COTE: Hikigaya's Classroom of the Supreme Being

Kushida sensed something was off, possibly due to Hikigaya's strange tone. She cautiously asked, "Um... don't you like it?"

"No, it's not that," Hikigaya sighed. "I just didn't expect you to give me a birthday present out of the blue. Plus, it feels weird for a guy like me to keep a doll in my room. If someone sees it, they'd laugh at me."

Kushida sighed in relief and smiled. "Really? Why should you care? As long as you like it, that's all that matters. Besides, you don't have any close friends who'd visit your room, right?"

"Ugh..." Hikigaya felt a sharp pang in his chest, like his heart had been stabbed.

It was incredible how Kushida could deliver such a hurtful truth without hesitation. This girl really had a dark side.

"Besides, don't you think this Mr. Pan is cute?" Kushida continued, picking up another panda doll from the shelf and placing it near Hikigaya's head. "Especially the eyes. They look a bit like yours."

"…My eyes aren't that vicious," Hikigaya muttered, thinking that his eyes were just lifeless and harmless.

Though pandas looked cute, they were essentially bears. Despite their bamboo diet, they wouldn't shy away from eating meat on occasion.

"Anyway, thank you for the gift," Hikigaya said, bowing his head in gratitude. "But our main focus is on Inogashira's birthday, right? Do you have any suggestions?"

"Oh... Kokoro-chan would be happy with anything, really. Just pick a pretty notepad or something," Kushida responded nonchalantly.

"Hey, that's not what you said before."

Hikigaya considered looking up their chat records but decided against it. A notepad would suffice, and he was too lazy to overthink it.

However, there was something else he needed to ask.

"Is there anything that would better express my feelings?"

"…Huh?" Kushida was visibly stunned, her expression growing more peculiar.

"In that case, I think a hairpin would be nice... But let me warn you, if you give something like that to a girl you don't know well, she'll think you're creepy."

"No, no, no, it's not for Inogashira," Hikigaya clarified, aware that hairpins were considered personal items for girls. It would be inappropriate to gift one unless the relationship was close.

"Then who is it for?" Kushida pressed.

"No, I was just asking," Hikigaya replied, glancing at the merchandise on the shelves. He found the hairpins appealing, with a price range that wouldn't burden Komachi, yet not too cheap.

"Really?" Kushida seemed unconvinced. "You were clearly choosing carefully. Who are you giving it to?"

"You ask too many questions."

Hikigaya hadn't intended to mention Komachi, especially since ordinary students couldn't send things to their families, let alone meet them. It would be problematic if others found out and grew envious.

Still, Kushida had not only offered advice but also given him a birthday present, even if it left him with mixed feelings.

"Actually, it's for my sister," Hikigaya whispered. "The tennis club is participating in a competition, and I want to go with them as a student council member."

"Oh—I see."

Kushida immediately grasped the underlying meaning, despite some words being left unsaid. She then voiced her concern, "But I heard the inspection will be strict. What if you get caught?"

"Don't worry. I'd go through fire and water for my sister. A mere inspection is nothing," Hikigaya stated firmly.

"Wow... that's a bit much. You're taking this 'sister complex' too far," Kushida teased, taking a few steps back in mock horror.

Hikigaya shook his head and sighed, continuing his search for a gift. "Hehe, since it's for your sister, let me help you out," Kushida offered confidently. "Let me show you my professional eye for these things. Not everyone has the feminine touch of Kikyo-chan."

She actually boasted about her femininity... The frustrating part was that it was hard to argue against her.

"Okay, okay, I'll rely on you, Kikyo-chan," Hikigaya said casually.

"…Huh?"

"No, what are you talking about?"

Hikigaya looked at Kushida with confusion, unsure of what was bothering her. Could she be suffering from heatstroke?

"No, no!" Kushida quickly corrected herself. "Anyway, stop talking and trust my taste! I'll find a gift that will definitely satisfy your sister!"

