COTE: Hikigaya's Classroom of the Supreme Being

This year's Christmas came to an end in an atmosphere full of scheming.

The way things turned out was quite unexpected, but Hikigaya didn't find it all that bad.

If Kushida and the others had actually gone through with hosting a lively Christmas party, it wouldn't have been terrible per se, but it would have been exhausting—especially after already being tormented all morning.

Sitting around, eating cake, chatting, and occasionally bickering like this felt just right.

After all, Christmas was basically a holiday for couples, or at least for those looking to take their relationships a step further. Hikigaya, however, had absolutely no such thoughts at the moment.

So if anyone had invited him out on a one-on-one date, he definitely would have refused without hesitation.

…Not that anyone invited him in the first place.

Well, except for Kiryuin-senpai.

But that hardly counted as an invitation. She had simply found an amusing little toy and decided to use it to kill time.

No wonder she got along so well with Haruno.

Speaking of which, Haruno had left without so much as a word.

Not that it was surprising.

That was just the kind of relationship they had—no need for unnecessary pleasantries or formalities, which would only make things awkward.

Still… it would've been nice if she had at least said something.

After all, they wouldn't be seeing each other again for more than two years.

"Oi, dead eyes, what's with that face? Constipated or something?"

Right then, an untimely voice broke through his thoughts.

"Being dragged out early in the morning just to see your sour mug—what a great way to ruin my day."

"…And who do you think this meeting is for?"

Even though Hikigaya had been the one to call for it, hearing Ryuuen's remark still pissed him off.

If it weren't for someone failing to keep his class in check, he wouldn't have had to get up at eight in the morning on a winter break day.

Seriously, it was winter vacation—everyone just wanted to stay wrapped up in their warm, cozy blankets!

"Tch, don't give me that crap." Ryuuen plopped down on the bench next to Hikigaya. "If you were just here to talk business, there's no way you'd schedule it this early. You have something else lined up after this, so you figured you'd just kill two birds with one stone."

"…Huh? How the hell do you know me so well?"

Hikigaya was genuinely shocked.

He hadn't expected Ryuuen to hit the nail on the head so perfectly.

Following his philosophy of "if it's not necessary, don't go outside", he would never leave his room unless it was for something important.

And if he had to go out, he'd try to squeeze everything into one trip to avoid having to leave again.

What could he say? Hachiman was a true homebody at heart.

"Since you already know, I'll just get straight to the point." Hikigaya decided to cut to the chase. "Ryuuen, a few days ago on Christmas, I happened to see Tokito and Manabe from your class discussing a karaoke lounge."

"Tokito, huh… Heh."

Ryuuen didn't even ask what it was about. He simply chuckled as if he had already expected it.

"I know that guy is always up to something behind the scenes. Looks like he just couldn't hold himself back this time."

Saying that, he turned to Hikigaya with a bored expression.

"Dead eyes, if you're just here to warn me to be careful, then you're the most boring man on the planet."

Even though Ryuuen no longer had the same level of authority as before, people like Tokito and Manabe were still nothing more than small fries to him.

Especially Manabe—not even worth mentioning.

"Yeah, I think so too," Hikigaya nodded slightly. "But the problem is, Nagumo was there with me at the time. He seemed quite interested in what Tokito was saying… so much so that he went over to chat with him himself."

"Oh?"

The moment Hikigaya mentioned the current student council president, Ryuuen's interest was piqued.

"Are you telling me that guy plans to use Tokito and his crew against me?"

He hadn't forgotten that time on the rooftop—Nagumo had warned him to show up for the hearing, or else face the consequences.

Although the hearing had concluded without Class C suffering any repercussions, that didn't mean Ryuuen could afford to let his guard down. He couldn't just assume Nagumo had been bluffing.

If the so-called consequences were targeted at Ryuuen personally, then everything would make sense.

However, Hikigaya only gave him an ambiguous response.

"I won't say Nagumo has no such intentions, but… for now, I don't think he considers you worth his attention."

"Hah… So I'm being underestimated, huh?"

