On the first day of July, as soon as Hikigaya stepped into Class D's classroom, he noticed an unusual amount of noise.
Everyone seemed to be talking at once, their voices blending into a chaotic hum. However, Hikigaya already knew the reason behind the commotion, so he wasn't surprised.
He simply walked to his seat as he usually did, maintaining his usual detached demeanor.
"Good morning, Hikigaya-kun. Did you receive your points?"
Matsushita greeted him as he approached.
"Points? Oh… right, this time we didn't get any, did we?"
Hikigaya replied absentmindedly, suddenly remembering that Matsushita had asked the same question back in May.
But the situation now was a little different.
His thoughts drifted to the incident with Class C that he had witnessed the day before. He couldn't help but glance over at the three idiots—Sudo, Ike, and Yamauchi—to see how they were doing.
The trio seemed unchanged, with Ike and Yamauchi gossiping with some girls, while Sudo was lazily yawning.
They appeared completely unfazed as if nothing had happened.
Hikigaya found it somewhat amusing.
These three idiots didn't even have a scratch on them. He could only imagine how they'd react when they were formally accused and had to face the consequences.
"Hikigaya-kun?"
Matsushita's voice pulled him back from his thoughts. She was looking at him with curiosity.
"Why are you staring at Sudo-kun and the others? Did they get into some kind of trouble? Is that why the points weren't issued?"
"You'll find out soon enough at the class meeting," Hikigaya replied, slightly impressed by Matsushita's perceptiveness.
She had managed to guess what was going on just by observing his expression. Though he enjoyed observing others, he didn't particularly like being the one under scrutiny.
Soon enough, the bell rang, signaling the start of the class. Chabashira-sensei walked into the classroom right on time, her expression as stern as ever.
As soon as she stepped onto the podium, Ike immediately stood up and asked in a loud voice, "Sensei! Why haven't we received any points this month? I checked my account this morning and nothing's been credited!"
"Calm down. I'm about to explain," Chabashira-sensei responded, gesturing for Ike and the others to sit down and be quiet. Once the classroom had settled, she turned to the blackboard and began writing.
"These are the class points for this month. To be honest, your efforts have been commendable. I acknowledge that, and so does the school."
As the students watched, Chabashira-sensei wrote the scores on the board.
Class A - 1,004 points.
Class B - 663 points.
Class C - 502 points.
Class D - 91 points.
The class erupted in a mix of surprise and muted celebration. For most of them, any improvement was worth celebrating.
But Hikigaya didn't share their enthusiasm. While the others were focused on the fact that they had points at all, he was more concerned with the larger picture. Class C had increased by 102 points, Class A by 104 points, and Class B by 93 points.
Not only was Class D still far behind the others, but they also had the smallest improvement.
If things continued this way, Hikigaya mused, there might not be much they could do to catch up before graduation. The road ahead was still long and full of challenges.
"Don't be too quick to celebrate," Chabashira-sensei said, her tone icy as she poured cold water on the students' excitement.
"The other classes have gained more points than you have, so the gap hasn't closed. This increase is merely a reward for surviving the midterm exams. Every class received some points, but don't expect such leniency in the future."
The classroom fell silent as the reality of her words sank in. The mood shifted from excitement to a more somber atmosphere as everyone realized that their situation hadn't improved as much as they had initially thought.
The small victory they had felt was quickly overshadowed by the realization that they were still at the bottom, and the gap with the other classes was as wide as ever.
The first midterm exam in the first grade wasn't just an ordinary test; it was a special exam.
The school was using last year's exam paper as a tool to help the students pass.
"Huh? Then why weren't the points transferred?" Ike asked, naturally bringing the conversation back to the initial question.
"Due to a dispute, the points for first-year students will be issued later. Please be patient."
Most of the students expressed their dissatisfaction after hearing what Chabashira-sensei said. However, Ike seemed to have realized something, and his expression turned a bit odd.
Hikigaya glanced over at Yamauchi and Sudo, noticing they were also grumbling.
Great, no hope there, Hikigaya thought to himself.
"Stop complaining. This is the school's decision, and there's nothing I can do about it. Once the dispute is resolved, the school should issue the points... assuming the points are still there."
Chabashira-sensei paused before continuing, "Of course, if you want to know more, you can ask someone in the class."
Hikigaya wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but he felt like Chabashira-sensei had glanced in his direction...
No, it wasn't his imagination!
This troublesome, unqualified teacher always seemed to find a way to disrupt his peaceful life!
Fortunately, there were plenty of fools in Class D, so everyone either went to Hirata, Kushida, or even Ike for answers.
Surprisingly, the last option wasn't entirely wrong.
"Hikigaya-kun, you know what's going on, don't you?" Matsushita asked him.
"...I have no idea."
Hikigaya sometimes wished Matsushita were as clueless as the others. Thankfully, she was tactful enough to drop the subject when she saw he didn't want to answer.
Hikigaya had already made up his mind to stay out of this situation and even had a good reason prepared. After all, he was in Class D too, and needed to avoid suspicion.
He believed President Horikita would also realize this and leave him out of it.
But things rarely go as planned.
During the lunch break, Tachibana-senpai's sweet voice suddenly echoed over the loudspeaker.
"Would Sudo-kun, Yamauchi-kun, and Ike-kun from Class 1-D please report to the Student Council Office... Oh, and Hikigaya-kun as well."
...What do you mean by "as well"? Hikigaya thought, feeling his peace shatter.
At that moment, he had been enjoying his lunch at his favorite spot—the back door of the library where almost no one ever passed by. Unless he had student council business, he spent his lunch breaks here, soaking up the sun and contemplating life.
Sadly, his rare moment of tranquility was now ruined.
Reluctantly, Hikigaya stood up and headed towards the student council room. When he arrived, he found the three idiots already waiting at the door.
"What do you want from us? We're really busy," Yamauchi grumbled, a look of annoyance on his face.
"...Why haven't you gone in yet?" Hikigaya asked, avoiding the question entirely. His inquiry made the trio hesitate immediately.
What a bunch of cowards, he thought.
"What's the matter? Afraid of the president?" Hikigaya couldn't help but sneer.
"You had the guts to beat up students from Class C, but you're scared of the president? Why don't you go ahead and beat him up too?"
"Who are you planning to hit?"
Hikigaya was about to reply when he realized the voice came from behind him. He froze for a moment before turning around quickly.
"Reporting in, President! I've brought all three suspects here!" he said.
"What nonsense are you talking about!"
"Who's a suspect?"
Yamauchi and Sudo immediately protested, but Horikita Manabu ignored them.
"Come in, everyone. Let's try to wrap this up before lunch ends. Hikigaya, you'll handle the record-keeping."
"...Yes."
Hikigaya wanted to ask, "Isn't that Tachibana-senpai's job?" but since he had already put his foot in his mouth, he decided to just follow orders quietly.
"By the way, Hikigaya," President Horikita suddenly addressed him, "before we start, I'd like to hear your thoughts. From Class D's perspective, how do you think we should resolve this matter?"
"Even if you ask me…"
Hikigaya looked at the confused trio and shook his head after a moment of thought.
"No, they wouldn't accept my best plan."
"It's not about them. I just want to hear your opinion."
"I see…"
Hikigaya sighed. He felt it was pointless to say anything since no one in Class D would listen to him anyway.
But since President Horikita asked, he might as well treat it as a joke.
"Kneel down and apologize in court, then hope for leniency. If they don't want to compensate, they should just accept a suspension. As long as it's limited to three weeks, it shouldn't be a problem."