"Uh, excuse me?"
Hikigaya couldn't hide his awkwardness. He had mistaken the situation, assuming it was Hashimoto keeping an eye on Class D. That's why he had tossed a small stone in that direction, hoping it wouldn't cause any harm—or better yet, that it didn't hit anyone he knew.
Unfortunately, fate wasn't on his side.
"Hikigaya, how did you even figure out I was here?"
Out from the bushes emerged Kamuro, rubbing her forehead with a look of utter frustration.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Hikigaya quickly moved closer to check on her.
"Did it hit your head? Does it hurt? I'm sorry—I didn't know it was you."
If there's one thing Hikigaya knew, it was that when you mess up, you apologize. Especially when the person you've wronged is someone like Kamuro, who had helped him in the past.
"It's nothing. Don't make such a fuss about it, like some kind of idiot..."
For some reason, Kamuro averted her gaze slightly.
Hmm, maybe she's just not used to people showing concern. After all, this girl didn't have many friends.
"Sorry, but if it hurts, just let me know."
"I said it's nothing… Anyway, your class seems pretty lively."
Kamuro abruptly changed the subject, steering it into a territory Hikigaya would rather not venture into.
"Ah, so you saw it, huh?" Hikigaya sighed deeply. "For no reason, I was suddenly accused of being a panty thief. They searched bags, and even frisked us—our class's girls are downright unreasonable."
"Did they search you?"
"Of course not... Wait, what?"
Hikigaya instinctively answered but then realized something was off. Puzzled, he asked, "Hold on, weren't you spying on us the whole time? Why are you asking me this?"
"No, I only saw half of it. I had to go back to camp for roll call, so when I returned, you guys were already done."
Kamuro shook her head with a slight look of regret.
This girl… Is she just bored out of her mind?
"Are you here to spy, or just to enjoy the chaos?" Hikigaya couldn't help but retort.
"Obviously, I'm spying while enjoying the chaos," Kamuro replied, unabashed.
Why do I feel like she's got that order completely backward?
While Hikigaya was left speechless, Kamuro continued with another question. "So, what happened afterward? Did you manage to clear your name?"
"You could tell by the look in those girls' eyes." Hikigaya spoke with resignation. "No evidence, yet they treated me like a criminal. It's enough to drive anyone mad."
If he hadn't been determined not to drag the class down, he might have just dropped out of the event altogether.
"Well, to be fair… You did act a bit strange this time."
Kamuro, rubbing her chin, examined Hikigaya with a curious gaze.
Before Hikigaya could respond, she jumped in, "With your personality, you usually wouldn't resist, right? Resisting would just cause more trouble, so you'd probably let them search you. That means you must have had something on you. Not necessarily panties, but definitely something you didn't want anyone to find."
"Uh..." Hikigaya was once again at a loss for words. Kamuro had hit the nail on the head.
With a bit of irritation, he said, "What? You know me so well, do you have a crush on me or something?"
"... H-Huh?!"
Kamuro froze for a moment, her face turning bright red before she yelled out, "You idiot! What kind of stupid things are you saying? You... you fool, you dumbass, Hachiman!"
"Sorry..."
—Also, "Hachiman" isn't exactly an insult, you know?
Hikigaya scratched his cheek, unsure of what to do. He had meant it as a light-hearted joke, but Kamuro's strong reaction had made the situation awkward.
Come to think of it, Kamuro didn't look as cold and distant as usual; instead, there was an almost cute expression on her face.
Wait, could she actually be—
"If you keep thinking like that, I'll kill you!"
"Sorry!"
Hikigaya was startled. It seemed Kamuro's 'human observation' skills were just as sharp as his own, if not sharper.
Then again, it made sense—after all, they were both lone wolves with no friends.
However, lingering here would only make things more awkward, so Hikigaya decided it was time to retreat.
"Well then, you do what you need to. I'm going to head out."
After a brief farewell, Hikigaya turned to leave, but to his surprise, Kamuro quietly followed him.
"Uh… "
"What?" Kamuro glared at him. "This island isn't your personal property. I can go wherever I want!"
