COTE: Hikigaya's Classroom of the Supreme Being

"I want to know—does Student Council President Nagumo have some kind of relationship with Tokito from Class C?"

Hikigaya wasn't the least bit surprised that Ayanokoji had picked up on this.

The reason was simple—Nagumo had been far too obvious about it, practically pointing at Ayanokoji and saying, "I'm coming for you." As for Tokito, he was just as incapable of hiding his intentions—his thoughts were practically written all over his face.

If it were Hikigaya, he would never deliberately set up a scheme to target Ayanokoji.

People like Ayanokoji or Sakayanagi, who were incredibly perceptive, could sense the slightest disturbance. However, that same strength was also their weakness—when they took action against others, they became their most vulnerable.

After all, it was obvious that these two had always been at the top of their respective fields since childhood. They had never experienced real failure, so they naturally never considered its consequences.

Unfortunately, Nagumo had no understanding of this and still thought that striking first would give him the upper hand.

That said, he wasn't taking Ayanokoji seriously—just playing around.

So Hikigaya had no intention of giving a serious answer either.

"That Nagumo wants to go after you is pretty clear to me," Hikigaya said lazily. "But whether he and Tokito are connected... I don't have any evidence, so I can't say for sure. But the fact that you're asking means you already think they are. And whether they are or not doesn't matter to them, doesn't matter to me, doesn't matter to anyone else. The only thing that matters is that you think they are. That alone makes it true."

"...Are you trying to confuse me with a tongue twister?" Ayanokoji frowned, clearly puzzled.

"Ahem, well, I've said all I needed to say." Hikigaya coughed lightly, then patted his stomach.

"I'm getting hungry. I'm heading to the cafeteria."

"It's not even mealtime yet, though?"

"Can't I go ahead and save a seat first?"

"I don't think that's allowed… but I can go with you."

"Forget it, I'm suddenly not hungry anymore."

Just as the two were bickering, the bell signaling dinner time rang, and waves of students began pouring out of the rooms lining the corridor.

These guys only get this enthusiastic when it's time to eat…

"Hikigaya, are you planning to meet a girl?" Ayanokoji seemed to be using a reverse psychology tactic. "If that's the case, I won't intrude."

The old Hikigaya would have immediately denied it outright.

Unfortunately, the current him… still didn't want to admit it.

"S-So what if I am? What's it to you?"

"It's nothing to do with me, of course. I was just wondering if you were going to see Kushida. I happen to be looking for her as well."

Dinner time was the only opportunity each day for boys and girls to interact freely, and it was also the only time they could exchange information.

According to the materials, the cafeteria was large enough to accommodate over 500 people, making it difficult to find a specific person… Ayanokoji probably figured that by following Hikigaya, he could locate Kushida.

…Why is this guy so smart?

"What's wrong? You don't want me to go find her?" Ayanokoji asked deliberately.

"No, that's your choice." Hikigaya shook his head slightly. "I just don't think you'll get any useful information out of her."

Ayanokoji wasn't particularly familiar with his group members. He wasn't simply doubting Shiina—anyone in the group could have been bribed by Nagumo.

Given the circumstances, it wasn't strange for him to seek Kushida's help.

Back when Sudo was involved in that fight, Ayanokoji had used Kushida to lure Ishizaki and the others out, trying to trick them into withdrawing their complaint. Unfortunately, Ryuuen had interfered at the last moment.

But from that incident, it was clear that even boys from other classes weren't immune to Kushida's charm… After all, most guys in this grade were just hormone-driven idiots.

"Ayanokoji, I think you're focusing on the wrong thing," Hikigaya said suddenly.

"The wrong thing?"

"Yeah. If you want to stop President Nagumo's tricks, gathering intel isn't the key—the real priority is making sure there aren't any idiots in your group… Don't tell me that never crossed your mind?"

"…I just thought having an extra layer of insurance wouldn't hurt."

Under Hikigaya's gaze, Ayanokoji could only admit his intentions.

In truth, this guy had already figured out a solution. He just wanted to feign incompetence, to create the illusion that he had resolved the crisis with outside help.

His goal, of course, was to lower Nagumo's guard.

"I'd advise you not to think you can avoid this," Hikigaya said, almost amused. "Nagumo is just as much of a pain as Sakayanagi. He won't stop until he beats you. Right now, just from us talking here, there are already several annoying second-years watching us. That's a huge hassle for you, isn't it?"

"Being watched isn't a big deal." Ayanokoji feigned ignorance.

Hikigaya couldn't even be bothered to mock him and simply played along. "Oh, sure. Maybe I'll mention to President Nagumo that he should send more people to keep an eye on you."

"…Please go easy on me."

