COTE : Is Talent Everything? (Rewrite)-Chapter 133 - 128: Glasses that show your likeability

"...Trust? Friendship? What the hell are these categories and numbers? Hey, what's the meaning of this?"

"These are—"

A sharp glare shot my way along with his confused voice. What I had given Ryuuen were the "Glasses That Let You See Affection Levels." The same ones I had purchased before—an item that displayed numerical values representing how much affection someone held for another person.

After hearing the explanation about the glasses, Ryuuen stared at them for a moment before tossing them back at me. I barely managed to catch them, but Ryuuen had already turned his back.

"If you wanna show off some weird shit, do it somewhere else. I don't give a damn whether I can see affection levels or not."

With those final dismissive words, Ryuuen started walking away. But letting him leave now would defeat the purpose. To stop him, I muttered a single line toward his back.

"Don't you wanna know Hikigaya's affection levels?"

That usage seemed to have caught Ryuuen off guard, as his footsteps came to an abrupt halt. Slowly, he turned around, his lips twisting into a vicious smirk—a face that screamed "villain" to anyone who saw it.

"I'll take that as your approval, then?"

"Keh, fine, I'll play along. That bastard's love life sounds like it'll be a good laugh."

Ryuuen seemed eager to dig up some dirt on Hikigaya's relationships with girls.

...Laugh all you want, but whether you'll still be laughing by the end of the day is another story. I swallowed the words that had almost slipped out.

.......

With the unlikely pairing of me and Ryuuen, we infiltrated Keyaki Mall. Our target, of course, was Hikigaya. Tracking his location via phone, we soon spotted him.

"Found Hikigaya, Ryuuen. Perfect timing—he's with Horikita."

They seemed to have just exited a café, the two of them appearing from the entrance. From this distance, I could faintly hear their conversation.

"Thank you for today. I had a meaningful time."

"It wasn't anything worth thanking me for. I'm just glad I got to learn more about your brother."

"Still, to think that suspicious person was my brother... I never would've guessed."

"Well, it's because of that topic that we got the chance to talk like this. I'd say I was lucky."

"It's not like... I wouldn't have invited you even without my brother's involvement."

"Looking forward to it, then."

Come to think of it, Horikita had been in an oddly good mood yesterday. I'd heard rumors that Hikigaya had spent time with Horikita Manabu during the cultural festival, so maybe she had approached him to hear about that.

"Damn, Suzune's got a full-blown 'girl in love' face. She's already fallen for him."

"That's exactly what the affection glasses are for. Let's take a look."

Through the glasses, I observed Horikita standing beside Hikigaya with a soft expression. To make her show a face like that... Hikigaya must have something special about him after all.

Horikita Suzune → Hikigaya Hachiman

- Trust: 70

- Friendship: 89

- Romance: 88

- Hostility: 60

- Lust: 90

- Conclusion: She recognizes him as a rival, but her feelings of affection are too strong to pull away. However, she hasn't realized it yet.

Considering they're from different classes, the hostility is somewhat high, but even then, her affection levels are overwhelmingly high. Given Horikita's demeanor, it makes sense that she hasn't realized it yet.

"Are these numbers supposed to be high?"

"Extremely. If you consider 50 as the average for normal friends, you can see just how high these are."

"Interesting. I wonder what'd happen if we told Suzune about these glasses."

I warned Ryuuen to drop that disgusting idea. If I didn't, he'd definitely go through with it.

"Hikigaya's moving. Let's follow him."

"Don't order me around."

After parting with Horikita, Hikigaya started moving, so Ryuuen and I tailed him. If it were just me, it'd be fine, but with Ryuuen along, it was harder to stay hidden. So, we blended in with the crowd to avoid suspicion.

Then, Hikigaya approached a girl.

"Yamamura, what a coincidence."

"Ah... Hikigaya-kun. Hello."

"Shopping?"

"Yes. I was just looking at some tableware."

It was rare for Hikigaya to initiate a talk, but the girl turned out to be Yamamura. I heard they got closer during the school trip. Come to think of it, Hikigaya had once said, "For some reason, I get along with Yamamura."

"That's Yamamura. Tokitou's nearby too."

Tokitou seemed like he was about to call out to her, but upon seeing Hikigaya talking to Yamamura, he chose to hold back, probably not wanting to interrupt.

"Hey, wasn't he trying to hit on Yamamura during the school trip? Let's see how much he's made her fall for him in such a short time."

"Hit on her... Well, I guess you're not wrong?"

I couldn't exactly deny that about Yamamura. But putting that aside, Ryuuen and I put on the glasses to check her affection levels.

