Perhaps due to the rumors, the class had been noisy all day.
Especially during breaks, Hikigaya could always feel strange gazes directed at him, accompanied by hushed whispers.
Though he couldn't make out the exact words, he could guess what they were saying.
This situation reminded him of the time after the middle school cultural festival, when the entire grade had launched the so-called "Anti-Hikigaya Movement."
Of course, that term was a bit exaggerated.
To be precise, it was more like "everyone using Hikigaya's name as a joke."
For the record, most of his middle school classmates didn't even know his real name. Until graduation, many of them genuinely believed he was called "Hiki-penguin" instead of "Hikigaya"... Just thinking about it was depressing.
Then again, looking on the bright side, if the police ever came knocking on his door, he could confidently say, "You're looking for Hikigaya? What does that have to do with me, Hiki-penguin?"
…Forget it. Joking about this himself was just self-deprecating.
That being said, there were still some differences between now and middle school.
Back then, his classmates had mocked him openly, without restraint. But now, at least they were only whispering behind his back.
Wait, does that count as progress?
Regardless, Hikigaya did feel slightly better about it.
If even an invisible background character like me is going to be ridiculed, I might as well become someone people are afraid of instead! (Distorted expression)
Lost in such meaningless thoughts, time passed quickly, and at last, school was over.
As soon as the bell rang, Hikigaya grabbed his bag and headed straight for the student council office, burying himself in documents without a word.
Even he was surprised by his enthusiasm for work… Sigh.
It still stung a little.
Not that he regretted anything—after all, he had chosen this himself—but he couldn't deny that his mood had been affected.
It would've been easier if people just insulted him to his face… Wait, why did he feel that way?
He wasn't sure himself, but maybe he was just worried that someone would see through his act.
But even if Sakayanagi or someone else figured it out, so what?
At this point, even if Sakayanagi claimed innocence, no one would believe her.
She had been too blatant in spreading rumors about Ichinose. Even though she had cleverly left no direct evidence, her reputation had already taken a hit.
Simply put, no matter who threw dirt on her now, Sakayanagi had no choice but to take it.
Reputation is often useless, but sometimes, it makes all the difference.
For example, if Hikigaya were to claim that Ichinose or Hirata had spread rumors about him, no one would believe it.
But now, without even trying, everyone had already assumed Sakayanagi was behind it.
Karma, huh?
Speaking of Ichinose… she hadn't shown up at the student council today either.
Ever since that incident—where someone had distributed notes accusing her of being a criminal—her spirit seemed to have taken a huge blow.
She had never missed student council duties before, yet now, for the first time, she had taken a leave of absence.
The only silver lining was that she was at least still attending school. Just hold on a little longer…
That aside, it was one thing for Ichinose to be absent, but where was everyone else?!
Hikigaya worked until club time ended, yet not a single other student council member showed up—not even Nagumo, the president himself.
…These bastards.
If they didn't want to come, they might as well never come back!
From now on, the student council would belong to Hikigaya!
…Not that he wanted that. If they made him president, it would just be a hassle.
After finishing his report, Hikigaya headed back to the dorms.
But before that, he wanted a drink.
Nothing beats a MAX Coffee after a long day of work.
Unfortunately, they didn't sell it here…
Hikigaya suddenly recalled how Isshiki used to buy him a can of MAX Coffee as payment for helping with student council work.
Thinking about it now, his labor seemed ridiculously cheap.
Japan's minimum wage was nine times higher than that!
"Oh well, as long as it's sweet, I don't mind."
However, even with lowered expectations, this small wish remained unfulfilled.
The vending machine was completely out of sweet coffee, leaving only disgustingly bitter black coffee.
You've got to be kidding me…!
Hikigaya let out a mental cry of despair. He had just finished a ton of paperwork—he needed sugar to recharge.
Is this school trying to kill me?!
…No choice. I'll go to a café.
There was a café on campus called "Palette" or something.
It was always packed with students, which was why Hikigaya usually avoided it.
But right now, his craving for coffee won over his reluctance.