"…Then I'll leave it to you."

Despite the lingering oddness, Hikigaya decided not to dwell on it.

With Kushida's help, he finally selected a platinum hairpin that looked high-end. The price, however, was steep, costing over 10,000 points.

"Okay, let's go with this one."

As long as Komachi liked it, the cost didn't matter to Hikigaya.

"Are you sure?" Kushida asked, examining the hairpin closely. "Want to look at anything else? There might be something better."

"It's fine. I trust your judgment," Hikigaya replied without hesitation.

"Well... of course!"

Kushida hurriedly grabbed two notebooks from the side and pointed to the cash register. "Anyway, let's go pay first... oh, isn't that Katsuragi-kun?"

Looking in the direction she indicated, Hikigaya saw a tall man standing a short distance away, intensely focused on the shelf in front of him. His serious expression and demeanor seemed out of place in the store.

Let me clarify, this is not a joke. The scene was indeed abrupt, but fortunately, Katsuragi was too absorbed in his task to notice the curious glances from other shoppers.

…No, he probably wouldn't care even if he did notice.

That's something Hikigaya could never do.

"He looks a little suspicious," Kushida said in a low voice.

"No, he's just picking something," Hikigaya replied, shaking his head. "Let's not disturb him..."

"Let's go say hello!"

Before Hikigaya could finish his sentence, Kushida cut him off with a suggestion that sounded absurd.

"...Say hello?" Hikigaya wondered if he had heard her correctly.

"Yeah," Kushida smirked. "We're classmates in the same grade, after all. Isn't it natural to say hello when we run into each other?"

"No!"

Hikigaya was genuinely impressed by this girl's boldness. They had just returned from a luxury trip two days ago, where both of them played roles in demoting Class A to Class C. Strictly speaking, the Favored Person Examination wasn't Hikigaya's fault—Katsuragi had lost to Ryuen and Kushida. Even if Hikigaya hadn't intervened, there would have been other ways to trap him.

But regardless, Kushida was determined, walking over with a smile.

At that moment, Katsuragi had already picked out his gift and was heading to the cashier, but Kushida reached him first.

"Hello, Katsuragi-kun." Kushida waved cheerfully. "I didn't expect to see you here. Are you buying something too?"

"So it's you, Kushida."

Katsuragi's demeanor remained calm as ever... No, it seemed his heart was as steady as a rock. Katsuragi was the type of man who wouldn't let exam failures affect his daily interactions.

He then turned his gaze toward Hikigaya.

"Are you with Hikigaya?"

"Yes, we came here together to pick out a birthday present for a classmate," Kushida explained, perhaps intentionally setting up the next topic.

As expected, she continued, "Katsuragi-kun too? I noticed you bought some chocolates. Could it be... a gift for your girlfriend?"

"No, I'm here to buy a birthday present too," Katsuragi shook his head. "But I'm sure it's not for the same person."

"Haha, I didn't think so either."

"Really? That's good."

Despite the ordinary conversation, Hikigaya couldn't shake the odd feeling it gave him. Should he call it solemn? Or something else?

"But is everything okay with your points?" Kushida feigned concern. "Class C can't be as extravagant as before. If you need help, feel free to ask me anytime, okay?"

Hey, hey, hey, you're not just hurting his heart; you're going straight for his lungs!

Hikigaya couldn't help but feel sympathy for Katsuragi, especially since he couldn't even challenge her. What could he say, "Why is the information I overheard false?"

If he actually voiced that, he'd be a laughingstock.

Katsuragi responded in a deep voice, "Thank you for your concern. I'm spending according to a plan, so I don't have any worries for now... But it seems like Class D needs more help. I heard each of you has to hand over 20,000 points to Ryuen every month."

"Haha, Katsuragi-kun is well-informed."

"No, I think I'm just on time."

The two seemed to be chatting amicably, but anyone who knew the situation would recognize the underlying tension.

