Hikigaya doesn't want to be a force of strength

"Eh?" Hikigaya couldn't help but look confused. "I think Ichinose, you live a realistic life."

Under Hikigaya's constant observation, Ichinose can be said to be the closest to the 'real thing' he has ever seen in this school.

The other party always reveals himself authentically and faces others authentically.

So Hikigaya doesn't understand why Ichinose would want to be like him.

"No, I'm not living a real life. I'm still far from being as good as Hikigaya-san..."

As Ichinose spoke, he fell into a low mood, as if he was recalling something from the past that he didn't want to recall.

Hikigaya naturally thought that the other party was being modest. After all, this child has always been like this, and his gentleness is simply surprising.

"It's okay to live an unreal life." Hikigaya said with relief, "Most people in this world live a hypocritical life, but what's the problem? People are all hypocritical. As long as you can accept your own hypocrisy, there will be no problem. After all, living itself is greater than anything else."

“That’s a very wise remark.”

"I just happened to be reading a related book recently."

"Eh? Hikigaya-san, do you like reading? Any recommendations?"

Ichinose naturally changed the subject.

Although Hikigaya felt a little uncomfortable with this, he did not pry too much and naturally obeyed the other party's idea: "There are some good books. If you want to read them, you can go to my room..."

Before Hikigaya could finish his words, he suddenly noticed that the eyes of the girl in front of him suddenly lit up.

He looked like a hunter who had discovered treasure.

"C-Can we go to Hikigaya-san's room? Really?!"

His room was as ordinary as the toilet in KFC, with the same decorations. Hikigaya didn't think it was anything nice at all.

However, the presence of a celebrity like Ichinose always felt like it would cause some bad rumors.

After thinking it over, he politely declined: "Of course I can, but I'm a bit busy lately and can't spare the time."

"Eh? What have you been busy with lately?"

"..."

Hey, hey, hey, can't you hear that what I said is just simple social etiquette?

When most people hear themselves say they are busy, they should just shut up.

Facing Ichinose's persistence, Hikigaya could only hesitantly explain: "The student council office is being renovated recently, and I often have to go over to help. And the president gave me the opportunity to write a letter to my sister, so I have to prepare a letter and a gift for my sister..."

"So that's it."

Hikigaya's reason was perfect, and even Ichinose nodded in approval.

Just when Hikigaya thought that the other party was going to end it, Ichinose suddenly spoke up: "Did the president actually give you the opportunity to write a letter? Is this opportunity only given to you?!"

"Well, I don't know if it's just me, but there is indeed this opportunity."

"..."

After hearing what Hikigaya said, Ichinose suddenly fell into a state of entanglement, or desire.

She looked over with embarrassment and spoke hesitantly, "Well, actually, I haven't been home for half a year, and I miss my sister at home. If possible, can you also bring a letter and a gift back for me?"

"This... maybe I need to ask the president..."

"Don't worry, I won't ask too much of you, Hikigaya-san. It's okay if you can't do it... But if you can, I will definitely be very grateful to you!" Ichinose looked pleading, "By the way, it doesn't matter if you have to pay points, as long as I can afford it!"

"You really like your sister."

"What else? Who wouldn't like their own sister?"

"That's a good point! Okay, I'll ask the president for you!"

"Thank you so much!"

In an instant, the two sister-con lovers smiled at each other as if they had reached some kind of consensus.

So, after chatting, the two of them left the ramen restaurant directly.

"By the way, the school will open the swimming pool during the summer vacation. Are you planning to go, Hikigaya-san?"

"Swimming pool?" After hearing Ichinose's words, Hikigaya recalled that there was indeed a similar notice issued in the student council's previous work records. "I'm not interested."

"I see. That's a pity."

Ichinose's words didn't seem to be just a simple sigh, she really showed a look of disappointment.

This undoubtedly surprised Hikigaya.

He originally thought that the other party's words were just pure social etiquette and never considered that the other party might invite him.

This may also be because Ichinose is an overly gentle person.

