Chapter 242 068: Shiina-san’s Mischievous Streak!

Ibuki paused for a moment before following. The two of them walked out of the classroom and stood by the corridor window.

Ryuen leaned against the windowsill, hands in his pockets.

"Shiina is acting strange today," Ryuen began. "Go keep an eye on her."

Ibuki frowned. "Keep an eye on what?"

"What she's thinking about," Ryuen lowered his voice. "She said it was just letting her mind wander, not related to the exam. What else could a girl her age have wandering through her mind?"

Ibuki stared at him for two seconds. "You mean... love?"

"Something like that," Ryuen looked out the window. "Only love is such a boring thing; it distracts people and can even lower their personal value. She's usually not like this. Today, her analysis was as clear as ever, but her state of mind was off. Her voice was quieter than usual, her gaze was unfocused, and when she spoke, her eyes didn't land on anything."

Ibuki was somewhat surprised. She looked at Ryuen's profile; his face, usually so defiant and unruly, was devoid of expression.

"How do you know so much?" Ibuki asked.

Ryuen glanced at her. "You'd know if you played a few more galgames. Once a protagonist falls in love, they stop caring about other things, get distracted, and their intelligence drops by fifty percent instantly. It's incredibly tedious."

Ibuki opened her mouth, not knowing what to say.

"However," Ryuen withdrew his gaze and looked outside again, "if that guy Hikigaya also falls in love, it might be better for us."

Ibuki frowned. "Are you thinking that Hikigaya's intelligence will decrease during the class competition? And that we might have a chance?"

Ryuen looked at her, somewhat speechless. "No. If he isn't so focused on hoarding points, then we can specifically aim for points in the special exam."

Ibuki was stunned.

Because Ryuen wasn't thinking about "beating Hikigaya"; he was just thinking about "Hikigaya not coming to steal our points." It was as if he... no longer wanted to fight Hikigaya.

"Ryuen," Ibuki said, feeling a bit dazed, "are you saying you don't want to fight Hikigaya at all anymore?"

Ryuen didn't answer. He leaned against the windowsill, looking into the distance. Class A had 1666 points, Class B had 650. A gap of over 1000 points. That kind of margin was too large—too large to be bridged by mere ability. So he didn't want to fight anymore. But saying it out loud felt frustrating.

He turned around abruptly. "Enough talk, I'm going to eat."

He headed toward the stairwell. Ibuki stood in place, watching his back. His stride was the same as always, steady and unhurried. But his back seemed to look heavier than before. It was clear that Ryuen Kakeru had lost his former arrogance.

"..."

Ibuki withdrew her gaze and walked back into the classroom.

The classroom was empty except for Hiyori Shiina. She sat in her seat, holding that book. She wasn't reading it; she just placed the book on her lap, fingers tapping lightly on the cover. The sunlight outside the window fell on her, making her long silver hair shine.

Ibuki walked over and sat next to her.

Hiyori looked up. "Ibuki-san?"

"Ryuen asked me to check on you," Ibuki said bluntly. "He said you were acting strange. If you have any troubles, you can share them with me. I can't offer much advice, but I can listen."

Hiyori's eyelashes trembled slightly.

Ibuki stared at her, not knowing what to say. She wasn't good at this. She couldn't comfort people, couldn't guide them, couldn't say those sweet things. She only knew how to fight and execute missions. But she knew this exam was important, and the class needed Hiyori's strength. If Hiyori were lost in thoughts of love, Ibuki couldn't really help—but she hoped Hiyori would refocus on the class exam.

"I don't mean to interfere," Ibuki lowered her voice, "just... if you need someone to listen, I'm here."

Hiyori looked at her, silent for a few seconds. Then, she reached out and gently gripped Ibuki's hand. Ibuki's fingers were cool and bony—the hands of someone who trained in martial arts for years.

"Ibuki-san," Hiyori said softly.

"Yeah?"

"Have you ever had an experience like this?"

Ibuki frowned. "What?"

Hiyori looked at her, her clear eyes holding a seriousness Ibuki had never seen before, the kind only used when asking a deeply important question.

"Dreaming that you married someone of the opposite sex."

'Huh?'

Ibuki's mouth opened slightly, closed, and opened again. Her eyes widened, and her expression shifted from confusion to shock, then to bewilderment.

"Huh?" Ibuki's voice rose. "What?"

Hiyori didn't answer. She just looked at Ibuki quietly, waiting for a reaction. Ibuki's face turned slowly red—not out of shyness, but out of the awkwardness of not knowing what to say. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words were stuck in her throat.

Because... dreaming of marrying someone of the opposite sex? She had never had such a dream. She rarely even dreamed of the opposite sex, let alone marriage.