"No, I didn't say anything..."
It seemed Kamuro was in a bad mood, though it was Hikigaya's fault for provoking her.
"... Hey, you haven't told me yet."
As the silence grew between them, Kamuro suddenly spoke up, sounding a bit hesitant.
"Told you what?"
"What exactly are you hiding?"
Kamuro's tone turned a bit forceful. "Could it be that you stole those panties? I didn't think you had that kind of fetish, but you've got decent taste."
"What part of that is decent…? And could you not ruin my reputation like that?"
Hikigaya hadn't expected Kamuro to be so curious, so he reached into his pocket and pulled out two small packets of cookies.
It was just leftover snacks from the day before that he'd stuffed into his pocket.
"Shiina gave these to me. I just didn't want those guys to see them. It would've caused an unnecessary fuss."
"That's it?"
Kamuro pouted, looking thoroughly unimpressed. But instead of leaving, she continued to follow Hikigaya.
This was starting to get strange.
Could it be that she wanted someone to hang out with?
Hikigaya figured that must be the case. Kamuro was sent to scout Class D on Katsuragi's orders, but she didn't want to follow them, so she probably took this chance to slack off.
However, she was too shy to admit it outright.
Since that was the case, Hikigaya didn't bother to call her out on it. After all, he also wanted to take it easy.
Together, they left the forest and wandered leisurely along the coast.
Although they spent much of the time in silence, surprisingly, it didn't feel awkward.
If this wasn't just him being delusional, Kamuro probably felt the same way.
… Wait, am I not just deluding myself?
Hikigaya began to question his thoughts again, but at that moment, Kamuro spoke.
"By the way, Hikigaya, who's that arrogant girl with the black hair in your class?"
"Black hair… You mean Shinohara?"
There were quite a few black-haired girls in Class D, but the one with an attitude problem was Shinohara.
"I don't know any Shinohara," Kamuro shook her head. "The one who was arguing with you at the front—she's the leader of the girls in your class, right?"
"That would be her. But calling her the leader is a bit of a stretch."
Hikigaya hadn't expected Kamuro to take an interest in the dynamics of Class D, but since she was curious, he saw no harm in explaining.
Besides, there wasn't anything worth keeping secret.
At present, the girls in the class are split into several factions. Even Shinohara and Karuizawa, who were close friends, had their separate cliques.
Compared to the boys, the girls seemed much more conscious of things like factions and territory.
Most of the time, they got along well enough, but in certain situations, they would hold each other in check. However, when a crisis arose, like this recent panty theft incident, they would quickly band together.
It was incredibly complicated...
Among them, Kushida was the most unique. She was well-liked in every group and had a certain level of influence in each.
If Kushida had stepped up during this incident, the other girls might have listened to her. However, Hikigaya understood that it wasn't easy for Kushida. After all, she was still just a girl. Unless she had the overwhelming charisma of someone like Ichinose, who could command the respect of all her classmates, it would be impossible for her to take the boys' side in such a sensitive matter.
Hikigaya hadn't asked her for help this time, choosing instead to handle the situation on his own.
"Oh, I see."
However, Kamuro didn't seem particularly interested in the details, leaving Hikigaya puzzled about what she was trying to get at.
"You must dislike Shinohara, huh?"
"Well… it seems like any guy would."
Hikigaya's response was deliberately vague.
His mind wandered toward the underwear incident. Even if Hirata hadn't intervened and Ayanokouji's possession of underwear had been exposed in public, Ayanokouji would likely remain unperturbed, even in the face of widespread condemnation and taunts from the girls.
But how would Ayanokouji have reacted if that had happened? Despite his calm demeanor and well-reasoned arguments, it was clear that the girls wouldn't have been inclined to listen to his explanations.
Given Ayanokouji's current stoic persona, he might have even gone so far as to…
Hikigaya suddenly found the idea of seeing the usually composed Ayanokouji grovel rather amusing. He regretted not taking the chance to expose him earlier.
Lost in his thoughts, Hikigaya didn't notice that Kamuro, sitting beside him, was deep in contemplation.
Her expression suggested she was scheming something mischievous.