COTE: Hikigaya's Classroom of the Supreme Being

After school, Hikigaya received a message from Kushida asking him to meet on the rooftop.

That was rare these days.

In the past, Hikigaya often found himself summoned to the rooftop or other secluded places by Kushida, only to listen to her vent her frustrations, cursing at the world. But ever since the cruise trip, such encounters have dramatically decreased. At most, she occasionally sent him a rant through the messaging app.

In any case, she was acting more like a normal person now.

But this time, it wasn't likely about rehashing old grievances. It was probably about Sakura.

Could Kushida have succeeded?

If that were the case, Hikigaya might have underestimated her.

He had thought she'd fail, just like Matsushita. But it seemed Kushida's social skills were on a different level.

Well, there were tiers among the social elite.

However, upon arriving at the rooftop, it became immediately clear that his assumptions were entirely off.

"That gloomy cow dared to ignore me!"

The moment they met, Kushida launched into one of her familiar tirades. She had failed.

"Kushida, calm down," Hikigaya sighed inwardly.

"Listen to me, Hikigaya!" Kushida fumed, her cheeks puffed up with anger. "I was super friendly when I greeted Sakura, even asked if she had anything on her mind. But that woman not only brushed me off—she humiliated me in front of everyone! How infuriating is that?"

Although Hikigaya hadn't witnessed the scene firsthand, he could easily imagine it playing out just like Matsushita's previous failure.

It was no wonder Kushida was so upset. If Hikigaya had been rejected so publicly by a girl, he probably wouldn't have attended school the next day either.

"Hey! Are you even listening to me?"

Kushida's voice snapped him back to attention, her irritation rising at his apparent distraction.

"I'm listening," Hikigaya said, waving off her complaint with a weary tone. "Since I'm the one who asked you to talk to Sakura, I'll take responsibility and listen to you vent all you want. Don't worry about it."

Technically, he hadn't asked her, but there was no point in correcting her now. It would only add fuel to the fire, so he opted to hold back for once.

"You're always like this," Kushida muttered under her breath, her anger deflating just a little. "Why are you so nice for no reason... And who said I failed anyway?"

She huffed before suddenly pulling out her phone from her pocket, eyes gleaming with determination.

"Just because I didn't get her to open up doesn't mean I didn't find out anything. You're underestimating my information network! I dug up a lot about Sakura."

"...Is that so?"

Hikigaya remained skeptical, but he decided to humor her. Taking the phone, he glanced at the screen to see Kushida had been busy asking around in several group chats.

The feedback about Sakura boiled down to three points: no friends, no presence, and likes photography.

...And that was it?

What kind of intel was this?

Anyone with half a brain could figure out Sakura was into photography just by looking at her. She never went anywhere without her camera!

Furthermore, having no friends and being nearly invisible in a crowd wasn't even worth mentioning—it was an obvious fact.

Hikigaya wasn't ready to give up just yet. He scrolled through the chat history once more.

Unfortunately, the conversation had veered off course. The others had started making fun of Sakura, calling her gloomy and saying worse things behind her back.

Damn it, what's wrong with being a little gloomy?

Although their behavior was a bit over the top, Hikigaya found something interesting buried in their gossip.

Someone had mentioned that Sakura resembled a certain idol, but that comment was quickly drowned out by more ridicule.

An idol… huh?

On the surface, Sakura was an ordinary girl. But that didn't mean her looks were lacking. Her shy demeanor and plain appearance were largely due to her bangs covering most of her face, her constant slouching, and the old-fashioned glasses she wore, which hid her potential beauty.

In reality, with the right makeover, a lot of girls could transform into someone entirely different.

Kind of like Yoshida from The Metamorphosis… Ah, I'm getting sidetracked.

Anyway, an idea started to form in Hikigaya's mind.

If Sakura really was an idol, and someone at school had figured it out, the mountain of letters she'd been receiving would make perfect sense.

Of course, it was just a theory. He still needed more evidence.

