The next morning, as soon as Hikigaya stepped into the classroom, he felt a deathly glare fixed on him.
For the entire morning, his seatmate kept staring at him nonstop. It wasn't until lunchtime that he finally managed to escape.
Instead of heading to the cafeteria, Hikigaya went to a secluded garden. There were hardly any students around, making it a perfect spot for an introvert—his own little "paradise for one," as he liked to call it.
He opened a curry yakisoba bread he had finally managed to buy from the snack shop and enjoyed his peaceful lunch break.
"Found you at last!"
A breathless voice suddenly broke his moment of peace.
"Horikita… little sister?!"
Startled, Hikigaya almost choked on his bread and nearly met his end right then and there. Thankfully, a quick sip of bottled water saved his life.
"How did you even find this place?!"
Hikigaya's face turned red as he widened his eyes.
"For students who have no friends and eat alone, it's just a simple process of elimination."
Horikita remained expressionless but then hesitated and said, "Also... please don't call me 'Horikita little sister' like that."
"Uh... but you are Horikita's little sister, aren't you? I can't just call you Horikita in front of your brother every time. Who would I even be talking to?"
Hikigaya complained, exasperated.
Even though Hikigaya could refer to Horikita Manabu as "President" because of his position, calling the girl in front of him simply "Horikita" felt strangely out of place.
It was similar to how he called Yukino "Yukinoshita" but addressed Haruno directly as "Haruno" instead of "Yukinoshita." Though that didn't necessarily mean he was closer to Haruno.
So calling her "Suzune" was out of the question, right? Just imagining it sent shivers down his spine. The cold, stoic girl in front of him might actually kill him for that!
"Whatever! I came to talk to you about something important!"
Hikigaya wasn't sure if he was imagining things, but Horikita seemed... a little happy?
"About last night's matter, I'll return the favor on behalf of my brother."
Horikita said seriously.
"Uh... does it really make a difference?"
"The difference is that the trouble was caused by me, so I should be the one to repay it!"
"Does your brother know about this decision?"
"...I'll explain it to him properly. Anyway, I can't let this cause trouble for my brother!"
Hikigaya let out a deep sigh. The relationship between these siblings was way too complicated. Seriously, his own little sister was so much cuter. He and Komachi would never have this kind of stomachache-inducing dynamic.
"Based on what happened last night, doing this will probably make your brother even more disappointed in you."
Hikigaya mercilessly tore apart Horikita's weak excuse. She was just fooling herself.
Before she could argue back, Hikigaya continued, "I don't usually meddle in other people's business, but let me ask you something, Horikita little sister—do you even realize what's really going on?"
"W-what do you mean?"
"This might not be my place to say, but it's obvious. Right now, you're just living in someone else's shadow. The only world you see is a small, narrow one, and you treat it as if it's everything. But you have no idea what lies beyond that shadow or what the road ahead even looks like."
Hikigaya looked at the icy girl in front of him, and for a moment, he saw a familiar image. Someone else who had once chased after another's shadow in the same way.
People always chase after illusions. But those who recognize illusions as illusions only fall deeper into suffering.
Horikita, just like that person from the past, had mistaken someone's back for her guiding light.
"You're just a frog at the bottom of a well."
Normally, Hikigaya wouldn't say something like this. But seeing the flaws in Horikita, he couldn't help himself—just like last night when he needlessly got involved.
Hikigaya, you're so full of yourself. No wonder people hate you. The dead-fish-eyed boy mocked himself bitterly.
"Hikigaya, who do you think you are?! Stop acting like you know everything and butting into other people's lives! And don't talk down to me like you're giving me some lecture! You're way too full of yourself."
As expected, Horikita's face twisted in anger, and she coldly snapped back at him.
Hikigaya had already braced himself for her backlash. This was just the price of having a sharp tongue.
"See? This is the flaw of Horikita Suzune. You act like you're standing above everyone, looking down on them with arrogance. You assume people are just burdens, refuse to get close to anyone, and even push them away. This way of thinking—seeing others as beneath you—is exactly why you ended up in Class D."
Wait… this is starting to sound like me. Hikigaya felt uneasy. No, no, it must be his imagination!
From the way she looked down on Sudou at the convenience store on the first day, to ignoring and rejecting people's advice or attempts to get close, and even mocking Sudou in the library yesterday—Hikigaya had already noticed the biggest flaw in Horikita.
"Are you seriously saying that I'm on the same level as someone like Sudou? That guy sleeps in class, is always late, acts on emotions without thinking, and is at the very bottom of the class in grades. He's the reason Class D lost all its points in the first month—at least 20% of the blame is on him."
Horikita's voice grew even colder, making it clear she was truly angry.
"Someone like him is just a burden. Do you really think anyone in the class would see him as their equal?!"
Hikigaya didn't argue. That wasn't just Horikita's opinion—it was how most people thought.
