Hachiman’s Classroom of Strength’s Supremacy

Chapter 187: Hikigaya Hachiman’s Disaster

Horikita Suzune finally realized that she had accidentally exposed herself.

“Don’t look!” Horikita suddenly found the strength to shove him.

“Hey!”

Hachiman yelped because, thanks to that push, his hand ended up getting stuck in the thermos.

“……” Hachiman.

“……” Horikita.

The air fell silent for a moment.

Then—

“Hurry up and get me some water!” Hachiman shouted.

“Didn’t you just say the water was cut off?” Horikita replied matter-of-factly.

“……”

“……”

And that was how Hikigaya Hachiman ended up walking into class and later heading to the cafeteria with a thermos stuck to his hand—under the curious gazes of his classmates and even Sakayanagi.

Then, he received an unexpected announcement.

The entire school would be without water for a full day.

Water was estimated to return the next afternoon around 3 PM. Truly despairing—at least for Hachiman.

Meanwhile, Horikita maintained a composed demeanor.

As if what was happening around her, and the person beside her, had absolutely nothing to do with her.

This straightforward idiot.

However, Hachiman himself wasn’t too embarrassed.

Although walking around with a women’s thermos stuck to his left hand was undeniably eye-catching, he had a plan.

He decided to alter his appearance slightly.

Back during the incident with Sakura’s camera, she had mentioned that if he covered up his dead-fish eyes, he’d give off a completely different vibe.

So—

To divert attention away from his left hand, Hachiman put on the green-framed glasses that Sakura had picked out for him.

Immediately, some students who might have otherwise noticed the thermos instead started focusing on something else.

People commented that Hikigaya Hachiman seemed different today, as if his whole aura had changed, and that maybe he was actually pretty stylish.

That was… reassuring.

Hachiman let out a sigh of relief.

However, his phone was already blowing up with messages.

[H-Hikigaya-kun, is your left hand okay? The water’s cut off now, but I have some stored in my dorm. I can bring you some during lunch.] – By Sakura Airi.

Hmm.

Sakura was such a kind person.

[Hikigaya-kun, your image has done a complete 180. The girls are talking about you now.]

[You look good with glasses. You should keep wearing them. But… you’re in trouble, aren’t you?]

[If you need help, just say so.]

Hmm.

Kushida was surprisingly cute, too.

Even though he knew she was just trying to win favor, he couldn’t deny that she had a way of making people waver.

But… why so many messages?

[Just wait for the water to come back.] – By Horikita Suzune.

“……”

How ruthless. Horikita Suzune really had a “use-and-discard” mentality.

[I gave you the photos, but please don’t show them to anyone. It’s a bit embarrassing.]

That one was from Chabashira-sensei.

Speaking of which, the first period was her history class, and she had even walked around the back rows while teaching. She really hadn’t noticed that his right hand was trapped?

Also—

[Why are you wearing green-framed glasses? That’s not the pair I picked out for you.] – By Karuizawa Kei.

Right.

Karuizawa had indeed accompanied him when he went to buy non-prescription glasses.

But Sakura had also been with him. And since he had never actually worn glasses before, if he suddenly did, someone as emotionally sensitive and intuitive as Sakura might misunderstand—she might think he didn’t actually like the ones she had chosen.

That wouldn’t be good.

So, he had specifically dug out the glasses that Sakura had picked and worn them.

But in doing so—

To avoid hurting Sakura, he had ended up hurting Karuizawa instead.

“……” Hachiman.

After some thought, he made a decision.

During lunch break, he would make it up to her.

So, he used his free hand to send Karuizawa a message, asking her to meet him at lunch.

Lunchtime Arrived Quickly.

Considering that Horikita had suffered yesterday and with the school-wide water outage today, she—

For once, she chose to eat at the school cafeteria.

However, with the constant flow of people in the cafeteria and him walking around with a women’s thermos stuck to his hand, Hachiman knew he’d attract attention.

So, after some thought, he headed to the private dining rooms on the third floor, where fewer people gathered.

It wasn’t the exclusive private room of Sakayanagi Arisu, though.

