Special thx to Ghost_User for providing this chapter
***
The next morning, Hachiman got up as usual for his morning exercise.
"Ibuki, I'm buying you breakfast today."
"Huh? Why the sudden generosity?"
"To thank you."
"Thank me for what?"
"For appearing in my dream last night."
"???"
Hachiman was quite pleased to have dreamed of Ibuki Mio.
It proved he wasn't some "dreams-of-any-girl-he-sees" kind of delusional pervert.
"Hey! You! Don't just say things that can be misunderstood so easily!"
Ibuki Mio glared at him, annoyed.
"Ah, right. My bad."
"I won't say it next time then."
Hachiman nodded, accepting the criticism.
Thinking about it, suddenly telling a girl he dreamed of her did sound a bit ambiguous.
"I-It's not that you're forbidden to say it or anything…"
Ibuki turned her face away.
"???"
So... is that a yes or a no?
Hachiman thought to himself that a woman's heart was truly hard to fathom. Even an airhead like Ibuki could be so unpredictable.
"Get me... a bowl of plain rice porridge and a steamed bun."
This girl, she's really easy to please.
"Okay."
Hachiman acknowledged her request but completely ignored it, ordering her beef and a basket of soup dumplings instead.
"Why are you wasting so many points on me!"
Ibuki's eyes widened.
Considering Class D's meager points, only 9,000 a month, if you didn't scrimp and save, you'd be eating wild vegetables and mystery meat by month's end.
"No need to save on my account. I have another source of income."
Hachiman ordered himself a large bowl of tonkotsu ramen.
After working out, they needed proper nutrition.
"Another source of income?"
Ibuki raised an eyebrow, suddenly thinking of a possibility: "Don't tell me you also took points from Ryūen to go harass the girls in Class A and B?"
"Of course not."
"I wouldn't do something that troublesome."
Hachiman denied it.
"Oh? Isn't that Hikigaya?"
"Yahallo~"
The ones who came over to greet them were Ichinose Honami and Shiroyama Chihiro.
"G-Good morning."
Shiroyama Chihiro was a bit shy, but her gaze drifted involuntarily towards Ibuki sitting across from Hachiman.
"Morning, Ichinose, Shiroyama."
Hachiman's expression was calm.
He hadn't dreamed about them, so he could be this composed!
"See, and you said you didn't..."
Ibuki first shot him a glare, then frowned, her eyes holding a new wariness as she looked at Ichinose Honami.
"Ibuki-san, there's no need to be so guarded. This is just a greeting between classmates."
Ichinose Honami gave a slight smile. "About last night, thank you for protecting Shiroyama-chan, Hikigaya~"
"I was just heading back to the dorms anyway."
Hachiman's face was impassive.
"As a thank you, can I treat you to lunch at noon, Hikigaya?"
Ichinose blinked, her expression sincere.
"There's no need for the trouble…"
"More importantly, Ichinose, is it really okay for you to do this?" Hachiman's words carried a deeper meaning.
"What do you mean?"
Ichinose expressed her confusion.
"A true leader shouldn't be this naive."
Hachiman was referring to Class D's actions and the simmering resentment Classes A and B held towards them. Along the way, others looked at Class D students with expressions ranging from deep thought to clear displeasure.
"Personal relationships and class relationships are different things."
"Im sure you understand this, right Hikigaya?"
Ichinose's expression was unwavering.
Treating everyone fairly was no easy task for the average person.
Especially for Ichinose Honami, the leader of Class B. Her every word and action carried the weight of responsibility for her class.
Would the people in Class B really have no objections?
Hachiman's gaze shifted to the quiet Shiroyama Chihiro.
He noticed the girl looking at Ichinose with worshipful eyes.
Sigh
Probably just an isolated case?
Surely not everyone in Class B was like that.
But then again, he wasn't really interested in the affairs of other classes.
Just then, a loud, grating voice rang out from the front of the line.