In a school full of scum, the other party is simply a breath of fresh air.

Chapter 407: Class B Real Angels, No! Class D Fake Angels, Okay!

After eating ramen with Ichinose, Hikigaya rejected the other party's invitation to go back to the dormitory together.

Just kidding, when he was in the ramen restaurant, he had already noticed many curious glances from all directions. Apparently, many students from other classes were suspicious of the relationship between him and Ichinose.

There is no way around it. As the leader of the first-year class who led Class B to be promoted to Class A, Ichinose can be said to have achieved a feat comparable to that of the second-year classmate Nan Yun Miyabi.

This gave her a huge boost in fame, to the point where all the students in the school had heard of her and couldn't help but pay attention to her.

Even if Hikigaya just stayed next to Ichinose, he would easily attract suspicious looks from others.

If he went back to the dormitory with Ichinose afterwards, many things would be completely unclear, and he didn't want strange rumors to spread throughout the school.

So, after rejecting Ichinose, Hikigaya went for a stroll along the riverside at school, and even felt a little thirsty when he returned to the dormitory.

However, just as he was about to boil a pot of tap water, he turned the faucet and found that no water came out.

Confused, Hikigaya opened the student union's software and found a recent notice that clearly stated that there was a problem with the water company that supplied water to the school, and the water supply to the entire dormitory was temporarily cut off.

The repair appears to take some time, and if the work is delayed, the water outage is expected to continue into the next day.

"Are you so unlucky? Luckily I usually have some drinks with me..."

Hikigaya opened the refrigerator, looked at the coffee and fruit drinks inside, and took out a bottle very naturally.

Although he normally wouldn't spend points recklessly, he wasn't unconditionally frugal. He still had to enjoy himself when he should, otherwise he would be letting down this school's exaggerated torture.

As for if someone lacks points but wants to drink water, the student union’s announcement also states that they can use a kettle to get water in the student cafeteria, but that obviously has nothing to do with him.

For Biqigaya, the only problem caused by the water outage is going to the toilet. It would obviously be very inconvenient if there is no way to flush the toilet.

However, he had already gone to the toilet in advance today, so he just had to make sure not to go to the toilet before the water came tomorrow.

And there is still water in the toilet tank. Although it can be flushed only once, as long as you use it carefully, it means there is still a buffer.

"Well, let's read a book for a while, watch a new anime, and then go to bed."

Although the book club agreed with Shiina is still some time away, Hikigaya doesn't read for others. He borrows so many books because of his own interest.

Just as Hikigaya was killing time in an orderly manner and was about to turn off the lights and go to bed, his cell phone suddenly rang.

However, before Hikigaya picked up the phone, the ringing stopped, as if symbolizing the fact that the person on the other end of the call lacked patience.

"Who would call this late?"

Looking at the unfamiliar caller ID on his phone, Hikigaya realized that this might be a call from someone whose number he had not added to the notes.

But who has time to call yourself?

Is it for advertising?

But this is an internal phone issued by the school. How could the salesman get my number? !

After much thought, Hikigaya couldn't just leave this strange thing alone, so he decided to try to call back.

"du~du~du~"

However, the phone rang for a long time and the other party did not answer the call.

Just when Hikigaya was about to give up, the phone was suddenly connected, and a voice that he was very unexpected came from the other end.

"Hey……"

"Hori, Horikita?"

Although the call was relayed over the phone, Hikigaya still clearly recognized the identity of the caller and was surprised by the identity of this unexpected person. "How did you get my number?"

Although Hikigaya and Horikita Suzune communicate a lot in class, it is not known whether it is a coincidence or due to their personalities, they have never exchanged phone numbers until now.

So Hikigaya never expected that it would be Horikita Suzune who called him.

As for Hikigaya's surprise, Horikita seemed to have anticipated this situation, and said in a slightly tired voice: "Your number was given to me by Chabashira's homeroom teacher before, but I never thought of using it. I just happened to have something to do this time, so I accidentally contacted you. I'm sorry."

