Chapter 011: Loners Are Drawn to Each Other—No, the Proud Soul Has No Place for Ties
Horikita Suzune.
Female.
First-year, Class D.
She has an outstanding appearance, with long, waist-length black hair draped over her back and shoulders. On the right side, she wears a small, delicate white ribbon tied into a bow, accompanied by a long, thin braid.
Her cascading black hair carries a faint lily fragrance, likely the scent of her shampoo.
She sits with an elegant and refined posture.
Long eyelashes, captivating orange eyes reminiscent of a fox's gaze, and delicate facial features.
However, the cold expression on her face constantly radiates an air of rejection.
Like an ice-cold beauty, her demeanor wards off many weak-willed individuals—but, conversely, it only makes others even more intrigued by her.
Take Hachiman, for example.
But for Hachiman, what matters is not her appearance.
It's the value she represents—200,000 points.
When he opens his phone, he sees that his student ID information has been updated.
[Name: Hikigaya Hachiman
Class: First-year, Class D
Student ID: 108510000
Private Points: 89,100]
Compared to the full 100,000 points he had yesterday, there's been a slight decrease, indicating some spending.
However, Hachiman's private points aren't decreasing—in fact, they're increasing.
After returning to his dorm, he scanned his points card with his phone and confirmed the transfer of 200,000 points.
Chabashira-sensei didn't lie.
So, he's quite interested in saving up points.
And the 200,000 points represented by Kushida have already been secured.
To be honest, the evaluation of Kushida was somewhat opportunistic. If he truly wanted to gather information on her, what he had done wasn't nearly enough—he might have needed to pay a price of some kind.
Kushida has a strong ambition to win people over.
So obtaining information about her would normally require a significant cost.
All he did was point out that, despite Kushida's perfection, being placed in Class D made her a ticking time bomb.
Chabashira-sensei accepted this reasoning.
Very fortunate.
It shows that Chabashira-sensei is someone willing to pay up.
Now, what about Horikita?
Hachiman is intrigued by Chabashira-sensei's words:
"Get close to Horikita Suzune. That girl is just like you."
Horikita is like him?
In what way?
...
"..." Horikita Suzune.
Sitting at a single-person desk, she holds up her physics textbook, flipping through the pages as if studying intently.
Her fingers are long and slender, her posture poised, and her side profile is stunning.
Her textbook is brand new, yet it gives the impression that she takes studying very seriously.
This is evident from the notes in her book—things like "Pay attention to this section in class" and "This might be an important point, better memorize it."
Since she only received her textbooks yesterday upon enrollment, she must have started studying and even previewing the material last night.
That's something Hachiman could never do.
In fact, he hadn't even opened any of his textbooks yet.
But then—
"What do you want?" Horikita's cold voice rang out.
The one she was addressing…
A girl with short golden hair, like a little angel.
Kushida Kikyo.
Kushida had approached Horikita with a smile.
As someone who spends most of his time alone, Hachiman is skilled at observing others unnoticed.
Horikita sits next to him.
But right now, he rests his elbows together, his face down on his arms, seemingly asleep.
However, that's not the case.
This position allows him to monitor a wide area from the corner of his eye.
Lowering his presence like this—he calls it… the "ultimate surveillance camera."
And right now, the ultimate surveillance camera is online.
"You're Horikita, right? I'm Kushida Kikyo." Kushida spoke. "Last night, I invited you to join our class group chat. Why did you decline?"
Ah, so that's what this is about.
The class group chat.
That makes sense.
Yesterday, when Hachiman joined, there were 25 members in the group.
Both Yousuke-mama and Kushida are popular extroverts.
Hirata is friendly to everyone, and he especially pays attention to people like Hachiman, who tend to be alone. He wouldn't want anyone to be left out.
Naturally, if a class group chat is created, they'd want everyone to join.
How touching—having a "class mom" like Hirata.
But for someone as perfect as him to be placed in Class D, it means he's also a ticking time bomb.
Hachiman continues playing the emotionless surveillance camera, silently recording without participating.
Gathering information.
It seems Kushida invited Horikita to the group chat, but Horikita declined.
"Did you reject it by accident? Maybe you were up too late studying?" Kushida said. "It was my fault—I shouldn't have asked so late at night, it was already 11 PM."
Kushida truly is an angel, giving Horikita an easy way out.
"Hah? An accident?" But Horikita replied, "I didn't make a mistake."
"In fact, a class group chat—something like that isn't necessary."
In other words, she refused on purpose.
"But the group allows us to share information and build connections," Kushida pointed out.
"I have no interest in that. If anything, it would just interrupt my study time."
Horikita's response was… as cold as ice.
Or, to put it another way… utterly indifferent to social interaction.
Because—
Even if you don't like the class group chat, you could still join and mute it.
Rather than outright rejecting it in front of half the class, who are already present in the classroom.
Have you considered the consequences of expressing yourself this way?
Did you not notice the bewildered gazes of your classmates?
After today, Horikita Suzune will likely be labeled as someone difficult to get along with.
"…And if there's nothing else, could you leave?" Horikita continued. "I still need to read."
She resumed reading.
This left Kushida feeling somewhat awkward.
But Horikita remained calm, continuing to read.
This behavior… how should one describe it? Completely oblivious to social norms.
This made Hachiman, the silent observer, start to reflect.
Reflect on why he had chosen the seat next to Horikita Suzune.
Since yesterday, no one had sat beside her. She exuded an aura of cold rejection, and the others seemed to be intentionally avoiding her.
And as it turns out, Horikita Suzune truly is difficult to approach.
Thinking back on it now, he must have sensed the air of solitude surrounding her.
In other words, she had no friends.
Nor did she make any effort to accommodate others.
Like a lone wolf that refuses to run with the pack.
Did he choose to sit next to her because lonely souls are drawn to each other?
But—
Hachiman closed his eyes.
If Horikita Suzune is a lone wolf…
Then what he wants to be is a bear.
A proud soul has no need for a place to belong.
Chapter 012 – Cute Kushida: Hikigaya Seems Interested in Horikita Suzune
The high school curriculum at Advanced Nurturing High School seemed to be more difficult than that of other schools.
The textbooks were the latest editions, and the teaching pace was fast.
However, the teachers appeared rather indifferent. As soon as the class time ended, they would announce the end of the lesson, regardless of how much content had been covered.
There were no extensions.
Moreover, there were no in-class questions.
The teachers didn't even step down from the podium. Some students read manga or played on their phones during class, but the teachers didn't seem to care.
What excited the students the most was probably the fact that there was no homework.
"This isn't bad, right? I hate teachers who drag the lesson past the bell."
"Yeah, and when PE class gets replaced with math, that's the worst."
"By the way, I heard our PE class includes swimming. Playing in the water at school? That sounds great."
The students shared their thoughts.
The classroom became a bit noisy.
Even though it was only the second day of school, students had already begun forming their own little groups.
Cliques were forming.
One of the most obvious groups was the boys in the front rows.
Someone had bought a laptop last night and brought it to class. He was quickly creating a voting poll or something similar.
"What are you guys doing? Oh, there are several girls' names from our class here."
A student came over.
His name was Ike Kanji.
"We're making a poll!" Haruki Yamauchi, who had introduced himself as an almost-professional table tennis player, said. "I saw Hirata's phone, and the girls were ranking the hottest guys in school, so I thought we should make a ranking for the prettiest girls too!"
Oh.
I see.
"So obviously, as guys, we care about things like boobs, right?"
"I think we shouldn't just judge based on the face. A great body is a must too!"
