Chapter 21: No Choice in the Matter?
"Hahahahahahahahahaha!"
She kept covering her face, trying to hide her laughter, but her deranged demeanor only made the class more terrified.
Chabashira's laughter stopped abruptly, her face instantly turn back to a cold expression.
"This class will be considered as a collective absence. And Hikigaya Hachiman, for disrupting the class, come to the office with me now."
She picked up her book and headed out. Hikigaya, as if he'd anticipated this outcome, put his phone in his pocket and followed.
If anything, not going to the office would make staying in this classroom even more dangerous.
After all, he was now everyone's enemy.
But… the effect seemed pretty good.
The moment they left, the classroom exploded.
Ike: "What's wrong with this guy? Does he think everyone's like him?"
Yamauchi: "Exactly, exactly. His grades aren't even that great. He's obviously just a gloomy guy."
Shinohara: "This kind of person is probably no different from a lunatic, and he got the whole class marked absent."
Karuizawa Kei: "By the way, who is he? Since when did we have someone like that in our class?"
"…"
The discussion about him didn't stop, and Horikita Suzune, as if suddenly realizing something, trembled slightly, her gaze fixed on his seat.
Hirata wanted to find an opportunity to explain on Hikigaya's behalf, but he realized he couldn't even get a word in.
The atmosphere in Class D had almost fully formed.
If anything, only Kōenji sat with his arms crossed, indifferent, and Sakura kept her hands on her thighs, looking confused.
[Ike: "Ugh, this guy used such a method, and we still badmouthed him… I really feel like I deserve to die."]
[Sudo: "Provocation, huh? I wouldn't actually go beat him up, would I…?"]
[Karuizawa Kei: "He really changed our fate of hitting zero points… That's amazing, but it's kind of sad. Even after all this, I still can't quite remember his name."]
[Sakura Airi: "Doing something like that and still getting insulted… That's so pitiful…"]
[Yamauchi, acting as if it were only natural: "It can't be helped, right? Who told him to say those things about us?"]
[Horikita Suzune: "So that's the method he meant? It's just like what happened on the bus…"]
[Ichinose: "Protecting an entire group by himself…? That kind of behavior is absolutely not allowed."]
[Ichinose's expression was one of concern. As an angel, everything she did was built on others' foundations. Sacrificing one person to this extent to save a class—she couldn't do it.]
[Ryūen: "If we had someone like that in our class, things would be a lot more interesting…"]
[Sakayanagi maintained her faint smile. This ability was unique to the boy. Even for the silver-haired girl, who had seen many things in her life, this was a first. If used well, the consequences would be unimaginable.]
At Chabashira Sae's call, Hikigaya walked out of the classroom, heading toward the end of the hallway.
In the dim corridor, a tall woman in a uniform seemed to have been waiting for him for a long time.
Chabashira Sae lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and exhaled all the smoke.
'What's she doing, acting so cool? Is Hiratsuka Shizuka possessing her?'
Even after what had just happened, the woman showed no signs of anger. Hikigaya had expected a harsh scolding, but instead, Chabashira Sae just looked at him.
"Honestly, before the semester started, I received every student's profile. At the time… I just thought you were an ordinary student, like most of Class D."
Hearing Chabashira's words, the boy didn't smile but responded seriously:
"In fact, I am an ordinary person, just like most people."
'Thinking you're special, believing you're smarter or more likable than others—that kind of arrogance is just a way of lying to yourself because you can't accept your own ordinariness.'
Chabashira Sae didn't argue with the boy on this point. Since he thought that way, she didn't have much to say.
"Hikigaya, well done."
"I wanted to praise you like that, but I realized… I don't even have the right to evaluate you. You figured it out, didn't you? You pieced it together bit by bit, gathering all the school's information in your mind. Even though the method you used in the end was clumsy."
"Even so, you're the first student I've seen in nearly ten years of teaching who could change Class D's fate in the first month of school."
"Your observation skills are terrifyingly sharp. Honestly, I've seen countless genius students, but I've never seen anyone with such keen observation and powerful deduction, changing an entire class single-handedly."
Chabashira Sae spared no praise, and in that moment, even she found it unbelievable.
How could she give such high praise to a student?
Hikigaya didn't lose himself in the compliments. Instead, he reminded Chabashira: "Sensei, I'm here to be reprimanded."
"And you don't need to praise me so much. Like I said, we're all the same, including you, Chabashira-sensei."
"If the classes aren't randomly assigned, then senseis must be the same. In other words, you've been teaching Class D for a long time, haven't you? You also want to climb higher, don't you…?"
Chabashira's body trembled slightly. She hadn't expected the boy to see through her to this extent. How many of her secrets were left?
"Insight beyond measure…"
"But unfortunately, all I want is a peaceful high school life. I'm not interested in any competition—I want to stay far away from it."
Chabashira Sae took a deep drag from her cigarette, tossed it into the trash, then crossed her arms, leaning against the wall with a cold smile as she looked at Hikigaya.
"Do you really think, being in the game, you can stay uninvolved?"
( End of this chapter )