Chapter 18: The Cat and the Leopard  

"Hahaha, Hikigaya-kun, are all the students in Class D this straightforward and funny? Sorry, I usually don't laugh like this, but I just couldn't help it—it was too... too hilarious! Was that really your class rep just now?" 

Outside the gym, Haruno was clutching her stomach, laughing so hard she could barely stand. 

"Now you understand what I was saying earlier, right?" Hikigaya sighed, rubbing his forehead. 

"And besides... Class D doesn't even have a real leader yet. If an idiot like him ever became one... Ugh, just thinking about it is terrifying." 

That brainless monkey Yamauchi never even got my name right. Definitely on purpose. 

Seeing things getting more chaotic, Hikigaya made a quick decision and dragged Haruno away from the two fools. He didn't even want to imagine what kind of ridiculous things would happen next. 

For the record, he wasn't worried about Haruno—he was worried that Yamauchi and Ike, those two brainless monkeys, would get completely played by her. 

"I see." 

"So, are you admitting you're the same kind of person as that black belt ace pitcher?" 

"..." 

"They might be entertaining, but when it comes to social manners—especially around girls—they're a disaster. Don't you think so?" Haruno was still smiling, but there was something unsettlingly cold about it. 

Teenage boys are naturally curious about girls, but most of them at least try to act shy or reserved. Guys like Ike and Yamauchi, who had absolutely no shame in front of girls, were a rare breed. 

Even as a fellow guy, Hikigaya found them embarrassing. 

Where the hell did these two rabid dogs come from? 

Oh, right. Class D. That explains everything. 

At the same time, he noticed the trap in Haruno's words. She had practically set it up so that he would naturally agree and criticize the two idiots. It all seemed so logical. 

But if he actually said it out loud, it would make him look fake and insincere—like he was trying to play both sides. 

Then again, it's not like he was innocent either. 

So, he decided to just stay quiet and pretend he didn't get it. 

Haruno looked slightly surprised, then leaned in close to his ear and chuckled. 

"Hikigaya-kun, you're always such a gentleman, aren't you~?" 

From the moment they met at the gym, Haruno had been watching his every little movement. Whether it was standing properly to shield her from the crowd, intentionally keeping his distance, or stepping in to stop Yamauchi—it all had this strange contradiction, like he wanted to push her away but couldn't help staying close. 

But what really intrigued Haruno was... was he trying to protect her? 

The thought made her laugh inside. What a childish, overconfident little boy. 

Yet, at the same time, it gave her an odd, unfamiliar feeling. 

"D-Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not some gentleman. I just have a little more self-control than those two monkeys—uh, I mean, people." Hikigaya felt a tickling sensation in his ear and quickly moved away. 

"Oh? So, you're saying... I don't attract you at all?" 

"Stop twisting my words!" Hikigaya's face darkened. 

"A boy telling a girl 'you're not attractive' is a pretty serious insult, you know~" 

"Yukinoshita Haruno is the most charming, most beautiful girl I've ever met!" 

"Eh?! W-What do you mean?! Even if you suddenly confess, I—I'm not going to accept it!" Haruno suddenly looked flustered. 

Oh, she's still acting? 

Hikigaya sneered inside.

"I'm just being honest—there's no girl in this school more charming than Yukinoshita Haruno. I admit, she's unbelievably beautiful. For the other girls, having to share a school with her is just bad luck." 

"Hahaha!" 

Haruno finally couldn't hold back and burst into laughter. It took her a while to recover, but there was still a slight flush on her face. 

"Looks like you have been... holding a lot in~" Haruno teased. 

"A teenage boy without a girlfriend usually has more women in his mind than an emperor's entire harem. Sometimes, the filth in his heart is worse than a public restroom." Hikigaya said with a blank expression. 

"Oh wow, that actually makes a lot of sense! But using a famous writer's words to justify yourself—Hikigaya-kun, that's pretty sneaky!" Haruno paused on purpose, then giggled. 

"Also... so you don't have a girlfriend~?" 

Hey, hey, woman, is that really the part you should be focusing on? 

Before he realized it, Haruno had taken control of the conversation again, and Hikigaya was growing more uneasy and lost. Even now, he still didn't know how to deal with the young Yukinoshita Haruno standing in front of him. He wanted to get closer, but at the same time, he was afraid of affecting her in a bad way. That was why he had been avoiding this ever since he arrived in this timeline. 

Hikigaya took a deep breath. A brief struggle flashed in his eyes, but he quickly pushed it down. His gaze toward Haruno suddenly turned cold, and his tone carried an undeniable distance. 

"Yukinoshita-san, you should already know that I'm a boring and antisocial person. I had my own responsibility in that car accident, and I never blamed anyone. Your family already made amends, so this matter was settled a long time ago."

"....So if you're approaching me out of guilt, or just for the sake of making yourself feel better, there's really no need. If that accident never happened, we wouldn't have had any connection at all. From the very start, you and I… were never part of the same world. If you're looking for someone to play a rich girl's pretend friendship game with, go find someone else. Keeping our distance—like strangers—is better for everyone." 

His words were blunt, even merciless. Anyone could hear the irritation, rejection, and coldness in them. Normally, any girl would feel hurt or angry, and whatever fragile connection they had would break beyond repair. They would become complete strangers. 

But the scene he imagined didn't happen. Instead, Haruno still had a playful smile on her face. 

"You know, Hikigaya-kun, you're like a wounded little cat right now. You clearly want someone to save you, but you're too afraid of getting hurt again." 

As she spoke, Haruno stepped closer. The distance between them shrank to an almost intimate level. Hikigaya could faintly catch the scent of osmanthus on her, and their eyes locked at that moment. 

"A… wounded little cat?" 

What kind of embarrassing metaphor is that?! 

Hikigaya forced himself to stay calm and shot back stiffly, "Then what about you, Yukinoshita-san? You're more like… a snow leopard." 

"Oh? And why's that?" Haruno asked, amused. 

"You're excellent at using your surroundings to hide and hunt your prey. But the moment you step out of the snow, you have nowhere to run." 

After he finished speaking, the smile on Haruno's face faded without him even noticing. There was a sharpness in her eyes, a pressure that vanished just as quickly as it appeared. Then, she smiled again—her usual, familiar smile. 

"Is it because of these eyes? Hikigaya-kun, you're really good at reading people, aren't you?" 

Haruno reached out a slender finger toward him. Hikigaya instinctively leaned back, and her hand froze in midair. 

"Heh, am I really that scary?" 

She was still smiling, but Hikigaya felt an unexplainable coldness from her. 

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