Chapter 171: Horikita: I'm Such a Fool!
Although surprised that Hachiman's inner thoughts had become a public channel, Karuizawa quickly managed her own emotional state. After all, so many people heard his thoughts, but the person who would actually inform him of this... she seemed to be the first. And he seemed to care quite a bit about that.
Thinking this, Karuizawa's mood suddenly lightened. However...
"Hikigaya," Karuizawa called out hastily.
"Yeah?" Hachiman looked over.
"This ability—could it change? For instance, suddenly disappearing, or turning into something else?" Karuizawa added as an inquiry.
Oh? That was an interesting way to put it.
Hachiman thought about it. It had been stable for three months; logically, it shouldn't change. But he couldn't be certain. After all, if he hadn't accidentally noticed those girls looking at him strangely, he still wouldn't know that his inner thoughts were being heard by others. This ability appeared from the start without any omen or explanation—it just showed up inexplicably. Who gave it? Why? Would it be taken back?
"Hard to say," he answered honestly.
Karuizawa looked at him, remained silent for two seconds, and then nodded. "Then let's not think about it for now."
Yet, as Karuizawa said this, her gaze inadvertently flickered to Hachiman's hand at his side. That hand hung by the seam of his pants, fingers slightly curled, unmoving. She withdrew her gaze without saying anything.
Normally, when a couple goes to the movies, it's often not about the movie itself. Holding hands, leaning in, stealing glances at each other's profiles in the dark—these are the real highlights. But at this moment, there was a gap of about thirty centimeters between them; neither had the intention of leaning toward the other. It wasn't that they didn't want to, but rather that they hadn't reached that stage yet.
'Take it slow' she told herself mentally.
"I'm going to the restroom." Karuizawa handed him her bag. "Hold this for me."
Hachiman took the bag and nodded. Karuizawa turned and headed toward the restroom, her blonde ponytail swaying on her shoulder before quickly disappearing around the corner.
While Karuizawa left, Hachiman stayed where he was. However, Ibuki Mio, who had been in the theater earlier, happened to walk out. Her mood was somewhat subtle. This was because she had indeed heard Hikigaya Hachiman's inner thoughts just now.
According to Hachiman's thoughts, she was here alone to "stamp collect" (visit various locations/movies), and she really couldn't refute that. She did have such a hobby; overall, it was like giving herself a command or mission that she needed to complete.
As it turned out, Hikigaya had seen through her intentions at a glance. But that wasn't the point. The point was—Hikigaya Hachiman was on a date. With a blonde girl in a ponytail. Hmm... from the back, it was likely Class D's Karuizawa Kei.
She hesitated, pulled her phone from her pocket, and clicked on the chat box with Shiina Hiyori.
[I saw Hikigaya Hachiman at the movie theater.]
About ten seconds after the message was sent, Hiyori's reply arrived.
[The holidays are here, everyone needs to rest. Don't worry about it too much, and there's no need to tail him for information. You should rest well, too.]
Ibuki stared at that line for two seconds. She quickly understood that Shiina thought she was stalking Hikigaya. Thus, Ibuki thought for a moment and typed another line into the input box—"He seems to be on a date with a girl"—but halfway through, she deleted it.
Forget it. Since Shiina told her to rest, she would rest.
After all, Shiina wasn't dating Hikigaya, and whoever Hikigaya dated or went out with was perfectly normal. Therefore, there was no need to specifically tell Shiina.
Thinking this, she put her phone away. Still, the fact that Hikigaya Hachiman was on a date kept swirling in her head, unable to stop. Someone like Ryuen didn't look like the type to ever fall in love, and Hikigaya looked like the type who only struggled for the sake of exams, but in the end... he really went and fell in love.
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On the other side, Hachiman was carrying Karuizawa's small bag. There were many people in the lobby, gathered in twos and threes; some were discussing the plot, some were looking down at their phones, and others were standing in front of the poster wall taking photos.
Hachiman stood there, bag in hand, waiting idly. His gaze swept aimlessly across the lobby—the poster wall, the ticket counter, the popcorn machine, the vending machines. Then, his gaze stopped on a person standing by the vending machine.
Long black hair, reddish fox-like eyes, and a cup of freshly bought canned coffee in her hand. Perhaps because it was a holiday, she wasn't wearing her school uniform; she wore a green hoodie with a white inner layer and dark trousers. She looked much softer than usual.
It was Horikita Suzune.
However, she was looking down at her phone and hadn't noticed him. Hachiman looked at her, and a thought suddenly popped into his head—'She actually comes to the movie theater too?'
In his impression, Horikita Suzune was someone who did nothing but study; on weekends she was either at the library or in the dormitory. A place like a movie theater didn't suit her at all.
Just as he was thinking this, Horikita looked up, her gaze meeting his exactly. She froze for a moment, then put away her phone and walked toward him.
"Hikigaya." She stopped two paces away from him, her gaze sweeping over the women's bag in his hand before moving to his face. "Are you here for a movie too?"
"Yeah," Hachiman nodded.
Horikita's gaze lingered on the bag for another second, but she didn't ask anything.
