Tapping on the Floor, A Genius Approaches

"So, how are your preparations for the test tomorrow going?" Yuigahama asked, her voice light but still carrying a bit of her usual cheer. She tilted her head slightly, eyes full of curiosity, even though the tension in her voice told me that she was at least partially worried.

Yukinoshita didn't seem fazed by the question. She glanced at Yuigahama. "It's going well. There's no real difficulty in the material itself; I've been reviewing it systematically. But I suppose it's always about how well one can handle the pressure when the time comes."

Sure, you can say that when you're an academic genius. But me and Yuigahama? We're not as great as you, Yukinoshita-sama.

Yuigahama laughed lightly, nodding in agreement but looking a little less confident. "I guess that's true... I'm trying to go through everything too, but honestly, I've been kind of lucky. Honami-chan's been helping me out with some of the harder stuff, so it's been a bit easier than I thought."

Yukinoshita gave her a sidelong glance, her expression remaining neutral but still sharp. "I see. I suppose it's helpful to have someone who can explain things in a way that makes them more understandable. But, I would expect you to be able to handle things on your own by now."

Yuigahama's smile faltered for a moment, but she quickly recovered, her voice warm and playful as she waved it off. "Ah, well, I think I can handle it now, especially with Honami-chan's help. She's really nice about it, you know? I can understand things a lot better when she explains them, it's like everything just clicks!"

Yukinoshita's brow twitched ever so slightly, that subtle narrowing of her eyes, just for a fraction of a second. If I didn't know her better, I might have missed it, but I didn't need to see more.

Jealousy?

Yukinoshita didn't show it, not outright, but I could sense it. She had her pride, and seeing someone else praised for something she had to do herself... well, it probably didn't sit well with her.

I could tell she was trying to hide it, but the slightest change in her expression betrayed her thoughts.

I wasn't sure why I found it interesting, or why I even cared that much. It was, after all, just another one of those strange interactions people had. Jealousy over something as small as this didn't feel like something worth dwelling on. And yet, I couldn't stop thinking about it.

I examined Yuigahama's thought process out of curiosity.

Her lightheartedness was almost infectious, but I couldn't help noticing something odd. She called Ichinose "Honami-chan," but never seemed to have given her a nickname. It was strange. After all, Yuigahama had been quick to give me the accursed nickname 'Hikki,' and even more recently had given Yukinoshita the nickname 'Yukinon.' So why had she skipped over Ichinose?

My gaze lingered on Yuigahama for a moment, my mind drifting into that unnecessary thought process that always seemed to surface when I had too much time on my hands.

I considered it carefully. Yukinoshita's name, on the other hand, had a certain rhythm to it. 'Yukinon.' It just worked. But with 'Honami'? Nothing. 'Honaminon'? Ridiculous. 'Honamon'? Even worse.

It was strange, really. It wasn't like there was a shortage of possible ways to make a nickname in Japanese. You could shorten names, add a '-chan' or '-kun,' or use some playful alteration of the sound. Take 'Yukinon,' for example. It was simple. 'Yukino' was already cute, and the 'n' added that little playful touch, a sort of personal quirk that made it feel like it belonged to only one person.

But Honami... The 'name' sound wasn't exactly easy to work with. 'Honamin'? Maybe, but it didn't feel natural. In Japanese, you'd often use the first part of a name and then tweak it, but with 'Honami,' nothing felt like it flowed the way it should. No rhythmic cadence like 'Yukinon' or even 'Hikki.' Maybe it was just the nature of her name. It wasn't the kind of name that begged for a playful twist. It was already a bit too clean.

When nice girls liked someone, they'd often soften or shorten their name, or add something cute to it. But the structure of Honami didn't lend itself to that. It felt... too whole, too intact. And that's probably why Yuigahama didn't feel the need to mess with it.

I felt my mind drift further and further into this absurd rabbit hole, the kind of useless, overanalyzed thoughts that I recently found myself slipping into when things got too quiet. Here I was, wasting my intellectual energy, pondering why Yuigahama didn't give Ichinose a nickname, as if it actually mattered.

Why was I even thinking about this? Was this what my life had come to? Spending precious brainpower on something as trivial as names and nicknames? It was so pointless, so utterly ridiculous. Was this what high school had become for me? Trying to pick apart the smallest details in a futile attempt to keep my mind occupied?

