It is said that every school has its version of the "Seven School Mysteries."
Even Hikigaya had heard some rumors about them. One of them states that if someone confesses their feelings to someone, the entire class will know about it the very next day—
…Alright, that wasn't something he heard.
That was something he had personally experienced!
[I heard Hikigaya confessed to Ichinose yesterday.]
[Oh no, poor Ichinose…]
Conversations like these would keep floating into his ears.
This was a textbook case of merciless public scrutiny, as if society itself had chosen to ostracize him.
However, whether one ended up in such a tragic situation didn't depend on whether they were the one rejected. It all came down to social standing.
Take, for example, how Hirata was recently dumped by Karuizawa. Aside from one clueless idiot, no one mocked him for it. In fact, quite a few girls saw this as their chance now that Hirata was single again.
For this reason, Hikigaya wasn't particularly worried about Ichinose suffering any secondary damage from this.
Sure, there's no such thing as a secret that never gets out, but even if the rumor spread, no one would be tactless enough to talk about it openly.
After all, she was the most popular girl in school.
And yet… this time, Hikigaya had been far too optimistic.
February 15th, the day after Valentine's Day.
The moment he stepped into the classroom, multiple gazes instantly locked onto him.
Ever since the Voting Exam, this sort of thing had become a daily occurrence.
There was no helping it—those results had been so shocking that even the slowest of students noticed something unusual was going on.
Before, while Hikigaya had done plenty of things in this school—both good and bad—none of it had ever directly targeted Class D or had any major impact on them.
In other words, due to a lack of firsthand experience, most of Class D saw him as nothing more than a quiet and unremarkable classmate.
But after the last exam, they had truly felt the sense of powerlessness that both Class B and Class C experienced when dealing with Hikigaya.
After something like that, it was impossible to not stand out… Sigh.
Just thinking about it left Hikigaya frustrated. Sure, he had once put a leash on Ryuuen, planted traps to deepen the rift in Class B, forced Ayanokoji to write a self-reflection essay, and even pushed Sakayanagi to the brink of expulsion. Recently, he even exposed Nagumo's misdeeds to the public.
He fully acknowledged all of those actions.
But that whole thing with Yamauchi? That had nothing to do with him!
So why did it feel like everyone was silently blaming him for Yamauchi's expulsion?
…It was just his imagination, right?
It had to be his imagination!
As these unnecessary thoughts drifted through his mind, Hikigaya made his way to his usual seat.
But barely after sitting down, Matsushita—who had been chatting with her friends just moments ago—suddenly returned to her seat and gave him a concerned look.
…What now?
"Hachiman-kun, are you okay?" Matsushita asked cautiously.
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
"You don't know?"
Matsushita's eyes widened slightly. She quickly pulled out her phone, tapped the screen a few times, then turned it toward him.
"This has already spread everywhere. You should at least check the class group chat once in a while—everyone's been talking about it."
"That group is way too noisy… Ah, I see."
With just a glance, Hikigaya understood what had happened.
As expected, Ichinose's confession from yesterday had been leaked… Wait, why was he saying as expected?
"It's nothing worth paying attention to," Hikigaya said flatly, withdrawing his gaze. "These kinds of things only last for three minutes before people move on. Besides, most people are skeptical about it. Hardly anyone will believe it."
"Eh? Eh? Judging from your reaction… Ichinose-san really did confess to you?" Matsushita asked in feigned surprise.
"...Sigh."
His only response was a deep sigh.
"Uh, so it is true." Matsushita gave a wry smile.
Silence momentarily settled between them.
Then, with a strangely unreadable tone, Matsushita spoke again.
"But, you know, Hachiman-kun… turning down someone like Ichinose—don't you think that's kind of a waste?"
"…A waste?"
"Think about it—Ichinose-san is beautiful and kind. Any guy would want to date her, right?"
Matsushita's logic made sense, but for some reason, it felt off coming from her.
If it had been anyone else saying this, he wouldn't have thought much of it.
But from Matsushita?
…It was a little too out of character.