"Me too. Alone." She paused, as if explaining something. "I occasionally enjoy life as well; I don't just study."
Hachiman didn't respond. But Horikita glanced at him, then at the bag in his hand, and turned to look toward the ticket counter.
"Are you here alone?" she asked.
Hachiman opened his mouth, but before he could answer, Horikita continued.
"I bought two tickets." She pulled two movie tickets from her pocket and waved them in front of him. "I originally wanted to ask Kushida to come, but she said she was busy. Do you want to join? Since you're alone anyway."
Hachiman looked at the two tickets in her hand, then at her serious expression, and suddenly didn't know what to say. Because he realized she truly thought he had come alone. Even though he was clearly holding a woman's bag, she didn't seem to think in that direction at all.
But this was Horikita Suzune—someone who had loved being alone since childhood; she basically lacked the ability to read the atmosphere. Although she now had partners to cooperate with, she hadn't yet reached the realm of "wild imagination" that ordinary people possess.
"I—" Hachiman prepared to speak.
"Hikigaya." But at that moment, a voice came from behind him.
Hachiman turned his head. He saw Karuizawa walking back from the restroom at a steady pace. She walked up to Hachiman's side, her gaze landing on Horikita, and then she smiled.
"Horikita-san? What a coincidence." Her tone was natural, as if she had run into a classmate in the hallway.
Though they had, in fact, run into a classmate.
But Horikita looked at Karuizawa, then at the bag in Hachiman's hand—the style, color, and the small charm hanging from the strap all matched Karuizawa's outfit today. Consequently, her expression shifted from calm to confusion, and from confusion to an indescribable look, as if something was stuck in her brain.
"Karuizawa... you're here for a movie too?" Horikita's voice was a bit dry.
"Yeah." Karuizawa nodded, took her bag from Hachiman, and slung it over her shoulder. "Together with him."
Her tone was relaxed. But that word, "him," made Horikita's fingers twitch slightly.
Horikita's gaze swept back and forth between the two. Karuizawa was standing next to Hachiman, their distance a bit closer than that of ordinary classmates. Hikigaya Hachiman's expression remained the same as ever, but there was a slight smile at the corner of Karuizawa's mouth—the kind of smile that wasn't the usual polite one she showed everyone, but a more natural curve that only appeared in front of a specific person.
Horikita opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, she simply put the two tickets away.
"Then I won't disturb you." Her voice returned to its usual calm. "I'll be going now."
She turned and headed toward the screening rooms. Her pace was fast, the sound of her heels on the floor slightly heavier than usual. After a few steps, she suddenly stopped and looked back.
"Hikigaya-kun."
Hachiman looked at her. Horikita looked at him, her lips moving as if she were hesitating. But ultimately, she just shook her head.
"Nothing. We'll talk next time."
She turned and continued forward. This time, she didn't look back.
Karuizawa stood next to Hachiman, watching Horikita's back disappear around the corner of the hallway. Her expression didn't change, but her fingers lightly pinched the strap of her bag.
"Let's go." She turned to look at Hachiman. "Let's get something to eat."
Hachiman nodded. The two walked out of the cinema side by side. Sunlight poured down from the glass dome, lighting the lobby brightly. Karuizawa walked half a step ahead, her pace steady. Hachiman followed beside her, holding nothing in his hands.
As they reached the exit, Karuizawa suddenly spoke.
"It seems Horikita-san found out."
Hachiman's pace faltered slightly. He glanced at her but didn't speak. Because of his inner thoughts, most of the girls could hear him; the fact that Horikita Suzune had undergone such a change was clearly because she had heard his heart long ago. Therefore, Hachiman felt that his desire to become a househusband, and the fact that he frequently compared her to Yukinoshita in his mind, were likely known to her.
Furthermore, she probably knew that he had wanted to find a girl to "practice" with, so she had likely deduced that Karuizawa was his current learning partner. In other words, she should know that he and Karuizawa were dating.
Seeing that Hachiman didn't speak, Karuizawa didn't say anything more. She simply continued walking, her blonde ponytail swaying gently on her shoulder, her red hair tie particularly striking in the sunlight.
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On the other side, when Horikita Suzune walked into the screening room, the lights had already dimmed considerably. She found her seat, placed her coffee in the cup holder, and her bag on her lap.
A movie was playing on the screen; the sound was loud, and the explosions and car chases flashed before her eyes, but she didn't take in a single word. Her mind was still spinning with the scene in the lobby—the way Karuizawa took the bag from Hachiman, her tone when standing next to him, and that phrasing: "Together with him."
It wasn't "together with Hikigaya-kun," it was "together with him."
That "him" was said so naturally, so naturally that it felt like it had been said many times before.
Horikita took a deep breath, suppressed those indescribable feelings, and pulled her phone from her pocket. The light from the screen reflected on her face, making her profile look somewhat pale. She opened the chat with Kushida, her fingers pausing over the input box for two seconds before typing a line.
[Did Hikigaya select Karuizawa as the target for his 'experience learning'?]