I sighed, my frustration building. This wasn't just about names or Yuigahama or even Ichinose. No, it was bigger than that. It was the realization that, somehow, this madness was starting to consume me. And, worst of all, I was letting it happen.

I caught myself just in time. My eyes flicked to the side, hoping no one noticed. But as I looked up, I realized Yukinoshita was watching me with that usual, calculating gaze.

Then, she smirked.

Her lips quirked upward as if she had caught onto something I wasn't fully aware of.

"Not only is the face you're making difficult to look at, Hikigaya-kun," Yukinoshita said, her voice calm but with that sharp edge, "but it seems you're thinking about something completely unrelated to the topic at hand."

"How do you know?" I muttered, trying to cover up my unease.

Yukinoshita's gaze didn't falter. "It's obvious." She paused, probably weighing her words for maximum effect. "The gloomy aura you create makes all the gray cells in the area start to die off. My brain starts to shut down the moment I try to make sense of it. "

She didn't continue immediately, her eyes narrowing slightly as if she were analyzing me further. "I suppose it would be hard for someone like you to understand, but your despairing self is... unreasonably difficult to look at. It's like watching a car crash in slow motion."

I leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms. "Nice way to insult someone."

"I didn't say anything untrue." Yukinoshita's eyes twinkled, her usual dry humor creeping into her voice. "But if it helps, I'm sure you've convinced yourself that all these distractions keep you mentally stimulated."

I give her a look of mock offense. "And I suppose you think you've got me all figured out, huh?"

"It's not difficult," she replied coolly, turning her attention back to her notes. "But I'm sure you'll be back to your usual self soon enough. After all, avoiding problems is practically your job."

How amusing. How tragically amusing.

Ha.

Haha.

Hahahaha...

Yuigahama seized the moment, her eyes practically sparkling with curiosity. "Hey, Yukinon, who's your partner for the exam?"

"Well—"

Yukinoshita opened her mouth to answer, but a sharp knock at the door cut her off. I stiffened, my attention instinctively drawn to the sound.

What followed was... peculiar. A series of measured, rhythmic taps echoed faintly through the hallway before stopping just outside.

The door creaked open, and standing there was a girl whose very presence seemed to shift the air.

She was petite, almost frail-looking, with lilac-colored hair falling delicately to her shoulders and violet eyes that scanned the room with an unsettling calm. The stark red blazer of the ANHS uniform she wore immediately gave her away as someone from the other school, but her posture and the polished cane she carried told me there was more to her than that. She looked like the kind of person who could sweetly offer you a drink while making a mental list of where to hide your body.

Her smile was faint and polite, but there was a sharpness to it, like the edge of a knife concealed beneath silk.

"Good afternoon," she said in a soft, almost melodic voice, giving a polite nod to the room. "I do apologize for the intrusion."

Yuigahama blinked, tilting her head as if trying to place her. Yukinoshita, on the other hand, straightened slightly, her usually composed expression flickering with a hint of surprise.

"Sakayanagi-san," Yukinoshita said, her tone even but edged with confusion. "What are you doing here?"

"Ah, Yukinoshita-san." The girl's smile deepened ever so slightly, her eyes narrowing as if savoring the interaction. "It's a pleasure to see you again."

Yuigahama blinked, her confusion plain on her face as she looked between Sakayanagi and Yukinoshita. "Wait, what? Yukinon, you know her?"

Yukinoshita maintained her usual composed expression, though her voice carried a formal edge. "Yes, Yuigahama-san. Sakayanagi-san is my partner for the Special Exam."

That revelation seemed to momentarily stun Yuigahama, her eyes widening. "Ehh?! Really? She's from ANHS, right? Wow, Yukinon, your partner seems so... fancy!"

I stayed silent, watching the exchange. Yuigahama's reaction wasn't surprising. This girl—Sakayanagi—did have that air of sophistication that could leave an impression on most people. Still, I couldn't shake the sense that there was something disconcertingly deliberate about every move she made.

"Precisely." Sakayanagi gave a slight bow, her manners refined. "I hope this arrangement doesn't inconvenience you too much."

Yuigahama, oblivious as ever, waved her hands with a nervous laugh. "Oh no, no inconvenience at all! You seem super nice!"

I rolled my eyes. Nice? Yeah, if you ignored the thinly veiled aura of someone who seemed to have at least three layers of thoughts about you, Yuigahama.

Yukinoshita nodded, her expression unreadable. "I see. Well then, Sakayanagi-san, do you wish to discuss our plans for the exam? I thought we had already covered most of the necessary points."

