Leaving behind that cryptic remark, Sakayanagi left without another word.
That girl… why was she here in the first place?
Hikigaya stared at the chocolates in his hand, lost in thought.
He didn't believe for a second that their encounter in this secluded spot behind the gym was a coincidence—Sakayanagi had clearly sought him out.
Of course, she probably had her own intelligence network, so tracking his whereabouts wasn't difficult.
But what was strange was that she didn't seem surprised by Ichinose's presence at all.
And… maybe it was just his imagination, but…
From the very beginning, that little devil had been watching like she was enjoying a good show.
Almost as if she knew Ichinose would be here.
Hikigaya had never mentioned this meeting to anyone.
Which meant… was it leaked from Ichinose's side?
…Did she tell a friend?
That thought brought up some unpleasant memories.
Once, he had confessed to someone, believing only the two of them knew about it.
But the girl had casually shared it as a joke with her friends, and by the next day, the whole class knew.
People called him a toad lusting after a swan… Sigh, not that they were wrong.
Looking back, even he found his younger self foolish—jumping to conclusions too easily and getting rejected was inevitable.
Girls probably loved chatting about romance with their friends.
Even if they swore, "You absolutely can't tell anyone!" that was just meaningless fluff.
If even the person involved couldn't keep it secret, then there was no way anyone else would.
And Ichinose wasn't exactly tight-lipped.
She had even openly told Nagumo about her history of shoplifting. Compared to that, something like "giving a boy chocolates on Valentine's" was trivial.
It was precisely this lack of discretion that made her an easy target for Sakayanagi.
Thinking about it now, Ichinose and Orimoto actually had a lot in common.
Both were the outgoing type who could chat with anyone without hesitation, effortlessly closing the distance between themselves and others.
And because of that, they easily caused misunderstandings.
This situation felt like a repeat of back then… except this time, he wasn't the one being misunderstood.
Lost in thought, Hikigaya accidentally left Ichinose hanging.
After waiting for a long while, she finally called out cautiously, "Uh, Hikigaya-kun?"
"Eh? Ah—uh, yeah, what's up?"
"No, I just noticed you've been spacing out for a while..."
Ichinose glanced at the chocolate in Hikigaya's hand before asking nervously, "Could it be... you're thinking about Sakayanagi?"
"No, I was just wondering if she poisoned this."
"Ahaha, you're exaggerating! Sakayanagi wouldn't go that far, right?"
"Who says she wouldn't?" Hikigaya rebutted with a straight face. "Poison might be a bit extreme, but laxatives? That's totally something she'd do… Damn, what if there really is laxative in this?"
What started as a joke was now turning into genuine suspicion.
After all, he had embarrassed Sakayanagi pretty badly this time—so much so that she even lost her position as class leader.
Even if she always acted friendly on the surface, who's to say she wasn't looking for the perfect opportunity to strike back?
"Uh… maybe just throw it away? No, that doesn't seem right either. Ugh, let's just not overthink it."
Ichinose shook her head, deciding to change the subject.
"Anyway, I really appreciate it, Hikigaya-kun. Even though I was the one who invited you, I ended up being so late... I'm really sorry."
As she spoke, she bowed slightly.
"No, no, it's not that big of a deal," Hikigaya waved his hand dismissively. "You had a class meeting, it couldn't be helped."
But then, he furrowed his brows in curiosity.
"Still, the exams just ended recently. Did something big happen in your class? You guys had such a long meeting even today."
His own Class D almost never dragged things out.
Every time they had a class meeting, Chabashira-sensei would only cover the absolute necessities before leaving right away.
"Exactly! Today's supposed to be a special day, but it's all Hoshinomiya-sensei's fault."
At that, Ichinose sighed helplessly and grumbled, "Apparently, she really, really hates Valentine's Day because of something in the past. She even drank all night yesterday and then deliberately held us back today, ranting about her ex-boyfriend the whole time... Seriously, what a self-indulgent teacher."
"…What the hell is your homeroom teacher doing?"
Complaining to students about her love life? That's practically a professional failure.
Then again, Hikigaya had met teachers like that before.
