"Hmm—hmm hmm? Hmm... hmm hmm...?"
Early in the morning, Kushida hummed a little tune as she prepared to go to school.
Her friend, Wang Meiyu, curiously asked, "Kikyo-chan, you seem to be in a great mood today. Did something good happen?"
"Hmm? Ah, no, not really." Kushida replied with a bright smile.
Saying she was in a good mood would be an understatement—she was practically over the moon.
And, of course, all of this was thanks to Valentine's Day two days ago.
Not only was she the first to give chocolates to Hikigaya, leaving a deep impression on him, but more importantly, she had finally managed to make that eyesore, Ichinose, crash and burn, completely knocking her out of the game.
Despite never putting in any effort, Ichinose always seemed to gain so much… Well, it wasn't too much to make her pay a little interest this time, right?
However, there was something that puzzled Kushida.
The day after Valentine's, she discreetly spread the news of Ichinose's rejection, expecting it to take two or three days to gain traction. Yet, to her surprise, the entire school knew about it by the end of the same day.
That was way too fast.
Sure, it was an explosive piece of gossip, but something still felt off.
If it had only spread among the first-years, that would be understandable. However, for it to reach the upperclassmen so quickly… Was Sakayanagi behind this?
Though they had cooperated a little this time—Kushida had informed Sakayanagi of Ichinose's confession location—she certainly didn't see Sakayanagi as an ally.
Still, if possible, she would prefer not to make an enemy out of her… as long as—
"As long as that person doesn't have any weird thoughts about Hachiman…"
"Eh? Kikyo-chan, what did you just say?"
Caught off guard, Kushida realized that Wang Meiyu had overheard her mumbling.
Luckily, she quickly covered it up. "I was saying it's almost eight o'clock. We shouldn't wait for Hirata-kun and should head to school first."
"Ehh?! N-no, that's not it! I'm not waiting for Hirata-kun!"
Wang Meiyu's face turned bright red, and she started stammering.
Kushida chuckled internally. Every time they arranged to walk to school together, Wang Meiyu would drag her along and linger in the dormitory lobby for a while—
All just to "coincidentally" run into Hirata and invite him to walk together.
"Ahh, Meiyu-chan, you're really hopeless." Kushida teased. "If you want to go to school with Hirata-kun, you should just ask him directly. Why use me as an excuse? Or do you need me there to feel more at ease?"
"Ugh… Kikyo-chan, you're so mean."
As one of the few people Wang Meiyu trusted, Kushida had long known about her crush on Hirata. The latter had even sworn her to secrecy.
Though, honestly, that was just her own delusion—most of the class had already figured it out.
After all, it was way too obvious.
Just as Kushida was considering how to tease her further, the elevator behind them suddenly chimed open.
"Ah, um, Kikyo-chan…"
"Hehe, what is it? Could it be that your beloved Hirata-kun has arrived?"
"It's not Hirata-kun," Wang Meiyu huffed, then smirked. "It's actually Kikyo-chan's most beloved Hikigaya-kun."
"What? That's just Hiki—eh?"
Kushida blinked, instinctively turning around to glance at him—before quickly snapping her head back.
She furrowed her brows and muttered to herself, "Weird… Why is he going to school so early today? Did something happen?"
"…Huh?"
Hearing this, Wang Meiyu was dumbfounded.
Did it just sound like Kikyo-chan… had already memorized Hikigaya-kun's daily routine?
A chill ran down her spine.
Meanwhile, Kushida had already stepped forward to greet him.
"Hikigaya-kun, good mor—Hikigaya-kun?!"
For some reason, her voice suddenly shot up in shock.
Wang Meiyu instinctively looked up—only to be just as startled.
She had always thought that Hikigaya's eyes were a bit scary, but she had gotten used to them over time.
But this—this was beyond just dead-fish eyes.
His eyes were bloodshot, deep black circles hung beneath them, and his hair was a tangled mess, resembling a bird's nest. Saying he was disheveled would be too kind.
