SWNOVELXO Chapter 97
Chapter 97: I Once Believed That People Could Understand Each Other
“Hai? The moonlight is beautiful tonight?”
…Yeah, right!
Hikigaya had no idea what kind of expression he had on his face right now, but he could see that Kushida was already staring at him with dark lines on her face. If she were holding a pair of scissors, she’d look way too much like a yandere!
Kushida took a step forward, coldly locking eyes with Hikigaya.
“Hikigaya-kun, what are you doing here?”
“If I said I was just a blind man passing by, would you believe me?”
Hikigaya instinctively took a step back, but the girl kept closing in. The increasingly cold aura radiating from Kushida made him swallow nervously.
“You think you’re funny?”
Kushida stared at him with an icy expression.
“You heard me, didn’t you…”
“If I say I didn’t hear any cursing about some ‘stupid woman’ or violent kicks against a railing, would you believe me?”
“Heh… Hikigaya, do you think this is amusing?”
Hikigaya wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he thought he saw some kind of ominous ‘black aura’ leaking from Kushida. Was this about to turn into some kind of supernatural battle now?
Obviously, that was just his overactive imagination. But still, Kushida’s expression was terrifyingly dark. The sheer contrast between her usual cheerful persona and this side of her was so extreme that he couldn’t help but mentally reinforce the idea that Class D was a dumping ground for problem children.
“Whatever you just heard, if you tell anyone, I won’t let you off.”
Kushida’s voice was full of menace.
“Okay, okay, no problem!”
“Hikigaya, do you think I’m joking?!”
A faint vein seemed to pop on Kushida’s forehead.
Hikigaya cursed Haruno in his head. If it weren’t for Haruno’s sudden call, his ‘Presence Concealment B’ skill would have kept him from getting caught! She was seriously a disaster magnet!
Seeing Hikigaya remain silent, the black aura around Kushida only seemed to thicken, and she leaned in closer.
“Whoa!”
Like a startled cat, Hikigaya jumped away instantly, as if he had just touched something unclean.
“!!!”
“You’ve been trying to piss me off from the start, haven’t you?”
Kushida took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
“A gloomy, antisocial guy like you is seriously disgusting! You’re even more annoying than that expressionless creep Ayanokouji!”
“…If I said it was just a coincidence, would you believe me?”
Hikigaya awkwardly attempted to explain, “I just have a thing about women.”
“Shut up, you dead fish eyes!”
Kushida had completely dropped the act, glaring at Hikigaya.
“You have to swear that you won’t tell anyone what you saw or heard tonight. Otherwise—”
“Otherwise?”
Hikigaya’s expression turned weird.
“Kushida, is there really a need to worry so much about me? No one in class even believes what I say, and besides, you’ve been building up your ‘cheerful angel’ persona since the first day of school. No one would ever believe you’re actually a two-faced, dark-hearted landmine girl.”
Hikigaya understood why Kushida didn’t want people knowing her true nature. But if he thought about it carefully, tonight’s situation wasn’t that hard to deal with. The reality was that their social standings were worlds apart. People tend to believe the truth they want to believe, rather than the truth they’re told.
Between the energetic “angel girl” and the gloomy loner with dead fish eyes, who would people choose to believe?
That’s the difference created by first impressions and social perception. Most of the time, people don’t think rationally; they just follow their own biases.
So in Hikigaya’s view, Kushida didn’t even need to do anything. Everything would be fine. But he also understood that having someone else know your secrets was always unsettling and disgusting. That much, he could relate to.
A woman’s mind is like the depths of the ocean—you never know what’s inside. Haruno was a perfect example, and Kushida was no exception.
“HIKIGAYA!!!”
Kushida’s chest rose and fell violently. The anger she had tried to suppress burst out again after Hikigaya repeatedly called her ‘dark-hearted’ and a ‘landmine girl.’
“Anyway, if a third person finds out about tonight, I won’t let you off. I’ll tell everyone you tried to assault me!”
