Hikigaya Komachi
Kirisu Mafuyu
****
Hikigaya spent the whole night tossing and turning, stuck in a vicious loop of overthinking. No matter how many times he tried to dismiss the idea, he couldn't shake the possibility that Kasumigaoka-senpai might actually be… into girls.
That would at least explain why she targeted him so persistently.
"Hmm… two high-end beauties clinging together, huh? That kind of scene does sound like something out of an anime…"
But just as quickly, he shook his head violently.
"No way! That definitely won't do! Reality yuri is way scarier than anything two-dimensional!"
Besides, there was an even more important point. Yukinoshita was his girlfriend now. His girlfriend. How could he possibly hand her over to Kasumigaoka-senpai on a silver platter? That would be worse than being dumped outright!
When he finally arrived at the classroom the next morning, still bleary-eyed from lack of sleep, the last thing he expected was for Kasumigaoka-senpai to take the initiative.
"Good morning, Air-kun," she said calmly, not even lifting her eyes from the book in her hands.
Hikigaya nearly choked on his own spit. Since when did this woman greet him first? Still, manners were manners.
"Uh… good morning, senpai."
Her lips curved faintly, though her eyes never left the page. "By the way, Air-kun, just how far have you and Yukinoshita-san progressed? I'm… rather curious."
Hikigaya froze, every muscle in his body tensing like a cat confronted with a cucumber.
"Eh? Progress… what do you mean by progress?"
Kasumigaoka tilted her head slightly, her tone maddeningly casual. "You know… did you two already do that thing?"
"Wha—?! That's none of your business, senpai!" Hikigaya practically leapt from his chair, his voice a little too loud.
Her eyebrows drew together ever so slightly, the first sign of annoyance flashing across her face. Hikigaya's brain instantly went into overdrive.
Wait… why ask me something so dangerous out of nowhere? If I said yes, would she… kill me on the spot?
He gulped, heart pounding, and quickly sat back down, burying his face in his textbook like it was a shield. He tried his best to ignore the heavy aura of resentment radiating from behind him, but it was impossible to relax with Kasumigaoka-senpai lurking like a panther in the shadows.
The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became: Kasumigaoka definitely had feelings for Yukinoshita. If that was true, then his relationship with Yukinoshita was basically a ticking time bomb set to blow up in his face.
Sigh… Yukinoshita really is too popular. This is the price of dating the school's queen, huh? From now on, I should keep our relationship on the down-low. If fewer people know, fewer problems for me…
Of course, senpai wasn't about to make things easy for him. While Hikigaya desperately tried to focus on class, Kasumigaoka casually extended her leg beneath the desk and began lightly poking him with her foot.
At first, it was just a nudge. Then another. And another.
From morning reading, through class, even into Teacher Kirisu's history lecture, she continued her silent harassment.
This woman… she even dares to act up during Kirisu-sensei's class?! She must have a death wish!
Hikigaya clenched his fists, sweat forming on his temples.
"You dare to openly challenge me, Kasumigaoka-senpai?" he muttered under his breath. "Don't think Hachiman is a sickly housecat. You've left me no choice but to unleash the beast!"
He glanced at her polished shoe pressing against his own and steeled himself.
"Don't think I'd hesitate to crush a delicate flower with my cruel hand! Wrong! I, Hikigaya Hachiman, am a man who's made multiple girls cry during my second year of high school! Don't underestimate me!"
But just as he was about to stomp her foot with righteous fury, he caught sight of Teacher Kirisu's sharp gaze cutting across the classroom.
Instantly, another idea sparked in his mind. Something far riskier… but potentially more effective.
Taking a deep breath, Hikigaya moved with lightning speed, brushing his own foot against Kasumigaoka's in what could only be described as an "accidental" touch.
Kirisu-sensei: "...?" Kasumigaoka: "...!"
The reaction was immediate. Kasumigaoka froze, her leg snapping back like she'd touched a hot stove. For once, the battlefield beneath the desks fell silent.
But Hikigaya's victory was short-lived. From that point onward, Teacher Kirisu suspiciously hovered around his desk, her cold gaze drilling into both him and Kasumigaoka as though daring them to step out of line again.
Needless to say, Kasumigaoka stopped bothering him—at least for now.
When the class finally ended, Kirisu-sensei gathered her lesson plans, cast one last frosty glance in their direction, and said flatly:
"Hikigaya, Office. Now."
The entire classroom erupted in whispers. None of the students knew what had just happened, but a handful of them shot Hikigaya pitying looks like he was a man walking to the gallows.
He put on a poker face, but inside, his heart was pounding.
"Great… targeted on the first day of the new term. Just my luck."
Just before Hikigaya left his seat, Kasumigaoka-senpai's lips curved into a faint, elegant smile.
"As expected of Air-kun… you really are gentle."
"!!"
Hikigaya froze mid-step. His back went rigid like he'd just been struck by lightning.
What the heck is this aura?!Why do I feel like Kasumigaoka-senpai isn't planning to stop… but to escalate this even further?
Suppressing a groan, he tore himself away. He had bigger problems now.
Focus, Hachiman. Deal with the she-devil later. Right now, survive Kirisu-sensei's wrath.
"Yeah… if I play this right, maybe I can even ask her to switch my seat. She definitely saw what happened, so she'll understand! Right? Right?!"
