COTE : There is Something Wrong With Hikigaya

Haruno managing to find out the full details of the car accident from three years ago in such a short time was beyond Hikigaya's expectations. He had wanted to cut things off cleanly, to sever a connection that should never have crossed paths again. Yet, ironically, they had ended up entangled once more. 

Faced with Haruno's questioning and sensing that she was actually angry this time, Hikigaya lowered his head and let out a sigh. "I'm sorry." 

Haruno's expression softened slightly. She shook her head gently and then asked, 

"Hikigaya-kun, do you know which country's people are the most naive?" 

"The most naive?" 

Hikigaya frowned. Was this some kind of riddle? He hesitated before answering, "The Japanese?" 

"Bingo! But no prize, sorry. Do you know why?" Haruno clapped her hands as if praising him. 

Hikigaya shook his head. 

"Because... only the naive Japanese believe that saying 'I'm sorry' is enough to be forgiven." 

"..." 

Well, Hikigaya couldn't think of a solid argument against that. At the same time, he fully understood the unspoken meaning behind Haruno's words. Lowering his head in defeat, he weakly asked, 

"So, what do you want, Yukinoshita-san?" 

"Hikigaya-kun, can you guess why I came here? There's a reward if you get it right~" Haruno looked at him with a half-smile. 

"Recruiting for the clubs?" 

That's a lie, Hikigaya thought. 

Even though they hadn't interacted for long, he had already noticed that Haruno seemed interested in the club recruitment happening around them, but in reality, she didn't care much at all. Considering her background during middle school, Hikigaya had a vague idea of what she was really up to, but he decided to play dumb. 

Haruno narrowed her eyes, silently locking eyes with Hikigaya. The air turned cold in an instant. Hikigaya instinctively averted his gaze, and the moment he did, Haruno suddenly smiled. 

"Heh, Hikigaya-kun, you really are sneaky." She pretended to pout. 

"You already figured it out, but you're still acting clueless." 

A hint of panic flashed across Hikigaya's face. Just as he was about to defend himself, Haruno cut him off. 

"I've made up my mind. Let's join the student council together!" 

Hikigaya's face froze. 

"Wait, what? The student council? That's definitely not for someone like me! And wait, why do I have to join?!" 

Just hearing "student council" made Hikigaya recall the miserable time when a certain devilish junior had used him as a personal workhorse. He had just been some nobody doing odd jobs, yet he was forced to work like an overworked employee. There was no way he wanted to go through that again! 

But then, Haruno suddenly asked with a meaningful smile, "Do you know what's so special about this school?" 

Hikigaya's expression tightened. So she really does know the truth about this place... But he still pretended not to understand. 

"Special? Of course, the 100% graduation and employment rate. And besides, I'm just a D-class student. There's no way I could join a high-status group like the student council." 

He could sense nothing but trouble from Haruno's words. 

"Oh?" 

Haruno leaned in close to his ear and whispered, "Let me tell you a little secret. The student council at this school is very special. They have far more power than an ordinary school council. In fact, they can do things that regular students could never pull off." 

Hikigaya frowned in confusion. "What do you mean? Is there something even crazier than giving every student a monthly allowance of 100,000 private points?" 

Haruno didn't respond. Instead, she just stared directly into Hikigaya's dead-fish eyes. 

This time, Hikigaya didn't look away. He met her gaze head-on, his eyes filled with uncertainty and doubt—an expression so natural that it was impossible to tell if there was something hidden beneath it. 

10 seconds. 

30 seconds. 

A full minute. 

After a long while, Hikigaya seemed to finally give in, his eyes involuntarily looking away. 

"You're such a natural liar, Hikigaya-kun! Even I almost fell for it." 

Crap! 

Even though Haruno looked normal on the surface, Hikigaya still vaguely sensed a hint of irritation in her expression. This was the kind of intuition he had developed after being toyed with by the demon queen for so many years! 

"Hey, isn't this the guy who was late on the first day of school?" 

Suddenly, a loud voice from behind interrupted Hikigaya and Haruno. 

It was Ike and Yamauchi, that idiotic duo. Since the red-haired guy had gone to check out the basketball club, only the two of them were left wandering around the gym. 

Though they were supposed to be aimlessly strolling, their eyes were constantly darting between different girls, shamelessly ogling them without any attempt to hide it. These two were total fools! 

"Whoa, why is there a girl next to Hikigaya?! What kind of dumb luck is this?!" 

The moment Ike saw Haruno standing beside Hikigaya—especially given her stunning looks and impressive figure—his eyes widened in disbelief. His face was filled with envy and jealousy as he gritted his teeth. 

"Oh, so Dead Fish Eyes is called Hikigaya? I thought his name was Himokuya! Hahaha!" Yamauchi laughed loudly, completely ignoring the fact that Hikigaya was right there. 

