When the bell rang at the end of the day, a strange atmosphere perated the classroom of Class 1-F.
No one was in a rush to leave; instead, everyone's eyes drifted toward the second-to-last row at the sa ti.
Sakuraba sat next to Hikigaya with her head down, packing her things. She organized her textbooks, stuffed them into her bag, zipped it up, and then placed the bag on her desk, sitting there quietly and waiting.
Saeki turned around from the front row and looked at her.
"Ema , do you want to go back together?"
"Mm." Sakuraba nodded and smiled. "Let's wait a bit. There are too many people right now."
"...Alright," Saeki said.
She looked at Sakuraba Ema 's profile, trying to find even a trace of sothing being wrong. But Ema just sat there peacefully, looking at the sky outside the window with a slight smile on her face, as if she were thinking of sothing happy.
Tobe slithered over from sowhere in the back rows. "Hey, Hikitani, is your girlfriend coming to pick you up?"
Hikigaya didn't really feel like dealing with him right now.
'Girlfriend.'
Hearing that word co out of Tobe's mouth made Hikigaya feel entirely uncomfortable. Tobe wanted to say more, but soone nearby pulled at him and jerked their chin toward the door.
Nikaido Hiro was standing at the doorway, her long black hair falling over her shoulders, her blood-red eyes scanning the room before finally landing on Hikigaya.
The classroom instantly beca noisy.
"She actually ca."
"They really are together!"
"Nikaido actually said yes to him?"
"Where's Sakuraba? Where is she?"
"Now the real show starts..."
Hikigaya stood up, the eyes of everyone in the classroom fixed on him.
Sakuraba Ema turned her head and said with a smile, "Hikigaya-kun, see you tomorrow."
Her voice was calm—so calm it caught Hikigaya slightly off guard.
He looked at Sakuraba Ema .
Her smile was natural and her eyes were curved, as if she were truly happy for him and Hiro.
"Yeah, see you tomorrow," Hikigaya said.
He picked up his bag and walked toward the door.
Nikaido stepped forward to et him, her tone intentionally affectionate.
"Let's go together."
"Mm."
The two of them walked out of the classroom side-by-side, leaving a commotion in their wake.
"Sakuraba actually smiled while sending him off!"
"What's going on?"
"Isn't she sad?"
"Does she really not like Hikigaya?"
"Then those previous rumors..."
Hikigaya could hear the voices, but he didn't look back.
He and Nikaido walked in silence, maintaining a fist's width of distance between them.
This was likely the first ti Hikigaya had ever walked ho with a girl in public—especially a school-renowned beauty—but his heart felt zero romantic tension.
As they exited the school building, the setting sun dyed the ground a vibrant orange-red. The surrounding students all took second glances at them, whispering in small groups. Hikigaya kept his head down, pretending he didn't hear a thing.
"Sakuraba's state is off," Hiro spoke up.
"You think so too?"
"Her performance was too normal. That makes it abnormal."
Hikigaya agreed. The way Sakuraba acted today was calr and more natural than usual, almost as if it had been rehearsed.
He needed to have a clear talk with her, but there was another matter to handle first.
"Soone is following us," he said suddenly.
Hiro's pace faltered for a second. She turned her head; behind them was an ordinary street with a few students heading ho. Nothing seed out of the ordinary.
"Who?"
"Don't know. They've been following since the school gates."
He quickened his pace and ducked into a small alleyway. Nikaido followed. After a few steps, Hikigaya suddenly stopped and turned around.
"Co out."
No response.
"I know you're behind us."
Still no response.
Hikigaya sighed.
"Tachibana-san."
Tachibana Sherry poked her head out from behind a wall. Her aqua-blue ringlet braids swayed as her large amber eyes blinked at them. Her black detective hat was tilted to the side, and her face wore that signature radiant smile.
"I was caught!" She raised both hands in a surrender gesture. "The Great Detective's tailing techniques still need work!"
Hikigaya stared at her.
"What are you doing following us?"
"Investigating, of course!" Tachibana Sherry said righteously.
"The grade's top ice queen and the school's most famous gloomy guy suddenly dating? How could I not be curious!"
She leaned in, her amber eyes darting between their two faces.
"So, are you really dating? Or is there so unspeakable secret? Are you executing a secret mission? Are you fighting so dark organization? Are you—"
"None of the above," Hikigaya interrupted.
"Eh~!" Sherry puffed out her cheeks. "Then why did you stop so suddenly? Did you notice ages ago? How did you spot ? I've practiced my shadowing skills for so long!"