Yamamura Miki → Hikigaya Hachiman

- Trust: 62

- Friendship: 79

- Romance: 71

- Hostility: 42

- Lust: 60

- Conclusion: She has feelings for him, but her lack of confidence holds her back. She's happy when he talks to her like this.

Compared to Horikita earlier, these numbers might seem average, but given Yamamura's personality, her affection levels for others are generally low. From an overall perspective, Hikigaya's numbers are exceptionally high.

"Oh, Tokitou's here too. Are they on good terms?"

After parting with Yamamura, Tokitou called out to Hikigaya. But since I didn't know much about their relationship, I asked Ryuuen, who narrowed his eyes and smirked.

"Tokitou teamed up with that bastard to try and drag me down."

"Wow. With Hikigaya as an opponent, you might actually be in trouble, huh?"

"Don't lump me in with those small fries."

He was implying he had no weak points, I guess. Depending on how much Hikigaya got involved, things could change.

Tokitou Yuuya → Hikigaya Hachiman

- Trust: 90

- Friendship: 66

- Romance: 42

- Hostility: 19

- Lust: 9

- Conclusion: Strong feelings of trust and respect. Willing to follow him anywhere for their goal.

"He says he'll follow you anywhere for the goal."

"Keh, that guy's really become a solid middleman."

Even after seeing this, Ryuuen remained unfazed, sneering. Did he not feel any danger, or was he absolutely confident he could handle it? Probably the latter.

........

"Oh, what a coincidence."

"Ah, hey there, Hachi-kun!"

"Hello. The two of you together is rare."

Continuing our pursuit while pretending to be ordinary students, we encountered yet another pair.

"This time, it's Asahina and Kiryuuin."

Hikigaya's destination was unclear, but since people kept calling out to him wherever he went, we weren't bored.

"This is getting fun. That guy's into older women, right? This is a great chance to see how much he's charmed them."

"Hikigaya likes older women? First I've heard of it."

"It's reliable info. Don't ask for the source."

I wondered where Ryuuen got that kind of information, but it wasn't worth pressing right now.

Kiryuuin Fuuka → Hikigaya Hachiman

- Trust: 61

- Friendship: 82

- Romance: 99

- Hostility: 50

- Lust: 102

- Conclusion: A junior who keeps growing more and more interested in him.

Asahina Nazuna → Hikigaya Hachiman

- Trust: 95

- Friendship: 97

- Romance: 201

- Hostility: 22

- Lust: 147

- Conclusion: Loves him so much she's considering repeating a year to stay with him. Recently, she's started thinking, "Maybe it's okay to seduce him physically?"

"Kuh... kukuku... This is bad."

"I agree."

The affection levels this time were on a completely different scale, and even Ryuuen and I were a little taken aback. Kiryuuin was one thing, but Asahina... Her numbers were on par with some of the girls from the last time.

"Romance at 201... That's insane. How the hell do you get numbers like that?"

"Don't ask me."

I wanted to know the answer to that too. What could possibly make someone fall for you that hard? It's been a mystery since forever.

As we were having that conversation, Hikigaya started moving again. I was about to follow, but Ryuuen, who had been fiddling with his phone, didn't budge.

"What are you doing?"

Without looking up from his phone, Ryuuen smirked.

"Watching every single person that bastard runs into is a waste of time. It's faster to just summon all the girls at once."

Among those girls were probably Shiina, Sakayanagi, and Matsushita.

"Summon them? How?"

"With the collection of photos I've been saving of Hikigaya with girls. If I send them with location info, they'll come running."

As soon as he finished speaking, he must have sent them, because Ryuuen put his phone away with a nasty grin.

"You... I'm not responsible for whatever happens, got it?"

"Kukuku, I've been thinking about dropping a bomb by leaking all these photos someday. This is a good opportunity."

"I'm serious. Don't drag me into this."

I made sure to hammer that in. This guy had no idea how terrifying these affection glasses were. He'd no idea what kind of numbers he was about to see. Even if it traumatized him, it wasn't my problem.

Wait... So Ryuuen had been taking photos of Hikigaya with girls for this kind of purpose? The ones he used today were just a fraction of them, but if he leaked all of them... I didn't even want to think about it.

While we were talking, the next target appeared.

"Big bro!! Running into you like this—today must be my lucky day!"

"Senpai~♡ Meeting you here must be fate, right? Right~♡"

"Hah, you can't even express your joy without resorting to abstract nonsense? I question your vocabulary."

"Huh? You picking a fight or something?"

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"Not at all, Ichika. I just pitied you, that's all."

"Why do you two always fight? Do you just want me to scold you?"

