COTE : There is Something Wrong With Hikigaya

Chapter 159 - 159: A Taste Of Hikigaya

"For the good of Class A?"

Hikigaya smirked.

"You sure know how to make excuses for yourself."

If this were really about helping her class, she should be working on uniting them internally, not looking for outsiders to take down her competition.

"From what Hiratsuka-sensei said, you used to be her student?"

Suddenly, Sakayanagi changed the subject, bringing up something Hikigaya wasn't expecting.

"That must be nice. Meeting a teacher who once looked after you at this school."

Hikigaya's face instantly darkened.

His expression turned cold as he stared at the silver-haired girl.

Sakayanagi noticed the sudden change in his aura.

It was as if a soft, harmless ball of cotton had suddenly sprouted sharp thorns, ready to draw blood with the slightest touch.

And yet...

This was exactly the reaction she had been hoping to see.

Ever since their last game of chess, Sakayanagi wouldn't say she was obsessed with it, but Hikigaya had definitely left a strong impression on her.

After that, she started paying attention to this Class D boy and gradually discovered something interesting.

What she saw in front of her confirmed it—someone with clear talent, yet he always kept it hidden. But it wasn't that he was doing it on purpose, nor was it some kind of "playing dumb to catch the big fish" act. It was more like he had given up on himself entirely.

Only when he was pushed to the edge or when someone hit his sore spot would this dead-eyed boy finally bare his fangs.

It was during that chess match that Sakayanagi first got a glimpse of the beast lurking inside him, more dangerous than anyone could imagine.

And not long ago, there was a huge controversy among the first-years over a rule violation. Since it involved someone she had been keeping an eye on, she used her connections to dig deeper into the situation.

Ayanokouji—the one she had always seen as a "genius"—had actually been "defeated" in this way.

At least from Sakayanagi's perspective, Ayanokouji not only "willingly" took the blame, but he was now seen in a bad light by most of the grade. Even many students in Class A had started looking down on him because of it.

So... she wanted to personally "taste" the one who had taken down Ayanokouji—Hikigaya.

"Sakayanagi, what's the meaning of this?"

Hikigaya's voice was especially cold.

Sakayanagi smiled slightly. "I just want to invite you to another game of chess, that's all. Of course, if you win, I'll grant you one request."

Hikigaya stared at Sakayanagi for a long moment. The silver-haired girl maintained her gentle smile, completely unfazed by his gaze.

"Hope you don't regret this decision," Hikigaya said coldly.

"Sorry, but 'regret' isn't in my dictionary. Only 'victory' is."

Sakayanagi showed no hesitation. Her calmness came from her confidence.

...

Hikigaya had already left. In the cafeteria, only Sakayanagi remained at the table.

Not long after, a girl with short black hair sat down across from her.

"Sakayanagi-chan, you're playing with fire here~"

"Heh, hearing that from you is honestly kind of funny."

Sakayanagi looked at Haruno across the table, still smiling, but there was a cold edge to it.

"Too bad your little scheme failed. You thought I'd come to you for help so that I could use the next exam to take down Katsuragi."

Sakayanagi slowly stood up. "But unfortunately, I like to take a different approach."

Some details about the upcoming exam had come from Haruno herself. Sakayanagi understood why—because of her physical condition, she would be absent from the next exam.

Without Sakayanagi in the picture, Class A would inevitably be led by Katsuragi. If she let him continue growing his influence, it would be difficult to shake his position later. The "battle of the two kings" that had lasted for a whole semester would finally come to an end.

And once that happened, Sakayanagi's faction, already at a disadvantage, would completely fall apart.

To Sakayanagi, Katsuragi was nothing more than a rule-following, by-the-book "good student," never someone she considered a true rival. But that didn't mean she could afford to ignore him any longer.

She had to take this chance to crush him.

With her absent, relying on Kamuro, Hashimoto, and the others clearly wouldn't be enough to pose a threat to Katsuragi. The only one worth considering was sitting right in front of her—Yukinoshita Haruno.

That was exactly why Haruno had leaked the information to her in the first place.

But today, an unexpected meeting with Hikigaya in the student guidance office had sparked a different idea in Sakayanagi's mind. And that led to everything that followed.

You could call it fate.

"Oh, really?"

Haruno didn't seem to care about Sakayanagi's words. "I was just giving you a friendly reminder. You may have noticed Hikigaya's potential, but underestimating your opponents is never a good idea."

"Underestimating them? No, Yukinoshita, you only say that because you've never seen a 'true genius.'"

Sakayanagi seemed to think of someone, and a hint of excitement appeared on her face.

"But I will prove who the real genius is and who is just a fake!"

...

On the first day of the August summer break, all first-year students gathered early at the meeting point. They boarded the school bus and headed to Tokyo Bay, where they embarked on a luxurious cruise ship—one that most people might never get the chance to step on in their lifetime.

The cruise ship had nine levels, including the rooftop. There were five floors above deck and four below. The rooftop featured a swimming pool and a café. The third to fifth floors were guest rooms, while the first to third underground levels housed entertainment facilities like a movie theater.

All the facilities and food on the ship were free for students. This brought some Class D students to tears—after eating basic vegetable meals for the past two or three months, many of them were now stuffing themselves at the restaurant as if trying to make up for lost time.

The swimming pool on the rooftop, the movie theater, and the arcade were packed with students, while the luxury spa inside the cruise ship became a popular spot for many girls.

Each room accommodated four students. Hikigaya shared his with Miyake Akito, Hondou Ryoutarou, and Kōenji. He wasn't very familiar with any of them—he had only run into Kōenji a few times during midterms and at a café, but they were practically strangers.

Just then, Hikigaya received a message on his phone.

[Sakura: Hikigaya-kun, would you like to walk around the ship with me?]

He could already picture Sakura's situation—curious about everything on the cruise but too nervous to explore alone. Hikigaya sighed and shook his head before replying to her message.

Not long after, he arrived at the first-floor lobby, where Sakura was already waiting.

The anxious girl immediately brightened up when she saw the dead-eyed boy. Her nervous expression softened into a genuine smile.

Ever since meeting him, things had started to get better.

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