always alone before, had actually attended many gatherings.
These were all hosted by her Class B classmates, and she attended them because she was semi-forcibly dragged along, like today.
In Himeno Yuki's view, her Class B classmates were all good people, but they were a bit too good.
While she didn't mind her classmates holding activities, she didn't want to go every time. Moreover, the Class B students had so much fun together that they never wanted to go home, even late at night. Not only did this make the gatherings very long, making it hard for her to leave even when she wanted to, but they also actively scheduled the next gathering in advance.
Although Himeno really wanted to refuse to participate, the Class B students had become extremely united, even after only spending a month and a half together. Even if she had complaints, it would take courage to object.
In Himeno's opinion, being a minority in the class was pointless. So she wouldn't become friends with anyone, nor would she deliberately antagonize anyone.
To avoid disrupting the current sense of distance, she chose not to stand on the side of the minority. She chose to go with the flow, staying consistent with everyone as much as possible.
"Hmph..." Seeming to sense the other party's disdain, Hikigaya crossed his arms and spoke: "Since you still don't understand, I'll explain more clearly. The reason I was called that one time was because it was mandatory for the whole class. The reason I was never invited again was certainly because I made a fatal mistake. But since you showed up at this study session today, you might be invited to other gatherings next time. Therefore, I win!"
"Ugh..." Hikigaya's words were reasonable and well-supported. Himeno couldn't refute him and lowered her head, looking a little unwilling.
"My turn! Himeno-san, which day of the week is your favorite?" Hikigaya added an attack without mercy.
'This question seems simple. Everyone loves the weekend, but the trap is often hidden in the most inconspicuous place!'
"Saturday. A holiday followed by another holiday. I can fully enjoy my leisure time alone. Although Sunday is also a holiday like Saturday, I have to face the pressure of 'tomorrow is school again, and I have to interact with others,' which makes me feel depressed."
"Tch, you saw through it? Your turn."
The two's Q&A continued for several rounds. At some point, their questions gradually deviated from the initial goal, turning into this—
"My turn, right? Hikigaya, what is your favorite food?" Himeno deliberately feigned admiration, attacking Hikigaya's weakness.
'This girl is too underhanded! She knows that Loneliness Master Hachiman is bad at dealing with girls, so she deliberately says things that spark the imagination to disrupt my composure. Fortunately, Hachiman is a battle-hardened veteran and won't be easily shaken!'
"My favorite food? It must be ramen..." Hikigaya then launched into a discussion of the benefits of ramen that exceeded a thousand words, even introducing a few delicious ramen shops at the school.
Himeno listened intently to Hikigaya's enthusiastic talk, occasionally asking questions and agreeing.
"I haven't asked my question yet. Himeno, what is your least favorite food?" Hikigaya finally realized and posed his question.
"Tomatoes. I can't stand the mushy texture and the unique astringency."
"I hate that too." Hikigaya could understand Himeno's point. For people who dislike gooey pulp and seeds, eating a tomato is undoubtedly a form of torture, and it's somewhat strange.
"Similarly, I also dislike cucumbers," Himeno added.
"Hmm, I'm not too fond of cucumbers either..." Hikigaya nodded, though he personally thought cucumber-flavored Pepsi was quite good.
"Among vegetables, I like peanuts the most," Himeno frowned, thinking for a moment, and said with some hesitation.
"I like peanuts too. Honey-roasted peanuts are incredibly delicious," Hikigaya, as if finding someone with a shared language, recommended his favorite food to her.
"That sounds good... Hikigaya, let's go try them together sometime." Himeno smiled happily, looking at Hikigaya with a soft gaze.
"Okay..."
The conversation between the two abruptly stopped, and silence descended unexpectedly. The two, who had increased their understanding and found common interests through the Q&A, stared blankly at each other.
'Come to think of it, I'm not very good at interacting with guys (girls), but when I'm with Hikigaya (Himeno), it feels very natural, as if we've been old friends for years.'
For some reason, Hikigaya (Himeno) suddenly had a strange feeling.
Even though neither of them spoke, the silence made both of them feel at ease.
Himeno and I—
Hikigaya and I—
Must have something similar about us.
Hikigaya felt his heart rate speed up, making him want to recite the line, "The speed of the heart's beating surpasses that of the second hand, drifting farther and farther away."
Himeno Yuki felt a cozy comfort erupt from her chest, flowing out like a spring stream breaking through the ice, refreshing like the clean air after the rain.
—In that case.
—In that case, he and I...
"Hikigaya..."
"Himeno..."
The two, who spoke at the same time, didn't feel awkward. Instead, they smiled simultaneously, as if by telepathy.
"Let's exchange contact information." For the first time in his life, Hikigaya actively asked for someone's contact information.
"...Okay."
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