Chapter 148: Sakayanagi: "I'm Inviting the Wolf into the House, and You?" Hikigaya: "I'm Playing 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf'"
The next morning, 7:30 AM.
Sunlight stread through the library's floor-to-ceiling windows, casting patches of warm golden light on the floor. The air was thick with the distinct fragrance of paper and wooden bookshelves; the faint sound of turning pages could be heard occasionally.
Sakayanagi Arisu stood before the bookshelves in the literature section, her finger lightly tracing the spines of the books. She looked to be in decent shape, though the faint dark circles under her eyes betrayed the fact that she hadn't slept well last night.
As she pulled out a book and was about to open it, she caught a familiar figure out of the corner of her eye at the end of the corridor.
With silver hair and a slender fra, the figure was walking in the other direction. It was Shiina Hiyori of Class C.
Sakayanagi's fingers paused. It had suddenly occurred to her that she had been misled by Hikigaya-kun's inner voice, and Kamuro had been tricked too—well, Kamuro didn't matter—but Class C had also fallen deep into the trap of the "pattern." Therefore, Shiina Hiyori must also be soone who was being led astray by Hikigaya-kun's thoughts.
That would explain why Hiyori looked so despondent last night.
Thinking of this, Sakayanagi continued to watch Shiina Hiyori. Hiyori had clearly seen her as well; her steps faltered, and she instinctively moved to turn away—but after half a step, she stopped. Taking a deep breath, she turned around and walked toward Sakayanagi.
"Sakayanagi-san." Hiyori stopped a few paces away, her voice soft but tinged with uncertainty. "Is it convenient to have a word?"
Sakayanagi looked at her, the corners of her mouth curling slightly.
"This isn't the place for a conversation," Sakayanagi said, closing her book and returning it to the shelf. "Shall we change locations?"
Hiyori blinked, then nodded.
The two walked out of the library side-by-side. Neither spoke along the way. The morning light stretched their shadows long across the corridor. Occasionally, students passing by would cast curious glances at the two silver-haired girls walking together, but no one approached them.
Sakayanagi led Hiyori to a cafe on the third deck of the ship. At this hour, the cafe was nearly empty since most people were at breakfast. They chose a window seat. Outside was the boundless, deep blue sea, with morning light breaking into golden foil on the waves. The sight
of the two exceptionally beautiful silver-haired girls sitting there ford a picture-perfect scene against the ocean backdrop.
A waiter approached. Sakayanagi glanced at Hiyori and said to the waiter, "Two glasses of warm water, thank you."
Hiyori was slightly taken aback.
Sakayanagi hadn't asked what she wanted to drink; she had simply ordered warm water for her. This casual "presumptiveness" seed a bit dictatorial at first, but Hiyori soon understood—it actually signaled a sense of closeness.
It seed it wasn't just that she wanted to talk to Sakayanagi; Sakayanagi had intended to have a private chat with her as well. Realizing this, a complex swirl of emotions rose in Hiyori's heart.
The warm water was served quickly. Sakayanagi picked up her glass and took a small sip, her gaze fixed outside. Hiyori picked up her glass as well but didn't drink, instead quietly observing the girl opposite her. Silence stretched between them, but it wasn't awkward.
"The exam ends tonight," Hiyori spoke first.
Sakayanagi nodded. "Mhm."
Hiyori paused before continuing, "This exam... was a total victory for Class B."
Sakayanagi continued to look out the window, her expression unchanging. After a few seconds, she withdrew her gaze and turned to Hiyori. Her violet-blue eyes now held a trace of complex emotion.
"Shiina-san," Sakayanagi's voice remained sweet, but her words carried significant weight: "You can actually hear Hikigaya-kun's inner voice, can't you?"
Hiyori's pupils contracted slightly.
She looked at Sakayanagi, her mouth opening, but found she didn't know what to say. This secret was sothing she had guarded with extre care; other than Ibuki, she had never told a soul. Yet here was Sakayanagi, stating it directly. No testing the waters, no beating around the bush.
She had pierced through the secret just like that.
Hiyori let out a soft sigh. She finally understood why Sakayanagi had wanted to speak privately.
"Sakayanagi-san... can hear it too, I assu," she said softly.
Sakayanagi nodded, not denying it.
Hiyori lowered her head, her gaze falling on the water glass in front of her.
"So, Sakayanagi-san was also..." Hiyori paused, "...misled by Hikigaya-kun's inner voice."
Sakayanagi said nothing, but her silence was the answer.
Hiyori looked up at her. Her clear eyes were filled with complex emotions.