He looked like a walking corpse.
Just what the hell happened?
"H-Hikigaya-kun, are you okay?" Kushida asked, her voice filled with concern.
"…I'm fine."
But Hikigaya simply stared at her for a long moment before sluggishly responding.
"This doesn't look fine at all!" Kushida said, half exasperated, half worried. "What happened? Did you not sleep last night?"
"…Maybe."
Hikigaya weakly waved his hand and was about to take a step forward when Kushida quickly grabbed his arm.
"Wait a second! You can't go to school looking like this!"
"…I can't?" Hikigaya tilted his head slightly, as if still half-asleep.
"Of course not!"
There were certainly some sloppy students at school, but Kushida didn't want to see the person she liked appearing in such a state—nor did she want others whispering behind his back.
"Anyway, come with me for a bit… Meiyu-chan, you go on ahead to school. You don't have to wait for me."
The last sentence was directed at Wang Meiyu.
Without waiting for Hikigaya's response, Kushida firmly took his hand and led him into the elevator.
Watching the elevator doors slowly close, Wang Meiyu let out a helpless sigh.
"Ah… and Kushida-chan dares to tease me? She's just as bad… Well, I hope everything goes well."
On the other hand, the two of them arrived at the floor where Hikigaya's room was located.
"Hachiman, what's wrong with you?"
Kushida took out a spare key from her bag and unlocked the door. As she stepped inside, she couldn't help but ask again.
"There's no one else here now, right? You can tell me, can't you?"
"…I told you, it's nothing."
Hikigaya turned his head away lifelessly, refusing to say anything.
"Geez, did you even look in the mirror when you woke up today?" Kushida pressed his shoulders down and forcefully led him to the bathroom mirror. "Look at yourself! There's no way it's 'nothing'! You don't even need makeup—you could go straight to a zombie audition!"
"…Oh."
"You—ugh, never mind."
Normally, Hikigaya would have had a sarcastic comeback for that.
But now, there was no reaction at all… This had to be serious.
Feeling a growing sense of concern, Kushida turned on the hot water faucet and skillfully soaked a washcloth in it.
"Anyway, you can tell me your troubles later. First, let me clean you up."
"…I don't have any troubles."
"Sure, sure, you don't, you don't."
Like coaxing a child, Kushida humored him as she gently placed the warm towel over his eyes.
Hmm… If his eyes are covered, he actually looks pretty handsome.
Amused by this unexpected realization, she picked up a comb and started tidying his hair.
But no matter how many times she brushed, his hair remained stubbornly disheveled, sticking out in all directions.
"Strange… Hachiman, did you go to bed last night without drying your hair?"
"…Maybe."
"'Maybe'?!" Kushida was speechless. "But you don't even look like you slept at all… Were you up all night gaming? Or reading novels? Make sure to take care of yourself, okay?"
"…Yeah."
Though Hikigaya responded obediently, Kushida felt a jolt of unease.
No, no, this isn't just about staying up late.
Something is bothering him…
…Is it Ichinose?
Thinking about it, that was the only thing that made sense.
But everything seemed fine yesterday… Could it be because of the rumors?
To avoid suspicion, Kushida had deliberately kept her distance and simply observed from afar.
From what she saw, Hikigaya didn't seem particularly affected by rejecting Ichinose.
He spent the day as usual, and from what she heard, he even got into an argument with Nagumo after school.
He seemed plenty energetic to her!
That's why she thought the matter had blown over.
But now, seeing him like this…
"Hey… Hachiman?"
After a brief hesitation, Kushida cautiously asked,
"Are you… still bothered about Ichinose?"
"…What about Ichinose?"
"Well, I mean, those rumors—about you bragging about rejecting her confession. I was wondering if hearing them made you uncomfortable."
"…It wasn't even me who spread them."
His response was indifferent, but that was enough to put Kushida at ease.
