Inside the dormitory, Hikigaya stood silently, eyes scanning the freshly cleaned space. The scent of citrus-scented detergent still lingered faintly in the air, proof of recent efforts. He reached into his pocket, fingers brushing the smooth edge of his handheld device, and let out a soft sigh of relief.
"Uh... that..." Hikigaya turned toward the three girls in front of him and hesitated. "Anyway... thank you."
It wasn’t a particularly eloquent display of gratitude, but sincerity could be found buried in his awkward tone. nlai and the others had taken it upon themselves to help him clean the room, and that was sothing he truly appreciated. It had taken less than an hour, but the result far outshone what he could’ve managed on his own.
"No, no, it’s nothing. Just a small matter!" nlai waved it off cheerfully. "Okay, let’s go out and have so fun!"
Hikigaya gave a noncommittal grunt, throwing on his windbreaker before following the trio to wait by the elevator.
"By the way," nlai said suddenly, turning to him with a curious look, "Hikigaya, do you only eat instant noodles all the ti?"
"Occasionally," he answered, a little uncertain. "Not all the ti."
Though he often relied on instant noodles when in a hurry or when his funds were running low, he did try to go out occasionally for a proper al. Lately, though, he had been losing control of his personal spending. His monthly expenses had steadily climbed by an extra 10,000 yen. The financial strain was starting to show.
Sure enough, money was the root of all evil—it corroded the mind in small incrents.
"How much do you spend each month?" nlai asked.
"Probably around thirty or forty thousand?" Hikigaya scratched his head. "I haven’t done the math properly, but that’s my rough estimate. Around fifteen thousand of that is club funds, though, so what I personally use for als is just the rest."
"Then it’s about the sa as us," nlai said in a relieved tone. "We shouldn’t neglect our health just to save a few points."
Hikigaya nodded at that. It made sense.
But Juke, standing nearby, frowned in clear disapproval.
Thirty or forty thousand a month was indeed quite a bit. However, when you deducted the club funds, his personal consumption wasn’t as much as it first appeared—only about fifteen thousand. And yet, he still relied heavily on instant noodles and seed indifferent to his own health. Occasional dining out wasn’t enough to compensate. Didn’t he understand the value of taking care of himself?
As if to interrupt the tension, the elevator chid and ca to a smooth stop at the fifth floor. The doors slid open with a chanical hum, revealing a familiar group: Sakura Airi, Kushida Kikyo, and a boy from Class D—Huko.
"Oh! Kobashi-san~" Kushida chirped.
"Kushida-chan! What a coincidence," nlai responded, smiling warmly.
The two groups greeted each other politely and filed into the elevator together. Hikigaya, as usual, trailed at the rear, offering no opinion but silently observing. Whenever a group took action, he always positioned himself behind the others—never the leader, never the center.
As he stepped inside, he noticed Sakura Airi and Hasebe Haruka’s expressions stiffen slightly. Their eyes lingered on nlai and the others, particularly on Hikigaya, who had just joined them. It was clear: they had arrived one step too late.
anwhile, sothing else felt off.
Hikigaya glanced at the elevator buttons and frowned. None were lit. That ant Kushida and the others hadn’t pressed the button for the first floor yet. In fact, it seed they had originally co to the fifth floor, not intending to head down at all. Otherwise, the first-floor button would have already been pressed.
"Ah?" Kushida said suddenly, seemingly realizing sothing. "Sorry! We forgot to press the floor. Hikigaya-kun, could you press the first floor for us?"
"Oh, sure." Hikigaya leaned forward and pressed the button.
It was the winter vacation period, so the dormitory had high traffic. Usually, even if soone forgot to press the button, the elevator would stop at the first floor regardless. But today, the elevator was occupied entirely by their group—it wouldn’t go down unless soone actually pressed the button.
On the side, Hasebe Haruka and Sakura Airi also seed to realize their near-mistake. They had almost given themselves away. If the elevator had stopped automatically at the first floor, their real target—this floor—might have been exposed to nlai’s group. Thankfully, Kushida’s quick thinking diverted suspicion.
It was indeed the right move to bring Kushida Kikyo.
"So, Kobashi-san, are you all heading out to have fun too?" Kushida asked with her usual bright smile.
"Yes," nlai nodded. "You girls as well?"
"Yes," Kushida replied, glancing at Sakura Airi beside her with a sheepish smile. "It’s kind of awkward just having girls, though..."
"Oh co on." Okakura Asako laughed teasingly. "If Kushida-chan wants to hang out with boys, I’m sure plenty of them in your class would say yes in a heartbeat."
As usual, Kushida was playing both sides—her sweet deanor and subtle charm weaving an almost effortless rapport with others. And Kobashi Yu—nlai’s close friend and the group’s gentle heart—seed to get along with her particularly well.
"True," Kushida said, nodding slightly. "But today is Christmas, after all. Even if our class is friendly, it still feels odd going out together just as a group of girls."
"I get that," nlai responded.
She had heard about Class D’s mbers. Most of them weren’t bad people, but they had a reputation for being a little immature—especially Haruki Yamauchi. It wasn’t hard to imagine that Kushida, given her standards, might be looking for sothing a bit more... refined.
"At the very least," Kushida continued, her gaze shifting ever so subtly to Hikigaya, "I wish so of my classmates could be as calm and dependable as Hikigaya-kun."
"Hmm?" Kobashi Yu perked up at that, brows lifting slightly.
Kushida let out a small laugh and quickly added, "We’re all friends anyway. Why don’t we just hang out together?"
Hikigaya’s steps slowed as the words reached him. He had known Kushida’s presence here was no coincidence. The excuse about forgetting to press the button? A lie. Their real destination was the fifth floor. They had planned this encounter.
And now, she was trying to rope him in by expanding the group.
By bringing along Sakura Airi, she hoped to lower his guard. More people ant less pressure—more social "cover" to mask her intent.
What a devious move.
Classic green tea behavior.
But Hikigaya couldn’t refuse outright. Everyone knew each other here. And while he didn’t rember everyone’s na or face in detail, he couldn’t exactly call her out in front of the group. That would only create more trouble.
Even so, he couldn’t help but be wary. Kushida Kikyo always had a plan. Every smile, every comnt, every "coincidence"—none of it ever truly was.
The elevator continued its slow descent.
Outside, the lights of the city were already beginning to twinkle like stars, casting reflections on the glossy floors of the dormitory building. Snow gently floated past the windows—light, delicate, like a scene out of a holiday romance drama.
And yet, for Hikigaya, it was just another day of navigating the web of interpersonal manipulation.
Maybe that was why, deep down, he preferred solitude.
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