Chapter 039: Horikita: This is Aimed at Me!
"What are you doing here?" Kamuro asked. "Is it over on the boys' side?"
"Yeah," Hachiman said. "Red Team won."
Kamuro's lip twitched. She was a Class B student, part of the White Team. The Red Team winning wasn't good news for her. Moreover, the fact that Hikigaya came over specifically to tell her sounded intentional.
"Did you come over just to tell me that?" Kamuro's voice grew colder.
Hachiman glanced at her. "Just passing by. Checking things out."
Kamuro stared at him for two seconds, then looked away without responding.
On the field, three teams were still in a chaotic scuffle. Two teams from the Red Team and one from the White Team—a two-on-one situation. Karuizawa's team was caught in the middle, with Ichinose's team closing in from the left and Ibuki's team pressing in from the right. Shinohara Satsuki's legs were shaking, Sato Maya's breathing was erratic, and Matsushita Chiaki was gritting her teeth, though she was clearly exhausted.
"It's no use, we're going to lose," Sato Maya's voice came from the field, punctuated by heavy panting.
"Hold on a little longer," Karuizawa's voice was tighter than usual.
"I can't hold on," Shinohara Satsuki said. "They're too aggressive."
Matsushita Chiaki didn't speak. Her gaze darted left and right. Ichinose's team was approaching, and so was Ibuki's. No matter which one they dealt with first, the other would flank them.
"Maybe we should just forfeit," Matsushita finally spoke, appearing quite calm. "There are recommended events coming up next. I signed up for the scavenger hunt; we can make up the points there."
"..." Karuizawa remained silent.
Short black hair, slightly messy. Red tracksuit. Hands in pockets, leaning against the railing. It was Hachiman.
He was watching her match. He was looking at her.
Karuizawa bit her lip. She knew Matsushita was right. At two-against-one, and being the ones surrounded, they were destined to lose. Persisting would only drain their stamina, which wouldn't help for later events. She was about to forfeit when her peripheral vision caught a figure on the edge of the field.
She turned her head, no longer looking in that direction, and fixed her gaze between Ichinose and Ibuki.
"Target Ibuki first," Karuizawa's voice was firmer than before.
Matsushita paused. "Are you sure?"
"Positive," Karuizawa said. "Ichinose's physical stamina is poor, but since she's the 'knight' right now, that weakness is gone. Plus, her reflexes are sharp. It's better to take out the straightforward Ibuki first, then turn back to handle Ichinose."
Matsushita glanced at her and nodded. "Fine."
And so it went.
The positions of the three teams shifted constantly.
Ichinose's team closed in from the left, while Ibuki's pressed from the right.
But Karuizawa's team suddenly pivoted, abandoned their defense, and charged straight at Ibuki. Shinohara Satsuki's legs stopped shaking, Sato Maya's breathing stabilized, and Matsushita Chiaki gritted her teeth, her speed doubling.
Ibuki's team was knocked back two steps. Karuizawa reached out, grabbing for Ibuki's headband. Ibuki tilted her head, and Karuizawa's hand slipped off her hair tie. Karuizawa grabbed again; Ibuki tilted again. The two were deadlocked for several seconds.
Ichinose's team circled from the side, Ichinose reaching out for Karuizawa's headband.
Matsushita Chiaki suddenly jerked in another direction. Karuizawa's body swayed, and Ichinose's hand slipped off the hair tie. Stabilizing herself, Karuizawa reached out for Ibuki's headband again. This time she didn't just grab; she yanked. Ibuki's headband was pulled loose, lopsided.
Ibuki reached out and snatched Karuizawa's headband.
Both applied force at the same time. Karuizawa's headband was torn away, and Ibuki's fell as well. Two White Team headbands and one Red Team headband fluttered down simultaneously. Ichinose's team stood by; Ichinose watched the scene, stunned for a moment.
The fact was that Ibuki had been eliminated, and Karuizawa had been eliminated. Ichinose was the only one on the field who still had a headband.
Ichinose was well aware that her athletic ability was poor, yet in such an event, she had actually stayed until the end and won.
Thus, Ichinose was a bit dazed.
"Red Team wins!" the referee raised the flag.
At that moment, Matsushita Chiaki finally gave out, her legs softening as she knelt on the sand. Shinohara Satsuki and Sato Maya also sat down, gasping for air. Karuizawa jumped down from their shoulders and brushed off her hands. She glanced toward Ibuki, who had also just dismounted and was patting sand off herself. Their eyes met in mid-air. Ibuki gave her a look and then turned away.