He could only hope he wouldn't run into anyone he knew—
"Ah, isn't that Hikigaya-kun? You're here too?"
…So much for that hope.
As soon as he stepped inside, someone called out to him.
Looking over, he saw Kushida smiling and waving enthusiastically.
Hikigaya was utterly speechless.
If it were just Kushida, he wouldn't mind. But the problem was—why the hell was she sitting with Ayanokoji's group?!
He wasn't like her; he wasn't close with them at all!
Scratch that—he wasn't close to anyone in the class!
…Forget it. He'd just pretend he didn't see her.
Just as he was about to make his escape, Kushida suddenly stood up and walked toward him.
"Hikigaya-kun, what a coincidence! You rarely come here."
"…Yeah. What a coincidence."
Now, ignoring her was no longer an option.
"I'm discussing something with Hasebe and the others." Kushida gestured to her table. "It involves you, so why don't you join us?"
"No thanks, not interested."
"Don't be like that, come on~."
Kushida's usual friendly demeanor was still intact, but with Hikigaya, she occasionally showed a more forceful side. Half-jokingly, she nudged him toward the table.
Ugh. Why do I have to sit with people I barely know?
Especially Hasebe and her group—ever since the Paper Shuffle incident, he hadn't spoken to them.
Well, except for Ayanokoji.
But overall, he just didn't vibe with these people. They probably felt the same way about him.
"Sorry, guys. I just happened to run into Hikigaya-kun. Mind if he joins?"
"Sure, no problem. We were just talking about him anyway."
Hasebe nodded, and before Hikigaya could protest, he was forcibly seated.
Damn it, Kikyo-chan, have some respect for my personal space!
"So, were you guys talking bad about me?" Hikigaya tilted his head.
"Of course not!" Hasebe huffed. "We were discussing those rumors about you. Kikyo-chan was worried and wanted to see if there was a way to stop them."
"Uh… even if you say that."
Hikigaya glanced at Kushida's smiling face, then at the others—Hasebe, Sakura, Yukimura, and Ayanokoji.
It felt like someone was missing, but whatever.
"First of all, I appreciate the concern. But if Kushida was looking for advice, I doubt she'd come to you guys of all people."
"What? Why is that?" Hasebe asked, puzzled.
"…Obviously, it's because you guys don't have any friends and can't even gather the most basic information."
"Wha?!"
Hearing those words, Hasebe dramatically collapsed onto the table as if struck by an arrow.
"Y-you dare to say that, huh, Hikki?" She glared at Hikigaya resentfully. "I've always thought this—your mouth and personality are both rotten."
"Yeah, sorry about that."
Hikigaya apologized nonchalantly, but she still seemed unwilling to accept it.
What do you want me to do, prostrate myself on the spot?
"Hikigaya-kun, you can't say things like that," Kushida spoke up in Hasebe's defense.
"Hasebe-san meant well. She even specifically stopped me to ask about this matter."
"So in other words, she just wanted to hear some juicy gossip about me," Hikigaya immediately got to the point.
"Hey, hey! That's way too harsh… Okay, fine! I admit it! I just couldn't suppress my curiosity!"
Hasebe suddenly took on a "might as well go all in" attitude.
She rolled up her textbook into a makeshift microphone and held it up to Hikigaya's mouth.
"Well then, Hikki-kun, please tell us—who's the lucky girl you confessed to?"
"Oi, Hasebe, that's going too far."
Before Hikigaya could respond, Yukimura, who had been quietly doing his homework on the side, finally couldn't take it anymore. With a helpless look, he said, "Even in private… no, even in private you shouldn't be asking this. Just leave Hikigaya alone. This whole thing was baseless, to begin with."
"Y-yeah, Hasebe-chan, I think this isn't a good idea either," Sakura added timidly.
Even Ayanokoji nodded. "Yeah, let's just drop it. This isn't exactly a pleasant topic."
"Huh? Why are you all making me out to be the bad guy here?" Hasebe quickly defended herself. "Of course, I know it's fake. That was Sakayanagi getting back at him. I was just trying to help Hikki—uh, I was just casually asking, don't mind me."
