"Who's that guy next to Sakayanagi-senpai? He doesn't look like a student from our school."
"Sakayanagi-senpai has never had physical contact with a guy before—let alone linking arms with one. And today, she actually…"
"Don't tell me… that guy is her boyfriend?"
"Tch. Look at that dead-fish-eyed face. No way someone like Sakayanagi would fall for a guy like that."
"If even someone like her is giving this guy that kind of attention, he must be something else."
"I heard Horikita and Sakayanagi are negotiating with another school—some place called Sōbu High—for a joint training camp. Horikita just got back not long ago, and now Sakayanagi's returned with that guy… Could he be from Sōbu High?" someone speculated, eyeing Hachiman.
"..."
In an instant, all of Advanced Nurturing High broke into whispers. The entire school was abuzz.
After all, this was Sakayanagi.
Vice president of the student council, de facto leader of Class A.
Now suddenly getting so close to a complete stranger? That was more than enough to cause a stir.
Hachiman followed Sakayanagi until they arrived beneath the girls' dormitory building.
Countless pairs of female eyes bore down on them, like hawks on prey.
Feeling his scalp go numb, Hachiman, who'd long reached his limit, blurted out, "This should be far enough! I-I'm heading off now."
"Oh? But if it's you, Hachiman-kun, I wouldn't mind letting you come inside~" Sakayanagi teased, clearly amused by the flustered boy beside her.
"Huh?" Hachiman deadpanned. "This is the girls' dorm. How the hell can a guy just stroll in? I'd get murdered by your classmates."
"Pfft~ Don't be scared, Hachiman-kun. I'm here, aren't I? I wouldn't let any other girl lay a finger on you," Sakayanagi said with a sweet, almost dangerous smile as she leaned in closer. "Besides, in our school? Things you'd think impossible... heh, they're surprisingly easy to arrange~"
"N-Not interested!" Hachiman recoiled, instinctively pushing her arm away.
"But without you, I can't carry my stuff upstairs~" she pouted, looking pitiful.
"You're at the door already. Don't give me that crap," Hachiman sighed, glancing around. Several girls nearby looked like they wanted to charge at him but were hesitating, unsure of the situation.
Some eyed him with curiosity, others with barely concealed hostility.
"Just get one of your friends to help. I'm out."
And with that, Hachiman swiftly turned to leave.
"Wait," Sakayanagi called again, grabbing his hand.
"Huh?"
Feeling the rise in hostility around him, Hachiman flinched. Turning back, he tried to stay calm. "Something else?"
"Hachiman-kun," Sakayanagi said softly, eyes filled with affection, "I'll see you at the training camp, okay? I'll… miss you."
Her voice was tender, her gaze soft. She even puckered her lips slightly—as if ready for a goodbye kiss.
"Y-You… Let go! Now!" Hachiman panicked.
Still smiling, Sakayanagi asked sweetly, "Need someone to escort you out? I'd hate for you to get lost."
"I already memorized the way," he replied instantly.
Unlike Yukinoshita—who was utterly directionally challenged—Hachiman's memory was excellent.
"Hehe~ That's my Hachiman-kun. Already familiar with our school's layout? That's pretty impressive," Sakayanagi beamed with growing delight. "Say, want to transfer here next semester?"
"…Huh?!"
His face contorting in panic, Hachiman yanked his hand away from hers. "No interest!"
Without another word, he turned and walked off at full speed.
Watching his retreating figure, Sakayanagi let out a soft sigh.
"Such a shame…"
Her smile curled slowly, slyly.
"Well then… for the training camp ahead… fufufu~"
Sakayanagi Arisu wasn't the type to let go of a man she had her eye on so easily.
Hachiman-kun… Hachiman-kun…
Eventually, I'll take you right out of Yukino's hands… heheh…
Meanwhile—
After parting ways with Sakayanagi, Hachiman made a beeline for the school gate.
Even though students all around continued to shoot strange looks his way, whispering, gossiping, speculating—Hachiman pretended not to hear a thing. Even when someone tried to call out to him, he kept his head down.
"Hachiman! Hachiman!! HACHI—MAN!!!"
Didn't hear it. Didn't hear anything.
Hachiman heard nothing. All Hachiman wanted was to get back into Hiratsuka-sensei's car.
All he wanted… was to go home.
"Hachiman! You deaf bastard!!"
Suddenly, a hand grabbed his arm.
Hachiman flinched. "Sorry, I've got somewhere to—huh?!"
Turning around, he found himself face to face with a black-haired girl, cheeks puffed red with anger.
"!!"
Hachiman's heart skipped a beat. "H-Horikita?!"
"Deaf, are you?! I've been calling you forever!"
Still gripping his arm tightly, Horikita glared at him in disbelief.
"Ah… uh…" Hachiman fumbled.
No wonder the voice sounded familiar—it was Horikita.
Sighing, he asked carefully, "What is it? I was just about to head back."
As he spoke, he glanced down at her hand still gripping his arm… then around at the crowd that had gathered, whispering even more loudly.
Horikita didn't seem to care about the growing audience at all. Her voice was icy cold:
"When did you and Sakayanagi get so close? You even walked her back to the dorm?"
Her tone was sharp enough to cut glass.
And yet, in the midst of the coldness, Hachiman could almost smell a faint, bitter jealousy in the air.
"Don't tell me you actually like Sakayanagi? And here I thought you had a girlfriend. What, thinking of cheating now? Hmph. Disgusting… total scumbag," Horikita sneered, teeth clenched.
"Of course not!" Hachiman denied at once.
Seeing the growing crowd, he braced himself and gently tugged Horikita toward a more secluded area.
"W-What are you doing to me?!"
"Sigh, that's not the place to talk. Come on."
"H-Hey, you're walking too fast! S-Slow down…"
Her voice grew softer. A faint flush rose to her cheeks as she stumbled slightly, but still followed.
The scene only caused more chaos among the surrounding students.
Meanwhile, in the girls' dorm—
"Sakayanagi! Something big just happened! That guy of yours just got taken away by Horikita!" a purple-haired girl burst into Sakayanagi's room, shouting.
"…What did you just say?"
Sakayanagi had just sat down to rest. Upon hearing that, she abruptly stood up—her smile nowhere to be seen.