Are You Sure Sakura Airi Confessed to You?

As Hachiman Hikigaya made his way to the locker room, he noticed a cluster of Class D boys huddled together, engaged in some sort of mischief. Normally, such collective activities didn't interest him in the slightest, but today, something was different.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji caught sight of him and called out, drawing everyone's attention.

"Yo, Hikigaya! Why don't you join us?"

"What?" Hachiman replied, caught off guard. All eyes turned toward him, and the invisibility he so cherished was abruptly shattered. He was now the unwilling center of attention.

With no other option, Hachiman forced a smile, attempting to mask his discomfort. "W-What's going on? What are you guys up to?"

His awkward response elicited a mix of disdain and amusement from most of the boys. One boy, slightly chubby and bespectacled, spoke up without a hint of tact. "We're betting on the breast sizes of the girls in our class. We even have an odds chart!"

Hachiman vaguely remembered the boy's name—Hideo Sotomura, often referred to by others as "The Professor" due to his proficiency with computers. With a smirk, The Professor pulled out a tablet, revealing an Excel spreadsheet filled with the names of every girl in Class D, alongside ever-changing odds.

The current favorite was Haruka Hasebe, with odds at 1.8x, while the names of other girls, most of whom Hachiman barely recognized, were scattered throughout. He noticed Suzune Horikita's name at the bottom, her odds sitting at an abysmal 30x.

These guys are unbelievable, Hachiman thought, suppressing a sigh. Outwardly, though, he forced a stiff smile and remarked, "You guys sure are… observant."

"Well, we're men, aren't we? Our brains are constantly filled with thoughts about breasts and butts!" Kanji Ike chimed in with a grin, his comment sparking laughter and agreement from the other boys.

"How about it, Hikigaya? Want to place a bet? It's only a thousand points," someone asked, nudging him.

"N-No, thanks," Hachiman quickly declined. He wasn't about to waste precious points on such a ridiculous bet. Still, the idea of using points as a gambling tool intrigued him. If used wisely, this could be a significant way to accumulate points—especially since this school seemed to permit almost anything as long as it adhered to the rules.

Earning over two million points to graduate might not be solely reliant on academic achievements, he mused.

These guys might be geniuses—or complete idiots. They'd devised a brilliant method to earn points, only to squander it on something so trivial. It was like watching wild animals with human brains, yet lacking the common sense to use them properly.

As Hachiman silently ridiculed their antics, more Class D boys joined the fray, loudly and openly debating the breast sizes of their female classmates. The occasional girl passing by threw them disgusted looks, treating them as nothing more than walking obscenities.

The last thing Hachiman wanted was to be associated with this absurdity, so he edged away, eager to disassociate himself. But then, something caught his attention—something that made him pause.

"I'm in too. By the way, I'm betting on Airi Sakura," Yamauchi declared, a smug grin spreading across his face as he addressed the group.

Airi Sakura? Hachiman's interest piqued. Sakura was practically invisible in the classroom, a shy and plain girl who rarely spoke and seemed to do her best to blend into the background. She was the last person anyone would expect to be the subject of a bet like this.

Noticing the puzzled reactions from the other boys, Yamauchi puffed out his chest and continued in a boastful tone.

"You guys won't believe this, but Airi Sakura confessed to me."

"What? No way! Seriously?"

Ike's eyes widened in disbelief. He had dreams of being the first in the class to get a girlfriend, but if Yamauchi's story was true, those dreams were already shattered. Hachiman almost wanted to tell him he had already lost—Yosuke Hirata and Kei Karuizawa were already a couple.

"It's true! But keep it on the down-low, okay? I turned her down, of course. But I gotta admit, she's got quite a rack under those frumpy clothes of hers," Yamauchi continued, leaning in as if sharing a juicy secret.

"Idiot! Even if she's not cute, if she's got big boobs, you should date her!" someone interjected, half-joking, half-serious.

"If she's not on Kushida or Hasebe's level, I'm not interested. I have no time for dowdy girls," Yamauchi said, his voice dripping with condescension. He was enjoying the attention, using his supposed "confession" from Sakura as leverage to elevate his status among the boys.

No one could verify his story, and with Sakura absent, Yamauchi felt free to embellish his tale without fear of contradiction. He probably assumed that a girl like Sakura, shy and introverted, would never speak up to refute his claims.

Under normal circumstances, no one would challenge his narrative, and the incident would fade into a harmless brag. However, something about Yamauchi's arrogance irked Hachiman, sparking an unexpected surge of annoyance.

Whether or not Yamauchi's story was true, the fact that he was using it to inflate his ego at Sakura's expense was disgusting. Hachiman could picture her reaction—her usual downcast expression, shoulders slumped, quietly internalizing the slander without protest.

"Are you sure Airi Sakura confessed to you?" The words left Hachiman's mouth before he even realized he'd spoken.

"Huh?" Yamauchi's confident demeanor faltered as he turned to face Hachiman, clearly not expecting to be challenged.

"With a personality like hers, do you think Airi Sakura would confess to you?" Hachiman pressed on, feeling a rare sense of purpose.

"Besides, I've seen you hanging around the dorms, pestering her. She didn't even look at you."

"W-What… how…?"

Yamauchi stammered, the color draining from his face as the other boys watched with amusement, their expressions shifting from admiration to mockery.

It was clear that Yamauchi's little charade had been exposed.

"You… I…!"

Yamauchi spluttered, unable to formulate a coherent response. Finally, unable to handle the ridicule, he shot Hachiman a venomous glare before turning on his heel and bolting from the scene, desperate to escape his embarrassment.

Hachiman had no desire to stick around either. This kind of attention wasn't his style, and he was eager to slip back into the background where he belonged. But just as he was about to make his exit, he noticed a girl with blue hair watching him intently.

She smiled at him—just a slight, knowing smile—before turning and walking away.

Was that… Haruka Hasebe?

Did she see what just happened?