Chapter 199: Changes in Class D
Advanced Nurturing High School Entrance.
"Welcome back in triumph, elites of the Martial Arts Club!" Horikita Manabu and Tachibana Akane came to represent the Student Council to greet them.
"Mission accomplished!" Club President Mutou bowed respectfully with hands clasped, then made a grand gesture toward Hikigaya. "Especially Hikigaya-kouhai; he turned the tide at the last second and won the critical match for us!"
'You're so annoying!'
If possible, Hikigaya really wished the guy wouldn't do such unnecessary things.
"President Mutou, please send a detailed written report to the Student Council. I will apply to the school to commend everyone for their outstanding performance." Horikita Manabu pushed up his glasses, and a trace of a smile appeared on his perpetually stern face. "Hikigaya, you truly didn't disappoint me."
Mutou's eyes flickered. He thought to himself that there was a strange sense of "affection" in the President's expression. Was he that impressed by Hikigaya's personal strength?
"President Horikita, you have no idea—this kid was incredibly popular at Sobu High!
Several cute girls proactively showed him their favor!"
'Hey! President! What the hell are you talking about!'
Hikigaya's eyes widened, only to see Mutou winking at him with a "no need to thank me" look on his face.
The smile remained on Horikita Manabu's face, but his eyes lowered slightly, his lenses reflecting a chilling white light.
"Hikigaya, come to the Student Council office after school."
"Um, President... can I not go?"
"No."
"But... I've been away for days. My friends in class might be worried about me."
To avoid trouble, Hikigaya blurted out a lie that even he didn't believe. Surprisingly, Horikita Manabu actually believed him and considered it seriously.
"The Student Council has a lot of work today; I'll be staying quite late anyway."
'Exactly! Since you're so busy, why look for me?'
"You can come over after you finish your date with Suzune."
'Well, aren't you considerate...'
"Wait... President?!" Hikigaya really wanted to ask why he was assuming "dating Suzune after school" was a prerequisite. But seeing Horikita Manabu's certain attitude, he started to doubt his own reality.
"It's settled then."
'Don't just decide things for other people!'
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Class D was as noisy as ever.
However, the moment Hikigaya stepped into the room, the boisterous atmosphere instantly chilled. But they soon returned to their chattering; most people chose to selectively ignore Hikigaya's existence.
'This is great!' If possible, Hikigaya hoped they would stay this way forever.
"Welcome back, Hachiman-kun~" The first to cling to him were Karuizawa and her two friends. 'Seriously, how long are you guys going to keep up the 'fake gyaru' persona?'
Hikigaya dismissed them with a few words and walked toward his seat. Passing Sakura Airi's desk, the latter mustered the courage to greet him. "Good morning, Hachiman-kun."
'This girl is as shy as ever.'
"Morning, Airi," Hikigaya replied.
Hasabe Haruka leaned over to join the conversation.
"Hachi~ Did you have fun at the exchange meeting with the other school?" The way she asked sounded a bit like "a wife asking a husband if he fooled around while away on business."
"It was alright. Just a normal club exchange," Hikigaya told the truth.
"Really? How come I heard from Ryuu Sei-senpai that Hachiman was 'getting hot' with a girl named Yukinoshita at Sobu High?" One had to admit, Kushida Kikyo's information network was impressive—she could even reach into the upperclassmen's territory.
"No, you're overthinking it... What Ryuu Sei-senpai said was literal. Yukinoshita and I were opponents in the ring, and the fight was quite intense," Hikigaya said speechlessly.
"Is that so?" Matsushita Chiaki added meaningfully. "Could it be that Hikigaya-kun, out of pity for a beautiful girl, intentionally went easy on her?"
She had witnessed Hikigaya's true combat power when he kicked Albert down (via sneak attack).
"That's impossible. First, in the ring, there are only opponents, no genders. Second, she wasn't an opponent you could afford to go easy on," Hikigaya explained seriously.
"Interesting!" These words made Horikita Suzune, who was reading, put down her book. She asked with interest, "With your current strength, a girl who can fight you to a standstill must be quite formidable. If there's a chance, please introduce her to me. I want to have a proper spar with her!"
Hikigaya brushed her off: "Sure, next time for sure."
Seemingly picking up on Hikigaya's perfunctory tone, Horikita Suzune looked slightly annoyed and turned her head away to continue reading.
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Class time. Perhaps because the class points had hit rock bottom, everyone had lost their motivation.
The discipline in Class D began to slacken.
Whack! "Who?! Which bastard snuck up on me?" Okitani Kyousuke, in the front row, was hit in the back of the head by an eraser. He turned around angrily.
To everyone's surprise, Hirata Yousuke was standing there with a cold expression, holding a compass and staring at him with a freezing gaze.
"Hirata?!" Everyone was shocked by Hirata's behavior, including Hikigaya. In his memory, Hirata Yousuke was a "Mr. Nice Guy" who unconditionally tolerated the eccentrics in the class.
"Why the question? Is reading manga during class something a high school student should be doing?" Hirata scolded righteously.
'Holy crap? '
Hearing these words from Hirata's mouth was truly eye-opening!
"From now on, I will supervise the daily conduct of Class D! If anyone is dissatisfied, feel free to come and 'consult' with me!!" Hirata slammed a fist heavily against the wall. A clear display of physical intimidation!
"...Hirata-kun suddenly became a bit scary."
Everyone was startled and began whispering.
While everyone's attention was focused on Hirata, Hikigaya suddenly felt a sensation and looked toward Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
'It was you, wasn't it?'
Ayanokouji stared straight ahead, acting like an uninvolved outsider. There was no evidence. But Hikigaya's intuition told him that Hirata's drastic change in personality was likely related to Ayanokouji!
'After all, you are the masterpiece of the White Room.'
'Was I seen through...?' Ayanokouji thought. He shouldn't have left any openings.
To minimize the risk of being discovered, he had specifically chosen the two days Hikigaya was away from school to persuade Hirata.
'Does he know about the White Room?'
Ayanokouji's heart sank. He needed to find a way to test Hikigaya!
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