CHAPTER 247: CHAPTER 246: THE ONE WHO ABANDONED KINDNESS

"Haven’t you ever considered my feelings?"

Ichinose blurted out without thinking, but the moment she said it, she regretted it. She quickly tried to fix it. "No, that’s not what I meant..."

She fumbled over her words, feeling flustered.

"I see."

Hikigaya paused for a moment, then forced a smile. "Sorry, Ichinose. I was being too sensitive."

Ichinose suddenly stopped walking. After a brief silence, she spoke seriously. "No, it’s not that. Hikigaya-kun, you’re just too kind."

Because you always put others first.

Ichinose thought to herself.

"Kind? You think I’m kind?"

Hikigaya pointed at himself, then shook his head. "That’s not really a word people use to describe guys. And I don’t think it applies to me at all."

The idea that someone would think a guy like him, with his dead-fish eyes, was kind... Hikigaya found it to be the funniest joke he’d heard in a while.

"Besides, I’ve never believed in kindness. Kindness is just a way to escape from reality. Kind people don’t survive easily because this world is neither kind nor fair."

Suddenly, Ichinose grabbed both of his hands tightly. She looked straight into his eyes and said with determination, "No, Hikigaya-kun! You’re wrong about everything! It’s exactly because you’re kind that you struggle in a world that is neither kind nor fair."

Hikigaya opened his mouth but couldn’t find any words. It was the first time anyone had said something like that to him.

"...Hahaha."

He suddenly let out a laugh, but his expression gradually turned cold. He pulled his hands away from Ichinose’s grip, leaned in slightly, and said in a chilling tone, "That’s exactly why I don’t need kindness."

With that, he turned around and walked away, leaving Ichinose standing there, stunned.

A cold breeze blew past, snapping Ichinose out of her daze, but a strange sadness welled up inside her.

She instinctively raised a hand to wipe away the tears at the corner of her eyes. "Why... why am I crying?"

The girl had seen the pain the boy carried. Because only those who abandon kindness... can survive in a world that is neither kind nor fair.

Kindness... The word itself had always stung Hikigaya in a way he couldn’t explain.

Does being kind mean you won’t hurt others?

Whether it’s intentional or not, just by existing, people inevitably hurt each other. The more you care about someone, the more you have to be ready to hurt them.

Hikigaya knew this all too well.

That’s why, from that moment on, he had made up his mind to throw away that so-called kindness.

Because in this cruel world, kindness would only get you eaten alive.

That should be enough to make Ichinose give up on him...

Yeah, right.

The next afternoon, after school, Hikigaya was jogging around the track with Hasebe and Sakura when a familiar figure suddenly joined them.

"Good afternoon, Hikigaya-kun."

Ichinose greeted him casually, as if nothing had happened. She also waved at Sakura and Hasebe.

After finishing their run, they took a break. While wiping off her sweat with a towel, Ichinose suddenly asked, "Hikigaya-kun, when do you have time to practice the three-legged race?"

Hikigaya frowned slightly, but before he could respond, Ichinose had already crouched down and pulled out a strap.

"Is there a problem?"

She looked up at him with a smile.

"Forget it, do whatever you want."

Hikigaya’s expression was a bit complicated. He realized he might have underestimated Ichinose’s persistence.

Since this was a three-legged race with mixed-gender pairs, physical contact was unavoidable. Everyone knew this, but no one wanted to bring it up. After all, whoever mentioned it first would feel like they were losing. More importantly, they didn’t want to give the other person the impression that they were perverted or had dirty thoughts.

As a result, even though they were tied together, Hikigaya and Ichinose kept as much distance as possible, as if there was an invisible barrier between them, afraid of even the slightest touch.

After just two or three steps, they almost fell.

Still, Hikigaya refused to change his stance, keeping his hands behind his back the whole time. Seeing this, Ichinose finally lost patience and moved in close, looping her arm through his and holding on tightly.

"Uh..."

A soft sensation pressed against his arm. Hikigaya tensed up as if he had been shocked by electricity, instinctively trying to pull away, but Ichinose held him firmly in place.

"Hikigaya-kun, this is a competition. Take it seriously and be responsible, okay?!"

Ichinose spoke without hesitation.

"Uh... o-okay."

Hikigaya stammered.

Not far away, Hasebe and Sakura were resting and watching them. Suddenly, Hasebe asked, "Sakura, are Ichinose and Hikigaya close?"

Sakura shook her head. "I... I don’t know. But it seems like you and Hikigaya-kun are close."

Hasebe: "???"

—

"Did you hear? Class B and Class C seem to be having a conflict!"

The next day, as soon as Hikigaya entered the classroom, he heard students chatting about something. It sounded like it was related to the sports festival.

Just as he sat down, Horikita, who had arrived earlier, suddenly spoke.

"Hikigaya, did you hear about the rumors between Class B and Class C?"

"I have no idea."

Hikigaya replied without hesitation. Horikita, already used to his way of speaking, continued on her own.

"There’s talk going around that Ryuen refused to cooperate with Class B. He said that if they had to work together, Class C must be the one in charge. Because of that, things are getting heated."

"Hikigaya, what do you think?"

"How should I know? I’m not a mind reader."

Hikigaya couldn’t help but complain about how strange Horikita’s way of speaking was becoming.

"So, you think we shouldn’t pay attention to these rumors?"

Horikita fell silent for a moment before speaking seriously.

"That makes sense. This could very well be a smokescreen to lower our guard."

Hikigaya: "..."

Horikita, are you treating this like a reading comprehension question?

Hikigaya thought the conversation was over, but after a brief pause, Horikita suddenly said,

"About what happened during the summer break... thank you for believing in me."

"Oh? I thought you’d hate me for reporting them."

"Hate? Why would I? They made their own mistakes, and they’re just facing the consequences."

Horikita’s expression remained calm.

"Removing something harmful may cause short-term pain, but only then can things start to heal properly."

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