COTE: Hikigaya's Classroom of the Supreme Being

Before this, Hikigaya never imagined he'd be discussing idols with a stranger. Thankfully, he'd picked up some knowledge from Zaimokuza in the past; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to keep up with the conversation.

Regarding the purchase of a camera, not only had Hikigaya overlooked it, but even the store clerk appeared to have overlooked this crucial detail.

Therefore, they completely ignored Sakayanagi, who had been persistently trying to strike up a conversation earlier.

Is this the definition of an idol fanatic?

The guy had been rambling for over half an hour, passionately explaining the dos and don'ts of being a fan with more enthusiasm than one would expect even from a salesperson.

His serious expression made Hikigaya feel too awkward to interrupt.

In the end, it was Sakayanagi who, clearly fed up, found an excuse to drag Hikigaya away.

"Honestly, Hikigaya-kun, can you please pull yourself together?" Sakayanagi sighed, massaging her temples while shaking her head in dismay.

"We came here to investigate a stalker, but somehow you ended up getting along with the suspect. Furthermore, you excluded me entirely from the conversation. Don't you think that's a bit rude?"

"I wasn't trying to get friendly with him. I was just trying to get him to talk," Hikigaya hastily explained.

"If you wanted information, you already got what you needed from the start, didn't you?" Sakayanagi's tone turned to tease. "With just one photo, that store clerk was quick to take the bait... However, in all seriousness, what type of individual would approach a lady while she is with a male companion? What could be going through his head?"

A lady, huh?

Hikigaya glanced at Sakayanagi, who barely came up to his chest, wisely choosing to hold back a retort. Sometimes it's wiser to keep some things unsaid.

However, one thing still needed clarification.

"Sakayanagi, you're misinterpreting. The only thing I confirmed was that the clerk is a fan of Shizuku. There's no actual evidence that he's the one sending the letters."

"Oh, Hikigaya-kun, you're so sly," she chuckled, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "No wonder you've fooled so many girls."

Wait, what? Where did that even come from?

Before Hikigaya could protest, Sakayanagi pointed out, "During your conversation, you subtly mentioned being curious about Shizuku's real name. Though the clerk didn't outright say it, he had this smug look on his face. Don't tell me you didn't notice that."

"Okay, that part was a little suspicious," Hikigaya admitted reluctantly, realizing he couldn't brush it off any longer.

The logic was straightforward: the clerk believed he and Hikigaya were equal fans of Shizuku. In his mind, they shared the same level of devotion.

However, that wasn't the case at all.

The clerk knew Shizuku's real identity—Sakura—and even her room number. Hikigaya, on the other hand, didn't share such 'intimate' knowledge, which is why the clerk probably saw himself as superior to other fans.

Naturally, most people wouldn't agree with such twisted thinking.

Unfortunately, some fans become so obsessed that they lose all sense of reason. There's even a song that mocks this phenomenon with the line, "Even if your idol gets married, it has nothing to do with your life, not even by 1mm."

"But this still doesn't prove the clerk is the one sending the harassing letters, right?" Hikigaya wasn't ready to let go of his doubts.

"Oh? Do you believe that?"

"Well…"

Faced with Sakayanagi's pointed question, Hikigaya fumbled for words, ultimately unable to respond.

The coincidence of the overly enthusiastic fan, Sakura's visit to the store, and the stalker's letters arriving shortly after was all too coincidental.

There's no such thing as so many convenient coincidences!

Sure, there was a tiny chance the clerk was innocent, but Hikigaya wasn't naive enough to cling to that hope. Moreover, the clerk had been excessively enthusiastic when discussing Shizuku.

Would someone find his actions excessive? The answer seemed obvious.

"Alright, I'm starting to think he's one of those obsessive fans," Hikigaya conceded.

"Obsessive fans?" Sakayanagi blinked in confusion.

"Yeah…" Hikigaya took a moment to reflect before providing her explanation. "They're fans who invade idols' privacy, sometimes even tracking down their home addresses. They have no sense of boundaries."

"Ah, I see. That store clerk certainly gives off that kind of scummy vibe."

"Wait, I didn't say it was that bad..." Hikigaya tried to dial back her harsh judgment.