"What do you think of our criteria, Ayanokouji?" Yamauchi suddenly asked a boy with delicate features and a low presence.
After all, they were using Ayanokouji's desk.
"Huh? I think it's all about the same," Ayanokouji replied, perhaps surprised to be asked.
"Eh…"
"Actually, I think Horikita is really pretty," a tall, red-haired boy chimed in.
It was Sudo Ken, the same guy Hikigaya had seen yesterday.
Sudo had dismissed self-introductions as childish yesterday, yet he still introduced himself. Now, seeing the boys chatting, he had joined in as well.
So this was… an attempt to avoid being ostracized by clinging to a group early?
This social dynamic was quite interesting.
"Horikita does have a high face score."
"But her boobs probably don't make the cut. It's gotta be Hasebe!" Yamauchi added.
The "Hasebe" he referred to was Hasebe Haruka, a classmate with a wide forehead, long blue hair, and a beauty mark under her right eye. She was quite pretty.
And she had a great body.
But… this was really bad.
It was natural for teenagers to be interested in the opposite sex.
But was this the kind of thing to discuss in public?
Did they not notice how the girls in the class were looking at them like trash?
The reason they were talking about Horikita and Hasebe was probably because both of them had left the classroom to go to the restroom.
So while Horikita might be socially oblivious, it seemed like their classmates weren't much better in terms of emotional intelligence.
Hikigaya had already lost hope in the idea of the class working together to earn school credits.
Because—
Even if they were given all the necessary information, the personalities of his classmates wouldn't allow them to unite or put in the effort.
They would slack off, refuse to cooperate, and resist authority. That was the reality.
Unless there was some kind of extreme intervention.
However, instead of observing the boys, Hikigaya had noticed a particularly cute girl.
There were many cute and pretty girls in the class.
But the fact that she had caught his attention several times meant she was unique.
She was a hidden beauty.
She sat quietly to his right.
She had long pink hair tied into two large twin tails and wore red-framed glasses.
She looked a little plain.
But—
Wasn't there a saying?
A girl with glasses becomes a super beauty when she takes them off.
Actually, she was already very cute.
When he deliberately raised his head to look at her, she seemed a bit confused upon noticing his gaze. She then glanced behind her, as if assuming he was looking at someone else.
But when she saw no one was behind her and realized he was still looking, she finally understood.
Then she hurriedly lifted her book, hiding her face behind it.
Only her eyes peeked out.
When she confirmed that he was indeed looking at her, her face instantly turned red.
She then buried her face behind her book, too embarrassed to look up again.
Like a timid little squirrel.
Meanwhile, continuing his role as an observer, Hikigaya lowered his presence and kept observing those around him, letting his thoughts wander.
He had so much free time because it was already the break after the third period.
One more period, and then it would be lunchtime.
For the past two breaks, his seatmate, Horikita Suzune, had done the same thing—read.
It was terrifying.
But just now, she had finally moved and left the classroom.
Considering her thermos was half empty… she was probably going to pick some flowers.
But that wasn't something an observer should be paying attention to. That would be impolite.
Just as he was thinking this—
"Hikigaya-kun~"
A sweet voice called out from beside him.
Hikigaya recognized the voice.
It was Kushida, the classmate he had interacted with yesterday—the one he had sold out to Chabashira-sensei for 200,000 points, yet who was now completely useless to him.
"Hikigaya-kun~ are you sleepy?" Kushida asked.
"…" Hikigaya remained in his pretend-dozing state.
"Was S-Sakura cute?" Kushida whispered. "You kept looking at her."
"…" Hikigaya.
Alright, so she had noticed that he had been sneaking glances at Sakura.
Kushida was terrifying.
Actually, Hikigaya had already considered that Sakura might have noticed him staring.
Sakura had a timid personality, so she had probably asked Kushida for help.
It wasn't his fault, though. He was just looking at her normally. But with his dead-fish eyes, it probably seemed intimidating.
So she must have misunderstood him.
"Hikigaya-kun, can you talk to Horikita?" Kushida continued.
Judging by her words, she hadn't just come to help Sakura—she had her own agenda as well.
Recalling the start of class this morning, Kushida had tried to talk to Horikita but had been completely ignored.
Naturally, anyone would be frustrated by that.
So.
Right now, Hikigaya was a bit curious—between him and Horikita Suzune, who did Kushida find more difficult to deal with?
Otherwise, there would be no reason for her to be bothering him now.
Chapter 013:
Hachiman: A Joke—Oh No, Stepping on Landmines is My Specialty!
At the stairwell.
Just like the dormitory, where an entire building was allocated to first-year students, the school building was also structured in the same way—one whole building per grade level.
Hachiman's school building had a total of seven floors.
Among them:
• The first floor housed Class 1-C.
• The second floor was where Hachiman's Class 1-D was located.
• However, the third and fourth floors were dedicated to science laboratories.
• Only on the fifth and sixth floors were Class 1-B and Class 1-A located.
The layout seemed a bit strange—just four classes for an entire grade, yet the science labs were positioned in between them.
But after understanding the school's incentive system, this arrangement made more sense.
Most likely, the school administration didn't want students from Class A and Class B to be disturbed.
In other words, from the very beginning, Class D was designated as the bottom 40 students out of the 160 newly admitted first-years.
With the school operating on a class-based competition system, was there any hope for them?
The outcome was obvious.
Unless some extraordinary figure miraculously appeared, there was no way to turn things around.
But none of this concerned Hachiman.
Because he had his own ways to obtain private points.
At the very least, he had already secured 200,000 points from Kushida, though the 200,000 points from Horikita were still out of reach.
And since Kushida was a social butterfly radiating a warm and friendly aura, perhaps he could gather some useful information about Horikita from her.
So, the two of them walked together to the stairwell and went up a landing.
Kushida seemed to be gathering her thoughts before speaking.
Then she said, "Hikigaya-kun, you seem to be just like the other boys in our class—you really like Horikita-san, don't you?"
"Eh?"
Hachiman was momentarily stunned.
What kind of statement was that?
"You were also distracted during class, glancing at Horikita-san, weren't you?" Kushida continued. "I noticed it during the second period—you looked at Horikita-san five times within forty minutes."
Oh.
So, she caught that.
Well, in that case, there was no way to deny it... or was there?!
Kushida, do you realize that, based on what you just said, you are actually the scary one here?
For you to notice his actions, wouldn't that mean you were watching Horikita the entire time, which is why you caught him looking at her?
Kushida…
Was it because Horikita brushed you off when you tried to talk to her this morning?
Did you feel embarrassed and hold a grudge?
At this moment, Hachiman neither denied nor admitted to looking at Horikita during class.
Because he knew that wasn't what Kushida was really concerned about.
She clearly had something else she wanted to say.
And sure enough—
"Actually, I already greeted Horikita-san yesterday," Kushida began as if confiding in him. "I also ran into her at the shopping district, but she barely acknowledged me."
"And today, I started wondering if she dislikes me." Kushida sighed. "But Hikigaya-kun, you sit next to Horikita-san, so compared to me, it should be easier for you to talk to her, right?"
So, she wanted him to test the waters and find out how Horikita felt about her?
That aligned with her self-introduction—her goal of becoming friends with everyone.
Since Horikita was a classmate, she naturally fell within the scope of "everyone" that Kushida wanted to befriend.
But—
Kushida, I think you should give up on this "I want to be friends with everyone" idea.
Because some people are just terrible and not worth your attention.
Still, Kushida was a potential landmine, and Hachiman had no intention of poking it and blowing himself up.
