Chapter 41: A Smoothly Conducted Study Group
[Sudo: "What's going on? Horikita didn't call me an idiot, and I didn't lose my temper. What happened?!"]
[Horikita also found it unbelievable. She clearly remembered driving everyone away back then. But now, because of Hikigaya's presence, Sudo was the first to change. His early arrival put her in a better mood, and in the moment she was about to snap, Hikigaya's words made her realize her mistake. Though… Hikigaya seemed to do nothing, he subtly guided the story's direction.]
[Ichinose: "Looks like Class D got a really amazing guy."]
[Sakayanagi: "To guide others toward the outcome you want? I really can't underestimate you."]
[Ryuen: "Having such a person as an enemy would be boring—they're too weak to crush easily. But… as a teammate, in the same class, they could boost the class's strength exponentially. Now I get why the video version of me was so fixated on him."]
[Ibuki: "So, having him in a class can fix past mistakes?"]
[Ryuen: "Exactly…"]
[Hirata: "Hikigaya is really amazing…"]
[Service Club…]
[Ebina: "Though I've received your help before, I didn't realize you had such a huge influence."]
[Miura: "Yeah, I never noticed at school…"]
[Hikigaya: "It's just a video. Maybe I'm being glorified. I'm not that great."]
[Yuigahama gave a knowing smile: "Exactly, Hikki always says that. He doesn't even realize how much he's helped others… how much he's helped me. Hikki's super kind."]
[Hikigaya: "Idiot, I'm not."]
[Yukinoshita glanced at the tsundere Hikigaya, then gave Yuigahama a calm smile.]
["Exactly, Yuigahama's right. Though he doesn't realize it, even I'm one of those who've been helped by him without noticing."]
[Hayama nodded in agreement: "Me too…"]
[Isshiki: "Senpai's really kind, though sometimes he's got a wicked sense of humor."]
[Yukinoshita, Hayama, Yuigahama, Isshiki, and Ebina all said this, each with a different perception of him. Only Miura seemed to realize she barely knew the boy in front of her. In her eyes, he was just a gloomy, quiet guy. But from their words, she learned he was more than that.]
[Perhaps from this moment, she'd really start paying attention to this unremarkable yet conspicuous boy.]
Because of Hikigaya's presence, the two didn't end up arguing.
Meanwhile, Kushida arrived late with Yamauchi and Ike.
They were holding drinks, likely having made a trip to the convenience store. To still spend extra points in such a tight situation—truly fitting for those two.
Kushida's body suddenly trembled, and with a tearful voice, she said: "Oh no, I forgot to buy drinks for you guys… I'll go back and get some now."
Whether intentional or not, Hikigaya noticed that Kushida was trying to leave Horikita alone here, likely to let the situation spiral out of control.
Confirming this was her intent, Hikigaya realized the two girls were far more complicated than he'd thought.
Perhaps… there was a deeper conflict between them, one he was unaware of.
Horikita waved her hand, saying calmly: "No need. We're just here to study, nothing more."
With Yamauchi and Ike's reassurance, Kushida slowly sat down.
Having just spoken with Sudo and being somewhat unprepared today, Horikita didn't plan to use the previous test. Instead, she pulled out a second, relatively easier set of questions.
"This is a diagnostic test. It's not too difficult, it is mainly to gauge your foundation. Try it out first."
Horikita was still Horikita. After Kushida's arrival, it was as if the earlier incident hadn't happened, and she reverted to her impartial, iron-faced self.
The test's difficulty was indeed low, but Horikita had underestimated Sudo and the others' capacity. Even this absurdly simple diagnostic test was barely passable for Sudo.
Hikigaya wasn't much better.
Once again, he felt Horikita's murderous glare.
'Hey, hey, calm down…'
Though he thought this, Horikita seemed on the verge of exploding.
But… something unexpected happened again. The girl took a deep breath and began explaining the mistakes on the test.
To improve grades quickly, science was the fastest route, especially for Sudo and the others.
The first day of the study group went relatively smoothly. Yamauchi and Ike left laughing, saying things like, "Horikita's not as hard to get along with as she seems. We really misjudged her."
No doubt, this let Hikigaya breathe a sigh of relief. On the other side, Sudo and Horikita were still discussing the questions. Though Sudo only half-understood, he seemed to be studying earnestly.
Kushida left after the study group ended. Though she still wore her usual smile, it was clear she hadn't seen what she wanted.
'If things continued like this, it would be quite smooth. But… whether we could reach passing grades before the midterms was a big question.'
'Wait… passing grade?'
'Who decided what was passing?'
'What score counted as passing?'
'By normal standards, it would be a set score line, but in this school, there had to be a different way of judging…'
A seed of doubt slowly took root in Hikigaya's mind.
He glanced at Kamuro, who was still watching him. The moment their eyes met, she quickly turned her head away.
'Perhaps… Sakayanagi might know.'
After a long day, Hikigaya quickly returned to his dorm.
Today's questions still lingered in his mind. Since the point crisis last time, he'd realized this school couldn't be approached with normal thinking. Studying hard was necessary, but without understanding the rules, he'd always be at a disadvantage.
( End of this chapter)