It was Monday, the first school day after the sports festival. As soon as classes ended, Sakura Airi hurried over to the hallway outside Class B, nervously peeking at the classroom door.
The sports festival had ended, and Class D's class points had dropped back to around 100. However, the October personal point distribution would still include the 200 class points for the month. So, at least for now, her personal points were enough.
Sakura Airi clutched her student ID card, which displayed a meager total of just over 30,000 personal points. Most of it was slowly saved over the past six months. Other than buying her camera at the start of school, her expenses were minimal. The school provided many free items, so as long as she was frugal, her points accumulated.
Of those points, 20,000 were meant to be returned to Hikigaya Hachiman. That left her with over 10,000 points, which she believed would be enough to cover a decent meal.
Even so, Sakura Airi's excitement was mixed with disappointment. They were from different classes, so chances to meet were rare. She often visited Keyaki Shopping Mall, hoping to run into him, but it almost never happened. Occasionally, they bumped into each other in the dormitory, but she never had the courage to approach him.
Finally, she had a proper reason to see him — repaying the borrowed points over dinner.
Suddenly, a cheerful voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Sakura-san?"
Startled, Sakura turned to see Kushida Kikyo standing beside her with a friendly smile.
"Are you here for something in Class B?" Kushida asked, her curiosity evident.
Sakura Airi hesitated, nervously glancing around. "N-No... nothing."
Kushida's smile widened. "Well, I have a lot of friends in Class B. If you need help with anything, feel free to ask."
"T-Thank you, but... I'm fine."
Even though Kushida spoke kindly, Sakura couldn't shake the uneasy feeling she got from her. She wished Kushida would leave so she could wait for Hikigaya in peace.
Kushida, however, wasn't giving up. "Are you sure? You seem a bit nervous."
"No, really. You can go ahead and do your own thing. Don't worry about me." Sakura's voice was faint and timid.
Kushida tilted her head and maintained her smile, but a hint of frustration flickered in her eyes. This was her second time seeing Sakura around Class B. The first was when she came with Horikita Suzune to pay Hikigaya back.
But why was Sakura here again? Kushida's instincts told her it had something to do with Hikigaya.
Before Kushida could probe further, Tetsuya Hamaguchi, a Class B student, walked out of the classroom.
"Kushida-san, and... Sakura-san?" he greeted, his tone surprised.
"Good afternoon, Hamaguchi-san." Kushida responded sweetly. "Sorry to trouble you, but could you call Hikigaya-kun for me?"
"E-Eh?" Sakura stammered, shocked.
"Eh?" Hamaguchi echoed her surprise.
Hamaguchi looked between the two girls, his expression puzzled. "You're both here for Hikigaya?"
Sakura hesitated but nodded, feeling increasingly uncomfortable.
"Alright, give me a moment." Hamaguchi went back into the classroom, still looking baffled.
Sakura bit her lip and glanced at Kushida, who continued smiling patiently. Neither girl was willing to back down.
Inside the classroom, Hamaguchi approached Hikigaya's desk with a stern expression.
"What are you doing...?" Hikigaya asked, feeling uneasy under Hamaguchi's intense gaze.
Hamaguchi sighed. "I was just wondering how someone like you, who barely talks, always has beautiful girls looking for him. It's unfair."
"They're just here for specific reasons. It's not like that," Hikigaya replied with a hint of irritation.
"So someone's looking for me again, huh?"
"Yeah, and this time, there are two of them. Pretty popular for a loner, huh?"
"Geez... It's not like that." Hikigaya rolled his eyes and got up from his seat.
As he exited the classroom, the first person he saw was Sakura Airi. Her timid expression instantly told him she was here to pay him back and treat him to dinner. He couldn't help but smile slightly.
Then, his gaze landed on Kushida Kikyo. His mood soured instantly.
"Good afternoon, Hikigaya-kun." Kushida greeted him sweetly, as if she hadn't been waiting with a hidden agenda.
Hikigaya sighed, already predicting what was coming.
Kushida continued, "I still feel bad about what happened on the cruise. Because of me, Chi and the others ended up misunderstanding you. I wanted to treat you to dinner as an apology."
"That's not necessary." Hikigaya tried to brush her off, not wanting to deal with her manipulative charm.
"But I feel terrible about it. Please, just one meal. Otherwise, I won't feel right," she said, lowering her voice as if on the verge of tears.
Sakura Airi flinched. Why did it have to be now?
By then, other Class B students had started gathering. Hearing the conversation, Shibata frowned. "Hikigaya, why are you making girls cry again?"
"I didn't do anything!" Hikigaya groaned.
Ichinose Honami stepped forward, her gentle demeanor calming the situation. "Hikigaya-kun, if Kushida-san feels bad about it, why not accept her apology? It's just a meal, right?"
The crowd's murmurs pressured him to agree, but Hikigaya's deadpan stare remained locked on Kushida.
He refused to give in.
"Actually, Airi." Hikigaya turned to Sakura. "Didn't you say you wanted to treat me to dinner last time? Let's go together, then."
Kushida's eyes widened in surprise, but she couldn't object. Not without damaging her kind and friendly image.
"W-Well... yes." Sakura Airi nodded nervously, not expecting to be dragged into this.
"Alright, let's go." Hikigaya motioned for them to leave, turning away before Kushida could argue.
The three of them walked off together.
From the side, Hamaguchi Tetsuya scratched his head. "Hikigaya must be an idiot. If it were me, I'd choose Kushida every time."
Ichinose smiled softly, her eyes thoughtful. "Hikigaya-kun just values people differently, that's all."
Meanwhile, Juke watched the scene unfold with a satisfied grin. "Hikigaya's an idiot, alright. But that's what makes him interesting."