At the end of April, when the class discovered the school's system and realized they were the worst class, they weren't affected that much by the truth because of their promotion to Class C.
But now, after returning to the bottom, accepting that reality was far more difficult this time.
When the objective had been minimizing the damage and losing as few points as possible, the class had somehow managed to hold on against the others. But once the issue became actually increasing our standing, our level was pathetic.
I heard from Sakayanagi Arisu that Class C had been unified through violence. Even Chabashira-sensei confirmed that they had been involved in violent incidents.
A class whose students used violence among themselves... how would they deal with their competitors?
What was their leader's name again?
I began playing with my hair while trying to remember amidst the silent classroom after the storm. Disappointment was obvious after the loss.
Though honestly, I didn't really feel anything. If we were truly the worst according to the system, then climbing upward wouldn't be that easy.
There's no such thing as an easy meal in life.
I looked toward the front at Yukinoshita. She was now sitting quietly as if nothing had happened. I knew very well that any loss affected her deeply.
Her competitive spirit was probably strong enough to make her come to school early every day just to rank first.
If she was disappointed, then she might need some support.
And that was exactly the kind of thing I was bad at.
As if she sensed my gaze on her, she turned and looked back at me as well, her face normal and showing no unusual reaction.
We continued staring at each other for a moment before I shifted my eyes toward the door.
As if she understood my intention, she quickly got up from her chair and left through the door.
I also moved, casting one final glance at the classroom that remained trapped in the darkness of disappointment, as if a disaster had struck.
Well, one really had struck. But there was no avoiding it.
They had already done everything they could in the beginning, and they had succeeded in avoiding a major catastrophe.
I followed Yukinoshita as she walked alone through the hallway. I tried catching up to her and walked beside her.
She didn't say a single word and kept staring ahead.
Should I start first?
How do people even comfort others?
I don't know.
If I had a little more time, I could've consulted Master Google.
No time for nonsense now. I'd just try talking.
"Uh... we lost again." That sounded like a good opening. Mentioning the problem directly.
Good job, Hachiman. Keep going.
"Are you sad...? It's not a big deal, right? Don't they say an arrow moves backward before it launches forward...? Also, the harder the journey is, the more enjoyable it becomes... I think." I tried giving the best performance I could manage.
But Yukinoshita showed no reaction and continued walking forward.
I looked ahead as well.
Wait, where were we even going?
"Hikigaya-kun..." After a period of silence, Yukinoshita finally spoke.
"Are you trying to comfort me?"
"Uh... yeah."
"Your performance is truly awful... I'm not sad. I just feel slightly irritated." She brushed her hair back while continuing to walk forward without even looking at me.
But didn't she like my words? That was the best I had.
Well, this was difficult. Laughing at losers was easier.
"The entire class was affected... but strangely, nothing about you changed." Yukinoshita turned toward me, watching me with her blue eyes.
Well, that was one of my 108 abilities.
"I don't have a competitive spirit." I puffed out my chest proudly while telling her that.
"Haaah...?" She stopped in the middle of the hallway, staring at me with her mouth slightly open.
What? Did she still not understand, or was she shocked by how amazing I was?
"Without a competitive spirit, you won't care about losing or winning." I spread my hands while explaining my flawless logic.
She slapped her hand against her forehead hard enough for the sound to echo through the hallway.
"Hikigaya-kun..." she growled my name, and it seemed her irritation had increased even more. "I thought you had already abandoned those words, but it seems you still cling to your disgusting logic."
"Hahaha... it's a lifestyle." A dry laugh escaped me as I tried justifying myself without increasing her anger further.
But she merely kept staring at me, giving off pressure while crossing her arms in front of her chest.
My eyes slowly drifted away from her as if survival instinct had taken over. I started looking toward the end of the hallway where a vending machine stood.
If I bought her a drink, would that count as comforting her better than my words did?
"Yukinoshita-san..."
Yukinoshita's name echoed through the empty hallway.
We both turned toward the source. A girl with short white hair wearing an elegant hat while leaning on a cane stood there.
It was Sakayanagi Arisu.
What was she doing here? I didn't expect to meet her after what happened at the café.
Well, I was the one who had been trying to avoid any accidental meetings with her again. Dealing with her was annoying.
But did she know Yukinoshita?
"Do you know her?" I muttered quietly so only the girl beside me could hear.