"What's wrong, Hachiman-kun? You're spacing out. Don't tell me… you regret rejecting her?" Matsushita teased with a smirk.
"...No, I was just thinking." Hikigaya shot her a sideways glance. "By your logic, if Hirata confessed to you, you'd immediately say yes, right?"
"Eh?"
Matsushita hadn't expected that. She froze for two seconds before awkwardly laughing.
"Ahaha… Well, Hirata-kun is an amazing person, but as a romantic partner… hmm, I don't think he's my type."
"See? It's the same for me rejecting Ichinose—I have my reasons."
"No, no, no. There's a difference between guys and girls."
"What difference?"
"Uh, well…"
For once, Matsushita was actually at a loss for words.
"Normally, if someone as stunning as Ichinose confesses, even if you don't like her, you'd at least try dating her first, right? I mean, it's not like guys lose anything from it… B-But! I'm not forcing you or anything! Since Hachiman-kun doesn't want to, then there's nothing to be done… Yep, yep, that's fine too."
By the end of her sentence, even she didn't seem sure what she was saying anymore.
"…Maybe."
That lingering sense of unease still hadn't disappeared, but at this moment, Hikigaya wasn't in the mood to dwell on it
Let time blow everything away.
However, the situation was not as optimistic as one might hope.
Ding ling ling—!
The bell signaling the end of the school day rang, and the noisy chatter of students spread throughout the corridors.
Hikigaya grabbed his bag, preparing to head home. But as he walked through the hallway, the conversation of two girls nearby inadvertently reached his ears.
"Hey, hey, did you hear about that?"
"Of course! Who doesn't know by now?"
Gossip like this usually had nothing to do with Hikigaya. But unexpectedly, the very next thing they mentioned was his name.
"I never thought even Hikigaya-kun would get confessed to… and by none other than the famous Ichinose-san."
"Right? They don't match at all."
"He's such a reckless guy, and he even dared to challenge Nagumo-kun… ah."
Midway through their conversation, the two girls finally noticed the subject of their gossip standing right there.
"Uh…" The three of them exchanged glances before the two second-year girls—perhaps feeling guilty—quickly lowered their heads and walked away.
How annoying.
Contrary to expectations, the rumor of Ichinose's confession and subsequent rejection continued to spread throughout the school until the end of the day.
As a result, Hikigaya also became the center of attention.
It wasn't just those two—everywhere he went, it felt like people were sneaking glances at him.
The only silver lining was that Class D hadn't seized the opportunity to stir up trouble. No one even dared to ask him about it… probably because they didn't have the nerve.
Thinking about it, Hikigaya felt somewhat grateful for that vote-based special exam.
Who would've thought that its deterrent effect would come in handy at a time like this?
Still, things couldn't continue like this. Should he do something about it? …No, probably not worth it.
At this point, Hikigaya strongly suspected that someone was deliberately fanning the flames behind the scenes.
It was just too obvious—there hadn't been a school-wide announcement or anything. How else could such trivial gossip spread across the entire campus in such a short time?
Besides, yesterday was Valentine's Day. Ichinose couldn't have been the only one who got rejected, right?
So why was everyone fixated on this particular incident?
Then again, most of the details being spread were true.
Even if he did identify the culprit behind the rumor-mongering, what would be the point? Overreacting would only fuel the flames further, completely defeating the purpose.
Sigh… No matter how you look at it, there was no good way to deal with something like this.
There's a difference between rumor spreaders and gossipers. The latter didn't necessarily have malicious intent.
Some people just found it amusing or interesting, or were simply bored and looking for a topic to talk about. Even if someone got hurt because of it, they could always brush it off with a casual, "I was just saying."
No matter how much the person involved struggled, the more they reacted, the more entertaining it became for the bystanders.
In the end, ignoring it was usually the best option.
…Might as well head home early.
Lingering around here any longer would only sour his mood. Hikigaya was about to quicken his pace when a girl suddenly blocked his path.
She was a petite girl, usually giving off a timid vibe, but right now, she looked downright furious.
He didn't even need to guess to know why Shiranami Chihiro was mad.
Sigh.
Hikigaya let out a quiet sigh before speaking. "What is it?"