Just like Ike, Yamauchi's eyes lit up the moment he saw Haruno. He completely ignored Hikigaya, who now had a dark expression on his face, and quickly stepped up to Haruno with a cocky grin. 

"Yo! Which class are you in? I'm Yamauchi Haruki, ace pitcher of the baseball team in middle school and an eighth-degree black belt in karate. Nice to meet you!" 

After saying that, he even ran a hand through his gelled-up hair, striking what he probably thought was a cool pose. 

Dude, could you be any creepier?! 

Hikigaya could hardly bear to watch. 

At the same time, he noticed Haruno glancing at him with a questioning look. Hikigaya immediately turned his face away, acting like he had absolutely no idea who this idiot was. 

Haruno paused for a moment, then shifted her gaze to Yamauchi. 

"Black belt? Eighth degree?" 

"Oh, it's nothing special." 

Yamauchi puffed out his chest proudly and smugly wiped his nose with his thumb. 

"Want to learn? I can teach you!" 

Haruno couldn't hold back and let out a chuckle. But unfortunately, the self-proclaimed eighth-degree black belt completely misinterpreted it, thinking his charm and impressive credentials had caught her attention. 

"By the way, you haven't introduced yourself yet. We're all in the same grade—how about we hang out sometime? No worries, I've got plenty of money." 

Hikigaya also noticed that Yamauchi's gaze kept wandering to a particular area of Haruno's body. 

Hey, you perv! That's way too obvious! 

Hikigaya couldn't stand it anymore. Yamauchi was beyond saving. 

For some reason, Hikigaya felt an inexplicable wave of irritation. Ignoring the two guys who looked like they were ready to pounce, he stepped forward, subtly positioning himself between Haruno and the idiots. Now all they could see was his dead-fish-eyed stare. 

This moron was probably still dreaming about his monthly 100,000 private points. Based on Hikigaya's observations and Yamauchi's own bragging, the guy had already spent half his points in just one day—buying a game console and a bunch of other gadgets. 

Haruno, however, acted as if she didn't even notice Yamauchi's lecherous gaze. She even adjusted her shirt slightly, emphasizing her curves. Ike and Yamauchi were completely mesmerized, their eyes glued to her, and Hikigaya could even hear the sound of them gulping. 

But then… 

Maybe it was intentional, maybe not, but Haruno suddenly leaned in a little closer to Hikigaya. The normal social distance between them instantly became something much more… ambiguous. A faint scent of osmanthus filled the air, and Hikigaya could even feel a soft sensation brushing against his arm. 

As Haruno spoke, a wave of overwhelming pressure suddenly hit Hikigaya like a tidal wave. 

Meanwhile, Yamauchi and Ike were completely frozen, their eyes practically popping out of their sockets. They looked like they were seconds away from kicking Hikigaya aside and taking his place. 

"Me? I'm from Class 1-A. Saka…" 

Halfway through, Haruno suddenly seemed to think of something interesting. A sly smile spread across her face. 

"Sakayanagi… I'm Sakayanagi Arisu from Class 1-A! Nice to meet you, ace pitcher with an eighth-degree black belt~~" 

Hikigaya's face instantly darkened. 

He had no idea who Sakayanagi was, but knowing Haruno's scheming nature, this was definitely trouble. He was about to say something when Haruno turned to him and winked. The meaning was crystal clear. 

"Kawaii ne~ What a cute name, Sakayanagi-san! Did you know Hikigaya here was late on the first day of school? Luckily, I have a good relationship with the teacher, or else he would've been punished already. Oh, and in class, he just spaces out like an idiot. Honestly, if it weren't for me looking out for him, who knows how badly he'd get picked on by others." 

Yamauchi rattled on, completely trashing Hikigaya's reputation. 

"Oh? Does that mean Pitcher-kun is the class leader of D-Class?" Haruno asked curiously. But the slight tremor in her shoulders and the way she pressed her lips together completely gave away her amusement. 

"O-Of course!" 

For a brief moment, hesitation flashed across Yamauchi's face. 

But when he saw Haruno looking at him with such anticipation, he immediately tossed that hesitation aside and proudly declared, 

"E-Everyone in class really respects my achievements from middle school. But I also have to give others a chance to show their talents. Sigh, sometimes being too exceptional is a curse. It must be tough for my classmates, having to live in the same era as me. Oh well, the sun… was born to shine."

Yamauchi was completely lost in his own fantasy world, getting more and more excited as he spoke. 

"Oh yeah, Sakayanagi, do you want to have dinner together later? Don't worry, it's on me... Huh? Where'd she go?" 

He looked around in confusion, only to realize that Haruno, who had been right in front of him, had disappeared. 

Ike Kanji, standing nearby, spoke with a blank expression. 

"Don't bother looking. She's been gone for a while." 

"What?! But I didn't even get her contact info! Damn it!!" 

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