"Kushida, someone mentioned that Sakura looks like a certain idol. What do you think?"

"Hmmm… Actually, I've thought the same thing before."

Hikigaya had asked on a whim, not expecting much. But to his surprise, Kushida's response caught him off guard.

"I've always felt like I'd seen her somewhere before, but I never had the chance to ask her."

With that, Kushida took Hikigaya's phone and began tapping away, likely searching for related photos.

But something strange happened. She didn't show him any results, and her expression grew increasingly puzzled.

"What's wrong? Can't find anything?" Hikigaya asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

"No, that's not it… Look."

With reluctance, Kushida turned the screen toward him. On it was a cheerful girl with twin-tails.

Though she wasn't wearing glasses and her bright, lively expression was completely different from the Sakura they knew, the resemblance was undeniable. It was definitely her.

But the pose the girl struck in the picture—emphasizing certain features—was something Hikigaya could never imagine the shy Sakura doing.

I guess this is what they call a gravure idol, he thought. She was flawless, from her looks to her figure.

"...Impressive."

"Hmph!"

For some reason, Kushida gave him a swift kick, causing Hikigaya to wince in pain.

What the hell? It wasn't like I found the photo!

Still, he decided to let it go. After all, Kushida had at least helped him find a lead.

"So, what's this idol's name?" Hikigaya asked.

"Huh? You can't tell it's Sakura?"

"No, I mean her stage name."

"Well, that's unexpected," Kushida teased, her voice laced with insinuation. "For a guy like you, Hikigaya-kun, to not know this… Or are you just pretending?"

"What's so surprising? I don't buy those kinds of magazines."

If given the choice, Hikigaya would rather spend his money on light novels with beautiful illustrations. After all, nothing beats the perfection of two-dimensional art.

"Tch, who knows if that's true," Kushida said, still sounding skeptical. But she eventually gave in and explained, "Her stage name is Shizuku. She's a gravure idol who often appears in boy's magazines. She was quite popular last year."

"...Boy's magazines?"

Hikigaya looked at the photo again.

With the amount of skin she was showing in that picture, they had the nerve to call it a "boy's" magazine. Ah, but I guess since Sakura was still in middle school back then, it fits the bill.

Japan's low birth rate is worse than I thought, Hikigaya mused.

As he pondered the situation, one thing became clear. If Sakura was indeed an idol, then it made sense that a devoted fan might be behind the letters and the stalking.

However, something didn't quite add up.

If the person knew their idol was attending the same school, wouldn't they have tried to approach her directly? Why resort to sending anonymous letters?

Unless… there was some reason they couldn't confront Sakura face-to-face.

This means… the stalker might not even be a student.

A realization hit Hikigaya. He'd been assuming all along that the stalker was a fellow student, but he'd overlooked the fact that the school had a large number of non-student staff members as well.

For example, vendors in the shopping area or cleaning staff. That could explain why the letters were the only form of contact.

After all, according to school policy, adults who weren't teachers were strictly prohibited from interacting with students unless absolutely necessary.

"So, was my information helpful?" Kushida asked, her tone laced with a hint of expectation.

"…I guess it was a little helpful."

Hikigaya wasn't trying to be difficult; he was simply stating the facts. The easiest solution would be to convince Sakura to report the issue to the school, but for now, they only had a small lead.

Whether they could find the culprit or how they would handle it afterward was still uncertain.

"Geez, you're so stingy! At least uphold half of our deal," Kushida pouted.

"Half?"

Hikigaya blinked in confusion. He remembered agreeing to call her by her first name… but did she want him to call her just part of it?

Would he call her 'Kushi' or 'Da'? Either way, that sounds ridiculous.

Thankfully, Kushida's mind wasn't quite that peculiar. She glanced at Hikigaya before suddenly stepping closer, closing the distance between them.

"Wha—"

Hikigaya instinctively tried to step back, but Kushida pressed her hand against his chest, leaving him no room to retreat.

"Hachiman."

Her soft voice echoed in his ear.