"What exactly do you want me to do?" Hachiman asked. "No need to beat around the bush."
"Hmm… That's right, I hope—eh?"
Kushida nodded slightly, but then suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
She lifted her head and looked at him with an adorably pitiful expression.
Then—
She took his left hand.
Held it gently.
The warmth of a girl's touch immediately transferred to him.
And Kushida continued her cuteness assault—
"Hikigaya-kun, you're so mean~ Your way of thinking is too mature. What do you mean by 'beating around the bush'? I wasn't trying to use you~"
But the way you're speaking now makes it sound like, even though I caught you, you still want to use me.
And you're not even trying to hide it—you've already taken direct action.
Even though that's what he was thinking, Hachiman found himself unable to deny it.
Kushida was indeed very cute.
And whatever type of shampoo she used had a pleasant fragrance.
Of course, it could also be perfume.
Girls were truly something else.
This made Hachiman unconsciously recall the last time a girl had held his hand like this… Hmm, the last time was also Kushida.
The boys in class were restless, driven by their teenage hormones, because so many beautiful girls had appeared around them.
And now, Hachiman realized that maybe he was just as ordinary as the rest of them.
His heartbeat was speeding up.
After all, some girls were simply raised on pure cuteness.
Just like the silver-haired, timid-looking loli he had seen at Keyaki Mall yesterday.
Her delicate features, paired with that weak and shy aura, yet somehow exuding the presence of someone above others—
That kind of girl was undeniably adorable.
And yet.
Here he was, having his hand held by the class's little angel, Kushida Kikyo, and he was still being rude enough to think about another girl.
"Then, what do you know about Horikita Suzune?" Hachiman started gathering intel.
He pulled his hand back.
Kushida also took out her phone.
Hachiman spoke honestly, "My relationship with her is distant. Actually, we haven't even really talked—we're just seat neighbors, that's all."
"So," he continued, "if you have any information—like maybe you went to the same middle school or something—that would be helpful…"
"Ah… Clatter!"
But at that moment—
Kushida's phone, held in her left hand, suddenly slipped and fell to the floor with a loud noise.
She seemed frozen for a moment before quickly squatting down to pick it up.
"..."
Hachiman.
As someone with keen observational skills, this was the first time he had ever seen Kushida so visibly shaken.
Even just now, when she outright revealed that she wanted to use him, she wasn't this flustered.
Which meant—
Wait!?
Did I just accidentally step on a landmine of hers?
Chapter 014: Kushida, You're Too Naive—I'm Afraid You'll Get Tricked!
Horikita Suzune, female, stunningly beautiful.
Excels in both academics and athletics.
However, she dislikes social interactions and even considers talking to others a waste of time.
That said, she is extremely dedicated to her studies, spending the majority of her day focused on academics.
This was the information Kushida had gathered.
But… isn't that a little dangerous?
Because everything Kushida had shared was something that could be easily observed with just a bit of effort.
Yet, the truly crucial piece of information—whether she and Horikita had attended the same middle school—was something Kushida chose to remain silent about.
Hachiman decided to pretend he hadn't noticed.
Class D was the worst-ranked class. And the more outstanding someone appeared on the surface, the more their placement here suggested that if they ever lost control, they could destroy everything around them.
They were like extremely dangerous bombs.
Hachiman hadn't yet earned enough points from Chabashira-sensei, so he had no intention of triggering Kushida's explosion here.
So, he acted as if he had noticed nothing at all.
That being said, Kushida was acting a little dangerous today.
Her seat was in the second row, center position—right beneath the teacher's podium.
A very conspicuous spot.
But in the afternoon classes, she seemed quite distracted.
She kept glancing toward the back of the classroom.
And whenever Hachiman noticed and made eye contact with her, she responded with an incredibly sweet smile.
Her smile was truly adorable.
However, this was still a classroom, and there were many other distracted classmates.
So, a few male students immediately misunderstood, thinking that Kushida was smiling at them.
Most of the boys in class hadn't been particularly outstanding in middle school, and attractive girls had largely ignored them.
So now, having Kushida—someone so pretty and friendly—actually talk to them felt like a blessing from an angel.
And so—
Kushida's popularity kept rising.
…
Accidentally stepping on Kushida's landmine was not a good thing.
And her level of vigilance was a bit too high.
Even though class was already in session, she still wanted to check whether he truly hadn't paid attention to the possibility that she and Horikita had come from the same middle school.
And she even used her "cute attack" for this.
She's way too skilled at using her own strengths!
And so—
The day continued, with most of the students zoning out during lessons. Some had even noticed that the teachers didn't enforce classroom discipline, so a few were blatantly sleeping through class.
Finally, the school day came to an end.
"That's all for today's lesson."
Chabashira-sensei, their afternoon history teacher, announced the end of class the moment the bell rang.
Today's lecture had been about the dominance of various clans.
Like all the other teachers, she neither dragged out the lesson nor called on students to answer questions.
However, instead of leaving through the front door after picking up her lesson materials, she walked down from the podium.
Then, she deliberately took the aisle next to the window instead of the usual exit route.
She seemed to be heading toward the back door.
This immediately made some students feel uneasy.
If it were just a regular subject teacher, no one would have felt pressured.
But Chabashira was their homeroom teacher.
Would she suddenly criticize them for slacking off in class?
After all, their middle school homeroom teachers would have done so.
But—
"Click, click, click—"
Her high heels tapped rhythmically against the floor as she calmly walked down the aisle.
Then—
She stopped at the last row.
But she said nothing.
Instead, she continued walking between Hachiman and Horikita's desks, her heels echoing loudly, and exited through the back door.
Nothing happened.
The students let out a sigh of relief.
"This school is amazing! No tuition fees, super lax discipline, and even no homework after school!"
"This place is like heaven."
Hachiman, however, didn't pay attention to their thoughts.
He knew that Chabashira-sensei had deliberately walked past him just now—probably to check if he had made any progress with Horikita.
But—
Hey, hey, hey, Chabashira-sensei! It's only been one day!
How am I supposed to gather so much information on Horikita already?!
I haven't even had a single conversation with her!
Meanwhile—
Hachiman noticed Kushida chatting with some girls.
Today was only the second day of school, yet she had already made friends with nearly everyone.
Everyone greeted her warmly.
She was exceptionally well-liked.
Though, of course, there were varying degrees of closeness.
For example, she seemed to have already formed a "best friends" relationship with one of her classmates.
That girl's name was Wang Meiyu—petite in stature.
While acting as an "observer," Hachiman had gathered a bit of information about her.
She was from China and had never scored below 100 in English.
Terrifying.
Right now, the two of them seemed to be planning a shopping trip to Keyaki Mall.
Well, of course.
Yesterday, most students were still adjusting and likely only bought basic necessities.
But today, after realizing that even the teachers didn't care about their activities, they'd naturally want to go shopping, spend money, and splurge.
Which meant—
A rare breed like him, who was willing to save up his points and set some aside as allowance for his little sister, was probably one of a kind.
If Komachi found out, she would definitely rate Hachiman's score super high.
And as he was thinking that—
"This school is really lenient toward students."
"Ignoring all the small actions students make during class, giving them such a huge amount of points as living expenses… And when I went to the supermarket, I even noticed some relief supplies."
"They seem to be specifically provided for students who run out of points."
A cold female voice came from beside Hachiman.
??
Hachiman paused for several seconds.
Because—
Horikita Suzune was actively talking to him?
——
"Is there a problem?" His deskmate continued looking at him.
