After convincing Ryuen to cooperate, Hikigaya found himself waiting for someone at a café on the cruise ship's third basement level that same afternoon at four.
As soon as he sat down, the waitress, without a word, brought him his usual coffee.
Well, it seemed he had truly become a regular here. Though, given how quiet the place was, it was probably a good thing the café was stationed on a cruise ship. Otherwise, it would have likely gone under long ago.
"Sigh, damn Ryuen."
Hikigaya muttered under his breath, cursing the man who forced him into this situation. It wasn't something he needed to personally get involved in, but Ryuen had a way of dragging people into his mess. Well, he'd deal with that later.
Before long, the person Hikigaya was waiting for finally arrived.
"Good afternoon, Hikigaya-kun. I hope I'm not late?"
It was Kushida. She was dressed casually, carrying a small handbag, and if you didn't know any better, you might have thought this was a date.
"You're right on time," Hikigaya replied, glancing up at the clock on the wall. There were still about ten minutes before the main guest was supposed to arrive, so he had time.
"Phew, that's a relief," Kushida said with a playful pat on her chest. She smiled, though a hint of tension lingered. "Still, it feels a bit nerve-wracking, knowing what's about to happen."
"There's no need to be nervous. Just treat it like any other situation."
Hikigaya's response was casual, but he noticed Kushida's gaze fixed on him with an intensity he wasn't used to. It was unsettling.
"What is it? Do I have something on my face?" he asked, unable to ignore her stare any longer.
"No, it's not that," Kushida said after a brief hesitation. "It's just that… Hikigaya-kun, you're such an unusual person. From the very beginning, I've wondered why you do all of this when there's nothing in it for you. Why help me?"
"...It's not like I get nothing out of it," Hikigaya deflected.
"Really? Then tell me, what exactly do you get?"
"...It's complicated. You wouldn't understand."
"Oh, come on! How will I understand if you don't explain it?"
Kushida's exaggerated tone and the slight pout on her face indicated a playful mood, but Hikigaya remained unmoved. No amount of coaxing would work on him, not when he himself didn't fully grasp his own motives.
If he had to pinpoint a reason, it was probably that day in May when he had been beaten by Class C. Kushida had been the one to tend to his wounds. But to mention that now would only make him look overly sentimental, and it wasn't like Kushida had done it specifically for him. She would have helped anyone in that situation, and she had likely forgotten about it by now.
Bringing it up would only make things awkward, so it was better left unsaid.
"Forget it," Hikigaya muttered.
Seeing that Hikigaya wasn't going to elaborate, Kushida didn't push further. Instead, she scanned the café with mild curiosity.
"Now that I think about it, I was the one who introduced you to this place. You seem to like it here… though, unfortunately, I heard from a friend that they no longer serve that exotic elephant dung coffee you enjoyed."
"No big deal. That's the kind of thing you only try once."
Truthfully, Hikigaya preferred his usual Max Coffee anyway. With summer vacation approaching, there'd probably be a sale soon, and he was already thinking about ordering a few cases once they got back to school.
Just then, the bell at the entrance chimed, signaling someone's arrival. Hikigaya turned and saw the person he'd been waiting for.
"Hikigaya, I brought Katsuragi—oh? Isn't that Kushida?"
It was Hashimoto, greeting Hikigaya as he walked in, but his attention quickly shifted to Kushida once he noticed her.
"Well, that was fast," Hikigaya thought to himself. Hashimoto's priorities were clear as day.
"Oh? Hashimoto-kun, Katsuragi-kun too? What brings you two here?" Kushida asked with a feigned look of surprise.
"We're here to meet Hikigaya. Are you here for the same reason?" Hashimoto asked.
"Oh, no, I was just passing by and saw Hikigaya-kun sitting alone, so I thought I'd say hi."
Kushida waved her hand dismissively and stood up to leave. "Since you're busy, I'll be on my way—ah."
As she stood, her handbag slipped from her hand, falling under the chair.
"I'll get it for you," Hashimoto offered, quickly stepping forward.
