Did You Fall Down the Stairs Again?

Ibuki seemed to have finally been worn down by the relentless questioning or perhaps she had come to understand Hirata's resolve. At last, she opened up, albeit reluctantly.

"I got into an argument with a guy from my class. He hit me, then kicked me out. That's all there is to it."

"How awful… I can't believe he'd hit a girl."

Hirata murmured to himself, his face reflecting genuine concern. Beside him, Yamauchi looked equally indignant, and even Ayanokouji, usually impassive, seemed to react—well, at least his expression didn't change, but there was a slight tension in the air.

Only Hikigaya couldn't hold back his amusement. A grin spread across his face as he spoke.

"Ibuki, did you fall down the stairs again?"

"...Say whatever you want. I never intended to stay here anyway."

The last time Ibuki had been beaten up by Ryuuen, Hikigaya had teased her with the same line. This time, she immediately caught the underlying meaning in his words.

Yet, if there was one thing Ibuki excelled at, it was her unshakable mental fortitude. Even after Hikigaya's jab, she remained unfazed, her expression one of disinterest, as if to say,

"Believe what you want."

"Hey, Hikigaya, that's going too far! she's injured, you know!" Yamauchi snapped, his voice filled with anger.

"...Yamauchi, you should face reality," Hikigaya responded, his tone flat and dismissive. His eyes held a glint of contempt as if he were speaking to a simpleton.

"You can try being as nice as Hirata is to girls, but the truth is, your looks don't measure up. Compared to Hirata, you're at least an Ayanokouji behind. No matter what you do, you'll just annoy them."

"Huh?"

Yamauchi stood frozen, his brain struggling to process the insult, while Hirata and Ayanokouji barely managed to stifle their reactions. Ayanokouji, in particular, looked like he'd been caught in the crossfire for no reason.

"That's nonsense! I'm at least better-looking than Ayanokouji, right?"

Yamauchi's face flushed with frustration as he desperately sought validation.

"Is that so?"

Hikigaya eyed Yamauchi critically, then glanced at Ayanokouji. After a moment, he shook his head.

"Sorry, but I don't see it that way. Then again, I'm a guy, so maybe I'm biased… Oh, right."

He turned to Ibuki, who was watching the exchange with an exasperated expression.

"Ibuki, you're at least a girl, so why don't you settle it? Who's better looking, Yamauchi or Ayanokouji?"

"What do you mean, 'at least a girl'?" Ibuki snapped, her irritation evident. "Forget it. I'm not dealing with you guys. You're all so boring."

"Wait, Hikigaya was just joking!"

Hirata quickly stepped in, trying to prevent Ibuki from storming off.

"Anyway, just wait here a moment. I'll explain the situation to the others and ask them to let you stay."

Before Ibuki could respond, Hirata turned to Ayanokouji.

"Ayanokouji-kun, can you stay with Ibuki-san? We need to inform the others."

"Yeah," Hikigaya chimed in, nodding in agreement. "Let the more handsome Ayanokouji keep her company. Maybe she'll be convinced to stay."

"Stop saying that! I'm the more handsome one, so I should be the one staying!"

Yamauchi not only shouted in protest but also grabbed Ayanokouji, practically forcing him to declare who was truly the most attractive.

—This is hilarious.

Hikigaya almost laughed out loud, feeling the weight of the tension he'd been carrying suddenly lift. No wonder Kushida enjoyed stirring the pot so much—it was a great stress reliever!

"Fine… I'll go with Hikigaya-kun then."

Hirata finally spoke, dragging Hikigaya away, leaving Ayanokouji to deal with the still-irate Yamauchi. Ayanokouji looked slightly pitiful, but Hikigaya wasn't worried. After all, the "masterpiece" surely wouldn't be undone by someone like Yamauchi.

Back at their base, Hirata immediately sought out Kushida for help. The two of them quickly gathered their classmates together to explain the situation.

Although there was strong opposition at first—after all, Class D was paying 20,000 points a month to Class C—the majority slowly came around thanks to Hirata's persistent arguments.

There were two main points. First, the personal points Class D was handing over were going straight to Ryuuen, meaning that regular Class C students weren't benefiting. Second, if Ibuki didn't return to her class, Class C would lose points every time they took roll call, which would amount to a loss of seventy points in a week.

In their eyes, this was an opportunity to catch up to Class C—a chance they were eager to seize, even if Hirata himself didn't entirely share that ambition.

While the group was discussing this, someone unexpectedly approached Hikigaya.

"Hikigaya-kun, can I ask you something?"

"Horikita… Ayanokouji's with Ibuki, you know."

Hikigaya pointed toward the distance, where it seemed Yamauchi had finally stopped his ranting, and Ayanokouji was trying to engage Ibuki in conversation.

Horikita frowned, clearly displeased.

"I didn't ask about Ayanokouji-kun. I'm asking you."

"Alright, alright. What do you want to know?"

In truth, Hikigaya had no desire to get involved in this mess—it reeked of trouble. But since Horikita was the student council president's sister, he felt he should at least hear her out.

"You have frequent interactions with Class C. Do you think Ibuki is a spy?"

Horikita didn't mince words.

"Well… If I had to guess, I'd say Ryuen was the one who beat her up. Knowing him, he wouldn't hesitate to either send a spy or kick out someone who defied him."

Hikigaya thought for a moment before giving a vague answer—one that didn't commit to anything. After all, without solid evidence, it wouldn't do to make reckless statements. That was the best way to stay out of trouble.

"Yes, if it's Ryuen, that does seem likely…"

Horikita bit her lip, her face showing a flicker of bitterness. She must still be nursing the wounds from her last encounter with Ryuuen.

"If you're so concerned, why not go check out Class C's base?"

Hikigaya's suggestion made Horikita pause in surprise. After a moment, she awkwardly responded, "Fine… I'll go with you…"

"Nope, I never said I was going." Hikigaya quickly cut her off. "I meant Ayanokouji. You should go with him. Ask Ibuki where Class C is camped out."

"Uh…" Horikita didn't say anything further, just shot Hikigaya a glare before turning to find Ayanokouji.

"What's with her? So unreasonable."

Hikigaya scratched his head, feeling like he'd been getting a lot of glares from girls recently. Was this some kind of tactic to lower his defenses?

Whatever the case, if Horikita could gather some useful intel from Class C, it would be for the best. Ryuen's recent behavior had been odd. While Hikigaya had an idea of what might be going on, he still hoped for concrete evidence.

"Hikigaya-kun, can you come with me? There's something I'd like to discuss."

As Hikigaya was lost in thought, Kushida suddenly approached, her usual sweet smile in place.

"Can't we talk here…?"

"Hmm, no, it's a bit embarrassing to say in front of everyone."

"...Alright."

Anyone else would've been easily charmed by Kushida's shy smile, happily following her anywhere. But Hikigaya wasn't like most people. He knew better, yet he followed her anyway.

Sure enough, as soon as they were out of sight, Kushida's expression darkened.

"Hey, Hikigaya," she began, her voice now cold and sharp. "You seemed to be getting along well with Horikita earlier. Care to share what you two were discussing?"

…Why are women so troublesome?

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T/N: Balance is eternal!