Don't Leave Regrets

"Hey, junior, I watched all of your first-year competitions. They were quite interesting."

"Is that so... Well, as long as you're happy."

Hikigaya responded absentmindedly while sighing inwardly.

Why did he have to deal with Kiryuin-senpai here of all places?

All he wanted was to find a quiet place to eat… But then again, she was alone too.

This gave Hikigaya a strange sense of camaraderie.

"Especially the team battles—they were back and forth." Kiryuin continued, a satisfied smile appearing on her face. "This year's freshmen are quite impressive, at least in terms of energy."

"No, it's just that some people are playing dirty."

Hikigaya felt exasperated just thinking about it.

The other two grades followed the rules properly. Even in intense matches, they tried to maintain a sense of sportsmanship.

Of course, this was partly because the school had set strict regulations for the Sports Festival and deliberately kept the rewards minimal. The goal was simply to assess the students' physical abilities and teamwork, preventing anyone from resorting to underhanded tactics.

Because of that, even Sakayanagi had obediently stepped back.

But Ryuuen, that guy just had to stir things up—using the kind of petty tricks that were embarrassing to even watch.

Seriously… Delinquents were such a hassle.

"No, junior, that's not the point."

However, Kiryuin shook her head, denying Hikigaya's words.

"What truly surprised me was your Class D."

"Ah..."

Anyone else might have assumed she was mocking them.

And it wouldn't be unreasonable—this year's Class D had been infamous since the start. A historic zero points, a scandalous peeping incident during summer vacation… It was only natural that other classes ridiculed them.

But Hikigaya knew that Kiryuin wasn't the type to say something so pointless.

As expected, she grinned. "Even in those circumstances, you all managed to maintain your fighting spirit. That's quite something. Unlike the upper-year students, who are frankly getting boring."

Just as she said, the lower-ranked classes in the higher grades were practically stagnant.

In the third year, only Class B still had a competitive mindset. In the second year, aside from Class A, the other classes were just going through the motions.

Since there was no risk of expulsion as long as they didn't cause trouble, and since there were no significant rewards for trying hard, naturally, they didn't see the point in putting in any effort.

As for first-year Class D, calling it "fighting spirit" might be a stretch. It was more about wanting pocket money.

The top three finishers in individual events could earn personal points or class points as rewards, while the last-place finisher would be deducted 1,000 points.

Horikita's official stance was that she didn't want anyone in the class to be expelled, but that was just a surface-level excuse to give them a reason not to give up.

In reality, most of them would undoubtedly choose points if they managed to place in the top three.

They were simply too broke.

By the way, according to Horikita's plan, Class D was supposed to conserve their stamina in team events and not push themselves unnecessarily.

Most of the girls in the class followed this strategy.

But the boys? Thanks to a certain man, their fighting spirit was ignited.

No, not Sudou.

It was Ryuuen!

He instructed his class to play dirty in the pole-toppling event, which not only enraged Sudou but also provoked the other boys in Class D.

They were all hot-blooded high school students. There was no way they would tolerate someone from another class stepping all over them.

Because of this unnecessary provocation, they suffered losses in the subsequent tug-of-war and cavalry battle. Otherwise, Class D hadn't even intended to go all out.

So in the end, Ryuuen really was just an idiot.

"Kiryuin-senpai, why did you suddenly bring this up?" Hikigaya asked curiously. "Given your usual attitude, I thought you wouldn't care about this sort of thing."

"I suppose you could say I was just reflecting."

There was a trace of melancholy in Kiryuin's tone—an unusual look for her.

"To put it bluntly, since I enrolled in this school, I've never taken anything seriously. Even against Nagumo or Horikita, I was always confident I could beat them on an individual level."

…That was indeed a blunt statement.

Setting aside Nagumo, the student council president wasn't so easily defeated, was he?

Though Hikigaya found her words a bit dubious, he chose not to argue.

No point in making a sarcastic remark at a time like this.

"So I spent my time at school in a lazy, carefree manner, never seriously considering putting in effort… Perhaps it was precisely this attitude that led to the greatest defeat of my life."

"Uh..." Losing to Ayanokoji must have hit Kiryuin harder than he expected.

Even though Hikigaya often thought of her as a female version of Kouenji, in reality, they were quite different.

Take the Sports Festival, for example. Kouenji outright faked an illness to avoid participating, whereas Kiryuin fought seriously and won every event she entered.

Aside from wanting points, her competitive nature was likely a major factor.

"At first, I was a little disheartened, thinking that it was too late to start taking things seriously now."