"You probably don't understand anyway." Horikita Suzune said. Then, as if sighing, she continued, "This class has quite a lot of idiots."
Oh.
So you think you're amazing, huh?
"Horikita-san, are your grades very high?" Hachiman asked.
"If you're referring to test scores, I have always been at the top." Horikita Suzune replied. "Or are you trying to mock me for spending all day studying? I don't think there's anything laughable about my efforts."
Oh, no.
He definitely wasn't thinking that.
"Then what about your athletic ability?" Hachiman continued.
"I'd say I'm among the top among girls." Horikita Suzune responded. "My physical ability is quite good."
And her looks were also exceptional.
If this were purely a beauty contest, the cool and elegant Horikita Suzune might very well take first place based on appearance alone.
But because of her cold and aloof personality, someone like Kushida—who could easily charm people—would probably win more votes.
That's just how things were.
Horikita Suzune seemed to have solid fundamentals yet was still placed in Class D.
Did that mean she was also a "ticking time bomb" in some way?
Would it be necessary to be careful when interacting with her?
After all, Kushida had been on the verge of exploding all day.
So should he tread cautiously with Horikita Suzune too?
However—
Hachiman didn't think so.
Because—
If he were the interviewer, he'd deduct a whole bunch of points from someone like Horikita, no matter how good her stats were.
"Do you dislike Kushida-san?" Hachiman asked.
"…" Horikita Suzune remained silent.
"What do you mean by 'dislike' or 'not dislike'?"
"She talked to you this morning, didn't she?"
"…" Another silence from Horikita Suzune.
Then, as if sighing, she said, "I really have no interest in class socializing. I came here to study. I don't want any distractions."
"Kushida is inviting people to join the class group chat, right? That's her role. I understand that, so I don't hate her."
Oh.
So that's how it was.
At the same time, Hachiman noticed that Kushida the Little Angel had happily left the classroom with her new best friend, Wang Meiyu.
It seemed she had just confirmed that Horikita didn't dislike her.
Which put her in a good mood.
But Hachiman felt that her good mood actually had more to do with him.
During lunch break, Kushida's slip-up had revealed that she and Horikita came from the same middle school.
She had been terrified that this information would leak.
So she had been keeping a close eye on him all afternoon.
Checking whether he had caught onto this crucial and dangerous fact.
And now—
Hachiman had even gone out of his way to probe Horikita's opinion of her, which meant he clearly wasn't overthinking things.
Which meant Kushida felt relieved.
But.
Was it really that easy to fool you, Kushida-san?
You're way too easy to deceive.
Hachiman realized that many of his classmates were surprisingly naïve.
And as for Horikita Suzune…
Hachiman was still thinking it over.
If she was willing to talk, maybe he could gather information about her through conversation.
But when he snapped back to reality—
Her seat was already empty.
Horikita Suzune had packed her bag and left.
Well.
She was a lone wolf.
Emotionally distant.
So, of course, she wouldn't stick around just to continue chatting.
And naturally, she didn't feel the need to notify anyone when she left.
So in the end—
Chabashira-sensei, you're overestimating me.
How could I possibly collect a full report on Horikita so quickly?
Then—
That night.
On the second night of living in Advanced Nurturing High School, at 9:00 PM—
Near the vending machines by the lake railing beside the dorms—
Hachiman completed Horikita Suzune's profile.
Chapter 015: Horikita Manabu – My Foolish Sister!
Advanced Nurturing High School offers free tuition, provides living expenses, and boasts a 100% employment and university advancement rate.
Quite the eye-catcher.
However, among these claims, only the free tuition was true.
Living expenses had to be earned through a student's own performance, and as for the employment and university advancement rates…
Hachiman had already accepted that this had nothing to do with Class D.
After all, in the school building, the classrooms for Class C and Class D were separated by science labs—
which probably meant the school only had expectations for students in Class A and B.
Just like that saying—
"Shared happiness for all" was impossible to achieve.
For some people to shine, others must remain in the mud.
And right now, Class D was most likely the ones stuck in the mud.
But what did that matter?
[Then just work hard.]
[There's no guarantee you'll meet a rich sugar mama who'll take care of you in the future.
But during these three years at this school, you can at least make yourself rich first.]
Chabashira-sensei really made a good point.
So in conclusion—
A free education, plus a chance to make money while studying?
That was already a pretty good deal.
Even if he never found anyone willing to sponsor him,
he could at least support himself.
Since he had earned some living expenses, Hachiman didn't hold back on spending.
For dinner, he ordered a deluxe meal worth 1,500 points at the cafeteria.
However—
"I ate too much."
After returning to his dorm, he paced around the room several times,
but he still felt unbearably full—his stomach showing no signs of digestion.
As expected, the dorm was too small.
So Hachiman left his room.
He remembered that yesterday, when he had a private meeting… ahem, when he met Chabashira-sensei,
he had passed by a vending machine on the way.
At that time, he only took a quick glance and didn't remember what kinds of drinks were inside.
But there should be coffee, right?
Long-term coffee consumption wasn't good—
while it helped with alertness, it also increased stomach acid and could harm the stomach.
However, given his current overstuffed condition,
it might actually help a little.
That was his plan.
It was a flawless idea.
But reality…
Wouldn't even give him the chance.
Because—
As Hachiman passed through the tree-lined path and saw the vending machine…
He also saw people there.
A man and a woman.
Even before seeing them, their voices had already reached his ears, carried by the wind.
"Suzune, I didn't expect you to actually chase after me all the way here."
It was a man's voice.
A deep, magnetically cold tone.
He didn't sound angry—just chillingly indifferent.
And for some reason, Hachiman found the voice familiar—
like he had heard it somewhere recently.
"I came here to follow in my brother's footsteps!"
Next, a girl's voice responded.
Hachiman recognized it instantly.
Because it was the same Horikita Suzune who had spoken to him this afternoon.
Hachiman looked over.
It was a very beautiful girl—
Her delicate face looked somewhat tense,
her small hands clenched tightly, revealing her anxiety.
Her long, jet-black hair cascaded like a waterfall,
and though he couldn't smell it from this distance,
it probably carried a soft floral fragrance.
No doubt about it.
Horikita Suzune was there.
She stubbornly lifted her head to look at her brother,
her usual cold and indifferent tone now filled with emotion and urgency as she explained anxiously—
"I'm not the useless failure you used to know anymore!"
Oh-ho.
For someone like Horikita Suzune, who always acted so cold and untouchable in class,
to actually call herself a "failure"—
She must really admire her brother,
and the pressure he put on her must have been immense.
Even so—
She still wanted to chase after him.
Hachiman once again witnessed Horikita Suzune's unyielding nature.
This might be an important piece of information for her profile.
"You're trying to catch up to me…?"
Her brother turned his back toward her,
scoffed slightly,
adjusted the glasses on his nose with a light push,
and said coldly—
"Have you still not realized your own shortcomings?"
"Choosing this school was your failure."
"You probably don't even understand yet—this school values absolute strength."
"Do you even know what kind of trash class you were placed in?"
The moment he said that,
Hachiman finally remembered where he had heard this voice before.
Especially the way he emphasized the words: "absolute strength."
That kind of arrogant, cold tone…
It was from the student council president who gave the speech at the entrance ceremony.
At that time, he had introduced himself as—
"I am the student council president of this school, Horikita Manabu."
Horikita.
Oh, I see now.
So he and Horikita Suzune were siblings.
"The students in my class may seem disorganized and even foolish, but to say they're completely useless…" Horikita Suzune frowned.
