COTE: Hikigaya's Classroom of the Supreme Being

The library fell into an eerie silence, and Class D seemed frozen in place.

...I didn't expect Katsuragi to be so elitist.

Hikigaya sighed inwardly. While he respected Katsuragi's principled stance, his condescending attitude towards Class D was irksome.

In contrast, Sakayanagi, despite her fiery temperament, had never looked down on Class D.

Humans were indeed complex beings.

"Damn, I'm in such a bad mood. Let's head back!"

With the study session effectively over, Sudo was the first to leave, followed by Ike, Yamauchi, and Okita. Only Kushida and Ayanokouji remained with Horikita.

"Horikita-san, it seems no one wants to study with you now."

"...It doesn't matter. It's better for those who hinder us to leave now."

Horikita seemed deeply affected, her mood dampened not merely by the departure of Sudo and the others but also by Katsuragi's merciless rebuke.

For someone as proud as Horikita, this was a hard pill to swallow.

Yet, Katsuragi's status as Class A's elite and the significant gap between Class D and A—nearly a thousand points—left her little room to contest the scolding.

Kushida, however, remained unfazed by the earlier events. She persistently encouraged Horikita not to give up on Sudo and the others and even enlisted Ayanokouji's assistance.

This effort, however, proved futile, and Kushida left with a gloomy demeanor.

"Hey, Hikigaya." Kamuro's voice broke through his contemplation. "The Katsuragi group is gone, and I'm heading out. What about you?"

"Ah, I'm leaving too. I witnessed a lot of interesting things today," Hikigaya replied, satisfaction evident on his face.

"...You can be as irritating as Sakayanagi sometimes."

Kamuro shook her head, finding the whole spectacle a trivial squabble between a self-satisfied guy and a foolish redhead, followed by a scolding from Katsuragi's faction.

She struggled to understand what was so compelling about it.

"I'm different from her," Hikigaya protested, "Sakayanagi has terrible taste. I'm observing interpersonal dynamics. Don't you think Kushida seems to harbor some dislike for Horikita?"

"Nonsense, it's natural to dislike someone with such a foul mouth," Kamuro said dismissively.

"No, no. You're missing the point. I think Kushida's dislike for Horikita started even before this incident."

Seeing Kamuro's confusion, Hikigaya elaborated: "Consider the argument earlier. Horikita and Sudo argued for a while, and Kushida didn't try to mediate. That's unusual."

"What's wrong with that? She's probably just afraid."

"That's unlikely. When Sudo took action, Kushida was the first to intervene."

"Perhaps... that was a coincidence?"

Kamuro appeared unsure now.

She knew Kushida as a well-liked, almost angelic figure, adored by many, including boys from Class A. Despite this, Kamuro had always sensed something off about her but couldn't quite place it.

She kept her distance whenever Kushida approached.

"Absolutely not," Hikigaya smiled.

"Whenever there's class conflict, Kushida is always the first to mediate. This time, she waited until the situation escalated before stepping in. That's intentional."

Hikigaya recalled how Kushida had immediately stepped in when he had mocked Karuizawa, so he had firsthand experience of this behavior.

"Ah. I don't understand how you can see that."

Kamuro sighed and said nothing more, disinterested in the internal affairs of another class.

The two gathered their belongings and prepared to leave. As they passed by Horikita, who was lost in thought, Hikigaya suddenly stopped.

"Hey, Horikita. You worked hard today."

"Hikigaya-kun...? You're here."

"Huh? Are you mocking me for my lack of presence?"

Hikigaya's usual self-deprecating humor might have invited a scathing retort from Horikita, but this time she simply lowered her head in silence.

It seemed she had been deeply affected, and even her sharp wit had deserted her.

"Forget it. Since you've put in the effort, I'll share a useful tip."

As Horikita was President Horikita's sister, Hikigaya couldn't ignore her entirely. Though he had no intention of offering substantial help, he decided to give her a few pointers.

"If you're determined to advance Class D to Class A, don't give up on those who are struggling. Because..."

Horikita cut him off.

"My goal is indeed to elevate Class D to Class A, but it's for my own sake, not for others. What happens to them is irrelevant. By eliminating those who fail this exam, we'll be left with only the better students, making it easier to move up. That's my intention."

Hikigaya listened attentively. From Horikita's perspective, her approach wasn't entirely flawed.

Fortunately, Hikigaya excelled at persuading others from their viewpoints.

"I understand your reasoning, but keep in mind that many seniors were expelled from the second and third years."

"...And? There are idiots like Sudo in every grade."

"No, I'm not just talking about Class D," Hikigaya finally revealed his point. "Even in Class A or B, there have been expulsions. With your intelligence, you should grasp what this implies."

"Are you implying that even with good grades, there's still a risk of expulsion? I fail to see how this relates to not abandoning the failing group. You're not suggesting that a person who doesn't help their classmates isn't fit for Class A, are you?"

Horikita frowned, seemingly struggling to grasp Hikigaya's point.

It appeared she was even more naive than expected.

She was indeed the president's sister.

Yet, Hikigaya saw no fault in Horikita's approach. Though her attitude was abrasive, she was offering free tutoring and had no obligation to help her classmates.

Even in the service department, the principle was to teach one to fish rather than simply hand over the catch.

Even someone as optimistic as Yukinoshita wouldn't lend a hand to someone like Sudo, who lacked any ambition for improvement.

"Listen carefully," Hikigaya said, giving it one last shot.

"I'm not telling you to never give up, but rather, not to give up too easily. I'm not asking you to work yourself to death for nothing… Just take your time to think it over."

With that, Hikigaya didn't wait for Horikita's response. Instead, he turned to Kamuro, who had been standing by impatiently, and signaled that it was time to leave.

It seemed that Kamuro had been waiting for him all along, though Hikigaya had assumed she would have left long ago.