After deciding to give up, I became popular

118. The Probability is 1000%! (2.5K)

After introducing themselves, they quickly became familiar with each other. Thanks to Natsuki Kanade acting as a buffer, the atmosphere was quite harmonious, and even Hachiman Hikigaya was able to integrate well.

"Speaking of guys' gatherings, discussing girls (and romance) is essential, right?" Tsubasa Tanuma suggested.

"Uh, it seems like that's the case..." Miyuki Shirogane pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement.

"Hey, hey, don't suddenly get swept up in that! More like this topic is jumping too fast, right?" Hachiman Hikigaya protested, but it didn't seem to have much effect.

"Haha, isn't it nice?" Natsuki Kanade also chimed in, winking at Hachiman Hikigaya and holding down his restless heart, "Don't be in such a hurry to leave. It's not bath time yet, right?"

"You bastard..." Hachiman Hikigaya's face stiffened, with a hint of gnashing teeth.

Natsuki Kanade shrugged, ignoring his resentful gaze.

"Then let's start with me, since I brought up the topic," Tsubasa Tanuma raised his hand, taking the lead, "Actually, it's something that happened recently. There's a girl I'm really interested in..."

"Ooh, tell us about it."

"..."

"What's going on?"

Although their expressions varied slightly, they were all clearly interested, listening intently to what he had to say.

"She's a classmate, so we often run into each other, and I even received chocolate from her before..." Tsubasa Tanuma scratched his head, feeling a little embarrassed.

Talking about his "love story" in front of three guys was indeed a bit shameful.

"I guess I, as a boy, should be the one to confess first, right?"

"Wait! That's not right!" Hachiman Hikigaya immediately stopped him.

He was originally just planning to listen and then come up with some "story" to fool them with, but he didn't expect to hear such a shocking statement...

People will find it disgusting! Stop it!

"You guys think something's wrong too, right?" Hachiman Hikigaya looked at the other two, hoping they would say something as well.

"Indeed, it's a bit too fast..." Miyuki Shirogane nodded, then asked, "So, what kind of chocolate was it?"

"The chocolate ball kind, three pieces..."

"Oh! Without a doubt, this is definitely..." Miyuki Shirogane looked confident.

"..."X2, Natsuki Kanade and Hachiman Hikigaya exchanged glances, both seeing an emotion called "sympathy" in each other's eyes.

"Without a doubt... it's true love chocolate!"

"...???"X2

"Listen up! Women are those kind of creatures who aren't honest! You have to think that they always take the opposite action, which means that something that looks like obligatory chocolate at first glance..."

"Is actually true love?!"

"Exactly!" The two stood up together, feeling like they had found a kindred spirit.

"..."

Hachiman Hikigaya was completely numb. He quickly looked at Natsuki Kanade, signaling him with his eyes, "This is your friend, you deal with it."

The latter nodded knowingly, then cleared his throat and raised an objection:

"But... there are definitely cases where it's just obligatory chocolate, right?"

Because the person involved was too happy, Natsuki Kanade didn't want to pour too much cold water on him directly, so he tried to guide him as much as possible.

"In this case, it still depends on the person, right? For example, if it's a 'tsundere'... a girl with that kind of reluctant personality, this situation might occur. But if the other person has a generous personality, it might really just be obligatory chocolate, you know?"

This was probably based on his own experiences. Natsuki Kanade's analysis was well-founded, and at least he could be confident.

Hachiman Hikigaya nodded frequently, thinking to himself that he lived up to the name.

"Hmm... is that so..." Miyuki Shirogane pondered.

"Hmm... that makes so much sense... As expected of President Natsuki!" Despite feeling a bit defeated, Tsubasa Tanuma still earnestly asked Natsuki Kanade for advice.

"Actually, something did happen before. She asked me, 'Do you have a girlfriend?' When I answered 'no,' she immediately shared this with the girls next to her."

"..." Natsuki Kanade fell into thought.