"Heh…"
But Student Council President Horikita Manabu chuckled.
Then his tone suddenly turned ice-cold.
"Drop out, Suzune."
"W-Why? I came to this school to follow in my brother's footsteps!"
"You understand nothing." Horikita Manabu stated.
"Class D is the lowest class. You were placed in Class D.
And that fact alone… is an embarrassment to me as student council president."
"H-How… can this be…?"
Horikita froze, seemingly unable to process her brother's words.
"This is not information that you should know right now, and if I reveal it like this, I will have to pay a cost of one million yen," Horikita Manabu said. "So, my sister, the moment you enrolled in this school, I've already spent one million yen. That's equivalent to the living expenses you would have received from the school for ten years."
So, you're really something, huh?
Student Council President.
Spending one million yen for his sister in just one minute.
That's roughly equivalent to the 600 deluxe meals he could have eaten today.
But, as an older brother, Hachiman thought more broadly, so it seemed like he kind of understood why Horikita Manabu had voluntarily deducted the money.
Because…
This sister completely doesn't understand human emotions.
Chapter 016: The Student Council President is the Greatest Philanthropist!
Horikita's little sister completely doesn't understand human emotions.
"Since that's the case…" Horikita Suzune hurriedly explained, "I'll be promoted to Class A soon, and if that happens…"
But this explanation was nothing like her usual cold and composed demeanor from earlier. Instead, she seemed more like a frightened little rabbit, explaining weakly, her face pale.
She was different from the others. Since yesterday's entrance, she had been carefully observing the school, but she still knew too little.
But… if she were to be expelled like this…
She couldn't accept it.
"Impossible, this possibility doesn't exist."
But her older brother, Horikita Manabu, coldly interrupted her and didn't even turn his head as he spoke. "You can't do it."
"I will definitely do it!"
Horikita Suzune lowered her head, a bit discouraged, but still said stubbornly.
"What a disobedient little sister."
Horikita Manabu slowly turned his head, his cold gaze fixed on her.
And now, Hachiman could finally see Horikita Manabu's face. He had glasses, a tall nose bridge, a cold yet handsome face, and a voice that was both firm and magnetic.
Without a doubt, it was the student council president who had led the opening ceremony.
Though they were siblings, their personalities were completely different.
Horikita Manabu's coldness was innate, a part of his natural aura.
However, Horikita Suzune, though she appeared cold in class, now seemed quite fragile.
She displayed feelings of discouragement and inferiority, even acting submissive in front of her older brother. She seemed to both want to prove herself and yet couldn't even find the words to argue back.
And then, there was her statement, "I came here to follow in my brother's footsteps."
So, was it true?
Horikita Suzune, are you imitating your brother?
How nice.
Hachiman also wished his little sister would treat him like an idol.
But Komachi…
"Eh? Onii-chan, you're making Komachi worried! You're making Komachi worry about whether Onii-chan will find a job in the future."
"Komachi is under a lot of pressure, because if Onii-chan ends up as a NEET, does that mean the responsibility of supporting Onii-chan will fall on Komachi?"
"Onii-chan, you better go work, seriously."
"…"
Instead, Komachi would end up worrying about him.
Hachiman reflected on this.
But—
Right now, his stomach was so full, it felt horrible.
So he walked toward the vending machine.
Meanwhile, the Horikita siblings were still arguing, but it had already escalated into a heated argument.
"Such a disobedient little sister!"
Horikita Manabu had given up on talking to his sister.
Instead, he was prepared to take action.
He raised his right hand, as if preparing to slap his disobedient sister.
Horikita Suzune noticed what her brother was about to do, but she was backed up against the wall, looking timid.
And Hachiman, continuing to walk toward the vending machine, paid no attention to the siblings' confrontation.
The footsteps made sounds, especially since the school provided student leather shoes, so the sound of footsteps wasn't small.
It was enough to get the attention of the Horikita siblings.
"Hikigaya-kun…" Horikita Suzune, who was waiting to be punished by her older brother, noticed a student walking towards them.
In fact, Hikigaya-kun was very easy to recognize.
His dead fish eyes and general lack of interest in most things had made an impression on her.
Yes.
Although she appeared weak, Horikita Suzune was also making her own efforts.
After being told about the three-year boarding system and that every student would receive 100,000 points on their student ID, she went shopping, gathering supplies, using the points for purchases, and checking the prices.
She also discovered that the school would provide emergency supplies for students who didn't have points.
She felt like the school was a bit strange.
So, she was gathering information.
And in the evening, she had even spoken with this Hikigaya-kun.
And now… he had seen her… in her timid state.
It seemed like Horikita Suzune felt some embarrassment.
.
.
.
Hachiman glanced at her, then walked directly behind Horikita Manabu.
"…" It seemed like Horikita Manabu's movements stopped. He lowered his hand, changing his motion midway to push up his glasses.
The gesture looked rather elegant.
"What are your thoughts?" Horikita Manabu asked. "Or have you already taken a picture or recorded something?"
"If it was a photo, there would have been a flash. But there wasn't any flash just now. Though, I can't be sure if you used some points to ask the homeroom teacher to disable the flash function."
"So, how much would you ask for as a hush money?" Horikita Manabu asked.
Yes.
To him, as the outstanding student council president, and being a student of Class A in the third year, his sister being placed in the worst class, Class D, was a matter that could potentially be used against him or his class.
So, he needed to silence the person.
Horikita Manabu realized he had made a miscalculation.
He had originally thought this area was secluded, but now, looking at it… it wasn't that hidden.
"Hmm?" Hachiman looked at him with a bit of surprise.
"Heh…" Horikita Manabu laughed. "Or are your intentions quite big? Indeed, you noticed the rules of this school on the very first day. You must have quite an appetite."
"But 500,000. That's the most I can offer as hush money," Horikita Manabu said. "Don't forget my identity—I'm the student council president."
"Are you sure you want to go against the student council president?"
"-0-"
Hachiman's expression probably looked like this.
"Student council president, do you think I recorded or took a photo just now, and now I'm purposely here to threaten you?" Hachiman said.
"Isn't that the case? You stood over there for a while, and only came over when I raised my hand," Horikita Manabu replied.
Of course not.
Hachiman wasn't that dark-hearted.
But—
So this is how low you can go.
If he had indeed recorded something earlier, it would have been worth 500,000 yen.
Thanks to the student council president's personal example, Hachiman felt the extent to which this school was willing to tolerate.
And he also realized that the 500,000 yen from the student council president seemed easier to earn than the 200,000 yen from Chabashira-sensei.
Chapter 17: Hachiman: I Suspect I Was Deceived by a Bad Woman!
The student council president started by saying that this wasn't information that should be known at this moment and that he had to pay a million yen.
Then he followed up by saying the maximum amount of hush money he could offer was 500,000 yen.
Is the student council president this rich, being from the higher class?
But forget about the million yen; right now, Hachiman couldn't even get 500,000 yen.
Because he didn't have any recordings, nor did he take any photos.
Still, he could try to deceive the student council president and fake it. At least get the points.
However,
Hachiman didn't feel the need to make that kind of money.
Because,
"You probably misunderstood," Hachiman said. "I just ate too much tonight, and I felt a little uncomfortable, so I came out for a walk to help with digestion, and then grab a coffee to speed up my stomach."
Is that so?
You're just passing by, right?
Of course, that's the case.
Hachiman directly walked in front of the Horikita siblings to the vending machine, where he ordered a Max Coffee.
Then he took out his phone and scanned his student ID's QR code.
"Beep!"
"Clink!"
