Chapter 50: The Terrifying Smile Beneath the Snow
"I will not give up!"
Of course, she'd say that…
What a terrifying brother complex—to go this far for her brother.
Hikigaya Hachiman rested his chin on one hand, glancing briefly at Horikita Suzune's determined expression.
She spoke about their challenges as if they were nothing, casually brushing aside the countless problems they'd faced along the way.
He couldn't tell whether that was admirable or simply reckless.
"I will definitely get into Class A," Horikita declared, "even if I have to crawl my way there."
"Yeah?" Hachiman replied lazily.
"What? You don't believe me?"
Horikita turned to him, her sharp eyes narrowing in defiance.
"No," he said, lips curling slightly. "I just feel lucky to have you."
For a moment, Horikita froze as if her mind had stopped functioning altogether. Her cheeks, which had just returned to normal, instantly turned bright red again.
"W–what… what are you saying?!"
She snapped her head away, refusing to meet his eyes.
Realizing what he'd just blurted out, Hachiman rubbed his neck awkwardly.
"Anyway… if this class were full of people like me and Koenji, it'd be a total disaster. Thanks to people like you, Hirata, and Kushida, the class actually functions as a class."
"I'm just like you," Horikita muttered, "a loner."
"But you helped Sudo and the others, didn't you?"
"And you?" she countered. "Didn't you also help the class get through this crisis in your own way?"
"No, that was just self-preservation," Hachiman replied bluntly. "If all the low-performing students got expelled, it'd eventually be my turn too. You're the one who said that, right, Horikita?"
Horikita tilted her head, unsure how to respond. After a brief silence, she sighed softly.
"Why are all your arguments just fallacies?"
"Even fallacies can be logical," he replied with a smirk.
---
Inside the Service Club, everyone stared at the recorded conversation between Hikigaya and Horikita on the monitor, their expressions frozen in disbelief.
Naturally, this was the perfect time for Yuigahama Yui to stir the pot.
Scratching her head with a mischievous grin, she teased, "Hikki, could it be that you've fallen for this pretty girl?"
Hey, Yui… you're terrifying! You don't look it, but you're terrifying!
Hachiman wanted to deny it, but at this point—with video evidence and witnesses—there was no saving his dignity.
Isshiki Iroha leaned in close, smirking devilishly. "Hey, senpai, do you like this tsundere type? Eh? Do all boys like girls like that? Maybe Hayama-senpai does too?"
Her tone dripped with mischief. Hachiman involuntarily shivered, then shot her a glare before leaning close to whisper back,
"I'm not an idiot. Why don't you just ask Hayama what type he likes? How would I know?"
Instantly, Isshiki puffed up with pride and replied in a loud, smug voice, "I forgive you, senpai!"
The entire room went silent.
Everyone saw that. The "I forgive you" scene.
And now—things had gone from bad to apocalyptic.
Yukinoshita Yukino's smile was soft and sweet… but the murderous aura beneath it was unmistakable.
At that moment, Hachiman realized too late that Isshiki—the devil herself—had set him up, deliberately saying that line just to provoke this exact reaction.
"Hikkigaya-kun," Yukinoshita said in a gentle, icy tone, "it seems you have something you'd like to say to me."
Hachiman froze. On one side stood the smiling demon queen, and on the other, the smirking little devil who'd thrown him under the bus. Whether he explained or stayed silent, either way, he was doomed.
If there was ever a time to crawl under the table and vanish, it was now.
"What's wrong?" Yukinoshita continued, her smile deepening. "Are you hesitating because you don't want to explain?"
The atmosphere in the clubroom dropped to subzero. Everyone could feel the temperature plummeting.
"Y-Yukinon, your face is scary," Yui whispered nervously.
Isshiki, realizing how bad things had gotten, waved her hands frantically.
"Senpai, senpai! Don't die! Murder's illegal!"
Even Miura, usually fearless, nudged Hayama uneasily. "By the way… is this what Yukinoshita looks like when she's angry?"
Hayama sighed, his expression complicated. He'd known Yukinoshita since childhood, yet he'd never seen her like this.
Rather than anger… it was something else entirely.
Not jealousy—something deeper. A kind of possessiveness, born from an old, unspoken dependence.
---
Meanwhile, as Hikigaya and Horikita's conversation continued, Kushida Kikyo appeared, waving cheerfully as she approached them.
"Hey, Horikita-san, Hikigaya-kun! Let's have a victory celebration!"
Horikita's expression stiffened immediately. She lightly waved her hand in rejection.
"No, I don't need it."
Sudo, who had somehow appeared beside them, grinned. "Horikita-san, you should come too! Without you, I never would've learned so much in such a short time."
"No," Horikita replied firmly, "that's all thanks to your own effort."
Then Ike joined in. "No way! If I were on my own, I'd never have made it this far. It's because you supervised us and helped us that we managed to pass! Right, Yamauchi?"
Yamauchi nodded enthusiastically. "That's right! Horikita-san, you have to come celebrate with us!"
Unable to argue against their enthusiasm, Horikita finally sighed in defeat.
"…Alright. We can relax a little. Just this once."