"You..." Ibuki's voice felt tight. "Who did you dream you married?"

Hiyori's eyelashes flickered. She didn't answer. She let go of Ibuki's hand, looked down at the book on her lap. The bookmark was still tucked inside—a bookmark made from a poppy, the petals dried into a thin sheet, the color turning from light red to dark red.

Ibuki watched her, lost for words. She suddenly felt that this matter was much more serious than she had imagined. Since she was a lifelong single, she really couldn't help with this kind of thing. However, since she came to talk to Shiina, she needed to be effective.

"So," Ibuki carefully chose her words, "you dreamed you married someone of the opposite sex."

Hiyori flickered her eyelashes without answering.

"They say 'what you think about in the day, you dream about at night,'" Ibuki said, lowering her voice. "Do you like him? Subconsciously?"

"No." Hiyori shook her head, her voice quiet but firm. "I just think he's terrifying."

Ibuki frowned.

'Terrifying? You dream that someone you find terrifying married you? Or is Shiina-san actually a masochist?'

"..."

She quickly shook that thought away.

"I only came because of what Ryuen said," Ibuki stated, her voice somewhat stiff. "He said you might be in love and asked me to check on you."

A look of amusement and helplessness appeared on Hiyori's face.

"Ryuen-kun really is a sigma male," Hiyori said.

Ibuki paused. "Sigma?"

"It means a guy without feelings," Hiyori said softly.

Ibuki was silent for a second. "Oh."

Hiyori looked at her with a gentle glint in her clear eyes. "Ibuki-san, did you come here just now because of the class? You feel that if I'm distracted by love, I won't be able to handle the exam properly."

Although it was a question, Hiyori said it with a tone of certainty.

"..." Ibuki didn't deny it. Because her own grades were poor—only a C in academics. If no one led her, she might not even pass this exam. She didn't want to fall behind.

"My grades aren't good," Ibuki lowered her voice, "so I hope to pass smoothly rather than fall behind here."

Hiyori looked at her, silent for two seconds. "In that case, let's team up."

Ibuki was stunned.

"My academics are okay," Hiyori said calmly. "I can carry you. You're a C, I'm an A. The two of us together—perfecting the 700-point total for the eight subjects will be no problem."

Ibuki opened her mouth, almost nodding in agreement. But she shook her head.

"Ryuen's academics, Albert's academics—they're even worse than mine," Ibuki said with a strained voice. "They need you more."

Hiyori's lips curled slightly. "Ibuki-san usually keeps to herself, but you still think of others."

Ibuki's cheeks turned slightly red. She turned her head away, refusing to look at Hiyori. "I just don't want to owe anyone any favors."

Hiyori chuckled softly. Ibuki felt uncomfortable being watched by her and quickly changed the subject.

"Since it's someone Shiina finds terrifying... it wouldn't be Hikigaya, would it?"

Once those words were out, the air turned instantly quiet. It was clear that Ibuki-san, despite being a loner, was extremely "skilled at conversation."

Hiyori's eyelashes flickered, and she didn't speak. Ibuki watched her, waiting for a few seconds, and realized she didn't deny it.

"More or less," Hiyori's voice was very soft. "Even though Hikigaya-kun gave me flowers before, I was able to tease Sakayanagi-san so easily... and yet, myself—"

Ibuki's eyes widened. "Hikigaya gave you flowers?"

Hiyori nodded.

"When?"

"The day the Sports Festival ended. In front of the florist in the shopping district," Hiyori's voice was light. "He bought a poppy and handed it to me."

Ibuki went silent. She didn't know what to say. Hikigaya Hachiman—that man—would actually give flowers? And not to Karuizawa, but to Shiina Hiyori. She suddenly felt this was much more complex than she had imagined.

"Since it started with Hikigaya giving you flowers, and then you started letting your mind wander and even dreaming... yeah," Ibuki thought for a moment and quickly came up with a plan. "That's easy. Just return them."

Hiyori looked up at her.

"I'm going to the shopping district later," Ibuki said. "I'll buy flowers for Hikigaya on your behalf. Return them to him. Then you won't have to be troubled anymore."

This made Hiyori look at Ibuki again.

"Ibuki-san is really innocent," Hiyori said.

Ibuki frowned. "What does that mean?"

"The flowers were already given. Returning them won't change anything," Hiyori said softly. "Besides, the problem isn't the flower. It's me."

Ibuki looked at her, not understanding.

Hiyori looked down at the book in her hand. The bookmark was still tucked inside—the poppy bookmark, its petals already dried into a thin sheet. "He gave me flowers, which really left a mark on my heart. I thought I could accept them easily and forget them easily. But I can't." She paused. "You've heard of Hikigaya-kun's future ideal, right?"

