COTE : There is Something Wrong With Hikigaya

"What is with the students at this school?" 

Leaving the cafeteria, Hikigaya's confusion deepened. He had only been joking about the free vegetable set, but there were actually upperclassmen who chose it. Not a lot of them, but still—wasn't this a bit too frugal? 

Or was there another reason? 

"So you can survive at this school even without private points?" 

ANHS not only covered tuition fees but also provided free housing, electricity, water, and even gas. At first, Hikigaya thought the school was being overly generous. But now, something felt off—almost unnatural. 

What was the real purpose of the private points that students received each month? 

Were they just meant to improve student life and provide a better experience? 

That seemed way too luxurious… and even indulgent. 

If this were a private elite school, Hikigaya might have found it reasonable. But for a national high school funded by the government? 

There was definitely something wrong here.

The reason was simple—Hikigaya never believed that those high-ranking politicians would be so generous as to just "give away" money. That was just common sense! 

He did a quick calculation. With around 480 students across all three grades, that meant 48 million yen per month. In a year, that was 560 million yen! And that didn't even include staff salaries, living expense waivers, or maintenance costs. 

At the same time, he overheard some upperclassmen talking, and the most common topics were things like "special exams," "midterms," and "how many class points we need to catch up to Class B and C." 

Thinking back to the recent conflict between the red-haired boy and the upperclassmen, Hikigaya started to get the feeling that there was some sort of ranking system between the classes. 

The more he thought about it, the creepier it felt. 

Yeah, he definitely shouldn't have come to this school! 

Before heading back to the dorms, Hikigaya went around checking multiple convenience stores and vending machines, but he couldn't find MAX Coffee anywhere. His head was starting to feel a little dizzy, but luckily, he got an unexpected tip from a store clerk. 

Following the address, Hikigaya arrived at the western area of Keyaki Mall Shopping Center. Unlike the busy eastern side, which was packed with students and trendy stores, this part of the mall was almost empty. 

Aside from being a bit out of the way, another reason for the lack of people was probably the type of stores here. Most of them had a traditional Japanese style, which wasn't as appealing to younger people and students compared to cafés or Western-style restaurants. 

A cup of milk tea, a Western dessert, a plate of pasta, or some fries—wasn't that way more fun and relaxing than eating in a small, old-fashioned, and dull Japanese teahouse? 

In many Asian countries today, Western culture was becoming more and more popular, while traditional local culture was slowly fading away, sometimes even forgotten. 

"A teahouse?" 

It was a nameless teahouse, and according to the store clerk, this place might have some Chiba specialties. Curious, Hikigaya decided to check it out. 

To his surprise, it wasn't one of those dimly lit, overly traditional places that made you feel like you had to speak in formal language just to fit in. 

Instead, the interior was so simple and spacious that it felt… normal. The first thing that came to Hikigaya's mind was how relaxing the atmosphere was. 

Apart from tea cakes, the most noticeable thing inside was a section dedicated to peanut-based Chiba specialty products. And on a nearby shelf, he finally found it—MAX Coffee! And the price was exactly the same as back in Chiba! 

Alright, for the sake of MAX Coffee, he decided to overlook the fact that a traditional Japanese teahouse was selling coffee—a complete contradiction. 

After paying, Hikigaya left the shop, satisfied with his bag full of MAX Coffee. Just as he was about to step outside, he almost ran into a girl who was entering. He managed to dodge her, but in the process, his bag slipped from his hand and fell to the ground. 

"Oh no, my bad, my bad! I wasn't really paying attention since I figured no one really came here. But who knew… huh? MAX Coffee? There are actually people who drink this crazy sweet coffee? I always thought it was just an urban legend!" 

That teasing voice… why did it sound so familiar? 

Hikigaya instinctively looked up, and in that instant, his whole body froze. His face turned pale, like someone had just poured a bucket of ice water over him. A chill ran down his spine. 

Yukinoshita… Haruno?! 

Hikigaya stared in disbelief at the girl in front of him, who looked noticeably younger than he remembered. In that moment, all the memories of his interactions with her from his previous world came rushing back. 

"Ha-Haruno-san?!" 

He blurted out her name without thinking and immediately covered his mouth. But it was too late—she had already heard it. A puzzled expression appeared on her face. 

"Huh? You know me?" 

Crap. 

That smile on her face—it was way too familiar. 

This was a smile far more dangerous than any villain's. 

Hikigaya had suffered at the hands of this smile before. 

The Yukinoshita Haruno standing in front of him looked younger and more energetic than he remembered, but the unsettling aura around her hadn't changed one bit. 

Wait a minute! 

That was when Hikigaya noticed something else—she was wearing the same school uniform as him. 

Which meant… 

A cold sweat ran down his back. 

Haruno's expression slowly turned serious as she took another look at him. 

Her first impression? This guy looked gloomy and antisocial—definitely an outcast. But his face was actually decent… except for those dead-fish eyes. 

"You're not in my class, are you? I have a pretty good memory, so don't even think about lying to me. We definitely haven't met before, because there's no way I'd forget those eyes." 

Haruno gave him an innocent-looking smile, but her sharp, predator-like gaze completely betrayed that act. 

Hikigaya blanked out for a second. 

So this Haruno didn't recognize him… 

His mind was torn—part of him wanted her to say, "You're Hikigaya," but another part of him desperately rejected that idea. 

"Wait a second! Dead-fish eyes… Oh! I remember now!"

Suddenly, Yukinoshita Haruno pointed at Hikigaya, her face lighting up with realization. 

"No wonder you looked familiar at first glance! So it was..." 

Hikigaya was shocked. Could it be that Haruno actually remembered...? 

"It's you! The Late Kid!" 

"...." 