"Your shadow."
"My shadow?"
"When you were hiding at the entrance of the alley, your shadow ca out first."
Sherry looked down at her shadow, then looked back up, her eyes sparkling.
"Wow! You're amazing! Even better than Hiro! Hiro never notices when I follow her!"
Nikaido Hiro shot her a glare.
"You've followed before?"
"Of course!" Sherry puffed out her chest proudly. "A Great Detective must investigate all suspicious matters! Hiro, you've been very suspicious lately—going to that room without a naplate, accepting soone's confession..."
"We have things to do. You go on ho," Hiro said.
"Eh~! I want to hear too!"
"No."
Seeing that Nikaido Hiro wouldn't be swayed by soft or hard tactics, Sherry leaned toward Hikigaya.
"Any romantic details? The Great Detective needs first-hand data!"
"None of your business."
"Eh~ how can you be like that! I'm the witness to your love! I was there at the scene during the confession at noon!"
She paused, the smile on her face fading slightly.
"But Hikigaya-kun, wasn't the timing of your confession just a little too convenient? Right when the rumors were at their worst, you suddenly confess to Nikaido-san, and Nikaido-san actually accepts. Now the whole school is talking about you two, and no one cares about the previous rumors anymore."
She was smiling brightly, but her amber eyes narrowed slightly in the sunlight, carrying a hint of scrutiny.
Hikigaya didn't answer.
"Oh well, I'm just talking to myself!" Sherry waved her hand, returning to her cheerful expression.
"Occupational hazard of a detective—I want to deduce everything I see. Don't take it to heart!"
She took a step back and waved at them.
"Alright, alright! The Great Detective is going back to her investigations! You two enjoy your sweet walk ho! Bye-bye~"
She turned and skipped away in the opposite direction, her ringlets bouncing behind her.
Hikigaya watched her figure disappear at the end of the path.
"She knows our dating is fake," he said. "Or at least she's guessed a part of it."
Hiro was silent for a mont. "Will she tell anyone?"
"No. If she really wanted to tell, she wouldn't have co up and said those things to us."
He turned and continued forward, Hiro following him.
"That Tachibana-san... what kind of person do you think she is?"
"Isn't she in your class?"
"...I don't usually talk to her. She's been like that since enrollnt—talks way too much, acts like everyone's best friend, calls herself a 'Great Detective,' and often mumbles about 'detectives' and 'deductions.' Her grades are surprisingly good, though."
"You've observed her quite closely."
"She sits diagonally behind . And with that outfit, it's hard not to notice her."
Hikigaya recalled the tilted detective hat and the asymtrical stockings. It was indeed hard to ignore.
"Onii-chan?"
Hikigaya turned his head. Komachi was standing in front of a convenience store, a bag in her hand, chewing on sothing.
She saw Hikigaya and her eyes lit up, but then her gaze shifted to Hiro beside him, and her chewing stopped.
"You..." She looked at Hikigaya, then at Hiro. The bag almost slipped from her hand.
"Onii-chan?! You're actually walking ho from school with a girl?!"
Hikigaya sighed.
As expected, trouble always cos in waves.
Announcent
Hello everyone!
As always Thank you for your support!
I'm happy to announce a new Fanfiction! There are already 40 chapters!
COTE: I've beco a substitute
Mikage Touji transmigrated in the world of Classroom of the Elite with no explanation and entered the class 1-A, well at least he as a cool power even if a bit weak for now.
Until Ayanokouji Atsuomi asked him: "Is this you?" referring to a photo of Kyotaka.
"How could I possibly be that gloomy guy in there?!"
"Drop these useless excuses, Kiyotaka. Did you think that by changing your na and getting plastic surgery, you could escape my control?
Your enrollnt materials are completely fabricated; not a single person can prove you ever existed. Furthermore, the timing of your appearance completely coincides with the ti and place of Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's disappearance. And you're still saying you aren't Ayanokouji Kiyotaka?"
"Pfft..." It turns out that when people are truly speechless, they really do laugh.
"If you're looking to cause trouble, take a left out the door and find a police station. And another thing..." Mikage Toji helplessly spread his hands. "The one you are looking for is Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. What does that have to do with , Mikage Toji?"
[Harem - No Ayanokouji - Sakayanagi Arisu in class D.
I really recomnd it even if it doesn't have Hikigaya XD it's very funny and the first girls are not the usual ones (Spoiler: Morishita Ai, Yamamura Miki and Shiraishi Asuka)
Read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting on buyacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting
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