Chapter 172 A Gentle Person Will Eventually Be Treated With Gentleness.

"Everyone, ah ha~"

Being pulled into the classroom by Ichinose, Hikigaya was panting slightly and felt a bit helpless. However, thanks to her running, they arrived at the classroom a few minutes early.

Only,

As soon as he stepped into the classroom, Hikigaya felt something was off.

Kobashi Yume and others were watching them with complicated expressions, opening their mouths only to purse their lips again.

The scene before his eyes,

Hikigaya immediately frowned and was utterly confused.

This was Ichinose Honami, the one everyone had been thinking about. How come there was no reaction at all? Shouldn't there be?

However.

To happily accept Ichinose's return would be tantamount to approving Hikigaya's approach.

This is something that Class B will never be able to do.

Kobashi Yume and others not only don't know how to face Hikigaya, but they also don't know what attitude to adopt to welcome Ichinose.

The two of them remained frozen in place, with Hikigaya standing next to Ichinose, looking back and forth between the two sides.

He really can't understand.

At this moment, the class bell rang.

"Eh."

"Honami-chan and Hikki?"

Hoshinomiya Chie appeared behind the two of them and tilted her head: "The class has already begun, why are you standing here?"

"Oh..."

Hikigaya glanced at Ichinose and quickly walked back to his seat, but couldn't help being held back by Ichinose's hand on his shoulder.

"Hoshinomiya-sensei"

Ichinose turned around with a serious expression and said: "I have something I want to tell you about. Can you lend me a little time?"

"Okay"

Hoshinomiya looked at Hikigaya with a smile and playfully ruffled his hair.

"Okay~ It doesn't matter how long it takes!"

Before Hikigaya could react, Ichinose pulled him away.

"Thank you, Hoshinomiya-sensei."

Ichinose walked to the podium and let go of his wrist, then took a deep breath, bowed deeply at ninety degrees and said:

"Sorry, everyone."

"Honami-chan..."

Kobashi Yume and others murmured, looking at Ichinose with somewhat distressed eyes. Hikigaya stood aside and felt a little uncomfortable as well.

By the way, why is he standing on the podium with Ichinose?

No more classes?

"Hooooo"

Ichinose took a deep breath, covering her chest with a serious face:

"I'm sorry, everyone. It's because of me that everyone has special concerns about me. What's more, I'm sorry that Hikki used this method to help me solve my problem."

"No, I just did it for myself..."

"Hikki, please be quiet first."

"Oh..."

Seeing Ichinose's stern attitude, Hikigaya obediently shut up.

Horrible.

Terrible.

It turns out that a serious Ichinose is actually so intimidating. She is worthy of being the leader of Class B. She is indeed very majestic.

"But..."

Ichinose looked at everyone below, her tone slightly solemn.

"I don't want anyone to have any misunderstandings about Hikki. Some of you might guess that Hikki and I didn't attend the same junior high school. Those are just rumors spread by Hikki to save me."

"Hikki is a very gentle, very smart, and even more trustworthy partner than me!"

"We know…"

Everyone looked at Hikigaya, their eyes reddening involuntarily, and they couldn't help but say, "But Hikki..."

"I know..."

Ichinose pursed her lips.

It wasn't just her.

Kobashi Yume and others also felt a deep sense of guilt.

It was precisely because of everyone's helplessness that Hikigaya used this method to rescue Ichinose.

The facts were also right before their eyes, Ichinose did return today.

It was hard to accept internally.

It was as if they were stepping on the corpses of their comrades before welcoming back their leader and best friend.

"Anyway..."

Ichinose raised her head to meet everyone's gaze and said firmly:

"Because of Hikki's approach, I was indeed saved. Now no one outside is discussing my matter, so I should bear the greatest responsibility!"

"No..."

Amikura Mako quickly stood up and shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes as she blamed herself:

"This is not solely Honami-chan's responsibility. It's our lack of strength that made things turn out like this..."

