Chapter 18: Really Hard Work, Because I’m Cute

…

“I’ve been cute since the day I was born. So, most boys who approach me end up liking me.”

As if to prove she had absolutely nothing in common with the other two, Yukinoshita went out of her way to explain herself.

Just because they approached you, they liked you? Hey, what kind of narcissism is this?

Hearing this, Himekoji Akito hastily backed away from the girl until he was up against the wall. Surely this distance no longer counted as “approaching,” right? Once he’d decided that, he felt a little more at ease.

“If one of your friends was super popular with boys, how would you feel?”

As usual, Yukinoshita ignored Himekoji Akito and tossed the question to Hikigaya.

“A stupid question. I have no friends to begin with, so that’s just needless worry.”

He answered instantly, his words sharp and decisive.

Yukinoshita’s mouth opened slightly, wearing a strangely surprised expression. She stared blankly for several seconds before responding, sounding a bit at a loss for words:

“…For a second there, I almost had the illusion you said something really cool.”

No, not an illusion! That was definitely, truly, a cool thing to say! Himekoji Akito added silently but firmly from the sidelines.

“Well then, treat it as a hypothetical question.”

“Kill her.”

Without a second of hesitation, Hikigaya Hachiman gave her the answer.

This time, it was Himekoji Akito’s turn to be shocked. The topic the two girls were discussing had somehow turned unsettlingly creepy.

“See? You’d want to get rid of her too. Like mindless beasts, no—even worse than beasts. My school is full of people like that, though they’re just pathetic little insects trying to prove their meaning through that sort of thing.”

Yukinoshita suddenly let out a scoffing laugh through her nose.

This was the first time Himekoji Akito had seen Yukinoshita Yukino smile. When she smiled, dimples formed at the corners of her mouth, revealing just a glimpse of pearly little teeth within her vivid lips. But of course, none of that mattered right now.

Her smile was pure disdain and mockery, thin and cold like a frosty glint on snow.

Himekoji understood the meaning behind Yukinoshita’s words. Girls hated by other girls — that type definitely existed in the real world.

Yukinoshita was always at the center, shining brightly, so enemies had to be everywhere. What that existence entailed was easy to imagine.

“In sixth grade, my indoor shoes were hidden sixty times. Fifty of those were done by girls in my grade.”

“I wonder about the other ten times…” Himekoji, forgetting his role as “Mr. Invisible,” blurted out before he could stop himself.

Surprisingly, Yukinoshita didn’t ignore him this time. Instead, she tilted her head to look at him.

(An aside: The head-tilting move was indeed super cute.)

“Pervert-kun’s shamelessness in casually joining this topic is equally noteworthy.”

“Eh?” Himekoji Akito blinked, confused about why Yukinoshita had suddenly said that.

“Since starting high school, you’re the only one who still steals my indoor shoes.”

As she spoke, Yukinoshita avoided looking directly at Himekoji and turned her gaze towards the window instead.

“Seventeen pairs, right? Of my indoor shoes that you stole?”

Her tone sounded resigned.

Huh? Oh!

Himekoji Akito finally connected the dots. He was dumbfounded. What were the odds?! The shoes the System told him to steal… every time, they were Yukinoshita’s? Well… if that was the case, he supposed he had stolen quite a few…

“Only seven pairs!”

Himekoji Akito corrected her firmly.

By admitting it obliquely, he earned a scornful look from Hikigaya beside him…

“Sorry about that… uh… I’ll bring them back to you tomorrow?”

He could have denied it outright, but Himekoji chose not to. Someone like Yukinoshita wouldn’t randomly accuse him without solid evidence. So, Himekoji Akito decided to embrace being an upfront pervert.

“No thanks. It’s disgusting, so don’t.”

Ah. The expected answer.

“Anyway, thanks to you, I have to take my indoor shoes home every day now. I’m even stuck in the awkward position of having to hide my recorder securely too.”

“Just so we’re clear, I never took the recorder!” Himekoji piped up, sounding defensive. Not guilty of stealing, guilty of being a pervert.

Seeing Yukinoshita look bored, Hikigaya felt an involuntary pang of sympathy.

“Sounds tough.”

It was clearly directed at Yukinoshita, but her eyes shot a disgusted look at Himekoji Akito.

“It is tough. Because… I’m cute.”

This self-deprecating Yukinoshita was somehow much less annoying.

“But… I think it can’t be helped. Because nobody is perfect. People are weak, ugly inside, prone to jealousy and pushing others away. The strange thing is, in this world, the more exceptional someone is, the more misery they seem to find. Isn’t that odd? So I want to change it! Change every person, change the world itself.”

Yukinoshita’s eyes were sharp and utterly serious—dry ice cold, burning with ruthless intensity.

“…Your direction is way off…”

The one who voiced the critique was Hikigaya Hachiman. As a certified pervert, Himekoji Akito was temporarily stripped of his speaking rights.

“Is that so? Even so, I think it’s far better than drifting along lifelessly like you, waiting around to die. I hate that… that way you just submit to your own weakness.”

As she said this, she hastily glanced away.

Yukinoshita Yukino was objectively beautiful. Even trying to nitpick, that fact was undeniable. Much to his chagrin, even Himekoji Akito, who constantly tried to convince himself he hated her, had to admit it.

Outwardly flawless—excellent grades, impeccable behavior, nothing truly fault-worthy. But her personality flaws were like fatal cracks in jade; imperfections are never cute.

Yukinoshita was always right. Therefore, Yukinoshita was wrong.

By hiding the truth to cooperate with others. By concealing and deceiving to get by. Handling things smoothly like that should honestly be easy; plenty of people in the world do exactly that.

Like top students downplaying high scores as flukes or luck. Like beautiful girls facing prejudice from less attractive peers and falsely complimenting them, saying their skin is better or something.

But Yukinoshita didn’t do that.

Yukinoshita absolutely would never lie.

It’s just that attitude… it made it impossible, gave no grounds, to judge her.

So, loved by many, but friendless.

As if spotting an unexpected similarity, even this silence now somehow felt strangely comfortable to her.

After a small hesitation, Hikigaya slowly began: “Say, Yukinoshita… then let me be your frie—…”

“I’m sorry. That’s impossible.”

Yukinoshita cut her off firmly.

“Huh? I wasn’t even finished…”

Himekoji Akito watching nearby could only shake his head. He completely understood Hikigaya’s longing for a friend; it was exactly the same feeling he had.

Well then—

“Say, Hikigaya… then let me be your frie—…”

“I’m sorry, please don’t say something so disgusting to me.”

Hikigaya cut him off just as firmly, her attitude infinitely worse than Yukinoshita’s had been.

“C’mon, I wasn’t even finished either…”

Himekoji Akito’s lips twitched, speechless.

Seriously, why do the rejected end up hurting the next person with their own rejection?

Himekoji Akito probably understood now—

It truly was a world where people just kept hurting each other. Yeah… that’s exactly it!