Chapter 56: Sakayanagi, the Little Troublemaker

  On the way to the student council office, Hachiman was still wondering where he had gone wrong to annoy Horikita earlier when he suddenly spotted a small figure ahead.

  Uh... Hachiman noticed his right eyelid twitching for some unknown reason as he saw the girl ahead.

  He had a very bad feeling about this. Instinctively, Hachiman looked around and saw that he was on a straight corridor with no alternative route to avoid encountering her. There was no choice but to march forward, pretending not to know her, trying to slip by unnoticed.

  However, whether by design or coincidence, the silver-haired girl was standing right in his path. Hachiman could only nod to her as a greeting, but as he tried to change direction, he was stopped again.

  The silver-haired girl looked at him with a half-smiling expression. Hachiman met her gaze for a moment, and without hesitation, he turned and ran. The girl, who was about to speak, froze for a second, and her smile stiffened.

  The next second, Hachiman’s arm was grabbed by the girl, and he froze as if hit by a petrification spell, looking at her with a resigned expression.

  "Hachiman-kun, you're unexpectedly gentle," Sakayanagi Arisu said, leaning slightly on her cane and smiling slightly.

  Seeing that Hachiman remained silent and expressionless, her smile grew wider.

  At this point, Hachiman betedly realized that this straight corridor was the only path leading to the student council office. Could she have been waiting for him here all along?

  "Hachiman-kun, do you have some free time? There's something I'd like to ask you to help with," the girl said, slightly leaning forward and adjusting her beret.

  "Sorry, Sakayanagi-san, there’s a lot of work waiting for me at the student council office. I’m afraid..." Hachiman responded with an apologetic expression.

  Sakayanagi looked at him quietly before smiling. "It’s fine. I already spoke with Tachibana-senpai, and she said it’s perfectly fine."

  "Ah?"

  Hachiman, who had been looking disappointed a moment ago, froze upon hearing her words and met her gaze.

  Sakayanagi had definitely pnned this from the start!

  And... Tachibana-senpai, what did I do to deserve this? Why are you throwing me into this trap?!

  ...

  "Sakayanagi-san, is this the thing you wanted help with?"

  At the café "Palette," Hachiman sat across from the silver-haired girl, who was leisurely sipping her coffee. She even ordered a chestnut Mont Bnc cake.

  "Yes, it's about a girl's feelings," she said.

  "Cough, cough, cough!"

  Hachiman nearly spat out the coffee he had just taken a sip of. It was just like the big boss he had in mind—could this be the silver-haired little boss?!

  "Also, why is this coffee so bitter?"

  Earlier, when Sakayanagi had said she would treat him to a drink, Hachiman looked down and found out that it was bck coffee.

  "Heh, because I think bck coffee matches your temperament, Hachiman-kun," Sakayanagi said, dabbing her lips with a napkin.

  Although there was no concrete evidence, Hachiman felt that she did this on purpose.

  Hachiman instinctively looked around, seemingly searching for something.

  "You don't need to worry, I'm the only one here today," Sakayanagi said, as if seeing through his thoughts, with a soft smile.

  "I... I'm just not used to pces like this," Hachiman coughed and then turned serious, looking at her. "So, Sakayanagi-san, what is it that you need?"

  "As I already said, it's about a girl's feelings. And... only you, Hachiman-kun, can help me."

  Sakayanagi smiled gently. "Actually, I'm very good friends with Yukinoshita-san, but recently I've noticed that she's been getting quite close to a certain boy. As her cssmate and friend, I’m really concerned about that boy's character."

  Hachiman immediately realized he was right. Sakayanagi was definitely targeting Yukinoshita—only... why is it I who has to deal with this?!

  "So?" Hachiman replied impatiently.

  "So?" Sakayanagi blinked in surprise, seemingly caught off guard by Hachiman's reaction, but she continued, "Of course, I hope Hachiman-kun can offer some advice."

  Hachiman gave her a strange look. "I say, Sakayanagi-san, you don’t happen to like that boy, do you? Is that why you're making up this excuse?"

  "?!"

  Sakayanagi’s smile remained, but there was an unexpected chill to it. "Heh, Hachiman, you really have a talent for humor."

  Uh... is that so?

  Recently, many people had been telling Hachiman that he was quite funny. Could it really be true?

  "I see, it looks like I misunderstood." Hachiman awkwardly tried to smooth things over, then with a hint of schadenfreude, he said, "But which boy is so unlucky to be noticed by Yukinoshita?"

  "Hachiman-kun, don’t you remember? On the first day of school, at the tea house in the western district of the Keyaki Shopping Center, it wasn’t just the two of you there, was it? And that coffee shop date you had with Yukinoshita... would you like to deny it? Does this table look familiar to you?" Sakayanagi said coldly, watching as the fish-eyed boy broke out in a cold sweat.

  It was only when Sakayanagi mentioned it that Hachiman realized they were sitting at the same table as that day?!

  Oh my god, does Sakayanagi have some kind of special kink?!

  "M-misunderstanding! This is definitely a misunderstanding! Look at me—do I look like someone who could be involved in 'romance'?! Besides... I-I could never date that demon king... no, Haruno!" Hachiman hurriedly waved his hands in denial, his face panicked, looking as though he had encountered something terrifying. His expression didn’t look fake at all.

  Haruno? Haruno! Calling her that so familiarly, and you still say there’s nothing going on?

  Men, huh... Heh.

  Sakayanagi scoffed.

  "I think Hachiman-kun must have been wronged..." she said, her face breaking into a cryptic smile. "How about I call Yukinoshita-san and prove your innocence?"

  Sakayanagi then took out her phone, seemingly ready to call someone.

  Hachiman’s face instantly changed: "N-no, don't! Don’t bother her with such a baseless rumor!"

  Hachiman was 100% sure that if Sakayanagi called, Haruno, with her sly personality, would definitely admit it. At that point, Hachiman would have no way to defend himself!

  But Sakayanagi didn’t stop. Hachiman finally had no choice but to give in. "Sakayanagi-san, let’s get to the point. What exactly do you want?"

  Now Hachiman was 100% sure—Sakayanagi and the demon king were cut from the same cloth!

  Damn it, Sakayanagi, little troublemaker!

  "Reading chess is like reading people. Actually, I just want to py another game of chess with you, Hachiman-kun, that’s all," the girl said, her smile vanishing as she spoke seriously.