COTE : There is Something Wrong With Hikigaya

Before long, Hirata arrived with another girl—Sato Maya, Karuizawa's closest friend within her group. 

The moment Sato saw the stains on Karuizawa's clothes and her unusual expression, she quickly wrapped Karuizawa in a jacket she had brought. Then she turned to Hikigaya with an angry glare. 

If Hirata hadn't explained the situation to her beforehand, she might have already rushed over to confront him. 

"Sato, I'll leave Karuizawa in your care. And please, keep what happened here a secret." 

Hirata's words made Sato frown. She wanted to ask something but, trusting Hirata, she simply nodded and left with Karuizawa. 

"Hikigaya, we really owe you for this," Hirata said gratefully. Then he asked, "But what do we do now? Karuizawa was hurt by them, and you were a witness. If we report this to the school, shouldn't they…" 

To his surprise, Hikigaya shook his head. 

"Hirata, this won't lead anywhere." 

He then explained how Karuizawa had fought back and injured Manabe. 

"If we take this to the school, it won't be good for either side. It's true that Karuizawa was bullied, but aside from the stains on her clothes, there's no real evidence. On the other hand, Manabe has an actual injury—that's solid proof." 

Hirata listened carefully and realized Hikigaya was right. It wasn't the perfect solution, but it was the most practical one. 

Even if they reported this and got Manabe punished, it would also expose the fact that Karuizawa had been bullied. That would only make things worse for her. 

By keeping it under wraps, everyone could pretend it never happened, and Manabe's group would have to think twice before trying something again. 

Still… 

"It's unfair to Karuizawa," Hirata sighed. 

Under this plan, Karuizawa wouldn't get justice. But since she had fought back and hurt Manabe, neither side could say they suffered more. 

To prevent Manabe's group from twisting the story later, Hikigaya had also recorded everything. That way, he could use it as proof if they tried to pin the blame on Karuizawa. It also served as a silent warning to Manabe. In the end, everyone understood what had to be done. 

"Why would Manabe's group even do this?" Hirata asked, confused. 

The school had strict rules against bullying. And doing something like this in the middle of the sports festival, with so many students and staff around, was incredibly risky. 

Even if there were fewer security cameras in this area, if someone filed a complaint, the school would investigate. Finding out the truth wouldn't be hard. 

No matter how you looked at it, this wasn't the smartest time to act. In fact, it was extremely risky. 

"They were following someone's orders," Hikigaya said suddenly. 

He was, of course, referring to Ryuen. Then he told Hirata about what had happened earlier in the infirmary. 

"Hirata, do you remember the conflict between Sudou and Ryuen during the cavalry battle this morning? This is part of Class C's strategy for the sports festival. Whether it's targeting Sudou, Horikita, or Karuizawa, the goal is to crush Class D. And honestly… it looks like they've succeeded." 

Hikigaya was also confused by Manabe's actions. But when he thought about everything that had happened earlier, it made sense. Someone like Manabe wouldn't have acted recklessly unless she had a reason. 

"So, in the second semester, Ryuen is finally going all out," Hikigaya sneered. 

Last semester, Class C's harassment was nothing more than petty troublemaking. But now, they were launching full-scale attacks with no hesitation. 

They were using every dirty trick they could find, taking advantage of any weakness to completely destroy their targets. 

Provoking Sudou. Framing Horikita. Bullying Karuizawa…

During the sports festival, almost all of Class D's key members and main students fell victim to Ryuen's schemes. Only Hirata and Hikigaya remained unharmed—though if you count the fact that Sudou hit Hirata, then it could be said that nearly the entire class got played by Ryuen's dirty tricks. 

"What about Horikita?" 

Hirata seemed a bit worried. Lately, Horikita had more or less become part of the "Hirata group," which was essentially Class D's leadership and decision-making team. 

After the island survival test and the VIP exam, Horikita stopped acting alone and started participating in class decisions. She even officially joined the leadership team. Of course, Hirata's invitation played a big role in this. 

Hirata, Horikita, and Kushida formed the core of the group. Hirata had invited Hikigaya as well, but he had flatly refused. 

Since the three of them had decided on the team formations for the sports festival, Hirata was especially concerned about Horikita's situation. 

"Horikita should be fine. Ryuen is just throwing out a smokescreen. Once his tricks are exposed, they lose all effect." 

Hikigaya explained calmly. 

Ryuen's method for dealing with Horikita wasn't complicated—actually, it was quite simple. Yet, Horikita still fell for it. 

He used Kinoshita to frame and pressure her. Any other student would have refused Ryuen's so-called settlement deal, but Horikita thought too much. On top of that, he exploited her pride and her weakness regarding her older brother, which made her hesitate and lose sight of the bigger picture. 

"Since Ryuen knows Horikita won't fall for this, he won't actually escalate the issue. Even if he thinks his plan is flawless, he can't be certain the school doesn't have other ways to investigate. Otherwise, he wouldn't have offered a settlement in the first place. 

And with the student council president involved, even if he promises to be fair, there are still risks. Ryuen is smart—he wouldn't hand over control of the situation to someone else." 

Hikigaya's calm explanation was filled with details Hirata hadn't considered, making him instinctively wipe the sweat from his forehead. 

"So, how does that saying go? 'Having connections makes everything easier'?" 

Hirata forced a smile. "In that case, Class C really suffered a huge loss. Good thing Hikigaya managed to join the student council." 

At that moment, the school broadcast announced the end of the lunch break and the start of the afternoon events. 

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