COTE : There is Something Wrong With Hikigaya-Chapter 281: One Guy, Two Girls

"Why are you here too?"

It was Saturday morning, in a quiet corner on the third floor of the library. Hikigaya had arranged to tutor Sakura in her weak subjects, but when he arrived, he found that she wasn’t alone— Hasebe was with her.

"What’s with that look, Hikki?"

Hasebe puffed up her cheeks like a little hamster, clearly displeased with Hikigaya’s reaction. "I need tutoring too! And my weak subjects happen to be the same as Airi’s. What, are you unhappy about studying with two girls?"

"What else can I say when you put it like that?" Hikigaya sighed. Then he asked,

"But Hasebe, aren’t you paired with Miyake? If I remember right, his grades aren’t bad, so you two shouldn’t have much trouble, right?"

Hasebe was about average in terms of grades, and Miyake was also at a similar level. Normally, their pairing should be stable since neither would drag the other down.

But at Hikigaya’s words, Hasebe made a "headache" expression.

It was true that she and Miyake were a solid pair, but the problem was... their strong and weak subjects overlapped!

Just like Sakura, Hasebe struggled with certain subjects. The only difference was that, unlike Sakura, she at least had a partner to rely on.

Hasebe glanced at Hikigaya with an apologetic look. "I heard from Airi that you’re helping her study, so I shamelessly tagged along. I don’t want to drag others or the class down. So... I’m counting on you, Hikki!"

After saying that, Hasebe put her hands together in a pleading gesture.

"I don’t mind."

Hikigaya scratched his cheek. Come to think of it, this was the first time a girl had asked him for help like this.

"Yay!"

Hasebe almost jumped up in excitement but quickly remembered they were in the library. She hurriedly covered her mouth, but the happiness on her face was still obvious.

Hasebe was known for being cold and distant in class, almost on the same level as Horikita. But unlike Horikita, Hasebe only seemed that way. Once you got to know her, you’d realize she wasn’t cold at all—she was actually playful and energetic, just like any other normal girl.

After the midterm exam study groups were announced yesterday, Horikita, Hirata, and the others revived last semester’s study sessions. Every day after school, students were split into two tutoring sessions—one at 6 PM and another at 8 PM. But since there were only a few academically strong students in the class, tutoring everyone was exhausting.

That’s why smaller study groups like Hikigaya’s existed—one tutor helping two or three students, separate from Horikita and Hirata’s larger sessions.

"By the way, Hikki, I forgot to ask—who’s your study partner?"

During their break, Hasebe asked curiously.

"Karuizawa."

"Huh? Karuizawa, huh~"

"You don’t like her?"

Hikigaya asked casually.

"Not exactly. How should I put it..."

Hasebe rubbed her chin, looking a bit hesitant. "She was definitely annoying last semester, but after summer break, she seemed... different? I can’t really explain it, but she doesn’t feel as aggressive as before."

"But man, you sure have it rough being paired with her. I remember she used to talk bad about you behind your back all the time!"

Hasebe looked a little concerned.

"Maybe."

Hikigaya gave a vague answer. Ever since Karuizawa was bullied by Manabe and the others during the sports festival, she had seemed mostly the same on the surface. But if you paid attention, you could tell she was changing, just like Hasebe said. She had lost a lot of her hostility and seemed a bit softer now.

Before they knew it, it was already lunchtime. Hikigaya had originally planned to eat alone, but he couldn’t turn down Hasebe and Sakura’s invitation, so the three of them went to the cafeteria together.

After lunch, when Hasebe asked Sakura what her plans were, Sakura hesitated for a moment before saying, "I-I’m going to the Keyaki Center to buy some camera maintenance tools."

"Huh? You take photos, Airi? I was planning to go to the mall too. Want to go together?"

Hasebe hooked her arm around Sakura’s as she spoke.

Hikigaya, who had been about to leave, suddenly stopped. "I need to go there too. How about we all go together?"

"Sounds good."

Hasebe didn’t think much of it, but Sakura gave Hikigaya a slightly puzzled look.

When they arrived at the Keyaki Mall shopping center, Hikigaya suddenly said he had something to take care of and walked off, leaving Hasebe and Sakura confused.

Hikigaya entered a café, ordered a coffee, and quietly waited. About ten minutes later, someone sat down across from him.

"Good afternoon, Shizuka-sensei."

Hikigaya stood up and greeted the woman across from him, but Hiratsuka Shizuka immediately made a disgusted face.

"Hikigaya, that was creepy as hell."

"..."

"You wouldn’t call me out unless there was trouble. Spill it—what’s the problem this time?"

Hiratsuka ordered a coffee, crossed her legs, and leaned back.

Hiratsuka Shizuka had come because she received Hikigaya’s message. Otherwise, she usually didn’t have much contact with students. She figured he must have run into some trouble.

"It’s like this... Because I’m just a student, it’s hard for me to investigate certain things. So, I wanted to ask for your help, Shizuka-sensei..."

Hikigaya looked serious as he explained his request.

Hiratsuka, who had been relaxed and casual at first, gradually became more serious as she listened. By the time he finished, she was already frowning.

"It’s not something that absolutely has to be done this way, so if it’s too much trouble for you..."

Hikigaya knew his request was difficult, so he was prepared for her to refuse.

"This isn’t a big problem. I can do it."

To his surprise, Shizuka-sensei agreed without hesitation. Then, she stared at him with a sharp look.

"More than the request itself, I’m just glad you came to talk to me. And don’t try to deny it—I bet if I had said no, you already had your own plan to deal with it!"

Hikigaya stayed silent. The truth was, he had only come to Hiratsuka Shizuka to give it a try. If this didn’t work... he had a backup plan.

Seeing his reaction, Hiratsuka gave him an "I knew it" look. And then, the next second—

"Oww! That hurts!!!"

She suddenly pinned him down and twisted his ear, glaring at him.

"If you ever run into something like this again, don’t try to handle it alone. Come to me. Got it?!"

"Alright, alright! Let go already, you violent woman!"

At that moment, the dead-eyed boy deeply regretted his choices.

—

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