COTE: Hikigaya's Classroom of the Supreme Being

Hikigaya had to admit—that Nagumo was both competent and utterly shameless.

The strategy he devised for the next special exam was simple: the four classes of each grade would be mixed into small groups, and each group would have a designated leader. If the group's average score failed to meet the passing threshold, the leader would be expelled.

In short, all they had to do was ensure Ayanokoji was chosen as the leader, while the rest of the group intentionally sabotaged the exam.

Even if Ayanokoji managed to score perfectly on every subject, he would still be expelled.

Of course, countering this strategy was just as simple—he only needed to form a group with trustworthy students.

But given his reputation within the grade, it was almost certain that he would be the last one left unchosen.

We've all had that experience, haven't we?

Like during basketball games in PE class, when two teams took turns picking players, and you watched one classmate after another get chosen—until you were the only one left standing.

"Hikigaya, what are you thinking about?"

Noticing my dazed expression, Nagumo asked curiously.

"...I was thinking about basketball team selections."

"Basketball?"

Nagumo blinked in surprise before quickly catching on, a satisfied smile forming on his face.

"Good. Looks like you understand the situation. In that case, I'll leave the task of assisting Tokito and the others to you. How about it?"

"If we're talking about forming groups, I don't think there's any need for me to interfere," Hikigaya shook his head lightly. "Ayanokoji will almost certainly be left out."

"And more importantly, the real challenge is convincing the members assigned to his group, isn't it? Just so we're clear—I have no intention of teaming up with him. That guy is extremely wary of me right now."

Each group would have over ten members, and getting them all to cooperate wouldn't be easy.

That said, Ayanokoji was currently in the spotlight. On top of that, since he had deliberately hidden his abilities before, there were probably plenty of students in the grade who either feared or disliked him.

If I were to take action myself, getting Ayanokoji expelled using this method wouldn't be difficult.

As for Tokito... well, at the very least, he'd cause some trouble.

"That's true," Nagumo nodded. "During the disciplinary hearing, you were so biased toward Class C that even I found it excessive."

He then turned toward Tokito and Manabe.

"Looks like Hikigaya won't be of much help... Can you two handle this on your own?"

"Of course!"

Before Manabe could respond, Tokito thumped his chest confidently.

From his perspective, anything was worth doing if it meant bringing down Ryuuen. Besides, knowing that someone as formidable as Ayanokoji was hiding in Class D, he realized that leaving him unchecked could spell trouble for Class C in the future.

With such a golden opportunity to eliminate a major threat, there was no reason to pass it up.

Manabe, on the other hand, felt that something about the whole thing seemed off. But her dislike for Ayanokoji ultimately won out, and after a moment of hesitation, she nodded in agreement.

"Don't worry, I've already paved the way for you," Nagumo assured them. "As long as you follow my instructions, there won't be any issues."

After a few more words of instruction, everyone returned to their private rooms.

Just before heading back, Nagumo suddenly spoke up again.

"So, Hikigaya, what do you think? Do they have a chance of succeeding?"

"...About fifty percent," Hikigaya replied after some thought, giving an honest assessment.

"That high?" Nagumo raised an eyebrow in surprise. "So you have a high opinion of Tokito? Or do you think that Manabe woman's grudge will be useful?"

"Neither. It's just that Ayanokoji's reputation is terrible. And lately... well, you know."

"Hah. After all, thanks to you, he's now seen as a highly capable liar. No one dares to trust someone like that."

"I'd say 'exposed' rather than 'framed.'"

Hikigaya had never forced Ayanokoji into anything. Everything that had happened was due to Ayanokoji's own choices.

"Heh, I knew you didn't like him from the start," Nagumo chuckled. "This exam was designed specifically for him. As long as everything goes according to plan, that guy will disappear from this school."

"...I'll keep that in mind."

"No need to be so serious," Nagumo grinned. "You're an important member of the student council and a junior I have high hopes for. Helping you out is the least I can do as your senior."

In high spirits, Nagumo patted Hikigaya on the shoulder before pushing open the door and stepping inside.

"Nagumo, what took you so long?"

Asahina alternated her gaze between Nagumo and Hikigaya, a suspicious expression forming on her face.

"Don't tell me you were up to something shady again?"

"Hey, hey, don't badmouth me in front of my junior. We were just having a casual chat," Nagumo waved a hand dismissively before turning to the others.

"Sorry to keep you all waiting. Order whatever you like—it's on me today!"

Cheers erupted from the group as an assortment of food and drinks was swiftly delivered to the table.

Well, at least I could save on lunch money.

Settling into a corner seat, Hikigaya quietly ate while contemplating Nagumo's words.

That guy was full of lies... which was why I said he was shameless.

And the biggest lie of all?

This so-called "special exam" Nagumo had come up with—it wasn't designed to target Ayanokoji.