Either way, Hikigaya had no desire to linger any longer.

As Hikigaya prepared to make an excuse to leave, Katsuragi's gaze fixed on him, stopping him in his tracks.

"Is this something related to the student council?" Katsuragi asked, his tone suddenly serious.

"...Huh?"

Hikigaya hadn't expected Katsuragi to bring this up, catching him off guard.

"Sorry, I should have been clearer," Katsuragi quickly added, realizing his abruptness. "I noticed you're wearing a school uniform, so I thought you might be heading to campus. If it's not too much trouble, may I join you?"

Now that he mentioned it, Hikigaya noticed that Katsuragi was also in uniform. He had assumed Katsuragi wore it for some other reason.

"Sure," Hikigaya eventually replied after considering it.

"Thank you, I appreciate it," Katsuragi said with a polite bow.

Kushida, however, didn't seem pleased.

"Hikigaya-kun, I never heard anything about this!"

"Uh... that's because I didn't say anything?" Hikigaya responded, puzzled by her reaction.

"But it's rude to leave in the middle of a date!" Kushida protested, clearly annoyed.

"We just agreed to shop for gifts together, didn't we?" Hikigaya pointed out.

"Eh? But... but after that..."

Just as Kushida was about to say more, they were interrupted by two familiar voices.

"Ah! Kushida-chan! What a surprise to see you here! What a stroke of luck!"

"Yeah, talk about fate!"

Hikigaya turned to see Ike, Yamauchi, and Ayanokouji from his class approaching. It seemed they, too, were here to buy Inogashira's birthday present. After all, it was unlikely three teenage boys would come to this kind of store for no reason.

"Hello, Ike-kun, Yamauchi-kun, and Ayanokouji-kun," Kushida greeted them with her usual cheerful smile.

Although Kushida had decided to stop playing the role of the class's beloved angel, she saw no need to reveal her true self to her classmates just yet. It was amusing, in a way, how easily these simple-minded boys were fooled by a smile.

Besides, there might come a time when she needed these classmates (cannon fodder), so it was best to maintain appearances.

But Ike and Yamauchi quickly noticed something else.

"Hiki-gay, why are you here too? Could it be...?" Ike's eyes widened as he began to piece things together.

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Yamauchi snapped. "There's no way Hiki-gay could be dating Kushida-chan during summer vacation! Save your fantasies for your dreams! And don't forget that bald guy from Class C is here too!"

"Yeah, yeah, sorry, I got a little carried away," Ike said sheepishly, scratching his head. But no matter how he tried to apologize, it only made the situation more irritating.

"Look at Ayanokouji. He's not fazed at all," Yamauchi pointed out.

"Don't lump me in with you two," Ayanokouji retorted, drawing a clear line between himself and the others. But it felt more like banter between friends, so neither Ike nor Yamauchi took it seriously.

...These three are a pain, Hikigaya thought. Annoying in every possible way. But apart from Ayanokouji, the other two were nothing more than trash, not worth paying attention to.

Ignoring them, Hikigaya turned to Katsuragi. "Aren't you heading to the cashier?"

"Ah, yes. Let's go."

After they paid, Hikigaya and Katsuragi left the store together. Kushida seemed to want to stop them several times but ultimately held back, sensing that Hikigaya wouldn't agree even if she asked.

...It's all those three idiots' fault!

Kushida forced a smile as she addressed Ike and Yamauchi. "It's Hikigaya. We've been classmates for over four months now. You should at least remember his name, right?"

"Uh... yeah..."

"And you were just about to make fun of Katsuragi-kun for being bald, weren't you? He has a condition since childhood, so you shouldn't mock him!"

"You're right."

Under Kushida's reprimand, Ike and Yamauchi shrank back into silence.

As for Ayanokouji...

