Sakayanagi, the Little Trickster

For Hikigaya, stability was the top priority.

But Sakayanagi wasn't ready to let him off the hook. Every morning on the way to school, she would try to pry information about Ayanokouji from him.

The problem was, that Hikigaya didn't know much. All he knew was that Ayanokouji was incredibly smart, had outstanding physical abilities, grew up in a secret organization, and was a bit of a psychopath.

He wanted to play the role of an ordinary high school student but was undeniably strange.

Other than that, Hikigaya didn't know anything.

Honestly, it didn't matter if Sakayanagi wanted to challenge Ayanokouji, but he didn't want to be dragged into it.

Hikigaya was too cautious to handle pressure from two such formidable people.

Ding——!

As he was lost in thought, the bell rang, signaling the lunch break, which also meant he had to eat with Sakayanagi.

To be honest, Hikigaya didn't want to go. He was worried she'd make some unreasonable request.

Like gathering information about Ayanokouji.

In Hikigaya's opinion, that was absolutely out of the question.

When Ayanokouji and Horikita Manabu had their confrontation, Hikigaya wanted to secretly watch the fun, but Ayanokouji immediately spotted him and neutralized his presence.

So trying to spy on Ayanokouji wasn't feasible. He'd either get caught or end up with misleading information.

But there were other ways.

Ayanokouji was a reserved person. Although he seemed determined to hide his strength, he couldn't help but take action occasionally.

With keen intuition, it was possible to manage.

Instead of observing Ayanokouji directly, Hikigaya could watch for any unusual behavior around him. If anything abnormal happened, he could deduce the situation from that.

As long as he was patient, more and more about Ayanokouji would reveal itself over time.

But for now, he had to deal with Sakayanagi.

Hikigaya sighed, stood up, and walked out of the classroom.

To his surprise, as soon as he reached the stairs, he ran into Sakayanagi walking towards him.

Huh? That's odd.

If she were heading to the cafeteria from Class A, she shouldn't have taken this staircase… this girl!

We agreed to meet in the cafeteria!

"Ah, Hikigaya-kun, what a coincidence…"

Sakayanagi pretended they had met by chance, but what was even more annoying was that she wasn't even trying to hide it.

"Hey, could you stop treating me like a toy all the time?" Hikigaya said, exasperation evident in his voice.

Luckily, Sakayanagi wasn't in the best of health, otherwise, if Hikigaya had hesitated even a moment longer, and if she had come to Class D, it would have caused major trouble.

He was already wrongly branded as a two-timer, and things couldn't afford to get worse!

"Really? I've never done anything that excessive," Sakayanagi lied with a calm smile. "But let's not dwell on that. Come on, I'll treat you to lunch as promised."

"Ah, thanks for that."

This was Hikigaya's first time going to the cafeteria, and the sheer number of people there made it an uncomfortable place for a lone wolf like him.

Still, there was a set meal he had always wanted to try.

As Hikigaya pondered this, he matched his pace to Sakayanagi's and slowly walked toward the cafeteria.

When they arrived, the crowd was even bigger than they had imagined.

Especially the long lines in front of the ticket machines—just looking at them could kill someone's appetite.

"So, what would you like to eat, Hikigaya-kun?"

Sakayanagi asked as she came over to him.

"Hmm..."

Hikigaya glanced at the line and said, "I haven't decided yet. How about you tell me what you want, and I'll get it for you? You can go ahead and find us a seat."

"Then I'll have the special set meal. Feel free to order it, Hikigaya-kun, and I'll transfer the points to you later."

"Got it."

After a while, Hikigaya returned with two trays of food.

"Here, this one's yours."

"Thank you, sorry for the trouble... Eh?"

Sakayanagi looked at Hikigaya's meal in surprise.

"Is that a vegetable set meal? Why did you order that?"

"No reason, I just wanted to try it."

As he spoke, Hikigaya took a bite, chewing it carefully.

Since Class D had no points, most students could only afford the free wild vegetable set meal. Even Matsushita had eaten it a few times with friends and often complained about how bad it was.

So, Hikigaya decided to give it a try, since he normally wouldn't have the chance.

Surprisingly, despite the lack of meat, the wild vegetable set meal tasted quite good. At least it was well-seasoned.

"Really? I clearly said it was my treat."

"It's not about that. Besides, I don't want charity. I'm aiming to be self-sufficient."

"Is that so...?" Sakayanagi was initially taken aback, then she couldn't help but laugh.

"What you're saying sounds nice, but to an outsider, it just seems like you want to be a gigolo."

"Stop making such a fuss. My goal is to become a professional househusband," Hikigaya retorted, slightly annoyed.

"But isn't a professional househusband just a glorified gigolo?" Sakayanagi teased.

"I can't deny that."

Still, "professional househusband" has a nicer ring to it, doesn't it?

Besides, I've heard that in some countries, full-time housewives can demand payment for their household work when they divorce.

Looks like in my next life, I should aim to be a woman.

As the two continued eating and chatting, Hikigaya suddenly felt someone's gaze on him.

He glanced up slightly and noticed a few boys nearby, appraising him with curious eyes.

They look familiar… ah, they're probably from the Katsuragi faction.

Hikigaya recognized one of them—the guy who had almost gotten into a fight with Sudo and the others in the library last time. His name was Totsuka Yahiko.

By the way, why does this guy have the same last name as Totsuka?

Just as Hikigaya was grumbling in his mind, Sakayanagi suddenly took out a handkerchief and dabbed at her mouth.

"Sorry, I need to excuse myself for a moment. I'm going to pick some flowers," she said apologetically.

"...Oh, the bathroom, right?" Hikigaya blinked, realizing what she meant.

"If you know, don't announce it."

Sakayanagi shot him a glare before walking away leisurely.

Watching her depart, Hikigaya couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about her.

I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's definitely there.

"Hey, I'm talking to you."

Hikigaya was jolted from his thoughts by a sudden voice.

"…What?"

"You're from Class D, right?"

The person who had approached him was none other than Totsuka Yahiko, who had been eyeing him earlier, and his tone was full of hostility.

Not that it mattered...

"First Kamuro, now Sakayanagi," Yahiko sneered. "You sure have a way with the ladies, but don't forget, we're from Class A. You Class D folks should stop bothering the girls in our class. You're not worthy."

...Sakayanagi, this troublemaker, really has a knack for causing problems.

Oh well, it's not a big deal.

Hikigaya stared at Yahiko for a moment before suddenly bursting into laughter.

"Why are you laughing?!"

"I'm just curious—are you still upset that Katsuragi didn't make it onto the student council?"