The reason was simple. While the student council president did have the authority to propose exams, such decisions weren't made on a whim. They had to go through a rigorous approval process by the school, which could take several months at minimum.

Yet Nagumo had only started taking Ayanokoji seriously after witnessing the rooftop incident.

Scoring perfect marks in eight subjects was one thing, but fighting four opponents at once—and winning—was far more shocking. Not to mention, the same person had done both.

From Hikigaya's perspective, Nagumo probably still didn't trust him.

This time, he just happened to run into the hotheaded Tokito and took the chance to throw Ayanokoji into the mix as a decoy—a smokescreen meant to divert Hikigaya's attention.

As for why he was doing this, the reason wasn't hard to guess.

The real target of Nagumo's carefully crafted special exam wasn't Ayanokoji.

It was someone else entirely.

And that person likely had some connection to Hikigaya—hence why Nagumo remained so wary of him.

In that case, there was only one possible answer.

…

The gathering didn't end until three in the afternoon.

To be honest, Hikigaya never wanted to step foot in a karaoke place in his entire life. Even now, his head was still buzzing from all the noise.

That group of people was just too loud!

"Sigh, is this what it's like to experience the corporate world in advance?"

No matter the company, low-level employees couldn't escape the obligation of entertaining their superiors or clients. Even unreasonable demands had to be swallowed in silence.

The thought that his future might be like this made Hikigaya feel completely disheartened.

…Whatever, that's a problem for future me.

Avoiding suffering is a basic human instinct, after all.

Just as Hikigaya was about to return to his dorm, hurried footsteps suddenly approached from behind.

"Hikigaya-kun, wait a moment!"

"Ichinose?"

Hikigaya stopped, though he wasn't sure why she was calling him.

Didn't she decline Nagumo's dinner invitation because she was attending Class A's Christmas party? She really was a full-fledged extrovert—one event after another.

As expected, loners had the best lives.

"If you don't mind, do you have anything else planned?" Ichinose asked, looking at him hopefully.

"I do." Hikigaya replied without hesitation.

"Oh… huh?"

Ichinose initially looked disappointed, lowering her head, but then she seemed to realize something and immediately followed up, "Wait, Hikigaya-kun, when you say you have plans… you don't just mean going back to your dorm to sleep, right?"

"Of course not." Hikigaya rubbed his chin, squinting at her. "Come to think of it, are you underestimating me? Do you think I have nothing better to do on Christmas besides sleeping?"

"Eh? No, that's not what I meant, I just—"

Ichinose hurriedly tried to explain, but Hikigaya interrupted her without hesitation.

"Don't underestimate me! I still have games to play and novels to read!"

"That's the same thing!"

How could it be the same? This girl was truly disrespectful.

Sure, some people might think spending Christmas like any other day was a bit sad.

But on the flip side, didn't that just mean every day was like Christmas?

Wait… who was I even trying to explain this to?

Anyway, Hikigaya didn't think he was pitiful at all. If anything, the other activities were unnecessary.

"Sigh, I give up." Ichinose smiled wryly. "I was actually going to invite you to our class's Christmas party, but I guess that's out of the question now."

"Spare me, please."

"Ahaha, I figured you'd say that."

Ichinose shook her head with a helpless smile, then her expression turned slightly concerned.

"Hikigaya-kun, um… are you okay?"

"I'm perfectly fine?" Hikigaya raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"No, I mean back at the karaoke place. You were sitting in the corner the whole time… you barely talked to anyone or sang."

"Oh, that? I just don't like crowded places. No need to worry about it."

However, Ichinose didn't seem convinced.

She simply stared at him in silence, her beautiful eyes filled with unspoken words.

Wait… did she notice something?

Just as Hikigaya debated whether to ask directly, Ichinose suddenly broke into a bright smile.

"Never mind. If you don't want to, I won't force you. We have classmates who prefer being alone too."

"Uh, yeah, I guess so."

Her sudden change in attitude caught Hikigaya off guard, making him stumble over his words.

"So… if we get the chance, let's go out together. Just the two of us."

Ichinose twirled a strand of her hair around her finger, her gaze slightly unfocused.

"That way, you won't feel uncomfortable… right?"

"Uh… I guess."

Faced with her expectant gaze, Hikigaya found it hard to refuse.

Not like anyone actually took social niceties seriously, right?

But Ichinose nodded firmly, speaking quickly, "Great, then it's decided!"

"Wait, what—"

"I'll contact you when I'm free! See you later!"

With that, Ichinose hurried off in a fluster—her running speed was surprisingly fast?!

Hikigaya had assumed her 'armor' would slow her down, but it seemed like that kind of thing really depended on the person.

Going out with Ichinose, huh…

Now that he thought about it, it wasn't a big deal, right?