Even just being watched was enough to cause Ayanokoji a great deal of frustration and annoyance.

Most obviously, it made any covert actions significantly more difficult.

There was no effective way to stop Nagumo's surveillance—he could only accept it.

"That's why, instead of exhausting yourself trying to avoid Nagumo, wouldn't it be better to just take him down? Who knows, maybe he'd get so depressed that he'd stop bothering you."

"Like it would be that easy… If anything, he'd probably just double down on targeting me."

Ayanokoji didn't fall for Hikigaya's provocation, instead suggesting a much more likely outcome.

That was something Hikigaya couldn't deny—otherwise, he wouldn't be trying so hard to shift this problem onto someone else.

As they neared the cafeteria, a commotion broke out ahead in the hallway, where a small group of boys and girls had gathered.

"Sorry, sorry! Are you okay?"

Yamauchi awkwardly extended his hand, offering to help the person he had knocked over.

And the one he had bumped into, of all people, happened to be the only student in school with limited mobility—Sakayanagi.

"Mm… No need to worry."

Sakayanagi didn't take his hand. Instead, she braced herself against the wall and slowly stood up on her own.

"Oh wow, someone's in trouble." Hikigaya sighed.

He didn't even need to analyze Sakayanagi's expression—just looking at the situation was enough to know that Yamauchi was doomed.

Sakayanagi had an immense sense of pride. Being seen in such an unsightly state, even for just a few seconds, was more than enough to make her resent someone.

Yamauchi, completely oblivious, simply withdrew his hand awkwardly.

"Umm, well… I'll be going then?"

"Mm. Please don't mind it."

Sakayanagi didn't seem intent on pursuing the matter… at least for now.

But simply walking away with a casual remark like that would only make her even more displeased.

From the looks of it, Yamauchi had probably been too engrossed in chatting with his friends and accidentally bumped into Sakayanagi, who had no way to dodge in time.

…If that was the case, then he deserved whatever was coming.

Hikigaya didn't care for Yamauchi, so he wasn't going to intervene—but someone else here actually considered him a friend.

"Ayanokoji, aren't you going to help your old pal?"

"Doesn't seem necessary."

Sensing that Hikigaya was only teasing him, Ayanokoji gave a noncommittal response.

And then, as if trying to dig his own grave deeper, Yamauchi muttered something under his breath.

"Ahh, Sakayanagi-chan is cute, but she's slow, huh?"

"…Uh."

"…Uh."

Both Hikigaya and Ayanokoji were left utterly speechless.

"Hey, Hikigaya."

"What?"

"That idiot you mentioned earlier… were you talking about Yamauchi?"

"I honestly don't know." Hikigaya shook his head before adding, "But if I were President Nagumo and I met someone as airheaded as Yamauchi, I'd make contact… You know why, right?"

"Yeah. You're right."

Ayanokoji had spent enough time with Yamauchi to understand exactly what kind of person he was.

Even if it meant betraying his classmates, Yamauchi would sell out for the right price—especially if personal points were involved.

In a normal scenario, this wouldn't be a problem.

For how Hikigaya could easily manipulate Class B—so long as everyone understood that if the leader got expelled, others could be dragged down with them, and no one would intentionally sabotage an exam. A simple game theory principle.

But if there was a complete idiot in the group, that logic fell apart.

Some morons always thought, "There are so many people in the group. If things go south, it won't necessarily be me who gets sacrificed." And they'd end up taking reckless risks.

Even Ayanokoji had to admit—that was a real headache.

If I had to give an example, it would be something like a certain manga where the protagonist, Kusuo Saiki, can use his psychic powers to read anyone's thoughts—except for one person, Nendou, because the guy is such an idiot that his mind is completely empty.

Though that was a comedy manga, it oddly reflected Ayanokouji's current predicament.

Rather than worrying about Nagumo's targeting, he was more concerned about teammates like Yamauchi—an ally as useless as a pig. Now that he thought about it, something similar had happened back on the uninhabited island.

Back then, Ibuki had stolen Karuizawa's underwear and stuffed it into Ike's bag. Just before the bag check, Ike and Yamauchi, in a moment of sheer desperation, shoved the underwear onto Ayanokouji, nearly causing him to suffer a social death on the spot.

Even now, the memory made him chuckle. Those two were the ultimate bane of any mastermind, weren't they?

"Oh my, it's quite rare to see you two together."

At that moment, Sakayanagi noticed Hikigaya and Ayanokouji and approached them with a smile.

"You alright?" Ayanokouji asked.

"Thanks for your concern, but I'm fine. Just got knocked over once, that's all."

Despite her words, her expression told a different story—she wore a cold smirk that made it obvious she wasn't letting this go.

She was holding a grudge against Yamauchi.

