Chapter 254: What If They All Like Me?
"Hmph! You're not the only ones who can team up, you know?
Airi, please fight side-by-side with me!"
Hasabe Haruka's dominant aura leaked out.
"Mhm!"
At this moment, even Sakura Airi cast aside her usual cowardice and timidness, bravely looking the others in the eye.
"Stop! I say, haven't you guys played around with this topic enough?"
Hikigaya couldn't help but interrupt them. To be honest, the atmosphere had been weird for a while now.
It was almost... almost as if they had formed teams to compete for him...
'Does this mean they all like me?
That's too far-fetched! Even in my dreams, I wouldn't dare imagine something so beautiful!'
"Played around? We are super serious right now; we're fighting a war!"
Hasabe Haruka didn't avert her eyes, staring straight at him.
"That's right! We absolutely will not lose to you guys!"
Karuizawa Kei's attitude was tough as she stood her ground.
"Alright, alright~ Let's not do things that make Hachiman's life difficult."
Kushida Kikyo's eyes flickered, and she proactively chose to retreat tactically. It was only because, as of now, she wasn't certain she could win a decisive victory.
It was better not to force Hachiman to make a final choice. If he didn't pick her, wouldn't everything just blow up?!
The others first cast surprised glances her way. But after thinking carefully, they all understood the underlying meaning in Kushida Kikyo's words.
To be honest, none of them had a guaranteed win. Maintaining the status quo for now was a result that benefited all parties.
"Hmm? Why did everyone suddenly go silent?"
Hikigaya had a strange look on his face. He had briefly fantasized just now that all these girls liked him... Cough cough...
'Hachiman Hikigaya! How narcissistic can you get!! Delete those thoughts immediately!!!'
"Um, how about we play something else?"
"Like cards? Or Truth or Dare?" Karuizawa Kei suggested.
"Hikigaya-kun, do you have playing cards here?" Matsushita Chiaki inquired.
"Do you honestly think I'd have something like that?"
Hikigaya gave her an annoyed roll of his eyes. Cards were a multi-player game; it'd be a miracle if he owned them!
"Eh~ I think it's quite lively here at Hikigaya's place," Sato Maya said with a smile.
'If possible, I'd like it to be a bit quieter' Hikigaya thought speechlessly.
"Then what is there to play with in your room, Hachiman-kun?" Karuizawa Kei looked around the room curiously.
"Nothing.
There are plenty of books, though. Why don't you all pick one or two to read?"
Hikigaya thought he had offered a great suggestion.
"Reading books at a victory banquet... no matter how you look at it, that's not reasonable, is it?" Kushida Kikyo's mouth twitched.
"Actually, I think it's a good idea."
Horikita Suzune wasn't formal at all; she casually picked up a book and started flipping through it.
Kushida Kikyo's face stiffened, and she felt a wave of annoyance: 'As expected, I still really hate this woman!'
"Should we all look around together?" Hasabe Haruka's eyes darted around playfully.
"You're just using that as an excuse to rummage through my things, aren't you?"
Hikigaya saw through her little scheme at a glance.
"My, my~ as expected of Hachiman, you saw right through me."
Hasabe Haruka stuck out her tongue. Even after being exposed, she wasn't embarrassed: "So, Hachiman, is there anything in your room that can't see the light of day? Like some gravure magazine or something...?"
"As a normal high school boy, even if I had one, it wouldn't be anything strange."
Hikigaya's expression remained calm: "Of course, I just happen to not have one here."
"Eh~ would Hachiman be interested?
How about I give you one as a gift?"
Hasabe Haruka winked at him, joking around.
"Sure."
Hikigaya responded in a split second.
'Are you kidding me? When it comes to being thick-skinned, I don't believe you can beat me!'
"Uh, well..."
Hasabe Haruka was instantly defeated. If she were actually forced to buy one, just thinking about it made her scalp tingle!
"Airi, maybe I should leave this to you."
"Eh? Me...?"
"Yeah! With Airi around, who needs a gravure magazine?"
"Haruka!!"
Sakura Airi's face turned completely red. In front of so many people—this was too embarrassing!
"Hey! Watch your language!
There are so many people here!" Karuizawa Kei launched a verbal attack.
"A joke of this level shouldn't be a big deal, right?
Speaking of which, Karuizawa-san, aren't you guys gyarus?"
Hasabe Haruka retorted sharply: "Following the style of a gyaru, forget joking around—it wouldn't even be strange if you took direct action, right?"
"Urusai! Are you trying to teach me how to be a gyaru?" Karuizawa Kei argued loudly.
"Hey, hey~ stop fighting. I found something interesting."
Sato Maya's voice suddenly rang out in surprise.
'What could possibly be interesting in my room...'
Hikigaya instinctively looked back, and he was so shocked his glasses nearly fell off. In Sato Maya's hand was a small red square box with the numbers "0.001" printed largely on the cover.
'Oh no!'
Cold sweat immediately broke out on Hikigaya's forehead.
"Huh? What is this?"
Fortunately, the girls present were all relatively sheltered young ladies, looking at it with a face of ignorant innocence.
Horikita Suzune, who was reading, looked up and said nonchalantly: "Isn't that the thing Koenji brought over to us last time?"
The others hadn't been very interested, but as soon as they heard it was something Koenji Rokusuke had personally delivered, their interest piqued!
"Is Hachiman-kun's relationship with that weirdo really that good?"
"Speaking of which, what is this thingy?" Karuizawa Kei blinked her eyes and asked curiously. lzoxK
"Th-that..."
Hikigaya's gaze wavered, his brain's CPU running at full speed, trying to think of a way to bluff past this.
Kushida Kikyo's focus, however, was on the key phrase "the thing Koenji brought over to us." She snatched the red box and examined it closely.
When she flipped it to the back to check the product description, her expression froze!
"0.01 Ultra-Thin Classic Large Size..."
Kushida Kikyo's gaze instantly became sharp. With a darkened face, she questioned: "Horikita-san, would you mind explaining what you guys use this for?"
"Wait a minute, Kikyo! I think you have a massive misunderstanding right now!"
Hikigaya anxiously tried to explain.
"Shut up!! I'm asking Horikita right now!"
Kushida Kikyo barked at him.
"What do you mean 'use it for'?"
Horikita Suzune found it utterly baffling. She frowned, recalling some strange words Hikigaya had said to Koenji that day which she hadn't understood: "I think he called it a 'Spirit Barrier' or an 'Infant-Elimination Device'?"
Hikigaya instantly felt like life wasn't worth living.
'It's one thing for you not to understand, but why do you have to remember the terms so clearly?!'
"Spirit Barrier?"
"Infant-Elimination Device?"
Everyone on the scene was completely bewildered.
"If one interprets it literally..."
The intelligent Matsushita Chiaki seemed to have realized something, and her gaze instantly became extremely peculiar.
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