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

Chapter 157: For the Sake of Unity

Sakayanagi didn’t choose the restaurant at the Keyaki Shopping Center. She was probably aware that there would be many students there today, so she opted for the school cafeteria, which was the closest. Surprisingly, there were fewer students in the cafeteria today.

“What do you want to eat?”

Standing in front of the meal ticket machine, Hikigaya glanced back at Sakayanagi. The silver-haired girl paused for a moment, realizing it was a gesture of kindness, and then smiled gently. “I’m fine with anything.”

Hikigaya’s face immediately darkened. This was practically a non-answer! No matter what he chose, the response would be the same—it was a completely irresponsible answer! It was exactly the kind of answer Hikigaya hated the most.

Seeing Hikigaya’s expression, Sakayanagi couldn’t help but laugh. “I’ll just have what Hikigaya-kun is having.”

Hikigaya rolled his eyes at the silver-haired girl. As expected, this little troublemaker couldn’t even let something as small as choosing food go without teasing him.

Could it be that she was still holding a grudge from last time?

A petty little troublemaker?

“Hikigaya-kun, are you talking bad about me in your mind?”

Sakayanagi suddenly spoke up.

“What? No, that’s not—no, wait, there’s nothing like that!”

Hikigaya’s face froze. How could this little troublemaker read his mind?

“Hehe, didn’t Hikigaya-kun hear that eyes never lie?”

Just then, Hikigaya met Sakayanagi’s eyes. She blinked, smiling, and after a second, two seconds… five seconds passed before Hikigaya couldn’t hold it in and had to look away. Then, he heard her triumphant laughter.

Afterward, at Hikigaya’s insistence, Sakayanagi sat down by the window in the cafeteria. Soon, Hikigaya returned with two steaming bowls of beef rice.

“Hikigaya-kun, you know, sometimes your intentions are just too easy to read.”

Sakayanagi sighed as she looked at the beef rice set in front of her.

“Huh? This is expensive, you know! One serving costs more than a day and a half of my meals!”

Hikigaya immediately became displeased. If it weren’t for Sakayanagi often acting like a ‘noble young lady,’ he wouldn’t have specifically chosen this expensive set meal. Not only was it made with premium cuts of beef, but it was also quite large!

“Beef is a high-quality protein. Eating more of it is really good for your physical development. Plus, look at the portion size! You did say, ‘I’ll eat what you’re eating’…”

“Hehe, so Hikigaya-kun, your intentions are too obvious, and… were you mocking me just now?”

Sakayanagi narrowed her eyes.

“I wasn’t commenting on your height! I just thought that since today is the last day of the semester, I should treat myself to something good!”

Hikigaya explained awkwardly.

Sakayanagi simply smiled without saying anything. What a stubborn person. After that, the two of them didn’t talk much and quietly began eating their meals.

Perhaps because they were in front of a boy, or maybe because of her upbringing, Sakayanagi had eaten less than a third of her meal after Hikigaya finished his. It seemed she was already close to being done.

At that moment, Hikigaya finally realized what Sakayanagi’s earlier sigh had been about. It seemed that no matter the age group, it was becoming some sort of unspoken understanding that girls tend to eat less at dinner. And it appeared that this was the limit of Sakayanagi’s appetite.

At first, Hikigaya thought that someone like Sakayanagi, who was frail and still growing, should eat more to increase her nutrition and development. But now, it seemed that the understanding of “eating” between boys and girls was completely different.

“Sorry…”

Hikigaya couldn’t help but think of the saying “a good deed gone wrong.” Was it because of him that she was forcing herself to eat?

Sometimes, interfering too much in someone else’s life could be a bad thing.

After Sakayanagi set down her utensils and wiped her mouth, she looked up at Hikigaya with a slight raise of her head and dead-fish eyes. “It was my choice to let Hikigaya-kun pick, so what’s wrong with that?”

“Besides… compared to this, I think Hikigaya-kun should be more upset about wasting such expensive food.”

Hikigaya: “…”

Alright, there was that reason too. After all, it would be a shame to waste such expensive food. If it were the old days, this kind of food might only be something he could eat on his birthday!

Of course, Komachi wasn’t included in that; as long as she whined to Dad and Mom, she could eat the “ordinary food” anytime.

Damn it, this must be what it’s like to be a young lady from a rich family!

“Hikigaya-kun, you… you’re not thinking what I think you’re thinking, are you?”

Sakayanagi noticed that Hikigaya was staring at the leftover beef in her bowl, and her expression turned strange, with a hint of irritation.

“Huh? Haha, what are you thinking? Do you think I’m the kind of guy who eats a girl’s leftovers? Haha, that’s funny. I’ve only ever eaten Komachi’s leftovers!”

Hikigaya quickly wiped away the sweat on his forehead.

Sakayanagi: “!!!”

“Alright, alright. Anyway, what is it that you want, Sakayanagi? Let’s get straight to the point and be honest with each other!”

Hikigaya tried to change the topic.

Sakayanagi took a deep breath, adjusted her breathing, and then spoke up. “I did have something in mind, but just now, something Hiratsuka-sensei said made me rethink.”

“This school does encourage competition among students, but as Hiratsuka-sensei said, there’s more than just competition.”

“You mean… cooperation?”

“Hikigaya-kun really is quick to catch on.”

Hikigaya gave Sakayanagi a strange look. “Wait, did I hear that right? Sakayanagi, you, a student from Class A, want to talk about cooperation with me, a student from Class D?”

Hikigaya had a feeling this little troublemaker was trying to trap him.

“Rather than cooperation, it’s more like a ‘game’ in the upcoming important exam.”

Sakayanagi said calmly.

“I don’t understand.”

Hikigaya decisively rejected her.

“Hehe.”

Sakayanagi seemed to have anticipated Hikigaya’s reaction and continued, talking to herself. “For the next exam, because of my physical condition, I will have to be absent, so I need someone to play the game for me.”

“You mean, a pawn, not a player?”

Hikigaya sneered and directly exposed Sakayanagi. “I don’t know how you got information about the next exam, but I have no obligation to help you fight your battles.”

Hikigaya had figured it out—Sakayanagi wanted to use him to deal with Katsuragi!

After all, Class A was divided into Katsuragi’s faction, Sakayanagi’s faction, and some neutral members. After the first semester’s competition, it was clear that Katsuragi’s faction held more power, so Sakayanagi planned to use Hikigaya to take on Katsuragi in the next exam.

Was the internal strife in Class A this bad?

“And no matter how you argue it, Sakayanagi, your actions are undoubtedly a betrayal of the class.”

Sakayanagi smiled. “Betrayal? Hikigaya-kun, you’re wrong. I’m just trying to ensure that Class A has a unified voice, so that we can all work together in the future, instead of being torn apart by internal strife.”