COTE : There is Something Wrong With Hikigaya

By the time Hikigaya arrived, the scene in front of him was shocking. 

Karuizawa was curled up in a corner, gripping a bloodstained rock. Manabe, on the other hand, was holding her bleeding forehead, looking completely disheveled. Yamashita Saki and Yabu Nanami stood frozen, terrified by what had just happened. 

The moment they saw Hikigaya, Yamashita and Yabu reacted as if they had spotted their savior. 

"Manabe is bleeding! Hurry and take her to the infirmary!" they cried out in panic. 

Hikigaya quickly took in the situation, but instead of moving right away, he pulled out his phone, turned on the recorder, and looked at them. 

"I'm a member of the student council. I happened to pass by and saw a conflict here. What were you doing, and what exactly happened?" 

"Uh… Karuizawa, she suddenly picked up a rock and—" 

Yamashita had just started to explain when Manabe interrupted her. 

"Shut up!" 

Holding her forehead, Manabe stepped toward Hikigaya, her expression dark. 

"I tripped and fell on my own." 

"Oh? So you're saying you accidentally fell and hit your forehead?" 

Hikigaya asked again. 

Manabe gritted her teeth. 

"That's right." 

"I see. Do you want me to call the school nurse for you?" 

"No need!" 

Manabe shot a glare at Karuizawa, who was still in the corner. 

"It's just a scratch! I can go to the infirmary myself!" 

Her tone was filled with anger. 

"Alright then. If there are any issues later, feel free to report to the student council. If any improper violence occurred, we'll make sure to handle it fairly." 

With that, Hikigaya turned off the recording on his phone. 

Manabe let out a small sigh of relief, but the next second, she scowled. 

"Happy now?!" 

Hikigaya didn't respond. He simply nodded before stepping over to Karuizawa, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. 

"It's over now. You can let go." 

Carefully, he reached out and took the rock from her trembling hands. 

"We're leaving." 

Manabe shot one last glare before gritting her teeth and storming off. 

A long silence followed. 

Then, as if snapping out of a trance, Karuizawa finally looked at Hikigaya. 

Without thinking, she clutched the edge of his shirt tightly—like a drowning person grabbing onto a life preserver. 

"It's over now," Hikigaya said, keeping his voice as calm as possible, not wanting to startle her again. 

"They… they're really gone?"

Karuizawa anxiously looked around. When she realized Manabe was nowhere to be seen, she let out a sigh of relief. But her fear didn't fade. Instead, she kept stepping back, curling up as if trying to shield herself from Hikigaya. 

Just a moment ago, she had seen him as her "lifeline," but now she was desperately trying to avoid him. 

"No… don't… don't look at me! Please… don't look at me!" 

Tears streamed down her face. She didn't want Hikigaya to see her like this—so helpless, so pathetic. 

Hikigaya felt suffocated just looking at her. He understood all too well what it felt like to have your weakest, ugliest side laid bare for someone else to see. He knew how much this was hurting her. 

He could see the fear and panic in her eyes. If this continued… she would break again. 

"Hey, look at me." 

Hikigaya grabbed Karuizawa's wrist. She struggled, but he didn't let go. His cold, detached voice sent a shiver down her spine. She didn't want to listen, but her body reacted instinctively, obeying his words. 

Those eyes. 

The first time she saw Hikigaya, she thought his eyes were terrifying. 

Those lifeless, dead-fish eyes seemed to see right through people, tearing away any mask they wore. Just like now—she felt completely exposed under his gaze. 

As she looked into his eyes again, she felt something strange. They were deep, like a whirlpool, pulling her in. 

"You did the right thing." 

"But… but I…" 

Karuizawa's mind was a mess. The more she thought about what she had just done, the more frightened she became. 

"Do you remember what I told you?" 

Hikigaya's voice was firm. "Don't let the people who bully you win. What matters isn't that they laughed at you or tried to hurt you. What matters is that you had the courage to fight back." 

"Karuizawa, you did that." 

"I… I did?" 

At the time, her mind had gone completely blank. But somewhere, a voice inside her told her—don't let them win. And before she even realized it, she had already struck Manabe, leaving her clutching her bleeding forehead. 

That voice… it sounded just like Hikigaya's. 

"That's right. You didn't just give in." 

"But… but now I look so… ugly. Everyone's going to avoid me. I don't want to be an outcast. I don't want to be alone…" 

Karuizawa clutched her stomach, her face twisting in pain, as if she had recalled something terrible. 

Hikigaya thought she was injured and was about to say something when she suddenly lifted her dirt-stained shirt. 

Her pale skin was marked by a deep, jagged scar. 

Hikigaya's pupils shrank. His expression darkened, and his fists clenched tightly. 

"Do you see this? This is the 'mark of victory' they left on me!" 

Tears filled Karuizawa's eyes as she trembled. "I don't want to be abandoned. I don't want to go back to that hell…" 

Hikigaya suddenly grabbed both of her hands. 

"So what if it's hell?! So what if people shun you and push you away?! Even if you end up alone, it doesn't matter! As long as you keep your head up, I'll be there, waiting for you." 

"W-Waiting for me?" 

"Yes. That's a promise. No matter who turns against you, no matter who betrays you, I won't abandon you. That's my promise." 

Karuizawa repeated the word "promise" under her breath. The emptiness in her eyes slowly faded, replaced by a faint light. 

"Then… you'll protect me, right?" 

Unexpectedly, Hikigaya fell silent. 

Then, he shook his head. 

The light in Karuizawa's eyes vanished in an instant. Her face went pale, and she let out a bitter laugh. "I knew it… I knew everyone was a liar." 

"The only one who can protect you is yourself." 

Hikigaya's gaze was clear and steady. "All I can do is teach you how to fight back."

一 一 一 一 一

You can read 30 advanced chapters on

pat reon.com/GMadman

一 一 一 一 一