Instead, he spent some points to have the staff open an additional one.

“You’re seriously extravagant,” Karuizawa remarked as she was escorted into the room by a staff member—only to be greeted by the sight of Hikigaya sitting there, his left hand still trapped in the thermos.

She immediately understood what he meant by asking her to join him.

He wanted her to get food and bring it in.

After all, walking around in his current state would only attract more attention.

Without a word, Karuizawa took action.

As Hachiman sat in his chair, watching the blonde ponytail swaying as Karuizawa walked away, he couldn’t help but think—

Karuizawa was a good person, too.

Thanks to the agreement with the former Class A, if he didn’t rush to cash it in, it would eventually bring in close to 30 million points—more than enough to secure an A-Class graduation for a single student.

But 20 million points was no small amount. With his newly acquired ability to convert points into real cash, that was actual money.

There was no way he’d give it away for free.

And it wasn’t like he needed it for himself.

Because, honestly, he had no intention of working in the future.

That’s why, just like he had suggested to Shiina, if she was willing to support him financially, he’d invest in her.

And it didn’t necessarily have to be Shiina.

In fact—

Hachiman wasn’t picky.

Besides, every girl he had met in this school who had a name was leagues more attractive than the girl he once had a crush on—Orimoto.

And since he wasn’t the type to be picky—

If someone fit his criteria, he wouldn’t mind giving it a shot.

After all—

Once they left this school, middle school classmates, high school classmates—they’d almost never meet again.

Some might never even stay in contact.

So relationships would be cut off regardless.

Instead of chasing after some mythical rich woman willing to support him, wouldn’t it be more practical to look around him now?

Maybe it was because his left hand was stuck, but Hachiman’s thought process felt unusually open today.

For some reason, he was starting to think that Karuizawa might actually be a good match for him.

But—

“What are you doing?”

Just as Karuizawa was about to leave the private room, someone blocked the doorway.

She tried stepping left—the person moved right.

She stepped right—the person moved left.

Completely blocking her way.

Either they were terrible with directions, or they were doing it on purpose.

“Someone’s looking for Hikigaya Hachiman,” the uninvited guest announced.

She had long, slightly purple-tinted hair, bangs covering her forehead, with three hair clips keeping them in place.

Her expression was stone-cold, like someone owed her a ton of money.

Just as Karuizawa was processing the situation, she heard a sound outside the room—the distinct tapping of a cane against the floor.

There was a hallway between private rooms, and someone was slowly making their way toward them, cane in hand.

Click… click… click…

The sound of the cane echoed.

It carried an undeniable pressure.

“First-Year Class A… No, Class C’s Sakayanagi.”

Karuizawa’s gaze moved forward, falling on the silver-haired girl approaching with her cane.

She recognized her immediately.

After all, while Karuizawa wasn’t particularly knowledgeable, she was still a minor member of the disciplinary committee, a part of the student council.

She didn’t bother memorizing every student, but she definitely knew who Sakayanagi Arisu was.

Because for the longest time, everyone knew—

Hikigaya Hachiman was frequently seen eating with a silver-haired loli.

This adorable girl standing before her had to be the one.

Sakayanagi Arisu.

The one who had dominated the entire sports festival, establishing herself as a major presence—a leading candidate for the next student council president.

“Oh my, my… You were just promoted to Class A, yet you’re already calling us Class C? Should I praise your ignorance, or do you actually think you can hold onto your A-Class position?”

With her left hand gripping her cane, the silver-haired girl maintained a polite demeanor.

But—

Karuizawa could tell.

…Something was off.

Despite her cute, doll-like appearance, her tone carried a distinct provocation.

She looked adorable—yet at the same time, she felt dangerous.

“Alright, stop bullying my classmate,” came Hikigaya’s voice from inside the room.

Honestly, the moment he saw Karuizawa being blocked, he already knew.

The one stopping her was Sakayanagi’s lackey.

Hachiman had seen Kamuro being ordered around plenty of times before.

And currently, there was only one person in the entire school who could command Kamuro—

Sakayanagi Arisu.

Sure enough—

Click.

As soon as Hachiman spoke—

A camera flash went off.