Perhaps she simply wanted someone to talk to, or maybe her mindset had changed, because Kiryuin, who usually avoided discussing such things, was now opening up.

"I told you before, didn't I? I started learning martial arts because of a manga."

"…Did you?"

"Didn't I?" Kiryuin tilted her head in thought. "Well, whatever. At least you know now."

Hikigaya suspected she was deliberately acting cute. Regardless, he was certain he had never heard this before.

Still… influenced by a manga? That sounded familiar.

"But reality isn't the same as manga. Forget that I only have a little over a year until graduation—there's hardly anyone at this school who can teach me anything. When I first sought out President Horikita, I did so on a whim, never expecting it to be particularly useful. After all, he's not that much stronger than me."

As she said this, a joyful smile appeared on Kiryuin's face.

"But I'm glad I went. Otherwise, I wouldn't have met you there, and I wouldn't have gotten to know Yukinoshita Haruno."

"Har… Yukinoshita-sensei, was she a good teacher?" Hikigaya almost slipped.

"Heh, don't call her a good teacher. She's completely reckless, punching a girl in the face without hesitation."

Though she said this, Kiryuin didn't sound the least bit displeased.

"Haruno is a strange person, but we get along surprisingly well."

"…I'm not surprised at all."

Hikigaya knew what kind of person Haruno was, but he felt that Kiryuin, of all people, had no right to call someone else strange.

She was the weirdest one here!

Still… He decided to just listen quietly.

Given the situation, Kiryuin probably wouldn't get another chance to settle things, and the only thing Hikigaya could do was remain silent.

"Junior, do you know why I'm telling you all this?" Kiryuin suddenly stared at him.

"…Why?"

"Because you and I are very alike."

That statement made no sense.

Aside from their odd personalities, Kiryuin was practically a perfect superhuman—there was no comparison. Their upbringings were likely worlds apart as well.

"I'm not talking about ability or anything trivial like that."

Kiryuin seemed to read his thoughts, her tone turning serious.

"I mean our way of thinking… To put it bluntly, you've been stuck in your comfort zone—just like I was before—thinking that you can handle everything on your own as you are now."

"No, I'm nothing like you, senpai." Hikigaya shook his head without hesitation.

"I don't have your strong competitive drive. That kind of thing doesn't exist in me at all. I've been used to failure for a long time now—losing a few hundred more times wouldn't make a difference."

His Japanese scores were always third in the grade, he wasn't particularly good at sports, and he never managed to make any friends…

If there was one thing he could be confident in, it was that no one could outmatch him when it came to losing.

"…Sigh, and that's exactly why I said you're a lot like me."

"Huh?"

If he wasn't mistaken, this was probably the first time he had ever seen Kiryuuin-senpai sigh… Just as that thought crossed his mind, she suddenly extended a finger and flicked his forehead without warning.

Hiss—!

That hurt like hell!

What the hell was she trying to do?!

Was she attempting some manga-style move to flick his skull right off?!

But this was reality!

While Hikigaya was mentally ranting, Kiryuuin suddenly grabbed his face with both hands and forcibly turned his head toward her.

"Listen up, junior. Pay close attention to what I'm about to say."

Kiryuuin's eyes locked onto his with an unusual seriousness.

Feeling the weight of her gaze, Hikigaya swallowed dryly, suddenly tense.

"I don't regret that failure. It was an important lesson for me, so you don't need to carry any kind of guilt over it. Besides, I chose to help you of my own free will in the first place."

"Ah..."

So Kiryuin-senpai did figure it out.

Just as Hikigaya could analyze from Kiryuin's behavior that she had lost to Ayanokoji, Kiryuin could similarly deduce Hikigaya's thoughts in reverse. Their powers of observation were evenly matched.

"The reason you think failure doesn't matter is because you haven't encountered something you truly care about yet. Just like I used to be."

She repeated what she had just said, but Hikigaya still couldn't quite grasp it.

Something I truly care about... Komachi?

Other than his little sister, he really couldn't think of anything else.

It wasn't bravado. Even the task that Miss Haruno had once assigned him—he had only approached it with a 'let's see how it goes' attitude. If he failed, then so be it.

"This is my advice as your senior—try to change yourself before you come to regret it."

"Even if you say that… I don't know what I should change."

"Anything is fine. The most important thing is to take the first step."

"Uh…" Hikigaya felt a bit helpless. More than anything, Kiryuin's dead serious attitude was throwing him off.

Besides, he didn't want someone else to decide whether or not he needed to change.

"Hachiman, what are you doing there?"