"『Yeah.』"

"Don't answer so fast."

The ones who appeared were Yagami and Amasawa. Both were White Room students, and their feelings for Hikigaya were on a completely different level from normal people. ...What would their affection levels look like?

"That's his fangirl junior and the brocon bastard, huh? Kukuku, this is gonna be fun."

"...If only it were just 'fun.'"

Learning from my past mistakes, I took a deep breath before putting on the glasses. Then, I steeled myself.

"...The hell are you doing?"

Ryuuen gave me a weirded-out look at my actions.

"You can think I'm weird all you want, but you're gonna regret this later."

"...Hah?"

Without explaining further, I braced myself and put on the glasses. Seeing this, Ryuuen frowned suspiciously but also turned his gaze toward Yagami and Amasawa.

Yagami Takuya → Hikigaya Hachiman

- Trust: 1006

- Friendship: 874

- Romance: 1339

- Hostility: 0

- Lust: 231

- Conclusion: His brother is his entire world.

Amasawa Ichika → Hikigaya Hachiman

- Trust: 1492

- Friendship: 1083

- Romance: 1790

- Hostility: 0

- Lust: 2085

- Conclusion: Her feelings are beyond normal. Her mind is filled with nothing but hearts. Even if pushed away, she'll follow him for life. Giving up might be necessary.

"...........................................................................................................................Hey, the glasses are broken."

After a long silence, Ryuuen finally managed to force out those words. He had finally understood what I meant earlier.

"I get wanting to deny reality, but this is the truth. Accept it."

Ryuuen, now sweating bullets, stared at Amasawa and Yagami like he was looking at something horrifying. I was probably making the same face.

"This is insane... This isn't even about 'liking' someone anymore..."

Relax, Ryuuen. I'd been through the same thing before.

Last time, I checked the affection levels and ended up mentally scarred. But I couldn't help but wonder about Hikigaya's surroundings after advancing to the second year. Of course, I couldn't do it alone, so I needed a sacrificial lamb to drag down with me.

"Glad you're here, Ryuuen. My sacrificial offering."

Thanks to him, I managed to endure. Having comrades is a wonderful thing.

"And, you haven't forgotten, right, Ryuuen?"

"What? This isn't the time for—"

"You know who you called, right?"

"––––––"

Ryuuen's face paled in real time.

"Relax. Yagami and Amasawa are Hikigaya's childhood acquaintances, so their numbers are just abnormal. The girls coming next won't have numbers higher than those two."

I genuinely believed that. The two White Room students were just exceptions—there was no way anyone else could surpass them. Or rather, there shouldn't be.

"...You're not lying, right?"

"I'm serious. At least, that's what I think."

Ryuuen managed to pull himself together. If he left now, it'd be a problem. I wanted to see the affection levels through to the end.

"H-Hey..."

Ryuuen pointed with a trembling finger toward where Shiina stood before Hikigaya, her eyes pitch-black.

"Hiyori...?"

"...I can't help it. It's just jealousy."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"I hate it. I hate it more than anything—the thought of Hachiman being taken by someone else."

"O-Oh...?"

"I know these feelings are restrictive. But Hachiman, you told me, didn't you?"

"W-What did I...?"

"That if it's what I want, you'll respond to it. So––––––you'll respond to my jealousy too, won't you?"

"H-Hey, Hiyo–––––"

"I love you♡ Hachiman-kun♡"

Gulp. Was that sound from me or Ryuuen? ...Probably both.

My body screamed at me to run, but I desperately held my ground, forcing my trembling legs to stay put as I shifted my gaze toward Hikigaya and Shiina.

Shiina Hiyori → Hikigaya Hachiman

- Trust: 1629

- Friendship: 1304

- Romance: 2067

- Hostility: 0

- Lust: 1803

- Conclusion: Has surpassed the concept of "like." Will devote herself to him no matter what. She'd make a great wife.

"HEY!!!!! THIS ISN'T!!!!! WHAT YOU SAID!!!!!"

Ryuuen shook my shoulders with a desperate, almost tearful expression. But I was the one who wanted to cry here.

"You're the one who called them. Now we're seeing numbers we never wanted to know. I'm the one who wants to cry."

The numbers had more than what I measured back in our first year. What the hell did Hikigaya do to them...?

"I can't take this anymore..."

"Blame yourself."

Then, another voice sent chills down my spine. ...Sakayanagi.

"Ah, Arisu?"

"Your womanizing seems incurable, doesn't it?"

"What the hell? I haven't done anything..."

"I feel safest when I'm with you. You're the only one I can show my weak, pathetic side to."