"No, no! Don't bother," Kushida hurriedly stopped him. "I can get it myself."
She bent down and retrieved her bag before Hashimoto could do more. Hikigaya couldn't help but chuckle at the sight.
"Hashimoto, you're really bad at reading the room. She's worried your hands are too dirty to touch her bag."
"What the hell, Hikigaya! That's harsh!" Hashimoto feigned being wounded. "Alright, that's it. You owe me a treat after that one. I can't let this go unpunished!"
"Sure, go ahead, order whatever you want."
"Really? Then I'll—wait a second, this place is free!"
By the time they finished bantering, Kushida had already stood back up and readied herself to leave.
"Well, you two have fun," she said with a teasing smile, giving a quick wave before exiting the café.
Once she was out of sight, Hashimoto sighed dramatically. "Man, Kushida is like an angel. Beautiful face, perfect figure… I envy anyone in her class."
Without missing a beat, Hikigaya retorted, "So, you're saying you want to be in Class D?"
"Cough!" Hashimoto nearly choked on his own words, flustered by the comment. "Let's not talk about that. Anyway, I brought Katsuragi like you asked. Why did I have to be the one to fetch him, though?"
"Because you're someone I know well," Hikigaya replied.
"Someone you know well?" Hashimoto raised a brow. "If that's the case, you know Kamuro better, right? Why not ask her?"
"We're in the middle of an exam. Since we're from different classes, it'd be a problem if someone saw us together. Kamuro doesn't need that kind of trouble."
"Wait… hold up!" Hashimoto ran a hand through his hair, thoroughly perplexed. "So it's fine if it causes me trouble?"
"Exactly," Hikigaya confirmed without hesitation.
Hashimoto was speechless. He gave up with a sigh, realizing there was no point in arguing further. At least now, he was curious about what Hikigaya had planned with Katsuragi.
He made a move to pull out a chair and sit down, but Hikigaya stopped him with a raised hand.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Huh? What do you mean?" Hashimoto blinked in confusion.
"I didn't invite you to stay. I only asked you to bring Katsuragi here," Hikigaya said plainly. "So if you're done, you can leave."
Hashimoto's jaw dropped. "Are you serious? Even royalty doesn't treat people like this…"
"Thanks for your hard work," Hikigaya added, completely unfazed.
With no choice, Hashimoto left, though not without muttering a few curses under his breath. He knew Hikigaya well enough to realize he wouldn't be privy to this conversation. Still, he was probably going to eavesdrop from some nearby corner, which worked perfectly fine for Hikigaya. After all, some things were more convincing when overheard.
"My apologies for keeping you waiting," Hikigaya said, turning to Katsuragi, who had been quietly observing the exchange.
"It's fine. There's a long gap between exams, so I've got time to kill," Katsuragi replied, though his posture remained tense, his eyes filled with suspicion.
Hikigaya sighed inwardly. Of course, Katsuragi would be cautious.
"I wanted to discuss a potential deal with you regarding this exam," Hikigaya began.
"A deal?"
Katsuragi's gaze narrowed, and Hikigaya could tell his mind had flashed back to their previous encounter on the uninhabited island. There was still some guilt there, Hikigaya was sure of it.
"Relax. This has nothing to do with Ryuen or his group," Hikigaya clarified. "I'm talking about something concerning the Rooster Group."
He took a sip of coffee, giving Katsuragi a moment to process.
"I don't know how familiar you are with the situation in the Rooster Group, but if things keep progressing the way they are, we'll end up with Outcome Two—the VIP winning alone."
"I don't have much insight into the Rooster Group," Katsuragi admitted, "but if you're involved, why hasn't the exam ended already?"
Hikigaya chuckled. "Such a high opinion on me? Remember, I'm still in Class D."
"To be honest, I've never taken Class D seriously, but you… you're different from the others," Katsuragi said bluntly.
Hikigaya smirked. It was rare to get such straightforward praise.
"Well, since I haven't been able to sway the group yet, that's where you come in."
"And what is it you want me to do?"
"I want you to meet with Kamuro."