"Help who?" Yukimura asked curiously.
"Hm? Clueless guys should just keep their mouths shut."
"Clueless? What are you even talking about?"
"Just shut up already."
"This is ridiculous. I can't be bothered with you."
Yukimura shook his head and went back to furiously scribbling in his notebook.
Meanwhile, Kushida smiled and tried to smooth things over. "It's nothing serious. I heard it was just a punishment game."
…Where did you hear that from?
Was it Matsushita?
Once again, Hikigaya was reminded that he had no personal privacy.
"Oh, so it was just a punishment game… hmm?"
At first, Hasebe rested her chin in her hand, looking bored. But then, as if something clicked, she shot Hikigaya a suspicious look.
"Wait a minute, Hikki, do you even have friends to play games with? And not just any game, but some super normie punishment game?"
"Ugh…" This woman is just as rude as Matsushita!
Hikigaya didn't answer and instead turned toward the counter.
"Where's my coffee?"
"That's because you never ordered one! And you have to get it yourself here!" Hasebe retorted.
"Oh… Then I'll go grab one."
With that, Hikigaya got up and left his seat.
The moment he was gone, Hasebe immediately turned to Kushida. "Kushida, you saw that, right? The confession thing is probably real!"
But Kushida remained calm, simply shaking her head with a smile.
"There's no such thing."
"Huh? But—"
"There's no such thing."
Kushida repeated herself, still smiling.
But there was no warmth in her eyes.
"A-ahaha, yeah… Looks like I was mistaken. But that makes sense, right? I mean, I just can't picture Hikki willingly confessing to anyone, so it must be fake!"
"Yes, that's exactly right."
Seeing Kushida return to her usual demeanor, Hasebe finally sighed in relief.
She silently vowed never to meddle in anyone's love life again!
Just then, the phone on the table rang.
"Oh, it's from Miyake."
Hasebe picked up and saw that it was Miyake calling. She put it on speaker.
"Club activities over?"
Miyake was in the archery club, and sometimes their group waited for him to finish before going out together.
"Sorry, looks like I'll be late."
There was a hint of tension in Miyake's voice, which made Hasebe frown in confusion.
"What's wrong? Did you get held back for extra practice?"
"No… It looks like things are about to get messy."
"What kind of messy? Be more specific."
"A-Class and B-Class are getting into an argument. If they start fighting and no one stops them, it'll be a disaster."
"Hah?" Hasebe furrowed her brows. "Why should we care? It's got nothing to do with our class."
"But what if the same thing happens to us tomorrow?"
With that, Miyake hung up.
Right at that moment, Hikigaya returned with his coffee, just in time to hear the conversation.
"…What's with that look, Hikki?" Hasebe asked.
"No, I was just thinking… You guys are seriously weird."
Before Hasebe could protest, Hikigaya continued.
"Back in the first semester, all of you were nobodies in class. Hasebe, you didn't even have any friends, yet now you're casually chatting up guys. Then there's Miyake, who, at some point, decided to become a justice warrior. And last but not least, Ayanokoji—out of nowhere, he turned into some kind of boxing champion and took out all of C-Class… You guys weren't possessed or something, were you?"
"…What does 'possessed' mean?"
Despite feeling exasperated, Ayanokoji couldn't help but be curious.
Hikigaya rolled his eyes. "Relax, you're the one person I'm sure would never be."
"Ugh, that was harsh."
Hearing all this, Hasebe started to feel like their little group was kind of strange.
But then again, they had all gathered together precisely because they wanted to interact with others freely. So, no one questioned it too deeply.
"Well, I've always been like this. I just wanted to enjoy my high school youth, that's all… It just didn't go smoothly at first."
"Whatever." Hikigaya didn't care about Hasebe's growth journey. "Anyway, aren't you guys going to help Miyake? He's trying to stop a fight between A-Class and B-Class?"
"Yeah, Miyake used to be a delinquent, so he should be able to handle it."
"A delinquent, huh…"
Hikigaya grew even more confused. "Then why's he suddenly sticking his nose into other classes' business? He's never been that enthusiastic in our class… Don't tell me he's trying to be like Hirata?"