This is just Ryuuen reaping what he sowed—losing a four-on-one battle was entirely his own doing.

"However, Nagumo made another request to Tokito," Hikigaya continued. "In the next exam, he wants Ayanokoji to be expelled to prove that he's more capable than you."

"Ayanokoji? Hahaha, I can't believe he came up with that. Now that's hilarious."

Ryuuen burst into laughter, seemingly entertained by the idea.

Seeing his reaction, Hikigaya warned him, "I know you don't take Tokito seriously, but don't forget that the student council president is backing him now. You should at least be a little cautious."

"What? You think Ayanokoji would actually lose to them?" Ryuuen scoffed.

"No, what concerns me is that your class might suffer because of it," Hikigaya shook his head slightly. "Given this school's system, even useless students can't be discarded so easily. Weaklings may not harm other classes, but it's easy for them to become a liability to their own."

Ryuuen let out a cold chuckle. "Hah, you mean that peeping tom from your class?"

"...I won't deny it."

There was no doubt that the summer incident had severely damaged Class D, even bringing it to the brink of collapse.

If Horikita hadn't stepped up back then, Class D might have sunk completely.

"So don't assume your class won't face the same kind of disaster… Ayanokoji was involved in that pool incident too. You've seen how it ended."

Even though Hikigaya didn't elaborate, Ryuuen, who understood a part of Ayanokoji's true nature, could easily guess what that guy had done.

If Tokito foolishly went after Ayanokoji, he would likely end up backfired upon, dragging Class C down with him.

"So after all this talk, you're asking me to rein in Tokito," Ryuuen said, finally recognizing the potential trouble. "Tch, that student council president is really annoying—planting a spy right in my territory. Even if I forcefully remove him, it'll cause some damage."

If Tokito succeeded, it would prove Ayanokoji was nothing special while also threatening Ryuuen's authority.

If Tokito failed, Ayanokoji would likely retaliate against Class C, also threatening Ryuuen's authority.

For Nagumo, who wanted complete control over the school, either outcome would work in his favor.

"It's not just about restraining him—I want you to turn those two into double agents."

Hikigaya proposed something unexpected.

Ryuuen blinked before breaking into a grin. "You never stop thinking about how to use people, huh? Even I'm just another tool in your plan."

"Well, it's not like you're the type to just sit back and take it."

"Hmph, your silver tongue is getting sharper."

Ryuuen huffed in feigned dissatisfaction, but in the end, he didn't reject Hikigaya's request.

After all, this was a problem for Class C, and he understood that the foundation of the 800 million plan depended on the student council president's downfall. No matter what, Nagumo had to be taken down.

"Putting that aside, dead eyes, even if you manage to unite two of the first-year classes, what about the other two? Especially Ichinose's Class A. Don't tell me you haven't considered this issue."

There was a hint of warning in Ryuuen's voice, or maybe it was just an illusion.

Hikigaya pretended not to notice and, after a moment of thought, slowly spoke. "I've already decided how to handle Class B… If necessary, I'll have Sakayanagi expelled." 

"Whoa, seriously?" Ryuuen chuckled mockingly. "I thought you two were on good terms. What happened? Did you have a falling out?"

"Don't be ridiculous."

With her personality, even if she were expelled, she'd probably just reflect on it briefly rather than react like others.

Of course, this decision was ultimately Hikigaya's own selfish choice.

"I just don't want to see you kicking her into a hospital someday."

"Whoa, you still remember that?"

"No, that's not the point."

Strictly speaking, if Sakayanagi didn't change her ways, she would inevitably face consequences sooner or later.

But that had nothing to do with Hikigaya.

He simply didn't want to witness it firsthand—seeing it would probably keep him up at night.

Just like how he stopped Kamuro from stealing but never bothered to give her any advice afterward.

At his core, Hikigaya only acted for his satisfaction—it had nothing to do with kindness.

"But before expelling Sakayanagi, we need to find someone in Class B willing to work with us," Hikigaya said casually. "So, Ryuuen, in the next exam, let's lend a hand to Katsuragi."

"Hahaha! HAHAHA!"