"Y-You… why did you do something like that?!"
Her words were vague, but both of them knew exactly what she meant.
"Honami-chan likes you so much… You're too cruel!"
"…Cruel in what way?" Hikigaya replied flatly. "If you're talking about me rejecting Ichinose, I don't think I did anything wrong. If I recall correctly, didn't she reject you too? By your logic, does that mean Ichinose is cruel for not accepting your feelings?"
"Eh…?"
Shiranami froze for a moment before quickly shaking her head. "N-No, that's different! M-My situation is special… Being rejected was unavoidable."
"What's so special about it?"
"…We're both girls, and Honami-chan doesn't like girls… So there was nothing I could do."
Her voice grew quieter toward the end.
But then she suddenly raised her voice again.
"So, do you have any idea how much I envy you?! Every time Honami-chan talks about you, she looks so happy… Do you know how jealous that makes me?!"
"That's not something I can help."
Hikigaya raised his voice as well.
"It's like how you're a girl and ended up liking Ichinose, but I simply don't have feelings for her. What's the fundamental difference between the two?"
"But, but, if you don't like her, then stop being so nice to her!"
"So, you're saying I should just ignore someone in need?"
"T-That's…"
As Shiranami struggled for words, Hikigaya gradually calmed down.
Then, in a low voice, he said, "Shiranami, I understand how you feel. Seeing someone you like get hurt—of course, you'd be upset. But… you like Ichinose because she's kind, right? So when she rejected you, did you ever hate her for being kind to you?"
"…Of course not." Shiranami slowly shook her head. "Even now, I'm grateful I was placed in the original Class B and got to meet Honami-chan… But I just can't forgive you."
"I see."
"You didn't just reject Honami-chan—you're acting like you're proud of it… That's just too cruel."
"…Ugh."
Hikigaya wasn't exactly surprised by her accusation.
He had been keeping an eye on the rumors. That was precisely why he suspected someone was stirring things up.
"You… You should at least explain yourself!"
Seeing his silence, Shiranami grew anxious and deliberately provoked him. "What, are you admitting it? Or are you just too guilty to say anything?"
"There's no point in explaining. You wouldn't believe me no matter what I say."
"But the only ones present during the confession were you and Honami-chan. Our classmates only heard about it after asking around in other classes. If you weren't the one who spread it, then what—was there some third party?"
Despite her aggressive tone, Shiranami didn't want to believe Hikigaya was the culprit.
Or rather, she hoped he wasn't.
After all, Hikigaya had helped their class many times, and his dedication to Ichinose was evident to everyone.
Shiranami truly didn't want to believe he was that kind of person. She hoped it was just a misunderstanding, or that he had carelessly let something slip, rather than doing it on purpose.
But Hikigaya's response was far from satisfying.
"I don't know. It doesn't matter."
The same answer as before—so what if they found out who did it?
Ichinose wouldn't feel any happier because of it, and he wouldn't change his mind either.
"Wh-What do you mean it doesn't matter?!" Shiranami clenched her teeth in frustration. "Honami-chan has been forcing a smile in front of everyone all day, telling us everything is fine, but during lunch break, she was crying alone in the bathroom… And you're just going to do nothing?!"
"The only thing I can do right now is stay away from Ichinose."
People come and go in life.
Someone enters, someone leaves.
Hikigaya himself had been through similar situations. Given time, everything would eventually fade.
So, this was fine.
"If you're done talking, I'm heading back."
"N-No way!"
Shiranami spread her arms, blocking his path.
"You have to go explain things to Honami-chan!"
"…Explain what?" Hikigaya looked at her, exasperated. "And do you really think Ichinose wants to see me right now? She's probably avoiding me."
"I don't care about that! You need to tell her that it wasn't you who spread the rumor!"
Her words didn't make much sense, but the determination in her eyes was unwavering.
"Besides… just because you turned down Honami-chan's confession doesn't mean you two can't still be friends, right?"
"…Don't be ridiculous." Hikigaya sighed in disbelief.
Staying friends after a failed confession… Do girls actually think that's possible?
