SWNOVELXO Chapter 135
Chapter 135: The Initial Oversight
“What do you mean?”
Hikigaya sensed something unusual in Sakura’s words. What did she mean by “not wanting to implicate him”?
Sakura looked like she was about to cry, deeply remorseful. “It… it’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have carried this camera with me. I’m really sorry. I… I can’t let Hikigaya-kun be affected because of me! This is all my fault!”
“Wait, Sakura, don’t get upset. Explain everything slowly and clearly.”
Hikigaya quickly tried to calm her down.
Bit by bit, he pieced together the truth from her fragmented explanation.
“You’re saying that you received an anonymous message saying, ‘Because of this camera, I got into trouble,’ and that’s why you agreed to testify at the hearing?”
Hikigaya frowned deeply.
Sakura nodded and handed him the anonymous message. The content was brief but clear: it implied that the camera in her possession had led to Hikigaya being targeted by Class C. If she wanted to help him, she needed to attend Sudo’s hearing as a witness.
Coincidentally… Sakura had witnessed Hikigaya’s confrontation with Ryuen that night, so she mistakenly assumed that Class C was trying to get revenge on Hikigaya.
She panicked because she cared too much.
Then, Ayanokoji, under Horikita’s name, visited her and asked for her help as a classmate. In her flustered state, Sakura agreed without much thought.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t think it through at the time… I was worried that you were really in trouble, so… so…”
Hikigaya picked up the camera. Now, he finally understood where the problem lay.
This camera was the one he had given to Sakura as a gift. He had bought it at the Digital Store in Keyaki Mall for 300,000 private points—an expensive luxury item.
At the time, he hadn’t considered the implications. Since the camera couldn’t be returned within seven days, he figured he might as well give it to Sakura rather than let it gather dust. At least, that way, it wouldn’t go to waste. But he never expected it to cause her trouble instead.
Most students wouldn’t have enough private points to afford such an expensive camera—especially not Class D, who had lost all their class points in the first month. As a result, this camera became a weapon that others could use to pressure Sakura.
And with such a costly item, it wouldn’t be difficult for someone to trace its origins by asking around at the store.
“Sakura, this isn’t your fault. It’s mine.”
Hikigaya reassured her, while inwardly blaming himself for his oversight.
He also hadn’t expected Ayanokoji to notice this minor detail about Sakura and use it to set a trap.
Hikigaya picked up the camera and handed it back to Sakura, who looked up anxiously. “B-but…”
“Don’t worry, it’s fine. You don’t have to worry about the points or the origin of the camera.”
Hikigaya calmly explained, “It was my mistake for not explaining things clearly back then. In any case, you don’t need to be constantly on edge about this. If anyone asks where you got this camera, just tell them the truth—that I gave it to you.”
“I’d like to see who dares to question me about it.”
At this moment, Hikigaya’s eyes were ice-cold, with a faint trace of killing intent.
Originally, he had hoped to keep Sakura out of this whole dispute. But in the end, because of his own mistake, she had been dragged into the storm.
His fists clenched tightly at the thought.
“Uh… Hikigaya-kun, isn’t this a little too close…?”
Sakura’s face turned red as she stammered, looking like she was struggling to breathe.
Only then did Hikigaya realize that there was barely a fist’s width of space between them—an incredibly intimate distance. Quickly, he stepped back and apologized.
Sakura exhaled in relief, but strangely, she also felt a sense of disappointment.
“Um, Hikigaya-kun, we’re… already friends now, right?”
“Hm? We’ve always been friends.”
“S-so… can you, like, call me… like Hiyori does, that is… um…”
Sakura was so nervous that her voice became almost inaudible. Hikigaya couldn’t make out what she was saying.
“I-I mean… c-can you call me Airi? I-it’s fine… really!”
She was gasping for breath, speaking haltingly, but Hikigaya finally understood.
“You want me to call you by your first name, Airi, like Hiyori does?”
Hikigaya nodded in realization.
At the sound of her name, Sakura’s face turned as red as an overripe apple. She couldn’t even meet his gaze, only nodding stiffly.
“A—Airi, are you okay? Your face is so red, even though the AC is on!”
Hikigaya had already noticed that Sakura blushed easily, so he was used to it. But this time, her entire face was bright red, almost as if it was bleeding.
He suddenly remembered how she often trembled—could it be that she actually had some kind of medical condition?
.
.
.
After leaving Sakura’s room, Hikigaya soon received an “OK” message from Kushida.
A cold smirk appeared on his face.
The next morning, after arriving at the classroom, he noticed that Horikita had been staring at him the entire time.
“Can we talk for a moment during the break?”
Horikita suddenly asked.
Hikigaya thought for a moment and nodded, as he still had time.
During the fifteen-minute break, the two of them met at a pavilion in the courtyard.
“About Sakura… I’m sorry. It was Ayanokoji—”
Before Horikita could finish, Hikigaya raised a hand to cut her off.
“If that’s all you wanted to say, then there’s no need. I have my own judgment about who was behind it.”
Hearing this, Horikita didn’t argue further and instead shifted the topic to the ongoing dispute.
“Hikigaya, now that Sakura has been dragged into this, we must win. Otherwise, her sacrifice will have been in vain.”
“I understand what you mean.”
Hikigaya’s face was expressionless.
“Since so much effort has already been spent, if the best we can achieve is merely reducing Sudo’s suspension, then even I wouldn’t be satisfied. So, you don’t need to explain.”
Horikita was about to sigh in relief when she suddenly heard Hikigaya add—
“However, if you think that sheer unwillingness to lose can change the outcome, then I suggest you give up now.”