"It seems Sakayanagi-san gave up leading Class A because of this exam," Hiyori added.
Sakayanagi took another sip of the warm water. The liquid slid down her throat, bringing a sense of warmth.
"I accept my loss," Sakayanagi Arisu said, her tone as calm as she could manage, yet still tinged with bitterness. "I underestimated Hikigaya Hachiman. Performing like this is a result of my own inadequacies."
Hiyori was stunned.
She had originally thought Sakayanagi wanted to talk because they were kindred spirits in misfortune, wanting to complain together and resist the man who had used his heart to deceive them.
She had even prepared herself to listen to Sakayanagi vent her frustrations.
But Sakayanagi's reaction was entirely beyond her expectations. No complaining, no resentnt—just a calm admission of defeat. Hiyori suddenly felt that her own perspective might have been a bit narrow.
"Even though we were misled by Hikigaya-kun's inner voice and he transmitted false intelligence..." Sakayanagi turned to Hiyori, a hint of relief in her violet-blue eyes, "we, who wanted to use his inner voice to win the exam, held 'ill intentions' from the very start. I cannot deny that."
Hiyori fell silent.
That was true. They had eavesdropped on his thoughts, wanting to extract information and use that advantage to crush him. It was an unfair ga from the start.
They just hadn't expected the man to see through it all from the beginning and turn the tables on them.
"I understand," Hiyori said softly, her tone carrying a sense of release and a hint of self-deprecation. "I was being too narrow-minded."
Sakayanagi looked at her, the corners of her mouth curling into a faint, sincere smile. The silence that followed was less heavy and more like a shared understanding.
Hiyori suddenly rembered sothing and spoke up.
"Sakayanagi-san, if you're still in a bad mood..." She paused, choosing her words carefully. "You could try going to the stern of the ship and shouting."
Sakayanagi blinked. "Shouting?"
"Mhm." Hiyori nodded, her silver hair swaying. "Once before, I saw Hikigaya-kun and his classmate, Hino Yuki-san, at the stern. They shouted at the sea for a long ti. I don't know what they were yelling, but they looked much more relaxed afterward."
Sakayanagi's eyebrows twitched slightly.
"Hikigaya-kun?" she repeated the na, her tone carrying a subtle edge. "Doing such things with a girl?"
Hiyori smiled gently. "It seems so."
Sakayanagi was silent for a few seconds, a thoughtful glint in her eyes. "It seems Hikigaya-kun is quite popular," she said with a trace of mock-teasing. "Doing such things with girls so frequently."
Hearing the slight hint of "sourness" in her words, Hiyori couldn't help but chuckle. "Sakayanagi-san seems to care about that quite a bit?"
Sakayanagi glanced at her, sipped her water, and didn't deny it. However, her violet-blue eyes lowered slightly as if to hide sothing.
"However, he doesn't express such matters in his inner voice," Sakayanagi said softly, a hint of dissatisfaction in her tone.
Hiyori's smile widened. She caught the aning behind the tone—Sakayanagi wasn't just bothered that "Hachiman did this with a girl," but that "she didn't know about it." It was that feeling when you think you are one of the people who knows soone best, only to discover they have a side you know nothing about. A subtle sense of a "gap."
"Boys surely wouldn't inform others of such things voluntarily," Hiyori's voice was gentle and understanding. "Moreover, Hikigaya-kun now knows we can hear his heart; there's no reason for him to mix his personal affairs into his thoughts."
"True." Sakayanagi set down her glass and looked back out the window. Her profile looked exceptionally soft in the morning light, but a pensive light flashed in her eyes.
She knew Hiyori was right. Now that the man had exposed their secret, he wouldn't be stupid enough to reveal more private information in his head. But knowing it didn't make the nagging feeling go away.
It was like thinking you had soone's weakness in your grip, only to realize it was a flaw they had shown you on purpose. Like thinking you had read their mind, only to realize you had only seen what they wanted you to see.
That feeling was more uncomfortable than simple failure.
Sakayanagi let out a soft breath, trying to suppress her chaotic thoughts. "The stern, was it...?" she murmured, as if confirming sothing.
Clearly, she wasn't as unfazed as she appeared. This was her first head-on clash with Hikigaya Hachiman, and she had suffered such a defeat. The sense of frustration washed over her like a tide, nearly drowning her. But she knew she couldn't stay subrged.
It was just one failure. Not the end, not even a turning point—just a lesson. Vent so emotion, adjust the mindset, and then—fight again.