Sakayanagi tilted her head slightly, her violet eyes gleaming with a faint trace of amusement. "Ah, indeed. I must admit, Yukinoshita-san, that I thoroughly enjoy our conversations. However..." She paused, her gaze drifting across the room before landing squarely on me.

"I'm actually here to speak with the student called Hikigaya Hachiman-kun."

Her words dropped like a stone into a still pond, sending ripples of shock through the room.

"What?" Yukinoshita's usually composed tone faltered, her eyes narrowing slightly as she looked between Sakayanagi and me. "Why would you—" She cut herself off, her lips pressing into a thin line as though searching for a logical explanation.

"Eh?! Hikki?!" Yuigahama blurted out, her expression a mix of disbelief and confusion. "Wait, you mean Hikki? Like, our Hikki? But, um, why?"

I blinked, my mind blank for a moment. Of all the things I expected today, becoming the center of attention for someone like Sakayanagi wasn't one of them. I'd never spoken to her, never interacted with her, and yet here she was, casually dropping my name like we were old friends.

"Ah, forgive me if my request seems sudden." Sakayanagi smiled, the kind of smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "But I find myself quite intrigued by Hikigaya-kun. I've heard a great deal about him, and I believe we could have a most fascinating conversation."

Fascinating? Yeah, right. Fascinating usually translated to trouble, and trouble was the last thing I wanted.

"Um, Hikki? What's going on? Did you two, like, meet before or something?" Yuigahama asked, leaning toward me as if I might suddenly reveal some hidden connection.

"No," I replied flatly, my eyes still on Sakayanagi. "We've never met."

"Correct," Sakayanagi confirmed with an elegant nod. "This will be our first meeting. However, I'm certain it won't be our last."

There it was again. That unsettling confidence made me feel like I was already a piece on someone's chessboard. My instinct was to retreat, but something told me Sakayanagi wouldn't let that happen so easily.

Yukinoshita, regaining her composure, crossed her arms and regarded Sakayanagi with a critical gaze. "If you're here to discuss something with Hikigaya-kun, then I assume it's related to the exam. Otherwise, I fail to see how this is relevant."

"Oh, it is most certainly relevant," Sakayanagi said lightly as if discussing the weather. "But I'd prefer to discuss the specifics with Hikigaya-kun directly if that's acceptable."

The infamous "polite but not really" tone. In other words, please let us speak alone because I want to talk to him without interference. A classic maneuver, dressed up in her genteel phrasing to make it sound like a reasonable request. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she was asking nicely, but I wasn't naive enough to believe that.

Yukinoshita raised an eyebrow, her sharp gaze darting between me and Sakayanagi. "I see. Well, if you insist." Her tone carried a slight edge, one that I'd learned to interpret as her not being entirely convinced by the other person's words.

Yuigahama, as expected, tilted her head in bafflement. "Huh? W-Wait, you mean, like, just you two? Uh, okay, I guess? But, um... why Hikki, though?"

Sakayanagi's calm demeanor didn't waver as she turned to Yuigahama, her smile soft yet seemingly amused by Yuigahama's stutter. "You don't need to worry, Yuigahama-san. I assure you, this conversation has nothing to do with anything intimate."

Yuigahama's eyes widened in panic, her hands flailing as if trying to dispel the notion entirely. "W-Wha?! That's not what I meant at all!

Meanwhile, I couldn't help but glance at Yukinoshita, who was now silently scrutinizing the entire exchange, her expression unreadable but her sharp eyes betraying a flicker of curiosity or perhaps suspicion.

As for me, I had my own concerns. Why did both of my clubmates look like I needed their permission to have a conversation with someone? It wasn't like I'd signed some contract to only talk to the two of them for the rest of eternity. Still, I could practically feel their gazes drilling into me.

"Alright, I'll go," I said, breaking my oath of silence. "Let's just get this over with."

Sakayanagi's smile widened ever so slightly, and she inclined her head in acknowledgment. "I'm grateful for your understanding, Hikigaya-kun."

With that, she turned and walked toward the door, the rhythmic tapping of her cane punctuating each step. I followed behind her, fully aware of the two sets of eyes burning into the back of my head.

"Hikki..."

As I passed the threshold, I chanced a quick glance back. Sure enough, Yukinoshita and Yuigahama were watching intently—one with a composed but scrutinizing gaze, the other openly worried as if I were being led to my doom.