"Yes...this is not your responsibility alone, Ichinose.

"Ichinose, you don't need to blame yourself."

"We understand."

Everyone in Class B smiled bitterly and involuntarily lowered their heads.

Although they are not as good as Ichinose, they are also a group of good people who are hopelessly kind.

"That may be true, but the biggest responsibility still lies with me."

Ichinose shook her head and said with unprecedented firmness:

"It's all because I, as the leader of the class, chose to escape at the most critical moment, which made the incident turn into what it is now."

Ichinose glanced at Hikigaya beside her with some self-reproach.

If only she hadn't run away.

If only she could have been stronger.

If only she had been brave enough to confess to the class.

If only she could have handled it better.

This events would never have unfolded like now.

"So, I won't run away anymore."

Ichinose took a deep breath, a trace of fear flashed in her eyes, but she still managed to smile:

"Everyone, I hope you can listen to my past."

"Of course, Honami-chan..."

Kobashi Yume and others couldn't help but wipe the tears from the corners of their eyes, relieved that Ichinose was finally willing to confess to them.

Before this...

Ichinose was someone who keep silent to the class.

Everyone saw it and felt a pang in their hearts.

Now...

They can also help Ichinose.

Thinking about it...

Amikura Mako and others felt a sense of relief.

"Actually, I have had the experience of stealing before..."

Ichinose slowly revealed her past, realizing that if she continued to run away, she might bring greater trouble to the class.

She fully understood this.

"I'm sorry, everyone, I am such a useless leader..."

"That's not the case."

Shibata stood up and smiled: "After hearing what just happened, I am even more certain of one thing, that is, you are indeed a good person."

"Yes."

The others couldn't help but sigh in relief.

I originally thought it was a big deal, but I didn't expect it to be such a small thing, and it was all returned in the end.

Feeling guilty about this...

There's probably only a kind person like Ichinose who would.

"Everyone, are you still willing to accept me, a leader who doesn't live up to expectations?"

"Of course!"

The people around her couldn't help but nod and wanted to step forward, but when they saw Hikigaya standing next to Ichinose, they couldn't help but stop.

Yes...

Except for Ichinose...

There is another person who has been working silently for the class, but they still don't know how to face Hikigaya.

"That..."

Ichinose turned to look at Hikigaya, with a bright smile on her lips:

"Everyone, can I use my status as a leader to make a request?"

"Eh?....." ".....Yes, yes...but..."

Now is not the time to talk about this.

"Then everyone,"

Ichinose raised her pink fist and said, "I suggest that we all come and give Hikki a hug. How does that sound?"

"Eh?"

Everyone in the class was stunned, and Hikigaya was also a bit confused.

Wasn't Ichinose just explaining his past? Why did it suddenly turn into this?

"Well, what does this mean? Why do you want to hug me?"

Hikigaya quickly waved his hand and said, "No, please don't do this. Don't you feel embarrassed?"

"The teacher also agrees~"

Before Hikigaya could react, Hoshinomiya hugged him directly and rubbed Hikigaya's cheek.

"I hate it. Hikki is so cute. He obviously has dead eyes. Why is this possible?"

"Nngggg....."

Hikigaya stiffened.

The moment you say you have dead fish eyes, you no longer have anything to do with cuteness.

Looking at the scene in front of them, Kobashi Yume and others couldn't help but smile. So this is what it was all about.

"What happened cannot be undone, but we can slowly make up for it."

Ichinose breathed a sigh of relief and smiled: "Everyone, I will definitely work hard to clear up the school's misunderstanding about Hikigaya. Now let us thank Hikki for his efforts."

Ichinose turned to look at Teacher Hoshinomiya helplessly.

"Teacher, it's my turn now"

"Okay, okay~"

Hoshinomiya Chie reluctantly let go, and gently pushed Hikigaya to Ichinose's side.

"Thanks."