But…
"I won't deny that, but do you realize the problem here?"
Hikigaya sighed. "Having pride and ambition isn't a bad thing, but if you're not careful, that pride can blind you."
At that moment, an image of a silver-haired girl flashed through his mind.
"You should have realized by now that this school doesn't divide students based on grades or academic ability. If that were the case, people like Hirata, Koenji, Wang Mei-Yu, and even you, Horikita, wouldn't have ended up in Class D.
Think back to what Chabashira-sensei said on the first day. This school evaluates students based on 'ability.' And what exactly is ability? You should really think about that.
Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, but if you only focus on one side, you lose the ability to fairly judge a person.
I hate to admit it, but even guys like Big Shark (Yamauchi), Little Phelps (Ike), and Explosion Boy have hidden strengths and potential. As much as I dislike them, it's the truth."
So, back to the real question—why does this school have a class point system and a ranking system? Have you ever really thought about the core idea behind it?
If all you see is the option to abandon the weak, then one day, you'll be the one abandoned."
Hikigaya understood human nature well. People always saw the best in those they liked and the worst in those they didn't. They judged and categorized people based on that. His own experiences were proof of that.
Self-reflection and awareness were the keys to staying clear-headed.
Even Hikigaya himself wasn't immune to bias, which was why he often criticized himself.
He had hated people like Hayama and Miura, but he could still acknowledge their good qualities. Even someone like Zaimokuza, who others dismissed as a hopeless loser, had moments where he shined.
Hikigaya might dislike the idiot trio, but he never underestimated them. In simple terms—look down on them strategically, but take them seriously in action.
"You—!"
Horikita seemed overwhelmed by Hikigaya's rapid-fire reasoning. She wanted to argue back, but the words caught in her throat.
Because she suddenly remembered what Chabashira-sensei had said in the staff room: "Good grades don't guarantee a spot in a top class."
It was almost identical to what Hikigaya had just told her.
"And since you're willing to tutor Yamauchi and Sudou instead of giving up on them, that means you've already realized something.
Rather than abandoning them, helping them will actually benefit you more in the long run. Helping them is the same as helping yourself.
To put it in the words of the student council president from last night—it's an exchange of benefits.
It might seem like getting rid of the weak would make the class stronger, but in reality, it's one of the worst choices you could make.
Because when you abandon someone, you're also throwing away whatever value they could have had."
A gentle breeze passed through, but Horikita felt a strange chill.
How could this guy analyze her so thoroughly?
And his words reminded her of the conversation she had with Ayanokouji after leaving the staff room that day.
He had said something similar, convincing her to help Yamauchi and Sudou instead of abandoning them.
He had framed it as a way to benefit herself, to bet on their future potential.
But compared to Ayanokouji, Hikigaya's words were much more blunt.
He didn't sugarcoat anything—he just laid out the brutal reality of human relationships.
And…
Horikita looked at him again. There was something about his face—like he had long since gotten used to being indifferent.
"…Who exactly are you?"
The question slipped out before she could stop herself.
Hikigaya blinked.
Why was she suddenly asking that?
Was there some hidden meaning behind it?
After a brief pause, he cautiously replied,
"Just a… passing-by, ordinary student?"
Hearing him call himself 'ordinary' only made Horikita angrier, like she was being mocked.
"You—!"
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
"…Anyway, I'll repay my brother's debt. And I don't need you meddling in my business."
Hikigaya chuckled bitterly.
Even now, she was still so stubborn.
That unwillingness to follow the crowd was one of the reasons Hikigaya admired the ice-cold girl.
But…
"Horikita, sometimes being proud and being lonely are two different things."
Hikigaya sighed. He used to think of himself as the former—someone who stood apart, refusing to go with the flow, rejecting help without even thinking. He liked to call himself "mature" and believed he had "seen through human nature." But in reality, he wasn't mature at all. He was just trying to cope with the huge gap between his expectations and reality.
It wasn't until that night on the bridge when Shizuka-sensei talked to him that he finally understood. But by then, it was already too late to change anything. Now… he was just a lonely person.
Maybe that was why he rarely bothered to say so much to Horikita.
You really are a terrible person.
Hikigaya chuckled to himself.
"Oh, right, one more thing—a piece of advice. This midterm exam isn't just about passing as an individual. It's about the whole class."
As if suddenly remembering something, Hikigaya spoke up.
Ever since the school revealed the truth, especially with the way the class competition was set up, it was obvious—students needed to stop thinking only about themselves. They had to shift from an individual mindset to a group mindset.
As far as Hikigaya could tell, the only one in the class who had realized this so far was Hirata. Everyone else still seemed stuck in the idea that "as long as I pass, it's fine." That was a dangerous way of thinking.
After saying that, Hikigaya didn't pay any more attention to Horikita, who was clearly unhappy with him. He just turned and walked away.
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