"Class D scum, get me a bitter melon salad!"
"Is this even a place for training?!"
The one causing the trouble was Class A's Yahiko Totsuka.
The reason Hachiman knew this guy was because his name was identical to a certain adorable boy from his hometown.
Though, in this school, sharing a name with someone wasn't that strange.
Besides, judging by their appearances, the two didn't seem to share a single drop of blood.
"W-What are you doing?"
"I didn't even do anything to you…"
The one being targeted was Yukimura Teruhiko, who was lining up for the morning sports drink.
This guy was one of Class D's few academically-focused students.
He never got involved in class affairs and thus had no desire to stand out.
"You're all just Class D trash!"
"If you know what's good for you, you should stick to the sidelines and stop ruining other people's meals."
Yahiko Totsuka continued his verbal assault.
"You…"
Yukimura Teruhiko, his face flushed red with anger and embarrassment, was the type who got tongue-tied when flustered, unable to get a single word out.
There were actually a few other Class D students present, but due to the usual ostracization and their general policy of not causing scenes in public, no one stepped up to help him.
Hachiman frowned.
On a personal level, Yukimura Teruhiko had rejected his 'restroom socialization' before and had sniped at him, saying things like 'hanging out with girls all day, a total slacker.'
Their relationship couldn't be called hostile, but it was definitely far from friendly.
Sigh
But still…
Hachiman stood up.
"As expected, Hikigaya can't just stand by and watch."
Ichinose Honami's eyes flickered slightly.
"This guy, he's always like this."
"His mouth is always spouting cynical nonsense, but in reality, he's surprisingly principled."
Ibuki also smirked.
Shiroyama Chihiro silently watched Hachiman's back, suddenly feeling that his gloomy aura wasn't so scary after all.
"Can you not understand human language? I told you to—"
"You're too loud... Causing a scene first thing in the morning, do you have any idea how annoying you are?"
"Who the hell are you? How dare you tell me, from Class A, what to do?" His face was full of arrogance.
"Huh?"
Hachiman looked at him with utter disdain.
"What?"
"Yahiko Totsuka, right?" Hachiman's eyes shifted slightly. "Is this an order from Katsuragi?"
"How did you know... No! That's not it!" He was flustered.
Hachiman saw through him immediately. Katsuragi would never give such a clumsy, low-level order. This was purely Yahiko's own doing.
As for why he targeted Yukimura, it was simply because he saw him alone—picking the easy, soft target!
"Listen up, you."
"Before this escalates any further…"
"Shut up! Don't just say my name so casually!"
"Mind changing your last name?" Hachiman asked.
Hachiman had a very good impression of that adorable boy from his memories and didn't want this loser in front of him to ruin the good image of the name "Totsuka."
"Wha...?"
"Are you trying to say, 'Change it to Hikigaya'?"
"Bastard! You've gone too far!!"
Yahiko's face instantly turned crimson with rage.
He looked like he was about to lunge forward.
"Wait, Yahiko!" A stern voice stopped him.
"Katsuragi-san..."
Katsuragi Kōhei arrived, his expression severe. "Making a scene in public, do you have any idea how shameful this is for Class A?"
"No, no, you've got it wrong." *
"I wasn't being that harsh."
Hachiman wore an expression of pure innocence.
"Enough!" Katsuragi scolded Yahiko again. "Apologize!"
"Tch!"
Yahiko clicked his tongue in frustration, but under Katsuragi's pressure, he reluctantly bowed to Yukimura. "My... my apologies."
Hachiman watched expressionlessly, one hand slightly open, fingers tense, ready to perform a "palm thrust to the solar plexus" at a moment's notice.
(chill bruh)
"Hmph!"
Katsuragi's gaze remained fixed on Hachiman.
"Hikigaya, was it?" *
Kōhei Katsuragi was a man of imposing stature who wouldn't feel inferior because of his own plain appearance.
"Indeed. Class A should have the pride of Class A."
