Hikigaya doesn't want to be a force of strength

That cold attitude clearly showed that he had suffered some kind of great trauma inside.

But why was she traumatized? Just because she saw me and Horikita together, and she didn't tell her the truth? Is it really necessary to be so petty?

Hikigaya felt a little gloomy about Kushida's reaction.

Horikita was completely unaware of the impact of what had just happened. Instead, she breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Fortunately, Kushida-san was quite reasonable and didn't ask any further questions."

"Is that a sign of sensible conduct?"

"Although it was a strange reaction, she probably saw that I didn't want to be spied on anymore. She's really considerate."

"Thoughtful..."

Hikigaya was totally at a loss as to what to do with Kushida's gentle side, and he didn't know how to deal with this change.

At the end of the day, he's just a loner with no social skills, unable to find the right path or create false hope.

If possible, he really hopes that he can have a system similar to galgame at this time, which can not only allow him to see the changes in the favorability of other people, but also save the game at critical moments, and go back to start over after making a wrong choice.

However, even if life could really go back to the last save point like in a game and make a new choice, would life change from then on?

the answer is negative.

That is the route that only those with a choice can take. For those who have no choice in the first place, this assumption makes no sense.

The wrong person will make the same mistake no matter how many times, just like his own life which has been twisted and messed up so far, like a huge spider web, lost in countless woven lies.

Even if there really is something in the center of this spider web that can bring happiness, it is destined that we will never find the way to that place.

……

After entering the elevator, Hikigaya pressed the button for the first floor.

The elevator did not stop at all during the process and reached the first floor very smoothly. Hikigaya was then able to take Horikita Suzune to his room.

"Please sit down for a while. I'll find some mineral water."

"……Um."

Horikita had been relying on Hikigaya's presence on the way here, walking in his shadow to conceal her wrapped arms.

Now that she entered the room, she completely relaxed, and her cloudy mind finally regained a bit of rationality, and she recalled what she had just done.

"Did I do something bad to Kushida?"

"Tsk, I didn't expect you to be so self-aware."

"Do you think I'm a cold-hearted, bad-tempered woman?"

Buddha: "Huh? Isn't it..."

Before Hikigaya could finish his words, he saw the shadow beside him raising his kettle-shaped arm high. He was so scared that he quickly responded, "Ahem, what I mean is that it's good that you have such self-awareness. After all, it means that you can finally think about things from other people's perspectives."

Horikita has always been characterized by excessive autism and a lack of empathy.

Due to long-term lack of social interaction, the other party is completely unable to think about problems from other people's perspectives. When something happens, they will always evaluate other people's actions from their own perspective and have demands on others that far exceed their personal abilities.

The result was that Horikita was never able to make real friends, nor gain recognition from others, causing her position in the class to always be in an awkward position.

Fortunately, with the passage of time, the situation has improved little by little. At least this child is no longer like he was when he first started school, completely incomprehensible to others.

"Think about things from other people's perspectives... Indeed, what you said makes sense." Horikita took a deep breath, "What I did this time was just considering my own self-esteem, but I completely ignored how Kushida would react to this matter. If she saw the two of us together so late, she would definitely be suspicious... Eh, but is it necessary for her to be so angry?"

"Well, I'm not sure about that."

Although Hikigaya sensed the overly obvious resentment that Kushida showed during the process, he did not understand why he was so angry.

After thinking about it, Horikita could only silently come to the conclusion: "It seems that she hates me more than I thought. She can't even easily accept my contact with you."

"Speaking of which, why does Kushida hate you so much?"

"I don't know the specific reason, but it should be related to the fact that I went to the same junior high school as her."

"Kushida Junior High School is in the same school as you?"

"Yes, she was quite famous in school. Even if I didn't want to know anything about her, I would naturally hear some rumors."

"rumor……"

Hikigaya is curious about what Kushida went through in junior high school, but Horikita obviously has no intention of explaining.

In other words, Horikita probably didn't know much about Kushida's affairs, so he didn't dare to easily say anything related to it. After all, judging from his autistic personality, Horikita in junior high school was probably the ultimate autistic patient who didn't say a word to other people for a whole year.

"Is your water ready?"

"Well, wait till I open it."

After talking about the things, Hikigaya finally remembered that Horikita's biggest problem was the kettle stuck in his hand, so he took out mineral water and shower gel and handed them to him.

"Do you think I can apply it evenly like this?"

"Ah? Do you mean for me to come?"

"if not?"

Seeing Horikita's extremely embarrassed look but having to do it, Hikigaya really didn't expect that there would be so much torture in one day.

He then carefully applied the shower gel on his hands, and grabbed Horikita's arm, lifting up her sleeves little by little.

During the process, their skin was in almost complete contact, and the shower gel applied by Hikigaya gave them a strange feel, causing their faces to inexplicably turn red.

"Okay, I got it."

Before the atmosphere got even weirder, Hikigaya finally managed to pull the kettle away from Horikita's hand.

"Huh... What a disastrous day..." Seeing this, Horikita finally breathed a sigh of relief, and for a moment she was a little afraid to touch the hand covered with shower gel, afraid to recall the strange feeling just now, "Hikigaya, please don't tell anyone about this."

"Yes, is that all you want to say?"

“…I, I understand.”

The girl's face was rarely flushed. She took a deep breath and said with all her strength, "Thanks to you for this matter. I will find a way to repay you for this favor."

“That’s really not candid.”

This guy made things so complicated when it could be solved by just saying thank you.

"Oh yeah, there's also the matter of Kushida."

"I'll find a way to handle it over there."

Horikita was obviously concerned about Kushida's previous reaction, "I will try my best to make her understand that nothing happened between you and me."