As long as it's not because of Ichinose, everything's fine!
"Hehe, of course, I know it wasn't you." She playfully pinched his cheek and teased, "After all, everyone knows you don't even have friends to brag to. And even if you did tell someone, no one would believe you."
"…Yeah."
"Uh—wait, I was just joking! Don't take it seriously!"
Finished, finished!
This kind of reaction… Something's definitely wrong!
But there's no way to get any answers now, and class is about to start soon anyway.
"Seriously, what's with your hair?! No matter how much you try to fix it, it just won't stay down! And those dark circles under your eyes… Ah, wait!"
Halfway through her complaints, Kushida suddenly seemed to remember something and dashed out of the bathroom.
When she returned, she was holding a box of hair wax and a small makeup kit.
"I knew I saw this in your room before. Finally, your hair can be saved."
Saying that, Kushida popped open the lid of the hair wax and started applying it to Hikigaya's hair.
Though reluctant, Hikigaya didn't resist.
"…It's fine if you just leave it alone."
"No way!" Kushida shot him down instantly. "You're a student council member now—you should at least care about your appearance! You don't want to scare your classmates, do you?"
She definitely didn't want Hikigaya showing up looking like a mess in front of everyone—he'd just end up getting laughed at.
"Also, I'll cover up those dark circles with some makeup. That way, no one will notice."
"No… You're so annoying."
"What do you mean 'no'? I'm doing this for you!"
Pouting, Kushida gave him a light smack and grabbed his shoulders to stop him from escaping.
"This stuff is expensive, you know! I wouldn't use it on just anyone!"
"…I don't need it."
"Stop complaining. Sit still and don't move!"
Under Kushida's firm control, Hikigaya was reluctantly tidied up. His bird's nest of a hairstyle was finally tamed, and even that one stubborn strand of hair was gone.
But…
"The dark circles are still kind of visible."
Kushida studied Hikigaya's face carefully, her brows furrowing in frustration.
"And your eyes are really red too… Ugh, I feel like this is the best I can do."
"…Is it really that bad?"
"Of course it is. You saw yourself in the mirror, didn't you?" Kushida sighed. "You should probably just take the day off… Ah, we're going to be late if we don't leave now."
"You're exaggerating… Whatever."
Having been fussed over for so long, Hikigaya's dulled thoughts finally started clearing up.
To avoid Kushida coming up with even more unnecessary ideas, he considered his options and simply pulled out a pair of glasses from his drawer, putting them on.
"Huh? This is…"
"Is this good enough?"
"Ah… uh, yeah."
Seeing Hikigaya looking like a completely different person, Kushida unconsciously swallowed.
How should she put it…?
He looks really good.
Back during the sports festival's borrowing race, she hadn't gotten a close look at him in glasses because of the distance. She had only heard people saying that some sudden handsome guy had appeared in their grade.
But now, seeing him up close—
It felt like her heart was being squeezed, and her pulse was racing faster and faster.
"Kikyo, now—"
"Wahhh?!"
Before Hikigaya could finish speaking, Kushida let out a loud yelp, cutting him off. She then spun around and stared intently at the wall.
She couldn't look at him.
Calling her name all of a sudden like that… That was way too unfair!
"…Are we going to school or not?"
Even Hikigaya, lost in his own thoughts, noticed that something was off about her.
This guy…!
Who do you think caused this in the first place?!
And now he had the nerve to sound all impatient with her?!
Alright, calm down.
Calm down and think rationally. He just got a little more attractive, that's all.
Right, if you ignore the fact that this is Hachiman, he's just a handsome guy… Mmgh…
But when she thought about it, she realized—
That was exactly why she was drawn to him in the first place. His looks were secondary.
And now that his only shortcoming had been fixed…
There was no room left for her affection to grow!
It had already maxed out!
No, wait, before that—
"Hey, Hachiman, maybe you should take off those glasses—Hachiman?!"
Just as she was about to convince him to remove them, she realized he had already left the room.
