"Heh… Hikigaya, do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for you?"
Kushida's voice was raspy, completely different from her usual cute and gentle tone. She looked like she was on the verge of losing control.
"Kushida, how did you even get in here? Don't tell me you're planning to—"
A sudden thought struck Hikigaya, and he quickly crossed his arms over his chest as if to say, "There's no way you're forcing me to stamp my fingerprint this time!"
"Hiki! Ga! Ya!"
Kushida's emotions flared up when she saw Hikigaya's strange behavior. "Why do you always, always try to piss me off?"
"Uh... how about a cup of coffee to calm down first?"
Hikigaya asked cautiously.
Kushida took a few deep breaths, gradually calming herself down. She nodded, then walked straight into Hikigaya's room without a word. Without asking for permission, she sat on his bed, as if declaring, "From now on, this room belongs to me."
Luckily, Hikigaya was a fairly tidy person. His room was practically empty, aside from the books with library stickers on the desk and bedside table. It was extremely minimalist.
After opening the balcony door, Hikigaya took two canned coffees from his mini fridge. He pulled up a chair by his desk, sat down, and waited silently for the girl in front of him to speak.
Kushida had been fuming all day. She had cursed Hikigaya countless times in her head, thinking about all the ways she was going to get back at him. But now, seeing how calm and collected he was, she suddenly recalled what had happened last night. Her anger, which had been burning so fiercely, felt like it had just been doused with cold water.
Especially those words he said last night—every single one of them had hit her right in the heart. Even worse, she couldn't come up with a single argument to refute him. It was like he had seen right through her, like she was completely at his mercy. That feeling of unease, fear, and helplessness had kept her awake all night.
Hikigaya noticed the changes in her expression and spoke. "Kushida, you're here to talk about last night, aren't you?"
Kushida didn't answer, but the look on her face gave it away.
"After thinking it over for a night, you should've realized something. There's no real conflict of interest between us. The best way to handle this is to stay out of each other's business. No matter what you do, it won't affect me. And even if I went around telling people you're a 'ticking time bomb,' no one would believe me."
His voice was calm.
Kushida had been keeping herself composed, but the moment she heard the words "ticking time bomb," her expression twisted with rage. A vein nearly popped on her forehead.
"Hikigaya, do you have any idea how much I want to strangle you right now?"
She took several deep breaths. "You always try to get under my skin!"
"Uh… sorry. If telling the truth hurts your feelings, I'll be more careful next time."
"You!!!"
Kushida felt like she was about to lose her mind. She wanted to storm out of the room right then and there. But her rational side stopped her. She couldn't just act on impulse—she had to settle this once and for all. Otherwise, this "weakness" of hers would haunt her for the next three years.
It took a while before she finally managed to calm herself down. "You're right about one thing. You're just the lowest-ranked guy in class, someone everyone ignores. No one would believe what you say. But..."
She fixed her sharp gaze on Hikigaya. "I can't take that risk. And I definitely don't trust you."
Hikigaya Hachiman. This guy was a despicable liar.
She could still vividly remember last night. She had thought she had him completely under control, forcing him to submit with her so-called "proof." But then he pulled a dirty trick—pretending to surrender, making her lower her guard, and then suddenly turning the tables on her. Just thinking about how he had left her drenched made her want to scream.
She hated liars the most.
"I see."
Hikigaya didn't seem upset. If anything, he looked like he had expected this.
"In the end, what you're really afraid of is a lack of security, right?"
He took a sip of coffee and spoke slowly. "In your eyes, I have something on you, and you have no way to deal with me. That overwhelming sense of unease, combined with your naturally—oh, sorry—your rather troublesome personality, makes it impossible for you to trust anyone."
"What do you want? Private points? Something else? Or... are you after my body?"
Kushida stared coldly at Hikigaya. Then, without hesitation, she unbuttoned the top of her blouse.
For a moment, pure white skin flashed in front of Hikigaya's eyes.
"*Cough, cough, cough!*"
He nearly choked on his coffee. The horrifying thought of spilling it on her flashed through his mind. That would be a disaster.
Seeing his reaction, Kushida smirked. "Hah, typical guy."
At the same time, the unknown fear she had felt toward him faded just a little.
"Kushida, is it really worth going this far just to protect that fake personality of yours?"
"Shut up!"
Kushida suddenly became agitated. "You don't know anything about me! Stop acting like you understand everything, looking all high and mighty, preaching to me like you're better than me. It's really pissing me off!"
Unexpectedly, Hikigaya didn't get angry. Instead, he looked at Kushida for a long moment. His cold gaze made Kushida calm down a little as she forced herself to suppress her unease. "So, what do you actually want? If you're a man, just say it straight. Stop beating around the bush!"
Hikigaya suddenly stood up. Kushida thought she was mentally prepared, but his sudden movement still caught her off guard. Her body instinctively stepped back, and then… she fell onto the bed.
It looked like a scene straight out of a romance drama, making the plain room feel strangely intimate.
But the scene she imagined didn't happen. Hikigaya simply pulled out his phone, tapped on it a few times, and handed it to her. Kushida took it, confused. The next second, her eyes widened, and she looked up at him in shock.
"You…"
On the screen was the private point balance—over a million private points.
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