"Can you really understand?"

"I will definitely make her understand." To be honest, whenever Horikita said something so confidently, that thing would most likely not succeed.

But this time, let him believe it again.

Chapter 414: Someone who cares for his sister cannot be a bad person!

After the incident caused by Horikita's hand being stuck in the kettle, Hikigaya's summer vacation life returned to its original peace and normalcy.

And in a sense, it has become more peaceful than before.

Because Kushida Kikyo, who might have come to disturb him, suddenly cut off contact with him.

Coupled with the fact that he has almost lost all contact with a classmate named Karuizawa Megumi, Hikigaya's interpersonal relationships in Class D can be said to have been completely broken, and he has unknowingly returned to the withdrawn state he was in at the beginning of the school year.

Although this sudden loneliness made him feel a little empty, the subsequent state of being undisturbed still allowed Hikigaya to enjoy the summer vacation.

However, this peaceful life did not last for a few days, as news from the student union pulled him out of his air-conditioned dormitory.

It was probably one afternoon when Hikigaya had to get dressed and head to the Student Council office after receiving a call from senior Tachibana Akane.

Under the scorching summer sun, Hikigaya lamented the horror of office worker life, and at the same time became more determined to find a rich woman to support him.

However, before joining the student council, Hikigaya unexpectedly ran into someone outside the school building.

Kōhei Katsuragi was wearing a student uniform and holding a shopping bag that looked familiar, which seemed to have been bought from a gift shop before. He was walking slowly towards them from a distance.

"Katsuragi?"

Generally speaking, students are not allowed to come to the teaching building during the summer vacation and can only wander around the dormitory area and commercial area.

But it was obvious that Katsuragi was also going to the teaching building.

The only facility in the teaching building that is currently still in use is the Student Union of Tokyo Metropolitan Koukou Ikusei High School.

Is Katsuragi going to the student council? Then what about the gift bag he is holding? Is he sending the gift to someone in the student council?

By the way, isn’t it a bit too stiff for him to give gifts in such a serious school uniform?

With a lot of confusion, Hikigaya walked towards the direction of Katsuragi Kōhei and decided to be straightforward and go directly to the other party to ask for clarification.

"Katsuragi, are you going to the student council?"

"Uh……"

As if he had not expected to be discovered by Hikigaya, Katsuragi looked over with surprise, and at the same time, there was a look of obvious disbelief on his face, "How did you know I was going to the student council?"

"You're wearing a school uniform and you look like you're going to the teaching building. If you're not going to the student union, are you going to the restroom in the teaching building?"

"This……"

After hearing Hikigaya's overly direct words, Katsuragi finally faced reality.

He glanced at the gift bag in his hand and sighed, "Sure enough, I can't hide it from you. I am indeed going to the Student Union."

"Don't you want others to know that you're going to the student union?"

"It's not that I don't want people to know, I just don't think it's necessary."

"No need..." Hikigaya hesitated and looked at the thing in Katsuragi's hand, and slowly said, "This gift is what you bought in the store the other day, right? Why do you want to bring it to the student council? Are you planning to give it to someone in the student council?"

Hikigaya instinctively thought of senior Akane Tachibana first. After all, she was the only woman he was relatively familiar with in the student council.

But when I think about the fact that senior Akane Tachibana obviously has a crush on President Horikita, if Katsuragi wants to pursue senior Akane Tachibana, the picture would be too brilliant.

"You misunderstood. I'm not sending gifts to the student council."

"Aren't you sending gifts to the student union?"

Katsuragi had already said this, and no matter how stupid Hikigaya was, he had gradually figured out the situation.

After all, on such a hot day, Kōhei Katsuragi did not stay in the dormitory to enjoy the air conditioning and drink cold drinks. Instead, he wore a tight uniform and held a gift bag in his hand. With so many clues piled together, the answer can basically be said to be revealed.

"Katsuragi, are you planning to give a gift to someone outside the school? Are you asking the student council for help for this?"

"Hikigaya, have you ever been a detective?"

"No."

"Then I recommend that you give it a try in the future. Maybe you'll become a famous detective in the industry."

"Thank you for your kind words."

Katsuragi's words without any rebuttal proved that the other party agreed with Hikigaya's conjecture.

At this point, all the secrets about the other party have been exposed.

"I never thought that someone as strict as you would want to send gifts outside the school." Hikigaya couldn't help but look at the big bald man in front of him with a strange look, "Katsuragi, Katsuragi, I didn't expect you to betray this school too."

"Your tone is weird, I don't understand you."

"The school rules clearly forbid any form of contact with people outside the school, which means that it is absolutely impossible to even send things outside the school, let alone leave the school." Hikigaya analyzed the facts bit by bit, "In other words, Katsuragi, what you want to do is against the school rules. I didn't expect you to do such an opportunistic thing..."

"..."

Katsuragi's attitude was not at all relaxed in response to Hikigaya's obviously sarcastic remarks.

He looked at Hikigaya with a serious and helpless expression, and said silently: "Are you going to use this to threaten me? Unfortunately, I have lost my position as a leader in Class C. Even if you threaten me, you won't be able to get any useful information."

"Well, I don't think so..."

Hikigaya was a little confused by the thought that Katsuragi would mistakenly think that he wanted to threaten him.

After all, if the scene just now was misunderstood, it would become a scene like "Katsuragi-san, you don't want your secret to be discovered, right?"

It's a bit too outrageous.

On the other side, after letting out a sigh, Katsuragi Kohei suddenly started a new topic: "Hikigaya, what do you think is the biggest shortcoming of this school?"

"shortcoming?"