June had arrived, bringing the heat of early summer. After two months of "adjustment," the students of Class D had slowly learned how to survive at ANHS.
By keeping their heads down.
For most of Class D, they had no status and no private points—so what else could they do? They could only eat their cheap vegetable meals and watch enviously as students from other classes enjoyed good food. After all, this was the result of their own choices.
Compared to two months ago, classroom discipline had improved somewhat.
But still, only a little.
After the midterm exams, the pressure on everyone suddenly eased, and naturally, some bad habits started resurfacing. Luckily, Hirata stepped in just in time to stop them. He also reminded everyone that the final exams were coming up and they couldn't let their guard down. With support from Kushida and Karuizawa, the study group formed for the midterms remained intact.
Thanks to Hirata's efforts, the study group was better organized, and it seemed like Class D was finally improving. But when compared to other classes, especially Class A and Class B, this level of effort was just their normal routine.
It was like working hard to score a 90 on a test, only to realize that 90 was just the bare minimum to get into the advanced class. The gap was overwhelming.
But for most students in Class D, there was no sense of disappointment—because many of them were already satisfied with their current situation.
As for Hikigaya, ever since June started, his workload in the student council had increased dramatically. This wasn't because of student conflicts. After the midterms, Ryuen suddenly went quiet and disappeared from the spotlight. Without his instructions, the students of Class C naturally stopped picking fights with other classes.
However, Hikigaya knew that Ryuen was like a dog that wouldn't learn its lesson after just one beating. The only question was what he would do next.
But that wasn't Hikigaya's problem for now. His main focus had been on club activities. With June in full swing, club activities were picking up, especially for sports clubs preparing for the upcoming summer IH tournament. The soccer, basketball, and volleyball teams had all started training early.
And as the "all-purpose handyman" of the student council, Hikigaya had to step up. He had been working closely with Handa, a senior from Class C, to manage various club-related matters. There were tons of things to handle, deadlines were tight, and the workload was overwhelming.
Even with some help from Tachibana Akane, it only eased a small part of the burden. For the entire month of June, Hikigaya was constantly busy, to the point where he felt like he had joined a corporate job disguised as a school.
As for Kushida, ever since that night, she finally seemed at ease and stopped trying to mess with Hikigaya. He wasn't sure if she had noticed the "trap" he had set for her, but even if she had, it didn't matter. A trap that hadn't been triggered was always the most dangerous kind.
That said, there was one thing that really threw Hikigaya off. Kushida might have stopped bothering him, but she had started using him as a "trash bin" for all her complaints. It was as if she had decided, "Since you already know the real me, I don't need to pretend anymore."
Every once in a while, she would show up and start venting about all the frustration she had built up. Most of her complaints were about the "monkey duo," and each time, she found new ways to insult them.
Surprisingly, the second person on Kushida's "most hated list" wasn't Horikita—it was Karuizawa.
According to Kushida, while the monkey duo was just annoying, the group led by Karuizawa was truly disgusting. It was the kind of drama where a group of girls pretended to be best friends, only to turn around and badmouth each other behind their backs.
Whenever this happened, Hikigaya would just grab some snacks and drinks and treat it like storytime. He'd occasionally nod and play along. Their relationship had turned into something... complicated.
...
Before he knew it, the last day of June had arrived. The entire month had been a blur of work for Hikigaya.
He had just returned from the East District gym when he saw several students gathered outside the student council office.
They were from Class C. Leading them was Ishizaki, someone Hikigaya was quite familiar with. Beside him were two students in basketball uniforms—if Hikigaya remembered correctly, they were Komiya and Kondo, both members of the basketball team.
But right now, all three of them were covered in bruises and injuries.
Ishizaki and Komiya had swollen faces with black-and-blue bruises, while Kondo had a cut on his lip and around his eye. Their clothes were stained with dirt and blood, making them look like they had just been beaten up.
Anyone who saw them would think, "Wow, they got wrecked." Even Hikigaya couldn't help but be surprised, though he was more confused than shocked.
Back in the first month of school, Class C's guys always looked like this, so their injuries weren't the strange part. The weird thing was why they had come to the student council.
Tachibana Akane was already there, helping treat their more serious wounds with a first-aid kit. When she saw Hikigaya, she immediately waved him over to help.
"Ah! N-No need!"
The moment Ishizaki saw Hikigaya, he flinched like a mouse spotting a cat. He even stumbled backward and fell, wincing in pain.
Clearly, even after nearly a month, he was still traumatized by the midterm incident. And now, carrying out a task for Ryuen, he knew that if he messed up, the consequences would be terrifying. The thought alone sent a chill down his spine.
Hikigaya frowned. He had questions, but he didn't overthink it. Instead, he grabbed some disinfectant and bandages from the first-aid kit and started treating Ishizaki's wounds. Ishizaki sat completely still like a block of wood, too scared to move as Hikigaya worked.
"Ishizaki, with injuries this bad, why didn't you go to the infirmary first? Why come here?"
At Hikigaya's question, the "wooden" Ishizaki suddenly looked panicked. But he quickly forced himself to put on an angry expression.
"D-Damn it! It was that guy from your Class D—Sudou! He used violence and beat us up like this! We're here to report him and file a complaint!"
"Hah?"
Hikigaya's frown deepened. He was about to press for more details when the student council president, Horikita Manabu, finally arrived after being notified by Tachibana Akane.
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