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

Chapter 124: Making the Same Mistake Again

“W-Why?”

Sakura murmured to herself.

“Yes. More than the incident itself, what concerns me more is what you think about it.”

Hikigaya sighed as he looked at the timid expression on the girl’s face. “Even though you were a witness, there’s no strict rule that requires you to come forward as a witness. It’s entirely your choice. I respect your decision, but I don’t want you to be influenced by external pressures and end up distorting your true thoughts.”

Sakura stared blankly at Hikigaya. Though it wasn’t her first time looking into his eyes, this time, she unexpectedly felt an indescribable strength emanating from them.

Just like that night—when he had told her, ‘It’s okay. You can run away.’ It was the exact same feeling.

“A-Actually, when Chabashira-sensei mentioned the incident, I did think about confessing to her in private. B-But…”

Sakura clenched her fists as she spoke, her voice growing uncharacteristically emotional. Beneath her bangs, her eyes locked onto Hikigaya’s, filled with pain and anger. “But when I thought about how they always insult you, mock you, and bully you, I—I just…”

Hikigaya was stunned.

He had assumed Sakura’s hesitation stemmed from fear of attention or her introverted nature. But he had never considered that she might actually be angry—angry on his behalf?

Something sharp seemed to stab into Hikigaya’s heart. The expression on Sakura’s face, the tone of her voice—it was all eerily similar to theirs.

That memory buried deep within him resurfaced—his confession to Ebina during the school trip…

Their expressions back then… were exactly the same as Sakura’s now.

Realization hit him like a wave.

Had I unknowingly… made the same mistake again?!

“Hi-Hikigaya-kun, are you okay?”

Sakura’s worried voice pulled him back.

Hikigaya shook his head lightly, guilt washing over him. “Sorry… I didn’t mean to make you worry because of me.”

“So then… why did you change your mind and decide to tell me the truth?”

At his question, Sakura lowered her head. The strong aura she had just moments ago seemed to fade, leaving her looking small and conflicted. “I… I don’t want my selfishness to hurt my classmates. B-But they keep bullying Hikigaya-kun, so I… I’ve been struggling with this for so long.”

Now, Hikigaya understood why Sakura was so conflicted—she was too kind. So kind that she couldn’t bear the internal turmoil.

But thinking about people like Yamauchi and Sudo, he couldn’t help but feel how utterly ironic it all was.

Sakura’s kindness wasn’t wrong. The real issue was that people like her—those with genuine kindness—were often taken for granted.

“So… Sakura, what is your true feeling?”

Hikigaya looked into her eyes seriously. “Don’t let me be the reason you lie to yourself. That would only make me feel even guiltier. I want to hear what you truly think. No matter what it is, I’ll respect your decision.”

Sakura slowly sat up straight, as if finding strength within herself. She took a deep breath and finally spoke.

“I wish for a world where no one gets hurt… but even more than that, I don’t want only Hikigaya-kun to get hurt.”

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she choked out, “I’m so sorry… I’m really sorry…”

Hikigaya understood—Sakura wasn’t crying for herself. She was crying because she felt guilty about hurting others.

And people like her, people with such kindness, were often labeled naive or even saintly by those with ill intentions—just so they could be torn down without consequence.

He reached out and gently patted her head.

When Sakura looked up, he reassured her, “There’s nothing to cry about. And there’s no need to feel guilty, as if you’ve done something wrong. Sakura, remember—you’ve never wronged anyone.”

“But…”

“I mean, come on, Sakura. Have you forgotten how I dealt with Ryuen?”

Hikigaya withdrew his hand, realizing he might have overstepped. “Do you really think Yamauchi and Sudo are scarier than Ryuen?”

Sakura shook her head. Just the thought of that tyrant from Class C sent a shiver down her spine.

“Exactly. So, you’re taking them way too seriously. When you see dog crap on the street, do you step in it on purpose?”

Sakura suddenly recalled how Yamauchi and Ike were completely humiliated by Hikigaya today. The memory of their ridiculous, defeated expressions made her giggle.

“And besides—when you’re cleaning up dog crap, you don’t want to get your hands dirty, right?”

A sharp glint flickered in Hikigaya’s eyes as he spoke.

“I-I understand now. Compared to me, Hikigaya-kun… you’re so strong.”

If it were her, she would have crumbled under the pressure of being mocked and ostracized by her classmates. But Hikigaya… he endured it all without hesitation.

Yet, what amazed her most wasn’t just his strength.

It was his kindness.

He had suffered more than anyone else, yet his heart remained gentle. Strong, resilient, yet kind—that was what Sakura admired most about Hikigaya. That was the part of him she truly looked up to.

Sakura finally seemed to let go of the burden in her heart. Then, as if remembering something, she picked up her camera and handed it to Hikigaya.

“That day… I actually took some pictures. Maybe they can help.”

Hikigaya took the camera and immediately recognized it—it was the high-end camera he had given her.

Seeing this, Sakura quickly tried to explain herself. “I-I was just trying to get used to its settings. I—”

But when she noticed Hikigaya’s amused smirk, her face turned beet red. Embarrassed, she lowered her head and mumbled, “I-It’s just… this camera is really nice… and it’s something precious to me, so I got used to carrying it everywhere…”

“Relax, I was just a little touched.”

Hikigaya chuckled. “It seems giving you that camera was the right decision after all.”

Hearing that, Sakura felt a small sense of joy in her heart.

Hikigaya then checked the photos she had taken at the special teaching building. As expected, they captured Sudo, Ishizaki, and the others, with the timestamps clearly visible.

“S-So… will these photos help?”

Sakura asked anxiously.

Hikigaya shook his head lightly. He then repeated what he had told Horikita earlier and added, “Even with photographic evidence, there’s still no clear proof of who started the fight. In the end, the best we can hope for is some kind of mutual compromise.”

“Oh… I see.”

Sakura’s expression darkened slightly with disappointment.

“Huh?”

Suddenly, Hikigaya let out a puzzled sound as he continued flipping through the pictures.

Then, as if realizing something, he instinctively lifted his gaze to look at Sakura.

Sakura blinked, confused. But in the next instant, her eyes widened in horror as if remembering something.

Her face turned bright red, and with a small shriek, she lunged forward, trying to cover the camera’s screen.

However, due to her hasty movements—and the fact that her upper body was naturally top-heavy—she lost her balance and fell straight onto Hikigaya!