Ryuuen burst into laughter.

"Dead eyes, I gotta hand it to you. Didn't you orchestrate Katsuragi's downfall in the first place? And now you plan to help him back up? The audacity."

"…Times change."

Hikigaya considered saying he hadn't eaten the "Face Fruit," but he figured Ryuuen wouldn't get the joke anyway, so he let it go.

His real reason for supporting Katsuragi was his concern about Sakayanagi's collaboration with Nagumo.

Whether Sakayanagi was serious or not, he had to assume she was.

"Fine, do whatever you want with Sakayanagi, I don't care. But don't ignore my question," Ryuuen pressed impatiently. "I asked from the start—what do you plan to do about Class A? Ichinose was personally recruited into the student council by Nagumo. She won't betray him, right?"

"Yeah…"

If Hikigaya truly clashed with Nagumo, where would Ichinose stand? That was a… No, it wasn't even a question.

As long as he leveraged their past relationship, the gratitude she felt, and the impact of Sakayanagi's actions…

Pulling Ichinose to his side would be easy.

However, that was exactly what Hikigaya didn't want to do.

He had only helped Ichinose because he liked her as a person. If he abandoned his original intent just to achieve his goals, that would be far too pathetic.

"You should know this—every year's Class A holds significant influence, even over the new students next year," Ryuuen pointed out sharply.

"Yeah… If Ichinose insists on siding with Nagumo…"

Hikigaya took a deep breath, his eyes gradually growing resolute.

"Then I'll crush Class A myself."

Ichinose was an upright person, so Hikigaya would only defeat her fair and square in a special exam.

There would be no reason to hold back.

This was how the school worked—ever since the S-System was introduced, every class had to be prepared to fall to the bottom.

"Tch, why so serious? It's not that big of a deal," Ryuuen said with a teasing grin. "Or… are you just that reluctant to go against Ichinose? Want me to tell you a foolproof way to fix that?"

"Not interested. I've said my piece, you can leave now." Hikigaya waved him off, clearly annoyed.

He had no interest in Ryuuen's "solution."

It was something ridiculous!

"Come on, don't be like that. It's a great plan, and with your skills, it's guaranteed to work."

Instead of leaving, Ryuuen shamelessly stuck around.

"You should just make Ichinose your woman. A girl like her, always trying to please people, wouldn't refuse anything her boyfriend says. Plus, Nagumo is interested in her—you could mess with him."

"Shut up and get lost," Hikigaya shot him a sharp glare.

Wait, did Ryuuen know about the concept of a "people-pleaser"? Was he more knowledgeable than he let on?

Well, it was true—Ichinose did give off the vibe of someone who might get manipulated by a smooth talker in the future.

That was one point Hikigaya couldn't refute.

…He could only pray for her.

"Whoa, whoa, why are you getting so worked up?" Ryuuen still had that half-serious, half-joking look on his face. "You're good at dealing with women anyway. Playing around a little won't cost you anything. Besides, a few days ago on Christmas, you became an adult, didn't you?"

…So this was what he was trying to say the whole time?

At a time like this, a man can't back down!

But Hikigaya also didn't want to lie… Whatever, he'd just muddle through it.

"Why is that the only thing you can think of when Christmas is mentioned? I'd say it wasn't even that big of a deal in the first place."

"Heh… As expected of you."

For some reason, instead of getting angry at Hikigaya's bluff, Ryuuen looked at him with something resembling admiration.

"You… In middle school—no, maybe even in elementary school—you already had experience, huh? What's your record? How many girls were you juggling at once?"

"…No, what exactly do you take me for?"

Logic told Hikigaya that Ryuuen was just messing with him.

But looking at Ryuuen's expression, he seemed completely serious… Huh? Is this guy's brain functioning properly?

"Alright, fine. I won't ask for details. Just tell me—how many did you 'play with' this Christmas?"

"Play your damn head! Go to hell!"

Just as Hikigaya was debating whether to kick Ryuuen into oblivion, a hand suddenly landed on his shoulder from behind.

"Hikigaya… When he says 'play,' what exactly does he mean?"