After all, the guy had only sent a handful of letters. Such an extreme label wasn't quite warranted.

"Hikigaya-kun, I'd advise you not to waste your sympathy on someone like that," Sakayanagi replied, taking out her phone and pulling up Shizuku's blog. "Take a look at the comments. They're disgusting."

"Yeah," Hikigaya muttered. He had observed them the previous night.

Sakura had a decent following—over five thousand fans. Most comments were supportive, asking her to return to modeling for magazines.

However, one commenter stood out.

"Do you believe in fate? I do. From now on, we'll always be together."

Just reading it was enough to send shivers down Hikigaya's spine. How could someone compose such a piece with such composure?

It wasn't just idle fan delusions, though. This person left comments like this every day, growing progressively more disturbing.

"Our connection is so close, I can feel it."

"You're even cuter today."

"Did you notice our eyes met? I did."

This wasn't mere delusion—it was terrifying.

Hikigaya couldn't understand why Sakura hadn't deleted these creepy messages. Maybe she valued her fans too much, or maybe she was simply too afraid to log in anymore.

If it were his decision, he would have immediately banned that individual.

"While you were having that delightful chat with the store clerk, I took the opportunity to scroll through Shizuku's blog," Sakayanagi said with a soft laugh. "I must say, it was quite entertaining. I'm honestly impressed that you can get along with someone like that, Hikigaya-kun."

She wasn't in a positive mood.

Interestingly, Hikigaya also experienced a sense of reprimand. Was that just his imagination?

"The person writing those comments is here at this school."

Sakayanagi's voice was firm.

"That's not just delusion. It's proof that the culprit has been secretly watching Sakura this whole time."

"Yeah," Hikigaya agreed.

There was only one person who fit that description—the store clerk.

But calling him a 'culprit' seemed a bit extreme, considering he hadn't done anything overtly malicious yet. All Hikigaya could do was try to resolve the situation peacefully.

"This could be trickier than I thought," Hikigaya muttered, rubbing his chin.

"So, Hikigaya-kun, what's your plan?" Sakayanagi asked abruptly.

"Well… I've got a vague idea," Hikigaya replied.

He assumed the clerk had malicious intentions but lacked the courage to carry them out. Besides sending letters, he probably wouldn't do much else.

Naturally, Sakura wasn't happy about this, so action was required.

His plan? Stakeout.

The dormitory lobby had surveillance cameras, but they didn't cover everything. The clerk could easily slip letters into Sakura's mailbox while pretending to deliver flyers.

Catching him in the act would allow them to confront him and use the letters as leverage.

Threatening his job and reputation should be enough to scare him into backing off.

However, Sakayanagi didn't seem impressed with this idea, her expression clearly showing her displeasure.

"What's the problem?" Hikigaya asked curiously. He respected her sharp mind and figured she might have a better solution.

"Theoretically, your plan isn't bad," Sakayanagi admitted, shaking her head slightly. "For someone who preys on girls, intimidation is the most effective strategy. If you want, I can have Hashimoto-kun and Kitou-kun help you."

"Intimidation? It's not like I'm a delinquent! I'm just talking about negotiations!"

Why did she feel compelled to make it sound so shady?

If that wasn't the issue, then what was bothering her?

Sakayanagi seemed to read his thoughts and answered, "Didn't I tell you before? Don't show any sympathy to people like that. Hikigaya-kun, you're still too naive. At most, your plan will prevent him from sending letters.

"Isn't that enough?"

"Of course not."

Her tone carried an unmistakable sense of authority.

"I absolutely won't tolerate someone like that at my father's school. Just knowing he exists makes me uncomfortable."

"Uh…"

After a moment of shock, Hikigaya hastily attempted to reason with her. "Hold on; he hasn't done anything serious. He's just sending letters and posting weird stuff online. A little education should be enough to stop him."

"Someone who dares to send letters now could escalate to something worse later."

"That's a bit."

It seemed like Sakayanagi's emotions were running high, likely due to her deep respect for her father. Hikigaya couldn't help but feel a bit guilty for wanting to handle things more gently.

"That's why I said I don't want her to get involved in this matter," he stated firmly.

"So, what do you want? Do you want to fire that clerk?" Sakayanagi replied in a direct tone.