Sakayanagi withdrew her gaze and looked at Hiyori. This girl, who had also been deceived by the inner voice and suffered defeat, was sitting there quietly.
"Shiina-san," Sakayanagi said suddenly.
Hiyori looked up.
"Next ti," Sakayanagi's mouth curled into a smile, a faint but clear light igniting in her eyes, "it won't be like this again."
Hiyori froze for a mont, then understood. She nodded gently, a faint smile appearing on her face as well.
"Mhm," Hiyori said softly. "Next ti, it won't be like this again."
The two looked at each other, both seeing the sa thing in the other's eyes. It wasn't resentnt or anger, but a kind of... unspoken pact.
They sat there quietly, each lost in their own thoughts. Remarkably, despite just realizing they had been fooled by Hikigaya-kun's heart, the gloom in their hearts had actually diminished.
Neither Hiyori nor Sakayanagi knew what this feeling was.
It wasn't until much later—when one of them would watch the other walking out of the lights of his birthday party, holding that man's arm—that they finally understood the truth of this emotion.
It was the premonition of inviting a wolf into the house. It was the kind of regret where, looking back years later, one would desperately want to travel back in ti to shake oneself awake.
Regret for why they felt like kindred spirits. Regret for why they understood each other. Regret for—why they ever joined a "Losers' Alliance" together.
Because in the end, they had only succeeded in giving themselves a competitor who understood them better than anyone else.
.
.
.
9:00 AM, Dragon Group discussion room.
Compared to last night, the layout of the room hadn't changed. The other classes had already arrived, and Class A still reserved three seats for Class B—the empty seats to Sakayanagi's right had beco a silent habit.
Hachiman scanned the room and walked straight in that direction. Ichinose understood and took the seat next to Sakayanagi, while he took the seat with a gap between them.
Despite the one-seat gap, Hachiman noticed Sakayanagi was wearing her black beret again today, with silver hair peeking out from under the brim. Furthermore, a cup of black tea sat before her, steam rising in curls. It seed her mood was entirely different from last night. She had returned to the state befitting Princess Sakayanagi.
However, sensing soone had sat down, she didn't even lift an eyelid.
Shiina Hiyori was in the Class C area, her silver hair draped over her shoulders. She had brought a book again today, though she hadn't opened it. Hachiman glanced at the cover—it was Gone with the Wind. He had read it; the protagonist, Scarlett O'Hara, had a very strong personality. Scarlett suffered countless setbacks and blows in the book but always stubbornly pulled through. She had a voice: "After all, tomorrow is another day."
Though Hiyori was still staring blankly, she felt completely different from last night. After he sat down, her gaze seed to shift over for a montary glance.
Hachiman withdrew his gaze and leaned back.
The room was quiet. But it wasn't a tension-filled silence; it was a silence born of having nothing to do. The plan for the exam had been finalized last night—the remaining five groups would go for Outco 1. Everything that needed to be discussed had been discussed; everything that needed to be decided had been decided. Sitting here now was just going through the motions.
His phone vibrated. He pulled it out—it was a ssage from Kushida.
[Hikigaya-kun, have you noticed? The atmosphere between you, Ichinose-san, Sakayanagi-san, and Shiina-san is... really strange?]
Hachiman raised an eyebrow and looked toward Kushida. She was looking down at her phone, but her mouth was slightly upturned, clearly waiting for his reply. He looked back down and tapped on the screen.
[Sakayanagi and Hiyori's situation is indeed a bit special. However, I basically know what's going on. But you said Ichinose is also—]
As he sent the ssage, he beca a bit hesitant himself. He did feel that Ichinose's attitude toward him seed to have changed.
He looked at Ichinose beside him. She was looking down, pretending to read her notebook, but her slightly reddened ears gave her away. Today—or rather, starting from yesterday—her
movents were gentler than usual, her voice softer, and even her posture carried an indescribable sense of "cherishing."
It was as if she were confirming he was still by her side. It was a strange feeling.
Hachiman looked away and continued his reply.
[Sakayanagi and Hiyori are likely because of the exam. If nothing goes wrong, Class A is the biggest loser. Class C luckily guessed the Pig Group VIP, but for Hiyori, I was the one who misled her into believing and deriving a pattern. As for Ichinose...]
He paused, his finger hovering over the screen for a few seconds.
[She probably thinks I'm going to leave.]
Kushida stared at the ssage, stunned. She looked up toward Hachiman, but he had already put his phone away and was looking out the window.
At that mont, Ryuen suddenly stood up. The chair made a harsh scraping sound against the floor, breaking the silence. Everyone looked at him.