"Uh... I think this might be bullying..." Hachiman Hikigaya said weakly, seemingly wanting to say something, but he was quickly interrupted by Miyuki Shirogane.

"There's absolutely no mistake this time, it's a period of popularity!"

Hachiman Hikigaya: "...???"

"Because girls are people too! Exactly the same kind of creature as you! In your case, you should judge it like this——

After getting the answer 'no,' the other person will think, 'That means I have a chance.' The other girls might also think, 'Great, he doesn't have a girlfriend yet,' 'Because the person who's right for him is me,' 'He's still single, I'm so happy!' like that...

So it's totally a period of popularity! It might even develop into a situation where you have to choose one of them, and at worst, friendships might crack and eventually develop into bullying!"

"! So that's how it is..." Tsubasa Tanuma seemed a little sad, not expecting that girls would be hurt because of his choice. It was really too bad.

"Then what should I do?"

"Just protect her, you're the only one who can protect her..."

"I see..."

"Wait, wait for me!" Hachiman Hikigaya finally couldn't help but interrupt these two.

"You'll be laughed at! You'll be laughed at mercilessly, and then you'll live in that shadow for three years of high school... so definitely don't do anything that will cause misunderstandings!"

"Eh? Why would I be laughed at..." Tsubasa Tanuma was a little confused.

"Yeah, why would you be laughed at? Could it be that my analysis is wrong?" Miyuki Shirogane also asked Hachiman Hikigaya.

"Uh..."

The atmosphere became a little stiff.

Just as Hachiman Hikigaya was considering whether to share his similar experiences from the past, Natsuki Kanade, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke up.

"I thought about it for a bit, and I feel like... it's not entirely hopeless?"

"Eh? Could it be that President also thinks the analysis is wrong?" The two sat down again, looking at him seriously.

Hachiman Hikigaya sighed in relief, but after seeing that he was the only one standing, he shrank his neck and sat down silently, no longer speaking.

"Girls' actions generally have traces to follow, and they're also closely related to their personalities.

For example... people like the literature club senior, they usually sit there quietly, as if everything is irrelevant to them, and they don't get angry. But when they start shaking their legs or kicking their feet, you have to understand that there are some 'problems' with their mood.

This situation can be extended to many levels. For example, a girl who already has a good relationship with you (this is the premise), suddenly says to you one day, 'Do you think someone like me is suitable for being in a relationship?' It's probably because she received a confession from someone else before, and she herself has some feelings for you but can't decide, or she originally liked 'you' and therefore wants 'you' to realize this.

But looking at your actual situation... I don't think the girl you're talking about necessarily likes you? Perhaps... someone else likes you?

In my opinion, the reason she turned around and reported this to the other girls in front of you may be because there's someone in that group of girls who really cares about 'whether you have a girlfriend.' She might be the core person who initiated this event, which means that she has 'feelings' or at least 'good feelings' for you.

Of course, the foundation for all of this is that you're not being teased. Doesn't that kind of thing happen often? Because you lost in truth or dare, you're forced to confess to or tease some 'loner' in the class.

But based on what you said, she shouldn't be that kind of person, and she doesn't have any aversion to you, and she's even willing to give you obligatory... chocolate, so at least we can eliminate some of those probabilities..."

Natsuki Kanade frowned, then continued, "Therefore, I think the probability that there is someone among those girls who 'cares' about you is... 1000%!"

"! Ｏ(≧口≦)Ｏ"

"!!! Σ(っ °Д °;)っ"

"...? ⊙▽⊙"

119. Advice from a Senior

"No, no, wait a minute! This situation... looks like you're being teased, right?" Hachiman Hikigaya raised an objection.

"Like a dare or because they're bored, they suddenly suggested in the girls' group, 'Let's pretend to confess to that loner in the class and see what kind of funny reaction he has,' something like that..."

Thinking of this, Hachiman Hikigaya suddenly remembered that the target wasn't him, but the boy named Tsubasa Tanuma in front of him.