Hikigaya glanced around and asked, puzzled, "Where's Kamuro? Why isn't she back yet?"

"My, my, Hikigaya-kun, you can't even go half a day without seeing Masumi-chan? How adorable."

"Oi."

"Hehe, just kidding. Masumi-chan and I didn't stick together today. Sorry to disappoint you."

Sakayanagi covered her mouth and laughed, her fox-like grin revealing just how much she enjoyed teasing people.

"Can you not—never mind." Hikigaya sighed in exasperation. "I'm just saying, you boss Kamuro around all the time, so now's the perfect chance to do it again, right?"

"Thanks for your concern, but this was just an accident. No need to overthink it."

Even though Hikigaya had tried to subtly advise her, Sakayanagi refused to listen. It seemed her pride wouldn't allow it.

"More importantly, since it's such a rare opportunity to see you two together, why don't we have a meal together?"

"I'll pass, I've got stuff to do. You two go ahead."

Not waiting for a response, Hikigaya immediately activated his stealth skills, slipped into the crowd, and disappeared. [T/N: What a chad!]

Ayanokouji glanced at Sakayanagi, then also declined. "I'll pass too. You tend to draw too much attention."

"Hehe, rejecting a lady's invitation—how utterly lacking in charm."

"If you want to complain, go find Hikigaya. He ran away without hesitation."

"True. I'll have to give him a proper scolding next time."

"Well then."

Just as Ayanokouji was about to leave, Sakayanagi's cane suddenly creaked.

"Speaking of which, there's something I wanted to tell you. Class A is undoubtedly a highly cohesive group, largely because Ichinose Honami has always done her best to live up to her classmates' trust."

Sakayanagi smiled as she spoke.

"But I wonder… what happens when that trust goes too far?"

"That doesn't seem relevant to me," Ayanokouji replied flatly. "But from the way you're talking, it sounds like you're planning to go after Ichinose. Maybe I'm wrong, or maybe I'm sticking my nose where it doesn't belong, but let me give you a piece of advice."

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"Hikigaya and Ichinose are both part of the student council. He won't just stand by and do nothing."

"Hehe, that's true. Hikigaya-kun probably admires people like Ichinose."

Sakayanagi nodded with a knowing smile before adding in a slightly mocking tone, "But you know, there's a saying—admiration is the emotion most distant from understanding. I'm quite looking forward to seeing Hikigaya-kun's reaction when he learns the truth."

"The truth?"

"Ichinose appears to have an unusually large amount of personal points. To be honest, I was quite surprised. I highly doubt she earned that money herself. Most likely, Class A students pool a portion of their monthly points, and she manages it as their class fund."

"I wouldn't know. So this 'truth' you're talking about—is this all you mean?"

"No, what I mean is this: If Class A students trust Ichinose too much, one day they may suffer for it. Suppose she were to secretly squander that money—then the school would have no choice but to treat it as fraud."

Ayanokouji found Sakayanagi's words perplexing. From what he knew of Ichinose, she wasn't the kind of person to do such a thing.

But Sakayanagi wouldn't say something like this without reason. She must have had some basis for her claim.

Realizing that Ayanokouji suddenly grew curious about what she was planning to do next.

Still, he simply said, "I doubt Ichinose would ever do something like that. Forget Hikigaya—no one would believe you."

"Hmm, you're right. At least for now, no one would suspect a thing… which is why I'm so looking forward to Hikigaya-kun's reaction."

Sakayanagi's expression was unsettling, sending a slight chill down Ayanokouji's spine.

"I originally planned to save this little amusement until after the exam, but maybe giving a small preview wouldn't be so bad."

"The preview refers to what?"

"Hehe, just wait and see."

Having said everything she wanted to, Sakayanagi left without looking back, feeling completely satisfied.

Ayanokoji had no interest in the conflicts among the girls, but if this matter involved Hikigaya, that was a different story.

If Sakayanagi's actions ended up angering Hikigaya… no matter how their confrontation played out, it would be beneficial for Ayanokoji.

One knew his past, and the other found him displeasing at every turn.

Both were troublesome in their ways.

But for now, the priority was handling certain members within his group. Aside from Yamauchi and Tokito, two other individuals caught Ayanokoji's attention.

Totsuka Yahiko and Hashimoto Masayoshi from Class B.

Were these two allies or enemies? That remained to be seen through further interaction.

"Sigh… this training camp is a total nightmare."

Feeling exasperated by this unfamiliar situation, Ayanokoji made his way to the cafeteria.

Not only did he have to tackle tomorrow's assignments, but he also had to navigate the schemes within his group and deal with challenges and hostility from upperclassmen…

Why did studying here feel even more exhausting than life at the White Room?