Hiratsuka-sensei often complained to him about her bad luck with men—like how one of them once emptied out all the furniture in her apartment without a word… With her kind of judgment, he honestly wasn't sure if she'd ever get married.
"Now that I think about it, I kind of regret waiting this long. I should've just ditched you." Hikigaya muttered in an exaggeratedly resentful tone.
Ichinose, however, didn't seem offended at all. She simply nodded and said, "Yeah, that would've been understandable. It was my fault, after all."
…Huh? That was way too easy.
If he'd known, he should've gone with Hiyori's worst-case strategy from the start!
But before he could regret it, Ichinose suddenly spoke again.
"But... there's only one Valentine's Day a year, so... I guess I'll just visit Hikigaya-kun's room later."
…Okay, so the worst-case strategy was never going to work in the first place.
"Whoa, whoa, that's not necessary." Hikigaya tried to dissuade her. "It's just chocolate. Even if you miss today, you can—"
"No! It's not just about the chocolate!"
Before he could even finish, Ichinose cut him off loudly.
Hikigaya froze, watching as she slowly pulled out a heart-shaped chocolate wrapped in pink paper from her bag.
…This is way too obvious.
"Um!"
Although Ichinose's voice was firm, her movements were painfully slow.
After taking the chocolate out, she completely froze in place, unable to move.
"Th-that… um…" She opened her mouth to continue but stammered, "C-can you… accept this? W-weird, I practiced this in my head so many times..."
If he just waited patiently, she would eventually collect herself and say what she truly wanted to say.
And what Hikigaya should do now was simply wait and respond with his own genuine thoughts.
He knew that.
He knew that was the right thing to do.
But despite that… his body moved on its own.
Without thinking, he snatched the chocolate from her hands.
"Eh? Eh…?"
Ichinose was completely dumbfounded.
She probably never imagined that the kind and gentle Hikigaya in her mind would do something like this.
"Jeez, why are you so damn slow?"
His mind had gone blank, but he still forced himself to sound irritated.
"It's just obligatory chocolate, what's there to be embarrassed about? Valentine's Day is just a conspiracy by chocolate companies anyway. Everyone's brainwashed into giving chocolates left and right—I've already received a few myself."
"Huh? N-no, that's not—"
"I get why you're hesitant, though." Hikigaya interrupted again. "You're really popular, and as a beautiful girl, you don't want to send the wrong message to guys. That's why you never give out chocolate, right?"
Before Ichinose could say anything, he kept talking.
"But don't worry, I'm not dumb enough to misunderstand. Or rather, because it's me, I understand exactly why you're giving me obligatory chocolate."
He scratched his head and chuckled.
"You probably think I went against Sakayanagi and Nagumo for your sake, right? I'd love to tell you you're just overthinking things, but oh well. If you insist on giving me obligatory chocolate, I'll accept it."
"Of course, I'll return the favor on White Day—three times the value, no less. I made a ton of money off Class B and C, after all."
"Ah..."
Ichinose stared at him blankly, completely speechless.
She was probably… in shock.
But that was fine.
Hikigaya had no regrets about his approach.
If playing the villain could prevent someone from getting hurt, he was more than willing to do so.
After all, people already disliked him—there was no real loss.
And besides, if this helped Ichinose realize what kind of person she was actually attracted to… that wouldn't be a bad thing.
"I… I understand."
Ichinose lowered her head and murmured softly.
Good.
As long as she understood, that was enough.
There was nothing more to say.
It was a little embarrassing, but he'd take the chocolate she had mustered up so much courage to give him.
And with that, everything was over.
From here, they could either continue being friends, or this would be the moment they slowly drifted apart and never went beyond this stage.
Whichever it was, Hikigaya was prepared to accept it.
Sigh… In the end, I still had to go with Hiyori's best-case strategy.
As he sighed at his own incompetence and decided the conversation was over, Hikigaya turned to leave.
Now that he thought about it, Matsushita mentioned some kind of Valentine's event at a café—maybe he should check it out… Eh?
Just as he took a step forward, someone suddenly grabbed his wrist.
…There was only one other person here.
"W-what?" Hikigaya had a bad feeling about this.
"Ahaha, sorry, did I scare you?"