"That's not ridiculous at all! I'm still friends with Honami-chan, aren't I?"
"Uh…" Hikigaya was momentarily at a loss for words.
After a long pause, he muttered, "It's different between guys and girls."
"How is it different?!" Shiranami argued loudly. "I got rejected by Honami-chan too, and we're still friends! What's the fundamental difference?"
"Uh…" No, seriously, could she stop using his own words against him?
How was he even supposed to respond to that?
"W-Well, you two are in the same class, so it's different," Hikigaya said stiffly.
"How is that different?!" Shiranami grew even more fired up. "By your logic, you and Honami-chan aren't even in the same class, so you had no reason to help her in the first place! If that's the case, then why can't you still be friends?"
This is why you shouldn't throw logic at people who know how to throw it back at you!
"A-Anyway, I'm going home to watch TV. Move."
"No! I won't let you leave!"
At a loss for words, Hikigaya tried to escape, but Shiranami stubbornly blocked his way.
Normally, with her small frame, he could easily push past her. But because she was a petite girl, he didn't dare use any real strength, afraid of accidentally hurting her.
Just as they were struggling, an annoying voice suddenly interrupted.
"Well, well, Hikigaya, you really get around, huh? You dumped Honami yesterday, and now you're getting cozy with another girl."
"…Student council president?"
Realizing the voice belonged to Nagumo, Shiranami instantly frowned, her expression filled with displeasure.
But before she could say anything, Hikigaya cut in first.
"Nagumo, I'm not in the mood to deal with a piece of shit like you right now. Get lost."
"…Your mouth is filthier than I expected," Nagumo's face darkened immediately.
He probably wasn't used to being insulted so directly.
"There are people who don't have a filthy mouth but have a filthy heart."
"Hah, still as sharp-tongued as ever." Nagumo sneered, then turned to Shiranami. "I remember you're in Honami's class, right? So, are you another one of the girls Hikigaya has been toying with? If so, you can talk to me. As the student council president, I can't just ignore this kind of behavior."
"…Scumbag."
But Shiranami's response was completely unexpected.
Nagumo blinked in surprise, then chuckled. "Are you talking about Hikigaya? Well, I suppose that makes sense. He just made Honami cry, and now he's—"
"I was talking about you." Shiranami cut him off impatiently. "You're the scumbag who treated Honami-chan like that! And to think people in my class actually believed you were a good person willing to lend us points! You're disgusting!"
"…Isn't that a bit harsh?"
Nagumo's expression stiffened, but he forced a smile. "It was mutual. I never forced her to do anything. Besides, this is just between Honami and me, and she did it for your class—"
"Go to hell! Scumbag! You disgusting blond bastard!"
Hikigaya had to admit, even though he found Shiranami a little annoying at times, she was really speaking his language right now.
Nagumo, however, was clearly irritated by her words. His face twitched as he warned, "Listen, first-year, do you even know what it means to respect your seniors? Don't forget, Honami is in the student council. She has a real chance of becoming the next president. If you keep acting like this, you'll just be making things harder for her."
In other words, if Shiranami kept this up, she would only be causing trouble for Ichinose.
But Shiranami couldn't care less about things like student council positions.
She only cared about Ichinose.
"Shut up! He's just a student council president. Once you step out of this school, who the hell is going to remember you?"
Even the softest-looking girls could be ruthless when it came to arguments.
It seemed like women were born to be masters of verbal battles.
"Lurking around our class all day—why don't you go look in a mirror? Do you even realize that just seeing your face makes us want to throw up?"
"...Alright, very well."
Nagumo was left speechless by the scolding and could only force out a couple of awkward laughs.
He probably thought that after Hikigaya rejected Ichinose, the students of Class A would be united against him and side with Nagumo.
Unfortunately, that was not the case.
Although Class A students admired Ichinose, they weren't unreasonable. They understood that Hikigaya wasn't at fault here. After all, feelings couldn't be forced.
Even Shirakawa only wanted Hikigaya to clarify who had deliberately spread the rumor.
By comparison, Nagumo's actions were just plain trashy—it was no surprise that he was so hated.
