Two Similar Yet Different People

Unfortunately, the ominous feeling he had earlier came true.

Hikigaya raced to the scene, following the location on his phone. From a distance, he could already see Sakayanagi confronting a store clerk.

This girl…

Thankfully, things hadn't escalated to the worst-case scenario yet. The clerk had only shoved Sakayanagi, meaning he wasn't too late.

What on earth is she thinking?

It was clear from a single glance that Sakayanagi's strategy had been to provoke the clerk through words. If the clerk had laid a hand on a student, there would've been no way to resolve the matter quietly.

If her intention was to provoke someone, she should have sent Kamuro instead. No, on second thought, if it had been Kamuro, this sleazy-looking clerk probably wouldn't have dared to make a move.

...Wait!

She shouldn't be pulling stunts like this in the first place!

Maybe it was because he had been spending too much time with certain troublemakers lately, but Hikigaya couldn't help but feel like his own way of thinking was starting to go off the rails.

Still... was all of this necessary?

Hikigaya sighed, puzzled by the situation. It wasn't as if there was some deep-seated grudge involved. He walked over, intent on putting an end to the farce.

But as he moved closer, he noticed something unsettling. Behind Sakayanagi, a stack of cardboard boxes, likely knocked over in the chaos, was teetering dangerously.

"Sakayanagi! Move!"

Without thinking, Hikigaya's body moved on its own. Before his brain could catch up, he had already dashed forward. As he tackled Sakayanagi out of the way, his right arm instinctively shot up to block the falling boxes.

Thud!

A muffled sound echoed as his elbow collided with the cardboard, sending it to the side. Sakayanagi said something, but Hikigaya barely registered her words.

That... hurt more than I expected.

Pain shot through him, radiating from the point of impact. It traveled swiftly along his nerves to his brain, momentarily fogging his consciousness.

He vaguely remembered a similar incident in the past—yes, the time the Yukinoshita family's car hit him.

Hikigaya had no idea why that memory surfaced. It simply popped into his head, as though his brain was rebelling against him, refusing to cooperate.

Then he felt something soft against his face.

"Hikigaya-kun? Are you okay? Hikigaya-kun!"

"Sakayanagi?"

Her voice was full of concern as she gently patted his cheek, finally snapping him back to reality.

"Ah, yeah, I'm fine... Don't move just yet."

After taking a few seconds to gather himself, Hikigaya propped his sturdy hand against the ground and carefully lifted himself off Sakayanagi. He stood up slowly, the pain in his arm now sharper and more distinct.

Fortunately, the injury only affected his right arm. He figured he could still make it to the hospital on his own.

"Here, let me help you up." Hikigaya offered his hand to her.

"No need!" Sakayanagi responded quickly, almost too feverishly. "Hikigaya-kun, you really shouldn't move. Help will be here any minute."

"Huh?"

Before Hikigaya could even process her words, the sound of hurried footsteps approached. Two security guards, dressed in uniform, came running toward them.

Sakayanagi calmly explained the situation to them, as if she had anticipated their arrival. She gave them instructions to escort Hikigaya to the hospital, and as a bonus, she temporarily detained the dazed store clerk involved in the incident.

Fortunately, the boxes hadn't contained anything particularly heavy. Hikigaya had only sustained a minor fracture. With some rest and a cast, he'd be back to normal in two or three months.

For now, though, they insisted on keeping him in the hospital for observation for at least a day. If all went well, he could return to his dormitory the next morning.

Chabashira-sensei had even visited him, expressing her concern and granting him a leave of absence from school until next month. With the sports festival taking up most of the curriculum this month, Hikigaya had no worries about falling behind.

It was an unfortunate accident, but at least he wouldn't miss much.

Oh, and there was also the matter of informing his parents. Upon being asked if he wanted to notify his parents, Hikigaya immediately declined.

If he had been a promising basketball player, people might have been concerned about his future. The future of Japan's basketball scene would certainly look grim.

But fortunately, he wasn't. So no one needed to care.