Ichinose smiled wryly—but she didn't let go.
If anything, she held on even tighter.
"I've always known... Hikigaya-kun is the kind of person who won't understand unless you spell things out clearly."
"…Assuming someone will understand without words is just arrogance."
Unfortunately, these cold words did not make Ichinose back down.
She took another step forward.
"Mm, I understand. S-So this time, I won't hesitate anymore… and I won't say anything vague either."
"…Ichinose."
Hikigaya let out a deep sigh, turned around, and looked at her seriously.
"Seeing your expression, I can more or less guess what you're about to say."
"Eh? Eh… Ah, a-ah, is that so."
Even though she had mustered all her courage, when it came time to face his response, Ichinose couldn't help but grow nervous.
But the answer waiting for her was not the one she wanted.
"To be honest, right now, Sakayanagi is really pissing me off."
"…Sakayanagi-san?"
Ichinose didn't understand why Sakayanagi's name suddenly came up here.
Could it be that Hikigaya-kun has feelings for Sakayanagi-san…?
Just as her heart was about to leap out of her chest, she heard him continue,
"That girl has been messing with me ever since we met, and she didn't even let me off on Valentine's Day… So."
Hikigaya's voice carried a hint of warning.
"If you're planning to play the same fake confession trick on me like she did, I'm seriously going to get mad this time."
"N-No…!"
"Mm, I know you're not that kind of person, but I figured I should put that out there just in case—"
"It's not like that!"
Once again, Ichinose interrupted Hikigaya's words with a loud voice.
Her eyes were filled with unwavering determination.
"I would never play with Hikigaya-kun's feelings! I've always cherished you! Because… because I like you, Hikigaya-kun!"
"Uh…"
Looks like no matter what—whether it was a bad plan, a decent plan, or the best plan—they all failed… What kind of strategist just gives up like this?
In the end, I have to face this myself.
"First… Ichinose."
"Y-Yes!"
"Mm, relax a little, okay? Otherwise, we won't be able to keep the conversation going."
Looking at the overly nervous Ichinose, Hikigaya, on the other hand, seemed surprisingly calm.
At this moment, his heart was more composed than ever.
So calm, it even surprised himself.
And it was different from when he dealt with Sakayanagi's pranks.
This time, he had to properly respond to Ichinose's feelings, and there would be no ambiguous answers.
"Being liked by someone… Honestly, I'm really happy about that. But before I give you an answer, can I first talk about what I think of you?"
"Mm."
Ichinose didn't rush him and instead nodded firmly.
"How should I put this…" Hikigaya scratched his head in slight frustration. "If I had to say, I think the way you show kindness and warmth to everyone is really incredible. I really like that part of you, and I respect it a lot."
"E-Eh?! T-That's way too exaggerated! It's so embarrassing…"
Despite her words, Ichinose's face turned bright red, and she looked genuinely happy.
If this were any other time, Hikigaya would have avoided saying things that might cause misunderstandings.
But right now… he just wanted to be honest.
"So… I can't."
"…Eh?"
"To put it plainly, I can't accept your confession."
"...?" The situation took a drastic turn, so much so that Ichinose, who had been basking in happiness just moments ago, found herself unable to accept reality.
"B-But didn't you just say you l-liked… me…?"
"That's a different matter." Hikigaya replied flatly. "As a friend, of course, I like someone as selfless as you. But as a romantic partner… no."
"W-Why?"
Ichinose's voice trembled slightly, as if she were forcing herself to be strong.
She looked straight at Hikigaya with her jewel-like eyes, squeezing out every word from her throat.
"If it's you, Hikigaya-kun… I-I'd be willing to give you everything. As long as it makes you happy… I'd do anything."
"Uh…" The atmosphere in the room turned a little strange.
A mix of awkwardness and ambiguity.
Before him stood Ichinose, her face completely flushed.
It was clear that with just a simple nod here, he could gain an obedient and adorable girlfriend.
But that wasn't necessary.
"That's exactly why… no matter what, I can't date you."
"...Ah..."
Ichinose opened her mouth, clearly struck by the rejection, though confusion likely outweighed her pain.
Seeing that she still didn't understand, Hikigaya let out a small sigh.