At that moment, a voice rang out—both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.

Familiar, because he had heard it countless times before.

Unfamiliar, because… it sounded terrifying.

Hikigaya carefully turned his head and saw that Kushida was standing there at some point, smiling at him and Kiryuin-senpai.

Because she was squinting, he could only barely make out the eyes behind her lids, dark and devoid of any light.

Scary… way too scary!

"Hm? Hachiman?"

Faced with this overwhelming pressure, Kiryuin remained entirely unfazed.

She let go of Hikigaya's face, glanced between the two of them for a moment, then murmured thoughtfully, "Could it be that you two are… that kind of relationship?"

"That's right, I'm Hachiman's classmate. We're on a first-name basis," Kushida said, her tone practically robotic. "Speaking of which, you're a second-year, right? Can you tell me why you're here?"

"I'm having lunch."

Kiryuin calmly picked up her chopsticks and slowly brought food to her mouth.

She even muttered as she ate, "So this is what they call a power play… I'm experiencing it for the first time."

"Uh…" Kushida seemed thrown off by Kiryuin's attitude, glancing at Hikigaya with a questioning look.

That gaze seemed to ask, 'What the hell is up with this woman?!'

Without hesitation, Hikigaya answered, "This is Kiryuin-senpai. Just treat her like Koenji."

"Oh, got it."

Should he say 'as expected of Kushida's top-tier social skills'? She understood instantly.

Then, as if the previous hostility had been an illusion, Kushida quickly struck up a casual conversation with Kiryuin.

"Hey, Hikigaya, let's get back to what we were talking about."

However, Kiryuin didn't seem very interested in Kushida. After exchanging a few words, she quickly steered the topic back.

If possible, Hikigaya wished she would never circle back at all.

"Thinking about it, suddenly telling you to change might be a bit too much to ask." Kiryuin stroked her chin, looking contemplative.

Hikigaya blinked and hurriedly interjected, "Exactly, so—"

"So start with what you're worst at."

Before he could finish, Kiryuin cut him off.

"My instincts tell me this will benefit you."

"…That's way too vague."

If they were talking about things he was bad at, the woman in front of him would rank near the top!

Hikigaya had zero interest in putting effort into that.

"I don't know what you two are talking about, but if we're talking about what Hachiman struggles with… it's his class."

Kushida suddenly chimed in.

"Oh? Then that's perfect." Kiryuin looked intrigued. "Junior, take this chance to get along with your classmates. You won't regret it."

"Kiryuin-senpai… you have no shame, huh."

Hikigaya was honestly stunned.

Mainly by how thick-skinned she was.

He knew he didn't fit in with his class, but Kiryuin was also a complete outcast in hers. And yet, she dared to lecture him on this?

"Don't get the wrong idea. I don't cooperate with my class because they don't deserve it. In other words, the problem is with them, not me. I hold absolutely no responsibility."

"Uh…" Faced with such a bold declaration, Hikigaya genuinely wanted to applaud her.

"I'll put it simply—you can trust my instincts."

Saying this, Kiryuin ate her last bite, dusted herself off, and stood up.

Seriously, where did her confidence even come from?

"But words won't change anything. Some things can only be understood through experience… even for me."

Her last words were muttered quietly, but Hikigaya caught them.

"I normally wouldn't ramble this much, but I don't want to see my cute junior repeat my mistakes. So, why not listen to your senpai's advice, just a little?"

Leaving those words behind, Kiryuin didn't wait for a response. She simply waved her hand and walked off on her own.

"…What the hell is with that woman?!"

Once she was out of sight, Kushida immediately exploded.

"I told you, just treat her like Koenji."

"Koenji isn't nearly as annoying as her!"

"Well, you can't expect them to be identical."

From Hikigaya's perspective, the biggest similarity between the two was their 'free-spirited' nature.

They did what they wanted, and said what they wanted.

But since 'free-spirited' wasn't a single fixed trait, Kiryuin and Koenji couldn't be lumped together.

"Anyway, there's no need to worry about Kiryuin-senpai. Just treat her as—what's wrong?"

Hikigaya was about to end the conversation when he noticed Kushida staring at him blankly.

"It's nothing… I was just thinking…" Kushida hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "Hachiman, do you think you'll ever truly become part of the class?"

"Who knows."

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to force you… But if you were there, I feel like I could overcome any difficulty! I also want to be your strength!"

"…This isn't a shounen manga."

Overcoming hardships through friendship was something that only existed in fiction.

But… Hikigaya had to admit, being acknowledged by someone felt kind of nice.