The unmistakable shutter sound of a photo being taken echoed in the air.

They had just taken a picture of him in his current state.

“It’s rare to see you looking so pathetic,” Sakayanagi remarked, still as polite as ever.

But Hachiman knew—

Her personality was absolutely vile.

She must have heard that his right hand was currently sealed inside a women’s thermos, so she had come all this way just to laugh at him.

What a vile little brat.

“Some mistakes were made,” Hachiman said.

After taking her photo, Sakayanagi Arisu stepped into the private room. Karuizawa glanced at Hachiman, who nodded at her, signaling her to continue getting food.

Surprisingly, as Karuizawa left, the one who had blocked her earlier—Kamuro Masumi—followed her.

“Why are you still following me?” Karuizawa asked after reaching the queue.

“I’m also here to get food for Sakayanagi,” Kamuro replied blankly.

Oh.

Karuizawa began to understand—Kamuro was probably in a similar position to her.

Both of them were just tools for Hikigaya and Sakayanagi.

Meanwhile, neither Hachiman nor Sakayanagi paid any more attention to the people waiting in line.

Sakayanagi walked into the private room with her cane and took a seat across from Hachiman.

“First of all,” Hachiman immediately spoke up. “Your class dropping ranks isn’t my fault. That was Nagumo’s doing.”

Hachiman was now a Class A student, while Sakayanagi’s class had dropped to Class C due to their defeat in the Red-White team battle.

Though their classrooms remained unchanged, the class rankings had been updated on the nameplates that morning—Hachiman had even seen the staff installing the new ones.

“I have no interest in Class A,” Sakayanagi said.

She seemed completely indifferent to class rankings.

But—

“Because graduating as a Class A student is the only thing that truly matters.” Sakayanagi continued. “It’s only been three months since enrollment. There’s still a long time until graduation. It’s far too early to determine who the real winner will be.”

So…

She had been idly waiting, playing the long game, but now, the caged Tyrannosaurus had finally decided to attack?

Sakayanagi had once mentioned that she didn’t have much experience with school life, so she was actually looking forward to enjoying this one.

But being placed directly into Class A had dampened that excitement a little.

Now—

With her class knocked down, she was at a disadvantage.

At first glance, it seemed bad.

But to her, it was just a difficulty spike—and that made things more interesting.

She had a reason to fight now.

“Well then, I wish you the best of luck in battle.” Hachiman said.

“…” Sakayanagi.

She pursed her lips.

Annoyed.

Because usually, Hachiman would only hang out with Horikita Suzune or Kushida—yet now, at this particular moment, a new member had entered the picture.

And not just that—Hachiman had even sent her to fetch food.

This Karuizawa was also the one whom he had recommended to join the student council.

Though they didn’t seem to interact much publicly, it was obvious they had a connection.

So now, the question was—had he stopped hiding it?

In other words—

Now that Hachiman had risen to Class A, he no longer needed to hide Karuizawa, his “pet.”

It seemed to imply that he had already achieved his goal and was no longer interested in competing for class rankings.

Just when she had decided to fight, her opponent had already checked out?

Sakayanagi Arisu spoke up.

“But you do look quite pathetic in this state.”

“It’s because of the water outage,” she added. “I can have Kamuro buy some bottled water, fill a basin, and help you remove that thermos from your hand.”

“No need,” Hachiman replied. “There’s a certain culprit responsible for this, and once the water comes back, it’s her responsibility to deal with it.”

So… it was Horikita Suzune?

Sakayanagi felt a slight sense of disappointment.

Because Hachiman had truly stopped mentioning class competition altogether.

This guy—his only goal had been reaching Class A just once.

The balance of power had shifted.

When he wanted to attack, he had put her on the back burner.

And now—

When she wanted to strike back, he had already checked out.

But—

Hikigaya Hachiman, you’re still too young.

As long as you remain a member of your class, there will always be ways to drag you into special exams—whether you like it or not.

Sakayanagi Arisu was in a good mood.

After all—

A game of cat and mouse every now and then wasn’t so bad.

Thus—

A somewhat silent lunch came to an end.

