I like to express my gratitude to "WB" for his/her support and becoming a patron on my patreon.
Patreon - patreon.com/AnimeFanfic01
______________
------------------------------------
Chapter 24: Hikigaya's Endurance
Horikita: "Looks like you're really popular. I didn't expect that in less than a month since school started, you'd become the most talked-about person in the class."
Seeing Hikigaya pretend not to hear, Horikita continued: "It's not just our class. Your deeds have spread to other classes and even other grades. It's quite impressive. You've managed to make the whole school hate you single-handedly."
"Hey, are you picking a fight?"
Hikigaya put down his book and took off his earphones. The girl's gaze was now fully fixed on him.
'Are you conducting some kind of social observation experiment? Let me make it clear—I'm not a monkey. We've got a golden lion and a red-haired hedgehog in this class. Why do you have to focus on me…?'
Hikigaya grumbled inwardly, but Horikita, as if noticing something, showed a mischievous smile.
"I used to think you were just a gloomy guy, but looking at you now, that's not entirely true."
"Thanks for the roundabout teasing."
"But you're really something. This is the first time I've seen someone sacrifice themselves like this. Such noble selflessness—I've only seen it on TV."
"Sacrifice? What sacrifice? I told you, I did it for myself. It has nothing to do with you, sensei, or anyone in the class. I just don't want to live a zero-point life. That's all."
Why did everyone assume he did these things for them? Hayama, Horikita—they all thought that way. He had no obligation to help them. It was just their self-righteous assumptions. In the end, he was only doing it for himself.
Horikita didn't argue further, just giving a faint smile.
"Let's just say that's the case."
Why does it feel like something's changed about her…
Hikigaya recalled how arrogant and prideful she was at the start of the semester. Now she was so easy to talk to, it made him wonder if she was losing her mind.
Seeing the girl finally stop talking to him, Hikigaya picked up his book and earphones again, enjoying his brief moment of peace.
Though he could still hear the class's discussions about him and feel their hostile gazes, that was all.
After all, if even the red-haired hedgehog didn't make a move, the others wouldn't lose their rationality and act either, right?
[Ayanokōji Kiyotaka looked at the black-haired boy who had gradually taken his place, becoming a well-known figure in the school. His expression was blank, his gaze sharp.]
['I didn't expect the White Room to try erasing my existence like this. If this continues, it won't be long before the class thinks I'm the odd one out and Hikigaya is the one who belongs…']
['That said, if I did something strange now, it would only make my position worse. Instead, I'll keep all this information in mind and prove it step by step. Plus… I still have my trump card.']
[Though most people saw Ayanokōji Kiyotaka as an inconspicuous side character, people like Horikita Manabu, Chabashira, and Sakayanagi had personal memories with him, so they wouldn't be swayed by the video.]
Some time passed, and the sound of high heels echoed from the hallway. The tall, black-haired ponytail sensei walked in through the front door, expressionless as usual, as if yesterday's events had never happened.
Hikigaya put down his book and focused on the lesson. The other students glanced at both of them, and seeing that yesterday's incident wasn't continuing, they too turned their attention to the class.
After Hikigaya's self-sabotage yesterday, the class had almost stopped slacking off. Even the "three idiots"—Sudo, Yamauchi, and Ike—threw themselves fully into the lesson.
No matter what, they didn't want to be compared to someone like Hikigaya. It was as if their fighting spirit had been ignited, and the class atmosphere was far better than it had been yesterday.
Hikigaya, of course, kept observing his classmates. Thankfully, after yesterday's events, they had quieted down significantly, not as rowdy as before. But in contrast, Hirata Yosuke, who was usually all smiles, was unusually silent. He spent the entire class with his head down, lost in thought.
Seeing the class's newfound calm brought by Hikigaya's self-destruction, Hirata Yosuke couldn't accept it inwardly.
If sacrificing one person was the only way to achieve this result, he'd rather quit the class altogether.
As an absolute hypocrite, Hirata Yosuke couldn't accept any failure. In his near-obsessive state, he was one step away from madness.
He couldn't tolerate the class's disunity or the slander against a classmate.
Of course, Hikigaya wasn't the only one who noticed. Chabashira Sae, who was teaching, also picked up on Hirata's unusual behavior.
'If another one goes crazy, the pressure on this freshman class will be too much… I'll go along with you this time, Hikigaya Hachiman. Don't let me down.'
Chabashira Sae put down her book, and the classroom atmosphere came to a halt. Though, in truth, not many were actually listening attentively. While there were no more absences, tardiness, or early departures, and fewer distractions, plenty of students were still spacing out.
But Chabashira's sudden pause snapped them back to the lesson.
With her arms crossed, she said with a hint of smugness: "Hikigaya… looks like Class D really owes you a thank you."
Ike: "Huh? Why should we thank a guy like him? He's gloomy, talks rudely, and isn't even that great. His grades aren't high, and his athletic skills are average…"
Sudo: "Yeah, yeah! I've never seen anyone more arrogant than him, talking about our class like that. What gives him the right?"
Yukimura: "Alright, alright, let's drop it. It's over."
Shinohara: "This guy said such awful things yesterday. Thinking he can just move on? No way!"
Most of the girls nodded in agreement, while Kushida Kikyō, playing her usual peacemaker role, said: "Don't be like that… Let's all talk it out nicely… Talk it out…"
( End of this chapter)