COTE : There is Something Wrong With Hikigaya

After leaving the guidance office, Hikigaya returned to the classroom. 

"What are you staring at?" He quickly covered his flushed cheek when he noticed someone's gaze. "I-I just tripped and fell, okay?!" 

"Tsk." 

The cold beauty, Horikita, clicked her tongue, but her eyes didn't look away. 

Damn that violent teacher. Hikigaya was filled with grief. Sensei had a habit of pinching his cheeks whenever she scolded him. Did she not realize how thin his skin was?! 

Fortunately, it was lunchtime, so most of the popular students, like Hirata, Karuizawa, and the dumb duo, had gone to the cafeteria or convenience store. Not many students stayed in the classroom, but unfortunately, the cold beauty was one of them. There was also that ostrich-like girl next to him—Sakura, if he remembered correctly. 

Hikigaya had noticed something. The students who stayed in the classroom at noon, aside from those who gathered in groups to eat together, were mostly the loners. He could already tell from their self-introductions yesterday. 

Horikita was an obvious case, and Sakura was also painfully shy and socially anxious. Hikigaya himself was the same. They were all genuine outsiders. 

Guys like the dumb duo and Sudou weren't exactly popular, but they at least knew how to stick together. The ones left behind had two choices: join in or be excluded, dropping even lower on the social ladder. 

"What a clearly divided social hierarchy." 

Hikigaya sneered. He didn't despise any particular person, nor did he hate the existence of such social structures. Most people, consciously or unconsciously, made choices to protect their own interests and blend into the group. 

That was human nature. It wasn't necessarily wrong. But what Hikigaya couldn't stand was... using that as a means to "assimilate" or "exclude" others. 

How does one avoid becoming the lowest of the low in the class? 

Work hard to change yourself and gain acceptance? 

That's the right answer... but it doesn't really work. 

So the real answer... is to create someone even lower than yourself to step on. 

It had only been a day, and rumors about Hikigaya had already started spreading in class. The ones behind it were, of course, the dumb duo. Hikigaya knew exactly what they were doing. By making fun of him and labeling him as "the worst in class," they could secure their own place. 

Then there was Horikita. She also seemed to be excluded by the girls' group. As for the others, it was probably the same story. 

The afternoon classes passed quickly, and soon it was time to go home. As soon as the bell rang, the teacher had already packed up and disappeared. The girls' groups were busy planning to go shopping and hang out, showing little interest in club recruitment. 

At that moment, Hikigaya overheard a conversation between the cold beauty and the expressionless guy, Ayanokouji. 

It seemed Ayanokouji was interested in club activities and even invited Horikita to go with him. They had been arguing on and off since lunchtime, even dragging it into some weird life philosophy debate. 

Hikigaya thought for sure that Ayanokouji's invitation would fail, but when he saw the two of them leave the classroom together, his expression turned strange. 

What a pair of weirdos. 

Hikigaya thought to himself. 

In his original world, before joining the Service Club, club activities were completely foreign to him. He had always been a proud member of the "Go Home Club."

Hikigaya, a long-time member of the "Go-Home Club," spent most of his free time reading. It was his main source of entertainment and, more importantly, his mental nourishment. He read a wide range of topics, which was why he excelled in the humanities. 

Reading broadened a person's knowledge, and Hikigaya's so-called "maturity" was closely tied to how much he had read. Of course, it had absolutely nothing to do with the ridiculous idea that he stayed home reading only because he had no friends to hang out with. 

Originally, Hikigaya had planned to go to the school library after class. He had already noticed yesterday that the library was huge and luxurious, which was exciting for someone like him, who didn't have many other hobbies. 

But after seeing how bad things were in class today, he could already predict that next month's private points would take a massive hit—probably for quite a while. 

Because of that, Hikigaya had to start planning ahead. Since he couldn't rely on his classmates to improve, he had no choice but to find a way to earn private points on his own. 

"Maybe I can find some clues in the school's club activities." 

That was the first thought that crossed his mind. Of course, he wasn't actually interested in joining any clubs. 

