Lunch break.
Hikigaya wandered away from his group and found a quiet staircase to eat his lunch. Being assigned to the White Group along with Class C was the school's decision, so it wasn't surprising to see Ichinose in a leadership position. However, helping Class D earn points while being cooperative with Class B made things tricky. The relationship between the classes was ambiguous at best.
Having finished his lunch, Hikigaya headed to the Class A camp of the third-year students.
"What's a second-year doing here?" Akane Tachibana approached him, her expression doubtful.
"Oh, Tachibana-senpai," Hikigaya nodded politely. "I'm here to see Horikita-senpai. Is he around?"
"What do you want from the president?" Tachibana's tone became defensive, almost like she was guarding something precious.
"Uh...I just need to discuss something personal with him. Could you please call Horikita-senpai?" Hikigaya asked, feeling awkward.
Tachibana's eyes narrowed. "If it's personal, you can tell me, and I'll pass the message along."
Why was she so hostile? Did he accidentally offend her before? He was just trying to be polite, and somehow it turned into this mess. Maybe she thought he was trying to steal Horikita Manabu away from her? Her possessiveness was way too intense.
"S-Senpai," Hikigaya stammered, trying to be diplomatic. "If you do this, Horikita-senpai might not be happy about it."
"That's not true!" Tachibana's face puffed up in frustration. "I'm the person President Horikita trusts most. He won't be angry with me. Just tell me, and I'll relay it properly."
"Um..." Hikigaya felt a headache coming on. This senior clearly liked Horikita Manabu, and her protectiveness was overwhelming. "Listen, Tachibana-senpai, I'm not trying to compete with you. But this matter really is private, and it's better if I speak with him directly."
"What competition?" Tachibana raised her voice, clearly agitated. "I'm just trying to offer a helpful suggestion. Don't be so arrogant."
"Right…" Hikigaya sighed. There was no reasoning with her. "I'll just ask someone else then."
"Wait, wait!" Tachibana quickly relented, her panic obvious. "Fine, I'll take you to see President Horikita."
"Thanks, I appreciate it," Hikigaya said with a strained smile.
They left the camp and walked over to a small garden where Horikita Manabu was having lunch with Fujimaki-senpai and some other students.
For a moment, Hikigaya wondered if Tachibana's weird possessiveness had some basis. Was Horikita Manabu the type to enjoy being fawned over by a loyal follower?
"You wait here," Tachibana said before walking over to speak with Horikita Manabu. She pointed toward Hikigaya and said something in a low voice. Soon after, Horikita Manabu got up and walked over.
"It's strange to see you here, Hikigaya," Horikita Manabu's voice was calm. "I thought I was the last person you'd want to approach. Did I misunderstand?"
"Uh...heh." Hikigaya scratched his head awkwardly. Horikita Manabu was too sharp, making him feel like his every thought was being read. It was intimidating.
"If you're here, it must be important. What do you want from me?"
"Well..." Hikigaya looked around cautiously and lowered his voice. "I have some valuable information. I'm willing to sell it for a hundred thousand points. Interested?"
Horikita Manabu studied him for a moment before nodding. "For you to ask such a high price, I assume this information involves me or someone close to me?"
Mind-reading. This guy was terrifying.
"Yes." Hikigaya couldn't deny it. Any more words would just give Horikita Manabu more clues.
"I see." Horikita Manabu's lips curled slightly. "You've been saving up quite a few personal points since last semester."
"What do you mean?" Hikigaya asked, feeling lost.
Horikita Manabu let out a small chuckle. "Come with me."
They walked over to a vending machine where Horikita bought two bottles of MAX Coffee and handed one to Hikigaya.
"Uh...will this be deducted from the transaction fee later?" Hikigaya asked suspiciously.
"Huh?" Horikita Manabu looked surprised before laughing softly. "No, I'm treating you."
"No thanks." Hikigaya shook his head. "I'll transfer the money to you later."
It wasn't that he was ungrateful, but accepting free things from people he barely knew always felt like a trap.
"Fair enough." After exchanging contact information, Horikita Manabu checked his phone and spoke. "Saving twenty million points through your own efforts is nearly impossible."
"I figured as much," Hikigaya admitted.
"The school's structure ensures cooperation among classmates. Trying to earn twenty million points individually is unrealistic unless others are completely incompetent or willing to betray their own classes."
"Well, I'm doing what I can," Hikigaya said with a shrug. "But why are we talking about school structure? You're wasting time."
"True." Horikita Manabu took a sip of his coffee. "So, what's this information of yours?"
"Ryuuen is targeting your sister, Horikita Suzune. You probably noticed that already."
"Yes. It's likely there's a traitor in Class D leaking information. But if that's all you've got, it's not worth much."
Hikigaya's eyebrow twitched. Of course, this guy already knew the basic situation. "What I mean is, Ryuuen won't stop there. Your sister is strong-willed but fragile. If someone applies the right kind of pressure, she could easily be broken."
Horikita Manabu fell silent, his eyes sharp and thoughtful. "Are you suggesting that I intervene?"
"I'm just saying it's better to keep an eye on her. She wants your approval so badly that she'd rather risk herself than ask for your help."
Horikita Manabu's shoulders relaxed slightly, but his gaze remained steady. "You have a sister, don't you, Hikigaya?"
Hikigaya blinked, surprised. "What's it to you?"
"Just curious. If you were in my position, what would you do?"
Hikigaya sighed. This guy was seriously asking for advice from him? How messed up was the relationship between these two siblings?
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