"Ayanokouji-kun, aren't you their friend?" Kushida asked, not letting him off the hook. "As a friend, shouldn't you have given them some advice when they made mistakes? Why did you pretend you didn't see anything? And don't tell me you don't know Hikigaya-kun's name."

"Yeah! Why didn't you stop us?" Ike and Yamauchi quickly jumped on the opportunity to shift the blame to Ayanokouji, not wanting to lose face in front of Kushida.

"You even asked me to prank Horikita while you played the good guy," Ike added, turning the tables completely.

"You guys are too much. Don't dump all the responsibility on me," Ayanokouji grumbled, trying to deflect the blame as usual. But something about Kushida felt different this time, though Ayanokouji couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Meanwhile, Hikigaya accompanied Katsuragi to the campus. To be honest, he hadn't expected to go to school twice in one day during summer vacation. This was beyond the life of a mere workaholic; it was super workaholic territory!

"I'm sorry to drag you along with me," Katsuragi apologized once more, bowing his head.

"It's fine," Hikigaya replied calmly. "I just want to see what you have to say to the president. By the way, if you're thinking of negotiating with him, you might want to save your energy."

"...What do you know?"

"I just have a hunch."

"I see... You're a sharp one, aren't you?"

Katsuragi's compliment didn't faze Hikigaya. In his mind, there was nothing particularly impressive about his deduction.

After all, Katsuragi's intentions were obvious. First, he bought chocolate as a birthday present, then he asked Hikigaya to accompany him to the student council office. Unless he intended to bribe the president with chocolate, there was only one logical conclusion—he wanted to give the gift personally.

If it were anything else, Katsuragi would have spoken to the president before buying the gift.

"Actually... the main reason I'm visiting the student council is to ask for something," Katsuragi confessed, hesitating for a moment before continuing.

"The school has strict rules about contacting the outside world, but I want to send some items and a card to my family."

"...And why are you telling me this now? Can't you just tell the president directly?"

"Yes, that was my original plan."

The word "originally" indicated that Katsuragi had changed his mind.

Hikigaya's interest was piqued.

"I know the school rules are strict about this sort of thing, and I wasn't planning to send a text message," Katsuragi explained. "I wanted to negotiate with the student council president. Even though it's unlikely to go smoothly, I intended to argue my case. But after reflecting on past experiences, I realized I was just repeating old mistakes."

"What do you mean?"

"If I treat this as a special test, where the condition for success is sending the items, and I try to ask the school to make an exception, it would clearly be a foolish decision."

Hikigaya hadn't expected the usually serious Katsuragi to say something like this. It seemed that his experiences at the school had made him rethink his approach.

"It might seem like you can buy anything with personal points here, but I believe there are limits. If you override school rules, the school's authority won't be upheld, and the point system could collapse."

Katsuragi's level of understanding surprised Hikigaya even more.

"So, what are you going to do?" Hikigaya asked, genuinely curious.

"To be honest, I can't think of a good solution."

Then Katsuragi said something unexpected.

"So I want to ask you, as a member of the student council, for a favor. Of course, I won't ask you to do it for free. I'll give you 100,000 points as a reward. Please do your best to help me while I negotiate with the president."

"...Heh."

After a moment of silence, Hikigaya chuckled.

"You've always been a rule-abiding person, yet you're willing to bend the rules to achieve your goal. It seems your time at this school has started to change you."

"No, I don't think I've changed at all," Katsuragi replied firmly. "I don't want to resort to this method unless necessary, but I also understand that sometimes you need to adapt... especially when you have no other choice."

It sounded like there was a significant reason behind his request. The gift must be for someone very important.

"...Hand it over," Hikigaya suddenly said, reaching out his hand.

"Huh? But I just hoped..."

"There's no need for all the fuss."

Hikigaya shook his head, interrupting Katsuragi.

"The president is rigid. Convincing him directly will be difficult and annoying. Besides, your goal is just to send the item out, right? If that's the case, just give me the address and the name. No need for all the other formalities."