There is something wrong with Hikigaya’s classroom of the Elite, as expected

Chapter 149: People Living in the Past

With the trio of Ike, Yamauchi, and Sudo absent, Hikigaya instantly felt a significant calmness in the surroundings. He thought to himself how nice it would be if this peaceful atmosphere could last forever.

During the lunch break, Hikigaya found himself once again in his usual quiet spot, a secluded garden, eating bread and drinking milk by himself.

He had planned to quietly enjoy this rare moment of peace and rest, but soon, his solitude was interrupted by a “sudden invasion” from a pink-haired girl.

“Hikigaya-kun, good afternoon.”

Ichinose, holding a bag of cheese toast and two bottles of milk, greeted him with a bright smile that shone like sunshine. “Would you mind if I join you for lunch here?”

Before Hikigaya could respond, Ichinose sat down next to him, placed the toast on the nearby bench, and opened one of the bottles, starting to drink it in big gulps.

Hikigaya: “…”

Hikigaya instinctively moved a little farther away. He also noticed a very obvious issue with Ichinose—something he had vaguely sensed during the student council interview. She was someone who lacked a sense of boundaries.

To put it in terms of emotional intelligence: a high EQ person would immediately offer help to someone in need without hesitation.

On the other hand, a low EQ person lacks awareness of boundaries in relationships, and gets too involved without adding value. Yesterday’s incident was a perfect example.

Moreover, she had been scolded harshly by him yesterday, yet today, she was acting as though nothing had happened, smiling and carefree? At least Hikigaya could never do that.

Seeing Hikigaya remain silent, the smile on Ichinose’s face slowly faded, and the atmosphere around her suddenly became a bit gloomy.

“Really, Hikigaya-kun, are you still upset about yesterday?”

Ichinose couldn’t help but lower her head and apologize, her voice carrying a subtle sadness.

“Upset? Why would I be upset? If anyone should be upset, it should be you, Ichinose! You were used as a pawn, almost dragging your class down, and yesterday, in front of so many people, I scolded you harshly. You should be the one upset, not me!”

Hikigaya couldn’t understand Ichinose’s apology at all. She didn’t seem like someone so fragile. Surrounded by sunlight and admired by everyone, compared to the gloomy figure he was, Hikigaya had always thought Ichinose would have at least half the emotional resilience of Yukinoshita.

Being the leader of Class B, she was undoubtedly an outstanding individual in every aspect.

After hearing Hikigaya’s words, Ichinose couldn’t help but force a bitter smile. In reality, ever since yesterday’s incident, she had been in a constant state of self-blame and guilt, and her mental state had been exhausted. She didn’t want her issues to affect her classmates, so she had refused all lunch invitations from them. She only wanted to be alone and calm down.

Then she just happened to run into Hikigaya, who was eating alone. The scene and sound of Hikigaya scolding her from yesterday were still vivid in her mind. For a moment, she felt the urge to turn around and run, but for some reason, she suddenly stopped herself and, before she knew it, found herself sitting next to Hikigaya.

Even though she wanted to pretend nothing had happened, when Ichinose saw Hikigaya’s silent expression, she couldn’t hold her emotions back any longer.

“Actually, I know that when Hikigaya-kun scolded me yesterday, it was for my own good…”

Ichinose raised her head and gave a bitter smile. “Whether it was for my own good or not, I can still tell. And… Hikigaya-kun, you were right to scold me. If it weren’t for Yukinoshita-san and Horikita-san, I might have already been suspended in the dormitory by now.”

As she thought about this, Ichinose couldn’t help but feel guilty.

“Ichinose, have you made a mistake from the beginning?”

Hikigaya looked at Ichinose, who had a look of guilt on her face, feeling inexplicably irritated and angry. “Do you think you should be the one ‘suspended’ to make up for Horikita’s sacrifice? Do you think being safe and sound is a sin? Don’t you think that thinking like this is arrogant?”

“Why is everything in your mind always about you? You just want to use this self-destructive method to tell others, ‘I’m also hurt,’ ‘I’ve shared the same hardships as everyone else.’ Do you think that by doing this, your conscience will feel better?”

Hikigaya bluntly pointed out the real issue Ichinose was struggling with. “You’re not upset or guilty because of others; you’re just doing it for yourself. You’re using others as an excuse for ‘psychological comfort.'”

“From the beginning to the end, you just want people to say, ‘Ichinose, you’ve done well,’ ‘Ichinose, this has nothing to do with you,’ to fill the emptiness in your heart. If you truly felt guilty about this incident and wanted to change, you wouldn’t keep dwelling on it. You’d learn from it and move forward, not act like a crybaby. Are you trying to show me this just so I’ll pity you?”

Hikigaya’s words were like a cold, piercing wind in June, chilling and harsh, mercilessly trampling on the fragile figure of the pink-haired girl.

“Please, stop. I-I’m sorry.”

Ichinose couldn’t help but cover her face, looking like Hikigaya’s words had deeply impacted this usually optimistic and cheerful girl.

Hikigaya seemed to ignore Ichinose’s words entirely, indifferent to her painful crying. Looking at the ground bathed in sunlight, it seemed like he was speaking to both Ichinose and himself. “When you hear these words, do you feel ‘better’ inside? But what good does that do? Then you just keep making the same mistakes. What have you really understood?”

“Yesterday’s events are over, but you’re still living in yesterday. You’re living in the past. With a leader like you, who can’t see the future, it’s truly a sad thing for Class B.”

The deadfish-eyed boy silently added in his mind: I was the same once.

“I… I…”

Ichinose tightly pressed her lips together, feeling Hikigaya’s words pierce her like sharp needles. It hurt so much, but strangely, this pain made Ichinose feel ‘real.’

The more painful it was, the more she felt a sense of ‘reality’ deep inside, as if only through this could she see her true self clearly.

Suddenly, a short-haired girl with brown hair appeared out of nowhere, like a protective mother hen. She stood in front of Ichinose, glaring angrily at Hikigaya. “What are you doing to Ichinose!?”