Chapter 83: Preparing to Close the Net

  “So, Hiyori, how do you pn to convince your cssmates? Are you willing to accept being beled as ‘Shiina Hiyori, the traitor of Css C’? If you can, then I will have no qualms about agreeing to your proposal.”

  Hikigaya’s cold words made the two girls feel that the boy in front of them was suddenly a stranger. Especially for Hiyori, who had thought she understood him well—only to realize that she had never truly grasped his way of thinking.

  Hiyori bit her lip and lowered her head. She knew Hikigaya wasn’t wrong, and she was also aware that her earlier words were merely a moment of impulsiveness. She had never seriously considered the consequences.

  She really wanted to argue: That’s not true! Friendship is more important than academic advancement!

  If they were in an ordinary school, such thinking would be fine. But in this school, she would undoubtedly bear the infamy of betraying her css. Could she, Shiina Hiyori, truly accept that?

  She had never thought about it before, or rather, she had deliberately avoided thinking about it. But now, Hikigaya had id it bare in front of her.

  Hikigaya didn’t feel great about this either. But if someone had to take on this cruel role, it had to be him. The worst-case scenario was losing Hiyori as a friend.

  The girl’s warmth over the past days had almost made him forget that he was a lone wolf. He had nothing to lose, but she was different.

  So, let him be the bad guy.

  Lone Wolf Rule #1: Maintain absolute rationality.

  Lies were comforting; truth was often the most painful.

  For someone like Hikigaya, who was used to pain, he had long grown numb to it.

  Sorry, Hiyori. And thank you for your kindness these past days.

  What he was about to do to Css C would undoubtedly cause serious internal strife, and he would become their common enemy.

  So, Hiyori… you must not become the one everyone targets.

  “Can I ask you something?”

  Hiyori raised her head, her expression complicated as she looked at the now unfamiliar boy before her. “Hikigaya-kun, what about you? Can you accept it?”

  “Yes.”

  A concise and decisive answer.

  Hikigaya’s face was devoid of emotion, completely unfazed. “I’ve always been alone. I don’t care about how others judge me—whether it’s snder, isotion, or condemnation. I’ll do what I believe is right, just as I must refuse your actions now.”

  For some reason, Hiyori suddenly felt a sharp pain in her heart.

  What exactly has this boy been through to make him think and act like this?

  “E-Everyone, please don’t fight…”

  Sakura’s trembling voice interrupted the conversation, her face full of guilt and on the verge of tears. “I… I don’t need tutoring. I’ll work hard and pass the test, so… so please don’t fight. I’m begging you… okay?”

  Toward the end, her voice almost turned into a tearful plea. Even now, her mind was still spinning. She couldn’t understand why two people who had been getting along just fine a moment ago were now arguing.

  “It’s… it’s all my fault. I’m sorry, so please don’t fight.”

  Sakura believed she was the one to bme and desperately pleaded for them to stop.

  “Airi, this isn’t your fault. Hikigaya-kun and I were just discussing… discussing some issues about the school. We weren’t fighting.”

  Hiyori reassured her, but at the same time, she turned to look at Hikigaya.

  Hikigaya sighed inwardly.

  “I wasn’t fighting with Hiyori either,” he said. “We just had a disagreement over an issue, and that’s completely normal. In fact, a friendship without disagreements is what’s truly abnormal. So, it’s not as bad as you think.”

  In the end, the meal ended on an unpleasant note. Hiyori and Sakura left together.

  Before leaving, Hiyori gnced at Hikigaya gloomily. “Sorry, Hikigaya-kun. I… I might need some time to cool down. I’m really sorry about today.”

  “…”

  For some reason, Hikigaya sensed a strong hint of resentment in her voice.

  Wait… why did he suddenly feel a chill down his spine?!

  Watching the two girls walk away, Hikigaya wandered alone through the school grounds, suddenly feeling a deep sense of familiarity.

  Ah… in the end, this is what suits me best.

  He had always been alone. Nothing wrong with staying that way.

  “If I indulge too much in kindness, I’ll only end up repeating past mistakes.”

  Hikigaya chuckled self-deprecatingly.

  .

  .

  .

  Day by day, time passed, and the st day of May approached. The midterm exams were now just a day away.

  Css D’s atmosphere had changed significantly compared to April. At the very least, cssroom discipline had improved, and Hikigaya wasn’t being “dragged away” by Chabashira-sensei as often. More students were taking csses seriously—even the so-called “Three Idiots.” Though, most of them were probably just scrambling at the st minute and would revert to their old ways after the exam.

  The study sessions organized by Hirata, Kushida, and others were progressing well. Meanwhile, Horikita, Ayanokouji, and the “Three Idiots” had surprisingly managed to keep their own study group going all the way until the st day before the test, something that exceeded even Hikigaya’s expectations.

