SWNOVELXO Chapter 106
Chapter 106: I’m going to fight you!
“Hey, let’s make a deal!”
“No!”
“Hey, I haven’t even said anything yet!”
Kushida was incredibly frustrated. She hadn’t said a word, yet Hikigaya already had that “I know everything” expression on his face. She hated people who acted so high and mighty!
“I admit I misjudged you. I didn’t expect you to be hiding this well!”
Kushida’s words were a clear sign of giving in.
“Misjudged?”
Hikigaya shook his head. “You have never actually looked at me properly in the first place.”
Kushida snorted coldly, refusing to respond to his words. Instead, she continued, “I’ve seen your cunning and deceit firsthand, so help me out!”
“Let’s work together to get Horikita expelled!”
At this point, Kushida’s face was filled with an ominous expression. She no longer looked like she was joking.
Hikigaya blinked and yawned. “Is that all? It’s getting late. Hurry up and leave. I want to rest.”
“Hikigaya!”
Kushida had expected a variety of responses from Hikigaya, but never this kind of dismissive, almost indifferent reaction. It was as if he was saying, “Kushida, who do you think you are?”
More importantly—
“Why do you always manage to make me so angry?!”
Kushida ground her teeth in frustration. “What I just said was serious. If you help me get Horikita expelled, I’ll agree to any request you have. Any request! How about it?”
Hikigaya looked at Kushida and shook his head again. “Is it because you’re worried that your true nature will be exposed by Horikita? Or has she already found out? So, now you want to silence her? Am I next on your list?”
“I promise that as long as you help me…”
Kushida was interrupted mid-sentence, suddenly shocked, her eyes wide as she stared at Hikigaya. “You… how did you know…”
“It’s simple reasoning. The only thing that could make you so reactive is the secret that you’re the ‘landmine girl’. Also, since the start of the school year, despite how well you’ve tried to hide it, your attitude toward Horikita has been too obvious. Even last night, your insults toward her were the most intense. I think even Horikita must have noticed your hostility toward her. And based on your current expression, I must be right.”
“Shut up!”
Kushida shouted, furious and embarrassed.
It was her secret that she absolutely couldn’t let anyone know, yet it was always being exposed by this damn dead fish-eyed guy. Could he read minds?
“I can’t read minds. You’re just too easy to understand.”
Hikigaya, who had already dealt with the biggest antagonist, was now facing Kushida with a feeling of casual indifference, almost like he was facing a lesser threat.
“You… I’m going to fight you!”
Kushida, unable to hold back any longer, lunged at Hikigaya with a growl, but he effortlessly dodged her attack.
“You’re exactly the same as Ayanokouji, that gloomy, introverted guy, yet you still act all ‘I know everything’!”
After failing at her surprise attack, Kushida immediately broke into a barrage of insults.
“Kushida, you’re wrong again.”
Hikigaya seemed oblivious to how her expression darkened even further. “If you think Ayanokouji is just like that, you’re completely wrong.”
Ayanokouji—this was the one person Hikigaya had been unable to understand since the beginning of the school year. The one person who seemed to carry the most dangerous potential. Despite all the strange and confusing actions Ayanokouji had taken, Hikigaya had sensed a certain depth to him, one that was far harder to comprehend than anyone else.
And during the midterms, Hikigaya had also noticed Ayanokouji’s performance: around 50 points for every subject. This time, there wasn’t a uniform 50 in all subjects, but it was clear that Ayanokouji, just like Hikigaya, had noticed something was wrong and had intentionally lowered his scores.
What intrigued Hikigaya even more was how Ayanokouji had tried to subtly guide him during the Sudo incident. That’s when Hikigaya had immediately sensed something far more serious—Ayanokouji was also trying to manipulate Horikita.
“If you think I’m just trying to irritate you, there’s no need to worry.”
Hikigaya calmly continued, “Just like the pass exam question on the test, I think it was Ayanokouji who discovered it, right? No need to deny it. If I’m not mistaken, he probably used words like ‘I have no position in class, no one trusts me,’ to win your sympathy. And then, he let you take the credit, am I right?”
At this point, Kushida slowly started to calm down. “So what? Ayanokouji is a loner with a perpetually gloomy face that’s even worse than Horikita’s, and his mind is filled with nothing. He even willingly became a subordinate to a guy like Yamauchi, who’s a complete idiot. He’s just worthless!”
If anyone else heard Kushida’s words, they would have been shocked. Wasn’t she supposed to be the sweet and gentle angel everyone loved?
Hikigaya gave her a deep, serious look. “Sometimes, what you see isn’t the truth. Maybe it’s just the truth someone wants you to see. Isn’t that what you’re doing too?”
Kushida, who had just managed to calm down a bit, suddenly felt her anger rise again. She glared at Hikigaya!
“And Kushida, I think you’ve been making one mistake from the beginning.”
“What do you mean?”
Kushida sounded extremely impatient.
“What you don’t understand is that you think if you become friends with everyone, no one will discover your ‘true face.’ Everyone will just like the cute, gentle, energetic Kushida, right? But do you really think this kind of satisfaction of your own vanity actually exists at this school?”
“This is my own choice. I don’t need anyone to interfere, and I definitely don’t need you to mind your own business!”
Kushida warned fiercely.
“Everyone has their own way of living, so I didn’t intend to interfere with your business. But if you ever encounter difficulty, do you think your friends will step in and help you?”
“Of course!”
Kushida seemed to have regained some confidence in front of Hikigaya and proudly said, “I’m different from you lonely, gloomy people. As long as I ask, everyone is willing to lend me their points. Even if I say I’m sick now, do you believe tomorrow a bunch of people will show up with gifts to comfort me, asking if I’m okay, sending me all sorts of things? My messages and inbox will be constantly ringing!”
This was Kushida’s source of confidence, probably the only thing she had to show off in front of Hikigaya.
“Then if it’s something like expulsion, do you think those friends will help you and do everything to save you?”
This time, Kushida fell silent. She really wanted to say “of course,” but the words stopped before they left her mouth.
“It seems you already have your answer.”
Hikigaya slowly walked up to Kushida, “So up until now, you still haven’t realized one thing. No matter how nice the words are, no matter how close the ‘best friends’ who are always by your side claim to be, when it comes to their own interests, your relationship with them is as fragile as a piece of paper.”
“What… what do you want to say?!”
Kushida instinctively took a step back.
“What I mean is, it’s getting late. Hurry up and leave, I need to rest.”
“???”