The sound of points being deducted was followed by the sound of a can of Max Coffee rolling off the shelf.
Hachiman grabbed the coffee.
He opened the can and took a sip.
The sugar content was low, and it was quite bitter, but it was effective for staying awake.
"…" Horikita Manabu.
Horikita Manabu watched Hachiman's movements and pushed his glasses up again.
But his sister spoke up. "Hikigaya-kun, did you really record something that's harmful to my brother?"
Then she turned to Horikita Manabu with a serious expression.
"If my existence has caused such a big risk for my brother, then… I… maybe… should, would, choose to withdraw from school."
Earlier, she had been about to be hit but didn't withdraw from school, but now Horikita Suzune was casually mentioning the idea of withdrawing.
"…" X2
Both Horikita Manabu and Hachiman seemed to have the same expression at that moment.
It meant that Horikita wanted to protect her brother.
Well, that's great.
This also showed that the relationship between the siblings was quite good.
Hachiman glanced back at the student council president, who was still maintaining a cold expression.
But Hachiman felt like, deep down, he was probably screaming like a groundhog.
Because even though his sister chose to withdraw from school, was it really something that could be said out loud just like that?
And,
She probably didn't understand the intent behind how Horikita Manabu treated her.
Horikita Suzune completely didn't understand her brother's good intentions.
And before we even talk about whether Horikita would withdraw from school, if she did, then Hachiman's task of collecting information about her to help Chabashira-sensei create a file would be ruined.
The points he could gain: -200,000.
It looked like a loss.
Since it was clear that this school values strength above all, there was no need to offend someone like Horikita Manabu, who was a third-year student in Class A and the student council president.
Especially since during the opening ceremony, Hachiman had noticed that the student council was the one hosting the ceremony, with no teachers or the principal in attendance.
So, it was likely that the student council had much more power than the typical student council in other high schools.
Which meant there was no reason to offend someone like him.
Also, this Horikita probably had his own troubles.
Because he had a younger sister who wasn't very emotionally intelligent.
Looking at it this way, he was quite lucky—his sister Komachi had high emotional intelligence.
So,
"I didn't record anything," Hachiman said. "If the news of the student council president hitting his sister got out, it might have a negative impact on the president."
"And to avoid this scandal, the student council president would naturally want me to keep quiet."
"Just like earlier."
"But I really didn't record anything," Hachiman said. "Because I didn't think there was any valuable information to record, and I wouldn't be able to take any valuable photos."
"…" Horikita Manabu pushed his glasses again.
His gaze was cold and sharp. "You think I wouldn't hit her?"
This was to say that if there was a photo of the student council president hitting his sister, it could create a huge stir.
But if there was no hit, it would just be a rumor.
It could get dealt with.
Meaning, the probability of safely getting the money was low.
It would instead bring a lot of trouble.
So, only if something concrete happened and was captured could it be used as leverage.
In that case,
"Yes, you wouldn't hit her" Hachiman said. "Since I know you won't hit her, then… why take the picture?"
"…"??
Hearing Hachiman's words, Horikita Suzune seemed to be moved because she had just thought that she would definitely get slapped.
But it seemed her brother didn't have that intention after all?
"You're interesting," Horikita Manabu said again as he pushed up his glasses. "Hikigaya Hachiman, Class D of the first year, with all sorts of black history since childhood, the most notable being that you're alone. In other words, you have no friends. You're even suspected of having some tendencies toward being antisocial. But you can't judge everything just from the file. Hikigaya, you're a sharp observer."
"…?" Hachiman looked at the student council president.
"As the student council president, my authority is higher than you can imagine," Horikita Manabu said. "This includes the authority to expel students."
Oh.
So, you're quite terrifying.
You can just expel students whenever you want.
But this also means that, since you didn't choose to threaten me just now, it was the right decision.
But, the file you mentioned… does it mean the file of all the students?
And does the homeroom teacher also have access to this file?
And if the homeroom teacher can access it, then... why does Chabashira want him to investigate the students in the class?
What does she want to do?
A slight doubt rose in Hachiman's heart.
Chapter 18: You're transferring money to me, are you trying to support me? Wait, you're also a Chiba local!
A doubt rose in Hachiman's heart.
Because...
As the student council president, he had the authority to view students' files.
So, what about the homeroom teacher? Can't she view the files of the students in her own class?
This seemed unbelievable.
Because...
The school certainly doesn't do charity by arranging students' admission, waiving their tuition, and providing living expenses—it's not something available to just anyone.
So they must have some corresponding value. Things like student files and resumes would definitely be scrutinized.
As for the homeroom teachers, there was no need to increase their workload unnecessarily.
So, it was essential to provide the student files right from the start.
But thinking about it, there seemed to be a problem in this process.
According to Chabashira-sensei's words, she needed his help to gather information on the students in the class to complete her responsibilities as the homeroom teacher.
This was the homeroom teacher's duty.
So, having an assistant for the job was normal.
But if Chabashira-sensei already had all the files for the students in Class D from the beginning, there would be no need for her to collect any more information.
Yet, she still had him do it.
Either the paper records she had were inaccurate and needed to be verified, which seemed normal, or...
Perhaps... there were other intentions.
For instance... deliberately getting him to interact with certain students.
And why would she want him to interact with these specific students?
Like Kushida.
Kushida was a problematic student with a black history. If anything exploded, the consequences would be unimaginable.
And if he interacted with Horikita Suzune... While Horikita seemed excellent on paper, her actual situation was quite poor, and her inability to socialize might lead to negative consequences.
But what if he thought the other way around?
Kushida, while a ticking time bomb, had great affinity, and even though Hirata was also a bomb, he actively maintained class cohesion.
And Horikita Suzune was the sister of Student Council President Horikita Manabu.
Wait, wait... This combination... exposes ambition.
Hachiman felt a bit of pressure.
Which meant...
Even though Chabashira Sae looked pretty, loved to wear black stockings, high heels, and had a lot of money, she was a mature, rich older sister...
Could she actually be a sister with big ambitions?
So could he still get points from her?
Hachiman was weighing the pros and cons in his mind, while the Student Council President continued talking.
"However, I won't use my student council president privileges for personal matters," Horikita Manabu said.
"I have my own code of conduct."
"So, don't worry."
In other words, even if he had just walked by, or even if he had really taken a picture of him about to hit his sister, he wouldn't use his personal authority for revenge.
The Student Council President was a straightforward person.
But...
"Being as straightforward as you are must be hard, right?" Hachiman said. "After all, you just said that if a picture were taken, it could be used to threaten you. Knowing these methods, but still being so straightforward... don't you think it's tough?"
Of course it was tough.
But Horikita Manabu had things he wanted to stick to.
"You don't need to worry about these things," Horikita Manabu said.
He looked at his sister.
"Suzune, if you don't understand anything, you won't be able to stay in this school."
"So, automatically withdrawing might be your best option."
"This school, as I just said, is all about strength."
"Students are evaluated according to a standard as soon as they enter, and based on their performance, they're placed into classes A, B, C, or D."
"And I think you've already figured it out. I'm in Class A, which means I'm excellent."
"So."
"Suzune, you were placed in Class D."
"This means you are far from enough. You were evaluated as garbage," Horikita Manabu said.
"Ugh..."
Horikita Suzune seemed to freeze for a moment but quickly said, "I think there must have been some mistake in the evaluation. My studies aren't bad. Although I don't get perfect scores in every subject, I study every day, for 10 hours a day, and my athletic ability is also stronger than the average girl's."
"Heh..."