"Even if they're popular or living a fulfilling life, you can't rule out this possibility!... In short, you still need to observe more, right? Right!"

"This..."

"But didn't you say before that you usually interact with those girls, right?" Natsuki Kanade took over the topic, confirming with Tsubasa Tanuma, who nodded affirmatively.

"Besides, if it's really as you said, if it's a prank or teasing, then apart from expressing emotions like 'disgust' or 'exclusion,' all that's left is 'caring' or 'having good feelings,' right? If it's the former, the relationship would definitely be very stiff, and you wouldn't be able to say hello."

"That's not necessarily true! Because humans are diverse creatures. Some people are born gentle, and no matter how small or humble you are, they're willing to say hello to you, smile at you, and even call you... Gentle people are gentle to everyone, and even if they hate or reject you in their hearts, they won't show it..."

Hachiman Hikigaya retorted, but his voice couldn't help but weaken as he spoke, but his attitude still seemed firm. "In short! I still think you should observe first, at least don't fall into embarrassing misunderstandings!"

If it were him, he wouldn't need to consider so much. It would definitely be teasing or mischief, but since it was directed at someone else, someone he didn't understand, he naturally couldn't easily come to a conclusion.

"..." Natsuki Kanade was silent.

He thought of his own experiences, of Shiina, of his seniors——

He thought he had entered their hearts at that time, but in reality, that was just their usual attitude. It wasn't special treatment because of his specialness, but rather, anyone in that position would receive that kind of "special treatment."

Anyone would do, as long as they were in that position.

"Maybe you're right..." Natsuki Kanade sighed, then said to Tsubasa Tanuma, "Sorry, Tanuma-san, I almost led you astray..."

"No, it's okay. Actually, I think President's analysis also makes a lot of sense," Tsubasa Tanuma shook his head.

This person involved didn't seem to be affected at all. On the contrary, the two military advisors who were giving advice weren't in a very good mood.

"So what I need to do next is just let things take their course, right?"

Hachiman Hikigaya nodded silently, and Natsuki Kanade also agreed, "Yeah, let's not act rashly for now... Or you can be like them, find an opportunity to probe indirectly and test their attitudes?"

He was still a little unwilling to give up, and even prayed for the other person in his heart, as if that would prove something.

"Okay, I understand," Tsubasa Tanuma nodded, then stood up and bowed deeply to the three people present. "Thank you very much for your advice. I've gained a lot."

The others waved their hands, indicating that it was nothing.

"Then next it's..."

"I'll go next. Actually, I've been a little troubled recently," Miyuki Shirogane took over the topic proactively.

He was originally embarrassed to talk about such private matters, but seeing that Tsubasa Tanuma had taken the lead, it would seem pretentious if he didn't say anything.

"That person is in a different class from me, so it's usually difficult to say hello, but we've gone out privately quite a few times... The key is that she doesn't seem to see me as a member of the opposite sex. I always feel like she sees me as a 'pretty easy-to-talk-to friend.'"

"..."

"May I ask, that person you're talking about..."

"Are you asking for her name? It's okay to say it——Ryuzu Momo, the daughter of the 'Ryuzu Group' leader..."

"..."

"What's wrong?"

"No, it's nothing, just... a little surprised," Natsuki Kanade shook his head, then said, "Continue."

"Recently, our interactions have become a little closer. When we had lunch together before, I shared my bento with her, and then she asked me to make an extra bento for her every day, and she even said she would pay me..."

"Uh, this is a bit..."

"It's definitely not easy to handle, right? Although sharing a bento should be considered quite private, her attitude doesn't show at all that she sees me as a member of the opposite sex..."

"It's indeed a bit..."

"Can I say a few words?" Hachiman Hikigaya raised his hand.

So the atmosphere is really an important thing. He was clearly someone who wouldn't participate in this kind of activity, but he had inexplicably integrated into it in this situation.

"Of course, on the contrary, please give me some guidance," Miyuki Shirogane nodded solemnly.