Opening his eyes, it was the familiar ceiling.
Which day was this already?
Maybe it was the rumors from those girls, the look of Sakuraba Ema running past with red-rimd eyes, or the scene of her collapsing on the rooftop. In short, whenever he lay down, those images would surface on their own, leaving him tossing and turning until the middle of the night.
Hikigaya rolled over and glanced at the alarm clock.
7:20 AM.
He hadn't slept enough again.
"Onii—chan—"
Komachi's voice ca from outside the door, accompanied by sharp knocking.
"If you don't get up now, you're really going to be late!"
Hikigaya sat up and rubbed his temples. His head hurt a bit, his eyes felt incredibly dry, and his overall condition was truly terrible.
When he finished changing and went downstairs, Komachi had already laid out breakfast on the table: simple miso soup, a fried egg, and a small dish of pickles.
"Onii-chan, your sleep quality lately is worrying," Komachi said, propping her chin on her hand as she watched him. "Those dark circles under your eyes are enough to make you a panda."
"I'm fine."
"Fine?"
Komachi narrowed her eyes. "Komachi rembers the last ti Onii-chan 'beca a panda' was because he pulled an all-nighter studying before final exams. What's the reason this ti?"
Hikigaya picked up a piece of fried egg and didn't answer.
Komachi didn't press him further; she just let out a sigh.
"Onii-chan, for so things, thinking too much is useless. Item 108 of the Komachi Chronicles: Eighty percent of the things you worry about when you can't sleep are unimportant the next morning when you wake up."
"What about the first 107 items?"
"Classified."
Hikigaya didn't bother responding. He finished his breakfast, grabbed his bag, and headed out the door.
Walking along the road, Hikigaya rembered Nikaido saying she was going to talk to Miura today to get things cleared up.
He was very clear about Miura's reaction that day.
When Emma collapsed, Miura had been standing right there, obviously frightened. Her voice was shaking as she said, "I didn't do anything to her." It sounded like an attempt to dodge responsibility, but she truly hadn't done anything.
Miura didn't look like those people from middle school who spread rumors; those people didn't care at all about what happened to the person they were targeting. Even if the victim got hurt because of the rumors, they would only say "serves them right."
Hikigaya felt there was so crucial link he was overlooking, but his sluggish brain couldn't pinpoint the key detail.
As he walked while lost in thought, he nearly bumped into soone.
"Sorry—" He looked up, then froze.
Sakuraba Ema was walking toward the school gate. Her steps were very slow, and she also seed to be brooding over sothing, completely failing to notice Hikigaya, whom she had nearly walked into.
Her expression was different from usual. Although it didn't look like a huge change, she had a certain... "trance-like" quality that he couldn't quite describe.
It was as if her body was there, but her soul was missing.
She walked right past him without looking at him or saying hello, just continuing straight ahead.
Hikigaya stood in place, watching her back.
-
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During the morning classes, Hikigaya didn't take in a single word. He propped his chin on his hand, watching his side out of the corner of his eye.
Sakuraba Ema sat in her seat. Her book was open, but her gaze remained fixed on the sa spot, not moving for a long ti. When the teacher called her na to answer a question, she was half a beat slow to react. During breaks, she just sat there in a daze.
Saeki turned back to talk to her several tis, asking if she felt unwell, but she only shook her head.
The feeling of unease in Hikigaya's heart grew heavier and heavier.
After school, he called out to Saeki.
"Could you accompany to the activity room on the third floor? There are so things regarding Sakuraba that I need your help to clear up with Miura."
Saeki looked at Sakuraba Ema, who was still lingering in her seat, and nodded.
Together, they walked toward the Service Club.
When they pushed open the door, Nikaido was already there. She was sitting by the window holding a book. Three chairs were already arranged around the long table.
Seeing Hikigaya and Saeki enter, she nodded and set her book down.
Saeki sat down next to Hikigaya, acting sowhat reserved. She stole a glance at Nikaido and leaned slightly toward him.
"Who is that?" she whispered to Hikigaya.
"Nikaido Hiro, from Class J."
"Why is she here too?"
"...She also wants to resolve the rumor issue."
Saeki took another look at Nikaido. The girl sat very upright, her long black hair ticulously grood. Her expression was calm, but her blood-red eyes carried a heavy sense of pressure.
"She has such an aura..." Saeki whispered. "Like a perfect honor student."