"This has nothing to do with Haruno's invitation. It's just a coincidence," he muttered to himself. 

… 

"There are way more people than I expected!" 

As soon as Hikigaya entered the gym, he was surprised by how many freshmen were there. Each person who entered received a small booklet with information about the various clubs. 

"The club quality is really high." 

He noticed that the sports clubs were especially strong, with many teams at a national level. Some had even won championships in the Inter-High Tournament. 

Just then, he suddenly felt a chill down his spine. Before he could react, a voice whispered right next to his ear. 

"Yahallo~! If it isn't Mr. Latecomer. What a coincidence." 

Haruno walked up to him with a playful smile, hands behind her back. 

Hikigaya instinctively wanted to run, but as soon as he moved, Haruno was already blocking his way—almost as if she had predicted his escape. 

"Am I really that scary? Or is it that you've done something you feel guilty about~?" 

"…Absolutely not!" 

"Then why the weird pause?" 

"..." 

Hikigaya took a deep breath and said, 

"Yukinoshita-san, what do you want from me? I'm just a student from Class D—I doubt I have any value. If this is about what happened in middle school—" 

"Oh, that? That wasn't my problem, so I never really cared," Haruno said casually. Then, with a teasing smile, she added, 

"But I have to say, I didn't expect you to think so little of yourself. Forget about your 'legendary' middle school incident—just getting into this school means you have some worth. That's what Sensei said, after all." 

With his usual dead-fish eyes, Hikigaya replied flatly, 

"Is my self-evaluation that low? Well, a guy who was late on the first day of school is obviously going to be judged by his classmates. Add in my loner personality, and of course, I don't fit in with any groups or make any friends. Just like in middle school, I'm a completely forgettable, 'worthless' person in class." 

"So basically… you're actually mad that you're unpopular!" Haruno said, as if she had just solved a great mystery. 

"I—I am NOT!" 

"Sure, sure." 

As more people entered the gym, the crowd around them grew. That was when Hikigaya realized that he and Haruno were standing a little too close. He instinctively stepped back and, with a stiff expression, said, 

"Sorry, but I've never had any expectations for that kind of thing. Besides, being liked or not isn't something I get to decide." 

"So you're the type to blame others for your own problems? You know, being too stubborn can backfire. If you're willing to change, things might actually get better, don't you think?" 

"Thanks for the advice." 

"Haha, but you don't sound grateful at all." 

"I am. Definitely." 

Haruno had just been joking around at first, but the way Hikigaya kept backing off somehow irritated her. She didn't even realize why. 

"Maybe this is why people don't like you? Sticking to your own views is fine, but sometimes, that also stops others from understanding you. Don't you think so?" 

This time, Hikigaya didn't argue. After a brief pause, he nodded. 

"You're not wrong. But tell me—when someone gets recognized by others, is that approval real? Changing yourself to be accepted and becoming a popular person… is that really the 'real' you?" 

In the end, it's just about becoming the kind of person "everyone" expects—someone who understands the mood and the atmosphere. But that's just fake. 

You become the "good classmate" in your peers' eyes, the "good student" in your teacher's eyes, the "good son" in your parents' eyes, and the "good employee" in the company's eyes. But in the end, you've never truly been yourself. 

"Hikigaya-kun, your way of thinking is dangerous." 

Haruno narrowed her eyes and gave the dead-fish-eyed boy another look. "You're denying your own ability to grow. People can't live apart from society. Those who try will only drown in their ideals. Are you saying that people who are well-liked have no value at all?" 

"I'm not denying that. But there's a difference between changing yourself to be liked and being liked because of who you are." 

"So, you're saying that if you change, you'll become popular?" 

"No... I'm the type who, even if I change, will only become even less popular." 

Haruno couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Haha, yeah, that does sound like you." 

Even though Hikigaya and Haruno had only met yesterday and barely exchanged a few words, their conversation flowed surprisingly well, as if they had known each other for much longer. Neither of them seemed to notice this. 

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