"No." Yukinoshita answered the same way while looking at the girl slowly approaching us.
If she didn't know her... then what did she want from her?
"Hello, Hikigaya-kun. I didn't expect to see you with Yukinoshita-san." Sakayanagi looked at me with a gentle yet frightening smile on her face.
When she says it like that, it sounds like she's asking, Do you actually have friends?
"Uh... well, we're classmates." I didn't know why I was explaining myself to her, but staying silent felt strange too.
"You know her?" Yukinoshita noticed that we already knew each other.
"Yeah, we met before." No need to mention the details right now.
Sakayanagi merely smiled in confirmation of my answer while Yukinoshita stared at her.
"Yes, that's correct... sorry for not introducing myself sooner. I'm Sakayanagi Arisu from Class A." Sakayanagi bowed elegantly while lightly pulling down her skirt with her slender fingers.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Yukinoshita Yukino from Class D..." Yukinoshita introduced herself even though Sakayanagi had already mentioned her name.
How did she know it?
"...As expected, you don't know me. I attended many of the parties held by the Yukinoshita family before. Although we never met personally, once I heard your name, I wanted to meet you. But the beginning of school was difficult, so I couldn't find the right opportunity."
"You know my family?" Yukinoshita raised an eyebrow in surprise. Her family was already well-known in Chiba, but finding someone here who knew them too was unexpected.
"Yes... I even know Haruno-san. Speaking of which, you really resemble her." Sakayanagi proved her familiarity with Yukinoshita's family by mentioning the most troublesome member.
Well, you've proven yourself already.
The old Yukinoshita would have been affected by being compared to her sister, but now she paid it no attention and merely nodded.
"We never met before because I don't attend family parties."
The one responsible for attending such events was the eldest daughter of the family, Yukinoshita Haruno. For Yukinoshita, recognizing people connected to her family through those gatherings was difficult.
"I see... but I was surprised when I learned your class had fallen back to Class D again. I hope your spirits won't be damaged by this loss and that you won't lose hope."
If you heard her words, you'd think it was innocent comfort.
But her eyes proved otherwise. She was enjoying watching our reactions after provoking us.
That wouldn't work on me. Having no competitive spirit was useful.
But Yukinoshita was different.
"That's not really a problem right now. Don't they say an arrow moves backward before launching forward?" Yukinoshita maintained her composure and didn't respond to the cheap provocation.
Even Sakayanagi seemed entertained by her response, like a small child who had found a new toy.
"You're right. But sometimes the arrow strays from its path and misses the target." It seemed Sakayanagi had decided to continue the wordplay as well.
But why were they only talking about arrows? Where did they even get this wisdom from?
"If you're a skilled marksman, then you'll definitely hit your target." Yukinoshita didn't back down at all and continued the exchange.
Sakayanagi raised her small hand in front of her face to cover her wicked smile.
She really was a cunning princess.
"It seems your determination hasn't wavered, Yukinoshita-san. That's truly good. In any case, I should return to my class now. It was nice meeting you." Sakayanagi watched Yukinoshita, who merely nodded at her.
Then she looked toward me, where I only responded with a frown before she left.
She left without causing any trouble this time.
Maybe she really did just come to say hello.
"Does your family know many wealthy families?" I looked toward Yukinoshita, who was still watching the small girl as she walked away.
"My family has many connections with companies and others... I only know some people through their work. If I knew what her family did..." Yukinoshita seemed confused about the identity of the girl she had just met.
"Her father is the chairman of this school."
"How do you know that?" Yukinoshita quickly turned toward me after hearing my statement.
"I've met him before." I had visited his office after our first month in this school, so I already knew him.
Yukinoshita stared downward while thinking.
"No... I didn't know my family knew people from this school."
It seemed Yukinoshita had just discovered that her family knew the chairman of this school.
Maybe that was why I receive a recommendation.
If the chairman knew the Yukinoshita family, then he knew their daughter was here, and perhaps he also knew that I was connected to that family. So when he saw me in his office, maybe he already knew exactly who I was.
I couldn't help narrowing my eyes at this new information.
This was strange.
Anyway, there was no time to think about that now. Our first challenge in this school had ended, and we had already failed.
Sakayanagi Arisu, and as she had already told me before, Ryuuen Kakeru and Ichinose Honami... all of them were our enemies.
There was no room to retreat anymore, as they say.
Know your enemies before your allies.