Ichinose held Hikigaya in her arms and said softly: "No matter what, thanks to Hikki, I can move on from my past. Thank you very much."

"No..."

Feeling the pleasant scent of tangerine, Hikigaya's whole body stiffened, and his spread hands felt like they had nowhere to put them.

"Then, does anyone else want to hug him?"

Said Ichinose, stepping aside.

Himeno Yuki walked up to Hikigaya with red eyes and hugged him in her arms.

"Hiss..."

Feeling a burst of pain from the squeeze on his waist, Hikigaya took a breath. This woman with a bad personality.

If you don't want to hug him, don't hug him. How can it be so heavy to pinch him like this?

"Idiot."

Himeno Yuki wiped her tears and stepped aside. Then, Amikura Mako hugged Hikigaya and whispered:

"Hikki, thank you. Because of you, we were able to save Ichinose. And...I'm sorry..."

With that, Amikura Mako ran off, her face slightly red. "Huh? What do you mean?" 

Hikigaya's face stiffened. A thank you and an apology? What was going on?

Immediately afterward, Hikigaya felt as though he was being tightly embraced by a frail and delicate body, making it difficult for him to breathe.

Had he done something wrong? Was this some form of revenge?

Then he heard a sound. It was Kobashi Yume.

"Idiot," 

Kobashi Yume hugged Hikigaya tightly, her voice choked as she said, 

"You're not allowed to do this again, you know?"

"Why?" 

Hikigaya, with nowhere to put his hands, looked up at the ceiling and asked.

"Well," Ichinose sighed weakly on the side, smiled, and patted Kobashi Yume's head. She then turned to look at Hikigaya and said,

"Even if you want to do something in the future, Hikki, you must discuss it with us. Is that okay?"

"It depends on the situation..." 

Hikigaya couldn't help but nod.

This time he didn't tell Class B, mainly because it wasn't appropriate for the news to spread from Class B. If there were other things, he would definitely report them properly.

"Um..." 

Kobashi Yume let go, wiped her tears, and nodded.

If there was any sin, that can be shared. 

How could they let Hikigaya bear it alone when everyone could carry it together?

Immediately afterward, 

Hikigaya was hugged all over. Although he couldn't understand the reason, he really couldn't bear it.

Was he already a popular idol? Everyone wanted to hug him.

"That's enough, right?"

 It was okay to hug Kobashi Yume and others. Hikigaya couldn't even name many people, so they were just joking.

"No!" 

"Next are the boys."

 "Or, Hikigaya, you just want to hug girls?" 

A boy joked and laughed.

"No..."

Hikigaya's face was rigid as he hugged the next unfamiliar guy, followed by Kanzaki, who promptly raised his fist.

Ah.

As expected of the heroic Kanzaki, he has a sharp mind.

"Anyway, thank you."

Their fists lightly touched, and Kanzaki nodded, stepping aside with a hint of bitterness. It would be great if everyone could be as considerate as Kanzaki.

Really.

Later, the boys followed suit and started fist-bumping.

Hikigaya then breathed a sigh of relief and let the girls go. As expected, the boys were still a bit too embarrassed to hug him.

Finally, there was Shibata.

"I lost, and I accept that I lost."

Shibata hugged Hikigaya forcefully, then lowered his voice and said:

"But I will not give up until the matter is resolved, and this should also be my right."

Oh my god.

Hikigaya could finally understand this sentence. It would be great if everyone could understand it as well as Shibata.

But...

"You've got the wrong person."

Hikigaya was speechless.

This guy always stares at him and doesn't know what to do. I feel that Shibata should pay more attention to the guy named Ayanokouji.

Hikigaya then returned to his seat,

Although he didn't know what the purpose of a hug was, Kobashi Yume and others finally regained their smiles.

That's okay.

At the same time,

Hikigaya felt that Class B would be more united than before.

But,

What is the use of unity?

Hikigaya, who has never united with others, didn't know either.

But it didn't feel bad.

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