Katsuragi first sternly criticized his companion, then turned to Hachiman. "My apologies for my classmate's rudeness."
"No problem."
Hachiman relaxed his hand.
Katsuragi's pupils contracted slightly.
He knew a little about martial arts and understood that if a real fight broke out, Yahiko would be no match.
He had heard about Hachiman from Sakayanagi and Kitō. He was a troublesome individual, not your typical Class D student.
Yahiko quitely glared at Hachiman.
Being implicitly called a "bootlicker"—who could stand that?
If Hachiman knew what Yahiko was thinking, he'd probably cry foul.
He just wanted the guy to change his last name.
Okay, fine, that request was a bit excessive.
"Ahem."
Katsuragi cleared his throat. "However, the actions of your Class D in recent days have provoked public outrage!"
Katsuragi deliberately raised his voice for the second half of his sentence.
Hearing this, most of the onlookers nodded in agreement.
After all, both Class A and B had been harassed by Class D.
Hachiman had no rebuttal for this.
Hell, it wasn't just people from other classes; even he, a member of Class D, had been disgusted by some of the idiots in his own class.
"Hold on a moment, Katsuragi."
"Ichinose?"
Ichinose Honami stepped forward.
"Huh? What do you mean by that?"
Katsuragi Kohei stroked his non-existent beard: "Hasn't your Class B also been targeted?"
"That is true."
"But that doesn't mean every student in Class D is a bad person."
Yukimura Teruhiko, the other Class D students present, and the remaining D-class members in the cafeteria were deeply moved.
Yes, only a minority in Class D had been bought off!
But you can't target everyone in Class D with the same brush and blame them all!
"Well I've seen more than once how Hikigaya is always hanging around with Class C!"
Katsuragi pointed out.
This was a fact; he had seen it too.
"So what!"
Ibuki interjected.
"Doesn't that just prove Hikigaya is in cahoots with Class C?!"
It sure seemed that way…
"Hikigaya... he protected me."
Shiroyama Chihiro couldn't help but speak up, though her voice was small and lacked persuasive power.
"Katsuragi, beyond our classes, we are all fellow students. Why must you assume the worst in people?"
"Ichinose, as the leader of Class B, aren't you being far too naive?!"
Katsuragi Kei's expression was stern.
As soon as these words were spoken, they provoked a strong reaction from the other Class B students in the cafeteria.
"That's right! Ichinose, you're too soft-hearted!"
Then...
A boy stepped forward, his expression calm. He pushed up his glasses, his voice steady. "On this matter, I support Ichinose's opinion."
Kanzaki Ryūuji…
Katsuragi looked deeply at the boy who took the lead.
This person was highly capable both academically and physically and was considered one of the core members of Class B. It was just unclear why he hadn't competed for the class leader position. The unified support within Class B presented a stark contrast to the still-internal-strife Class A.
"Well, well! This is quite an interesting show."
A voice laced with mockery sounded: "Heh!"
It was Ryūen Kōji, swaggering in with his usual entourage, looking arrogantly at the assembled Classes A and B.
"So this is the extent of the so-called top classes' strength?"
"A little scheme from me, and you're all already falling apart?"
Ryūen made no attempt to hide his involvement, openly mocking both Class A and B.
"To dare attack both Class A and B simultaneously, you must have a death wish, don't you?"
Katsuragi Kohei looked meaningfully towards the Class B students.
Was he hinting that Class A and B could join forces to deal with Class C?
Hachiman understood Katsuragi's intention.
When the top-ranked class proposes an alliance with the second-ranked to take down the third, it, in a way, also limits the second-ranked class's ability to challenge the top. It was a conservative strategy.
"An interesting proposal, Katsuragi."
"However, Class B has its own methods. We appreciate the concern, but it's unnecessary."
Ichinose Honami politely declined Katsuragi's hint, her intelligent eyes sparkling keenly.
***
Long ahh chapter
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