“Ding-dong~”

As soon as the clock struck two in the afternoon, signaling the end of class, Hachiman immediately stood up.

“Hurry up and help me.”

“…I know, I know.” Horikita, reluctant and slightly awkward, got up and limped after him.

“Uh… uhm—”

The kind-hearted Sakura quickly followed after them.

She had actually noticed Hachiman’s hand stuck in the thermos earlier in the elevator, but she hadn’t dared to ask about it.

Now, seeing him leave with Horikita following closely, she could only tag along.

“Do… do you need any help?”

Sakura summoned all her courage to ask.

Hachiman had helped her so much—he even gifted her an expensive camera lens. During the sports festival, he arranged for someone to train her, allowing her to avoid being in the bottom ten students and escape the terrifying -10 points penalty in the next exam.

Because of all that—

Seeing him struggling now, she wanted to offer whatever little help she could.

“No need,” Hachiman replied. “This is someone’s fault, so it’s their responsibility.”

“…” Horikita pursed her lips.

“Someone’s fault, huh—”

Sakura finally pieced things together—Horikita hadn’t brought her thermos today, yet the one stuck on Hachiman’s hand was hers.

So their relationship was already close enough that they could just stick their hands into each other’s thermoses?

It seemed obvious—they were dating.

That was the conclusion Sakura came to.

But—

“Looks like he’s really popular, huh?”

The girls in the class hadn’t been idle either—during lunch, they had talked about Hachiman.

Not only had he led them through several grueling special exams, but now he had even secured a spot in Class A.

Even when they went to the cafeteria, upperclassmen looked at him with admiration and envy.

It felt amazing.

After all, this was the first time in the school’s history that a class from the bottom had successfully risen to the top.

His efforts were highly praised, and the students who were once considered worthless nobodies now felt proud and vindicated.

Many of them were genuinely grateful to him.

And today—

He had done something even more unexpected.

He was wearing glasses.

Hmm.

Usually, his lifeless, dead-fish eyes made him look difficult to approach.

But now?

With glasses on, his attractiveness skyrocketed.

Some of the girls were already starting to think he wasn’t so bad after all.

But—thinking that way didn’t really matter.

“And besides, he’s really close with Horikita.” One girl pointed out.

Yeah.

Even if they thought he was nice, it didn’t change anything—because he was always with a beautiful girl like Horikita Suzune.

They had no chance.

Back when they first enrolled, the boys had ranked the most beautiful girls in their year.

And Horikita Suzune was easily in the top one or two.

For any other girl, that was enough to make them give up.

If those two were dating, then no one else stood a chance.

“I don’t think so, though.”

Out of nowhere, a girl resting her chin on one hand suddenly spoke.

?

Her voice immediately caught two people’s attention—Kushida and Karuizawa both turned to look at her.

“W-Why are you two staring at me like that?” The young girl with slightly curled hair said in surprise. “I was just stating the truth!”

“Think about it,” she explained. “You’ve never actually seen Hikigaya-kun and Horikita holding hands or hugging, right? If they were really dating, wouldn’t they want some kind of physical contact?”

“So you’re saying Hikigaya-kun isn’t actually dating Horikita?”

Matsuhita Chiaki—who had been a substitute runner for the 1200m race during the sports festival—spoke up.

During the event, Hikigaya had basically forced her into the competition, pushing her to reveal her true abilities.

Although—

Afterward, she had brushed it off as being caught up in the excitement and performed better than expected, as if it had all been a dream.

Still—

She was somewhat bitter about how Hikigaya forced her to expose her real strength.

So today, during class, she had already stolen dozens of glances at him.

And now—

Since the girls were discussing Hikigaya, she decided to join in.

“Mhm, that’s right. Because actually, I think Hikigaya-kun is more like… with Kush—yesterday, I even saw them together—mgh?!”

Before she could finish, her mouth was covered by Kushida.

Because—

Kushida had immediately sensed that the conversation was steering toward romance.

And she absolutely did not want to be dragged into that.

So—

“Mei-chan, now’s not the time to be talking about that.”

Kushida instantly backed out of the conversation’s center.