Besides... he wasn't exactly eager to see how his parents would react. During his hospital stay following the car accident, his family had only visited him once every three days. And each time, they'd gone out for a fancy dinner afterward, as if celebrating.

Wait... Could it be that Hikigaya wasn't their biological child?

He quickly dismissed the thought. There was a 99% chance he was indeed their real son. The stubborn cowlick on his head was proof enough!

It wasn't that his relationship with his family was bad. It was simply the way they interacted with each other. Ultimately, it was unnecessary to worry about minor details.

But why did his eyes suddenly feel a little warm?

"Hikigaya-kun?"

"Hmm?"

"Your expressions have been... surprisingly lively."

Sakayanagi had been observing him for a while, and her comment appeared to be directed at the extent to which his face revealed his internal thoughts.

Hikigaya felt a hint of sadness, knowing exactly what she meant.

"Don't worry about it... By the way, shouldn't you head home now?"

It was already late at night. Could a girl be left alone in a hospital room with a guy? No way.

Importantly, he was the one experiencing discomfort.

"Nope," Sakayanagi shook her head firmly. "You saved me, Hikigaya-kun. I'm not leaving until you're asleep."

"Uh, that's a little..."

"Oh, would you like an apple?"

"Now's not the time—"

"Should I sculpt it into small rabbit forms?" I'm quite skilled at it, you know."

"I'll leave it to you then."

Sensing the conversation wasn't going to end otherwise, Hikigaya decided to surrender. Besides, there was something he wanted to ask.

"Hey, Sakayanagi, why did you... do that?"

"Hmm? What do you mean by 'that'?" She asked without looking up, still focused on peeling the apple.

"I mean today, of course." Hikigaya's tone was a mix of frustration and confusion. "You didn't have to go that far. There were better ways to handle the situation."

"And by 'better ways,' what do you mean?"

She glanced at him, then calmly added, "If you're talking about sympathizing with that stalker, then I'm afraid I can't agree with you. There's no way I would ever condone his actions."

"No, that's not what I meant. I'm saying it was dangerous for you to go there alone."

"There was no danger," Sakayanagi smiled lightly as she pulled a small bottle from her pocket. "I brought pepper spray. Not even an adult could handle this. "Hakigaya-kun, don't you wonder why those security guards showed up so quickly?"

"Well, that's..."

"I had already researched the area. I knew security patrolled that spot around that time. And I didn't provoke him unnecessarily. I just recorded his threats on my phone and let him believe deleting the file would solve everything. If things had gone as planned, the worst-case scenario for him would've been losing his job, and I'd get a satisfactory settlement out of it."

Sakayanagi sighed softly.

"But unfortunately, things didn't go perfectly. I take full responsibility for that. I'm sorry you got hurt, Hikigaya-kun."

"No need for that."

Hikigaya's face twitched. It seemed as though Sakayanagi and he were not even concentrating on the same topic. He wanted her to understand the risks of putting herself in harm's way. She, on the other hand, was more concerned about the perfection of her plan, completely unfazed by the idea of personal injury.

But honestly, how could anyone have predicted something as simple as falling boxes?

She wasn't some overcautious hero!

"Honestly, what was the point of all this?"

"The point...?"

Hikigaya hadn't meant for her to take the question seriously—it was more of a complaint about the absurdity of the situation. But Sakayanagi seemed to latch onto the word "point," pausing her apple peeling to reflect deeply.

"Hikigaya-kun, may I ask you something first?"

"What is it?"

"When you were in your first year of middle school, you saved a dog, didn't you?" Sakayanagi asked, her tone measured. "The owner let it loose, and it ran into the street." A car was on the verge of hitting it, but you intervened and saved it. However, you ended up breaking your leg in the process."

"How do you know that?"

"That's not important," she said softly, meeting his gaze. "What matters is this..."

She leaned in closer, her eyes locking onto his.

