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

Chapter 132: Turning the Situation Around

With Horikita’s firm rejection, the dispute, which was about to be resolved through ‘reconciliation,’ once again fell into a deadlock. Both sides erupted in arguments once more, but neither side would admit to having struck first.

Hikigaya had been observing everything from the sidelines, and as an outsider, he had a broader and clearer perspective on everyone’s behavior.

Among them, Horikita’s performance was undoubtedly the most noticeable. From her initial ‘out-of-sorts’ state to her later strong rejection of reconciliation, Hikigaya had been watching all along, and of course, he noticed the subtle movements of some individuals.

He had seen Horikita regain her composure and, at the crucial moment, ‘remind’ Sudo to use Sakura as a bargaining chip in the negotiation.

Especially at the end, although Hikigaya wasn’t sure what Ayanokouji said to Horikita, there was no doubt that her sudden shift in attitude had something to do with him!

If you add in the fact that Ayanokouji had lured Sakura into the situation, it could be said that this whole dispute was being manipulated and guided by Ayanokouji!

Indeed, when the school year started, his gut feeling was right—this guy is really dangerous!

Thinking this, Hikigaya unconsciously glanced at Horikita Manabu, who was sitting in the middle of the negotiation table. Although Horikita’s face remained expressionless, Hikigaya had noticed that his gaze had been fixed on Ayanokouji for quite some time.

Sure enough, the president also noticed something strange.

But it had to be said that Horikita could really keep his cool.

The dispute once again fell into a deadlock. At this point, as the decision-maker for this review, Horikita spoke again: “Since both sides are sticking to their own versions and refusing to accept reconciliation, and from your testimonies, it’s clear that one side has engaged in serious and malicious lying.”

Horikita’s tone was serious as she once again asked both Class D and Class C to confirm the truthfulness of their testimonies. The result was still the same: “We didn’t lie, what we said was true.”

Horikita, with a stern expression, slowly addressed both sides: “In other words, one of you is deliberately deceiving the school, and you should be fully aware of the serious consequences of this. Therefore, I will give both of you one more day. Tomorrow at 4 PM, we will have a final decision meeting here.”

“If by then neither side can present clear evidence that the other side is lying, or if one side does not take responsibility for their actions, I will make the final ruling based on the current evidence and situation, including but not limited to expulsion. That is all.”

Horikita had essentially set the tone for this dispute: I’ve given you enough time and face to negotiate. Since neither side wants reconciliation, don’t blame me for taking real action.

In truth, everyone in the room already knew what was really going on. Class C, as the party that suggested ‘reconciliation,’ had effectively admitted defeat. At this point, if Class D simply agreed to withdraw, everyone would be happy—except for the students who would face suspension.

But Horikita, disregarding the bigger picture, insisted on making it confrontational. Naturally, Class C wouldn’t hold back, because as Horikita had said, if Class C was found to have lied and deceived, the consequences would be much more than just a suspension.

Thus, the dispute over Sudo’s fight ended with both sides leaving unhappily.

The development of the meeting had certainly exceeded many people’s expectations. As both sides left, Hikigaya looked at Ayanokouji’s back and, after a moment of contemplation, sent a message to someone.

In the meeting room, only Hikigaya and two others remained. At this point, Horikita Manabu suddenly spoke: “Hikigaya, can we talk?”

Tachibana, being very good at reading the atmosphere, said she was a little thirsty and offered to go outside to buy drinks, leaving just Horikita and Hikigaya in the room.

“You seemed to be in bad shape just now.”

Sure enough, Horikita, ever sharp, had noticed that Hikigaya’s condition when he entered the meeting room wasn’t right.

“It’s just that I haven’t been getting much sleep lately.”

Seeing this, Horikita didn’t push any further. After a brief silence, she spoke again: “It seems your class D this year is quite different. Suzune should be learning a lot from this.”

“President, aren’t you upset?”

Hikigaya asked, trying to probe.

“You mean about Suzune being intentionally guided by that student, Ayanokouji?”

Horikita seemed to see through Hikigaya’s thoughts, and without any visible emotion, she said: “When you’re weak, you need to learn from stronger opponents. By drawing nutrients from them, you can gradually grow. If you put a wolf in a flock of sheep, while it can easily lead the sheep, it will only ever lead a flock of sheep.”

Hikigaya couldn’t help but smile wryly. Was Horikita implying that both he and Ayanokouji were wolves?

At the same time, he understood that Horikita had expectations for his sister, hoping that she would be able to compete with the wolves, rather than bask in the comfort of the sheep.

So he didn’t mind Ayanokouji’s actions. On the contrary, he was glad to see his sister growing in this harsh environment. It was clear that Horikita’s performance in the review meeting had satisfied Horikita.

“President, I have a personal question. If neither side can present further decisive evidence tomorrow, which side would you choose?”

Hikigaya suddenly became curious about Horikita’s choice.

Would he lean towards his sister’s Class D?

Or would he, because of Sudo, lean towards Class C?

Or perhaps he would split the difference, judging both sides equally to show fairness and impartiality?

“This outcome, is it important?”

Horikita said something that caught Hikigaya off guard, but in the next moment, he immediately understood his meaning. From the very beginning, what Horikita truly cared about was never the outcome of this dispute. What mattered to him was the growth of Suzune Horikita during this process.

As for Sudo’s fate—whether it was suspension or expulsion—he didn’t care at all. In fact, Horikita had never really acknowledged Sudo’s existence in any significant way.

And Hikigaya knew one thing for certain: Sudo’s outcome had already been decided from the start.

Even if, in this dispute, Sudo managed to ‘clear his name’ in the end, don’t forget that there would still be the student council’s additional punishment. Sudo would still face suspension, so even if Ayanokouji tried to help Sudo in this way, the final result wouldn’t change. Sudo would still be unable to make it onto the official basketball team roster.

The only difference was that one would be an active withdrawal, and the other would be a forced one.

Originally, Hikigaya had given him the option to leave voluntarily, but since Sudo wasn’t willing to do so, Hikigaya would have to choose the other route for him.

Moreover, this dispute had nothing to do with Hikigaya at the outset—it was between the Horikita siblings.

But when Ayanokouji used Sakura and dragged her into the situation, it had become something that directly involved Hikigaya!

Sudo—this was just the beginning. If anyone should be blamed, it was Ayanokouji!

And then, there was Ayanokouji…

Hikigaya’s gaze grew colder.