Parrett Café.
The scene unfolding before them was so ridiculous that even the usually composed Ayanokouji group was speechless.
Hikigaya Hachiman had stopped eating, drinking, and even talking. For a solid thirty minutes, he simply stared—unblinkingly—at Class A’s students across the café.
No exaggeration.
It was thirty full minutes.
Since it involved three guys—Akito and the others couldn’t help but feel a little nauseous just watching.
"Seriously, if soone stared at that long," Akito muttered, "I’d probably end up with a ntal disorder."
"This guy’s gotta be sick," soone else whispered.
Yet, amidst the group, one person had a different reaction.
Sakura Airi’s soft, shy gaze sparkled with admiration. "That... that was amazing," she murmured, eyes never leaving Hikigaya’s face.
Even nlai’s eyes lit up as she leaned forward, clearly impressed. "I didn’t think Hikigaya could really force them to leave just by doing that."
"It’s not that impressive," Hikigaya muttered, rubbing his sore eyes.
True enough, his thods didn’t seem rational. Thirty minutes of just staring—they’d driven off Masayoshi Hashimoto and the others, but at what cost? A whole half-hour was wasted, and Jiuke and the others had nearly finished off all the cookies on the table.
But that wasn’t the point.
What mattered was the resistance—the willingness to stand firm.
Letting Class A push them around without pushing back wasn’t an option. nlai and the others might’ve been more gentle and diplomatic, but Hikigaya had always been the type of person to rebel—especially after being burned.
Passive resistance was his protest. He didn’t need violence; his sheer presence could be enough to ruin soone’s day.
"That’s not true at all," Okakura Asako jumped in with bright enthusiasm. "Hikigaya, you were amazing! That was Class A! And you totally got them to back off!"
"Ha, does that count as ’beating’ Class A?" Yukimura interjected with a roll of his eyes. He glanced toward them coldly. "You do realize this is a café, right? Not a circus? Keep your voices down. So of us are trying to study."
Study?
No one had even touched a book.
No conversations happened.
Nothing of substance had occurred in that entire thirty-minute stare-down.
Just wasted ti.
And yet this was sohow considered a ’victory’ over Class A?
Ridiculous.
Hikigaya, for what it’s worth, seed aware of how dumb the whole thing was. But so of the Class B girls? They looked like they’d just witnessed a modern-day hero in action.
"Of course it counts," nlai said with a slight pout, clearly annoyed by Yukimura’s disdain.
"Not only did Hikigaya get Class A to leave without starting a fight, but he also ca up with a thod no one else here could’ve imagined. He avoided conflict altogether."
"You nearly got into a brawl with Rokusuke earlier," she continued, pointing toward Yukimura. "If Hikigaya hadn’t stepped up, we’d probably be looking at a suspension."
Okakura Asako and Jiuke nodded in agreent. They’d seen it happen.
Class D had just been targeted by Class C too, and unlike Class B, their first response had been to threaten violence.
But Hikigaya?
He used an unorthodox approach—one that worked, without sparking anything severe.
That kind of thinking was rare.
"It’s still ridiculous," Yukimura said, adjusting his glasses with that habitual condescending air.
"Even if there was a fight, we could have filed an appeal. The school would’ve investigated, and we might’ve won that way. Ti was wasted on your thod. Thirty whole minutes, gone."
"In that scenario, violence would’ve actually benefited us," he added smugly.
Once again, both sides were clearly at odds.
Yukimura’s group valued results—efficiency above all. Whatever it took to climb to Class A, even if it ant using underhanded tactics.
nlai’s side, anwhile, believed in restraint and subtle wins—quiet victories that didn’t bring consequences.
Why was everything with these people a philosophical debate?
Was this a school or a courtroom?
Sensing the tension reaching a boiling point again, Hikigaya glanced at the table—specifically at the almost-empty plate of cookies.
"Uh... the cookies are pretty much gone. Should we just wrap it up for today?" he offered, hoping to divert everyone’s attention.
There was no point arguing with people who lived in a completely different reality.
He didn’t care what Yukimura or the rest thought. It wasn’t like they were ever going to see eye-to-eye anyway.
"Alright," nlai said, nodding. She wasn’t going to waste any more energy either.
She reached for the last of the cookies and quickly pushed them toward Hikigaya.
"Here, take these ho," she said cheerfully.
"Eh?" Hikigaya looked confused and slightly alard. "Wait, what? Why?"
Okakura Asako tilted her head, looking puzzled. "We saved those for you."
"Yeah," nlai chid in with a warm smile. "You’ve been busy dealing with Class A this whole ti, and you barely ate. So it’s only fair you take the rest."
"I-I don’t need them, really," Hikigaya said, raising his hand in protest.
"Eh?" nlai blinked. "You don’t like the cookies we made?"
"No, that’s not it!" Hikigaya quickly said. "They’re good, really. Just—"
Too late.
Three small bags of cookies were shoved into his hands.
"We made these for this party," nlai said, her tone firm but kind. "It’d be a waste if you didn’t get your share."
"Oh... okay." Hikigaya took them reluctantly, the weight of the cookies oddly heavy in his hands.
It wasn’t just sugar and flour.
It was a whole set of expectations.
Junior high girls giving homade treats—that kind of thing only happened in manga. And yet here he was, awkwardly receiving them like so clueless protagonist.
Even if they were just the leftovers.
Well... being the guy who takes care of leftovers didn’t sound too bad.
"Alright, let’s head out," nlai said, standing up.
The others followed her lead.
Given that the relationship between Class B and Class D was still tense—rivalrous, even—there wasn’t much of a point in trying to play nice.
Not after all that.
"No need for farewells," soone from their group muttered.
But nlai, Okakura, and Jiuke still gave a friendly wave.
"We’re off, everyone. See you around."
"See you next ti."
"Bye~!"
Their voices echoed with casual warmth.
"Uh, bye," Hasebe replied automatically, looking more than a little dazed.
Then he noticed sothing.
A few glances in his direction.
He looked over at Hikigaya, whose expression had turned pale.
Wait a second.
When had the vibe changed?
Since when were they suddenly close enough to be saying warm goodbyes?
He hadn’t even talked to them.
Miyake hadn’t said a word. Neither had Hasebe. And yet, here they were, exchanging smiles like friends at a tea party.
What kind of twisted misunderstanding had just happened?
Hikigaya sighed and looked down at the cookies.
So much for a normal afternoon.
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