Horikita Manabu chuckled. "You're good in those aspects, but that's all you are. There are many who are better than you."
"For example, this guy, Hikigaya Hachiman."
"Hachiman... is it?" Horikita Suzune's gaze shifted to him.
Of all the girls Hachiman had interacted with, his relationship with Kushida was the closest, and being appraised like this by a girl... Suzune was the first.
And he was intentionally staying close, partly to see if he could gather more information about Horikita Suzune, and partly because this Student Council President was very rich.
Since he had already paid 1 million points to leak some school secrets, he was wondering if he could get some more information about the school for free.
But now the topic was turning to him?
Was he really better than Horikita Suzune in terms of his "hardware"?
No, that wasn't the case. He only had slightly higher grades in Japanese, but everything else was average.
So, what was Horikita Manabu doing, casually boasting about him?
Just as Hachiman was thinking about how to respond to the current situation, he didn't notice that Horikita Suzune was looking at him in surprise, as if she had just realized he was a super academic genius.
At that moment, Hachiman suddenly noticed his phone vibrating.
It seemed like he had received a message.
[Your private account has been credited with 100,000 points. Transfer sender: F3455646
Current private account balance: 183,400 points.]
It was a transfer notification.
And the sender was... an unknown number.
However...
There was a note attached to the transfer.
[Note: I'm giving Suzune a lesson, stay quiet.]
??
Suzune.
The only Suzune Hachiman knew was...
He looked at Horikita Manabu.
But Horikita Manabu maintained a cold, expressionless face.
It was impossible to read anything from his expression.
But Hachiman was 99.99% sure that this transfer came from Horikita Manabu.
In other words...
As he had initially suspected, Horikita Manabu had paid the huge sum of 1 million points to leak some school information to his sister, not to force her to withdraw.
But instead... to teach his sister.
To let his sister know that this school is cruel, that points are hard to earn but easily lost, and that without points, you can't go anywhere.
So, what that means is...
Horikita Manabu's initial suggestion for his sister to withdraw from school was a lie.
Rather, when he found out that his sister had been placed in Class D, and considering that her various hardware panels weren't bad, it suggested that there were significant issues elsewhere.
She had been labeled a problem child and thrown into Class D.
So, worried about his sister's situation, he was spending money and effort.
Wow.
What kind of level of a "brother complex" was this?
Just casually paying 1 million points?
Hachiman felt he could never do that. He had at most 1.1 million points, and he'd give 1 million to Komachi at most.
And now...
He had received money, and it was such easy money.
Hachiman glanced again at the account balance of 183,400 points.
The 100,000 points sent by Horikita President were already enough for two months of living expenses.
Hmm~
Hachiman chose to remain silent.
Then, he watched as Horikita Manabu continued his lesson.
"His Japanese grades are better than yours. His insight is sharp, and he's very aware of the situation. If I were to rate him, I wouldn't give him a low score," Horikita Manabu said. "So, I don't know why he was placed in Class D."
"Therefore, to find his weaknesses, Suzune, you need to choose to stay here. This is my condition for you staying at this school."
"..." ??
Hachiman remained quiet, but he noticed that Horikita Suzune was looking at him with a strange expression.
Perhaps she herself hadn't understood why her brother would give such an order.
But Hachiman understood.
Because...
Horikita Suzune's biggest flaw was her inability to socialize.
And Horikita Manabu had probably realized this.
So, did he want his younger sister to learn from him?
And the price for that was the 100,000 points he had just paid?
Hachiman felt like he wanted to return the 100,000 points right away.
He took back his earlier thoughts that Horikita Manabu was a great philanthropist.
Because...
Horikita Manabu was too stingy.
Chapter 019: Confessed to by a Class A Student? No, I Think It's... a Honey Trap! (Part 1)
Horikita Manabu was really stingy.
After his so-called "lesson," he just turned around and left, not giving anyone a chance to refuse.
But while Horikita Manabu had left, his sister, Horikita Suzune, was still there.
In class, everyone saw the cold and aloof Horikita, but now, with her brother gone, she was squatting by the edge of a small flower bed next to a vending machine.
She looked extremely dejected.
Even so, as she sat there, her knees were tightly pressed together, revealing only her black stockings—nothing else was visible.
Of course, it wasn't like Hachiman was trying to look at anything.
He just thought that, even when emotionally crushed, she still maintained her ladylike demeanor.
"Beep!"
"Thud!"
Since there was a vending machine right there, Hachiman spent 200 points to buy a bottle of tomato juice.
Then, he handed it to Horikita Suzune.
"..." Horikita Suzune stared at it. "How much?"
Wow.
This girl...
She really had no friends, huh?
Hachiman started to understand Horikita Manabu's mindset a little.
Having his sister placed in Class D was dangerous. But if she were out in society, it would be just as dangerous. He had to attend this school in a closed environment, meaning he couldn't keep an eye on her outside.
So, rather than leaving her completely alone, he wanted her to stay somewhere within his sight.
"Your brother is really forceful," Hachiman said. "But I think there are some things you should still listen to him about."
"You want me to get close to you and find your weaknesses?" Horikita Suzune asked.
"..."
Of course not.
While it was nice to have a pretty girl paying attention to him, both she and Kushida were dangerous people.
Hachiman had no desire to get caught up in trouble.
"According to the student council president, your biggest issue is social interaction," Hachiman said. "Even though you have ability, you can't work with others. An individual's strength is limited, but by cooperating with others, you can gain even more power."
"Then, is being alone wrong?" Horikita questioned.
Is being alone wrong?
"..."
That question made Hachiman fall silent for a moment.
Because...
Is being alone really bad?
True strength isn't found in groups. The truly strong never flock together. The lonely ones are always at odds with the entire world.
Only the weak like to gather in groups. The problem is that most people are weak.
So, that logic probably wouldn't work for Horikita Suzune.
Because...
She wasn't a strong person.
Hachiman believed in this principle: if you take someone's money, you provide the corresponding amount of labor.
Since Horikita Manabu had only paid him 100,000 points, all he was going to do was escort Horikita Suzune back to the dormitory. After that, he made his way to a nearby railing.
.
.
.
Yesterday, Chabashira-sensei had asked him to meet her there, so he had waited alone by the railing for a while.
Today, he was the one who had invited Chabashira Sae.
About fifteen minutes later, she arrived.
The teacher was still dressed in her usual style—a single ponytail, a fitted blazer, a short skirt, and stockings—
Oh wait, no stockings today. Her legs looked so pale.
Chabashira still wore her high heels, but her steps were noticeably light.
Leaning against the railing, facing her direction, Hachiman took in her entire posture.
Hmm.
Chabashira-sensei, you seem to be in quite a good mood today.
Most likely, it was because he had reported to her that he had gathered information on Horikita Suzune and confirmed that she was the younger sister of the student council president, Horikita Manabu.
And now, seeing Chabashira-sensei in such a good mood... Hachiman became even more certain.
He was dancing with a wolf.
The idea that he was simply helping her with class-related matters was probably a lie. What she really wanted was for him to interact with the "problem children" in Class D who had potential value.
She was looking for usable "soldiers" in a pile of trash.
Chabashira-sensei, you are really bold.
"This is a point card worth 200,000 points."
Chabashira handed him a card. "I will record the information on Horikita Suzune in her student file."
Oh.
Hachiman decided to just take her word for it.
But still, he obediently accepted the card.
After all, there was no reason to refuse free money.
If Chabashira-sensei truly had ambitions, then it was up to the valuable "problem children" in Class D to fulfill them.