She hurriedly chased after him, grumbling, "At least wait for me! Who just leaves behind the person who helped them? So rude!"
"Kushida… pay attention to your image."
"…Forget it."
Letting out a heavy sigh, Kushida forced herself to calm down.
In no time, the two of them stepped into the elevator, and the doors slowly closed.
At the same time, Kushida's heart also gradually settled down.
Yeah, he was just a handsome guy.
It wasn't like she hadn't seen handsome guys before.
There was nothing to get worked up over!
Even though she only thought about it, the moment Kushida caught sight of Hikigaya's profile from the corner of her eye, she found herself staring at him in a daze.
She didn't even notice when the elevator had already reached the first floor.
"Hey, Kushida... Kushida?"
...This girl is acting really weird today.
After having a warm towel on his face for a while, Hikigaya had finally regained some clarity. But now, it was Kushida's turn to start acting strange.
He didn't have the energy to think too much about it. Besides, it was almost time for school. So, he simply grabbed her by the wrist and ran towards campus.
As expected, they were nearly late when they arrived at the classroom.
At the same time, they caused an uproar.
"Th-That's Hikigaya-kun?"
"Huh? Is that really Hikigaya?!"
"Why is he coming to school with Kushida-chan...?"
Normally, these murmurs would have been grating—maybe even enough to make him feel anxious and annoyed.
But right now, Hikigaya felt nothing.
Only a strange sense of indifference… as if none of it mattered anymore.
As he returned to his seat, Matsushita, seated beside him, glanced over several times before finally speaking hesitantly.
"Um... Hachiman-kun?"
"...Yeah?"
"You seem, uh… a little different today?"
Although this wasn't the first time she had seen Hikigaya like this, it was the first time she had actually spoken to him in this state. It made her a bit nervous.
"What… what happened to you today? Why did you suddenly… ahaha, how should I put this?"
Not knowing how to phrase it, she scratched her cheek awkwardly.
She wasn't the only one. Many of the girls in the class were secretly glancing in his direction.
But to Hikigaya right now, none of that mattered.
That chocolate...
Ding-ding-ding—!
Just then, the bell rang for class.
Yet, it failed to pull someone out of his thoughts.
At the same time, Chabashira-sensei walked into the classroom, as usual, right on cue.
However, the moment she stepped inside, she immediately sensed something was off.
Had these kids… already caught wind of the upcoming special exam?
If that was the case, Chabashira-sensei would actually be pleased. It would mean her students had some level of competence.
Unfortunately, she was overthinking it.
"What are you all looking at... Hm? Who's that?"
There's a saying—no matter what sneaky little tricks students try to pull, the teacher can always see everything clearly from the podium.
So naturally, Chabashira-sensei noticed where the students' gazes were directed. That's when she spotted an unfamiliar figure in the classroom.
"Hey, I'm talking to you. The guy in the back with the glasses."
"Uh…"
Still lost in thought, Hikigaya didn't react at all.
Seeing this, Matsushita had no choice but to raise her hand and report, "Chabashira-sensei, that's Hikigaya-kun."
"...Hikigaya?"
She stared at him for a long moment, as if trying to recall something.
Right… during the sports festival—tch, that damn Ayanokoji!
The moment she remembered the Borrowed Item race from back then, Chabashira-sensei's mood soured.
Who was she calling past the expiration date, huh?!
"I see, Hikigaya. Planning to make your high school debut now?" she quipped. "But isn't it a little late? You should've prepared before enrollment, you know?"
"Uh…"
But Hikigaya didn't even acknowledge her, let alone respond.
...This guy is annoying too.
"Forget it, let's get to business," she sighed.
Chabashira-sensei decided it wasn't worth arguing with these students—it would only ruin her own mood.
She picked up a piece of chalk and turned to the blackboard.
Then, she wrote down a few large words.
"Now then, it's time to officially announce the first-year's final special exam—The Selection Exam."