They had already gone out once during summer break. It was just that things got complicated that time, so—ah.

As that memory resurfaced, Hikigaya's expression darkened.

Back then, he had suspected Nagumo had ulterior motives, and he turned out to be right—Nagumo had even dragged Sakayanagi into it.

Neither of those guys were people he wanted to deal with…

"Hey, junior!"

Just then, someone patted Hikigaya on the back.

Turning around, he saw Kiriyuin… tch, another troublesome person.

"What's with that face? Did you eat something bad?"

"I'm not as gluttonous as you, Kiriyuin-senpai…"

"Hahaha! Too bad for you, I've never been sick in my life!"

Hikigaya highly doubted that.

She wasn't a robot—there was no way she'd never been sick.

"Anyway, since we ran into each other, I need you to do me a favor." Kiriyuin suddenly got serious.

Unfortunately, based on what he knew about her, she was never serious about anything.

"Is that so? Well, good luck with that."

"Cut the crap. Just follow me."

No matter how much Hikigaya wanted to ignore her, their difference in physical strength was too great—he was powerless against Kiriyuin and ended up getting dragged along like a helpless kitten.

Sigh… why couldn't I be the "masterpiece"?

Moments like this made Hikigaya envy Ayanokoji's raw strength.

The undefeated king of White Room training wasn't a joke.

Before long, Kiriyuin pulled Hikigaya to the entrance of a dessert shop.

"…Kiriyuin-senpai, don't tell me you just wanted to eat sweets?"

"Look over there first."

She pointed at a sign near the door.

It featured an irresistibly delicious-looking sundae, with bold letters beside it—"Christmas Couple Special."

Wait… couple special?!

Hikigaya instantly panicked.

"Senpai, you're not seriously thinking—"

"Relax, it's my treat."

Not giving him any room to resist, Kiriyuin grinned and dragged him inside.

Ugh… so unreasonable.

"Fine, fine, I get it already."

Hikigaya sighed and patted Kiriyuin's arm, signaling her to let go.

"You just wanted to try the limited-edition sundae, so you needed someone to pretend to be your partner. Why not just say so?"

"…You agreed way too easily." Kiriyuin looked surprised.

"It's not a big deal."

"Huh. Weird. Why do you seem so… experienced?"

"...I'm not."

Despite his denial, Hikigaya averted his gaze.

To be fair, he had gotten used to this kind of thing back in middle school… thanks to Isshiki.

She once insisted on "practicing dating in advance," boldly claiming, 'Senpai, you're never going to get an opportunity like this in the future, so you should cherish it forever!'

Who the hell was she looking down on?

That kind of thing didn't need to be said out loud!

"Well, whatever. Not my problem."

Shrugging off her comment, Kiriyuin found a window seat, ordered the sundae without hesitation, and then eagerly watched the kitchen, looking like an excited kid.

…She does act like a child sometimes.

Amused, Hikigaya couldn't help but relax a little.

It was strange.

With Nagumo, there was always tension—whether he liked it or not.

But with Kiriyuin, that tension didn't exist at all.

"Oh, right, junior, I almost forgot to say something."

"What now?" Hikigaya asked lazily.

Kiriyuin grinned. "Merry Christmas."

"…Yeah. Thanks."

Looking at Kiryuin, who was laughing like a young girl, Hikigaya suddenly had a realization.

Senpai is a girl... huh? Ouch?!

"Huh? Why did you kick my leg?"

Hikigaya looked at her in confusion.

"I don't know. I just suddenly felt like kicking you," Kiryuin answered honestly.

Honesty is a good trait, but resorting to violence isn't exactly commendable!

Just as the two were messing around—or rather, as Hikigaya was getting unilaterally beaten—a sudden chill ran down his spine.

This feeling… someone was watching him.

He slowly turned his head and saw Matsushita standing outside the window, staring at him expressionlessly. A few other girls from their class were chatting nearby, seemingly unaware of the situation.

Uh… Matsushita-san?

You know, standing there like that might disturb the store's business...

"Hey, you guys over there, stop chatting and look over here!"

Just as Hikigaya was breaking out in a cold sweat, the parfait was conveniently delivered to their table.

Of all the luck, the parfait was decorated with countless heart-shaped ornaments, and the chocolate pieces on the side even had words like LOVE written on them—definitely the kind of thing that could be easily misunderstood.

…No choice, a tactical retreat might be in order.

"Um, senpai, now that the food is here, you can just take your time and—"

"Heh, no need to be shy. You should have some too."

Whether intentional or not, Kiryuin scooped up a large spoonful of ice cream and, without giving Hikigaya any chance to refuse, shoved it straight into his mouth.

Why is this woman's hand speed so fast?!

Hikigaya shuddered instantly… probably just because the parfait was too cold.