If they really could lead the class in competing against the other classes,
Then, as a Class D student himself, he could just ride the wave.
Nothing wrong with catching a free ride, right?
After all, no one ever complains about having too much money for living expenses.
"Well, I'll be heading back," Hachiman said.
After dealing with this for more than half an hour, his stomach no longer felt full. Now, he could go back and sleep.
However, Chabashira didn't leave immediately.
She watched Hachiman's back as he walked away.
Horikita Suzune was the younger sister of student council president Horikita Manabu.
This school gave students an enormous degree of freedom, which meant the student council president had much higher authority than in normal schools. Even the faculty had to address the president as "Student Council President."
And Horikita Manabu was the most outstanding student council president since the school was founded.
Even in his own class, he was exceptional—a single person carrying 39 classmates who were dragging him down.
A true powerhouse.
When Chabashira had reviewed the student files, she had noticed Horikita Suzune.
Her face resembled the student council president's by about 40%, and they shared the same surname: Horikita.
So, was it possible they had some kind of relationship?
She had merely suspected it and had asked Hikigaya Hachiman to confirm it.
Hikigaya-kun, you really are a treasure.
.
.
.
And so, this "treasure" of a student, Hikigaya Hachiman, attended his next day of classes as usual.
Chapter 020: Confessed to by a Class A Student? No, I Think It's... a Honey Trap! (Part 2)
The teachers remained as lenient as ever.
Classroom discipline was extremely lax.
Soon, the third period of the morning ended.
Only the last physics class remained for the morning.
Meanwhile, the students' enthusiasm hadn't waned. It was only the third day since enrollment, but their desire to shop was still going strong.
So, even before lunchtime, many students were already thinking about what expensive meals to eat in the cafeteria and where to go for shopping sprees in the evening.
Hmm.
Hachiman stretched lazily.
Then, he noticed that the black-haired beauty sitting next to him, Horikita Suzune, had slightly turned her body and was staring at him with piercing eyes.
Her eyes were large—so large that his own reflection was visible in them.
But...
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Horikita, staring at him like this won't reveal any of his weaknesses.
Did she not understand that her brother wanted her to learn how to navigate interpersonal relationships smoothly? It wasn't about finding his weaknesses.
Since arriving in the classroom today, Horikita had been maintaining this posture whenever class wasn't in session.
Fortunately, due to her cold and distant personality, most of the classmates—including Kushida—had already given up on interacting with her after hitting a wall.
So, when the others noticed Horikita staring at Hachiman, they didn't think, Wow, Hachiman is getting attention from a super beautiful girl.
Instead, they thought, Oh, he must have pissed her off, and now she's taking revenge on him.
As a result, Hachiman received a lot of sympathetic glances today.
While he was contemplating how to get Horikita to stop focusing on him, a male voice came from outside the door.
It was Ike Kanji—one of the guys who had participated in ranking the beautiful girls in class earlier.
"There's a girl looking for you!"
The guy had a slightly envious expression.
A girl?
Hachiman didn't know many girls. The ones he was aware of were...
His gaze shifted to the front door of the classroom, where he saw the short-haired blonde, Kushida Kikyo, stepping out.
At the same moment, Kushida turned her head back. Their eyes met briefly.
She smiled at him before leaving with her friends.
So, just to clarify, I hadn't been paying attention to you, Kushida. I'm harmless, so please don't take it so seriously.
And as for the middle school classmate you're so concerned about—Horikita—she had been staring at him all day, but it wasn't by his choice.
With that thought, Hachiman made his way to the back door of the classroom.
There, he saw a tall girl with purple hair.
Her legs were long, and she was wearing short socks.
A distinctive feature was the two hair clips securing her hair.
She seemed to react as soon as she saw him approaching.
"You're Hikigaya Hachiman?" the girl asked.
"Yeah." Hachiman nodded. "First-year, Class D, Hikigaya."
However, as she listened to his response, the tall, purple-haired girl's expression changed slightly.
She looked surprised.
Wait, wait, wait—why are you surprised?
Aren't you the one who came looking for him?
Hold on a second.
Hachiman suddenly recalled an old TV drama he had watched before—a honey trap.
...
A honey trap refers to falling into a trap that was set up in advance, only to get framed in return.
In the end, you're the one who gets caught.
And this was a pretty extreme move—so why did this purple-haired, hairpin-wearing girl give Hachiman that exact feeling?
Because if she had specifically come looking for him, shouldn't she at least know who he was?
It felt more like she had been given instructions to confirm a target.
But—
"I'm Kamuro Masumi, from Class 1-A." The purple-haired girl introduced herself. "I hope you can come to the rooftop during lunch break."
She spoke firmly.
"Please, you must come. If you don't, I'll wait there forever, even if it means skipping the afternoon classes!"
After saying this, the purple-haired girl suddenly seemed to realize how embarrassing her words were. She quickly turned around and ran off.
But the impact she left behind was enormous.
"Wha—?!"
"Shhh—"
Since class had just ended, most of the students were still in the classroom or out in the hallway. When they saw an attractive girl from another class come looking for one of their classmates…
Naturally, they started paying attention.
And the situation turned out to be juicy.
A girl actually came looking for Hikigaya, and she even made it sound like she'd wait indefinitely.
This could only mean one thing—a confession.
As high school students, they were naturally interested in romance.
But—
"If an upperclass girl was going to confess to someone from another class, it should be someone like Hirata-kun, right?" A blonde-haired, ponytailed girl from Class D muttered.
...
Alright.
Hachiman was definitely remembering her name now.
He glanced at her.
She was one of the gyaru girls in class— Karuizawa Kei.
Kei.
A pretty common name, like Megumi Kato or Megumin—names that usually start off unremarkable but end up being dark horses.
So, Karuizawa-san, are you that type as well?
Hachiman kept his expression calm and quickly left the hallway.
Because he knew that if he stayed, his classmates would start bombarding him with questions. Even though he wasn't particularly noticeable in class, suddenly being called out by a girl from another class was big news.
But soon, lunchtime arrived.
Students began heading toward the cafeteria.
After enduring a 45-minute class, the excitement from earlier had died down a bit.
However, some students still remembered that Hikigaya had been invited to the rooftop by a girl from another class.
"So, was it really a confession?" A voice spoke up—it belonged to a short-haired blonde girl with delicate features, undeniably cute.
It was Kushida Kikyo.
Seriously, Kushida—just go have lunch with your friends already, will you?
"I don't remember her at all," Hachiman replied. "So honestly, I think this might be a honey trap."
"Oh, I see." Kushida nodded. "Yeah, if it were really a confession, her expression would've been different. She actually seemed a bit… disgusted with you. Maybe she thought you weren't as impressive as she expected?"
"..."
Hachiman.
Alright. Please. Just stop talking.
"Horikita's been staring at me all day because she realized I'm really good at literature," Hachiman added.
That was a total lie, but since Kushida's attention on him had increased, he might as well try to mislead her.
Horikita was constantly reading, so if she found out that a guy who didn't even study much was better than her at literature, it might make sense for her to keep watching him.
"Oh." Kushida nodded, satisfied, and finally left.
So much for her pretending to be interested in him—Kushida was only really worried about whether her connection to Horikita from middle school had been exposed.
In the end, the biggest honey trap here is actually you, Kushida.
And so—
After thinking it over, Hachiman began making his way to the rooftop.
Not for any other reason—just because that girl, Kamuro Masumi, had introduced herself as a student from Class 1-A.
That meant she was from the highest-ranked class in their year.
Why would the strongest class seek out someone from the weakest?
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