Chapter 15: Let's Start with the Senpai
[Horikita Suzune: "He is probably the second person to receive such praise from my brother."]
[Horikita Manabu: "I confirmed at the start of the year—there's no such student in this batch. But if he really existed in our school, I'd do whatever it takes to recruit him into the student council and have him work for me."]
[Even the legendary Horikita Manabu praised the boy, causing Class D to erupt in shock.]
[Karuizawa Kei: "How… how can there be someone so smart?"]
[Hirata Yosuke: "I have to say, he's incredibly calm. Though his deductions rely on his own information and may not be entirely accurate, they're already 90% correct."]
[Kushida Kikyo: "Yeah, we all went through that dark period and struggled, but… he saw through it in just a week after starting school."]
[Ike: "Impossible, impossible, impossible! This has to be fake! This video's just a prank, right?"]
[Yamauchi nodded in agreement with Ike, but everyone else saw them as fools.]
[Aside from Ayanokōji's disappearance, nothing in this world had changed, meaning this timeline absolutely existed.]
[Even Chabashira Sae couldn't help but sigh: "I'm curious what kind of sparks would fly if he were in the same class as that monster."]
[Meanwhile, in the office.]
[Hiratsuka Shizuka took a deep drag from her cigarette before stubbing it out. As expected, it was very much her style.]
["Insight beyond measure."]
[Hearing Hiratsuka Shizuka's evaluation of Hikigaya, Yukinoshita Haruno didn't seem surprised at all, teasing: "As expected of Shizu's student. He is truly outstanding."]
[Hiratsuka Shizuka, of course, knew what the girl meant, having been her sensei as well.]
["In that kind of competitive, corporate-like environment, his strengths are obvious. But… over time, he'll lose more of his emotions and the genuine thing he's always pursued. As his sensei, I don't want that for him."]
[Yukinoshita Haruno: "Oh? I'm actually curious what Hikigaya would become without Yukino by his side."]
[Hiratsuka Shizuka: "You're really twisted…"]
[In the Service Club…]
[Isshiki Iroha listened to Hikigaya's analysis, looking at him in disbelief. Though she didn't know the truth, it sounded impressive.]
[Isshiki: "It's not the first time I've noticed, but senpai seems really smart."]
[Hikigaya: "Are you a broken record? Don't repeat what you've already said."]
[Yuigahama: "Mmm, mmm, mmm! Hikki's super smart!"]
[Hikigaya: "Hey, you saying that makes me embarrassed."]
[Yuigahama's pure gaze lit up with excitement when others praised him, even more than if she was praised herself… It was baffling.]
[Miura Yumiko: "I didn't expect it either. I always thought Hikigaya was just a gloomy guy, totally an otaku who'd go home and sleep all day. But now, he seems pretty smart."]
['Thanks for your honesty, Miura, but I hope you won't be so brutal next time.']
[On the other hand, Hayama and Ebina had always known Hikigaya's intelligence. After all, during the confession incident, though it was a bit unfair to him, if he hadn't stepped in, their class's relationships would've fallen apart long ago.]
[The more they talked, the more embarrassed Hikigaya became. Yukinoshita Yukino, however, kept sipping her tea from her cup, never setting it down.]
[Her serious expression likely mirrored Yukinoshita Haruno's curiosity. She needed to know: if she had never been in his life, would Hikigaya become the person she hoped he would be?]
[Has she influenced him? Or would he have followed this path regardless?]
[From this video, Yukinoshita Yukino had to find the answer.]
[Yukinoshita Yukino wanted to save him, to save the lost boy before her.]
Hikigaya's analysis was complete.
Now, he needed to prove it. Without proof, it would just be empty words.
'How to prove it?' Hikigaya suddenly recalled what Chabashira-sensei had said.
'At this school, points can buy everything.'
Since these were the school's hidden rules, the senpais must have experienced what he was going through now. As long as he had enough points, getting the information he wanted wouldn't be hard.
Beyond that, he needed someone to confirm his information was correct—someone to go with him to confront a senpai.
Horikita Suzune… probably wouldn't work. She was a lone wolf like him, and even if she reached a conclusion, no one would likely believe her.
Then…
Kushida Kikyo or Hirata Yosuke… They were the class's backbones, and their words could wake most people up to the school's true nature.
If it was a choice between the two, he'd obviously ask Hirata. After all, he had just rejected Kushida.
Plus… her hypocrisy made Hikigaya want to keep his distance. Though Hirata was similar in some ways, at least they were both guys, making communication easier.
As expected, after school, Hikigaya shared his thoughts with Hirata Yosuke. Being the class's quintessential nice guy, Hirata agreed readily.
Indeed… his personality was identical to Hayama's. No surprise there—normie skills at work.
They went to the cafeteria. Finding a senpai wasn't hard. Those eating relief meals were likely the broken, down-and-out senpais. Freshmen with 100,000 points wouldn't touch that kind of food.
Hikigaya didn't waste words. He sat directly next to a lone senpai.
"What's this? You two are freshmen, right?"
Hikigaya: "Yes, senpai. With 100,000 points for living expenses, you're still eating relief meals? That's pretty sad."
"What's with your attitude? Hahaha, you're probably still in the dark, but don't worry—you'll experience hell soon enough."
Hirata was about to speak, but Hikigaya raised a hand to stop him.
"Then… let me tell you a story…"
( End of this chapter )