COTE : There is Something Wrong With Hikigaya

Horikita felt a mix of emotions, not just because of what had happened, but also because of Hikigaya himself. The more she interacted with him, the more she realized how far apart they were. 

"Why is my brother here?" 

But soon, her attention shifted to something else—Horikita Manabu was standing right in front of her. 

The moment she thought about how embarrassed she had looked earlier, she had the urge to run out of the room immediately. 

"I ran into the president while getting you lunch. He said you got hurt."

"You... you don't have to do anything extra!" 

Horikita wanted to scold Hikigaya, but when the words reached her lips, she unconsciously changed her tone. Even she might not have noticed the slight hint of complaint in her voice. 

"I haven't even eaten because of this whole thing!" 

Hikigaya said irritably, "There's still 20 minutes left in the break. I'm going to eat now." 

With that, he turned around and left. Seeing that the issue was resolved, Chabashira-sensei also walked away. Kushida glanced around, then quickly followed Hikigaya. In an instant, the infirmary was left with only Horikita and Horikita Manabu. 

... 

"You haven't eaten either?" 

On a bench by the school path, Kushida sat down with a piece of bread and a carton of milk. She didn't answer Hikigaya's question, looking rather gloomy. 

Seeing this, Hikigaya didn't bother pushing for a response. He simply lowered his head and started eating his freshly bought rice ball. 

"Hikigaya-kun, you're really amazing." 

Kushida suddenly spoke. "With just a few words, you managed to get Horikita out of trouble. It's really impressive~" 

Hikigaya finished the last bite of his rice ball, wiped the corner of his mouth, and said, "So? Are you trying to tell me I messed up your plans again?" 

"Come on, Hikigaya-kun, what are you even talking about~" 

"You leaked Class D's event list, didn't you?" 

Kushida's hand holding the milk suddenly froze. She forced a stiff smile. "What do you mean? Are you suspecting me, Hikigaya-kun?" 

"I watched the morning events closely. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one—Hirata and Horikita have probably also realized that our class's participant list was leaked." 

"So now you're blaming me? Is that how you've always seen me, Hikigaya-kun? After all the 'dirty work' I did for you!" 

Kushida looked hurt, her eyes even welling up with tears. 

But no matter how long she waited, Hikigaya didn't react at all. Her expression slowly turned cold. 

"Where did I mess up?" 

"Where?" 

"The way you acted in the infirmary was too deliberate. Not just me—I'm sure Horikita also noticed that there's definitely something going on between you and Ryuen." 

Hikigaya shook his head slightly. 

In a way, Kushida's "acting" wasn't bad. The fact that she could keep up this "little angel" act and fool so many people meant she had mastered facial expressions and emotions almost perfectly. 

But for some reason, she always slipped up at crucial moments. 

Or rather… her disguise itself wasn't the problem—she exposed herself. 

"You were too impatient. Anyone could have picked up on your strange behavior. It's not your disguise that's off—it's the 'logic' behind it." 

"Hikigaya!" 

Kushida glared at him angrily. "Are you saying I'm 'too stupid'?!" 

"I never said that. You did." 

Hikigaya quickly clarified. 

"You bastard! Isn't that the same thing?!" 

Kushida had the sudden urge to tear his mouth apart. She had recently started feeling that this dead-fish-eyed guy wasn't so bad after all, but now he was making her remember "that night" and the whole "fingerprint" incident. Ugh, so annoying! 

"I'm just giving you advice as an outsider." 

Hikigaya sighed. "Like with guys, sometimes with girls, you just need to fight it out. So whatever's going on between you and Horikita, I have no intention of getting involved." 

"Heh." 

Kushida let out a cold laugh. "You liar. You said you wouldn't interfere, but then why did you help Horikita just now? I had already cornered her!" 

"See? And you still say you won't admit it?" 

"!!" 

Kushida's eyes widened. "I knew it! You're a total liar!" 

"It was just a joke, a joke!" 

Hikigaya quickly explained, "As for why I helped Horikita, it's more like I was annoyed by Ryuen. And think about it—if you were caught up in trouble, wouldn't you want me to help you?" 

Kushida fell silent. 

"So when I said I wouldn't get involved in your conflict, I meant I wouldn't interfere with normal ways of settling things—whether that's negotiating or even fighting it out. But I don't want this to turn into a situation where you start attacking and sabotaging each other." 

Hikigaya really didn't want to get involved in the conflict between Kushida and Horikita, but that didn't mean he could just ignore it. If things got out of hand, it would be difficult to bring them back under control. 

"Who do you think you are?!" 

Kushida suddenly felt a surge of anger. It was like all the emotions she had been holding back exploded at once. She glared at him, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "You're acting like some kind of self-righteous father! What I do is my business—I don't need an outsider like you interfering! And don't tell me you actually think we're close?" 

"At the end of the day, we're just using each other. I didn't meddle in your little thing with that big-breasted Sakura, or Ichinose, or even that girl Shiina from Class C. So don't think you can cross the line and start telling me what to do! After I'm done with Horikita, you're next. Just you wait!" 

It felt like she was venting all the negative emotions she had been bottling up. But the moment she finished speaking, she regretted it. Still, there was no taking back what had been said, so she just scoffed and turned her head away, pretending she didn't care. But she couldn't help but sneak a glance at the dead-eyed boy beside her. 

Normally, if a guy got this much hate from a girl, he'd get angry and walk away. But to her surprise, Hikigaya's face remained calm, as if her words hadn't affected him at all. 

Seeing this, Kushida felt relieved—but also even more annoyed! 

"You can go after Horikita, or me—it doesn't matter." 

Hikigaya's voice was steady as he spoke. "But tell me, Kushida, do you really think this will solve anything? The truth always comes out eventually. You're not solving the problem; you're just getting rid of the people who point it out. Sooner or later, your true self will be exposed for everyone to see." 

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