Ibuki's tactic seemed to work like a charm; Manabe and her group immediately released their grip.
Wait, could one of them be Ryuuen's girlfriend? A wave of unease washed over Hikigaya. Although he was technically the victim here, the complexities of relationships between men and women were often unpredictable.
The last thing he wanted was to be dragged into such a troublesome situation.
"Um, let me make something clear," Hikigaya said with a serious tone. "I have no intention of stealing Ryuuen's girlfriend. I'm completely innocent in this matter!"
"What on earth are you talking about?"
Ibuki gave him a puzzled look, then shook her head, dismissing his words. She turned her attention back to Manabe and her friends.
"Looks like you haven't forgotten the contract you signed. If any Class C student dares to harass him, Ryuuen will deal with you. Don't say I didn't warn you."
…Oh, right! That was an option!
If Ibuki hadn't mentioned it, Hikigaya might have completely forgotten.
But then again, he couldn't be entirely blamed for that.
After all, the contract was originally devised to prevent Ryuuen's goons from causing trouble, never to be used against other Class C students.
Wait… does that mean Manabe and her group hadn't forgotten either?
Even so, they were willing to risk Ryuuen's wrath just to keep Hikigaya from getting close to the bottom tier of their class.
What had these guys done?
For the students of Class C, what could be more serious than angering Ryuuen? Surely, it couldn't be something as extreme as expulsion… right?
"We're not harassing him; we're just inviting Hikigaya-kun to hang out. How could that be considered harassment?" Manabe protested.
Immediately, her two companions stepped forward to support her.
"Exactly, it's perfectly normal. Ibuki, you're making a big deal out of nothing."
"Well, it's understandable. Ibuki probably doesn't have much experience inviting boys out. She might not have even held hands with one."
The two girls' comments struck a nerve with Ibuki, making her visibly angry. The only one who remained silent was the more timid-looking girl, who stood by with a worried expression.
Hikigaya observed their behavior, then spoke up, "Let's just drop it. It's not like anything happened."
"Wow, Hikigaya-kun, you're so generous! Not like someone else… so narrow-minded."
As she spoke, Manabe shot a pointed glance at a specific part of Ibuki.
"Huh? Are you looking for a fight?"
"Heh, I never said it was about you."
To be fair, Ibuki was rather flat in that area. But a girl's charm wasn't solely dependent on such things, so she shouldn't worry too much about it.
Yet, for some reason, despite Hikigaya silently encouraging her, Ibuki still shot him a fierce glare.
Hmm… slightly intimidating.
Regardless, thanks to Ibuki's intervention, they had successfully driven Manabe and her group away.
However, seeing how quickly they left, Hikigaya now had a new concern.
"What's the matter? Miss them already?"
Ibuki's voice dripped with sarcasm as she noticed Hikigaya staring at the departing group.
"If you miss them that much, there's still time to catch up. I'll be sure to let Shiina know."
"Stop making things up. Who would—wait a second, what does this have to do with Shiina?"
Hikigaya stopped mid-sentence, realizing something was off.
Why was Shiina being brought into this?
"Didn't you and Shiina agree?" Ibuki replied with a smirk. "Something about it being exam season and avoiding unnecessary trouble by not meeting up… Tch, I didn't expect you to turn around and start flirting with other girls from our class. You know how to play the game, huh?"
"Hey, don't make it sound so bad… Hold on, how do you even know about that?!"
Hikigaya was shocked. He didn't remember telling anyone about it.
"Why do you think? Shiina complains to me about it all the time. She's driving me crazy!"
Wait… Shiina and Ibuki?
Hikigaya hadn't expected those two to hit it off… no, to become friends.
Now that he thought about it, last time when Ibuki was getting into trouble with the girls from Class D, Shiina had stepped in to help.
Maybe that was the catalyst.
"Heh, so that's how it is." Hikigaya couldn't help but smile.
He had been worried that Shiina might struggle to make friends, but it seemed he had been concerned for nothing.
And with these two, one skilled in strategy and the other in combat, they'd surely be valuable assets to the class in the future—
"What are you smiling about? It's creepy."
"Uh…" Hikigaya reconsidered; maybe Shiina should be more cautious in choosing her friends.
"It's nothing. I was just going to remind Shiina to be careful not to have her underwear stolen."
"Huh? Let me warn you, that kind of comment from a guy counts as sexual harassm—wait, what?" Ibuki's expression shifted as she realized what he was implying. "That was just a tactic to mess with your class! It's not my thing!"
"Sure, sure, I believe you," Hikigaya nodded sincerely.
"Tch, you… Anyway, I'm not like you, always messing around with girls!"
That was a bit harsh. Hikigaya hated being falsely accused of such things.
"Stop making things up! It was them who approached me first!"
"Oh, so you're just another Machida then?" Ibuki retorted with a sneer.
Unfortunately, Hikigaya had no idea what she was talking about.
"Machida? You mean the one from Class B?" Hikigaya frowned. "Why bring him up out of nowhere? All I know is that he's in the Rabbit Group with you and Manabe. Did something happen between you all?"
"No, nothing to do with me. I'm just here for the show." Ibuki crossed her arms, her face a mask of disdain.
