章 57: Do All the Students in Class D Look Down on You?
Why would a group of seemingly incompatible individuals from Class D end up together like this?
It all began after school when Ike Kanji and Yamauchi Haruki, desperate to impress Kushida Kikyo, started competing for her attention by inviting her out. Kushida caught between their shameless persistence, found herself unable to refuse, and instead suggested a "group date" as a compromise.
The idea was simple: Kushida would bring along a few girls, while Yamauchi and Ike would gather some boys, and they'd all go shopping in the district after school. What was meant to be a casual outing quickly turned into a larger gathering than initially planned. Kushida not only brought two other girls from Class D, Chiaki Matsushita, and Nene Mori, but also invited the class's acknowledged couple, Yosuke Hirata and Kei Karuizawa.
This unexpected expansion of the group added a new layer to what was now a full-fledged group date. With four boys and four girls, the numbers were perfectly balanced.
However, despite the even numbers, Ike and Yamauchi remained fixated on Kushida, wasting the opportunity for a proper group interaction.
In their eyes, only Kushida, who took the initiative to engage with them, was worthy of their attention—a true goddess. The others, including Karuizawa and Matsushita, though attractive by any standard, were dismissed by Ike and Yamauchi as mere afterthoughts, undeserving of their interest.
To them, these girls were nothing more than secondhand goods, tainted by previous relationships.
Even Ayanokouji found it difficult to endure the blatant and crude intentions of the two, but for reasons he couldn't quite explain, he still found himself sticking with these two fools.
Unsurprisingly, the date didn't go well.
The outing was riddled with awkward silences, and despite the larger group, there was little interaction beyond the 'couple' Hirata and Karuizawa. The atmosphere grew heavier with each passing moment, as the rest of the group struggled to connect.
Ayanokouji, sensing the suffocating tension, wanted to break the ice but couldn't find the right moment or words to do so. They wandered the shopping district, even buying clothes at a trendy store, but nothing could spark a genuine conversation.
It was in this uncomfortable silence that they happened to run into Hikigaya, Sakayanagi, and a few others from Class A.
"Of all times, why now?" Hikigaya muttered, clearly exasperated by the unfortunate timing.
He wanted nothing more than to avoid being noticed by Class D, especially by Ayanokouji, whose presence always put him on edge.
Desperately, Hikigaya scanned the surroundings.
Where can I find a place to hide?
Hikigaya felt a wave of hopelessness wash over him, an urge to simply give up gnawing at the edges of his mind.
Meanwhile, at the restaurant entrance, Class D noticed him sitting with the students from Class A. The sight was enough to make Kushida Kikyo, Karuizawa Kei, and Ayanokoji Kiyotaka pause, their expressions shifting slightly in surprise. It was an unexpected group.
The rest of Class D, however, paid no attention to Hikigaya, barely registering his presence. It was as if he was invisible, a ghost in plain sight. They might have passed by without a word, both sides pretending not to know each other, and that would have been the end of it.
But then, whether by accident or design, Ayanokoji suddenly spoke up, his voice cutting through the quiet tension.
"Hey, isn't that Hikigaya?"
His words seemed to drop like a stone into a still pond, causing ripples among the group. Kushida and Karuizawa stiffened, their hearts skipping a beat. The rest of Class D, however, reacted with blank stares, their faces wearing the same clueless expression—'Who's Hikigaya?'
Ike and Yamauchi, who had been seething with jealousy earlier that morning over Hikigaya's brief interaction with Kushida, had already completely forgotten about him. It was understandable; after all, Hikigaya's lack of presence in the class was practically a running joke.
But Ayanokoji had brought it up, and now the others had to respond, however awkwardly. Unfortunately, most of them barely knew Hikigaya, and the conversation quickly took a bizarre turn, warping into something strange and twisted.
The discussion revolved around questions like, 'Who's Hikigaya again?' and 'Is he really from our class?' to 'Are you sure that's Hikigaya?' and 'You must be mistaken.' The absurdity of it all only highlighted Hikigaya's dismal social standing, but in a way, he was relieved. At least he didn't have to endure the torment of forced greetings with these people.
But there was still Ayanokoji. Whether intentional or not, that guy had just made Hikigaya's life more complicated, and a flicker of irritation flared up in his chest, solidifying into a deep resentment towards Ayanokoji.
As the members of Class D finally walked away, Kamuro Masumi, who had been observing everything, couldn't hold back her thoughts any longer.
"Do your classmates always treat you like this? Is that okay?"
It was clear that the conversation had left an impression on the students from Class A. They now had a clearer understanding of Hikigaya's true situation within Class D, realizing how little regard his classmates had for him.
Yet, in the eyes of Class A, Hikigaya was someone with sharp, precise insight and the nerve to stand toe-to-toe with Sakayanagi. He was far from a nobody. They could see him thriving even in Class A, a place where only the strong survive. And yet, here he was, ignored and overlooked by his peers in Class D. The contrast was almost surreal to Kamuro, Hashimoto, and Kito.
"The world was never meant to be fair," Hikigaya said with a resigned sigh. "If it were, I wouldn't be trapped here by Sakayanagi and the rest of you, and I'd have already had my dinner instead of being stuck in this mess."
His words were a clear hint: he wanted to leave and get his dinner without further delays. Hikigaya was confident that Sakayanagi would catch on to his meaning and grant his request.
But to his surprise, Sakayanagi seemed distracted, almost lost in thought. She didn't respond right away, her mind seemingly elsewhere...
What's going on? Hikigaya wondered, his instincts kicking in. He quickly replayed the events of the past few minutes in his mind, searching for the anomaly. The only thing out of the ordinary had been the appearance of those Class D students.
Could it be that Sakayanagi was focused on one of them? No way…
Just then, Sakayanagi seemed to snap out of her daze, clearing her throat. "Yes, it's quite late. I wouldn't want to keep you from your dinner."
"So I can go now?"
"Yes."
Hikigaya watched her closely, his suspicion growing stronger. Something about the reaction was off, confirming his hunch that someone among those Class D students had caught Sakayanagi's attention.
He didn't need long to figure it out.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka—a person who could capture even the attention of the infamous 'Little Demon King' herself.
That guy was undoubtedly the hidden boss of this school.
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