"Something? Accidentally?"

It was obvious that Horikita's words were seriously inconsistent. To be honest, Hikigaya suspected that the other party had been defrauded by some pyramid scheme organization and was hiding something from him.

But in a school like this, there shouldn’t be any pyramid schemes, right? Probably.

And although Horikita is a bit stubborn at times, his IQ is generally not a problem, and he should not be deceived by simple rhetoric.

"I'm a little busy right now. If there's nothing else, can I hang up now?"

"Oh, oh?" Just as Hikigaya was about to hang up, a metallic sound came from the other side of the receiver. "What was that sound just now?"

"No, nothing."

Horikita hung up the phone in a hurry, as if she didn't want to expose something.

Although Hikigaya was somewhat concerned about this, he was also very clear that the other party would definitely not tell him because of his personality.

Come to think of it, does this scene just now resemble the NTR scene in the plot of anime? The wife is having an affair outside without telling her husband, and then she calls her husband in the middle of doing that kind of thing...

Uh, it doesn't seem like it at all.

Not to mention that he and Horikita were not in that kind of relationship at all, as a man who aspired to be a househusband, Hikigaya felt that he should be the one caught cheating.

Well, this seems to be a bit problematic.

Forget it, I'd better just go to sleep.

Hikigaya soon forgot about the incident and spent the evening leisurely.

……

The reason why summer vacation is summer vacation is because it symbolizes absolute freedom for students. Not only can they sleep until noon, but they can also stay in their rooms all day without going out and enjoy absolute solitude and tranquility.

If winter vacation is like a newlywed who is happy after a short separation and allows you to enjoy a moment of cheer, then summer vacation is like a mature woman who is as fierce as a wolf and a tiger and makes you unable to stop being happy.

So, in such a wonderful summer vacation, why didn't I stay in the dormitory, enjoy the air conditioning, drink a beverage, and watch a new anime of the season to experience happiness, but instead appeared in this crowded shopping street, like a prisoner waiting to be tortured by slow slicing, enduring the torture of the scorching sun and socializing?

Does anyone tell me why this is happening?

As he and Kushida had agreed to choose gifts together, Hikigaya was forced to leave the comfortable air-conditioned room early in the morning and come to the entrance of the shopping street under the scorching sun that had been piercing everyone's skin since nine in the morning.

What surprised Hikigaya was that, although it was summer vacation, these students were not enjoying their own time, but were crowded in the bustling shopping district. Some were couples in love, or a large group of adults whose noise could be heard from far away...

Damn it, can you guys just explode right now?

Hikigaya maintained his breathing in a way that no one could notice, and tried to stand in a shadowy corner that was not exposed to the scorching sun and would not be noticed by others.

But even so, the double blow of mental and physical pain made Hikigaya feel that the entire trip was a waste of time and that his life was being wasted meaninglessly.

For this reason, he was brewing dissatisfaction in his heart, thinking that he would definitely complain to Kushida when they met later.

He glanced at the time and found that there were still a few minutes left before the time he had agreed with Kushida, so he stood there silently waiting. At this time, a group of students from Class D walked past him.

The group didn't seem to notice him, so of course they didn't say hello.

Hikigaya took a quick look and found that this was actually a strange group of people. Not only did they have the three idiot members like Ike Kanji and Yamauchi, but also less common students like Ayanokouji and Shinohara.

Considering that Kushida said he wanted to celebrate Inogashira's birthday, could it be that these people are also here to buy birthday presents?

Then why didn't Kushida go shopping for birthday presents with them, but instead came to me specifically?

Hikigaya was becoming increasingly confused about what Kushida was thinking. After watching the group of people leave, he spotted a familiar girl slowly approaching from a distance.

The girl was wearing a green shirt and a short skirt that almost reached above her knees. Her short brown hair was still tied up with a headband to create air bangs, making her look full of youthfulness.

She seemed to be unaware of his presence just like everyone else, and after looking around, she had a confused and suspicious expression.