Chapter 61: Sorry, I Spoke Too Loudly Just Now!
Togawa Sakiko found Nagasaki Sayo's contact information, tapped her profile picture, scrolled down, and saw the red delete button. Without hesitation, she directly clicked "Remove Contact."
"This is no longer needed."
Someone more worthy was waiting ahead; there was no need to dwell on the past.
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Meanwhile, at Shuchiin Academy, Hikigaya Hachiman looked up from below the school building.
It truly was the power of money. Last week, thanks to Ogino Ko, the entire first-year floor of Shuchiin had been destroyed and looked like a scene out of Syria. Now, the entire building had been completely repaired.
That floor looked brand new, and the glass had been replaced, with no discernible difference from the original.
Just as Hikigaya Hachiman was about to go up, he heard a greeting from someone nearby.
"Good morning, Hikigaya-bucho (Club President)."
Standing before Hikigaya Hachiman and showing great respect was Iino Miko, along with her partner, Osaragi Kobachi.
"Iino, I'm no longer the Disciplinary Committee Club President."
Hikigaya Hachiman had coincidentally run into these two first-year Disciplinary Committee members.
They had likely just finished their duties, and it was only normal for them to greet the former President who had personally approved their entry into the Disciplinary Committee.
"No, a President is always a President."
Iino deeply respected Hikigaya Hachiman. In her eyes, the strong-willed former Disciplinary Committee President was practically the embodiment of justice.
She had heard rumors about the President back in the Elementary Division—eliminating evil and promoting good.
In just one year, he had forged the Disciplinary Committee into an iron fortress, and single-handedly created Shuchiin's golden age, establishing the miracle known as the "Hikigaya
Rule" among students. Not only was the rate of rule violations in the school virtually zero, but bullying had also ceased to exist; everyone got along well.
Naturally, the person Iino respected the most in this school was Hikigaya Hachiman.
Seeing Iino reminded Hikigaya Hachiman of her previous unwavering defense of Ishigami Yu's potential expulsion in front of the teacher.
"Iino, I think you might be wanting to ask about Ishigami's matter.
Don't worry, the Student Council has already investigated this matter thoroughly."
Since Hikigaya Hachiman intervened in the incident, he discovered the shadow of a Curse User behind it, and the Sorcerer Association had already taken care of it.
Ishigami Yu and his family were completely victims. The small cult behind Ogino Ko that persecuted them was completely destroyed by the Sorcerer Association.
The motive was very clear: money.
Similar to "Star Plasma Cult," the Curse User who previously sought the reward money for the music video of the theme song for [Holy Blood Angel] and attempted to seize funds, was now targeting Ishigami's family money.
Ishigami Yu's family owned a small toy company. Although inconspicuous at Shuchiin, they would be considered major young masters at an ordinary school. It was only normal for them to be targeted by some religious groups with Curse Users who were strapped for cash.
Curse Users are like rats on the street; they can't get by without money in this society, and they often control wealthy people, making them pay offerings.
"Ishigami was indeed wrongly accused, and Ogino Ko himself has major problems; he has been arrested by the police and will never appear at this school again."
Hikigaya Hachiman merely told her the information Iino was allowed to know.
Ogino Ko had already been dealt with by Nanami. All Curse Users who stood against Sorcerers would be killed.
"Ishigami will also not be held back a year; he will directly enter the first year of our school."
Hikigaya Hachiman said with a smile, "Once the enrollment procedures are completed, Ishigami should be able to return to school."
"Thank you, Hikigaya-bucho!"
A hint of joy appeared on Iino Miko's face. As expected, when President Hikigaya took action, everything was resolved.
It had only been half a day since the matter was handed over to President Hikigaya, and everything was already completely resolved. This efficiency was far beyond Iino Miko's reach; she couldn't even dream of catching up.
"It's not the result of just one person. If you want to thank someone, thank everyone in the Student Council."
Hikigaya Hachiman shook his head; he was not the only one who played a role in this.
