"The class score is zero, which means our individual points for this month are also zero. What should we do?"
Class competitions and class rankings were still far beyond what Class D could grasp. Right now, everyone's biggest concern was something much simpler — food and drink.
"Didn't the school give you 100,000 points in your first month here?"
"Huh? No way. Did someone actually spend all 100,000 points already?"
Chabashira Sae's voice dripped with sarcasm.
"Uh…"
Nearly half the students in Class D avoided eye contact, guilt written all over their faces.
Chabashira's irritation only deepened. She had assumed there were only one or two hopeless cases — not half the class!
"Rest assured," she said flatly, "the cafeteria and supermarket both provide free basic meals and supplies. You won't starve."
Kushida Kikyo immediately seized the chance to calm everyone. "See? There's no need to panic."
"Is that the free mountain vegetable set meal from the cafeteria?"
"I tried that once out of curiosity and nearly threw up! It was awful!"
Yamauchi Haruki's complaint carried a mix of disgust and exaggerated agony.
If you hate it so much, then don't eat it, thought Hikigaya, already feeling his patience fray. Fortunately, "Angel Kushida" still managed to smile.
"Yamauchi, I'm really sorry to hear that," she said sweetly, though her clenched jaw betrayed her strain. "But please, make sure you eat properly every day, okay?"
Suppressing her irritation, she smiled again.
From the girls' side, Shinohara Satsuki stood up first, pointing accusingly. "If we're talking about losing points, it's all your fault, boys! You're the reason we got zero!"
"Huh? You girls have no right to criticize anyone! Shinohara, weren't you caught reading a fashion magazine during English class by Mashima-sensei? That's definitely a point deduction!"
For once, Ike Kanji showed rare intelligence — his counterattack was sharp and on point.
"Y-You…!" Shinohara's face flushed red, her words tangled in embarrassment.
"It's so noisy," another girl muttered.
"We girls only made small mistakes! At most, we lost one or two points."
To defend the girls' dignity, Kei Karuizawa stepped forward, her tone sharp and commanding.
"Ike, I still haven't forgiven you for harassing Matsushita with late-night messages!"
Chiaki Matsushita — elegant, kind, and terrible at rejecting people — flinched at the mention. She had been pressured into giving Ike her contact info, only for him to start messaging her endlessly afterward.
"Karuizawa, thank you for standing up for me," Matsushita said gratefully.
Hikigaya looked at Kei Karuizawa, surprised. He had pegged her as a fake queen — a flashy girl who only acted confident. Yet, here she was, standing her ground to protect someone else. Maybe there was more to her than appearances.
The boys and girls of Class D soon devolved into open warfare, hurling accusations at one another.
"I have something else to do. You all can… figure it out yourselves."
Chabashira Sae, rather than intervening, made up an excuse and left the classroom, abandoning the chaos entirely.
Without the teacher to keep the peace, the argument grew louder.
On the boys' side, Yamauchi Haruki and Ike Kanji — the "abstract duo" — led the verbal charge.
On the girls' side, Kei Karuizawa fired back with equal ferocity.
"Speaking of point deductions, Sudou was playing basketball in the classroom and broke a camera! He's the one to blame!" Karuizawa shouted.
To be fair, she wasn't wrong.
But Ken Sudou exploded like a powder keg.
Bang!
He kicked the desk in front of him, sending it crashing into another with a deafening thud.
"You little brat, you've been running your mouth since the start!" he snarled.
"I…"
Karuizawa froze under his glare. Her face turned pale, hands trembling uncontrollably as painful memories flashed through her mind.
"Mm…"
Meanwhile, Sakura Airi — seated near the front — jumped in fear. Her chair was jostled by the flying desk. Normally timid, she wished she could crawl into her desk drawer and disappear entirely.
"I can't stand this noise anymore. I can't focus here."
Horikita Suzune frowned, unimpressed, and began packing her things.
Then came another clang — the sound of a thermos hitting the floor.
Everyone turned toward the source.
Hikigaya stood up, picking up his dented thermos. He pointed to the scratches and said coldly, "Sudou, you made me drop this. How are you going to compensate me?"
The class froze.
Sudou blinked in disbelief before shouting back, "You dropped it yourself! What does that have to do with me?!"
"It's your fault," Hikigaya replied calmly. "You kicked the desk and startled me."
Horikita's eyes narrowed slightly. Hikigaya… intervening in class matters? That was rare.
"…?"
Sakura Airi peeked up timidly. Her seatmate, Hasebe Haruka, rested her chin on her hands, a teasing smirk spreading across her face.
She had noticed it — when Hikigaya picked up the thermos, he stole a quick glance at Sakura.
Oh? Is he trying to protect her? How unexpectedly gallant…
(Protect her from what???)
"Hey! What's your problem, Penguin-kun? Sudou's just defending us guys!" Yamauchi sneered, deliberately twisting Hikigaya's nickname.
"What do you mean, 'us guys'? I don't recall authorizing Sudou to represent me." Hikigaya's tone was deadpan as he turned toward a few classmates. "Hirata, Kōenji, Ayanokōji — did any of you ask Sudou for help?"
"Well… I just hope everyone can get along peacefully," said Hirata Yosuke, doing his best to mediate despite the chaos.
"Haha! A beautiful man like me would never involve himself in such vulgarity," said Kōenji Rokusuke, adjusting his hair and angling his mirror toward Hikigaya.
"Uh… me? No comment," Ayanokōji Kiyotaka muttered awkwardly. He hadn't expected to be dragged into this.
"Hey, Ayanokōji! You gonna betray us?!" Ike Kanji yelled.
"No, I'm— I'm with Sudou," Ayanokōji stammered, finally giving in.
That answer earned an immediate glare from the girls.
"Tsk! I thought Ayanokōji was cute, but he's just another spineless follower," Maya Sato scoffed.
"Still," Chiaki Matsushita said curiously, "isn't Hikigaya being a little too brave? He's actually confronting Sudou?"
"Yeah… what's he thinking?" another girl whispered.
Karuizawa, now calmer, quietly watched Hikigaya. Her eyes softened slightly. Was he… standing up for me?
"It's really simple," Sudou growled. "You're picking a fight with me, aren't you?"
"Strong-limbed, simple-minded. Exactly the type that irritates me," Hikigaya said coolly. "Just looking at you makes me angry."
Even though he knew he had no logical reason to be mad, he was furious anyway — furious at the stupidity, the noise, and perhaps at something deeper he couldn't quite name.
It would be foolish of me to take action because of that illusory dream…