"The freshman who was running across the sea bridge to school this morning!" 

Haruno suddenly laughed, as if recalling something. 

"But at that speed and time, you were definitely going to be late. Judging by your face, I was right! Late Kid!" 

Hikigaya froze for a moment before realizing—so his gut feeling back then had been right. That Toyota Century had... 

"Heh." 

He let out a bitter chuckle, using it as the perfect cover to hide that small trace of sadness in his heart. 

Haruno's expression shifted as she stared into Hikigaya's eyes, as if trying to read his mind. 

"But... that still doesn't explain how you know me. So, tell me—where exactly did you learn about me?" 

A dozen excuses flashed through Hikigaya's mind, but he rejected them all just as quickly. 

Even if she was still the "youthful version" of the Demon Queen, a Demon Queen was still a Demon Queen. If she caught even the slightest hint of a lie, Hikigaya swore on his MAX Coffee that he would meet a horrible fate. Absolutely. 

Also... Miss Haruno, don't you think you're standing a little too close? 

"Yukinoshita Haruno, student council president of Sobu Middle School—how could I not know you? On the other hand, it's strange that someone like you even knows I exist." 

Hikigaya spoke with a tone that was 70% casual and 30% bitter as he instinctively took a step back. 

Haruno blinked at the mention of "Sobu Middle School." 

"You were a Sobu student too?" 

"Obviously. School sports events, cultural festivals, off-campus activities—wherever you went, 'Yukinoshita' was always the name people praised. Even someone like me, who doesn't fit in, heard it all the time." 

Hikigaya wasn't lying. 

In this timeline, he and Haruno had actually been classmates, making her one of the only two people he was familiar with. But he never had the courage to approach her or start a conversation. 

"I didn't expect to run into a fellow Sobu student here. What a surprise! No, actually… I should call it fate!" 

Haruno beamed, seemingly accepting his explanation. 

Lies. 

Other people might be fooled by Haruno's smile, but Hikigaya knew—it was just a mask. 

"Anyway, I have something urgent to do, so I'll be going now." 

Hikigaya was just about to escape when, in the next second, something soft wrapped around his arm. 

Haruno frowned slightly and puffed out her cheeks in a playful pout. 

"Late Kid, you're way too sneaky! You know everything about me, but I don't even know your name yet. That's totally unfair!" 

Hikigaya felt a numb tingling sensation shoot through his body, like an electric shock. 

Girls who knew how to use cuteness, pouting, and even physical contact—these kinds of girls were an absolute nightmare for any teenage boy to resist! 

"H-Hikigaya Hachiman." 

After hesitating for a moment, Hikigaya finally answered. 

But he avoided eye contact, and when he tried to pull his arm away, the pressure around it only tightened. 

Hiss— 

He sucked in a sharp breath. 

Though his face remained expressionless, a closer look would reveal that the tips of his dead-fish eyes had turned red. 

But the girl in front of him seemed lost in thought and didn't notice. 

"And your class?" 

"Class 1-D." 

"You're… in D Class?" 

It was subtle, but Hikigaya caught the slight change in Haruno's expression. 

Taking advantage of her moment of distraction, he didn't even care about the MAX Coffee he left on the ground—he bolted, fleeing from the Demon Queen's grasp. 

Haruno watched Hikigaya's retreating figure, then let out a small chuckle. 

But the next second, her smile vanished. 

"Have you seen enough?" 

A petite, silver-haired girl wearing a beret stepped out from behind a screen, grinning. 

"You knew I couldn't move around easily, so you came here ahead of time. As for eavesdropping on other people's conversations… Heh, that's not really my thing." 

Seeing the girl step forward with her cane, Haruno's smile returned—this time, as warm as a gentle spring breeze. 

"Oh, it's Sakayanagi-chan! If I didn't know better, I'd think a little mouse had snuck in." 

"But are you sure you should be moving around alone? Without your family's servants taking care of you, it must be hard to get used to life at this school. A cute girl like you walking around by yourself is very dangerous, you know. If something were to happen… as your classmate, I'd be heartbroken."

The silver-haired girl, known as "Sakayanagi," didn't seem to care about any hidden meaning in the words. She simply smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, Yukinoshita. I appreciate the reminder. Coming to this school, I do need a servant to take care of me. I wonder if the helpful Yukinoshita would be up for the job?" 

Haruno's expression didn't change at all. She kept smiling as she replied, "Serving the esteemed young lady of the Sakayanagi family would, of course, be a great honor. However, normally, the caretaker and the person being cared for shouldn't have too much of a height difference, or else it might have the opposite effect. Wouldn't you agree, Sakayanagi-chan?" 

After Haruno said that, the air suddenly grew colder. A brief silence followed. Then, the silver-haired girl covered her mouth and chuckled. "Yukinoshita, I was just joking. No need to get so tense. Actually, I've already found the right person. She's a great girl, and in some ways, she's quite similar to you." 

The silver-haired girl seemed uninterested in continuing this topic. She changed the subject slightly, her tone carrying a hint of amusement. "But still, meeting an old classmate on the first day of school—Yukinoshita, you're quite lucky." 

"Heh, an old classmate? That's just his side of the story. Who knows if it's true?" Haruno chuckled lightly, completely unconcerned. 

The silver-haired girl narrowed her eyes, trying to read something from Haruno's face. She then spoke with a meaningful tone. "I remember that boy was from Class D, wasn't he?" 

Unfortunately, she was disappointed. 

"Class A, Class D—it doesn't really make much of a difference to us," Haruno stretched lazily and smiled carefreely. "After all, everyone already knows their future is set in stone. So, I just want to enjoy these three years of freedom." 

The silver-haired girl simply looked at her and smiled without saying a word. 

Heh, what a liar.