That said, Hikigaya did think Shirakawa's scolding was well-deserved. But there was no need to attract more attention.
Getting targeted by someone as despicable as Nagumo was no joke.
He stepped forward, positioning himself between the two, and looked straight at Nagumo.
"Hey, you piece of shit, you came at just the right time—I have something to ask you."
"Heh, you think I'll answer you?"
"You owe me an apology. When do you plan on delivering it?"
Ignoring Nagumo's sneer, Hikigaya continued, "I suggest you do it soon. Otherwise, an apology might not be enough. I might just make you kneel and bow to me in front of the entire school."
This pathetic man still hadn't realized his position.
He acted as if he didn't care about losing personal or class points.
Perhaps that was the source of his confidence.
Too bad—he couldn't even remember his own words.
"...Hikigaya."
Nagumo took a deep breath, then shook his head and stepped forward, patting Hikigaya's shoulder.
"I'd like to see how long you can keep up this arrogance," he whispered into Hikigaya's ear. "I'll say it again—don't think you've won. The game hasn't even started. This is just an appetizer."
"Can you speak normally? Stop acting all mysterious. Do you think you're some kind of genius?" Hikigaya brushed his hand away without hesitation.
"Heh… even if there are a hundred truths, as long as one lie is mixed in, no one will ever notice."
Nagumo continued playing his little riddle game.
"Don't tell me… you still haven't realized? Just how dense are you?"
"Ugh…" So that's how it was. It was him.
Hikigaya wasn't too surprised. Nagumo was already one of his prime suspects.
As the second-year mastermind, this guy had countless informants throughout the school. It wasn't impossible that he had someone witness Ichinose confessing behind the gym.
This was Nagumo's overwhelming surveillance network—his personal web of intelligence.
He had turned every second-year student into his eyes and ears.
For students living at this school, that meant every move they made was under his watch.
This was a clear signal that Nagumo was getting serious.
And with his claim about "one lie hidden among a hundred truths," it was obvious—he had been spreading real information while mixing in just enough falsehoods to cause chaos. That's why Shirakawa had come questioning him.
But honestly…
It was beyond childish.
Hikigaya couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Was this really the guy he had to deal with?
Even if Nagumo's little tricks worked perfectly, what would that accomplish?
At most, it would completely sever his ties with Ichinose. But Hikigaya had never intended to stay friends with her anyway.
How could someone be this low? …What a pain.
"Nagumo, this is exactly why I call you a piece of shit," Hikigaya said with a helpless expression. "Back during the forest camp, I already thought there was something wrong with your head. You spent twenty million points just to mess with Horikita-senpai, and for what? Just to annoy him? You could've at least tried to force him to drop out."
"Heh, say whatever you want."
Nagumo remained smug, probably thinking Hikigaya was just bluffing.
"Don't think this will end so easily. But if you get on your knees and beg me, I might just let you off the hook."
"...Are you mentally ill?"
Hikigaya was truly speechless.
It seemed Nagumo had been praised and flattered for so long that he had completely lost touch with reality.
Sigh… This was why being praised too much from a young age wasn't necessarily a good thing—it was too easy to end up as a narcissist.
"Putting that aside, you couldn't even handle Ayanokoji. He completely humiliated you. What makes you think you can take me on?"
Hikigaya kindly reminded him, "Don't forget—I have protection points, and I have twenty million personal points. If you want to expel me, you'll have to defeat me at least three times."
In reality, he had thirty-eight million. With a bit of maneuvering, he could easily reach forty million.
In other words, he had four lives… more than most final bosses in games.
If a boss had four lives, players would definitely riot.
"That said, knowing you…"
Hikigaya eyed Nagumo, his gaze filled with utter disdain.
"You wouldn't be stupid enough to think you could actually expel me, would you? All the people who crossed you ended up expelled. What, did you suddenly grow a conscience?"
"...Hmph. Just wait and see."
He hit the nail on the head.
Nagumo liked to act confident, always claiming he'd defeat Horikita Manabu, but in reality, he was nothing but a paper tiger.
