"Ugh, I told you to slow down! You're going way too fast—are you crazy?! I..."
"Sorry. Then let me carry you."
"Huh? You—ugh!"
Before Horikita could get another word out,
Hikigaya scooped her slender figure into his arms.
He glanced around quickly, scanning the surroundings.
To his dismay, there were surveillance cameras hidden in quite a few corners around the school building. With no other option, he circled around a bit before finally ducking behind a tree at the roadside, still carrying Horikita.
At first, Horikita struggled hard in his arms, resisting stubbornly.
But over time, she gradually quieted down, snuggling against Hikigaya like a tame kitten.
Looking at the proud, straight-haired beauty who had now become so obedient in his arms, Hikigaya couldn't help but mumble softly,
"Yukinoshita…"
His voice was barely audible—
but Horikita heard it.
Her expression immediately shifted. Furious, she raised her tiny fists and started pounding lightly on Hikigaya's chest.
"Are you blind? Look properly! I'm not your Yukinoshita!!"
Though she seemed enraged, her punches were feather-light.
If anything, it felt more like a gentle massage than a beating.
"Uh… sorry, really."
Hikigaya apologized as he slowly set her down.
But just as he did—
"Ah!"
Horikita's foot twisted unexpectedly, and she stumbled forward into Hikigaya.
Caught off guard, Hikigaya failed to steady her—
and the two of them toppled over, landing on the grass.
Hikigaya ended up on the bottom.
Horikita on top.
Their eyes locked—gazes tangled together as if some invisible, sticky thread of tension was being drawn between them.
The air turned heavy with unspoken words and closeness.
But after a few moments, Hikigaya snapped back to his senses.
He noticed her trembling thighs.
"Your leg..."
"Ugh, it's your fault! Now my leg…"
"Sorry."
Flushing red, Hikigaya apologized again, quickly averting his gaze.
After what had happened earlier that morning,
he could shrug it off as a guy.
But Horikita was a girl—and for her, it had been a first.
So it was no surprise her legs still felt... odd.
"Where did they go?"
"Looks like Horikita-senpai and that guy have something going on too."
"Tsk tsk... who is that guy? It's not just Vice President Sakayanagi—even Horikita-senpai treats him differently. That's super rare."
"Could he be the heir to some powerful conglomerate?"
"Definitely someone with a hidden background."
"…."
Behind the tree, Hikigaya and Horikita could faintly hear a group of students chatting.
Hikigaya could only sigh inwardly.
I'm just a regular guy, you know?
As the voices drifted past, he instinctively looked over at Horikita. Her expression was just as troubled, cheeks bright red from embarrassment, clearly struggling to get up.
This idiot…
If she just stands up like that, they'll be spotted for sure!
If someone sees them like this, it's over. No matter how they try to explain, it'll only get worse.
"Wait! Don't—don't move yet!"
"Eh?"
Thud.
Just as Horikita tried to stand, she lost balance again—
and this time, their lips met.
"Mm-mm-mmm!!"
Horikita's eyes went wide with shock.
Hikigaya was equally stunned.
They both instinctively tried to pull away—
—but at that moment, more voices rang out nearby.
"Still can't find them, Sakayanagi."
"Nothing over there either."
"…."
"You guys keep searching. I'll rest here for a bit."
"Yes, ma'am."
With that, a few students dispersed in various directions.
Hikigaya and Horikita both stiffened.
The voice they'd just heard was… Sakayanagi!
And—
Sakayanagi, you're sitting right in front of us!
They were so mortified they didn't even dare move their mouths apart.
Meanwhile, from the bench nearby, Sakayanagi murmured softly to herself:
"…Hikigaya-kun, don't tell me you've fallen for Horikita? Sure, she does resemble little Yukino a bit—but is that enough to make you lose your mind?"
Hearing those words, both Hikigaya and Horikita felt a strange ripple stir inside them.
Seconds ticked by.
Minutes passed.
After a short rest, Sakayanagi finally left.
As for Hikigaya and Horikita…
they were still kissing.
Stay calm! My girlfriend is Yukinoshita!
Snapping back to reality, Hikigaya cautiously pushed against Horikita—
Huh?
Why… why won't she budge?
Jeez, what's with her strength?
After struggling a bit, he finally managed to push her off.
Horikita's face was crimson now. She stared straight at Hikigaya with misty eyes that looked like they could tug silk from the air. Her voice was soft and a little breathy:
"Hi—Hikigaya…"
Her usual haughty tone was nowhere to be found.
Instead, she sounded gentle, almost pleading.
Combined with the subtle scent rising from her body, it was enough to make anyone's self-control snap.
"H-Horikita-san... I—I should get going. Please... get off me."
Taking a deep breath, Hikigaya steadied his emotions and spoke with as much calm as he could muster.
"Eh?"
Startled, Horikita came to her senses. Flustered and embarrassed, she scrambled up from the ground.
Then—
She smoothed out her wrinkled clothes, collected herself, and once again put on her icy front.
"Pfft! Scumbag! You… you mistook me for your girlfriend Yukinoshita again, didn't you?! And you even kissed me!"
Sis, weren't you the one who kissed me just now?
Hikigaya sighed, deciding not to argue. He simply offered another apology.
"Hmph! Like an apology actually changes anything?"
Horikita huffed angrily, cheeks still red.
"When we kissed just now… were you—were you thinking about your girlfriend Yukinoshita the whole time?"
"That's not true. Horikita-san is Horikita-san. She… she's her own person. In fact, in some ways, she might even be better than her…"
"Eh? I'm… better than your girlfriend?"
A subtle change flickered across Horikita's face.
She opened her mouth slightly, eyes lifting shyly to peek at Hikigaya—only to catch him staring at her chest.
"Wait, what—what are you looking at?!"
Her face turned beet red as she quickly covered herself with her arms and shot him a glare.
"H-Horikita-san, I'll be going now. Please take care of yourself and rest up today."
Hikigaya turned on his heel and made a swift escape, bolting toward the school gates.
"Wait—!"
But—
He was fast. In the blink of an eye, he was already a small black dot in the distance.
Watching his retreating back disappear, Horikita instinctively reached up to fix her messy blouse.
After everything they'd just been through,
he hadn't even tried to take advantage of her.
He hadn't even touched her waist once.
Instead—
it was she who suddenly wanted to understand him more.
"Ugh, what am I doing?! I was supposed to ask him about Sakayanagi! How did I end up getting led around by the nose like that?!"
Smacking her flushed cheeks hard with both hands, Horikita bit her lip in frustration, then muttered in a complicated tone:
"Could it be because I gave him my first time… and now I… I… Ugh! As if! There's no way someone like me—Suzune Horikita—would fall for someone like him! No way! Absolutely not…!"