Chapter 313: From Love to Hate, This Is Just Too Ridiculous!
"Shinohara-san, please think about this carefully...
I believe Satonaka's love letter is suspicious no matter how you look at it."
Hirata Yosuke was earnestly trying to persuade Shinohara Satsuki to wake up.
However, in Hachiman's eyes, Hirata's persuasion at this moment would likely only produce the opposite effect.
It was common knowledge that Shinohara Satsuki liked Hirata Yosuke. And it was equally known that Hirata could never reciprocate her feelings.
At a time like this, the appearance of another handsome guy actively showing interest in her was enough to completely cloud her already none-too-bright brain.
"Hirata-kun, talking bad about others behind their backs is seriously uncool!
I didn't expect you to be this kind of person!"
Shinohara Satsuki's face was dark, as if she were finally finding an outlet for her inner dissatisfaction with him. "But then again, it makes sense. Who would have thought that the gentle, kind, and friendly Hirata-kun's true face would be that of a violent maniac?"
Hirata Yosuke: "..."
Hirata Yosuke was struck right in his sore spot. His face turned pale, and he slumped powerlessly into his seat.
"Shinohara, aren't you being a bit too harsh?"
Inogashira Kokoro, an inconspicuous girl in the class, couldn't help but argue in a small voice: "Hirata-kun did that for the sake of our Class D."
"For Class D? That sounds nice," Shinohara Satsuki retorted with a soul-piercing question. "But let me ask you, what has Hirata ever done that actually earned points for the class?"
Everyone looked at each other, falling into a momentary silence.
In the early stages, Hirata Yosuke was a brainless peacemaker, turning a blind eye to—and even shielding—the abstract behavior of Yamauchi's group, which caused Class D to lose many points. Later, after his "darkening," he had a falling out with Hachiman and even resorted to physical violence.
In the end, facts proved that while Hachiman's operations were unpleasant, the results were always beneficial to Class D.
'This guy's psychological pressure resistance is really weak' Hachiman thought.
Hirata Yosuke looked like he was doubting his very existence after the repeated critical hits.
In Hachiman's view, Hirata's existence was actually quite useful. With him there, at least Class D wouldn't completely fall apart. Though Hachiman didn't understand Hirata's philosophy, he maintained respect for it.
On the contrary, there was Shinohara Satsuki. She was incompetent in every way, yet she loved to cause a scene.
So, when he saw Sakayanagi Arisu plotting against Shinohara, Hachiman chose to stand by and watch. In fact, he secretly hoped the "bratty loli" would play her to death!
Sakayanagi Arisu seemed to sense something and took a deep look in Hachiman's direction.
With just one look, the two could read each other's thoughts. After confirming that Hachiman would not intervene, the smile on Sakayanagi's face grew even more radiant.
"I'm sorry, Sakayanagi-san. I let you see the unsightly side of our class."
Shinohara Satsuki looked desperate to distance herself from the rest of Class D, hoping to use this opportunity to climb the high branch that was Class A.
Sakayanagi caught the hint and said exactly what Shinohara wanted to hear: "It's quite alright, Shinohara-san. Excellent people will be noticed no matter where they are. Just as Satonaka-kun noticed you. Our Class A always welcomes someone like you."
The last sentence was full of implication.
As everyone knew, as long as one paid 20 million points, they could transfer to any class they desired.
"Is that really okay? Sakayanagi-san, you truly are my soulmate!"
Receiving a love letter from a handsome guy and an invitation to Class A at the same time—this double stroke of "good luck" sent Shinohara Satsuki's IQ into the negatives. She grabbed Sakayanagi's shoulders with excitement, her eyes brimming with "wisdom."
Even the fraudster Sakayanagi's expression almost faltered. The target's gullibility far exceeded her expectations, making the multiple scripts she had prepared entirely unnecessary.
"Pfft—"
Hachiman really couldn't hold it back and let out a snicker, drawing the eyes of everyone around.
"Hikigaya! What are you acting crazy for now?" Shinohara Satsuki glared at him furiously.