Ignoring the stares, Ryuen strode over to Hachiman and looked down at him.
"Hey, Hikigaya."
Hachiman looked up and t his gaze. Ryuen had his hands in his pockets, his tone as defiant as ever. "I've got a question for you."
"Speak."
"Are you the VIP of the Dragon Group?"
The room went silent for an instant. Ichinose's expression beca tense; her fingers instinctively gripped her notebook tighter. Her gaze flickered between Hachiman and Ryuen, her lips pursed.
Seeing her like this, Hachiman's mouth curled into a slight smile. Then he turned back to Ryuen.
"Yes."
His voice was calm, as if he were saying the weather was nice today.
Ichinose's breath hitched.
But Ryuen stared at Hachiman for a few seconds, then scoffed.
"Tch!" He waved a hand, turned back to his seat, and crossed his legs again. "I'd be a fool to believe you."
Hachiman: "..."
A few chuckles broke out in the room. Katsuragi Kohei shook his head and took a sip of water. Hirata Yosuke's smile remained gentle but his eyes held a hint of helplessness. Even Kushida couldn't help but let out a snicker before quickly covering her mouth.
No one believed him.
Who would believe a VIP would admit it so generously? Especially when that VIP was Hikigaya Hachiman. Especially on the day after the "pattern is a scam" and "Matsushita Chiaki is a decoy" revelations had just co out.
Everyone has heard the story of the Boy Who Cried Wolf.
Hachiman leaned back and looked at Ryuen's back, sighing softly. He was telling the truth, but unfortunately, no one believed it.
Ichinose looked at him, her bright eyes filled with a complex look. She had indeed been nervous just now—because Ryuen suddenly asked if Hachiman was the VIP. She knew for a fact that Hachiman was the Dragon Group's VIP, and he had just said it outright. But since Ryuen and the others didn't believe it, she felt relieved.
But beyond nervousness and relief, there was another indescribable feeling in her heart.
That feeling had been haunting her since morning—the words Hachiman had said in his heart: "When I am no longer in Class B" and "Maybe at so unknown ti, I will leave this place." Those words were like seeds planted in her heart, making her want to look at him more, to confirm he was still there, and to cherish every mont they spent together. She didn't know what this emotion was called, but it was very real.
Hachiman t her gaze and seed to read her mind. He shook his head slightly—the movent was faint, but it seed to say: Don't worry, I'm fine.
Ichinose was startled, then understood his aning.
He had noticed. He had noticed her inexplicable emotions, but he didn't interrogate her or expose them; he simply used this gesture to tell her—he understood, and all was well.
Ichinose withdrew her gaze and looked back at her notebook. But the corners of her mouth turned up unconsciously.
So this is what it feels like to be understood.
Sakayanagi continued to look out the window as if she had heard nothing. But her hand slightly tightened around her teacup.
Shiina Hiyori turned a page, the paper making a soft sound. Her eyes fell on the page, but they didn't move for a long ti.
The morning discussion ended in tranquility.
When the broadcast sounded to signal the end, people began to leave one after another. Hachiman walked at the back, with Ichinose by his side. In the corridor, sunlight spilled through the portholes onto them.
"Hikigaya-kun," Ichinose said suddenly.
Hachiman looked at her.
Ichinose hesitated, then said softly, "Just now... why did you admit it?"
Hachiman was silent for two seconds, then said, "Because this exam has turned into a ga of 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf.' They won't believe any intelligence I give them anymore."
Ichinose was stunned for a mont, then couldn't help but laugh.
True. The pattern was a misdirection; the claim that Matsushita Chiaki was the Sheep Group VIP was a lie. Now that he had "exposed" himself as the Dragon Group VIP, it would only be seen as a new round of harvesting. Even if soone thought it might be true, Classes A, C, and D didn't have the courage to guess.
If they guessed wrong, Class A would lose another 50 points, widening the gap further. Class C had finally gotten positive points, and Ryuen wouldn't take the risk. As for Class D, Ayanokoji still had to lead them toward Class A, but he hadn't gained control over the class yet—if he caused Class D to lose more points and continued to be attacked by the students Hachiman had arranged, he would be even further from his goal.
So, truth or lies no longer mattered.
What mattered was that no one dared believe him anymore. That included Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. Even if he were 70% sure Hachiman was the VIP, he couldn't act decisively.
And so, the two walked forward side-by-side, their footsteps echoing softly in the corridor.
Read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting on buyacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting
User Comments
0 comments from readers