Chapter 78: Different Voices

  "I'm sorry, Hiyori."

  After leaving the library, Hikigaya silently apologized to Hiyori in his heart.

  The bait had been cast, and now it was up to her whether she would take the hook. But even if she didn’t bite, that would be fine...

  "Hikigaya-kun, w-wait for me!"

  Suddenly, a shout came from behind him. The familiar voice... Hikigaya turned around and couldn't help but smile bitterly.

  Hiyori had run all the way from the library and finally caught up to him. After catching her breath, she looked at him apologetically and said, "I'm sorry, Hikigaya-kun."

  Before Hikigaya could speak, she quickly added, "Hikigaya-kun, let's go have dinner together!"

  "Eh?"

  Hikigaya froze in pce, then, as if he had realized something, let out a sigh. "Hiyori, if it's just to spite Ryuen, I think it's unnecessary. This won’t solve anything, and it will only make your position in the css more awkward."

  Yes, Hiyori's sudden invitation seemed, to Hikigaya, like her way of expressing discontent and resistance against Ryuen. "If you won’t let me get close to Hikigaya, then I’ll do the opposite!"

  Perhaps to many students in Css C, Hiyori, the literature-loving girl who often kept to herself, appeared to be an easy person to "compromise" with, someone who was "easy to talk to." But no one truly understood her inner strength. On the surface, she seemed fragile and easy to deceive, but in reality, Hiyori’s heart was stronger than anyone’s, and once she set her mind on something, she would go all the way without hesitation.

  Simply put, she was someone who could be "soft" but never "hard."

  For the "tyrant" who controlled almost every student in Css C, while it wasn't certain he would use physical violence against Hiyori, there were plenty of ways to make her feel uncomfortable. In fact, psychological harm could be far worse than physical pain.

  "Hikigaya-kun, what are you talking about?"

  Hiyori suddenly seemed a little angry. "Are you saying that to survive in the css, we can just casually abandon our friends?"

  "No, it's not that serious. I just think it's unnecessary to put myself in a difficult position for the sake of an outsider in my css. Taking a little time to cool down would be good for everyone," Hikigaya quickly expined.

  However, upon hearing this, Hiyori’s face showed even more dissatisfaction and a complex expression. "Hikigaya-kun, have you noticed? Why are you always so hard on yourself? Clearly... you're so kind."

  Looking at the boy in front of her, Hiyori suddenly felt an inexplicable pain in her heart.

  "I... I'm just analyzing things from a rational perspective."

  Hikigaya’s expression remained unchanged. "Given Ryuen’s methods, I believe he treats both boys and girls equally, so I don’t want you, Hiyori, to get hurt because of me."

  "I know all about Ryuen-kun's methods, and I understand that you're worried about my future situation," Hiyori said. A faint smile appeared at the corner of her mouth, but it quickly faded as she spoke seriously, "But because I know Ryuen-kun’s methods, that’s why I have to do this."

  "Eh?"

  Hikigaya was clearly stunned. Why would she deliberately go against something she knew would lead to exclusion and harm?

  Suddenly, Hikigaya remembered something Hiyori had said before—she hoped to work together with everyone in the css. Everything Hiyori had done was for the css, not for any individual, and certainly not for herself.

  So, the reason Hiyori was "defying" Ryuen’s order was actually...

  "To ensure there isn’t just one voice in the css, right?"

  "Hikigaya-kun, you're amazing!" Hiyori, taken aback for a moment, couldn’t help but praise him sincerely. "It seems everyone really underestimated Css D. I'm really worried about one day facing Css D with you leading it."

  "Although having only one voice in the css might help unity and cohesion, efficiency, if there’s no one to supervise or restrict, it will slowly turn into a dictatorship of one person."

  At this point, Hiyori couldn’t hide her concerned expression. "Because Css C is special, it can’t just have Ryuen’s voice; it needs others as well. Someday, Ryuen-kun might lead Css C down a path where they run faster and faster, even losing control. When that day comes, I hope I can be the ‘brake’ for the css, the final insurance for everyone."