Without Shinomiya sending people to raid Ogino Ko's home, they wouldn't have been able to secure evidence of Ogino Ko's crimes so quickly.
"Regarding Ishigami Yu's matter, I will ask the Newspaper Club to publish an explanation of the incident in both the Elementary and High School divisions."
Who wants to keep getting hurt? Hikigaya Hachiman couldn't stand false accusations.
"Iino, you did very well this time. If you hadn't kept arguing strongly, even I might have made a mistake this time."
The relevant information between the Elementary Division and the High School Division is not interconnected, and omissions are inevitable.
It was Iino's persistent effort to protest to the school and her refusal to give up that led Hikigaya Hachiman to notice this injustice.
Being thanked unexpectedly by the person she respected the most, Iino was somewhat overwhelmed and didn't know how to respond foolishly.
She could only bow once more.
"Keep up the good work."
Hikigaya Hachiman saw the Disciplinary Committee records in the arms of the two girls and waved his hand at them.
"Aren't you going to submit today's record sheet? Go submit it quickly."
Iino was serious about her work, her only flaw was her inflexibility and tendency to use brute force.
But it was fine, as this school had already undergone a year of rectification by Hikigaya Hachiman. Anyone who was disobedient would have been expelled by him long ago.
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After parting ways with Iino and the others, Hikigaya Hachiman walked into the lobby on the first floor.
Yuigahama Yui happened to be there too.
The expression on Yui's face as she changed her indoor shoes seemed very melancholic, and she had already sighed several times in a short span.
Although she was usually a bit silly, and often made mistakes, relying on Hikki to take care of her.
This time was different; due to her oversight, Sabre nearly died, and it even caused a traffic accident.
She had caused a pretty huge mess.
Yet, despite causing such a massive blunder, Yuigahama Yui could only cry into Hikki. Hikki was the one who helped her resolve the accident when it happened.
Yuigahama Yui felt she absolutely had to repay him, but she couldn't think of any way to do it.
Her mother suggested that Yuigahama Yui should invite Hikki over for dinner to properly thank him.
Yuigahama Yui was even more conflicted, unsure how to bring it up. That's why she looked completely dejected this morning.
The troubled girl lacked spirit even in the morning, and her heart couldn't stop sighing.
"What's wrong, Yuigahama?"
Hikigaya Hachiman saw the gloomy Yuigahama Yui and went up to greet her.
"Haven't you rested well?"
The person she was thinking about suddenly appeared in front of her, causing Yuigahama Yui's heart to panic and her face to flush crimson.
"Ah, Hikki!"
Yui quickly waved her hands, saying she was fine.
Logically, Hikki shouldn't be coming in so late.
Yuigahama Yui gave a few dry laughs and quickly put her shoes into her shoe locker.
"Hahaha, I'm fine.
Good morning, Hikki."
With that feigned nonchalance, Hikigaya Hachiman could tell Yuigahama Yui clearly had something on her mind.
Hikigaya Hachiman simply said, "Yuigahama, if you feel unwell, don't push yourself."
"No, no."
Yuigahama Yui quickly shook her head, starting to babble.
"Mom said that idiots rarely get sick.
Ah, no, I'm not saying I'm an idiot."
"You seem very energetic, I'm relieved then."
Hikigaya Hachiman patted Yuigahama Yui's head and sensed that her physical condition was indeed fine.
"Yuigahama, you really don't look like someone who would get sick.
Let's go, class is starting soon."
"Hikki, don't pat my head! Patting heads makes you stupid.
Also, my hair is all messed up."
Yuigahama Yui slightly smoothed the hair that had been ruffled by the pat, complained softly, and then happily followed, just like Sabre.
They say a dog resembles its owner, and it's true.
Yuigahama Yui's bad mood came and went quickly. Most importantly, she was happy and felt very safe being next to Hikki.
"Hikki, is the driver okay?"
Hearing Yuigahama Yui's words, Hikigaya Hachiman thought of the Yukinoshita family's car.