"Ugh, no way! I don't want to see Miyake turn into Hirata." Hasebe exaggerated a grimace.
"…Are you looking down on Miyake or Hirata?"
"That's not it." Hasebe forced a smile. "Hirata's a good guy, but sometimes he's just… Kushida, you get what I mean, right?"
Maybe she couldn't find the right words, or maybe she didn't want to say them out loud, so she threw the question to Kushida.
"I do think Hirata-kun is a great person, and he's contributed a lot to the class. I really appreciate him."
Kushida started with some polite praise, but then her tone subtly shifted.
"But, as Hasebe-san said, sometimes he goes too far in protecting others. It'd be nice if he were a little stricter."
"Exactly! That's what I meant!"
Before she realized it, Hasebe had fallen into Kushida's conversational trap again and started ranting about Hirata.
"That guy, I have no idea what he's thinking—especially about Ike's expulsion last time. That was a peeping tom, for crying out loud! And yet he still sympathized with someone like that? He's got a terminal case of Saint Syndrome! But the girls in our class are all like, 'Hirata-kun is so kind and compassionate~'... Ugh, do they have flower beds for brains?"
"…Pfft!"
Hikigaya nearly burst out laughing at Hasebe's dramatic performance.
Even Kushida rarely badmouthed Hirata in private, which just went to show what a good person he was.
But Hasebe, on the other hand, had no qualms about roasting him… This girl really knew how to go all in.
"And another thing—"
"Haruka, that's enough."
Hasebe was about to continue when Ayanokoji cut her off.
"We should focus on finding Akito first. He might be in trouble."
"Oh, right." Hasebe nodded. "But I'm sure he'll be fine. If anyone tries to mess with him, Kipyon, you just need to take them down one punch at a time."
Saying that she even mimicked a few punching moves.
"I'd rather not get into fights, but I'll do my best to stop them."
Since the rooftop incident couldn't be kept under wraps anymore, Ayanokoji had decided on a new backstory for himself—he had trained in martial arts before but didn't like fighting. That way, it would still be somewhat believable.
"In that case, Hikigaya-kun, why don't we go help as well?" Kushida suggested.
"Why do I have to go? I'm not even close with them."
"Come on, just go."
Under Kushida's firm insistence, Hikigaya had no choice but to reluctantly tag along.
Watching this unfold, Hasebe leaned in and whispered to Sakura, "Hey, Airi, I just get this feeling that Hikki is gonna be completely under Kushida san's thumb in the future. What do you think?"
"Is… is that so?" Sakura hesitated. "But I think it's the opposite… Though, I don't know."
"No way. Just look at how he acts—he's different when it comes to her…"
While the girls were whispering to each other, Ayanokoji seemed to have something else in mind.
For someone who rarely took the initiative, he suddenly spoke up: "We don't know exactly where Akito is. How about this—we split into two groups, and whoever finds him first calls the other side."
"Alright, sounds good, Kiyotaka. In that case, I'll—"
"Keisei, you go with Haruka and Airi. I'll team up with Hikigaya and Kushida. How about that?"
"Uh… alright."
Yukimura had originally intended to suggest that the three boys group up since he wasn't great at dealing with girls. But before he could, Ayanokoji cut in and left him no choice.
Now, he was stuck—there was no way he could refuse in front of everyone.
As for Hikigaya, he simply glanced at Ayanokoji thoughtfully but said nothing.
And so, the groups were decided, and they set off to search for Miyake.
However, Hikigaya's group wasn't in any rush. Even Ayanokoji didn't urge them on, instead acting as if he was waiting for the right moment.
After finally reaching a relatively deserted place, this guy suddenly spoke up.
"Hikigaya, and Kushida, there's actually something I want to discuss with you."
"Uh..."
"Discuss? What is it?"
Seeing that Hikigaya had no intention of speaking, Kushida stepped in to negotiate on his behalf.
"I don't know if we can help, but we'll definitely do our best."
