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

Chapter 155: The Three Who Were Dragged Through the Mud

A week passed in the blink of an eye. Horikita and Ayanokouji gradually returned to the classroom.

Horikita, as usual, was cold and indifferent. She didn’t seem to have the slightest fear of “facing her classmates” after her suspension. Surprisingly, the attitude of the class was also beyond her expectations—everyone acted as if nothing had happened.

During her three days of reflection in the dormitory, Horikita had thought a lot. The more she pondered, the more she realized how flawed her plan to install surveillance cameras had been. Just as Hikigaya had warned her, she had been too naive and too emotionally driven.

Thinking of this, Horikita subconsciously glanced at Hikigaya beside her, then her eyes sharpened—huh? The fourth volume of this light novel was already out?!

“Is there something you need?”

Hikigaya had been engrossed in reading My Sister Clearly Can’t Be My Girlfriend, but he suddenly sensed a piercing gaze from the side.

“N-no, nothing!”

Horikita quickly stiffened her expression, then hurriedly tidied up her books to divert her attention.

On the other side, a few days later, when Ayanokouji returned to the classroom, he could immediately sense a change in the atmosphere. It was as if everyone’s eyes were suddenly focused on him. Not only that, but even when he walked through the school corridors, he could feel the curious gazes of students from other classes.

Originally, Ayanokouji had been an inconspicuous presence, but after his suspension, he had suddenly become a “celebrity” on campus. As he gradually gathered information, he discovered the reason.

He, along with Ike and Yamauchi, had been identified as the culprits who “betrayed” Class B. The rumor had already spread throughout the entire first year. Among them, Ayanokouji was considered the main offender, while Ike and Yamauchi were his accomplices.

No wonder the students from Class B harbored such hostility toward him. At the same time, his own classmates had pinned all the blame for the fallout onto the three of them.

In other words, Ayanokouji, Ike, and Yamauchi had now become the most notorious students in the entire first-year cohort.

Regarding this, Hirata had personally sought out Ayanokouji in private to apologize. After all, he couldn’t reveal the truth to the class. If the real circumstances were leaked, it would instead be seen as “deceiving the school and the student council,” which would escalate into a much more severe offense. Thus, the only option was to let Ayanokouji and the others take the fall.

Similarly, Ichinose faced the same predicament. She couldn’t disclose the truth to her classmates, so she confided in Kanzaki and had him help manage the situation within Class B as best as he could.

Of course, as a form of compensation, Hirata transferred some of his personal points to Ayanokouji and did everything he could to mitigate the class’s hostility toward him.

Otherwise, the moment Ayanokouji had returned to class, he would have been met with a storm of verbal attacks from his classmates.

Ayanokouji had no choice but to accept the situation. Fortunately, he wasn’t particularly concerned about others’ opinions or stares, as long as it didn’t touch upon that fundamental issue.

However, just because Ayanokouji didn’t care didn’t mean the same for the two “innocent idiots” involved.

Two weeks later, when Ike and Yamauchi finally returned to class, most of the resentment seemed to have mostly subsided. However, the hostility in the eyes of their classmates and the palpable dissatisfaction in the air still made the two of them blurt out in frustration—

“We’re innocent! It was Ayanokouji who did it!”

Unfortunately, their outburst only reignited the anger that Hirata had painstakingly pacified.

Led by Shinohara and Yukimura, the students began criticizing and berating Ike and Yamauchi. Ayanokouji also got caught in the crossfire, but unlike the two of them, he never argued back or resisted. His silent, expressionless demeanor gradually caused others to lose interest in attacking him.

But Ike and Yamauchi were different. They not only talked back but also shouted in protest, which made them the perfect targets for the class’s resentment. Before they knew it, they had become the focus of everyone’s verbal abuse, unable to defend themselves at all.

“Hey, Ken, why aren’t you saying anything to help us?!”

Ike suddenly turned to Sudo, shouting in dissatisfaction.

“Yeah! We got into this mess because we were trying to help you!”

Yamauchi also complained, clearly unhappy with Sudo’s silence.

“I-I…”

Sudo, who had been called out by Ike and Yamauchi, suddenly looked up in a panic—an expression never before seen on the red-haired boy’s face.

Since returning from suspension, Sudo had become much quieter. More accurately, he no longer had that aggressive and volatile aura he once carried. Instead, he seemed hesitant and cautious in his actions. He either bought a bento from the convenience store and ate in his dorm or waited until the cafeteria was nearly empty before going in.

Those familiar with Sudo found this change strange. Had he truly reformed because of what happened?

In the end, it was Hirata who once again managed to calm everyone down, using the upcoming final exams as an excuse.

Unlike the midterm exams, where they had access to past questions, the final exams exposed Class D’s true academic abilities. However, thanks to the study sessions Hirata had insisted on since the midterms, everyone managed to pass, and no one failed.

After the final exam results were announced, Chabashira-sensei also revealed Class D’s class points from the previous month. As expected, they had returned to zero. Even though the students had mentally prepared for this, they still couldn’t help but turn their frustration toward the three culprits.

Once again, Ayanokouji, Ike, and Yamauchi became the scapegoats, especially the two idiots, Ike and Yamauchi. Their written apologies were still pinned on the first-year bulletin board, making them a laughingstock and a target for ridicule.

Eventually, it was Chabashira-sensei who shifted everyone’s attention by mentioning the summer vacation that would begin the next day. The words “deserted island,” “luxury cruise,” and “vacation” instantly excited the students of Class D, filling them with anticipation for the upcoming trip. After going over the relevant instructions, the meeting point, and other details, the final homeroom session of the first semester came to an end.

Before leaving, Chabashira suddenly turned to Ayanokouji.

“Ayanokouji, come to the faculty office after school.”

She left no room for refusal.

Meanwhile, as Hikigaya finished packing up, he glanced over at Sakura. She mentioned that she had plans to go shopping with Hiyori after school to buy things for the vacation. Since it was the last day, there were no student council duties either.

Additionally, because the vacation was a school-organized event, club activities were temporarily suspended, and all club affairs had been handed over to Handa-senpai.

For once, Hikigaya found himself with nothing to do.

Having gone from a non-stop busy schedule to a sudden break, he realized that he didn’t really have anywhere to go.

After thinking for a moment, he decided to head toward the Student Life Guidance Office.