"The person is fine. They should have been discharged from the hospital."
Hearing this, Yuigahama Yui sighed in relief.
"That's great."
"What's great, Yui?"
Yuigahama Yui felt a close friend tightly wrapping her arm around hers. She turned her head only to find a smiling Hayasaka Ai.
Hikigaya Hachiman also turned his head and noticed.
Hayasaka Ai's smile was quite bright, completely different from the gnashing-teeth, man-eating look she had just now towards the person on the phone.
"Don't be so scary, Ai-chan."
"Getting clingy early in the morning? How fortunate, Yui."
Hayasaka Ai lowered her voice, teasing her with a tone only she and Yuigahama Yui could hear.
This direct comment caused a blush to appear on Yuigahama Yui's face, which grew redder and redder, almost to the point of steam rising from her head.
"Don't make jokes like that, Ai-chan."
"Yui's thoughts are truly as easy to understand as ever."
Hayasaka Ai didn't forget to smile and greet Hikigaya Hachiman.
"Good morning, Hikigaya-kun!"
This lively, gyaru persona was Hayasaka Ai's disguise at school, appearing very enthusiastic and able to chat with anyone, but she had very few true close friends.
"Good morning, Hayasaka."
Hikigaya Hachiman nodded. Hayasaka Ai's vicious look just now and her current appearance were completely different.
But it was normal; everyone goes through different experiences.
Do not advise others to be kind unless you have walked in their shoes.
However, the contrast was still quite striking—bizarrely so.
Why was her tone so aggressive earlier, and now it felt like something good had happened?
Hayasaka-san is also an odd person.
"Hikigaya-kun, why are you so late today? Did you come to school with Yui?"
"No, Ai-chan, we just ran into each other on the first-floor hallway."
"Yes, Yuigahama and I just happened to run into each other downstairs."
Hikigaya Hachiman replied, "The reason I'm late today is because I drove to school.
I left late and hit rush hour. I didn't expect the traffic to be so bad; the car was actually slower than a bicycle."
Hearing that Hikigaya Hachiman drove to school, Hayasaka Ai's pupils momentarily contracted.
But she quickly masked it well.
"So Hikigaya-kun has a driver's license."
"Yes, I got it a long time ago. I just haven't driven much."
"The school allows parking?"
Yuigahama Yui looked quite surprised; she had never heard that students could drive to school.
"You can park at the back gate. The staff parking lot there is quite large."
Hikigaya Hachiman replied.
"The back gate is that far?"
Hayasaka Ai looked quite surprised.
"Did it take a long time to walk from the back gate to the front gate?"
"It took five or six minutes, much faster than expected."
Hayasaka Ai's face, which had been clearly happy about encountering something good, was now starting to struggle to hold a poker face.
'Did Hikigaya-kun hear everything I was saying?'
Hayasaka Ai always habitually surveyed her surroundings when reaching a safe area. By that time, the teachers had basically all arrived.
But just as Hayasaka Ai was leaving, she saw a vehicle suddenly appear among the existing parked cars.
Although Hayasaka Ai had deliberately found a hidden spot, the demands made by those damn guys when she first heard them made her emotions particularly agitated, and she might have attracted others.
There were many paths, but the one leading to the courtyard was the shortest. The walk over would be, as Hikigaya-kun said, about five or six minutes.
The moment Hayasaka Ai realized that he might have been present when she was cursing, she felt like the sky was falling.
Realizing this was why Hayasaka Ai felt she couldn't maintain her composure.
"Relax, I'm not interested in prying into other people's secrets."
Hayasaka Ai was about to say something, but Hikigaya Hachiman seemed to have directly seen through her mind and preempted her.
Hikigaya Hachiman admitted it decisively. Rather than letting the other person guess wildly, it was better to be straightforward.
Moreover, this was not something shameful. It would be strange to treat everyone equally; there were always people you disliked.
This was Hikigaya Hachiman's experience.
People who can get along well with everyone either want something or are up to no good.
