The seemingly perfect student, Hikigaya thought of Kushida.
Why would someone as perfect as Ichinose be in Class B instead of Class A?
He, who considered himself a human observer, judged that she wasn’t hiding anything like Kushida, so it must be related to her past.
“Gentle, generous, and helpful” were undoubtedly phrases Ichinose had heard countless times.
Hikigaya didn’t think she wanted to hear such things now.
If that was the case…
“Could it be that Ichinose used to be a bad kid?” Hikigaya slowly opened his eyes.
“Ah…
Hikigaya-kun, you really are amazing.” A relieved smile spread across Ichinose’s face.
She flopped onto Hikigaya’s bed without a care, her eyes fixed on the white ceiling.
“It’s more than just being a bad kid, I was a criminal…” Ichinose’s past slowly unfolded from her lips.
Ichinose came from a single-parent household with little money.
There was only her mother and a younger sister.
One day, her sister wanted a hairpin that was the same one a celebrity had, and Ichinose vowed to fulfill her wish.
However, everywhere refused to hire her, a junior high student, for a part-time job.
Since the hairpin was a limited-time sale and would be gone if missed, the day before her sister’s birthday, Ichinose walked into the store selling the hairpin, even though she had no money.
When she came to her senses, the hairpin was already in her pocket.
But secrets don’t stay hidden forever.
Her mother, who had fallen ill from working so hard, quickly discovered that her younger daughter had a hairpin she shouldn’t have.
Furious, she scolded Ichinose and took her to the store to apologize on their knees.
Seeing their sincere apologies, the shop owner forgave them and didn’t call the police.
Instead, he gave them the hairpin.
However, Ichinose couldn’t forgive herself for stealing.
The guilt consumed her, and she locked herself in her room, skipping school for half a year until she received an invitation to ANHS.
“I told Nagumo-senpai about this today, and only afterward did I realize I was being manipulated.
Unlike someone as capable as Nagumo-senpai, who can lead Class B to Class A, I was easily caught in a vulnerable spot.” “Kanzaki and Shibata-kun think too highly of me, believing only I can lead them upward.
In reality, I have neither the ability nor the right to lead them to Class A.
Chie-chan has also been asking me to bring you to Class B recently.” “If only I had your abilities or Nagumo-senpai’s.
Unfortunately, I’m just a criminal who locks herself in her room to escape when faced with setbacks.” Ichinose was now fearful and wanted to escape.
Hikigaya understood this, but he knew escaping wouldn’t work.
He, who used to love escaping the most, had grown in this trash school.
“Don’t envy Nagumo Miyabi.
He’s just a petty person.
In my heart, he’s not even worth one of your hairs,” Hikigaya said, unashamedly despising Nagumo.
“And I’m not some great person either.
Do you know about the Bonfire Festival?” “I know.
I participated once.
It’s an event where boys and girls dance together.” “The girl I was paired with said, ‘We don’t have to hold hands, right?’ After that, the other girls followed her example, and I ended up dancing with the air for an entire evening.” “…” “In junior high, I texted a classmate at 7 PM, and only received a message in the morning saying she was sorry she fell asleep.” “When I confessed to a classmate, she said, ‘Have we spoken before?’ That quickly spread throughout the class.
Even though we had texted and spoken in class, she acted like we never had.” “Hikigaya-kun is truly a good person.” Ichinose was still lying on the bed.
Hikigaya couldn’t see her face and had no idea what her expression was.
“A good person wouldn’t accept two million private points from their own class.” “It was Hikigaya who solved Sudou-kun’s incident, right?
Hirata-kun told me, though he didn’t say how, it definitely wasn’t a method used by a righteous person.” “Since I’m a petty person, using crooked methods is perfectly fine.” “Then can Hikigaya teach me crooked methods?” “That’s not suitable for you.
Just do as you think is best.” “….” “But you won’t win that way, so I have to be a bad kid too.” Thinking of Hoshinomiya’s undisguised guidance, Ichinose fell silent for a moment before getting up and walking in front of Hikigaya.
Under his horrified gaze, she straddled him, and the wheeled chair was propelled against the wall.
Her graceful body pressed down on him, fitting perfectly.
Ichinose’s hands climbed up his back.
Even though he couldn’t see, Hikigaya could imagine two magnificent mounds being flattened against him.
Ichinose’s body was soft and smelled good.
Hikigaya’s brain froze like a computer, only managing these two simple adjectives.
Seeing Hikigaya’s slightly flushed face, Ichinose smiled faintly.
She buried her head in Hikigaya’s shoulder.
“Since Hikigaya-kun is unwilling to teach me, can I beg you to save me, this bad kid?” “…..” — The Class D classroom at the start of the morning was as boisterous as ever.
If anything, it was even more so, especially around Hikigaya.
“Hikigaya, are you dating Ichinose?” Hearing Yamauchi Haruki’s question, the students around Hikigaya all turned their attention to him.
The news spread like a virus, silencing the class.
“Roughly.” “What do you mean ‘roughly’?
Didn’t Ichinose walk to school holding your arm today?
That’s great.
Ichinose is the school’s famous angel.” Yamauchi Haruki’s big mouth made Hikigaya want to slap him.
Last night, he had succumbed to Ichinose’s boldness and made a deal with her.
Now, he technically had a girlfriend who was a campus angel.
“Is…
is that true, Hikigaya-kun?” Sakura, his deskmate, showed clear distress behind her glasses.
“It’s true.” Hearing Hikigaya’s confirmation, Sakura let out a sob and buried her face in her desk.
Whispers erupted in the classroom.
Ichinose was the top student among the first-years.
Hikigaya had a feeling they were wondering why Ichinose would suddenly be with an inconspicuous classmate like him.
“Amazing, can you teach me too…” Under Hikigaya’s dead-fish-eyed glare, Yamauchi obediently turned away.
But judging by the expressions of other students, the news would likely spread throughout the entire year, and possibly even reach Nagumo.
Just thinking of Nagumo Miyabi’s frustrated expression made Hikigaya’s troubles disappear.
Ichinose had solo-killed him, and in a way, he had also solo-killed Nagumo Miyabi.
He hadn’t lost.