Ibuki thought about it. "A househusband?"

"Yes," Hiyori nodded. "He wants to find a wife who can support him. So he is only dating Karuizawa-san to gain experience. He won't be with Karuizawa-san forever. Moreover, he is very popular with girls right now. Ichinose-san, Sakayanagi-san, Kushida-san, and Sakura-san, who is good at photography... many people care about him. I'm not the type of person who likes to compete."

Ibuki watched her, not knowing what to say.

"So," Hiyori lowered her voice, "perhaps returning what he gave me can really help me break free. After all, the exam is indeed important right now. I can't be distracted."

Ibuki understood a bit more now. Hiyori either wasn't interested, or if she was, she wouldn't be the type to take the initiative.

Ibuki was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Are you going?"

Hiyori thought about it. "Yes."

The two of them walked out of the school building, following the walkway toward the shopping district.

The afternoon sun poured down from overhead, casting their shadows on the ground, one behind the other. The lights in the shopping district weren't on yet, but most shops were already open. Some people were buying things, some were strolling, and others were waiting in line at shop entrances.

The flower shop was in its usual spot, with various flowers displayed on the rack at the entrance. Roses, lilies, daisies, baby's breath, and a few bundles of flowers Hachiman didn't recognize. The clerk was still that young girl with a ponytail, currently watering the flowers. Hearing footsteps, she looked up and smiled at them.

"Welcome. The flowers are very fresh today."

Ibuki stood at the door, looking at the flowers, somewhat lost. "What flowers are you going to buy?"

Hiyori walked to the rack, her gaze sweeping over the rows of flowers. The poppies were still there, the pale red petals as thin as paper. She looked for two seconds, then moved her gaze.

"The one Hikigaya-kun gave me was a poppy," Hiyori's voice was light. "But if it's a return gift, I think maybe I can use another flower."

Ibuki frowned. "Why?"

"The flower language for poppy is 'gratitude'," Hiyori's fingers touched a petal lightly. "If I return the same flower, it will look very strange. As if I'm imitating him."

Ibuki thought about it and felt that made sense. "Then what are you going to use?"

Hiyori didn't answer. Her gaze continued to scan the rack. Roses—too ambiguous. Lilies—too solemn. Daisies—too naive. Baby's breath—too casual. She wanted to choose one whose flower language wasn't ambiguous, one that wouldn't cause misunderstandings.

But she suddenly realized—it was Hikigaya who influenced her. He gave her flowers, making even her dreams strange. If it weren't for him, she wouldn't wake up in the middle of the night, wouldn't have a racing heartbeat, and wouldn't be distracted in class.

'He started it.'

Hiyori's lips curled slightly.

"Ibuki-san." Hiyori began.

"Yeah?"

"You're right. Returning them might really be useful." Her fingers moved away from the poppy and landed on a bundle of small blue flowers next to it. The petals were small, clustered together like a blue sea of stars. The flower language was...

"Forget-me-not."

The clerk walked over, looking at the bouquet. "Miss has a good eye. Forget-me-nots just arrived; the color is very true. Should I wrap them up?"

Hiyori nodded. "Wrap them up."

Ibuki stood to the side, looking at the tiny blue flowers, frowning slightly. "Forget-me-not? What's the flower language for this?"

Hiyori took the wrapped flowers from the clerk, looking down at the blue petals. "'Please don't forget me.' It also means 'true love'."

Ibuki's mouth opened slightly, then closed.

'What happened to avoiding ambiguity?'

"You... are you sure you want to give this?" Ibuki said, somewhat dumbfounded.

Hiyori's lips curved slightly. That smile was deeper than before, carrying a trace of mischief and a hint of something indescribable.

"He gave me strange dreams," Hiyori's voice was very light. "I'll give him back a strange bouquet. That's fair."

Ibuki looked at her, not knowing what to say. She suddenly felt that Shiina Hiyori was much more complex than she had imagined. She wasn't just a simple, book-reading literary girl. She could also get angry, play tricks, and use a bouquet of flowers to retort against someone else.

"Then I'll buy this," Ibuki turned, picked up a succulent plant from the rack, "this is easy to raise. Put it on the windowsill, no need to worry about it much."

The clerk took the succulent and packed it in a paper bag. The two paid and walked out of the florist. The sunlight fell on them, making the bouquet of forget-me-nots look even bluer.

"When do you plan to give it to him?" Ibuki asked.

Hiyori thought about it. "Later. If I run into him, I can give it to him. After all, if flowers aren't treated specifically, they won't last forever."

Ibuki watched her, then nodded. At the same time, she was prepared to go look for Hikigaya's silhouette later.

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