"Alright, let me ask you a simple question… If I were drowning alongside one of your classmates, who would you save first?"
"Eh? Ah… T-That…"
"No need to answer." Hikigaya shook his head, looking completely at ease. "The moment you hesitated, I already knew the answer. There's no point in answering my unreasonable question anymore."
"N-No… that's just way too weird!"
This was probably the most agitated Ichinose had ever sounded.
"I… You… What makes you so sure I wouldn't save you first, Hikigaya-kun?! And besides, isn't this question itself ridiculous?!"
"Yeah, which is why I already admitted it was an unreasonable question."
"T-Then…"
"But if someone asked me that same question, I wouldn't hesitate at all."
Hikigaya stared firmly at Ichinose.
"If it were my parents or my little sister, people I've known for over ten years, then I could understand feeling conflicted. But… a classmate I've known for less than a year?"
His tone carried a hint of exhaustion.
"To be honest, I admire the way you treat everyone with kindness, even those who have hurt you. Most people could never do that. But when it comes to being in a relationship… that's a different story. I'm a selfish person. I would always put the person I love first, and I'd want them to do the same. At the very least, they should prioritize me over their classmates."
"Of course I would!" Ichinose said hastily. "I've always valued you, Hikigaya-kun! You might not believe me, but in my heart, you're even more important than myself!"
"…No, I believe you."
"T-Then…"
"But you treat your classmates the same way, don't you?"
"Ah…"
For the first time, Ichinose faltered in response to Hikigaya's sharp words.
He let out a helpless smile.
"You were willing to sacrifice yourself and date Nagumo just to prevent your class from suffering. I won't say that's wrong. In fact, I even envy Class A for having a leader like you… but personally, I could never accept something that absurd."
"No, that's not it." Ichinose's voice was frail. "Back then… I didn't understand my own feelings yet. A-And… I once made a promise to Hikigaya-kun. I said I'd build 'genuine relationships' with everyone in my class. So I thought that if I just endured for a little while… But I would never do that now!"
"…You still don't get it."
Hikigaya continued staring at Ichinose, his gaze unwavering.
There could be no compromise here.
"Even if you didn't have feelings for me, that doesn't mean dating a piece of trash like Nagumo was okay. Or rather… the fact that you can't see why it wasn't okay is exactly why I can't be with you."
"…What do you mean?"
Maybe, in Ichinose's eyes, Hikigaya had helped her escape Nagumo's threats because he liked her.
But that wasn't the real reason.
"Someone who doesn't know how to love themselves… isn't qualified to love someone else." Hikigaya murmured.
It wasn't just meant for Ichinose—it was something he was telling himself as well.
"Ah… Y-Yeah, you have a point… Haha…"
Ichinose let out a dry laugh, forcing a smile, but her eyes were beginning to glisten. Tears slid down her cheeks.
"I really am an idiot… I just got carried away and said all those ridiculous things… Someone like me doesn't deserve Hikigaya-kun in the first place. And besides, Hikigaya-kun has so many other girls around him, surely… surely…"
At first, her voice was still calm, but by the end, it was clear she was on the verge of crying.
"…That's not the issue here. You know what? Never mind."
Some things couldn't be understood just by saying them.
Maybe he shouldn't have expected so much from the start.
"Ichinose, I think the way you handle things is admirable as a person." Hikigaya softened his tone. "The fact that you have so many friends at school is proof of that. So don't take my words too seriously. I don't even know what's truly right or wrong."
"D-Don't say that…"
Even so, she probably didn't fully understand what he meant.
She only reacted instinctively, trying to stop him from speaking further.
"You have your own way of thinking. How you see the world and how you live your life… That's your freedom, Ichinose. So it's not that you don't deserve me—it's just that we're not compatible. That's all… Goodbye."
With those final words, Hikigaya turned around and walked away.
This time, no one stopped him.
And that was fine.
If Ichinose insisted on prioritizing her classmates over herself, she should find someone who could accept that—someone who wouldn't mind.
There was no need for her to cling to a single person.
And this was no longer Hikigaya's concern.
From now on, the two of them would likely return to being nothing more than strangers.
Everything had simply gone back to square one.