"O-Oh. That's... nice."

"That's why––––––I can't allow the disgrace of losing you to someone else."

"What did I even do...?"

Maybe Hikigaya was the one suffering the most here.

Sakayanagi Arisu → Hikigaya Hachiman

- Trust: 2091

- Friendship: 1267

- Romance: 1877

- Hostility: 40

- Lust: 1542

- Conclusion: Trusts him too much—to a dangerous degree. Escaping is impossible. Just accept him as your life partner.

I was at a loss for words.

Ryuuen, it's fine if you puke, but don't aim it at me.

"I'm going home..."

"No. You called one more person, didn't you?"

"Are you telling me to die?"

"If we've come this far, you're sticking with me until the end."

Before we could even think of running, the last person Ryuuen had called arrived. Peering down at Hikigaya, who was sitting on a bench, was Matsushita.

"Hikigaya-kun, are you okay? You look tired."

"Matsushita...?"

"Your face looks exhausted. Are you alright?"

"Nah, it's not tiredness—it's an overdose of male happiness."

"But you look really serious. You should rest a bit. Here, hug."

"...Soft. This is comforting."

"Right~?"

Matsushita pulled Hikigaya into her embrace, wrapping him in her chest.

"Matsushita seems normal..."

"Kuku, who'd have thought she'd be the one to help us?"

Ryuuen and I sighed in relief as we checked the affection levels.

Matsushita Chiaki → Hikigaya Hachiman

- Trust: 1528

- Friendship: 2056

- Romance: 1921

- Hostility: 37

- Lust: 1976

- Conclusion: Thinking, "What if I'm extra nice to him when he's tired? ♡" Just give up.

......

The next day, as I left the dorm to head to school, I found Ryuuen leaning against the wall, waiting for me.

"Those are some serious dark circles."

"Same to you. No way I could sleep after seeing that shit."

Both Ryuuen and I had stayed up all night, our under-eyes pitch black. The reason went without saying.

"So, what do you want?"

Ryuuen rummaged through his bag and pulled out the affection glasses, shoving them at me.

"Ah, you can keep those."

"The hell would I want with these? Return them."

"Sorry, but returns aren't accepted."

When I flat-out refused, Ryuuen clicked his tongue and stuffed the glasses back into his bag. They had prescription lenses too, so they could still be used as normal glasses. It'd be a waste to throw them away.

"Only Hikigaya's surroundings are abnormal. Checking normal people's affection levels is actually pretty fun."

To demonstrate, I put on the glasses I had. Ryuuen watched me with suspicion but eventually, very reluctantly, put his on as well.

Then, in front of us, I spotted a familiar back I'd seen countless times yesterday.

"Hm? Is that Hikigaya?"

"What...!?"

"Relax. He's not with a girl. He's with Nagumo-senpai."

Ryuuen, who had been about to tear off the glasses in panic, froze in relief. He was clearly traumatized.

When Ryuuen and I both looked forward, Hikigaya and Nagumo came into view simultaneously. Well, it's Nagumo. The student council president who's always antagonizing him shouldn't be a problem.

But just as we let our guard down, the numbers that appeared in our vision made our eyes widen in shock.

......

Nagumo Miyabi → Hikigaya Hachiman

- Trust: ––––––

- Friendship: ––––––

- Romance: ––––––

- Hostility: ––––––

- Lust: ––––––

- Conclusion: Isn't this seriously dangerous?

........

Crack.

Ryuuen and I simultaneously smashed the glasses against the ground. The sound of shattering echoed as the lenses scattered into a pitiful state.

"It... It was a malfunction... right?"

"It has to be. If that wasn't a malfunction..."

Ryuuen trailed off, likely recalling the numbers we'd just seen.

"..."

"..."

We both pulled out our phones and called our homeroom teacher, Chabashira.

"Chabashira-sensei. I'm skipping school today. I'm too dizzy to function."

"Hey, Sakagami. I'm taking the day off. Make up whatever excuse you want."

I decided to go back to sleep until nightfall.

........

This is technically a follow-up to the previous side story, Ayanokouji's Proposal 2.

I considered labeling it as a side story, but since it could also be considered a casual, everyday episode, I decided against it.

That said, it's not really connected to the main story... Well, think of it as something between a side story and the main plot.

The idea for these "affection-seeing glasses" has been in my mind for a while now. To those who commented and brainstormed ideas for this concept, I'm truly grateful. Sorry I couldn't use them.

I already had a draft written, and revising the content wasn't feasible. But your comments really made my day.

The next side story, Ayanokouji's Proposal, will come another time.

=================================

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