"That Hikki, always like this!"
After Hikigaya left, Hasebe pouted, clearly unhappy that their first group gathering had ended so abruptly.
"Hasebe, you seem pretty close to Hikigaya," Yukimura said with some curiosity. While everyone had interacted with Hikigaya at some point, most still saw him as a loner who was hard to get along with.
From his conflicts with Karuizawa at the beginning of the school year to his clashes with Sudou, many in the class were wary of him. Even when dealing with the two most popular students, Hirata and Kushida, he never showed the slightest friendliness.
"Yeah, we were in the same group during the special test on the cruise ship over summer break. That's when I got to know him," Hasebe answered without hesitation.
"I see."
Yukimura nodded. "I always thought Hikigaya was difficult to approach, but seeing how close you and Sakura seem to be with him, I got curious."
"Hikigaya is actually someone who's cold on the outside but warm on the inside," Miyake suddenly said.
"On the cruise, I was roommates with Hikigaya, Hirata, and Koenji. Hirata told me himself that Hikigaya helped him a lot, but since Hikigaya doesn't like drawing attention to himself, most people don't know about it. Also, I'm in the archery club, and my seniors there seem to have a pretty high opinion of Hikigaya."
"Huh? Hikki knows upperclassmen too?"
Hasebe was surprised by Miyake's words, and Yukimura looked just as shocked. It was only now that they realized how much they didn't know about Hikigaya.
"Hikigaya-kun is actually really amazing."
Sakura, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up. She knew many things about Hikigaya that others didn't—his clash with Ryuen during the midterms last semester, the trap he set during the deserted island test that fooled Katsuragi from Class A…
She remembered everything clearly. Although Hikigaya had never asked her to keep any of it a secret, she had chosen to do so on her own. Part of it was because she wanted to keep it as something just between the two of them—a secret that only she and Hikigaya shared.
At that moment, everyone finally realized that the quiet, isolated Hikigaya, who always seemed like a loner, was actually someone incredibly capable.
"I never would've guessed we had such a skilled student in our class… I really hadn't noticed before."
Yukimura had a complicated expression. Until now, he thought the only thing Hikigaya had going for him was his position as a student council member. Like many others at first, he didn't think much of the student council. But after a semester, many people had realized that this student council was completely different from those at other schools, and they gradually understood how valuable that position was.
"Maybe there's someone else in our class like Hachiman, someone who's really skilled but hiding their abilities?"
Hasebe spoke without thinking, but then immediately found the idea funny and shook her head with a laugh. "That doesn't seem likely."
After all, when they thought about the other students in Class D, was there really anyone like Hikigaya, deliberately hiding their strength?
"But Ayanokouji seems pretty impressive."
Miyake recalled the final relay race during the sports festival not long ago. Ayanokouji's incredible speed and explosive power had left countless people stunned, creating a scene no one could forget.
"I heard from the archery club seniors that after the sports festival, some members of the track team wanted to recruit Ayanokouji, but he turned them down."
Miyake had good relationships within the archery club, so he often heard information from upperclassmen.
"But didn't Ayanokouji say it was because he drank a lot of energy drinks beforehand? It's not exactly cheating, but it's still kind of a performance booster."
Ayanokouji had been a hot topic after the sports festival. However, as Yukimura mentioned, he claimed his sudden burst of strength was due to drinking energy drinks. Eventually, people stopped talking about it.
"I think that was just an excuse."
Miyake shook his head, clearly not buying it. If Ayanokouji had taken actual stimulants, that might be believable, but just energy drinks? There was no way they could produce such a dramatic effect.
"Actually, Hikigaya-kun also said Ayanokouji is really skilled."
Sakura suddenly spoke up in a small voice, as if she had just remembered something.
"If Hikki said that, then Ayanokouji must be something special!"
Hasebe nodded in realization.
"Wait, Hasebe, you believe that so easily? What if he was wrong?"
Yukimura couldn't understand why she was so quick to trust.
"Hehe, that's because you guys haven't seen how sharp Hikki's observation skills are!"
Hasebe grinned, raised both hands, and pointed at her eyes mysteriously. "These eyes of his are something else!"
…
While Hasebe and the others were still discussing him, Hikigaya had already arrived at the western section of Keyaki Mall Shopping Center, following the directions he had received. His destination was a small, unnamed teahouse.
As he stepped inside and passed through the screen, he immediately spotted Shizuka-sensei sitting by the window. As soon as he sat down, he couldn't help but ask, "Shizuka-sensei, do you have any news?"
"Look at you, all impatient."
Hiratsuka Shizuka said with mild annoyance, then gestured toward the tea set in front of her. Seeing this, Hikigaya took a deep breath, calmed himself, straightened his posture, and closed his eyes as if recalling something. A moment later, he opened them again.
He picked up the tea canister and examined it carefully. He took a small pinch, brought his fingers to his nose, and gently sniffed. Just from that, Shizuka-sensei's face showed a hint of surprise. Then, Hikigaya began preparing the tea. Every step of his movements was precise, flawless. Before long, a cup of freshly brewed tea was placed in front of Hiratsuka Shizuka.
*Clap, clap.*
The teahouse owner, who had somehow appeared behind Hikigaya without him noticing, lightly applauded.
"You can't reach this level without several years of tea-making experience. Your understanding of tea varieties and subtle differences is impressive, and judging water temperature by the edge of the cup is a sign of real skill."
"But there's still room for improvement. Your movements are too rigid, lacking a certain natural flow and rhythm. Of course, not everyone can achieve that, so… well, well, Hachiman, who knew you had this kind of hidden talent?"
Hikigaya felt a little embarrassed by the praise. In truth, he barely knew anything about tea ceremony. He was only able to pull this off thanks to the 'gift' he received after coming to this world.
"Huh? Himeko, you're really exaggerating. It's just a regular cup of tea. Is it really that amazing?"
With that, Hiratsuka Shizuka picked up the cup and downed the tea in one gulp.
Hikigaya: "…"
The teahouse owner: "…"