"Ah, thanks." Ayanokoji said slowly. "Actually, this also concerns Hikigaya. Lately, there have been all sorts of rumors circulating in our grade. If this continues, both Ichinose and Hikigaya will find it troublesome, right?"
"Huh, you mean..."
"Yes, I have a way to suppress those rumors, but I need your help."
Ayanokoji's words left Kushida puzzled. She knew there was some conflict between this guy and Hikigaya.
Logically, there was no reason for him to help.
But she decided to ask anyway... after all, Kushida was also quite angry about those rumors.
"And what exactly do you need our help with?"
"I'm planning to spread certain personal information about first-year students—secrets they wouldn't want to be public knowledge. You two probably know quite a bit about these things, don't you?"
"…You're trying to create confusion?" Kushida didn't reject the idea immediately but continued to probe. "I don't quite understand. Didn't you already use a similar method at the training camp? Do you think that increasing the number of people involved will shift the focus away from Hikigaya and Ichinose?"
Ayanokoji explained, "That's only part of it. The key is to drag the school into the situation."
"Drag the school... into it?"
"Ichinose has remained silent about the rumors all this time, so naturally, the school has done nothing. Of course, if Hikigaya were to take action, then this deadlock might be broken."
As he spoke, Ayanokoji looked at Hikigaya.
The latter simply shook his head expressionlessly. "No, the rumors about me and Ichinose are of a different nature. It feels... off."
"Yeah, after all, you've done quite a few things behind the scenes."
"And you haven't?"
"There's no point in discussing that now. Let's stay on topic." Ayanokoji brushed past the remark without any change in expression. "My plan is to escalate the situation, to make things so chaotic that the school will be forced to step in and put an end to it."
"...I get what you're saying."
Hikigaya let out a small sigh, pretending to consider it.
"And why exactly are you helping me?"
"I already told you before—I want information on Nagumo."
"I see... But putting aside President Nagumo for now, do you really think I would agree to such a nasty plan?"
"Why wouldn't you?" Ayanokoji countered. "I know you don't like harming people, but it's different when it comes to people you dislike, right? Just like back at the training camp, you used my personal information to divert attention away from Ichinose. This time, you can simply pick people you don't like."
"Personal information... You sure know how to phrase things."
Hikigaya chuckled, but not just at the choice of words.
"Since you put it that way... fine, I'll pick three lucky members from Class D."
"Just to be clear, the content of the rumors must be carefully selected to minimize risks," Ayanokoji reminded him.
That was likely why he had brought this up while Kushida was present.
After all, Kushida was the information hub of the grade. Many people confided in her.
When it came to secrets, Hikigaya couldn't compare to her at all.
However, Ayanokoji's concern was unnecessary.
"I've decided—I'll choose you, Hirata, and Karuizawa."
"Uh..." Ayanokoji's expression froze for a moment upon hearing those names.
"...I thought you'd pick Yamauchi first."
"Why would I pick Yamauchi?" Hikigaya asked with a grin. "Didn't you tell me to pick people I dislike? I don't dislike Yamauchi at all."
That was true.
Hikigaya was either completely indifferent to Yamauchi or downright murderous—there was no middle ground like mere 'dislike.'
"Would having those two become targets of rumors trouble you?"
"No, I just don't think it necessarily has to be them."
"So you're saying... it could be them." Hikigaya spoke flatly. "You don't even care if you're included in the mix, so why should it matter what happens to them? Or do you think you have no dark history, and that I'd have to make up something trivial, which is why you can act so indifferent?"
"…If you hate this plan that much, then just forget I said anything."
Seeing no other option, Ayanokoji decisively dropped the subject.
Kushida, who had been watching the two, was still completely confused.
In reality, this was a threat.
—If you dare drag others into this, I'll make your entire class collapse.
Just by mentioning Hirata and Karuizawa's names, Ayanokoji immediately understood the implication.
That was a huge help.
From the beginning, Hikigaya had suspected that Ayanokoji had ulterior motives.
The so-called request for Nagumo's intel was likely just part of the process—an excuse.
His real goal... was to make me drop out, wasn't it?
Hikigaya suddenly found all of this rather amusing.