Karuizawa withdrew her gaze. She looked down, brushed the sand off her tracksuit, then looked up toward the railing at the edge of the field.
No one was there.
Hachiman was gone.
Karuizawa stood in place, staring at the empty railing for two seconds. Her eyelashes flickered slightly, then she withdrew her gaze, lowered her head, and continued brushing off sand.
"Kei?" Sato Maya's voice came from beside her. "What are you looking at?"
"Nothing," Karuizawa said. "I thought I saw something."
Matsushita Chiaki stood up from the sand and brushed it off her knees. She glanced at Karuizawa, then at the empty railing, appearing somewhat puzzled, but she quickly looked away.
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Meanwhile.
Hachiman had indeed left the field. He headed straight for the cafeteria.
The cafeteria was crowded. The morning events were gradually ending, and students from all three grades who had finished their projects were flooding in. Long lines formed at every window.
This time, Hachiman didn't head for the third floor but searched through the first floor.
As expected.
He hadn't seen Horikita Suzune at the field, and knowing her, she had likely already headed to the cafeteria.
Hachiman found the figure with long black hair at a window seat.
She wore a white tracksuit, with a white headband still tied around her forehead. Her long black hair was tied in a low ponytail, with several strands hanging down, damp with sweat and sticking to her forehead. Her expression was the same as usual—cold, calm, her lips slightly pursed. Still that aloof appearance.
Hachiman walked over. Sensing his presence, Horikita Suzune looked up.
Finding it was Hachiman, her expression seemed to relax slightly.
Hachiman sat down opposite her.
"How are things on your end?" he asked. "I just went to see the girls' cavalry battle, but I didn't see you. In the end, the Red Team won."
Horikita went silent for a moment upon hearing this, then said, "As expected, we lost. I was knocked out very early. Not only that, Class D was attacked relentlessly. Actually, in the morning events, the girls didn't earn many points."
"Including myself. I believe my physical ability is among the best for the girls, but I always run into girls from Ryuen's class who are athletic specialists," Horikita Suzune said.
"I know," Hachiman said. "Class D's participation list was leaked. Ryuen made arrangements specifically targeting you girls."
Horikita's finger tapped lightly on the edge of the table.
"So Ryuen got the list. He knows our strengths and weaknesses, which events we can score in, and which ones we'll lose. Thus, he can precisely arrange people to block us in our strongest events and double down on points in our weakest."
"It's complete targeting," Horikita said. "So even Onodera getting injured during the 200-meter dash looks like it was specifically arranged by Ryuen."
Hearing that someone was injured, Hachiman's expression shifted slightly. He recalled that in the original story, the girl from Class D attacked by Ryuen was Horikita, but now it was Onodera. It seemed Ryuen likely knew about Horikita's relationship with him, so he stopped targeting her. Instead, he switched to attacking another physically capable girl in Class D.
Onodera was a girl in Class D with excellent physical strength, a member of the swimming club, who in the later stages of the original story teamed up with Sudo and even developed feelings for him.
However, Hachiman saw Horikita's expression and knew she wanted to continue, so he listened.
A thoughtful look appeared on Horikita's face, then she let out something like a sigh. "Regarding the arrangement of getting the participation list, Ryuen actually did quite well.
Horikita said, "It's probably not because he knows I'm your inside contact; otherwise, the person he attacked would have included me. After all, among the Class D girls, my physical ability is only slightly lower than Matsushita's."
'Slightly lower than... Matsushita?'
That was a fresh way of putting it.
However, since Matsushita Chiaki was the successor Hachiman had chosen for if Horikita Suzune left Class D—a student with Class A-level capabilities—it wasn't strange that they were roughly equal.
But for Horikita to say that meant she was already fully aware of Matsushita's strength.
And she had actually... honestly admitted defeat, feeling she wasn't as good as Matsushita.
This Horikita Suzune had indeed changed.
"Ryuen is indeed an opponent who needs to be handled seriously; otherwise, I wouldn't have had his Class C start with zero points in the first month. And if it weren't for me," Hachiman leaned against the back of his chair, "and if you were willing to be used by Ayanokouji, Ayanokouji could also defeat Ryuen."
Horikita looked at him and was silent for two seconds.
"That kind of comparison is meaningless," Horikita said, her gaze meeting his directly. "Because you are here."
The noise in the cafeteria seemed to drift far away in that moment. Hachiman looked into Horikita's eyes; those burgundy pupils showed no avoidance, no hesitation.