After sending it, she held the phone in her hand and waited. The movie on the screen was still playing, the sound loud, but she couldn't listen to anything. After about half a minute, the phone vibrated.
Kushida's reply was short—so short that Horikita stared at the line for several seconds before reacting.
[You found out too late. By my estimation, they should be on a date right now.]
Horikita's finger stalled on the screen.
'A date.'
The word coming from Kushida's mouth felt like a long-confirmed fact. She remembered the two people she saw in the cinema lobby today—Karuizawa had changed her hair tie, her coat was worn properly, and her nails were clean. And the way Hachiman stood in the lobby waiting for her, holding her bag.
She hadn't paid attention to those details then, but looking back now, every single one was a clue for which she already knew the answer. She stared at Kushida's line for a few seconds and typed another.
[You guessed it long ago?]
This time, the reply came even faster.
[Mhm. I guessed it when I saw Karuizawa at the Student Council a few days ago. That's why I refused when you asked me to see a movie today.]
[It's holiday time; ordinary couples can't help but go on dates, and Hikigaya would certainly ask Karuizawa to go on a date.]
Horikita looked at these two lines and suddenly felt a bit dazed. Kushida had guessed it long ago. In other words, Kushida knew about this before her, knew about the relationship between those two before her, knew... for who knows how long.
She locked her phone screen, put it in her pocket, and leaned back against the seat. On the screen, the movie continued. The image showed a spaceship slowly traveling through the starry sky, accompanied by a low and grand soundtrack. However, Horikita stared at that spaceship for several seconds and realized her attention was not on it at all.
It wasn't anger, nor was it sadness. It was a subtle feeling.
She had already been acknowledged by him, invited to join his class, and knew his inner thoughts—his crush on Yukinoshita Yukino, his desire to get close to Yukinoshita. But his meager experience in dealing with girls made him unable to move forward, and she also knew he had prepared points for this purpose, hoping to find a girl to practice with.
She had even helped him once, bringing up the topic to Karuizawa and the others. But at the time, nothing had come of it.
As it turned out, Hikigaya still chose Karuizawa in the end. But she didn't know this until today.
Yet Kushida knew.
Horikita closed her eyes and opened them again. She shook off those messy thoughts and looked back at the screen. The spaceship had already flown far away, and the scene switched
to an unknown planet with a barren, grey-white surface. She stared at those grey-white rocks for a while and realized she still couldn't focus.
'Forget it. Talk next time.'
She repeated those four words in her mind, just as she had said to Hachiman in the lobby.
'Talk next time.' As for when "next time" would be, she didn't know herself.
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At the same time, on the other side of the theater.
Ibuki Mio sat in the back row against the wall, holding a cup of half-finished cola. her gaze landed on a certain spot in the front rows, where a black-haired girl sat with a very straight back—alone, without a companion.
Horikita Suzune.
When Ibuki saw her in the hallway earlier, she had taken the initiative to say hello—"Horikita." But the other person acted as if she hadn't heard, walking straight past without even batting an eye. Ibuki had stood there then, her expression shifting from surprise to annoyance, and then to a "forget it, not worth bothering" coldness.
Sitting in the back row now, looking at that stiff back, the annoyance in her heart actually subsided quite a bit. It turned out the "flower on a high peak" also watched movies alone. It turned out she wasn't the only one who did such things.
Ibuki withdrew her gaze and took a sip of cola. The ice had mostly melted, and the cola tasted much weaker. She stared at the screen—a sci-fi film with flashy special effects and a mediocre plot. She couldn't really get into it, but since her goal was to "watch them all," whether she got into it or not wasn't important.
Her gaze drifted back to the figure in the front row. Horikita Suzune hadn't moved much since a while ago; she sat very straight, her head slightly tilted up, looking as though she were watching the movie seriously.
But Ibuki noticed that she hadn't changed her posture in a long time. Someone who is truly engrossed wouldn't be like that; someone truly watching would unconsciously lean forward, move occasionally, or find a more comfortable position after a certain scene. Sitting motionless like that only meant one thing—her mind was not on the movie.
Ibuki withdrew her gaze and continued watching her movie. She didn't know what Horikita was thinking, nor did she care. She just felt that everyone was the same. All watching movies alone, all sitting in the back row, all unable to focus.
All lone wolves.
This thought made her feel a bit more comfortable—not out of spite, but a sense of "it's not just me" reassurance.
She took the last sip of cola, placed the empty cup on the adjacent seat, crossed her arms, and leaned back. The spaceship on the screen was traversing a nebula; the image was beautiful, the colors brilliant. As she watched those colors change before her eyes, she thought of something else—Hikigaya Hachiman was on a date with Class D's Karuizawa Kei. And Horikita Suzune was sitting here alone, likely because of that very matter.
That guy Hikigaya sure was popular.
However, if he wanted to be a househusband, could Karuizawa afford to support him in the future? In her opinion, Horikita would actually be more suitable.
"..."
Ibuki realized that she had come to watch a movie, but now she was overthinking things too. Thus, she hastily returned to watching the film.
And so.
Today's movie was very good, but no one was able to actually watch it.
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