"Exactly. People like that don't deserve to be here."

"Then just tell your dad directly," Hikigaya provoked, crossing his arms. "Don't say you can't do it. Even if the school rules prohibit contacting family, I doubt you would follow them."

"Haha, as expected from Hikigaya-kun. You understand me," Sakayanagi said, a smirk on her face. She showed no shame regarding her privileged position.

"But unfortunately, the school and the store maintain only a cooperative relationship. Even if my father can make demands, I can't act as unreasonably as his daughter. Besides, I don't want to cause trouble for him unless it's necessary."

"Uh…" Just as Hikigaya contemplated his next move, Sakayanagi suddenly smiled and changed the subject.

"Although I genuinely want to punish the clerk, this is an internal matter for Class D. It wouldn't be right for an outsider like me to interfere too much... So let's leave it to Hikigaya-kun to resolve."

"Oh, right, that would be best," Hikigaya said, a sense of unease creeping in. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

Sakayanagi continued, "But my patience is limited, so you'd better hurry. If you can't handle it, I could always persuade Sakura-san for you. That would be the easiest way, right?"

Sakura would most likely face termination if she filed a complaint on her own.

"Can you do that?" Hikigaya asked skeptically.

"Haha, I'm afraid that won't work," Sakayanagi replied with a soft smile. "I don't know what kind of person Sakura-san is, but since Hikigaya-kun didn't use this method, it must mean you couldn't convince her. Being from another class, it's even more unlikely that I could persuade her."

Indeed, even with her impressive abilities, she wasn't omnipotent. Even Matsushita and Kushida, who had a past relationship with Sakura, struggled to approach someone as wary as she was, let alone Sakayanagi.

"Now that we've discussed this matter, let's talk about something else," she said, shifting the conversation.

"Anything else?"

"Well, it's something I've been curious about for a while."

Hikigaya's gut sank; he had a negative feeling about what Sakayanagi was about to say, especially since that smile looked so insincere.

"You use your classmates' photos as wallpaper on your phone. You have excellent taste," she teased.

"...Ah!"

"Such superficial behavior isn't worthy of praise. You should know that a woman's value lies beyond appearances... Hikigaya-kun, are you even listening?"

"I'm not free right now," he muttered, waving his hands in irritation as he quickly deleted the photos of Sakura from his phone.

Thank goodness Sakayanagi had reminded him; otherwise, he might have gotten himself into trouble.

It's unlikely he had any intention of retaining those images in the first place.

"Oh my, you're trying to eliminate evidence so soon!" Sakayanagi covered her mouth, feigning surprise.

This was getting ridiculous!

"What evidence? Are you just playing dumb?" Hikigaya snapped. "Besides, those photos are genuinely beautiful. It's normal for me to want to collect them. After all, most people in this world are appearance-oriented."

He pointed at himself. "Do you think people will judge me differently with glasses on than they would if I were bare-faced?" he asked himself.

"Well, of course not," Sakayanagi replied, observing him carefully before nodding in agreement.

"Yes, you feel the same way... Hey, what are you doing?"

Before he could finish his sentence, Sakayanagi suddenly stepped closer and removed his glasses.

"I think you look better without them."

"Ah?"

"Hehe, please don't think I'm lying," Sakayanagi smiled, covering her mouth again. "Although you often mock yourself for your bad eyesight, I find that kind of arrogance—ignoring everyone around you—really fascinating."

What was this girl talking about?

"Hey, don't say such harsh things to others," Hikigaya retorted, speechless.

As a social outcast, he had never considered this perspective before, but he habitually observed those around him. It was akin to watching ants.

"Hehe, you're blushing."

"...Impossible."

"Oh, then why the mysterious pause?"

"Uh..." Hikigaya once again realized he was no match for Sakayanagi's sly fox-like smile.

If only she could always be so genuine.

Until the clerk did something truly outrageous, Hikigaya wouldn't resort to extreme measures. He had no intention of costing anyone their job.

Similarly, he wouldn't consider expelling Sakayanagi, Ryuuen, or Ayanokouji from school, provided they didn't cross any boundaries.

This is the unwavering truth that stands firm.

Yet, as Haruno-san once remarked, life rarely unfolds according to our expectations.

I can only hope that day never arrives.