After Hikigaya returned to the inn, he immediately noticed that his classmates were looking at him differently.
Some avoided his gaze.
Others openly pointed and whispered.
Even Hayama and Tobe temporarily distanced themselves because of the atmosphere surrounding him.
The only classmate who continued caring about him as usual was the pretty boy Totsuka Saika.
There was a reason Hikigaya called him his "little angel."
Totsuka wasn't the kind of person who would abandon Hikigaya over a few rumors.
If anything, he became even more worried about him.
Someone else equally concerned was Hiratsuka Shizuka, the very model of a good teacher.
This time, however, even she didn't know what to say.
Hikigaya had practically become addicted to self-destructing.
What exactly was she supposed to do about that?
Still, having those two people care about him was already enough for Hikigaya.
Friends weren't something you needed in huge numbers.
Having one or two people who truly understood you was enough.
That was also why Hikigaya had always dared to destroy his own reputation.
He didn't care what strangers thought.
What mattered was whether the people he considered friends understood him.
And from his perspective, the people who still stood beside him proved that his judgment hadn't been wrong.
The only thing outside his expectations...
Was the attitude of Yukino and Yui.
Even when they disagreed, based on their personalities, Hikigaya had expected them to argue with him.
Instead, there was nothing.
No criticism.
No argument.
Only calm, impartial indifference.
As though nothing had happened at all.
That bothered Hikigaya for the entire night.
...
The next day was their return to Chiba.
They once again traveled by Shinkansen, but the classes weren't being managed nearly as strictly on the return trip.
Once everyone boarded, students were allowed to choose their own seats.
Naturally, Hikigaya went looking for Yukino and Yui.
But by the time he arrived, their area was already full.
Saku and Haruno were sitting together, while Yukino and Yui sat opposite them.
All four seats were occupied.
"Why are you still here?"
That was the first thing Hikigaya heard as he approached.
"My, my. Does my naughty little brother dislike Oneesan that much?"
Haruno yawned and leaned toward Saku.
"Come on, let Oneesan borrow your shoulder."
"I barely slept last night. Shizuka kept me awake, so I'm seriously sleep-deprived."
Hikigaya stared.
He really couldn't understand why someone like Haruno had become so attached to Saku.
More importantly...
She didn't seem to be doing it merely to tease him.
She genuinely looked like she wanted to stay close to Saku.
That was completely outside Hikigaya's understanding.
"Why don't you lean on your sister instead?"
"She won't let me."
Haruno answered with complete confidence.
Saku had no response to that.
Still, seeing the dark circles beneath Haruno's eyes and how exhausted she looked, he couldn't bring himself to push her away.
It was just a shoulder.
What was the big deal?
"Fine."
"Do you have earplugs? You might sleep better with them."
"Don't let Nee-san fool you."
Yukino mercilessly exposed her, but because she felt sorry for her sister's condition, she didn't pull her away like she had yesterday.
"She went drinking with Hiratsuka-sensei last night. That's why she looks like this."
"What's wrong with adults having a few drinks?"
Haruno didn't look ashamed in the slightest.
"Oh, right. Shizuka told me that because of you guys, she hasn't smoked at all lately."
"Apparently she's been really stressed."
She poked Saku lightly in the chest.
"How did you manage to make Shizuka quit smoking?"
"Are you sleeping or not?"
Saku looked annoyed.
"If you're not, move. My arm's going to go numb."
"So heartless!"
"Hmph."
Saku lifted his chin.
"Women are nothing but distractions."
"I intend to become the King of Games."
Hearing this, Haruno laughed even more brightly, her bunnies bouncing up and down and constantly rubbing against Saku, leaving his thoughts wandering in a rather improper direction.
"You're hilarious."
Haruno finally settled down.
"Fine. I'll behave and sleep."
And she really did close her eyes.
She stopped teasing Saku entirely.
For a while, their little section of the train fell quiet.
Hikigaya, who had been standing nearby hoping to speak, suddenly found himself trapped between leaving and staying.
Yukino was the one who finally noticed him.
"Hikigaya."
"Do you need something?"
"N-No."
Her question startled him enough that he instinctively turned to leave.
But after taking one step, Hikigaya remembered why he'd come over in the first place.
He forced himself to turn back.
"Actually..."
"I wanted to ask about what happened last night."
He hesitated.
"Don't you guys have anything you want to say?"
"Keep your voice down."
Saku glanced at the hesitant Hikigaya.
"Don't wake Haruno."
He didn't comment on Hikigaya's situation.
Instead, he simply reached out and covered Haruno's ears.
Yukino's gaze immediately became dangerous.
'That awful man.'
'Why is he being so gentle with Nee-san?!'
Had her sister already stolen his soul?
Yukino knew Haruno's charm better than anyone.
It wasn't as though nobody pursued her.
Quite the opposite.
There were plenty of men interested in Haruno.
She simply hadn't liked any of them.
And Saku was currently the man Haruno treated with the least distance by far.
Yukino was genuinely beginning to worry her sister might actually win him over.
That would not necessarily be a good thing.
Because Haruno was the family heir.
If that day ever came, their mother and the entire Yukinoshita family wouldn't simply stand aside.
Saku would face enormous pressure.
And that might not be good for him.
There were simply too many things tied to Haruno.
Being with her would bring far more pressure than being with Yukino herself.
"Sorry."
Hikigaya lowered his voice.
"I just wanted to talk to you two."
"There's nothing to talk about. Go back."
Yukino abandoned her thoughts about Saku and Haruno and looked at Hikigaya.
"You accepted the request yourself."
"How you chose to deal with it was your decision."
She spoke without emotion.
"And as Club President, I warned you beforehand."
"You still insisted on doing things your own way."
"So all I can do is respect your decision."
"As for now..."
Yukino met his eyes.
"I have nothing to say."
"You chose this result."
"So you should bear the consequences yourself."
She didn't soften her words.
Nor did she intend to turn this into some philosophical debate.
Her meaning was painfully straightforward.
You chose to do this.
Now live with what follows.
Even if one of those consequences was pushing your own friends farther and farther away.
Hikigaya's face slowly turned pale.
Strangely, he felt that even if Yukino had screamed at him, it would've been easier to endure.
If she were still willing to argue with him, at least that would mean she still cared.
But this coldness...
This refusal to engage...
It made Hikigaya realize that he might genuinely have lost Yukino as a friend.
"Yukino-chan is right."
Yui nodded.
"I feel the same."
Yui wasn't good at long speeches, so she simply borrowed Yukino's words to express her own position.
And she was doing this for Hikigaya's sake too.
If he never understood how serious the problem was, if he never realized that repeatedly throwing himself under the bus would only disappoint the people who cared about him...
Then he would never change.
It was like a mother hawk pushing its chick from the nest so it could finally learn to fly.
At that moment...
Hikigaya finally understood.
Without realizing it, he'd been pushing his friends farther and farther away.
It wasn't because they failed to understand him.
It was the exact opposite.
They understood him too well.
That was why they were disappointed.
That was why they'd stopped indulging him.
Outside of parents and siblings, nobody would tolerate someone forever.
Especially someone who repeatedly hurt himself socially and expected the people around him to keep picking up the pieces.
Sympathy was finite.
So was pity.
Hikigaya finally realized it.
He'd screwed up.
"...I understand."
His steps became slightly unsteady.
He lowered his head, turned around, and silently walked away.
Nobody knew what was going through his mind.
Or whether he was holding back tears because he didn't want anyone to see him lose control.
…