...
A minute later, Hikigaya arrived at Teacher Kirisu's office.
The scene that greeted him was… dangerous.
Kirisu-sensei sat gracefully in her chair, posture perfect. Her slim figure leaned slightly forward, her black stockings tracing smooth lines down to the floor. The way her hip-hugging skirt pressed against the seat left the faintest indentation at the edge of the cushion. To a weak-willed man, it was a devastating sight.
Naturally, Hikigaya did not dare look for more than half a second. To do so was to invite death.
Because right then, she activated her passive skill: the piercing, soul-freezing glare of a strict teacher. Her icy eyes locked onto him like a predator preparing to lash a whip across the back of her prey.
"M-Mafuyu-sensei…" Hikigaya swallowed hard, already regretting being born.
Kirisu Mafuyu's expression did not waver. With her cold voice, she asked, "Hikigaya, do you know why I called you out?"
Hikigaya hesitated. He could try to play dumb. But something in her glare told him that would be suicide. So, after a moment of agonized silence, he confessed.
"…Because I touched Kasumigaoka-senpai's leg."
The atmosphere in the room grew heavier.
Kirisu's expression darkened, her tone slicing like ice. "In my class, openly touching a female student's leg. Reason?"
Hikigaya clenched his fists, bracing himself. "Of course… because Kasumigaoka-senpai's legs are too beautiful. What normal guy wouldn't want to touch them?"
Kirisu Mafuyu: "???"
Hikigaya pressed on in his head. Sure, it's blunt. But if it convinces her to move me away from Kasumigaoka-senpai, it's worth the sacrifice. Come on, Teacher Kirisu! Criticize me harshly! Throw the book at me! Just move me away from her, please!
But instead…
"Hikigaya," Kirisu said flatly, "don't lie in front of me. With your personality, there's no way you would ever initiate something like that."
"…Eh?" Hikigaya's eyes widened.
Li–lie?!
She just exposed him?!
Wait a second… why does it feel like she knows me too well?
Panic rising, he tried again. "No, really, Teacher Kirisu, I'm not lying—"
But her sharp eyes narrowed, and she tapped her pen against the desk with quiet authority. "Indeed. What Shizuka said about you was correct. You really are a child with character."
"...H-hold on a second!" Hikigaya blurted. "Shizuka?!"
That name sent shockwaves through his brain.
"You mean… Hiratsuka-sensei?!"
Kirisu's gaze softened ever so slightly. "Yes. Shizuka and I are… good friends."
"EHHH?!"
The revelation hit like a truck. Hiratsuka-sensei… and Teacher Kirisu?! Friends?!
Suddenly everything made sense. Why Kirisu paid special attention to him. Why she'd paired him with the class's top student. Why she seemed to know his character better than he knew it himself.
It was all Hiratsuka-sensei's doing. She'd pulled strings behind the scenes!
As Hikigaya's head spun, Kirisu continued in her calm, commanding tone. "I know both your nature and Kasumigaoka-san's. From now on, I expect you two to get along and avoid such reckless behavior in class. If I catch you again…"
Her eyes narrowed, and the temperature of the room dropped several degrees.
"...I won't be so lenient."
"Y-Yes, ma'am!" Hikigaya snapped to attention, shivering. Next time… she might actually kill me.
Helplessly, he sighed inwardly. Don't tell me even the seating arrangement was part of Kirisu-sensei's master plan?
Finally, she waved her hand dismissively. "That's all. You may go back now."
Hikigaya nodded quickly, ready to flee, but… hesitation held him in place. He chewed his lip, then finally asked:
"Um… Teacher Kirisu, may I trouble you with one more question? Hiratsuka-sensei… which school did she go to?"
Kirisu's eyes flicked toward him, her tone unreadable. "Didn't she tell you herself?"
"…She didn't," Hikigaya admitted awkwardly. "And… I never asked."
The silence was suffocating.
But after a moment's thought, Kirisu finally said, "Shizuka went to Kōdo Ikusei Senior High School. In Tokyo."
The name rang like a bell in his head.
"Kōdo… Ikusei High School?!"
Hikigaya's eyes widened. His expression twisted in disbelief.
Kirisu raised an eyebrow. "You know it?"
Hikigaya scratched his cheek. "…Of course. Japan's top—and most brutal—school. I just… never imagined Hiratsuka-sensei gwould go to such a devil's den."
Normally, he wouldn't know or care about any school outside Chiba. But he had heard of Kōdo Ikusei.
During a trip to Tokyo with Yukinoshita, he'd accidentally run into a terrifying little white-haired devil with a cane at the library. That encounter ended with him being forced to hear countless horror stories about that academy.
Compared to that, Soubu High was heaven. Absolute heaven.
As Hikigaya sighed with relief over not having been born into that nightmare, his gaze betrayed him. His eyes drifted, almost against his will, down toward Kirisu-sensei's long, slender legs wrapped in black stockings.
And for some reason… just like yesterday when his foot had brushed against Kasumigaoka-senpai's… a reckless idea flashed through his mind again.
"…No. No way. Don't even think about it, Hachiman," he muttered under his breath, though the temptation clawed at him.
*****
You read it right, Classroom of the Elite!!!