"What… what do you mean? I don't understand."
Kushida didn't even notice the slight tremble in her voice. She forced herself to stay calm, keeping a composed expression despite the unease growing inside her.
Hikigaya stared straight at her, and the air in the room seemed to freeze. It was only then that Kushida realized something—she had been the one to initiate this negotiation, yet from the very start, Hikigaya had been in control.
Just like that, with nothing but a simple movement and a sharp gaze, he had completely shifted the atmosphere.
But… in class, he never had this kind of presence!
Suddenly, Hikigaya smiled. Kushida should've felt relieved, but instead, a chill ran down her spine.
"Kushida, since you walked into this room, how many times have you looked at the clock on the wall?"
Hikigaya pointed to the clock hanging behind him.
"You're probably going to say that a girl would naturally feel uneasy being in a stranger's room at night, and since you happen to be sitting in a position where you can see the clock, it's only normal."
Hikigaya smirked as he looked at her.
"And… what's wrong with that?"
Kushida shifted slightly in her seat. "Hikigaya, what exactly are you trying to say?"
"Seven times."
Hikigaya's expression remained unchanged. "Since you walked into my room, you've glanced at the clock seven times. In just twelve minutes."
Kushida's face stiffened, and for a brief moment, there was even a flicker of fear. He… had noticed every single movement she made? Even something as small as that?
Hikigaya raised a finger, and Kushida's eyes were instinctively drawn to it.
Her exposed thigh?
But in the next second, his finger slowly moved upward—from her calf, to her knee, to her thigh, and even higher. Kushida's body tensed, a strange numbness spreading through her, as if she could actually feel his touch on her skin… even though they weren't touching at all.
Finally, Hikigaya's finger stopped at her right waist.
"And… I wonder if you've noticed—your right hand keeps touching the pocket of your skirt."
Hikigaya glanced at the pocket with interest.
Wait… why was this troublesome girl suddenly blushing? And why was there sweat forming on her temples? It wasn't that hot in the room, was it? Hikigaya was confused.
Kushida, realizing what he said, instinctively covered her pocket. But she quickly realized her reaction was too obvious, leaving her in an awkward position.
"A phone? Or… some kind of recording device?"
Hikigaya didn't seem too concerned about what was actually in her pocket. He simply said, "Kushida, you have too many weak spots."
"You!!!"
Kushida's temper flared at his words. Angrily, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and slammed it onto the table. Sure enough… the screen showed it was currently recording.
She turned off the recording and, as if out of frustration, deleted it right in front of Hikigaya. Then, she lifted her chin and gave him a look that said, "There, happy now?"—but the unwillingness in her eyes was still obvious.
Hikigaya, however, paid no attention to it. "Even if you hadn't deleted it, it wouldn't matter. You know as well as I do that until now, there was nothing useful in that recording."
"When did you figure it out?"
Kushida only cared about one thing now. There was no way Hikigaya actually had such terrifying observation skills. And she was sure—absolutely sure—that she had never once touched her phone since she arrived. Which meant… he had been bluffing her the whole time. Yet she had still fallen for it. Because…
"From the moment you mentioned using private points."
Hikigaya understood exactly what Kushida was trying to do. If he had even the slightest bit of greed or hesitation, that would've been the noose tightening around his neck.
Just the topic of private points alone—he could already think of several ways she could use it to trap him.
Of course, he never expected that Kushida would go as far as trying to seduce him.
"If it were those idiot simps from our class, they would've fallen for it already."
Hikigaya let out a cold laugh. "So, Kushida, you picked the wrong target."
Kushida bit her lip, looking unwilling to accept defeat. But the next second, Hikigaya suddenly stood up and stepped toward her, getting closer and closer.
Kushida curled up on the bed like a startled kitten, looking both pitiful and strangely... tempting.
"Are you looking forward to my next move?"
"Y-You bastard!"
Kushida yelled, feeling both humiliated and wronged. She even shut her eyes, as if she had already accepted her fate.
But after waiting for a while, nothing happened.
Instead, when she opened her eyes, she saw Hikigaya smirking at her before turning away and heading toward the door.
Surprisingly, Kushida didn't feel relieved. Instead, her face turned pale.
"Kushida, let's just be honest with each other."
Hikigaya didn't seem interested in playing this game anymore. "Back to my first question—why do you keep checking the time? And why, when there were plenty of other places to sit, did you choose to sit on my bed?"
"Hikigaya, y-you… What are you even saying?! I don't understand!"
Kushida quickly stood up, as if standing would help her shake off the unease creeping up on her. "It was just a coincidence!"
"A coincidence? I don't think so."
Hikigaya sneered. "More like a setup. You deliberately sat on my bed, acting like you were 'willing to trade your body' for something. Then, naturally, things would escalate from there, right? And just when things got interesting, your backup plan would suddenly barge in.
"From there, it'd all go exactly how you planned—crying, accusations, witnesses. And me? I'd be labeled a criminal. My only choices would be expulsion… or jail.
"Am I right, Kushida?"
The guilt, shame, and panic on Kushida's face were completely gone. Now, her expression was cold, emotionless.
She clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging into her palms as she stared daggers at Hikigaya.
"You still look like you're not convinced?"
Compared to her icy glare, Hikigaya looked completely calm.
"You're like a landmine, Kushida. The moment you barged into my room, I knew something was off.
"If it were just a moment of impulse, I might've believed it. But someone acting purely on impulse wouldn't sit down and try to negotiate.
"So that only leaves one explanation—this was a trap from the very start."
Kushida felt a chill run through her body.
"It's been about fifteen minutes since you came in, right? If we're following the timeline of your script, we're just about at the climax."
She was still fully clothed, yet under his gaze, she felt completely… exposed.
He had seen through her.
Completely.
Just as Hikigaya finished speaking, a loud banging came from outside the door.
"Kikyo! Are you in there?!"
"You bastard, Hikigaya! Open the damn door!!"
"Hikigaya, it's me, Hirata..."
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