Well, that's encouraging. Nothing like the silent support of your clubmates to boost your confidence in situations like this.

The door clicked shut behind us, cutting off their stares. Now it was just me, Sakayanagi, and whatever mysterious topic she deemed important enough to drag me into this.

The hallway was quieter than I expected, save for the faint rhythmic tapping of Sakayanagi's cane as she walked ahead.

As we stepped further away from the clubroom, I caught sight of someone leaning casually against the wall near the corner—a blond-haired guy with an easygoing smirk plastered on his face. His posture screamed "too cool to care," but his eyes betrayed a shrewdness that wasn't there just for show.

He didn't acknowledge me right away, though his gaze flicked to Sakayanagi with a certain familiarity. "So, Hime," he said, his voice carrying a laid-back tone that somehow felt calculated. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

The question sounded rhetorical as if he already knew the answer but couldn't resist asking for the sake of it.

Sakayanagi stopped a few steps short of him, her expression calm but tinged with entertainment. "In a manner of speaking, yes. You did well, Hashimoto-kun. As always, your assistance has proven invaluable."

"Don't mention it." He shrugged, his smirk growing as his eyes finally landed on me. "And who's this exactly? Hime, I've got to hand it to you—you sure found someone with, uh... a memorable face."

I eyed him, my expression unimpressed. "You're not the first person to point that out," I said dryly. "But hey, thanks for the originality."

Hashimoto chuckled, clearly enjoying himself. "No offense, buddy, but those eyes of yours? They're intense. Like you're plotting someone's untimely demise."

Before I could muster up a reply, Sakayanagi's voice cut in, light and teasing yet carrying a quiet authority. "Now, now, Hashimoto-kun. It's unbecoming to comment on someone's appearance like that. It's not as though we can help how we're born, can we?"

Actually, you're wrong, I wasn't always like this.

Hashimoto raised an eyebrow, clearly catching the subtle jab in her words. "Fair enough, Hime. You always know how to keep me in line."

Sakayanagi smiled faintly before glancing back at me. "Besides, perhaps Hikigaya-kun's eyes are simply a reflection of his unique perspective on the world. It would be a shame to dismiss them without understanding their depth."

Great. Not only was I being psychoanalyzed on the spot, but now Sakayanagi had somehow turned my eyes into a philosophical talking point. Truly a fantastic use of everyone's time.

"If we're done with the commentary, can we get to whatever this is actually about?"

Sakayanagi tilted her head slightly, her smile deepening as if pleased by my impatience. "Of course, Hikigaya-kun. Let's not keep you waiting."

We eventually arrived at a deserted area of the school, a storage room tucked away from prying eyes. I recognized it immediately—the one that Hiratsuka-sensei always used as her "secret headquarters" to stash away various pieces of evidence for her relentless plots to torment the Service Club. It was the kind of place where teachers like her probably stored their most diabolical schemes. At least, that was my theory.

I raised an eyebrow as I took in the surroundings, the fluorescent lights buzzing overhead. "How the hell did you get the key to this place?"

Hashimoto, who had been trailing behind us, spoke up, his voice casual yet somehow still holding that mocking tone. "Hikigaya, some things are better left unasked, you know? It's not like you need to know the details about the key."

I didn't bother responding. He was right, in a sense. Why waste mental energy on something so irrelevant?

The door clicked shut behind us, and I crossed my arms, leaning against one of the shelves as I turned to Sakayanagi. "Alright, so what exactly is going on here? You dragged me all the way to this backwater storage room like I'm some character from a bad crime novel. Am I about to find out I've been secretly enrolled in some shady game?"

Sakayanagi's smile didn't falter, but there was a flicker in her eyes, almost like she was enjoying my discomfort.

She chuckled lightly, the sound far too smooth to be genuine. "I'm afraid I'm not that dramatic, Hikigaya-kun. No riches or ruin here—just a simple proposal. But I'll let you decide if you're interested in what I'm offering."

I straightened up slightly, a mix of curiosity and wariness settling in. This was starting to feel like one of those moments where the stakes weren't entirely clear, but you could sense the tension building, like the beginning of a suspenseful scene in a mystery novel.

"Alright then, what's the deal?" I asked, bracing myself for whatever absurdity she might throw my way next.

Her smile deepened, and she spoke the words that sent a chill down my spine, her tone still so unsettlingly calm.

"I have something that might just interest you, Hikigaya Hachiman-kun."