"Nothing... please continue... pfft—"
Hachiman covered his mouth, but he couldn't completely suppress the twitching of his cheeks.
"Hachiman-kun, what are you laughing at?" Sakayanagi's eyes pinned him with a sharp gaze.
"Arisu, you're very humorous."
"???"
"Designing all this just to fool an idiot."
The smile on Sakayanagi's face completely froze. For someone who prided herself on being exceptionally intelligent, associating with an idiot was, in itself, a degrading and foolish act.
"You came all the way to Class D to recite a bunch of ridiculous lines. I thought you were going to deal with the 'Masterpiece.' Instead, you tell me you're just playing with an idiot."
Hachiman's cryptic words left the rest of Class D confused.
"Who is the 'Masterpiece'?"
"That nickname sounds pretty powerful."
"We actually have a hidden expert in Class D?"
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, caught in the crossfire, had an expression of immense fatigue on his otherwise stoic face. As the most successful experimental subject of the fourth generation of the White Room, he indeed deserved the title of "Masterpiece." But hearing it come from Hachiman's mouth gave him an indescribable sense of gloom.
"Hehe, it seems I've been underestimated by Hachiman-kun."
Sakayanagi caught Ayanokouji in her peripheral vision before returning her focus to Hachiman. She seemed to find something interesting, and the playful smile returned to her face.
"I can't help it; your operation in Class D was just too stupid," Hachiman continued his verbal assault. "Also, your attack against Honami can't be called sophisticated either."
"Me targeting Ichinose? Do you have any evidence for that?" Sakayanagi obviously wouldn't admit it.
"Anonymous text messages and such... do you really think you can leave no trace?"
Hachiman actually had no hard evidence; his intuition just told him she was the culprit. Besides, if he really wanted to investigate, it wouldn't be hard to find something using his student council privileges.
"The righteous Discipline Committee Chairman will surely find the truth and clear Ichinose Honami's name, won't he?"
Sakayanagi looked completely unruffled, as if she wasn't afraid of leaving any traces. Was she that confident her work was flawless?
No! This sounded like she was actually looking forward to him investigating!
Hachiman narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing through them.
"As expected of Hachiman-kun, it seems you've realized the truth."
Sakayanagi's eyes curved like crescent moons, her gaze toward him filled with a bit more approval.
"Arisu, that's enough."
Hachiman's tone turned icy. "Don't you call yourself a genius? Then you should defeat Honami fairly in a special exam. If your goal was to strike Class B's morale, it's already worked. Stop this before things get out of hand!"
"Hachiman-kun, are you disgusted by my dishonorable methods, or are you just worried about Ichinose?"
Sakayanagi's voice also dropped a few degrees. "You seem to have a natural filter regarding Ichinose-san's character, which is why you believe her unconditionally. This isn't the aloof Hikigaya Hachiman I like!
With your intelligence, you should be able to figure it out. The reason a rumor can spread for so long has a lot to do with the silence of the person involved. Tell me, is it possible that Ichinose is acting out of a guilty conscience?"
Sakayanagi's heart-piercing statement caused a massive stir in Class D!
"Meaning the rumors might be true?"
"This is too explosive..."
"But that's Ichinose we're talking about!"
Seeing the direction of public opinion shift, Shinohara Satsuki took the chance to chime in: "I told you, you can't judge a book by its cover! The more someone looks perfect like Ichinose, the more likely they are a bad woman through and through..."
"And?"
Hachiman's expression remained calm, unmoved by the shifting tide.
Now it was Sakayanagi's turn to fall silent. She apparently hadn't expected Hachiman to remain so composed after she threw out such "explosive" dirt on Ichinose.
Was it because he believed in Ichinose 100%? Or was it because he already knew about her past? Either way, it was unacceptable to Sakayanagi!
"Hoo—"
Sakayanagi took a deep breath, trying to steady her emotions.
But she failed.
"...My apologies, Shinohara-san. It seems today isn't convenient. Let's talk another day."
With that, Sakayanagi shakily took her cane and fled the Class D classroom with somewhat flustered steps.
