COTE : There is Something Wrong With Hikigaya

"Hey, Hikigaya, hurry up and place your bet!" 

Yamauchi and Ike were buzzing with excitement. A bunch of guys had already gathered around them, staring at Sotomura's tablet while having a heated discussion. They enthusiastically pulled in Hikigaya, who was standing alone, as well as the poker-faced Ayanokouji. 

Hikigaya rolled his eyes and completely ignored the two chimps, rejecting them outright. Of course, his unwillingness to join in earned him harsh criticism and teasing from them. They called him things like "fake nice guy" and "creepy dead-fish eyes," but honestly, he had built an immunity to those kinds of insults. 

Come on, if words like that were enough to make him break down, then the boy named Hikigaya Hachiman would have been long dead and buried. 

Still, while glancing at the tablet, he accidentally caught a glimpse of the rankings. He swore—it was purely by accident! 

The number one spot belonged to a girl named Hasebe. Hikigaya had some impression of her—she seemed to be one of the loners in class. But another name on the list surprised him. The Ice Queen was ranked pretty high? 

Are they kidding? 

Compared to a certain devilish superhuman, this was an unexpected contrast. Maybe his stereotypes were too strong. 

He had to admit, the "Girls' Boob Ranking" that Ike and Sotomura made was undeniably attention-grabbing for guys. Even Hikigaya wasn't entirely unaffected. 

He didn't consider himself that noble, and saying he wasn't curious would be a lie. But a real man enjoys beauty without being perverted. He knew where the line was and had enough self-control to stop himself. 

Aside from feeling disgusted by Ike and Sotomura, Hikigaya also felt a strange sense of sadness. This was just a small reflection of a bigger problem in today's entertainment-obsessed society. In Japan, there were even crazier, more twisted ranking lists out there. 

People consume these rankings as entertainment, but how many realize the malice behind them? How many people get hurt or bullied because of them? And in the end, everything is brushed off with a simple, "It's just for fun, why take it so seriously?" 

Haha, how convenient. Just like saying "sorry" and expecting to be forgiven. What a bunch of simple-minded people. And so, the cycle continues. 

As someone who had been a victim before, Hikigaya understood this all too well. Stupid rankings like "Most Disgusting Eyes," "Least Popular Kid," and "Most Annoying Person"—he had been a "top player" in those lists. 

But to be fair, Hikigaya couldn't really claim the moral high ground here. Because… the girls did it too! 

The girls in Class D, led by Karuizawa Kei, had already made their own secret ranking lists about the boys. Things like "Ugliest Hair Ranking," "Biggest Pervert Ranking," and even "Most Likely to Fart Often Ranking." 

Compared to the guys, the girls were just as bad—if not worse. That's probably why Hikigaya had so much experience with bizarre rankings in the first place. 

And if you thought these rankings only targeted the opposite gender, you'd be dead wrong. In reality, the worst ones were aimed at people of the same gender. 

The core of all this was simple: people used these rankings to step on others and boost their own social status. Over time, this created an invisible hierarchy— a school caste system—sowing the seeds of bullying and exclusion. 

This was one of the things Hikigaya hated the most. 

So, there was no such thing as someone being more pure or deserving of sympathy. The only difference was… who was more despicable. 

---

Lunchtime ended, and despite the girls' reluctance, the afternoon swimming class arrived as scheduled—accompanied by the cheers of the two chimps. 

In the boys' locker room, Yamauchi, who had just changed into his swimwear, suddenly grinned mysteriously. 

"Hey, wanna hear a secret? Someone confessed to me." 

The nearby boys froze for a second, shocked by this announcement. 

Ike was the first to react, immediately protesting, "Huh?! No way a girl would—"

Ike, Sotomura, and the others who were close to Yamauchi immediately showed doubt. 

"Tsk tsk, I didn't really want to say this, but since you're all so eager to know, I guess I'll be kind enough to tell you." Yamauchi put on a smug face, acting like he had no choice. 

"Just so you know, you have to keep this a secret! Remember the bust ranking? That glasses girl, Sakura—she's actually got quite the figure! Heh heh, I happened to find out by accident!" As he spoke, Yamauchi even made a grabbing motion in front of his chest, laughing in a sleazy way. 

Sakura? The ostrich girl? 

Nearby, Hikigaya frowned. He had just been listening for fun, but he didn't expect the conversation to involve his other seatmate. 

Speaking of Hikigaya's two seatmates, there was the ice-cold Horikita and the timid Sakura. Their personalities and presence were completely different. Compared to the strong-willed, independent Horikita, Sakura was incredibly shy—so much so that it was almost unbelievable. 

With her thick glasses and bangs, she always kept her head down. Forget talking to people—she couldn't even make eye contact. If she could, she'd probably bury her head in her chest like an actual ostrich. 

But the two of them did have something in common: they were both outsiders in the class. Horikita didn't need anyone's concern, but Sakura's personality and social standing made her the kind of person most likely to be bullied. In fact… her current behavior might be a leftover result of that. 

"R-Really that big?!" Ike's eyes widened as he swallowed nervously. 

"But, well, I turned her down." 

"Huh? W-Why?! That's a huge rack we're talking about!" 

Ike's jaw dropped in shock. A girl was practically throwing herself at him—how could he possibly refuse?! 

"Have you ever seen the sun date a weed in the gutter? There's no way I'd go for such a gloomy, forgettable girl." 

"Damn it!" 

Seeing Yamauchi's smug expression, Ike ground his teeth in frustration. "If she came on to me, I'd totally go for it! That would be amazing!" 

"Ugh, so shallow! Only someone like Kushida, Hasebe, or even Sakayanagi, who I ran into at the gym, would be worth considering! And even then, only *maybe*!" Yamauchi puffed up his chest, clearly enjoying the jealous looks from his friends. 

Hikigaya shook his head at the sight. He couldn't believe he had been worried just moments ago. With the way Yamauchi acted, there was a 99% chance he was just making things up. There was no reason to take him seriously, and no one was going to bother checking if he was telling the truth. 

Sigh… Girls liked putting guys down to boost their status within their friend groups. But guys weren't any different. 

This was exactly why Hikigaya hated groups. To climb the student caste system and raise their social standing, people used tactics like this all the time. It was common, but that didn't make it any less pathetic. 

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