She didn't say "If you were here," but "Because you are here"—the present tense, ongoing.
She directly negated Hachiman's hypothetical. Instead, she acknowledged his presence right here.
This statement caused Hachiman's expression to freeze for an instant.
Because he suddenly felt that the Horikita Suzune in front of him was different from the one he knew. It wasn't that her appearance or voice had changed, but something deeper, something that seemed to permeate from her very bones.
For instance, when she said "That kind of comparison is meaningless," her tone was too calm—so calm it didn't sound like she was analyzing a situation, but rather stating a fact she had confirmed countless times.
Hachiman opened his mouth, wanting to ask something.
He wanted to ask her—'Can you also dream of the future? Did you also see that older Horikita? Do you know who the person is that you marry after graduating high school?'
But he didn't ask.
It wasn't that he didn't dare, but that he feared the answer.
Even now, he... wasn't mentally prepared.
"What's wrong?" Horikita noticed his expression.
"Nothing." Hachiman withdrew his gaze and took a sip from his water glass. "Just thinking... you've changed a lot recently."
Horikita's eyelashes flickered slightly. She didn't ask "How have I changed," nor did she deny it. She just lowered her head, looking at her hand placed on the table.
"I'll go order food." Hachiman stood up and started walking toward the line.
Horikita nodded without speaking.
She had already brought back a portion of yakisoba; if Hachiman hadn't come over to talk, she would have started eating already.
Hachiman headed toward the queue.
But after a few steps, he stopped and looked back at Horikita. She was still sitting there, maintaining her posture as if ready to eat. But the sunlight in the cafeteria poured through the window and fell on her, making her profile look exceptionally soft.
Hachiman withdrew his gaze and continued forward.
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After finishing lunch, when Horikita Suzune walked back to the Class D tent, she found everyone's eyes on her.
"..."
Although she didn't pay much attention to the students in the class and ignored their focus on her, she could sense the atmosphere today was different.
For example.
Someone looked up at her, then lowered their head to whisper to the person next to them.
Someone stared at her for several seconds before looking away.
Others just looked at her quietly, not speaking and not shifting their gaze.
Horikita's pace slowed for a moment, but she quickly resumed her normal rhythm. She walked into the tent and sat at her spot.
"Horikita-san."
At that moment, Kushida Kikyo's voice came from the side. Horikita turned to see Kushida standing a few steps behind her, a notebook in hand and that standard smile on her face. But Horikita noticed the smile was different from usual. It wasn't more fake; it was more real. Likely, this matter felt complicated even to her.
"What is it?" Horikita asked.
Kushida walked over and sat down beside her. She lowered her head, opened the notebook, and pulled out a piece of paper tucked inside. She handed the paper to Horikita.
"The participation list was leaked," Kushida said.
Horikita took the paper and looked down. It was a photocopy of a participation list, detailing every student in Class D, their groupings, and their order of appearance for every event.
And this list... was exactly a copy of the one she and Hirata had submitted to the office yesterday.
"Where did you get this?" Horikita asked.
"I don't know," Kushida shook her head. "When we came back this lunch break, this paper was posted on the pillar outside the tent. Everyone saw it."
Horikita pursed her lips.
The list had been leaked. This was a confirmed fact.
But what she hadn't expected was for the list to be publicly posted outside Class D's tent. Not passed around secretly, not discussed privately, but in a public way that everyone could see.
"Now everyone is saying," Kushida's voice dropped very low, "that you were the one who leaked the list."
Horikita looked up at her. Kushida met her gaze; those burgundy eyes did not shy away.
"Because the only people who drafted the list were you, Hirata-kun, and Katsuragi-kun."
"Among them," Kushida's voice drew out slightly and lowered.
"It's impossible for Hirata-kun to be the one who leaked it. Everyone thinks very highly of him," Kushida said. "And Katsuragi-kun isn't from Class D; he has no motive. So—if anyone is to be suspected... there's only you."
"..."
Horikita knew the real show was starting.
Ayanokouji was attacking her directly. And in such a straightforward manner.
The surrounding students seemed to be looking at her curiously. Some wanted to speak but restrained themselves, yet Horikita Suzune knew that sharp voices would appear soon.
Sure enough.
"Horikita-san, I just saw you having lunch with Hachiman Hikigaya from Class A in the cafeteria.
Was it really you who leaked the list?"
Yukimura Teruhiko, a boy in the class who once had some ambition to rise in rank but eventually gave up—yet still held a certain sense of justice in his heart—suddenly spoke up.
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