Chapter 18: I Hate Gentle People

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"Um?"

Ichinose suddenly stopped walking and realized that Hikigaya had halted at some point.

She turned back, looking at him with a hint of confusion. "What's wrong, Hikigaya-san?"

Hikigaya took a deep breath.

Once he spoke, there was no turning back.

The easy life he had grown accustomed to—one where Ichinose's kindness sheltered him—would come to an end.

But he had to say it.

He couldn't keep taking advantage of Ichinose's kindness.

Otherwise…

He would hate himself even more.

"Ichinose, you're too kind," Hikigaya said, a bitter smile forming on his lips. "You don't need to worry about me. My problems are my own. It's not your responsibility."

"Sorry for making you concerned," he continued. "But if you're being kind to me out of sympathy, then… it's better if you don't."

His fists clenched as he forced the words out.

Ichinose stood there, frozen in place. Her expression turned blank as if her mind had suddenly shut down. She didn't speak for a long time.

Hikigaya took the silence as his cue to move on.

"By the way," he added, "if you save up 20 million personal points, you can buy the right to transfer classes and move to Class A. That's how this school works—everything has a price."

With that final piece of information, he walked past her.

He hated gentle people.

A simple greeting from them made others feel special.

A casual email exchange could make one's heart race.

A phone call, no matter how brief, left an imprint—a reminder that someone cared.

But he knew the truth.

Ichinose wasn't just kind to him. She was kind to everyone.

Her kindness wasn't personal. It wasn't exclusive.

If reality was cruel, then lies had to be gentle.

So, kindness itself was a lie.

Even knowing that, he had still let himself be moved by her warmth.

Still, he had indulged in the comforting illusion of her kindness.

And in doing so, he had become a burden—to Ichinose, to Kanzaki, to others.

That realization made him hate himself even more.

Kanzaki had been right.

Being alone was his own problem.

And he had no right to trouble them any longer.

The Next Day

After his confrontation with Ichinose, life returned to normal.

His classmates no longer greeted him enthusiastically. Ichinose, her usual self, was back to treating him as just another student.

Everything had fallen into place.

"Seriously, this school's standards are way too high," Hikigaya muttered, watching his classmates from the edge of the pool.

His dead-fish eyes observed Shibata and the others competing in the water. They moved like professional athletes.

Today's swimming lesson had been a brutal reminder of how outclassed he was.

If he hadn't been cycling to school every day in junior high, he wouldn't even be able to keep up with them.

Even with that small advantage, he was only middle-tier.

The reward points for swimming were out of his reach.

And it wasn't just sports—his science grades were holding him back too.

Academically, he ranked somewhere in the middle.

But there was no need to panic.

Private universities didn't have high requirements.

His dream was simple: become a househusband.

As long as he passed, he was fine.

Of course, he wouldn't intentionally tank his grades just to drag his class down.

That would be unnecessary trouble.

After the swimming lesson came math class.

Hikigaya returned to the classroom early, waiting for class to start while letting his mind wander.

Class B had its flaws, but at least everyone took their studies seriously.

The worst performer in the room was, without a doubt, himself.

His classmates were too diligent.

Not a single person was dozing off.

That was the one thing that hadn't changed.

"Yes, yes, I know, I know," he muttered as he felt someone poking his back.

He bent down, picked up a gel pen from the floor, and placed it back on the small white table.

She was way too careless.

If she wasn't careful, bad people would take advantage of her.

It was honestly worrying.

After School

As Hikigaya left the classroom alone, Kanzaki watched him go, frowning.

Turning to Juke, he said, "Himeno, do you have a moment?"

"Huh? Sure," she replied, a bit puzzled.

The two stepped into the corridor. Ji Yexue followed Kanzaki to a quiet corner where they wouldn't be overheard.

"Himeno," Kanzaki started, "do you think Hikigaya-san seemed… different today?"

"Why are you asking me?" Juke expression darkened slightly.

She forced a smile but felt frustrated inside.

She barely spoke to Hikigaya.

How was she supposed to know?

"It's not for any particular reason," Kanzaki said. "I sit in front of him, so I can't really see his expressions. But you sit beside him, so I figured you might have noticed something."

Juke let out a sigh. "Honestly, how would I know? I barely talk to him. Besides, gossiping about someone behind their back isn't a good habit, is it?"

"I get that," Kanzaki nodded. "But have you noticed that Ichinose has been a little off today? She seems distracted."

Juke paused.

She had noticed it.

Normally, Ichinose always carried a bright, heartwarming smile. She radiated endless energy and cheerfulness.

But today, she had fallen silent more than once.

It wasn't like her at all.

"I see what you mean," Juke admitted. "But… what does that have to do with Hikigaya?"

"It feels related," Kanzaki said.

He thought back to the previous day.

"The three of us had dinner at Palette, and everything seemed fine. But after that, something changed. I don't know what happened between them, but… when I left, I noticed that Hikigaya had paid the bill."

That part had caught Kanzaki off guard.

He had assumed Hikigaya was the type to take advantage of others—a person who cared more about saving money than social norms.

But paying for their meal?

That didn't fit his usual behavior.

Juke listened carefully, her expression unreadable.

"That's unexpected," she admitted.

"Right?" Kanzaki said.

Juke thought for a moment. "I didn't speak to him today, so I don't know much, but if I had to say… he seems a little more relaxed than before."

"More relaxed?" Kanzaki frowned. "Can you explain?"

Juke shrugged. "It's hard to put into words. It's just a feeling."

Kanzaki sighed.

Discussing things with girls was such a headache.

"So, in short, he seems more natural than before?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Then, could you come with me to talk to him?" Kanzaki asked.

Juke blinked. "Wait… you want to go find him?"

Kanzaki nodded.

To him, Ichinose was the ideal leader of Class B.

He couldn't let her fall apart over something like this.

As her friend, he was worried about her.

"But Hikigaya already left," juke pointed out.

"That's fine. I can guess where he went." Kanzaki turned and started walking, gesturing for her to follow.

Juke sighed.

"Honestly," she muttered, "everyone in this class is great except for that antisocial guy. But they're all so stubborn."

She had already refused, yet here she was, being dragged along anyway.

Why didn't people like Kanzaki understand when to take no for an answer?

End of Chapter

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