"Eh? Sakayanagi-san, wait up! I want to meet Satonaka-kun—"
Shinohara Satsuki grabbed her bag and hurriedly chased after her.
Watching Sakayanagi leave, the Class D classroom began to buzz with whispers. Most people were confused by the confrontation between Sakayanagi and Hachiman, having no idea what they were actually talking about. But anyone with eyes could see that Sakayanagi had been on the losing end of the verbal sparring and had effectively run away.
"Hmph! That Sakayanagi girl totally broke down!" Kushida Kikyo showed a look of schadenfreude.
"But this doesn't seem like something to be happy about..."
Horikita Suzune's expression was grim, her eyes fixed on Hachiman. "Just as Sakayanagi said, Hachiman acts differently toward Ichinose!"
"Hiss!"
Kushida Kikyo's eyes widened. As she realized the implication, her expression gradually became distorted. "Since when did those two get so close?"
"That damn home-wrecking cat!" Karuizawa joined the condemnation.
"The situation is looking bad," Matsushita Chiaki sighed.
"Then what should we do? We can't join Sakayanagi in spreading rumors against Ichinose," Sato Maya frowned.
"No, no, if we do that, Hachiman-kun will hate us!" Sakura Airi shook her head in refusal.
"I have a plan we can try..." Hasabe Haruka raised a finger.
"Hasabe, what do you mean? Why would we help an outsider!"
While they had some moral standards, they weren't so kind as to selflessly help a love rival.
"No—your thinking is too small. The only reason Hachiman helps Ichinose is that she's in trouble. If we help her and solve the trouble ourselves, Hachiman won't have a reason to get close to her anymore."
Hasabe Haruka analyzed the situation logically. The girls' eyes lit up one after another.
"That makes sense!"
"This plan is viable!"
"Hasabe, I didn't expect you to be so sharp."
"Of course. After all, I am Hachiman's favorite perfect woman."
"Is your logic circuit located in your chest?"
"Shut up, small-chest."
"What! You want to fight?!"
The girls, who had just been united against an external foe, started arguing with each other again.
"What are they arguing about now?" Hachiman felt a headache just watching them from afar.
It was all the fault of that white-haired bratty loli, always thinking about causing trouble everywhere. And this time, her methods were so uderhanded! There were plenty of better ways to deal with Class B. Why did she have to fixate on Ichinose Honami?
Could it be that Sakayanagi just disliked her? Hachiman had never seen or heard of any conflict between the two. It couldn't be jealousy, could it? The gap between the Kanto Plain and Mount Everest was simply incomparable. Besides, Sakayanagi was quite confident in her own appearance; after all, a white-haired loli is a super rare attribute!
So the question remained: what was Sakayanagi's reason for targeting Ichinose?
Hachiman suddenly had a bold guess...
Sakayanagi Arisu likes him, and because she heard the ambiguous rumors about him and Honami, she got extremely jealous and launched a self-indulgent attack on Ichinose Honami.
'Hmm, the logic holds up...
Wait, hell no! Why would I have such a ridiculous delusion?'
Hachiman clutched his head, wishing he could roll around on the floor right then and there. His reason told him it was absolutely impossible, but his emotions were running high, making him overthink it.
'What if it's true?'
Hachiman felt his brain filling with peach-colored fantasies.
'Forget it, I need to find a place to vent.'
After school, Hachiman went to the familiar Club and changed into his training gear.
"Yo, Hachiman. Want a match?"
Seeing Ibuki Mio's eyes, which were always clear and easy to read, Hachiman felt a long-lost sense of relaxation.
"Yeah, let's go."
Only when facing this blue-haired stubborn girl could Hachiman stop thinking.
Bang! Bang!
Arms locked, the two engaged in a grappling match.
"Hachiman, you look like you have a lot on your mind. Want to talk about it?" Ibuki Mio asked.
"I have too many things to worry about; I don't want to talk," Hachiman replied while tripping her.
As Ibuki fell, she used a scissor-kick to firmly trap his arm.
"If you don't want to talk, then don't. For now, just listen to your body and move!"
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