COTE : There is Something Wrong With Hikigaya-Chapter 148: The Only Winner

After stepping out of the student council room, Horikita, Ichinose, and the others felt like they had come back to life.

Horikita and Hirata immediately apologized to Ichinose.

After all, this whole mess was mainly Class D's fault, and dragging Ichinose into such a dangerous situation was truly unfair to her.

Ichinose forced a smile and said it was fine, but in reality, she still felt a lingering sense of fear.

And when she looked at Horikita, that fear was mixed with guilt.

Horikita had taken all the blame upon herself just to protect her.

Even if Horikita had done it willingly, Ichinose still felt terribly sorry for her.

Not long after, Ichinose said she was tired and quickly left.

Horikita sighed as she watched her leave.

Even though she had managed to keep Ichinose out of trouble, the damage had already been done.

Then, Horikita noticed Hikigaya walking out of the student council room.

She knew that the reason she had managed to escape today's disaster was largely thanks to him.

Hirata had played a role, sure.

But she could tell—Hirata was just working in sync with Hikigaya.

From start to finish, the one in control was Hikigaya alone.

And now that she thought back on everything...

It was clear—Hikigaya had predicted her failure from the very start.

Otherwise, there was no way he could have prepared that so-called "request document" in such a short time.

Even the things he said to her during the morning break—it was a warning.

But she hadn't listened.

The more she thought about it, the more ashamed she felt.

It wasn't just the failure that stung.

It was the overwhelming gap between her and Hikigaya.

Horikita was about to go over to him when she was interrupted by loud shouting.

Ike and Yamauchi had stormed out of the meeting room and were now grabbing Ayanokouji, yelling at him like they were about to start a fight.

Kushida and Hirata were trying to calm them down, but it wasn't until Tachibana Akane stepped in that the argument finally stopped.

By the time Horikita looked back, Hikigaya was already gone.

At that moment, he was in the cafeteria with Haruno.

"You've been really active lately, Hikigaya-kun~"

Haruno had ordered a big fried food platter, while Hikigaya went with a simple set meal.

He had the impression that Haruno had a particular love for fast-food-style meals.

"That's because I'm the only one actually doing anything!"

Hearing the amusement in her voice, Hikigaya couldn't help but complain, almost rolling his eyes.

"Do you have any idea what this past month has been like for me? Waking up early, staying up late, not even a single weekend to rest. I'm seriously starting to wonder if this school is just training us to be overworked employees."

"Haha, do you really need training for that?"

"..."

"Don't say something so depressing!"

Handling student council matters was already tiring enough, and now Hikigaya had to deal with today's mess too. He really felt exhausted. The students in Class D were nothing but trouble.

At least after this incident, things might finally calm down for a while.

"It's rare to see you this angry, Hikigaya. Looks like Ayanokouji really got on your nerves today?"

To Haruno, Hikigaya seemed very different today. Compared to when he dealt with Ryuen before, today he was much more aggressive, almost like a volcano on the verge of erupting.

"From the way you talk, it sounds like you know Ayanokouji?"

Hikigaya noticed something strange in Haruno's tone.

"Heh, you're still as sharp as ever."

Haruno chuckled. "But unfortunately, I don't know him."

"Although... that surname does sound familiar."

Her smile faded.

"Ayanokouji... that name?"

Hikigaya frowned. He could sense something was off from Haruno's expression, but she clearly had no intention of continuing the conversation.

After returning to his dorm, Hikigaya collapsed onto his bed, feeling like he had drained all his energy. His mind started piecing together everything that had happened in the special teaching building that afternoon.

Class D, Class C, and Class B had all been affected in different ways. Class D, of course, took the biggest hit, followed by Class B and Class C.

In the end, there were no real winners in this situation.

No—actually, there was one.

Yukinoshita Haruno.

Haruno's sudden appearance had caught Hikigaya completely off guard. He had originally planned to use the excuse that Ichinose had been deceived by Class D to help Class B out of trouble, but Haruno beat him to it.

Even though the outcome remained the same, Ichinose was now "forced" to owe Haruno a favor.

You could call Haruno cunning, or you could say she had sharp instincts and perfect timing.

Most people wouldn't have been able to pull this off, which just proved how terrifying Haruno's "information network" really was.

Her timing was too precise. The whole situation had nothing to do with her, yet she appeared at the most crucial moment.

She was the one watching from the shadows, waiting to strike.

"Kushida, maybe?"

That was the only possibility Hikigaya could think of. He knew Haruno and Kushida had been getting closer recently. He had wondered before why Haruno got involved in the Sudou fight incident. Now, it seemed clear—she had already set her sights on Class B.

Or rather... on Ichinose.

Ichinose's personality was just like Hirata's—overly kind and always trying to help others. It was both her greatest strength and her biggest weakness. This incident made that painfully obvious.

Hikigaya had already warned her not to get too involved, but in the end, she didn't listen.

At that moment, Hikigaya's phone buzzed with a new message.

[Kushida: Now! Open the door!]

Hikigaya opened the door and found Kushida standing there with a dark expression.

She stepped into the room and sat directly on his bed without saying a word.

Originally, Kushida had been waiting for Hikigaya to explain what happened that afternoon.

But the annoying guy just ignored her and casually picked up a book to read.

"Hey, aren't you going to explain?"

Kushida finally broke the silence. ƒгeewёbnovel.com

"Explain what?"

"The thing with Ayanokouji! You... are you planning to use me in your schemes too?!"

Kushida questioned coldly. Just thinking about what had happened in the student council room that afternoon sent shivers down her spine.

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