That backstabbing incident at the forest camp was the only real opportunity he had to hurt Horikita Manabu. But not only did Hikigaya ruin it, Nagumo ended up humiliated himself.
In the end, he was just a loudmouth who wanted to disgust people for fun.
The perfect example of "big talk, no action."
Unfortunately, Hikigaya couldn't do much about him right now.
The best way to deal with an opponent was always through special exams, but since they weren't in the same grade, those chances were limited.
So all he could do was wait.
"Chihiro-chan! You—ah."
Just then, Ichinose suddenly appeared before them, accompanied by a girl named Amakura Asako.
She had probably heard that Shirakawa had gone looking for Hikigaya and rushed over to prevent a conflict.
The proof? She wasn't surprised to see Hikigaya—only Nagumo's presence caught her off guard.
"Nagumo… President? What are you doing here?"
"Yo, Honami."
Despite everything that had happened, Nagumo still managed to greet Ichinose with a smile.
Seriously, this school had way too many shameless people…
"I just happened to run into Hikigaya, so I came over to have a quick chat."
Nagumo glanced at Hikigaya before chuckling. "After all, it seems like a lot has been happening with you two lately. I usually don't meddle in other people's relationships, but as the student council president, I can't just sit back and watch someone use a girl's confession as a trophy. Especially when that someone is a member of the student council—can't have him tarnishing our reputation, can we?"
"N-No… it's really nothing, I don't mind at all."
Ichinose shook her head awkwardly, avoiding eye contact with Hikigaya the entire time.
Hikigaya, on the other hand, didn't look at her either. He kept his gaze locked onto Nagumo.
"Honestly, I don't see a problem here. With you as the biggest stain on the student council, our reputation is already worse than garbage."
"Haha, I'd watch my words if I were you, especially in front of a lady."
"And you think putting on this fake respectable act makes you any less disgusting?"
Hikigaya didn't bother denying part of what Nagumo had said.
If Ichinose had misunderstood… then so be it.
Getting rejected wasn't her fault—it was just bad luck. She had simply fallen for someone unworthy of being liked in the first place.
But just then, Shiranami suddenly spoke up.
"Honami-chan, don't listen to him! I already asked Hikigaya-kun, and he said he didn't do it!"
"Chi-Chihiro-chan?"
Ichinose looked at her in shock. She had assumed Shiranami was here to give Hikigaya a hard time, which was why she had reluctantly come along.
But instead, she was actually defending him.
Nagumo chuckled. "That's quite the claim. Just because Hikigaya says he didn't do it, that make it true? Something like this needs to be investigated properly. And as it stands, he's the biggest and only suspect. I'd advise you not to trust him so easily."
"Hmph, like I'd trust you over him!"
Shiranami didn't bother arguing further. She simply grabbed Ichinose by the wrist, ready to leave.
"Come on, Honami-chan, let's go. Just ignore this guy… Honestly, I've told you so many times to quit the student council, but you never listen."
"Huh? Eh?"
Still hesitating, Ichinose allowed herself to be pulled away.
Nagumo glanced at Hikigaya, shook his head, and followed suit.
But just a few seconds later, Ichinose turned back.
She still didn't look at Hikigaya. Instead, she jogged over to Nagumo.
"Honami, what are you—"
"President Nagumo, thank you for your concern."
Before Nagumo could smile in satisfaction, Ichinose lowered her head and said softly,
"I know you mean well… but I don't believe Hikigaya-kun was the one who spread it. So please, stop bothering him… Thank you."
With that, she bowed slightly and ran off.
"Ah…"
Nagumo opened his mouth as if to say something, but the words caught in his throat.
It took a while before he managed to force a smile back onto his face.
"Not bad, Hikigaya. Even after dumping a girl so mercilessly, she still speaks up for you. You really do have a talent."
"Ugh…"
The only response he got was a raised middle finger.
Hikigaya didn't spare him another glance and turned to leave.
He instinctively wanted to erase that scene from his mind.
But it kept replaying over and over.
Ichinose, you…
Sigh.
In the end, all his thoughts melted into a single sigh.