COTE : There is Something Wrong With Hikigaya

"First-year, Class A, Hashimoto Masayoshi. I'm our princess's loyal knight. Gotta say, it's rare to see our dear princess take an interest in a student from another class. Also, what's up with your eyes? I heard there are cosmetic surgeries these days that can—" 

Before Hashimoto could finish his overly enthusiastic introduction, Sakayanagi's soft voice cut in. 

"Hashimoto." 

He shrugged, looking like he had no choice but to stop. His face was full of exaggerated expressions. 

"Well, anyway, nice to meet you."

A knight protecting a princess? 

Hikigaya's eyes instinctively drifted toward a petite, white-haired girl. 

Was this some kind of special obsession? 

But with the way she carried herself and her delicate figure, she really did resemble a noble princess. Could she be another spoiled rich girl who had been pampered too much at home? 

How could she accept that so naturally without feeling embarrassed? 

If someone called him "Your Highness" in public, Hikigaya would be so ashamed he'd want to curl up and disappear! 

"You're such a pain. What a waste of time." 

The purple-haired girl shot an annoyed look at Hashimoto, who was acting all casual. Then she crossed her arms and turned to a certain dead-eyed boy. For some reason, under her gaze, Hikigaya felt an oddly familiar sensation. 

Was she… looking at him like trash? 

Just like a certain demonic superhuman from his past! 

"Kamuro Masumi, that's enough." 

With that, the purple-haired girl turned and left, playing on her phone—like she was disgusted just standing near him. 

Had he unknowingly offended her somehow? Hikigaya was confused. 

"Kito… Hayato!" 

A deep, ominous voice suddenly rang out behind him, making Hikigaya nearly jump out of his skin. Goosebumps ran all over his body, but thanks to his strong mental endurance—and his lifeless, unreadable eyes—his reaction was hard to notice. 

Kito Hayato had a face that didn't match his high school age at all. His whole aura screamed "dangerous." If Hashimoto looked like a delinquent, then Kito Hayato was the real deal—a full-fledged gangster. Just standing there, he radiated an overwhelming sense of pressure. 

"Your eyes… they're special," Kito said, staring straight at Hikigaya. 

"..." 

An awkward silence followed. 

Then, Kamuro suddenly snorted with laughter. Hashimoto covered his mouth, trying not to laugh, while Sakayanagi, as always, just kept smiling without any change in expression. 

"It just means I have a little more DHA than most people." 

Hikigaya answered expressionlessly. 

Would Kito get mad? 

Maybe. Or maybe he was already used to it. Hikigaya had heard countless comments about his eyes since he was a kid—confusion, mockery, teasing. At first, he didn't understand, then he argued back, then he got angry. But in the end, he just got used to it. 

He had learned a simple truth: he didn't need to seek approval from others. The world was his own—it had nothing to do with anyone else. 

Of course, the real reason he could think that way was… 

"Your eyes are kinda creepy, Onii-chan. But you know what? It's because of those eyes that Komachi loves you the most!" 

Hikigaya had faced all kinds of silent bullying and rejection from the world. He had endured it all without losing himself or going down the wrong path. 

And a big part of why he had grown up "normally" was because of those words from his little sister, Komachi. 

She probably said it without thinking. She might not even remember it. 

But it was enough. 

As long as he had his little sister, that was enough! 

For some reason, as Hikigaya said those words in his usual "indifferent" tone, the laughter in the room suddenly stopped. 

His eyes fell on the white-haired girl in front of him. From the way the three had introduced themselves and their subtle gestures, it was obvious—this girl, Sakayanagi Arisu, was the true leader here. 

But… they were all from Class A. 

Could this have something to do with Haruno? 

Sakayanagi smiled at Hikigaya, as if telling him, "It's your turn now." 

"D-Class. Hika—Hikigaya Hachiman."

Hikigaya was about to give a fake name, but he quickly changed his mind at the last second. He realized that if this was a trap, there was no way the other side wouldn't already know his name. It was better to be careful and not give them any openings. 

For a brief moment, Sakayanagi's eyes sharpened, but the look quickly disappeared. 

"So... Sakayanagi, do you need something? I have other things to take care of, so..." 

"I heard a first-year student has been collecting private points recently, so I got curious," Sakayanagi said at a slow and steady pace. 

"That person is you, right, Hikigaya-kun?" 

"Oh, come on, that's just a rumor!" Hikigaya's expression stiffened, but he spoke firmly. 

"I've just been engaging in cultural exchange with my seniors out of my deep admiration for high school clubs. That's completely normal." 

"Heh." 

Leaning on her cane, Sakayanagi slowly walked up to Hikigaya. Even though she was clearly shorter than the dead-eyed boy, she somehow gave off the impression of looking down on him. 

"No need to keep up the act." 

She gestured toward the chessboard beside them. "How about it? A friendly cultural exchange." 

Though her tone made it sound like a suggestion, it was clear there was no room for refusal. 

Hikigaya instinctively glanced back at Kito, who was standing guard by the door. He could only force a smile. "Alright." 

Chess wasn't that popular in East Asian culture, but on a global scale, it was definitely a recognized form of cultural exchange—kind of like learning English. 

Hikigaya had only learned the game quickly, the way people speed-learn things in 21 days. Compared to someone who had spent decades mastering it, he was obviously no match. 

From the very start, he could tell the silver-haired girl was on a completely different level. As expected, he lost. Aside from some initial probing moves, she controlled the entire game from start to finish. 

"I lost." 

Hikigaya said calmly, unsurprised by the result. The only reason he had beaten the seniors in the shogi and go clubs before was because he had studied famous game records and gathered intel beforehand to catch them off guard. 

Kamuro, Hashimoto, and the others were surprised to see Hikigaya lose so quickly, but then their expressions shifted to one of realization—like they had expected this all along. Their assessment of the dead-eyed boy dropped to "just a normal guy." 

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