SWNOVELXO Chapter 109
Chapter 109: The First Signs of Dispute
In June, the heat of summer had already begun to settle in. After two months of “adaptation,” the students in Class D had gradually learned how to survive in the highly competitive school environment.
They had to keep their heads down.
For most of the students in Class D, since they had no status and no personal points, what could they do? They could only eat the humble vegetable sets and watch enviously as the other classes dined in luxury, knowing full well that they had brought this situation upon themselves.
Of course, compared to the first two months, Class D’s classroom discipline had improved, but as the saying goes, it was… better, but still not great.
Especially after the midterm exams, the pressure on everyone had suddenly lightened, and naturally, some bad habits began to resurface. However, thanks to Hirata’s timely intervention, he reminded everyone that there would still be final exams and they couldn’t afford to be careless. With the support of Kushida and Horikita, the study groups that had been formed for the midterms were kept in place.
At the same time, with Hirata’s active push, the personnel of the study groups were better organized. It looked like Class D might actually improve. But then… if you looked at the other classes, especially Class A and Class B, you’d realize that this was just the basic routine for them.
The hard work they put in seemed so trivial when compared to the everyday life of the higher classes. It was like studying hard to get a 90 on an exam, only to find that 90 was just the threshold to enter the top class. The gap was huge.
However, for the students in Class D, the good thing was… many of them didn’t feel that gap at all because they were actually quite satisfied with their current situation.
As for Hikigaya, ever since June started, his workload in the student council had suddenly increased. This was not due to student disputes, but because Ryuen, after the midterm incident, had become suddenly low-key and had gone into hiding. Without Ryuen’s instructions, the other students in Class C naturally wouldn’t bother the other classes.
However, Hikigaya knew that Ryuen was a “dog that could not be disciplined with just one hit” and wondered what his next move would be.
But these were not things Hikigaya had to worry about. His focus during this period had been on the club affairs, because, with June’s arrival, the activities in the clubs had become much more active. Especially for the sports clubs, the summer IH tournaments were of utmost importance. Clubs like football, basketball, and volleyball had already started their training.
As a “brick” in the student council, Hikigaya had to shoulder the “miscellaneous tasks,” so for the past period, he had been coordinating with the third-year C-class student, Handa, handling the affairs of various clubs. Not only was the work overwhelming and complicated, but the timeline was also very tight!
Even with some support from Tachibana, the pressure was still significant. Throughout June, Hikigaya was basically working from dawn until late at night, which made him feel like he had entered some sort of company disguised as a school!
As for Kushida, ever since that night, she seemed to have finally “settled down” and no longer tried to cause trouble for Hikigaya. Hikigaya was unsure if Kushida had noticed the “landmines” he had planted for her, but even if she had, it didn’t matter because the landmines that didn’t explode were the biggest threat.
That being said, there was one thing Hikigaya found very difficult to handle. While Kushida no longer caused him trouble, she had turned him into a “trash can,” almost as if to say, “Since you already know my true nature, I might as well stop pretending.”
From time to time, she would seek him out and vent her accumulated grievances and complaints, most of which were about the Monkey Duo’s insults, with each rant being different every time.
Next on Kushida’s “unforgivable list” was Karuizawa, which surprised Hikigaya. He had originally thought it would be Horikita…
According to Kushida, compared to the sheer disgust she felt toward the Monkey Duo, the group of girls led by Karuizawa made her feel an extreme aversion. It was the kind of behavior where, on the surface, two girls appeared to be close friends, but would turn around and talk badly about each other behind their backs.
Normally, in situations like this, Hikigaya would bring snacks and drinks, treating it purely as listening to a story. He would occasionally nod to show his support for Kushida. In any case, their relationship was quite peculiar.
…
Time passed quickly, and June came to an end. Hikigaya had spent almost the entire month in this busy environment. He had just returned from the sports hall in the East District and, on his way to the student council office, saw several students in front of it.
They were all students from Class C, with Ishizaki at the front. He was accompanied by two other students wearing basketball jerseys. If Hikigaya remembered correctly, they were Komiya and Kondo, both members of the basketball club.
However, all three of them had varying degrees of injuries, with several visible bruises and wounds, looking as though they had been brutally beaten. Ishizaki and Komiya had bruises on their faces, while one of them had cuts at the corners of their mouth and eye. Their clothes were stained with dirt and blood.
Anyone who saw them would immediately think, “Wow, these people got beat up badly,” and Hikigaya was no exception. But instead of being shocked, he was more confused.
The boys in Class C had looked pretty much like this during the first month of school, so Hikigaya wasn’t surprised by Ishizaki and the others’ condition. What was surprising was that they had come to the student council?
At this moment, Tachibana was helping treat the more serious wounds on the three, and when she saw Hikigaya, she quickly waved him over to assist.
“Huh? No, no need!” Ishizaki immediately recoiled when he saw Hikigaya, like a mouse seeing a cat. He even stumbled and fell, grimacing in pain.
It was obvious that, despite nearly a month passing since the midterm incident, Ishizaki was still wary. When he thought about the mission he had from Ryuen and the possible consequences if he exposed his involvement, his back shivered with cold fear.
Hikigaya frowned, feeling puzzled but didn’t overthink it. He took the disinfectant and bandages from the first aid kit to treat Ishizaki’s wounds. Ishizaki froze up like a piece of wood, not daring to move, allowing Hikigaya to work on him.
“Ishizaki, you guys have such serious injuries, why don’t you go to the infirmary first? Why come here?” Hikigaya asked.
Upon hearing this, Ishizaki’s face showed a slight panic. He could only force himself to act as though he were frustrated, “C-Cursed, it’s that guy from D-class, Sudo! He beat us up using violence, and we ended up like this! We’re here to file a complaint, to report it!”
“Huh?”
Hikigaya furrowed his brows, just about to ask more questions when the student council president, Horikita, arrived after receiving Tachibana’s notification.