"It's your classmate Karuizawa. She's been fighting with Manabe over some guy named Machida."
"…Huh?"
Hikigaya was completely lost. What the hell was going on?
"So, I'm warning you, don't get too cocky. Those girls are just messing with you." Ibuki's expression grew serious.
"No, really," Hikigaya responded with a helpless smile, "I barely know them. Besides Manabe, I don't even know the names of the other three."
Ibuki's eyes widened in disbelief. "You're telling me you don't even know their names, and you're already hitting it off with them?"
"Uh…" Hikigaya could only shrug, realizing this conversation was going nowhere fast.
Not that he could blame her. Even he wouldn't believe such a story if the roles were reversed. Girls he had never spoken to suddenly throwing themselves at him—it was absurd. Maybe he needed to go and see for himself.
"Anyway, thanks for helping me out this time. If I get the chance, I'll return the favor." Hikigaya gave Ibuki a slight nod and started to walk back the way he came.
But, to his surprise, after a brief hesitation, Ibuki followed him.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"What do you mean, what am I doing? This isn't your private ship."
…This tsundere girl.
Well, this might actually work in his favor. He might need her help later on.
As they reached the staircase leading to the third basement floor, Hikigaya spoke up. "I ran into Manabe and her group here before. They were coming up from the very bottom floor."
"And so?" Ibuki didn't seem to understand.
Hikigaya explained, "The bottom floor houses facilities like the power distribution room. Students aren't allowed to go there, and there's no reason to."
"So…a dare?"
"If that was the case, they wouldn't have stopped me from going down, would they?"
At this point, Hikigaya felt a twinge of regret. Maybe he should have been more forceful back then… But then again, considering there were four of them, being forceful might not have worked anyway.
The fact that they were girls made certain things difficult. He couldn't just knock them out, even if they were being suspicious.
And honestly, Manabe and her group hadn't done anything particularly outrageous… Ugh. Being a girl really was an advantage sometimes.
"I'm going to check it out. Are you coming?" Hikigaya asked Ibuki.
"Who would want to follow you?"
"Oh, well, I'm going then."
Despite her earlier words, Ibuki followed him down the stairs.
When they reached the bottom floor, the place was empty and eerily quiet. Hikigaya pulled out his phone to check the time but realized the signal was weak—making calls would be difficult here.
He glanced around the area. Aside from the entrance they'd used, the only other exit was an emergency staircase.
There were only two ways in or out, no cameras, and barely any cell reception. It was practically—
"This place is perfect for a crime scene," Ibuki commented out of the blue.
"Uh…"
"W-What's with that look?" Ibuki asked, suddenly flustered as she caught Hikigaya's bemused expression.
"It's just like in the movies! Haven't you seen them?"
"No, I was just thinking."
It seemed Hikigaya's suspicions were correct. Manabe and her group must have left so easily not just because of Ibuki's intervention but also because they figured it wouldn't matter if they left "now."
Could it be…? No way.
"Ibuki, you know those girls pretty well… I mean, do you know their names?"
"…Besides Manabe, the other three are Yabu Nanami, Yamashita Saki, and Morofuji Rika." Ibuki paused briefly, seemingly displeased by Hikigaya's sudden change in tone. But she also sensed something was off and decided to answer truthfully.
Aside from Jotou, the other three were in the Rabbit Group. If they were only discussing Rabbit Group matters, why bring in members from other groups?
Hikigaya was more confused than ever. What was going on here?
The biggest problem was that he didn't know these girls well enough to gauge their personalities. The lack of information made it impossible to make a reasonable judgment.
And he wasn't even sure if he should get involved. No matter how suspicious Manabe and her friends' behavior was, it was ultimately their business. Hikigaya couldn't find a good reason to meddle.
"What's with that indecisive look on your face?" Ibuki's expression turned scornful. "Are you chickening out? So why did you come down here in the first place?"
"Uh…" Hikigaya glanced at her, a sudden idea forming in his mind.
Wasn't this the perfect opportunity to use some free labor?
"I think you're more interested in this than I am. Otherwise, you wouldn't have followed me," Hikigaya said calmly.
"Huh? Don't talk nonsense. I'm just here for the entertainment."
"No, I think you dislike Manabe and her group, right?"
"…No."
Hikigaya wasn't sure what kind of conflict they had, but with Ryuuen overseeing Class C, it was probably just a matter of not getting along.
But that was enough.
"How about we make a deal?"
"…What?"
Ibuki hesitated, her face wary. Not that Hikigaya could blame her—Class C had nearly been driven mad by his schemes.
"Don't worry, it's nothing bad. I just want you to find out what Manabe and her group are up to."
"Huh? Why should I do that for you?"
Ibuki rejected his proposal without a second thought.
"No, you're not doing it for me," Hikigaya shook his head. "Honestly, whatever they're planning probably won't affect me at all. But it could be bad for Class C. They're hiding something, and it could end up hurting your class."
Without waiting for her response, he held up a finger.
"Don't be so quick to refuse. How about I give you an offer you can't refuse?"
"…Yeah, right. You're bluffing."
"Really? Then let me show you some good faith."
Hikigaya's face broke into a sincere smile.
"If you can uncover the truth, I'll ensure Class C comes out on top in this exam. How about that?"