COTE : There is Something Wrong With Hikigaya

Hikigaya had actually noticed her as early as his second day in the library. At first, he didn't think much of it, but then he realized—she was following him! 

This was the first time in his life that someone had followed him. It felt... weird. Usually, he was the one people accused of being a creepy stalker. 

So he pretended not to notice. Partly because it gave him a tiny sense of satisfaction, but mostly because he didn't want to jump to conclusions. Getting labeled as a stalker was serious, and since she was a girl, things could get even messier. 

Not to exaggerate, but if he made the wrong move, people might actually think he was the one following her. 

That's why, when he saw Kamuro in the clubroom earlier, he couldn't help but glance at her a few more times. Ironically, that tiny action made her suspicious of him. As expected of someone who does spy work—sharp as ever. 

"So, can I go now?" Hikigaya asked cautiously. 

Kamuro didn't respond. Hikigaya turned to leave, but just as he took his first step— 

"Wait!" 

Kamuro Masumi stared at Hikigaya with an unfriendly look. 

"So you knew I was following you from the start and just pretended not to notice? And in the clubroom just now, you did the same thing—were you just messing with me?" 

Hikigaya: "...." 

*Lady, please don't let your imagination run wild.* 

"If I had recognized you back there, wouldn't that have been a problem for you?" Hikigaya ignored the stunned look on her face and continued, "I just didn't want to cause trouble for myself or anyone else." 

"Huh? Are you saying I'd get punished by Sakayanagi?" Kamuro Masumi was clearly irritated by Hikigaya's assumption and quickly denied it. "I-I'm not scared of her!" 

*Girl, do you even believe what you're saying? You don't sound confident at all.* 

"Well, that's great to hear." 

Hikigaya's expression showed a look of *Oh, I see now.*

"If there's nothing else, I'll be going." 

*Phew, finally—* Just as he was about to relax, Kamuro Masumi's voice called out again. 

"Hey, wait a second." 

Was it just his imagination, or did she sound less aggressive than before? 

"Did you just lose to Sakayanagi on purpose?" 

Hikigaya gave her a puzzled look, not quite understanding what she was getting at. 

"No, that Sakayanagi girl is genuinely skilled at chess. At least at an entry-level professional standard," Hikigaya answered honestly. 

"Really?" 

Kamuro Masumi frowned, as if she wasn't entirely convinced.

Kamuro Masumi had been tracking Hikigaya for about a week, so she knew exactly what he had been doing in the library all this time. 

She reported to Sakayanagi that "he's been reading and memorizing a large number of books and game records related to chess." 

Masumi wasn't sure if others fully understood the weight behind that simple statement, but she had seen it all with her own eyes. 

The boy named Hikigaya spent nearly six hours every day after school in the library until closing time, completely focused on reading without wasting a single moment. 

Out of curiosity, she once secretly checked the search history on the terminal he had used. The screen was filled with page after page of book titles and game records, so densely packed that she estimated he had gone through at least a hundred books. 

She had her doubts—could cramming so much information like that really be effective? 

She didn't know if it worked, but that level of dedication and perseverance was already beyond most students in her class. 

However, she didn't report this "process" to Sakayanagi—only the result. 

As she silently watched Hikigaya's figure gradually disappear, a thought crossed her mind. 

So, even with all that effort, he still couldn't beat a genius? 

Wait a minute! 

Didn't that guy only acknowledge that Sakayanagi was strong at chess? 

"Damn it!" 

Masumi finally realized it, but by then, that dead-fish-eyed guy was already long gone. All she could do was stomp her foot in frustration. 

— 

"You think I'd just sit there and take it? If someone sets me up and traps me in a room, of course I'm gonna play weak. That Kito guy is obviously the brute-force type. You think these scrawny arms and legs of mine could even warm him up?" 

Hikigaya muttered to himself as he walked away from the club building. Of course, when he said "playing weak," he was just trying to save face. He knew full well that in a pure game of chess, he wasn't a match for that silver-haired girl. 

"But this Sakayanagi... she's kinda dangerous." 

Something about Sakayanagi Arisu reminded him of a certain demon queen. 

It was best not to get involved with people like that. 

Besides... 

He had a vague feeling that she wasn't actually targeting him. It was more like she was trying to find something through him. 

She's not really after the wine—she's after the person drinking it. 

That could only mean one thing—this was connected to that demon queen! 

"What a mess." 

Hikigaya sighed. No matter how much he tried to stay out of trouble, it always found a way to come to him. 

"As expected, gathering private points like this is too easy to notice." 

"Nearly three weeks have passed since school started. Other classes have probably started uncovering the truth about this school." 

Hikigaya never saw himself as the smartest or most special person, and he never thought others were idiots either. So he had been mentally prepared for this. That girl from Class A just now gave him the same feeling—she already knew. 

Maybe this was just the instinct of a lone wolf. 

"So this is the gap between Class A and Class D?" Hikigaya gave a bitter smile. 

Other classes were already trying to uncover the school's secrets, while his own class was still indulging in their carefree ignorance. 

He felt a deep sense of helplessness. 

Did this class even have any value? 

But that wasn't his problem to deal with. If the sky came crashing down, there were taller people to hold it up. As someone at the bottom, it was best to just stay hidden. 

But soon, something else shattered that brief moment of peace. 

Hikigaya finally received a notification for his student council interview. 

Nearly three weeks had passed since he submitted his application, and he had already assumed it had been tossed into the trash, never to be seen again. 

But just when he thought it was over, the tides had turned. 

And right after he got the interview notice, a message from a certain demon queen followed immediately after. 

"Hikigaya-kun, do your best~" 

...Did she plant spyware on his phone? 

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