Instead—

“Thinking about these things… Sato-chan, could it be that you actually like Hikigaya-kun?”

She casually threw Sato under the bus.

Yes.

The girl with slightly curled hair was Sato.

She and Hikigaya barely interacted.

The only reason she was a little familiar with him was because of the sports festival—she was part of Karuizawa’s friend group.

She usually had the best relationship with Karuizawa.

During the physical fitness test, when everyone was collecting data, Hikigaya had asked their small group to input the data.

Each of them had been busy for nearly an hour doing that task.

So they remembered it clearly and thought of Hikigaya as someone who orders people around.

However—

Sato’s opinion of him had changed.

Since Horikita’s left foot was injured, Sato—one of the faster runners among the girls—should have been the replacement.

But at the time, Sudo hadn’t returned yet, and Ayanokouji hadn’t been exposed as an absolute monster, so the chances of winning were low.

And even when the actual race began, with Ayanokouji, Sudo, and Hirata all participating, the pressure still fell onto the last runner.

She felt that if she had been the final runner and lost, the entire class would have blamed her.

So when Hikigaya took the liberty of switching her out for Matsuhita, she actually felt grateful to him.

And now—

Kushida had thrown Sato under the bus.

In truth, her move wasn’t entirely safe—pointing out someone’s romantic feelings in front of others could make them resent her.

It was like having your love letter read aloud in front of everyone—it could be humiliating.

But in this case, it was probably fine.

Kushida was someone who noticed even the smallest details—she had already counted how many times Sato had turned to look in Hikigaya’s direction during class today—13 times.

“Ugh—” Sato’s face flushed red. “I just think Hikigaya-kun seems… kind of nice. Also, I like guys who are good at sports.”

Good at sports?

If that were the case, then why not Sudo or even Koenji?

But she had never watched Sudo play basketball or written a love letter to Koenji.

So wasn’t she just judging based on looks?

“Speaking of which, Ayanokouji-kun is crazy strong too!” Kushida continued the conversation smoothly. “He might not stand out much, but in terms of looks, he’s easily top five in the whole first year.”

That wasn’t wrong.

Ayanokoji had a weak presence, but nobody denied he was handsome.

Plus, his insane speed had shocked people during the sports festival.

And unlike Koenji, who was a total weirdo, Ayanokouji was at least a normal person.

Didn’t he fit Sato’s type perfectly?

However—

“Ayanokouji-kun, huh—” Sato hesitated. “Didn’t he and Yamauchi talk about a ranking for girls with big boobs when we first enrolled?”

Oh. That’s where he lost points.

Everyone understood… or rather, they didn’t understand at all.

Because Sato thought Hikigaya was nice, yet she had barely interacted with him before.

Wasn’t it just because he wore glasses today, making him look like a totally different person—a handsome guy?

But even the other girls in the class had to admit—Hikigaya really did look good today.

“So, Maya, are you going to confess?”

One of Karuizawa’s friends, Shinohara Satsuki, immediately asked.

The girls in class were all still single, so they were very interested in romance.

Actually—

Now that they had just been promoted to Class A, they were riding high on excitement.

Before this, they had to worry about living expenses and the fear of expulsion due to special exams.

But now?

The future looked bright—

So it was only natural for other desires to surface.

They could finally start thinking about things like love.

“I kind of want to… but I’m still a bit scared,” Sato Maya admitted. “If only Karuizawa could help me…”

“Me?”

Karuizawa froze.

She had not expected to be dragged into this.

“Yeah! Didn’t you say you had a boyfriend back in middle school?” Sato grabbed her hand.

Ugh.

That was a lie.

She had only said that to create her current image—it was just for show.

“So I figured you must have experience.” Sato said earnestly.

No. No, no, no.

Karuizawa was internally screaming.

She had zero experience with this!

And now—

They wanted her to help Sato chase after Hikigaya Hachiman?!

Karuizawa felt like this was the worst possible situation.

“Wait a second, Karuizawa… don’t tell me you have feelings for Hikigaya-kun? You weren’t even at lunch today.”