Hikigaya didn't reply. A perfect honor student? Perhaps, but he always felt sothing wasn't quite right.
"What about Miura?" he asked.
"I asked Hiratsuka-sensei to help inform her. She should be coming," Nikaido replied.
A few minutes later, the door was pushed open.
Miura Yumiko stood at the door. Seeing Hikigaya and Saeki, she blanked for a mont, and seeing Nikaido sitting opposite, her expression beca a bit wary.
"Hiratsuka-sensei told to co here, saying soone was looking for . Who is it?"
"It is I. Miura-san, please sit." She pointed to the chair across from her.
Miura frowned and walked in to sit down, but her gaze remained fixed on Nikaido.
"Who are you?"
"Nikaido Hiro, a student of Year 1, Class J." She bowed slightly, her movents elegant and proper.
"Forgive the sudden invitation, but there are indeed important matters to confirm in person.
We want to talk to you about Sakuraba Ema."
Miura's expression changed instantly. her lips pressed into a thin line, and a flash of panic crossed her eyes, though she quickly regained her composure.
"Sakuraba? What about her?"
Nikaido cleared her throat.
"Miura-san, the truth of the matter is actually this..."
As Nikaido began to explain the situation, Hikigaya kept observing Miura's reactions.
Her expression shifted from initial calmness to gradual stiffness. When Nikaido ntioned that the rumors had spread to other classes, Miura's fingers began to unconsciously wring her skirt.
"So you think I'm the one spreading rumors?" Miura finally spoke, her voice lower than usual.
"I did not say that," Nikaido countered. "I simply want to know where the initial information originated."
"I..." Miura bit her lower lip. "I did say so things, but it wasn't like that at all!"
Her voice suddenly rose, carrying obvious grievance and irritation.
"I was just chatting with those girls in class and ntioned that Sakuraba-san seed to be getting close to Hikigaya, and even followed him to his part-ti job over the weekend... I was just speaking offhandedly! Who knew they would spread it like that!"
The activity room fell silent for a few seconds.
Nikaido looked at her, her gaze calm.
"Miura-san, do you know how much damage rumors can cause a person?"
"Of course I know!" Miura's voice began to tremble. "I know better than anyone!"
Miura took a deep breath, her voice turning low. "I just wanted to stand up for Saeki. I felt that her approaching Hikigaya would make Saeki sad, so I sought her out to talk, wanting her to know Saeki's feelings.
But she..." Miura's voice began to shake again. "The mont I ntioned the matter, she started acting strange. Her face went white, and her breathing got very heavy. I hadn't even said anything harsh, and she already...
Then she fainted." Miura's voice was almost inaudible. "I didn't do anything, and she just collapsed right in front of . I didn't even get to finish what I wanted to say."
She looked up, her eyes red; this ti, she was truly on the verge of tears.
Nikaido was silent for a mont, then spoke: "Miura-san, I understand your feelings. However, regardless of the original intent, the fact remains that rumors have spread and caused harm to Sakuraba-san.
The correct course of action is not to explain that you didn't an it, but to correct the error. If you truly feel sorry, you should take the initiative to clarify things and stop the rumors from spreading further."
Miura looked up. "But... how do I do that? Everyone is already saying those things now."
"It starts with you," Nikaido said firmly. "Start by telling those friends of yours. Tell them the words you said were misunderstood. Tell them Sakuraba-san is innocent."
"But..."
"No 'buts'," Nikaido interrupted her. "Doing the right thing requires no reason and no hesitation. The mistake has happened; what needs to be done now is to correct it."
Miura opened her mouth to say sothing, but ultimately just lowered her head.
Saeki reached out and gently squeezed her hand.
"I'm really okay. Hikigaya-kun and I are just friends, and Sakuraba-san isn't what you all think she is."
Miura looked up, tears hanging on her face.
"She has her own reasons. Although it's hard to explain directly, it's absolutely not like the rumors. I'm grateful you wanted to stand up for , but Sakuraba-san is indeed innocent," Saeki said softly.
Miura sobbed, unable to speak.
After a while, she wiped her tears.
"I'll talk to them. I'll tell them to stop spreading it.
Today Hiratsuka-sensei called to the office, and those girls were watching from the hallway. They definitely think—"
Hikigaya's heart skipped a beat.
The door was slamd open.
Tobe rushed in. "Hi—Hikitani! Sothing happened!"
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