  With the test looming, many Css D students were in full “cramming mode.” Entertainment activities had been drastically reduced (not that they had much money to begin with). Given that Css D had lost all of its css points in the first month, their determination was quite the sight to behold.

  While most of the first-years were fully focused on st-minute studying, Css C was the complete opposite. They showed no signs of reviewing, spent their time indulging in all sorts of leisure activities, and even took pleasure in harassing students from other csses.

  “They’re so annoying! Those Css C bastards are gonna flunk and get expelled for sure!”

  “Why do they get to rex?! Man, I wish I was in Css C!”

  The Three Idiots could only bitterly curse them while doodling in frustration.

  This was what most people thought—after all, they were working so hard to study while others were out enjoying themselves without a care in the world. It would be strange if they didn’t feel any resentment!

  If it were Css A or Css B, maybe they wouldn’t have such strong feelings about it. But Css C was in the same lower-tier category as Css D. So why could they take it easy while Css D had to struggle?

  "It’s not that we fear our brothers living a hard life; we just fear them driving a luxury car while we walk."

  Many students in Css D had this mindset, creating a strong psychological gap. Fortunately, Hirata stepped in at the crucial moment to stabilize everyone's emotions. Otherwise, the study atmosphere that had been painstakingly built up in Css D could have completely colpsed, even affecting their mentality during the exam—which would have been the most serious consequence.

  Throughout May, Css C had been the most active css. They not only openly provoked the upper-tier Css A and Css B, but they also disrupted Css D. Faced with Css C’s overwhelming aggression, the other three csses all chose to endure and step back. This, in turn, only fueled Css C’s arrogance even more.

  Every day, when students saw Ryuuen and his gang walking through the school corridors, they strutted around like they owned the pce. Many students instinctively avoided them as if they were dodging dog crap. At times, they were even more unbearable than Yamauchi, Ike, and Sudo—the infamous trio of fools.

  Originally, after the school revealed the truth about the system, most people had expected Css A or Css B to dominate the grade. But based on the situation in May, it was actually Css C that held the most power. Their sheer dominance had caught many people off guard.

  It felt almost like a legendary three-heroes-against-Lü Bu scenario. The only question was—would Css C eventually meet the same fate as Lü Bu?

  Meanwhile, under Hikigaya’s one-on-one tutoring, Sakura’s academic performance improved rapidly. She was now nearly guaranteed to pass the midterm exams. Her social anxiety had also eased somewhat—at the very least, she was speaking up more often. However, she still occasionally trembled, leaving Hikigaya completely puzzled.

  As for his retionship with Hiyori, things had become… complicated. Since that day at the unnamed café, over a week had passed without a proper conversation between them. Their st text exchange had also been from more than a week ago.

  Of course, they had run into each other on campus a few times, but most of those encounters ended with a simple nod before they both walked away.

  They were now caught in a space between strangers and friends—an awkward distance filled with unfamiliarity.

  But Hikigaya had already prepared himself for this, so he accepted it quickly. If he had still been na?ve enough to think their retionship would go back to how it was before, that would’ve been an absurd level of self-delusion.

  —

  After Thursday’s csses ended, school was officially over for the day. Tomorrow was finally the midterm exam.

  Once Chabashira-sensei finished the homeroom meeting and left the cssroom, Kushida walked up to the podium with a stack of papers in her hands.

  “Sorry, everyone. Before we head home, can you listen to me for a moment?”

  She began passing out the papers one by one. They were past midterm exams along with answer keys.

  Compared to the other students, who were either shocked, confused, or excited, Hikigaya remained much calmer.

  It was both expected and unexpected.

  Still, he put on a surprised expression, then gnced around at the other students. Soon, his sharp eyes caught an anomaly—no, to be precise, it was an anomaly with Kushida herself.

  Ever since she got up on stage, Hikigaya noticed that this "angelic" girl kept stealing gnces at Ayanokouji in the corner of the room. Though she hid it well, Hikigaya still picked up on it.

  At the same time, thanks to these past exam papers, Kushida instantly earned the gratitude and admiration of many students in Css D. Her angelic smile grew even brighter.

  While most of the css was buzzing with joy, Hikigaya remained detached, observing everything with cold eyes. It reminded him of the moment when Chabashira-sensei had first revealed the truth about the school.

  There was a distinct feeling of isotion, as if none of this had anything to do with him. He felt completely disconnected from the scene before him, unable to summon even a shred of emotion. He simply watched with indifference.

  “…Is it really okay to be celebrating this early?”

  Hikigaya muttered under his breath. Then, he took out his phone and sent a message to a certain arrogant, chuunibyou-afflicted individual.

  "Time to close the net."