"Can I call you that when we're alone?"

There was a sweet yet dangerous aura around her as if she could grip someone's heart in her hands and make them willingly offer it up. It was like the seductive whisper of a witch.

"…Do as you like."

Hikigaya had thought he could remain unaffected, but even he couldn't help feeling a bit shaken.

That was the most resistance he could muster.

"Hehe, Hachiman," Kushida chuckled, "Hachiman… what a strange name!"

"I don't need you to tell me that."

Thanks to his parents for giving him such a name, Hikigaya had grown up thinking he was special, sharing his name with a legendary deity. It led him to do all sorts of foolish things as a child, memories he still cringed at to this day.

"Hachiman, you're going to find the stalker and kick him out of school, right?" Kushida asked with a bright smile.

"Yeah, right…"

Hikigaya didn't quite understand what kind of person Kushida saw him as.

Did she think he was some delinquent like Ryuen? He wasn't about to go around solving things with his fists.

"I just want to talk with the guy, maybe convince him to stop."

"Really?" Kushida raised a skeptical eyebrow. "But what if he doesn't listen? Are you just going to go back to persuading Sakura?"

"…We'll see."

"Ugh, that's just you avoiding the issue again."

Kushida sighed, a faint smile tugging at her lips, though her expression soon turned more serious.

"Hachiman, can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Well…"

It looked like she was debating whether to speak, but after a moment of hesitation, she decided to go for it.

"Why are you so invested in Sakura's situation? Is it just because you're classmates? Or is it because you're part of the student council and feel obligated to help?"

She probably didn't believe either of those reasons, but it seemed like she was trying to give Hikigaya an easy excuse.

"Neither. I just owe Sakura a favor."

"A favor?"

Kushida's face lit up with curiosity as if urging him to spill the details.

…What a hassle.

Still, she had been helpful, so Hikigaya decided to humor her. He briefly recounted what had happened during the VIP exam.

When he finished, Kushida burst out laughing. "Hehe, Ryuen is a fool. No wonder you've been playing him for so long, Hachiman."

"…Don't underestimate him, just because I can mess with him doesn't mean you can. He is far above your level," Hikigaya warned.

"It's fine," Kushida said dismissively. "The plan was Horikita's idea anyway. If it fails, she'll be the one to suffer."

It seemed her relationship with Horikita wasn't particularly strong. Still, the fact that they could work together was something, and there was no need to push for more at the moment.

"But I still don't get it."

Kushida's smile faded slightly as she continued, "Even if you say you owe Sakura, it doesn't sound like she did much. She just borrowed your phone for a bit… Do you need to go this far for her?"

"What, are you worried about me?" Hikigaya teased.

Kushida shot him a sharp glare.

"Obviously! We're talking about a stalker here. That's not something to joke about!"

"…Sorry."

"How should I put it." Hikigaya touched his head, "It's just that I don't like to owe favors to others. I feel uncomfortable if I don't pay it back. It has nothing to do with Sakura."

"Really? That's just too awkward."

Kushida still seemed unable to accept it.

"Sakura might have only borrowed your phone without expecting anything in return. You're probably the only one who would remember something so trivial. She might have forgotten about it long ago, so even if she did encounter a stalker, she wouldn't think to involve you... Ah."

Halfway through her sentence, Kushida suddenly froze.

A complex expression slowly spread across her face.

"Um... Hachiman."

"Yes?"

"...Maybe I'm overthinking this. You should probably just forget about it."

Kushida hesitated several times, her reluctance making Hikigaya uncomfortable.

"Just say what you want to say."

At this point, there was no need to hold back.

But Kushida seemed resolute, putting on a forced smile that reminded Hikigaya of a mask—something he hadn't seen from her in a long time, at least not in private.

"It's nothing important, really. I was just thinking about some trivial matters. Don't worry about it!"

"I see…"

In the end, Kushida never revealed what was on her mind. Hikigaya couldn't find a reason to push her further, so he let it go.

Perhaps it didn't matter after all.