Every Primarch was a distinct personality, and getting along well with every Primarch was not something an ordinary person could do.
But Horus did it.
He got along well with every Primarch, even Angron, who had the Butcher's Nails implanted.
But in the end, Horus betrayed the Imperium, dragging the entire galaxy into an abyss of fratricide among the Legions.
Hikigaya Hachiman no longer trusted such people.
"Of course, whether you believe me or not is your business."
"I apologize."
Hayasaka Ai also apologized immediately and decisively.
She had just been overly emotional.
She absolutely trusted Hikigaya-kun, but because it involved her deepest secret, she was momentarily flustered.
And putting herself in his shoes, if the person involved had seen through it, wouldn't they naturally feel uncomfortable facing her continuous probing?
"It's nothing."
Hikigaya Hachiman usually got along quite well with Hayasaka Ai, so he wouldn't get angry at her over such a small matter.
Yuigahama Yui, unaware of the context, felt like she was listening to a cross-platform chat as she heard the two's dialogue, understanding nothing.
How did talking about parking lead to prying into other people's secrets?
However, the conversation between her two friends was so perplexing that even Yuigahama Yui, as the mood-setter, didn't know where to start.
Feeling the atmosphere had slightly eased, Yuigahama Yui managed a dry laugh and said, "Hikigaya-kun and Ai-chan's conversation feels so hard to understand."
"Idiots don't need to know so clearly."
Hikigaya Hachiman said directly.
"Indeed, Yui doesn't need to know."
Hayasaka Ai agreed.
"Wow, you're both ganging up on me."
Yuigahama Yui widened her eyes.
But Hayasaka Ai then said something that made Yuigahama Yui even more confused.
"Yui, I've always been a little envious of you."
"Huh?"
Yuigahama Yui was puzzled.
"Just pretend I didn't say it."
Hayasaka Ai envied Yuigahama Yui for the fact that she didn't have to be so smart, didn't have to be so understanding, and didn't have to be so sociable.
It didn't matter even if she was truly an idiot.
Because someone would protect her smile.
Hayasaka Ai, however, didn't have such innocent things, bound by the shackles named the Shinomiya family. That's why she said she was quite envious of Yuigahama Yui.
Hayasaka Ai was well aware of who brought her and Yui together to become good friends.
But a sudden turn of events brought good news.
A small problem occurred with Hayasaka Ai. For some unknown reason, a large part of the shackles binding her seemed to have disappeared.
Who would have thought that the person they were trying to appease—the one for whom they were willing to use both herself and Kaguya-sama as bargaining chips in the phone call she received earlier—was actually Hikigaya Hachiman?
Hayasaka Ai was stunned at the time.
She even had a feeling of "Sorry, I spoke too loudly earlier."
Since when did those self-serving people become willing to help others achieve their wishes?
But then again, given the Shinomiya family's power, there was probably no one else but Hikigaya-kun.
Hayasaka Ai's authority couldn't investigate the specifics.
What was certain was that Hikigaya-kun's background power might be far above the Shinomiya family's.
Otherwise, that bastard Shinomiya Oko wouldn't be so eager to send his sister away as if he were sending a gift.
And this weekend, Hayasaka Ai received a request to return to the main Shinomiya house with Kaguya-sama.
That old man (the head of the Shinomiya family) wanted to see Kaguya-sama, probably about Hikigaya-kun's matter.
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At the entrance, Hayasaka Ai's other two friends, Suruga Subaru and Mirin Hinokuchi, who were looking out, quickly came over when they saw Ai-chan.
"That's great."
"Yui is amazing for bringing Ai-chan back."
"Ai-chan, you just took a phone call, and your face looked so bad. We were really worried."
"Are you okay?"
Hayasaka Ai shook her head.
And Suruga Subaru also remembered something and said to Hikigaya Hachiman:
"By the way, Hikigaya-kun, Hiratsuka-sensei just came and asked you to find her after class if you have time."
"Did she say anything about the new club?"
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