“No, no, no!” Karuizawa quickly denied it. “I have no interest in Hikigaya-kun at all. To be honest, he’s not even my type.”

She immediately added, “I like guys who are… well, good at studying. The academic elite type. And Hikigaya-kun’s grades are just average at best.”

“Oh, I get that,” a voice joined in.

A well-endowed girl with long blue hair, who had been quietly sitting in the corner without participating in the conversation, finally spoke up. “I also think guys should be a little more outstanding.”

“Haruka, do you have any experience in love?” another girl asked.

“Still recruiting,” said Haruka, the tallest girl in the class, shaking her head slightly.

And just like that—

The conversation returned to the original topic.

“Karuizawa, give me some advice,” Sato continued, treating her like a love expert.

But what the hell did Karuizawa even know about this?

“Hmm—” She felt bad for Sato, but if she got too involved, things might become complicated. So she quickly said, “Well, in these situations, I think the girl has to be bold. Because Hikigaya-kun isn’t just around Horikita—he’s also close to the super-pretty Sakura, and even Kushida sometimes walks with him. So if you really want to date him, you’ll have to take the initiative.”

…?

What the hell did this have to do with me?!

Kushida, who had finally managed to stay out of this, was suddenly dragged back in again.

She immediately added, “I think Karuizawa is right! Sato-chan, you’re super cute—if you try hard enough, you might just make a guy fall head over heels for you! And about Hikigaya-kun…”

Kushida then shared a piece of insider information.

“He was rejected by a girl in middle school. So he doesn’t really believe in girls liking him. But if you make your feelings super clear, you might actually have a chance.”

Ohhhhhh.

So there was a chance.

Since he’d been hurt before, wouldn’t that mean they could use that excuse to heal his wounds and win him over?

“Y-yeah, that makes sense.” Sato Maya nodded uncertainly. “So I should put in some effort, huh?”

“Exactly, exactly!”

The other girls were both cheering her on and eagerly gossiping.

“Hikigaya-kun seems to be coming back,” Kushida suddenly reminded them.

And Sato suddenly shoved back her chair and stood up.

No way.

Karuizawa stared at her in shock.

That reaction meant Sato was actually serious?!

At the same time—

Karuizawa knew that Hikigaya Hachiman was not a normal person.

To him, romance wasn’t about love. What mattered was whether the other person was willing to marry him and support him financially.

So—

Could it be that Hikigaya wouldn’t be taken by Horikita, Kushida, or even Sakayanagi Arisu, but by someone completely unexpected?

—

And then—

Finally, Hikigaya freed his hand and returned to the classroom.

But as soon as he did—

All the girls were staring at him with a certain look in their eyes.

It was like they were discussing him.

At the same time, Hikigaya noticed that he had received a message from Karuizawa.

Karuizawa was the leader of her gyaru group.

And right now, she was also his informant.

But—

Her message read:

[Sato seems to be interested in you. Some girls in the class are pushing her to confess.]

“……” Hikigaya.

At the same time—

He could feel the jealous stares of the other guys in the class.

Since his hand had been stuck all day, his skin looked far from healthy.

And Horikita Suzune—

Since she didn’t want to owe him a favor, she took the opportunity before class started to sit next to him.

Just like how he had helped massage her hand, she began massaging his.

She placed his hand on her soft, supple thighs and then gently pressed her hands over his palm.

……Hey, hey, hey.

This position…

Being massaged by an absolute beauty—who wouldn’t be jealous of that?!

The whole class immediately felt like they were being force-fed dog food.

At this point—

No one doubted that they were a couple anymore.

Because this wasn’t just holding hands—this was straight-up flirting.

And then—

Hikigaya saw that Karuizawa had sent another message.

[Never mind.]

“……”

So.

The confession was off?

He never really expected to experience romance in high school, but this was worse than middle school—it ended before it even started.

“……” Another black mark on his history.

Damn it.

Even though he had strengthened his defenses in high school, he still got hurt.

He might as well have just accepted Sakayanagi’s offer during the sports festival instead of dodging around.

And so—

As the joy of Class A’s promotion faded, the school’s specialty took over once more.

A new month brought yet another special exam.