  Hikigaya couldn’t help but take a deep breath, suddenly reassessing the girl in front of him. He was surprised by how sharp Hiyori’s "vision" was, and how her perspective and sense of the bigger picture impressed him.

  But what struck him even more was Hiyori’s spirit of "self-sacrifice." After all, it's no simple thing for a girl to go against someone as powerful as Ryuen, the "tyrant."

  Look at people like Ishizaki, Yamawaki, and even the rge guy Albert—everyone had been subdued by Ryuen's violence. Just imagine the kind of mental pressure Hiyori must have been under!

  At the same time, this girl in front of him could be said to have the most thorough "sense of the bigger picture" of anyone Hikigaya had seen in this school!

  Regarding Hiyori's idea of "there can’t be only one voice in the group," Hikigaya completely agreed.

  People often think that "everyone following the leader’s orders" is the way to maximize the collective’s strength, which is the ideal outcome.

  But in reality, when there’s only one voice in the group, the disadvantages often outweigh the advantages.

  This was simir to the conversation Hikigaya had with Haruno about Css A. With struggles, unity is achieved; with compromises, unity is lost.

  This is where the bance between the group and the individual becomes difficult. In simple terms, unity should be achieved on a rger scale, but within that, there must be internal struggle. This is the true social and political ecology, not some high school students pying house!

  At least, in the case of Css C, Hiyori’s idea made perfect sense. There must be someone who can hold back Ryuen when it matters, as a "critical insurance" to prevent Css C from losing control.

  As for the situation in Css D, Hikigaya thought it was a different matter altogether. Right now, Css D had too many voices, too much noise. What it needed was a "tough character" like Ryuen. Hirata’s methods were still too soft.

  "It seems that with Hiyori in Css C, that’s the real concern for other csses!" Hikigaya couldn’t help but excim. If Css C were led by someone like Ryuen for three years, Hikigaya honestly thought it wouldn’t be much of a threat—at most, a brief fsh of success followed by rapid decline.

  But if someone like Hiyori existed, it would be a different story.

  Hiyori blushed upon hearing Hikigaya’s words and, feeling a bit embarrassed, said, "Actually... I read all of this in a book. I just thought that Css C’s situation was very simir to a plot in a novel I once read. I just followed the example; I’m not really that impressive."

  "No, that’s even more admirable. Being able to apply what you’ve learned in real life is already impressive, more than many people can do," Hikigaya said frankly.

  "Hehe."

  Hiyori, hearing Hikigaya’s sincere praise, couldn’t help but smile proudly, even though she usually kept her composure.

  "Actually, it’s not just because of that..." Hiyori spoke a little shyly. "Hikigaya-kun, do you remember the accident that happened in the library?"

  The library, an accident?

  Hikigaya immediately recalled the scene when they first met, instinctively touching his nose, and then he saw Hiyori’s cheeks flush bright red.

  Uh… now that he thought about it, the accident in the library still felt absurd.

  "Every time I think about that day, I feel so bad for you, Hikigaya-kun. I feel really guilty, so I’ve always wanted to treat you to dinner as an apology," Hiyori said, excitedly, her expression eager as if she couldn’t wait to make up for it.

  "I see."

  Hikigaya’s face became awkward. Having dinner with a girl—no, no, this is a privilege reserved for those with an active social life!

  As for before... that was just an accident!

  "Then, um, maybe it’s better if we..."

  Before Hikigaya could finish his sentence, Hiyori’s expression visibly drooped. Even her eyes, which had sparkled like stars in the night sky, dimmed, and the previously cheerful atmosphere around her quickly turned cold.

  "Okay, okay, I agree."

  In the end, Hikigaya couldn’t bear to make the girl in front of him sad and disappointed.

  Upon hearing this, Hiyori immediately brightened up, eagerly grabbing his wrist. Her eyes were sparkling with excitement.