“…Are you seriously threatening me? Are you insane? Is that really necessary?”
Hikigaya’s expression turned even weirder. This girl was really messed up. He turned around to leave before she could start another crazy episode.
“Hey! Hikigaya! How dare you just walk away?!”
Kushida’s eyes widened in disbelief at his boldness.
“Dammit!! Hey! Dead fish eyes, stop right there!!”
Hikigaya ignored her, which only made her even angrier. Stomping her foot in frustration, she quickly chased after him.
“Hey, what do you think you’re doing?”
Kushida caught up and grabbed Hikigaya’s wrist. Before he could react, he felt something soft and… unusual.
“You—what are you doing?!”
The boy stared, wide-eyed, at the ridiculous scene before him. Even with all his knowledge of literature, detective fiction, and anime, he had never seen anything as absurd as this.
Hikigaya quickly tried to pull his hand away, but Kushida held it firmly against her chest. In fact, she even pressed forward slightly.
“…”
“Now your fingerprints are on my uniform. I have evidence and witnesses. You’re not getting away. Do you understand now? I’m serious!”
Kushida stared at him coldly, her grip unrelenting.
“…Wait, you’re actually serious about this, Kushida?”
Hikigaya had dark lines on his face.
“I’ll keep this uniform safe. If I find out you’re scheming something or planning to betray me, I’ll take it straight to the police and have you locked up!”
Hikigaya never expected Kushida’s mind to work like this. Using her own body to threaten him? Was this some kind of honey trap?
But rather than a proper seduction, this felt more like some twisted plot straight out of a certain adult game.
“There aren’t any security cameras around here, and you said it yourself—everyone believes in ‘Angel Kushida,’ not ‘Dead Fish Eyes Hikigaya’.”
The girl’s grip tightened, pressing his hand against her chest again. The sensation sent strange signals to Hikigaya’s brain.
“So, Hikigaya—what’s your answer?”
“…So soft—no, I mean, I get it. Now can you let go?”
Hikigaya awkwardly looked at the now-fully-blackened Kushida. As much as he hated to admit it, the sensation was nice. But his conscience wouldn’t let him take advantage of it.
“Hmph!”
Satisfied with his answer, Kushida finally released his hand. The sudden emptiness in his palm gave Hikigaya an odd sense of loss.
“I’m thirsty.”
Hikigaya walked over to a nearby vending machine, muttering,
“By the way, Kushida… why do you hate Horikita so much?”
“None of your business!”
Kushida instinctively followed him, issuing another warning:
“You must keep my secret, and you are absolutely not allowed to investigate me! Otherwise, not only will you be unable to stay in this school, but the police will come for you as well. Do you understand?!”
“Sigh… I already told you, Kushida, there’s no need for you to go this far. Using your own body… Look, I have no conflict of interest with you, and we’re not enemies. There’s really no point in making things this extreme and unnecessarily creating an opponent for yourself.”
Hikigaya sighed as he selected a bottle of cola from the vending machine.
“Shut up! A gloomy, antisocial guy like you wouldn’t understand anything!”
Kushida was furious, her expression tense and agitated as she snapped,
“And you better understand your position right now! I have proof of your ‘crime’ in my hands! If I tell you to kneel down and lick my toes, you have to do it! You’re my slave now!”
…Wait, is this actually a good deal?
No!
Hikigaya Hachiman was no bootlicking monkey like those two fools!
“I once believed that people could truly understand one another.”
Hikigaya suddenly tilted his head back to gaze at the night sky, speaking with his back turned to Kushida.
“Until I met a Gundam fan.”
“Hey! What the hell are you talking about?!”
“What I mean is…”
The very next second, Hikigaya abruptly turned around—
“Psshhh!”
A sudden hiss erupted as a massive burst of cola shot out, accompanied by a sharp shriek from the girl.
Kushida’s entire chest was instantly soaked!