"I was trying to get rid of a stalker. You were trying to save a dog. If we're talking about danger, I was dealing with a keyboard warrior while you stood in front of a moving car."

"Uh..."

"So, between the two of us, who was being reckless?"

Her words left Hikigaya speechless.

Then, suddenly, Sakayanagi lowered her head.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pick a fight. I just wanted to have an honest conversation with you."

"Your version of an 'honest conversation' sounds a lot like you're mocking me."

She smiled. "I'd never do such a thing to a friend."

Seeing Hikigaya's sarcastic response, Sakayanagi relaxed. It was clear he wasn't angry.

"Actually..." Sakayanagi stood up slowly, using her cane for support. She leaned in closer to Hikigaya's ear.

"I know why you saved that dog."

"Uh..." Hikigaya braced himself, anticipating some misguided accusation that he was secretly a dog lover, like Yukinoshita had once teased.

"You saved it because you wanted to. That's all, right?"

"...Huh?"

The simple statement sent a ripple through Hikigaya's mind. He instinctively turned to look at her. Sakayanagi smiled, her gaze piercing, as if she had uncovered something hidden within him.

"That's what makes you different, Hikigaya-kun."

"Wait, that's—"

Before Hikigaya could finish, Sakayanagi abruptly stood up and turned away.

"I think I'll head back now. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about this little accident. It'll be our secret." She waved nonchalantly and walked toward the exit. "Make sure you get some rest, Hikigaya-kun."

With that, she disappeared into the hallway, leaving Hikigaya alone with his thoughts.

To put it bluntly, he had absolutely no interest in the situation. At most, he would make a polite mental comment like, "Wow, that's impressive."

"Alright, enough messing with me." Hikigaya waved his hand impatiently. "If you're done, then leave. I'm about to go to sleep."

"Don't be in such a hurry. We're just getting to the excellent part."

"Who's enjoying this conversation?" he muttered.

"Oh, speaking of stalkers, there's something I wanted to discuss with you."

Ignoring Hikigaya's complaint, Sakayanagi continued with her agenda.

"What do you plan to do about it? File a lawsuit or settle it privately?"

"... A lawsuit?" Hikigaya was momentarily taken aback, surprised by how serious things had become.

From his perspective, it was nothing more than an unfortunate incident. After all, the shop clerk hadn't meant to push the box onto Sakayanagi. He had assumed that a little compensation and the clerk's firing would be the end of it.

"That's right. You could initiate it." Sakayanagi nodded, her expression calm. "Though the school will likely try to persuade you to let it go, you don't have to listen. There's no reason to give up your rights."

"Wait... isn't your dad the chairman of the board?" Hikigaya's voice hinted at exasperation.

How could she be siding with outsiders like this?

"That's irrelevant. Besides, my father always respects the students' decisions."

Sakayanagi's face lit up with pride. She does love her father, doesn't she?

"Unfortunately, he's been away recently. Therefore, it's likely that another board member will reach out to you.

"This all sounds like a huge hassle..."

Hikigaya had been hoping to let the matter blow over, but Sakayanagi seemed intent on turning it into a full-blown ordeal.

"True, lawsuits are a pain—time-consuming and exhausting."

For a moment, it seemed like she might actually let it go.

But that fleeting hope barely lasted three seconds.

"I believe a private settlement would be more beneficial. That guy—being a crazy fanboy and all—probably has plenty of money. As long as he avoids jail, he'll likely cough it up. So leave it to me. I'll squeeze every last yen from his pockets."

"Huh? You?"

"Of course." Sakayanagi flashed a bright smile. "But don't worry. I'm not a monster—I won't go too far."

Sensing Hikigaya might feel conflicted, she quickly added a few more words to reassure him.

"Or do you think letting him off without any consequences is a beneficial idea? At the very least, it'll teach him a valuable lesson. Besides, he's an adult now—it's time he learned to take responsibility for his actions."

"Alright then, I'll leave it to you."

Hikigaya couldn't help but feel that Sakayanagi was full of it. There was no way they were the same type of person.